Miyara is a princess, on the eve of the day she’s supposed to dedicate herself in service to her people. She’s the fourth daughter, so her older sisters have taken their own paths, and she’s at a loss for what to do herself. So she chooses to leave, which exiles herself from her family.
So this does start with what could be a really silly premise – princess wanders off and manages to find herself among her people. Which is what happens, but it works. Miyara ends up in a city near the Cataclysm, where magic has changed the land, and forced many people as refugees into her country of Istalam. And where she always understood that these people were being taken care of, and treated fairly, she finds out that the reality is more complicated than that.
So we do get a bit of a princess to the rescue story, but it’s very kind, and very cozy. Her new friends are all interesting, good people, even the ones that shouldn’t be. I really enjoyed this book.
The North Wind and the Sea 