Author: Angie Dickinson
Recommended Age: 15+
Date Published: 2025
Genre: Fantasy
Summary: When Cressida Hoth was eight years old, a curse was placed upon her where she could never tell a lie. For most of her life, it acted as a blessing to those around her. But when the finishing school she is attending as a young woman is revealed to be a front for a rebel spy ring, Cressida’s curse suddenly endangers not only herself, but her friends and her country.
Notes from The Radical Reader:
- Noble Characters: Ever since her parents were murdered, Cressida has lived with her oppressive, stingy aunts. When they send her to one of Dernmont’s best finishing schools, Cressida is prepared for lectures on music and etiquette, not how to be a spy. When she is assigned her first mission to infiltrate the castle and royal family, she finds her curse endangering her life, mission, and the entire rebellion.
- Captivating Plots: Finishing schools that teach archery, lock picking, fencing, and poison-making? I was instantly hooked. When Cressida Hoth discovers that her finishing school is actually the front for a rebel spy ring, she is thrown into a battle of lies and truth where her actions could save lives… or destroy them.
- Elaborate Worlds: The kingdom of Dernmont’s history has been rewritten, according to the teachers at Cressida’s school. Why? That’s what the rebel spies are determined to find out. But Cressida’s curse might end their mission if she is forced to answer the wrong question truthfully. And Dernmont might never be free from the oppressive royals who control it.
Noteworthy Elements:
- Violence: One of the antagonists forces Cressida to cooperate or watch her friend be tortured. The phrase “carve her lovely face while you watch” is the only description of what the torture would entail if Cressida doesn’t obey. No further details are given.
- Sexual Tension: Two of the girls at Cressida’s school are chosen to pose as potential marriage prospects for the crown prince. One girl mentions that she intends to preserve her honor and not commit to any vulgar roles. There are two references to Cressida having a woman’s shape at a young age. The girls must practice the art of flirtation in their training. One of the girls mistakes the prince’s dinner invitation as a scandalous, sexual advance. When Cressida and another male spy are caught passing information, they pretend to be flirting with each other to protect themselves. A man glances over Cressida to ensure that she is not hurt, but this causes Cressida to blush.
- Profanity: The word “damning” is used to describe a profuse amount of evidence against a guilty party.
- Other: Cressida mentions twice having to “relieve herself” and makes a reference to “cramps from trapped wind”.
