If you are a writer you will be envious of the very poetic and creative similes and metaphors that flow with seeming ease from the pen of Miss Liljencrantz.
A young Danish girl is caught up in the warring factions of the era and forced to become a warrior. And yes, it is a love story, but there is plenty of intrigue and action to move it briskly along.

I was amazed at the author's eloquent use of Shakesperian English. He wrote with the flavor and much of the clause and sentence structure of the 17th Century while still keeping it very readable and enjoyable for "modern" readers. The story moves along nicely, even with the archaic asides. Although Stephen's probably gained his fluency in this vernacular from his experience as a theater critic, it's almost as though her were a time traveler to the 19th Century.