I really loved the atmosphere created in the prologue and it drew me into the story, wanting to know more about the events leading up to it. I'm often wary of coming into a book that's part of a series but the details of previous events seemed just right - not too much that you couldn't go back and read earlier books and not too little that you felt totally confused. I like the period it's set in and the female protagonist. As a fan of historical fiction, I think this is a series I could really enjoy.