Aryen lives in a society where your family clan, or Banner, is everything. Aryen was born in a strong Banner, and enjoys many privileges because of it, including the chance to attend the best music school in the country. The one privilege she doesn't have is to choose her own spouse. When her Banner arranges her marriage to the handsome and social climbing Blaine, Aryen begins to realize how much her un-bannered childhood friend, Ryan, means to her. As her love for Ryan and dislike of Blaine grows she finds herself in an emotional maelstrom that threatens to destroy everything most dear. This is a fun riff on the Romeo and Juliet trope--family feuds, forbidden love, overbearing parents, and self-sacrifice. Aryen is a likeable character, an authentic music geek, and the setting, though not historical, feels like a bit like Downton Abby. Quill includes some exciting and some funny action scenes. The "starvation" scene (I won't say more because it would be a spoiler) is not very believable. Anyone who writes about someone going without food should fast for 48 or even 72 hours and see how functional they are. Most readers haven't, so they won't be bothered by it, (I have, and was) but all in all this would be an easy book for me to recommend to clean romance loving friends. (219, 354 p.)
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