A fall from grace requires an adjustment period, especially when you fall from being the top dog, to the bottom. When almost everyone is your enemy, you learn to value the few friends that you have or make along the way. Our heroine is learning that the hard way, trying to survive at the bottom of the heap.
When a story is told in the first person, the author has to create a character that draws in her/his readers. It's a fine line to tread. Annabel is a master storyteller, and drew me into the story in the first chapter of the first book, and has done it again in this one. Alyse is not the most personable personality in this series, she has character flaws. Once you become a friend of this prickly pear, though, her loyalty knows no bounds.
Thank you for the story, Annabel. A+ for the delivery and the surprises along the journey. As for the grammar, there are a couple of items in the notes for your next revision.