Published by Clean Teen Publishing © 2013
Kindle Edition
YA Fantasy
Reviewed by Leah
*Note: This review copy/pasted from GoodReads.*
A lot.
To be perfectly honest, there was a lot more that I didn't like than what I did like. But I'm pretty sure it's just me, at this point. I wasn't really in the mood for this type of genre/writing so I think I was just too disconnected to really get into it.
At the same time, it kept me going. Kept me hooked. Whenever I started reading it, I couldn't stop. Unless real life interrupted--which it did too often for my liking--I couldn't leave it alone. Which says a lot about the pacing, the narrative, and the sheer power of the writing that kept me so intrigued.
That same writing, however, made the story seem fit for a much younger audience. There is a simplicity in the words and the entire plot in general that really was my biggest pet-peeve. The bad guys were bad. The good guys were good. No real depth allowed me for a moment to assume there was a hint of even the slightest evil in Prince Darmik. He was the good guy til the very last. (Anyone who wants to bring up what he has to do in the course of his duty doesn't know what evil vs necessary is and can stuff it.) And there was most definitely no ounce of good in his brother, who appeared to be nothing more than a spoiled toddler on a power trip.
That was the end of their development. The king and his eldest son were evil. We're given no reasons why. Nor are we shaded with motives for why Prince Darmik turned out the way he did. Was it because he was the victim of this cruelty his entire life? Or was his training in a foreign land the reason he escaped the vilest of his family traits? Even so, I would think something of his father and brother would have clung to him. No one escapes that type of family completely untarnished. So why, then, is he a polished and noble man with a sense of righteousness and no blinders on? Even his one flaw--the ability to turn a blind eye to the heinous nature of his family and still protect them at all costs--is a mark of his own loyal nature and is therefore a virtue. It's maddening, to be quite honest, to have so revered a prince right there … and have him be a total idiot.
<spoiler>Seriously, as soon as his father mentioned the first queen having odd coloring and being the only one in the land with such, it really should have only been a hop skip and a jump to figure out that Rema--the only blonde he's ever seen!--is the heir.</spoiler>
There were times--plenty of them, in fact--where I really wanted to just smack him upside the head because he was missing the obvious. But really, what plot would there be if he didn't? Which actually made him the perfect match for Rema, because I wanted to do the same to her just as often.
<spoiler>Why, oh WHY, didn't you just go with your 'Aunt' when you had the chance to escape?! Stupid, stupid, stupid!</spoiler>
But again: oh what plot would there be?
Keeping with my loved it/hated it streak, the relationship between Darmick and Rema annoyed me to no end and yet I was all giddy and girly when they had their private moments. Attraction, I understand. Insta-attraction that hits you like a brick to the face … No. Not my cup of tea. This is why YA books are beginning to wear on me. Too much insta-love and insta-attraction like this is just a step behind.
Which is why I do not blame this book for my aversion. Because it's MY pet-peeve. I knew what would be in this book when I decided to read it and I chose to read it anyway. Therefore I do not detract (many) points from its overall score because of this.
Wow, that is a lot of whining I'm doing. *sad face*
So why three stars?
One extremely hyphenated word for you: un-put-downable.
It was engrossing and intriguing. Though it lacked the depth I'm used to from my fantasy novels, that didn't make the plot any less engaging. (For me.) For a YA novel (I would say geared more towards the younger edge of YA), it was a nice, easy read. The flow was decent and though I didn't LOVE the characters, I wanted to know about them and see how their journey ended.
And now, BECAUSE OF THAT CLIFFHANGER, I will gladly go indulge myself in buying the second book.
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