Hey everyone! I had the privilege of reviewing Wrought of Silver and Ravens by E.J. Kitchens, so I'm sharing said review today! It's part of a series, and is a fantasy retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses. But before I get into my review, here's some info about the book and its author!
BLURB
With a malevolent prince stealing her kingdom and her magic one dance at a time, Princess Thea must win the loyalty of a mysterious guard to save her kingdom.
Athdar Owain is a hunted wanderer, one determined to keep his secrets and the treasure he carries safe at all costs. When he rescues the Kingdom of Giliosthay's prince from raiders, he's rewarded by being forced into the king's elite Silver Guard. While this gives Athdar a temporary home and some protection from those hunting him, it also makes him responsible for the young prince, who still bears curses from the raiders, and seven enchantress princesses with curses as mysterious and dangerous as their brother's.
Princess Thea of Giliosthay is a Realm Walker. Betrayed by a trusted guard, her rare gift of enchantment is used to curse her brother and trap herself and her six sisters into a nightly dance with dragons in a secret Realm. The Realm's prince has the ability to take and twist her magic for his own purposes, and Thea fears what those might be. For when one dances with a prince, a kingdom might be at stake.
Athdar alone can save them, but to trust enchanters is to risk exposure. And Athdar isn't sure where his loyalties lie.
Wrought of Silver and Ravens is a clean adventure-romance retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" set in The Magic Collectors story world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
E.J. Kitchens loves tales of romance, adventure, and happily-ever-afters and strives to write such tales herself. When she's not thinking about dashing heroes or how awesome bacteria are--she is a microbiologist after all--she's probably photographing flowers, walking in the woods, or talking about classic books and black-and-white movies. Elizabeth is a member of Realm Makers and blogs at Lands Uncharted. She lives in Alabama.
If you'd like up-to-date news on her writing, visit her website and sign up for her newsletter. http://www.elizabethjanekitchens.com/
MY REVEIW
This book is definitely for folks who enjoy high fantasy/magic and retellings. The characters were believable; Athdar has to be my favorite out of the group. (Aside from the lion cubs...oh yeah, did I mention LION CUBS?!) It's apparent that a lot of thought went into the worldbuilding for this book; the vivid settings caught my attention and I truly enjoyed reading about them. This book is based on the "Twelve Dancing Princesses" fairytale, but at first glance, you wouldn't notice the influence; it's not a 'run of the mill' retelling that just regurgitates the same characters in a different format, so that was interesting! I did find the beginning a little slow (I'm not sure why; the plot itself wasn't slow, but it didn't immediately catch my attention like most fantasies do) and it's a bit easy to get lost with the large "cast" of characters -- but if you enjoy retellings, high fantasy, and some impactful themes that center around Biblical truth without being too "preachy," this is one you'll want to check out!
No Comments Yet, Leave Yours!