Book Synopsis:
Within these
pages lie kingdoms with castles and princes who fall in love with fair maidens,
but make no mistake−this is no fairytale.
His
father's kingdom is on the brink of upheaval and at the center of it all is an
ordinary girl who could be the key to its undoing. When faced with the ultimate
choice, will he choose the girl he's falling in love with or the kingdom he has
sworn to protect?
An
ordinary girl with an extraordinary past... All she wants is to be free. What
she doesn't realize is that freedom comes with a price she can't afford to pay.
She's forced to accept the proposal of a prince she despises, even though her
heart belongs to someone else... his brother.
Seventeen-year-old
Rema lives in a brutal kingdom where travel between regions is forbidden,
people are starving, and looking at someone the wrong way can mean death.
Nineteen-year-old Darmik is the king's son and Commander of the King's Army. He
spends his days roving the island, doing his father's bidding and trying to
maintain control over the people.
When a
chance encounter throws Rema and Darmik together, they share an instantaneous
connection, but any sort of relationship between them is strictly forbidden.
Darmik's brother, the Crown Prince, notices Darmik's interest in Rema and, in a
calculated, political move, blackmails her. Faced with an impossible choice,
Rema is forced to sacrifice her heart in order to save her family.
As Rema
is taken to the palace with the Crown Prince, Darmik confronts the growing
rumor that a legitimate blood heir to the throne exists and is trying to
overthrow Darmik's family. In Darmik's quest to hunt down and kill the threat,
he discovers that nothing is as it seems. Locked in the king's castle, Rema
finds herself a key player in a massive power struggle. When Darmik shows up,
she's not sure if she can trust him. The line between friends, enemies, and
loyalty becomes blurred. As truths are unlocked, Rema understands that she just
might be the key to finding the rightful heir and restoring peace to the kingdom...
if she can manage to stay alive long enough.
Page Length: 342 pages
Audio Length: 8 Hours 51 Minutes
My Review:
This is book 1 of 3 and is not a standalone book. The
entire
series is available so there’s no waiting for the next in the
series!
I listened to this book on audio and the first thing that I
noticed about the book is that I had to slow down the
narration speed to half-speed.
The narrator, Michelle
Michaels, was speaking pretty fast and I had a hard time
keeping up with her at first. She has a very good accent for
this story, just
talks fast.
The book starts right into the middle of a big, bad
situation.
You have a King dying, a Queen sending her daughter away
to try to
survive while she loses her life, a trusted man of the
court running off with
the infant Princess. It is pretty much off
and running from the beginning.
Things slow down a bit after
the book jumps 17 years to the future.
We now have a young woman who has a life with her Aunt
and
Uncle and her best friend, Bren that she can out race on
a horse every time. I’m
not going to put any spoilers in here,
since I hate it when people do that to
me, but things start to
go up and downhill quickly for Rema.
She then meets a couple of Princes, one of which is
awesome
for a time, the other is a jerk from the get-go. At
this point, there is love,
betrayal, political games, dismissals,
dungeons, rebels, and a cliff-hanger
ending. Thankfully, book
2 “Red” is already out and we won’t have to be beating
our
head against the wall over the cliffhanger, but it is still there.
Fair
warning! Buy book 2 before finishing book 1.
When it comes to rating, I rate the narration of the story
about 3.5 STARS but the story overall I will give a GOOD 4
STARS!!
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest
review*
Author Bio:
Jennifer graduated from the
University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential. She
is currently a full-time writer and mother of three highly energetic children.
Her days are spent living in imaginary worlds and fueling her own kids'
creativity.
Awards:
The
Voice: Finalist in the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
The
Voice: Winner of the 2013 San Diego Book Awards: Best Published Young Adult
Novel
The Key:
Finalist in the 2014 USA Book Award: Young Adult Category
For more
information, visit www.JenniferAnneDavis.com.
