e-ARC, 400 pages
Release Date: February 16, 2016Published by: Balzer + BrayRavenspire, #1Source: Edelweiss (A huge thank you to Edelweiss and the Publisher for allowing me access to this galley. All opinions are my own and their permission to receive this did not sway my opinion in any way.)For fans of: Fairy tale retellings, Romance, Fantasy, Action, DEAR, Sparkly Covers, Magic, Dragons
Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.
In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.
But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.
*MY THOUGHTS*
To be honest I was a little iffy about reading another Snow White retelling after reading one a short time ago. But once I picked this book up, I could not set it down. It was way more than I expected and I was so glad to have the chance to read it!
“You don’t go into battle because you’re sure of victory, You go into battle because it’s the right thing to do.“5%%
Lorelai is the one true princess of Ravenspire. She is also a fugitive at large. Her plan is to kill the evil queen before the evil queen kills her. Then comes a huntsman who needs the evil queen’s help. In exchange the huntsman must bring the queen he heart of Lorelai. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it seems because Lorelai is not what the huntsman was expecting. At all.
“Negotiations work best when you have enough leverage to come to the table as an equal.“62%
The number one thing I liked about this one was of course all the Snow White elements. They were all done in a very cool and interesting way. There was the mirror, the apples, the huntsman, everything. But don’t get me wrong, this isn’t just another retelling. This book is full of non-stop adventure and makes this retelling stand out from many of the others I’ve read.
“You look most fetching today my lord.“19%
I also loved the MC. She was fun and down to earth to be a lost princess. It was evident that she loved her country and would do anything she could to save it. I also loved her magic and how she used it. It was interesting to see someone who could only use magic with their bare hands. I also liked the writing style. There were also different POV’s and it was interesting to see this story from all aspects like the villain, the heroine, and the huntsman. This was one fantasy that was fun and easy to follow. There were a few words that were hard to pronounce (most of those were spells), but there is a glossary in the back that can help.
“Bloodlines and birthrights don’t make someone worth following. Neither does appearance of power. I follow you because you have the courage of a true warrior.“39%
Last but certainly not least I loved the romance. I won’t say who it’s between, but if you know Snow White I’m sure you can guess. I will say I liked the love interest from the very beginning and had been waiting since I first saw (read? met?) them to fall for the other. I will definitely be adding hum to my list of book boyfriends!
“A warrior doesn’t focus on the odds stacked against her. She focuses on her heart, on her will to face the evil in her world and defeat it, and then she finds a way to do it.“39%
This book was not what I was expecting, but in a GREAT way. It met all my expectations and more. I can truthfully say I already need the next book. Speaking of, I read on Goodreads that this series is “a series of stand alone companion novels, each an epic fantasy fairy tale retelling set in adjoining kingdoms.” One question….. Is it too early to ask what the next retelling will be? lol I just NEED the next book in this series already. I need more of these characters.
Overall, I give this
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Awesome! I am SO looking forward to reading this one! I might be reading it first after I read a few necessary reads! Hearing too many amazing things about this one!! Great review!