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snoopydoo77's review
3.0
I picked up this book because the cover looked great and the synopsis sounded interesting. Well they say don’t judge a book by its cover and I guess that does for great covers as well as for bad covers.
Anyways I really wanted to like this book and I really don’t like writing reviews for books I didn’t care for but I agree to a honest review , when I get ARC books so I here I go.
You can find my full review here:
http://snoopydoosbookreviews.com/?p=110&preview=true&preview_id=110&preview_nonce=71567841e1
Anyways I really wanted to like this book and I really don’t like writing reviews for books I didn’t care for but I agree to a honest review , when I get ARC books so I here I go.
You can find my full review here:
http://snoopydoosbookreviews.com/?p=110&preview=true&preview_id=110&preview_nonce=71567841e1
pause_theframe's review
5.0
What I Thought:
I loved every moment of this book! I found myself pulled in from the moment I started it. The first pages already showed action, a love possibility and a strong female character.
The world Dani-Lyn Alaexander has created is beautiful. It is, in so many ways, similar to ours, but is so very different. I found that she really caught my attention with her choice of plot - the death of a world, which can be saved by another. Yes, this sounds like a very overused plot, but Dani has taken a bogged down, overused subject and turned it into something new and shiny. She added a new depth to it, and the results was something brilliant.
The lack of life and emotion in Cymmera and war has brought their people to Earth. They turn to using a horrid tactic to try and save their realm, but there is one amongst them who sees a potential beyond that expected of Earth. Through his eyes, we see the beginning of something. It could turn to beauty or disaster. We follow along with him, our strong female lead and her wee sister, as they live, learn and start to feel again. With the words of the wee sister, Mia, we see both worlds through a light we never would have thought possible.
I found that the characters in Reluctant Prince had depth, emotion (or lack thereof for those falling under that category) and personalities that made them real, loveable (or worthy of hate) and the descriptions of their features that made them so real I felt a part of their realms. I knew every thought and emotion and could judge their actions, as I knew them so well I could guess what reactions they might have.
The pace and plot were beautifully woven, taking me along on the journey. I was so enthralled that, before I knew it, I was at the end of their story. I am eager, almost to the point of pestering her, to know when the next instalment will hit 'shelves.'
Overall, this story was a mix of beauty, sadness, war and love. It was more addicting than most of the fantasy stories I have read. I feel this will definitely be one of the books I add to my 2015 Favourites! I highly suggest reading. As there are only light romance scenes, I feel it is appropriate for YA through to adult.
I loved every moment of this book! I found myself pulled in from the moment I started it. The first pages already showed action, a love possibility and a strong female character.
The world Dani-Lyn Alaexander has created is beautiful. It is, in so many ways, similar to ours, but is so very different. I found that she really caught my attention with her choice of plot - the death of a world, which can be saved by another. Yes, this sounds like a very overused plot, but Dani has taken a bogged down, overused subject and turned it into something new and shiny. She added a new depth to it, and the results was something brilliant.
The lack of life and emotion in Cymmera and war has brought their people to Earth. They turn to using a horrid tactic to try and save their realm, but there is one amongst them who sees a potential beyond that expected of Earth. Through his eyes, we see the beginning of something. It could turn to beauty or disaster. We follow along with him, our strong female lead and her wee sister, as they live, learn and start to feel again. With the words of the wee sister, Mia, we see both worlds through a light we never would have thought possible.
I found that the characters in Reluctant Prince had depth, emotion (or lack thereof for those falling under that category) and personalities that made them real, loveable (or worthy of hate) and the descriptions of their features that made them so real I felt a part of their realms. I knew every thought and emotion and could judge their actions, as I knew them so well I could guess what reactions they might have.
The pace and plot were beautifully woven, taking me along on the journey. I was so enthralled that, before I knew it, I was at the end of their story. I am eager, almost to the point of pestering her, to know when the next instalment will hit 'shelves.'
Overall, this story was a mix of beauty, sadness, war and love. It was more addicting than most of the fantasy stories I have read. I feel this will definitely be one of the books I add to my 2015 Favourites! I highly suggest reading. As there are only light romance scenes, I feel it is appropriate for YA through to adult.
raven168's review
3.0
I thought this was a pretty good book with an interesting story to it. Dying kingdoms, powerful royalty, dragons and magic....an array of possible things to do there.
Ryleigh's a 17 year old girl responsible for her younger sister with no other family and desperately trying to protect her until she turns 18 and can be her legal guardian. Her whole life changes one day while she's at an interview. An earthquake strikes and she has no idea that it was caused in order to get her. Which doesn't happen because when the guy sent to kill her and take her back sees her protecting a little girl, he knows he cannot fulfill his mission. That guy would be the first prince of Cymmera, Jackson. Upon his return home he is banished to Earth for three months to prepare some sort of defense for his treasonous decision of not taking her. At this point he's determined to protect her and finds her and her sister Mia at the hospital. But apparently nowhere is safe. Ambushed by his father's advisor and his own mentor (Kai), then attacked at Ryleight's home by the bad guy (Daygan), they run for their lives. But Jackson had been stripped of his powers so it's up to Ryleigh to open a portal to his home and save them. Surprise surprise when it works. Once back at the castle Jackson learns his fate and they all learn about Ryleigh and Mia's history with their own. When Daygan attacks, it's obvious there's a traitor among them and Jackson's father makes a decision that will seal Jackson's future in case something should happen. During that ceremony though, Ryleigh gets caught up in it too and presented with her future. The battle rages on and it's hard to say how long it took because sometimes you would think it's been a long time, but then something happens that makes it seem much shorter. But it ends with important loses on both sides and the threat of still another traitor among Jackson's own (and I have my idea of who it is).
I will admit that the traitor seemed pretty obvious to me. I mean, the dude was a jerk (and that's putting it mildly). And some things were rather predictable, but I still enjoyed reading how they were going to come about. Ryleigh's decision at the end was a little annoying even though I suppose I can understand her reasoning.
I would definitely check out the next one to see what happens next.
One thing I don't understand is why it's titled "Reluctant Prince". He was in no way reluctant of his station. He took pride in who and what he was and worked hard to be worthy of it of all. Really, should have been the "Reluctant Princess" because Ryleigh is the one who wasn't all gun ho about it...
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
Ryleigh's a 17 year old girl responsible for her younger sister with no other family and desperately trying to protect her until she turns 18 and can be her legal guardian. Her whole life changes one day while she's at an interview. An earthquake strikes and she has no idea that it was caused in order to get her. Which doesn't happen because when the guy sent to kill her and take her back sees her protecting a little girl, he knows he cannot fulfill his mission. That guy would be the first prince of Cymmera, Jackson. Upon his return home he is banished to Earth for three months to prepare some sort of defense for his treasonous decision of not taking her. At this point he's determined to protect her and finds her and her sister Mia at the hospital. But apparently nowhere is safe. Ambushed by his father's advisor and his own mentor (Kai), then attacked at Ryleight's home by the bad guy (Daygan), they run for their lives. But Jackson had been stripped of his powers so it's up to Ryleigh to open a portal to his home and save them. Surprise surprise when it works. Once back at the castle Jackson learns his fate and they all learn about Ryleigh and Mia's history with their own. When Daygan attacks, it's obvious there's a traitor among them and Jackson's father makes a decision that will seal Jackson's future in case something should happen. During that ceremony though, Ryleigh gets caught up in it too and presented with her future. The battle rages on and it's hard to say how long it took because sometimes you would think it's been a long time, but then something happens that makes it seem much shorter. But it ends with important loses on both sides and the threat of still another traitor among Jackson's own (and I have my idea of who it is).
I will admit that the traitor seemed pretty obvious to me. I mean, the dude was a jerk (and that's putting it mildly). And some things were rather predictable, but I still enjoyed reading how they were going to come about. Ryleigh's decision at the end was a little annoying even though I suppose I can understand her reasoning.
I would definitely check out the next one to see what happens next.
One thing I don't understand is why it's titled "Reluctant Prince". He was in no way reluctant of his station. He took pride in who and what he was and worked hard to be worthy of it of all. Really, should have been the "Reluctant Princess" because Ryleigh is the one who wasn't all gun ho about it...
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
anabbesteves's review
4.0
Ryleigh Donnovan is just a seventeen years old girl but she has the weight of the world in her shoulders. Since her grandmother and legal guardian died she has to avoid the social services, waiting for her birthday and trying to find a job so she can keep her sister, Mia, with her.
A tragic earth-quake while Ryleigh is on a job interview that terrifies her and sends her on frantic search for her and later lands her on the hospital leads her to escape with a beautiful stranger.
Jackson Maynard is the son of the king is on his last task in order to be ordained Death Dealer, a warrior of the Kingdom of Cymmera, but he fails on recovering the girl the prophet has chosen. He then has to face a trial for treason.
When he's banished from his realm he decides to seek out the girl from the vision, Ryleigh Donnovan, and together they start a journey to save the dying kingdom of Cymmera.
My first tought about this book is that it is utterly amazing and that it has a very fresh and new concept that I had never crossed paths with before it talks about an realm that coexists with earth but it's not pat of it, it talks about technology but there's a world that survives whithout it, it talks about falling in love but also talks about family love and it even has thrilling adventure times with lots of adrenaline.
The characthers are all so deep and worked with that you can really feel theam and actually feel like you're part of their world and not just a bystander in their story.
You will fall in love with this book the moment you open it and every chapter is exciting!
If you like love, family, adrenaline, magic, war and mystical creatures all in the same story then this is a story for you!
On my blog:
http://thebewitchedreader.blogspot.pt/2015/10/reluctant-prince-kingdom-of-cymmera-1.html
A tragic earth-quake while Ryleigh is on a job interview that terrifies her and sends her on frantic search for her and later lands her on the hospital leads her to escape with a beautiful stranger.
Jackson Maynard is the son of the king is on his last task in order to be ordained Death Dealer, a warrior of the Kingdom of Cymmera, but he fails on recovering the girl the prophet has chosen. He then has to face a trial for treason.
When he's banished from his realm he decides to seek out the girl from the vision, Ryleigh Donnovan, and together they start a journey to save the dying kingdom of Cymmera.
My first tought about this book is that it is utterly amazing and that it has a very fresh and new concept that I had never crossed paths with before it talks about an realm that coexists with earth but it's not pat of it, it talks about technology but there's a world that survives whithout it, it talks about falling in love but also talks about family love and it even has thrilling adventure times with lots of adrenaline.
The characthers are all so deep and worked with that you can really feel theam and actually feel like you're part of their world and not just a bystander in their story.
You will fall in love with this book the moment you open it and every chapter is exciting!
If you like love, family, adrenaline, magic, war and mystical creatures all in the same story then this is a story for you!
On my blog:
http://thebewitchedreader.blogspot.pt/2015/10/reluctant-prince-kingdom-of-cymmera-1.html
liferhi_inspired's review
4.0
This is a perfect book for any fantasy lover. This book takes place in both the human world and the world of Cymmera.
While I'm not a huge fan of books with younger main characters, I found myself soon forgetting that the heroine was only 17 years old. The one thing that did bug me a bit was how Ryleigh treated her young sister if is she was a young child but yet her sister, when her sister was a teenager.
Jackson is a Death Dealer and is sent on a mission to kill Ryleigh, but can't bring himself to do it when he layer eyes on her. Since Jackson defied his father's orders to kill Ryleigh, he is sent to Earth until his father can figure out what to do to him. Trouble soon follows him and he must now be her protector. Trouble soon starts in Cymmera, and it's soon assumed that there is a leak somewhere in the Kings inner circle. Jackson must battle both his known enemy and a the enemy working against him and his family.
This story was a entertaining story that you can easily get lost in. The writing is well done and the dialogue flows smoothly. While the story wasn't too long, it kept you engaged from the first page to the last. This book has a great suspense/mystery part to it, as you try to figure out who the leak really is. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading the second book in the series.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*
While I'm not a huge fan of books with younger main characters, I found myself soon forgetting that the heroine was only 17 years old. The one thing that did bug me a bit was how Ryleigh treated her young sister if is she was a young child but yet her sister, when her sister was a teenager.
Jackson is a Death Dealer and is sent on a mission to kill Ryleigh, but can't bring himself to do it when he layer eyes on her. Since Jackson defied his father's orders to kill Ryleigh, he is sent to Earth until his father can figure out what to do to him. Trouble soon follows him and he must now be her protector. Trouble soon starts in Cymmera, and it's soon assumed that there is a leak somewhere in the Kings inner circle. Jackson must battle both his known enemy and a the enemy working against him and his family.
This story was a entertaining story that you can easily get lost in. The writing is well done and the dialogue flows smoothly. While the story wasn't too long, it kept you engaged from the first page to the last. This book has a great suspense/mystery part to it, as you try to figure out who the leak really is. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading the second book in the series.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*
my_expanding_bookshelf's review
3.0
Reluctant Prince was a nice read. I know... nice. It wasn't mind-blowing but it certainly held my interest and the story improved as it progressed making me want to know what will happen next.
Reluctant Prince is set in the present world (I honestly can't remember if a city was named) as well as in the alternative universe of Cymmera. I have had a slightly sketchy past with alternative universes, but this has certainly opened my eyes to possibilities, Dani-Lyn Alexander does a pretty decent job of writing about Cymmera (it almost felt real) though I wish there was more description.
The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Ryleigh and Jackson. It allows an insight into the confusion, and disbelief, felt by both of them and I really liked this.
Some parts of the plot were predictable. I didn't really mind this as it's quite a short read anyway. It's obvious who the bad guy is. But you are left guessing when it came to who was working with him. Thus adding a bit of mystery to the story.
The plot does move forward at quite a fast pace and there is a lot in the 200 pages. I do wish it was slightly slower paced, but it's a quick read for a lazy afternoon. I also wish it was longer as it has the potential to be. I feel there is a slight lack of description and this is something that would fill the story out more and maybe even slow the pace that little bit.
The plot isn't completely tied up at the end. It's left on a slight cliffhanger. Something I can completely understand as Reluctant Prince is part of a trilogy. You definitely need to read on to find out what happens next. Something I will be doing in the next few weeks.
I did enjoy the characters Ryleigh and Jackson and they were fairly likable. However, they weren't that rememberable and you don't really learn much about them. Hopefully, this changes in the second book. I did really like that Ryleigh didn't immediately trust Jackson, it was so refreshing to read in a way. I also love Jackson's name. It's a fairly "normal" name for a fantasy character from an alternative universe. In fact, most residents of Cymmera had nice normal names - something quite rare in fantasy. It also means the names ridiculously easy to pronounce, which is a must when you want to tell someone about a book.
However, I did feel that Ryleigh's sister, Mia, acted a bit too child-like for a 14-year-old. She acted more like a 10-year-old and other character referred to her as if she was a lot longer.
I will also warn that there is a hint of insta-love. I did facepalm a couple of times. But if you can get past that then you'll be fine.
All in all, I would recommend Reluctant Prince to fans of YA fantasy. It's a nice, quick, "in-between books" read. And as I said, I will be reading the second book in the trilogy, Lost Princess, in the next couple of weeks.
This review, and many more, can be found at My Expanding Bookshelf.
Reluctant Prince is set in the present world (I honestly can't remember if a city was named) as well as in the alternative universe of Cymmera. I have had a slightly sketchy past with alternative universes, but this has certainly opened my eyes to possibilities, Dani-Lyn Alexander does a pretty decent job of writing about Cymmera (it almost felt real) though I wish there was more description.
The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Ryleigh and Jackson. It allows an insight into the confusion, and disbelief, felt by both of them and I really liked this.
Some parts of the plot were predictable. I didn't really mind this as it's quite a short read anyway. It's obvious who the bad guy is. But you are left guessing when it came to who was working with him. Thus adding a bit of mystery to the story.
The plot does move forward at quite a fast pace and there is a lot in the 200 pages. I do wish it was slightly slower paced, but it's a quick read for a lazy afternoon. I also wish it was longer as it has the potential to be. I feel there is a slight lack of description and this is something that would fill the story out more and maybe even slow the pace that little bit.
The plot isn't completely tied up at the end. It's left on a slight cliffhanger. Something I can completely understand as Reluctant Prince is part of a trilogy. You definitely need to read on to find out what happens next. Something I will be doing in the next few weeks.
I did enjoy the characters Ryleigh and Jackson and they were fairly likable. However, they weren't that rememberable and you don't really learn much about them. Hopefully, this changes in the second book. I did really like that Ryleigh didn't immediately trust Jackson, it was so refreshing to read in a way. I also love Jackson's name. It's a fairly "normal" name for a fantasy character from an alternative universe. In fact, most residents of Cymmera had nice normal names - something quite rare in fantasy. It also means the names ridiculously easy to pronounce, which is a must when you want to tell someone about a book.
However, I did feel that Ryleigh's sister, Mia, acted a bit too child-like for a 14-year-old. She acted more like a 10-year-old and other character referred to her as if she was a lot longer.
I will also warn that there is a hint of insta-love. I did facepalm a couple of times. But if you can get past that then you'll be fine.
All in all, I would recommend Reluctant Prince to fans of YA fantasy. It's a nice, quick, "in-between books" read. And as I said, I will be reading the second book in the trilogy, Lost Princess, in the next couple of weeks.
This review, and many more, can be found at My Expanding Bookshelf.
eloiseinparis's review
2.0
A story with potential that fell flat to me. However there was enough there that I will give the the next book in the series a try.
marie_thereadingotter's review
1.0
I received this book from NetGalley for review
This was not a good book. It started off weird, and just kept getting stranger. When Jackson fails to complete his task of "retrieving" Ryleigh from the human realm he is immediately accused of treason and banished. Right away that is just the strangest thing to do. Why not ask questions as to why first then you hand out punishments.
Also I knew right away that one guy was a traitor, I mean... the way he wanted to punish Jackson immediately with no trial or time for him to defend himself with his reason as to why he couldn't bring her back. Also, Mia when we first meet her character I thought she was like, 9 or something but she's supposed to be 14. Her behavior was something closer to someone much younger than that.
Even though there was an absurd amount of action in this book, not a whole lot of actual plot development happened.
I usually like YA, but this book was just pretty terrible, none of the characters seemed even remotely relatable, and a little boring. Maybe a younger teen would like this book, like a 13 yr old.
This was not a good book. It started off weird, and just kept getting stranger. When Jackson fails to complete his task of "retrieving" Ryleigh from the human realm he is immediately accused of treason and banished. Right away that is just the strangest thing to do. Why not ask questions as to why first then you hand out punishments.
Also I knew right away that one guy was a traitor, I mean... the way he wanted to punish Jackson immediately with no trial or time for him to defend himself with his reason as to why he couldn't bring her back. Also, Mia when we first meet her character I thought she was like, 9 or something but she's supposed to be 14. Her behavior was something closer to someone much younger than that.
Even though there was an absurd amount of action in this book, not a whole lot of actual plot development happened.
I usually like YA, but this book was just pretty terrible, none of the characters seemed even remotely relatable, and a little boring. Maybe a younger teen would like this book, like a 13 yr old.
serenaasora's review
4.0
3.5 rounded up to 4. It was slow and a bit hard to get into, but the plot was interesting and when it was good, it was really good and held my attention. Maybe not enough to read the next book, but enough that I can say that I liked it.
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