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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I was fully expecting this one to be too silly to enjoy, and I'm happy to report that I was wrong. The Trouble With Kings falls between Crown Duel and A Stranger To Command (also published in 2008) in reading difficulty. It is fully appropriate for a teenage audience and is full of fun. I could easily read this book again.
Flian has flaws that she works to overcome. She also comes to value her strengths, and is very much a coming of age book. The kings and prince who kidnap her also have flaws, one has a more fatal flaw than the others. I really enjoy characters who aren't perfect! One of the kings, who will not be named to avoid spoilers, could be considered a Byronic hero because...
To read the full review and see more suggestions go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com
Flian has flaws that she works to overcome. She also comes to value her strengths, and is very much a coming of age book. The kings and prince who kidnap her also have flaws, one has a more fatal flaw than the others. I really enjoy characters who aren't perfect! One of the kings, who will not be named to avoid spoilers, could be considered a Byronic hero because...
To read the full review and see more suggestions go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com
1.5 stars.
I didn't hate it but I didn't like it - it wasn't even that okay.
There is no plot but at the same time, too much going on. There is so many unnecessary about irrelevant characters.
I didn't hate it but I didn't like it - it wasn't even that okay.
There is no plot but at the same time, too much going on. There is so many unnecessary about irrelevant characters.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping
A lighthearted YA fantasy romance - Princess Flian keeps getting kidnapped for her fortune (not her amazing looks - she is rather ordinary in appearance).
The plot is a pretty simple linear plot... the characters sit around and wait until something happens, then react. However, there's still plenty of action to keep it interesting.
But the best part was the characters! Princess Flian is pretty ordinary. No special powers, she has to work hard for the skills she has, she still makes mistakes along the way. Sherwood Smith writes some of the best characters, always varied and realistic. Each major character and many minor characters had distinct personalities and very realistic, with an assortment of strengths and flaws. And a great villain, not monstrously evil and overwhelmingly powerful, but rather a normal person with understandable (if misguided) motivations. It was so much fun to spend time with these characters, I loved (nearly) all of them.
The other thing I loved was the way Princess Flian grew throughout the book. She was an ordinary person thrown into extraordinary circumstances, and she responded by learning new skills, practicing them, and trying new things. Very refreshing to read books that address the whole character rather than being filled with only a lot of action.
The plot is a pretty simple linear plot... the characters sit around and wait until something happens, then react. However, there's still plenty of action to keep it interesting.
But the best part was the characters! Princess Flian is pretty ordinary. No special powers, she has to work hard for the skills she has, she still makes mistakes along the way. Sherwood Smith writes some of the best characters, always varied and realistic. Each major character and many minor characters had distinct personalities and very realistic, with an assortment of strengths and flaws. And a great villain, not monstrously evil and overwhelmingly powerful, but rather a normal person with understandable (if misguided) motivations. It was so much fun to spend time with these characters, I loved (nearly) all of them.
The other thing I loved was the way Princess Flian grew throughout the book. She was an ordinary person thrown into extraordinary circumstances, and she responded by learning new skills, practicing them, and trying new things. Very refreshing to read books that address the whole character rather than being filled with only a lot of action.
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting politics; slow-burn, enemies to lovers romance
Reread this and I enjoyed myself SO much. Great book.
Flian was great. I loved how her quiet strength flouted the trend for shallow kick-butt She-Ras or passive, whiny, and/or selfish heroines. The rest of the book was just ok, not nearly as good as Crown Duel.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Update in April 2012: Had to change my rating to 5 stars as I have re-read this book twice, I love it so...
Oh Sherwood Smith, you never disappoint. The Trouble With Kings is an absolutely delightful tale of princesses, myriad suitors, kidnappings, court politics and unexpected love. It definitely follows a pattern established in Crown Duel and echoed in A Posse of Princesses and (to a lesser extent) Coronets and Steel, but you know what? I was having way too much fun to care about some of the more predictable aspects.
Oh Sherwood Smith, you never disappoint. The Trouble With Kings is an absolutely delightful tale of princesses, myriad suitors, kidnappings, court politics and unexpected love. It definitely follows a pattern established in Crown Duel and echoed in A Posse of Princesses and (to a lesser extent) Coronets and Steel, but you know what? I was having way too much fun to care about some of the more predictable aspects.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes