Scan barcode
sarahed's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this book was an amazing read. It engrossed me from start to finish. I loved the stories of Valerian and Mercy as they uncovered their gifts, defeated the enemy, and learnt to love one another. And of course... dragons! Highly recommended. Book two is on my to read list.
story_sanctuary's review against another edition
5.0
This is quite possibly one of the best indie books I've ever read.
I immediately fell in love with both Valerian and Mercy. I liked that the story didn't go all the stereotypical places, both in the prince-who-doesn't-want-to-be-a-prince and the girl-whose-marriage-has-been-arranged. The characters were believable and displayed a lot of growth through the story.
Valerian has the ability to read others thoughts, which the author refers to as Seeing. I liked that there was this simple, clever distinction. She used it consistently and it left little need for explanation each time the gift was used. This kept the story moving and made it clear what was happening each time.
I definitely recommend this novel, especially to readers who enjoyed The Blood of Kings series by Jill Williamson or Jennifer Nielsen's The False Prince.
I immediately fell in love with both Valerian and Mercy. I liked that the story didn't go all the stereotypical places, both in the prince-who-doesn't-want-to-be-a-prince and the girl-whose-marriage-has-been-arranged. The characters were believable and displayed a lot of growth through the story.
Valerian has the ability to read others thoughts, which the author refers to as Seeing. I liked that there was this simple, clever distinction. She used it consistently and it left little need for explanation each time the gift was used. This kept the story moving and made it clear what was happening each time.
I definitely recommend this novel, especially to readers who enjoyed The Blood of Kings series by Jill Williamson or Jennifer Nielsen's The False Prince.
mlynes_author's review against another edition
5.0
"Mercy's Prince" by Katy Huth Jones is a beautifully written novel, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
In this first book of a series, Ms Huth has crafted a complete fantasy world, but unlike many others she gives the reader room to breathe and space to explore, eschewing the often heavy-handed and overly descriptive (and tedious) world-building that is so often a fatal flaw in novels of this genre.
The story starts quickly and we are immediately plunged into the heart of one of the main conflicts, meeting both our heroic Prince Valerian and his soon to be arch nemesis. Shortly thereafter we are just as seamlessly introduced to Mercy, our heroine, and her secluded village of resolute pacifists. The strife between their peaceful lifestyle and that of the warlike court of King Orland plays greatly in the looming atmosphere of war that stalks the seemingly idyllic surrounds.
As we are drawn into this classic tale it becomes apparent that it is both a story of love and conflict and the blend of the two is a delight. There is magic (of course) and Dragons (!) and vividly described scenes of battle. There is something for every fan of this genre, and I heartily recommend it!
In this first book of a series, Ms Huth has crafted a complete fantasy world, but unlike many others she gives the reader room to breathe and space to explore, eschewing the often heavy-handed and overly descriptive (and tedious) world-building that is so often a fatal flaw in novels of this genre.
The story starts quickly and we are immediately plunged into the heart of one of the main conflicts, meeting both our heroic Prince Valerian and his soon to be arch nemesis. Shortly thereafter we are just as seamlessly introduced to Mercy, our heroine, and her secluded village of resolute pacifists. The strife between their peaceful lifestyle and that of the warlike court of King Orland plays greatly in the looming atmosphere of war that stalks the seemingly idyllic surrounds.
As we are drawn into this classic tale it becomes apparent that it is both a story of love and conflict and the blend of the two is a delight. There is magic (of course) and Dragons (!) and vividly described scenes of battle. There is something for every fan of this genre, and I heartily recommend it!
ciannareider's review against another edition
4.0
What a great book!
Price Valerian is a second son, so he knows the throne is not in his future, until a unexpected attaxk takes the life of his older brother, the beloved battle harder prince of the land, and now Valerian must put aside his books and embrace a life of battle. Mercy, who's life has been struggle and hardship feels like she's meant for more then to be married off to the religious leader of her village. But war is coming to the whole land, and there's a lot of changes coming for Valerian and Mercy, and a whole lot more. I love their relationship, and how they really compliment each other. There's a lot of great moments in this book, and I really enjoyed reading it.
Overall, the book was really well developed, the characters were believable and I really enjoyed that there were DRAGONS in this world, though I thought we could've had a lot more of them in the book without hindering the wonderful plot. I also wanted some more history of the land, but those are picky things from a dragon obsessed fantasy lover!
Well done Jones! I cannot wait to check out book 2, because I'm pretty hooked on these characters! :)
*This review was done in conjunction with NerdGirl Official blog. All opinions are 100% my own. I was given a copy in exchange for honest review.
Price Valerian is a second son, so he knows the throne is not in his future, until a unexpected attaxk takes the life of his older brother, the beloved battle harder prince of the land, and now Valerian must put aside his books and embrace a life of battle. Mercy, who's life has been struggle and hardship feels like she's meant for more then to be married off to the religious leader of her village. But war is coming to the whole land, and there's a lot of changes coming for Valerian and Mercy, and a whole lot more. I love their relationship, and how they really compliment each other. There's a lot of great moments in this book, and I really enjoyed reading it.
Overall, the book was really well developed, the characters were believable and I really enjoyed that there were DRAGONS in this world, though I thought we could've had a lot more of them in the book without hindering the wonderful plot. I also wanted some more history of the land, but those are picky things from a dragon obsessed fantasy lover!
Well done Jones! I cannot wait to check out book 2, because I'm pretty hooked on these characters! :)
*This review was done in conjunction with NerdGirl Official blog. All opinions are 100% my own. I was given a copy in exchange for honest review.
More...