From the author of The Opposite of You Comes a new fantasy about a young princess who ventures on a perilous journey to claim her throne.
CROWN OF ONE HUNDRED KINGS
by RACHEL HIGGINSON
Series: Nine Kingdoms Trilogy #1
Publication date: October 27, 2020
Published by: Self-Pub
Genre: YA fantasy
SYNOPSIS
A lost princess…
Tessana Allisand had a family once. A home. A title. A future. Until one night when everything she loved was taken from her. Secreted away to an isolated monastery in the farthest region of the realm, Tess was raised in the silence of monks and the loneliness of tragedy. And there she would have stayed if the dark magic that killed her family hadn’t finally found her.
An impossible quest…
With her identity discovered, Tessana must face the home she fled all those years ago. The Crown of Nine must return to its rightful place and Tess must be the one to carry it across the nine kingdoms. And when she arrives? She’ll need to convince a dying kingdom that the crown that has belonged to one hundred kings should be given to a queen.
A rebellious prince…
Taelon Treskinat was in love once. With a princess. The daughter of a slaughtered king. He risked everything to save her, to make sure she survived. When that same princess tumbles back into his life no longer the scared little girl he remembers from childhood, he must decide where his duty lies. With the girl that will threaten everything he knows and loves. Or the kingdom he will do anything to protect.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Higginson is the best-selling author of The Five Stages of Falling in Love, Every Wrong Reason, Bet on Us and The Star-Crossed Series.
She was born and raised in Nebraska, and spent her college years traveling the world. She fell in love with Eastern Europe, Paris, Indian Food and the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka, but came back home to marry her high school sweetheart. Now she spends her days writing stories and raising five amazing kids.
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Crown of One Hundred Kings by Rachel HigginsonMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
This is only my second read by Rachel Higginson; my first was a rockstar romance titled Never Fall in Love with a Rockstar.. I was excited to read something in the fantasy genre from her since I've been gravitating in that direction in the past year or so. The book cover, trailer, and synopsis really pulled me in and snagged my curiosity, all hinting at a strong female protagonist who must overcome dark magical forces to reclaim her kingdom. The writing and worldbuilding are very easy to slip into. Sometimes fantasies-especially the first in a series and feel dry and dense as you weed through the characters and backstory of the kingdom(s). Thankfully, that wasn't the case here because in my current frame of mind I need stories that are effortless.
Tessana Allisand is an orphaned princess living in seclusion inside a silent monastery. Forced to flee after her entire family was massacred, she's been biding her time in hiding until she's old enough to return and claim what's rightfully hers. Unsure of who was behind the murder of her family, it wasn't safe for her to remain in her kingdom where unknown forces would plot to finish the job they started. The monks are eternally exasperated with her independent, rule-bending side, but she has become a very special member of the holy family. Stern Father Garius shows the depth of his feelings for her when he breaks his vow of silence to encourage her to make the dangerous journey home to convince her kingdom to crown her the first queen in a land that has always passed to kings.
"You are Tessana Allisand of the House of Extentia,daughter of Fredrix, King of Elysia and Ruler of the Realm.You are a princess.You are a survivor.And now you will take the crown back to your peopleand show them that you are still alive.”
Tess makes the journey with her friend Oliver, a bit naively thinking that she's prepared to face the hardships that are in front of her. After being sheltered for so long, she lacks the knowledge of the challenges that are in front of her during the long trek. It doesn't take long before she meets Arrick, a rebel leader hell bent on not letting her out of his sight. At first she can't quite peg the guy. After capturing Oliver and herself, he's oddly reasonable in releasing them and returning their belongings. Not only that, but he's insistent on accompanying them to protect them from the Traveling Horde and The Ring of Shadows.
These are violent mercenary groups who a real threat to her safety, and her training in self-defense won't amount to much when surrounded by the sheer numbers on the opposing side. He's willing to shield her from these forces who may want to do her harm and expects nothing in return, yet Tess stubbornly and proudly tries to deny their help. I found that to be somewhat foolish because she needed all the help she could get. Her pride outweighed common sense because there is no possible way she should take on the risk of traveling alone when she has an offer of help in unfamiliar territory. She's on a quest to prove that she's capable of being her kingdom's first queen, and at this point she isn't quite there yet.
Arrick was clearly a "good guy" right from the start despite being a rebel leader who is seen as a criminal by most. From the first introduction, it's easy to deduce that he means her no harm...at least it was for me. There is a twist involving Arrick which I must admit was 100% predictable based on the amount of foreshadowing given to the reader. Personally, I feel as if we are almost beat over the head with a continuous barrage of hints that neutralize any mystery that could have been there. When the reveal finally comes, the heroine is dumbfounded that she was so blind to the truth. The fact that it seemed so glaringly obvious only serves to make the heroine appear completely oblivious and witless. Is this the young girl that's going to inspire confidence in overturning patriarchal traditions? I do realize that she doesn't need to be perfect, don't get me wrong. There is room for character growth here, and she does grow in confidence by the end of the book as she experiences more of the real world. I just wish that the twist had been more subtle so it could have been more effective.
After returning home, the real fight begins as she must produce the missing Crown of Nine that she's been protecting and prove her identity to those who thought she had died. As if that's not bad enough, her uncle is clearly not thrilled at their family reunion and challenges the validity of her claims. If she is unable to prove herself beyond a shadow of a doubt, she could pay the ultimate price-her life. She lays everything on the line for the good of her people in the hopes that she can root out the evil at the source of the royal assassination.
Why three stars? For me this isn't a bad rating, although many see it that way. Three means that I enjoyed it, but I just didn't love it or find anything plot-wise that stands apart from the rest. Maybe it was the fact that I've read other books with similar plot points this year. For me, it was like a combination of Shielded by KayLynn Flanders and the Crown of Shards series by Jennifer Estep. It was just a little predictable for my taste, but having said that, the book was by no means bad. The romance was sweet and promises to deepen in the installments to come. I liked Tess a lot overall, and though she had her faults, I respected her and found it easy to root for her up until the end. She's a young woman willing to fight against all odds and risk her life for the well being of not just herself, but her people. Her unselfish actions coupled with her courage in returning to the nightmare of her childhood makes her a worthy heroine. I will be interested to see where Rachel Higginson takes the series as many questions are left unanswered. If you're looking for a straightforward fantasy with a strong romance, this could be the book for you.
I could not ignore the purpose that had been given to methe second I saw the crown again.I could not ignore the call to fatethat had led me this far.I could not ignore that I had been borninto a bloodline that belonged to the Seat of Poweras much as the Crown of Nine belonged to it.
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