Summary
For years now, the king of Coroa has been known as a man who goes from girl to girl, never wanting to settle. He's like this, of course, till the day he meets Hollis Brite. Like other girls in the court, Hollis has spent a long time trying to gain the kings favor in hopes of him noticing her. Her wish is granted when he declares his love for her and asks her to be the queen of Coroa!
Between the gifts and the status elevation, all Hollis can think of is how this MUST be love and she couldn't possibly be happier anywhere else in the world. She's quickly disproven when a noble family from the neighboring country comes to beg the king to take them in as refugees. At that moment, she locks eyes with the oldest son, Silas Eastoffe, and feels an unexplainable pull to be near him and to know him.
As their bond grows, Hollis begins to feel torn between the life of a queen she knows she could have, or the life of a common woman with the man she truly desires. She needs to decide whether or not to marry for status, or to marry for love.
Opinion
Scale of 1-10:
8
I really wanted to give this book AT LEAST a 9 because of the fact that I appreciated the last half of it. I just couldn't get over the fact that there was almost no character building until much later in the story. I feel that Kiera Cass just kind of threw us right in the middle of the action. I wanted to see how Hollis won favor with the king. I sort of see why the author did this. She wanted us to focus on the story that was about to happen, I guess. I still think it would have been nice though, to see a little bit of how Hollis won favor. If you're going to compare this to Keira Cass's other books like The Selection series, then you may be disappointed. That doesn't mean it still didn't have some good aspects to it, though.
Other than what I mentioned above, I did actually started getting into the emotions and the excitement that Hollis was feeling, later on in the book. I really enjoyed her discovery of what love truly was. As unrealistic as it might be, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED when she met Silas and felt an odd pull to him as though gravity itself was drawing her to him. It just warmed my heart to no end to read that part. I also really enjoyed watching Hollis grow as a person. She seemed kind of bland at the first of the story, but as she gets to know the Silas and the rest of the Eastoffe family, her personality comes out a lot more.
Honestly, if you're looking for a quick an easy read, then this is the perfect book for you. It doesn't get too deep, but it's also enjoyable and gives you all the feels!
Age Rating
11+
This book is incredibly appropriate for a young audience. The only reason I don't put it for a lower age than 11, is mostly just because of how much anyone younger would understand it. If your 10 year old has a higher reading level, then by all means, this would be an excellent book for them as well.
There is no swearing and other than kissing, there isn't anything inappropriate on that front. The book does deal with stuff that may be a little dark. There is a part where the king agrees to sign over him and Hollis's future child to marry the unborn prince of another kingdom. There is also a part where Hollis kisses Silas Eastoffe even though she's technically in a relationship with the king. There is also the emotional loss of a couple characters through murder. The author doesn't go into detail about any of the violence though.
Here's the link to the book on Goodreads:
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