Review: Crown Duel

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This was a fun tale of political intrigue and danger, a little bit of magic, and a good dash of romance. This edition is actually two books in one. The first is full of adventure and calamity, as the heroine escapes from one dangerous situation to another, and I felt like I had been sleeping under a fern in the rain myself. The second book turns towards political intrigue (and yes, romance), which I enjoyed much more. Then there are some bonus chapters written from the point of view of the hero. They are a wonderful treat, and could be classified right along with chocolate.

Although I gave it 5 stars, this was by no means perfect, and it's not quite the strength of many of the other books I've rated that highly. The heroine was annoyingly stubborn and prejudiced much of the time (stubbornness isn't always strength!). Her refusal to examine her own reactions or to re-evaluate her opinions when she realized she was ignorant or wrong was frustrating. She certainly had plenty of room to grow, though, and she did get there in the end, so I could forgive her for her blindness.

If that had been the whole story, it wouldn't have been nearly so enjoyable. What really made me gobble it up was the hero. He was exactly what he should be, although I wondered what he saw in the girl sometimes. But I wanted to see how he would end up getting her once she finally figured it all out. He was a character that I could like and root for and feel bad for when the heroine was being dumb. (I should probably mention that I'd recommend this only for those who enjoy a decent-sized dollop of sweet romance with their YA fantasy.)

I realize my review is a little mixed, but considering how absorbed I apparently was, and that I immediately wanted to go back and read it again (skimming the annoying parts), it has to be 5 stars for me, while any faults are happily glossed over, forgiven and forgotten.



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