This is the 3rd Princess book by Mette Harrison. These books are based on folk tales about animals. The first one is the Princess and the Hound and the second is the Princess and the bear, the characters are kids and grand kids of the older books, so you probably want to read them in order. I've really enjoyed these books. Princess subjects for books seems to be a popular thing right now. This is the story of Liva and Jens. Liva is the daughter of the bear and the hound. She is filled with magic. Jens is the son of a magic taker who seems to be ashamed of him, because he can neither hold magic or take it. It seems unlikely these two characters will ever meet or have anything in common if the do, but there are twists and turns and plenty of action in this fun book!
