This is the story of two princesses from rival kingdoms. There's Ailsbet, she has a very demanding father, a mother who allows her father to do whatever he wants and a younger brother, coddled and loved who will be the next king. Ailsbet is supposed to have neweyr, a female type of magic, but as far as she can tell she doesn't have any. In her father's kingdom, taweyr, the male type of magic dominates everything. Ailsbet, however, does have an amazing talent for music. She only hopes that she will be able to spend some time alone before her father decrees that she will marry. The other princess is Marlissa, she has plenty of neweyr, her kingdom is known for it. Her mother died when she was a girl of 11, so she's kind of been the acting queen for many years. She is the beloved only daughter of the king. She knows that one day she will be betrothed, but she's surprised when she's betrothed to Ailsbet's younger brother, who is only twelve, when she herself is older. She knows that this is not a betrothal she can turn down, but she will have to wait until the prince is 18 and of age before being married. The goal of the betrothal appears to be having both kinds of magic in the royal couple. But will Marlissa ever marry her prince? What about true love? And what of Ailsbet, will she ever find someone who can love her for who she is?
I had a really hard time getting into this book. I really liked the premise and Mete Ivie Harrison is normally one of my very favorite authors, but the plot of this book is very slow moving. I didn't feel like I really understood or knew either of the princesses, and I really didn't like Ailsbet's family. I'm hoping that book two of this series moves faster plot wise and I'm hoping to like the characters by then.Labels: clean ya, Mette Ivie Harrison
