Book Review: Reluctant Prince (Kingdom of Cymmera #1), Dani-Lyn Alexander

Title: Reluctant Prince
Series: Kingdom of Cymmera #1
Author: Dani-Lyn Alexander
Published: 03/11/2014, Lyrical Press
Pages: 252
Source: Bought
Format: Ebook
Rating: 3/5

Kingdom of Cymmera, #1 Betrayal lies cloaked in shadow.

Seventeen year old Ryleigh Donnovan is certain her life is cursed. Nothing ever goes smoothly, and her first job interview is no exception. An earthquake rocks the building, sending Ryleigh on a frantic search for her younger sister, a search which lands her in the hospital. Terrified they'll push her for answers she can't afford to give, Ryleigh flees with a mysterious stranger.

Jackson Maynard is about to be ordained as a Death Dealer, a warrior for the Kingdom of Cymmera, but first he must pass one more test. When he fails to acquire the human girl the prophet has chosne, he's forced to stand trial for treason. Banished from his realm, he seeks out the girl from the vision, Ryleigh Donnovan, and together they embark on a journey to save his dying kingdom.

Reluctant Prince was a nice read. I know... nice. It wasn't mind-blowing but it certainly held my interest and the story improved as it progressed making me want to know what will happen next.

Reluctant Prince is set in the present world (I honestly can't remember if a city was named) as well as in the alternative universe of Cymmera. I have had a slightly sketchy past with alternative universes, but this has certainly opened my eyes to possibilities, Dani-Lyn Alexander does a pretty decent job of writing about Cymmera (it almost felt real) though I wish there was more description.

The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Ryleigh and Jackson. It allows an insight into the confusion, and disbelief, felt by both of them and I really liked this.

Some parts of the plot were predictable. I didn't really mind this as it's quite a short read anyway. It's obvious who the bad guy is. But you are left guessing when it came to who was working with him. Thus adding a bit of mystery to the story.

The plot does move forward at quite a fast pace and there is a lot in the 200 pages. I do wish it was slightly slower paced, but it's a quick read for a lazy afternoon. I also wish it was longer as it has the potential to be. I feel there is a slight lack of description and this is something that would fill the story out more and maybe even slow the pace that little bit.

The plot isn't completely tied up at the end. It's left on a slight cliffhanger. Something I can completely understand as Reluctant Prince is part of a trilogy. You definitely need to read on to find out what happens next. Something I will be doing in the next few weeks.

I did enjoy the characters Ryleigh and Jackson and they were fairly likable. However, they weren't that rememberable and you don't really learn much about them. Hopefully, this changes in the second book. I did really like that Ryleigh didn't immediately trust Jackson, it was so refreshing to read in a way. I also love Jackson's name. It's a fairly "normal" name for a fantasy character from an alternative universe. In fact, most residents of Cymmera had nice normal names - something quite rare in fantasy. It also means the names are ridiculously easy to pronounce, which is a must when you want to tell someone about a book.

However, I did feel that Ryleigh's sister, Mia, acted a bit too child-like for a 14-year-old. She acted more like a 10-year-old and other characters referred to her as if she was a lot younger.

I will also warn that there is a hint of insta-love. I did facepalm a couple of times. But if you can get past that then you'll be fine.

All in all, I would recommend Reluctant Prince to fans of YA fantasy. It's a nice, quick, "in-between books" read. And as I said, I will be reading the second book in the trilogy, Lost Princess, in the next couple of weeks.

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