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A review by kreela
A Throne of Shadows by Tessonja Odette
5.0
“He’s sweet, isn’t he? Kind. Funny.”
“I didn’t realize he had a personality, but I’ll take your word for it.”
• Epic Romantic Fantasy
• Third person
• Multiple POVs
• Witty dialogue
• Dark at points but not gross
• Enemies-To-Lovers
• M/F
• Tricked her to save her
You know you need a list of people:
===========================
KHERO:
• Cora—an empath witch who ran away to the Forest People [think pigmy people with magic]
• Morkai—the Mage Duke she escaped, second to the King Demetrius
• Maiya—Cora’s friend
• Gisele—Cora’s friend
NORUN [Northern continent]
• Prince Helios—portrayed as brutish but when he actually speaks, he is a spymaster and quite devious. Or shall I say, he knows the power of a good bribe. I like him. The other two competitors for Mareleau just don’t have his smarts.
MENAH:
• Teryn—prince of an indebted kingdom, engaged to Princess Mareleu, but discovers upon arrival 8 others vying for her hand:
“Just woo the spoiled brat,” he [the king] whispered.
• Larylis—Teryn’s bastard half-brother, the ex-lover of Mareleau
TOMAS:
• Lex—possibly my favorite character! Every time he enters the picture his snappy comebacks just light my day. I want more of him.
SELAH:
• Mareleau—desperately seeking kingship alone, when no woman has yet to reign, of kingdom Serah.
• King Verdian:Her father.
• Heart’s Hunt—The quest she created to distract her suitors. The hunt for three fabled unicorns.
“This wasn’t the age of unicorns and dragons. This was the age of reason. Something Princess Mareleau clearly lacked.” Teryn doesn’t believe in unicorns, but he does believe in duty. Only a marriage contract can solve his financial difficulties, he thinks. Tasked with competing against other kingdom’s princes for the hand of his fiancé, Teryn nobly sets off with two other princes to gather parts of a unicorn to gain Mareleau’s favor. Of course, if unicorns exist, Teryn can probably solve his bank loan without a marriage. Safari, anyone?
On her end, Cora has been haunted with dreams of death and blood for years. When she hears that hunters are herding unicorns into cages for Duke Morkai’s purposes, she immediately decides that her life goal of revenge is now attainable just by saving the unicorns. Win-Win!
This is not the Disney version. The unicorns are tortured before their horns are ripped off and skin flayed, but at least I don’t gag or wonder why I am reading this! Cora is a wild Goddess Diana, master of poisoning and archery. The prince is not the smartest cookie, but he finds such a woman much more interesting than a pampered princess, and he realizes his quest is tainted. His sidekick, Prince Lex, is endlessly entertaining as the “younger brother.” And evil mastermind Morkai? He is the epitome of a zombie master.
The Romance:
=================
I love the teasing:
“I saw the two of you sneak off last night after your sexy knife play. If that’s what does it for you, I’m happy for you both.”
“She felt as if she were meeting him for a duel rather than a dance”…
Note: There are two couples with all their angst!
The Moral:
================
Like most fairy tales, I found a point to the story: Cora’s magic failed the more she hated. Clearly forgiveness and tolerance bring more benefits than hatred and violence in the long run. But the “feel” is more like a Shakespearean entanglement of plots, super-cool.
“I didn’t realize he had a personality, but I’ll take your word for it.”
• Epic Romantic Fantasy
• Third person
• Multiple POVs
• Witty dialogue
• Dark at points but not gross
• Enemies-To-Lovers
• M/F
• Tricked her to save her
You know you need a list of people:
===========================
KHERO:
• Cora—an empath witch who ran away to the Forest People [think pigmy people with magic]
• Morkai—the Mage Duke she escaped, second to the King Demetrius
• Maiya—Cora’s friend
• Gisele—Cora’s friend
NORUN [Northern continent]
• Prince Helios—portrayed as brutish but when he actually speaks, he is a spymaster and quite devious. Or shall I say, he knows the power of a good bribe. I like him. The other two competitors for Mareleau just don’t have his smarts.
MENAH:
• Teryn—prince of an indebted kingdom, engaged to Princess Mareleu, but discovers upon arrival 8 others vying for her hand:
“Just woo the spoiled brat,” he [the king] whispered.
• Larylis—Teryn’s bastard half-brother, the ex-lover of Mareleau
TOMAS:
• Lex—possibly my favorite character! Every time he enters the picture his snappy comebacks just light my day. I want more of him.
SELAH:
• Mareleau—desperately seeking kingship alone, when no woman has yet to reign, of kingdom Serah.
• King Verdian:Her father.
• Heart’s Hunt—The quest she created to distract her suitors. The hunt for three fabled unicorns.
“This wasn’t the age of unicorns and dragons. This was the age of reason. Something Princess Mareleau clearly lacked.” Teryn doesn’t believe in unicorns, but he does believe in duty. Only a marriage contract can solve his financial difficulties, he thinks. Tasked with competing against other kingdom’s princes for the hand of his fiancé, Teryn nobly sets off with two other princes to gather parts of a unicorn to gain Mareleau’s favor. Of course, if unicorns exist, Teryn can probably solve his bank loan without a marriage. Safari, anyone?
On her end, Cora has been haunted with dreams of death and blood for years. When she hears that hunters are herding unicorns into cages for Duke Morkai’s purposes, she immediately decides that her life goal of revenge is now attainable just by saving the unicorns. Win-Win!
This is not the Disney version. The unicorns are tortured before their horns are ripped off and skin flayed, but at least I don’t gag or wonder why I am reading this! Cora is a wild Goddess Diana, master of poisoning and archery. The prince is not the smartest cookie, but he finds such a woman much more interesting than a pampered princess, and he realizes his quest is tainted. His sidekick, Prince Lex, is endlessly entertaining as the “younger brother.” And evil mastermind Morkai? He is the epitome of a zombie master.
The Romance:
=================
I love the teasing:
“I saw the two of you sneak off last night after your sexy knife play. If that’s what does it for you, I’m happy for you both.”
“She felt as if she were meeting him for a duel rather than a dance”…
Note: There are two couples with all their angst!
The Moral:
================
Like most fairy tales, I found a point to the story: Cora’s magic failed the more she hated. Clearly forgiveness and tolerance bring more benefits than hatred and violence in the long run. But the “feel” is more like a Shakespearean entanglement of plots, super-cool.