So Bookalicious!: The Rose Throne

Monday, 10 June 2013

The Rose Throne - Mette Ivie Harrison

Synopsis

Richly-imagined fantasy romance from the author of Princess and the Hound, a tale of two princesses--one with magic, one with none--who dare seek love in a world where real choice can never be theirs. For fans of Megan Whalen Turner, Catherine Fisher, and Cassandra Clare.
Ailsbet loves nothing more than music; tall and red-haired, she's impatient with the artifice and ceremony of her father's court. Marissa adores the world of her island home and feels she has much to offer when she finally inherits the throne from her wise, good-tempered father. The trouble is that neither princess has the power--or the magic--to rule alone, and if the kingdoms can be united, which princess will end up ruling the joint land? For both, the only goal would seem to be a strategic marriage to a man who can bring his own brand of power to the throne. But will either girl be able to marry for love? And can either of these two princesses, rivals though they have never met, afford to let the other live?

Opinion
When I started to read this book I had no idea what I could expect of it. But after a couple of pages it really got me hooked. The only thing I had problems with were the two sorts of magical powers that the author used in this book. it took me a chapter or two to finally figure out what they exactly meant. But the idea of it is great neweyr is the magic that brings life to things, that can heal and is used by women while taweyr is the magic of death and is used by men. All who is born with the wrong magic, women with taweyr or men with neweyr are not excepted in the land of Rurik as it’s against nature. I also liked that it was explained how the two kinds of magic came to exist.

The book is written in two different points of view. Ailsbet the princess of Rurik and Marlissa the princess of weirland to countries that live on that balance between war and peace for ages. In the beginning the two of them have never met, but as the story continues they meet. I really liked both characters Marlissa was the sweet one, the one you can easily befriend. While Ailsbet was harder to get at some points, but that didn’t make her less interesting on the contrary everything with her was interesting. You never knew how she was going to act next. The huge difference between these two lead characters maid it also more interesting to read, ‘cause you can see how they think and feel about the same circumstances. As final main character you got Kellin. A young lord of Rurik, as Ailsbet it’s hard to understand his motives at first but when you do than it’s impossible to dislike him. But I would have loved to hear more of the background of some of the side characters, like Ailsbet dad, the king of Rurik. It’s clear that he’s cruel, but why? But maybe we get to know more about that in the next book.

All in all I really liked this book and it took me away for hours to a different world. And I'm definitely going to read the next book in this series.