Devastated by the loss of her chayim, and fearing that her own magic is evil, Jeniah doubts her destiny. When an enemy invades Arden City, they slaughter the people, storm the castle, and execute the entire royal family except the princess. Rescued by the knight who slew her chayim, Jeniah is now heir to the throne of Arden and the only hope for freeing her people from tyranny.
On the run and hunted by enemy soldiers, Jeniah must place her life and the fate of her kingdom in the hands of this trained killer. Torn between embracing her destiny as queen of Arden, and her love for a mere knight, she must ultimately rely on her magic to save herself and her people from death and tyranny.
I will admit that I was a little skeptical when I first picked up Queen in Exile by Donna Hatch. I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it - I'm strange when it comes to fantasy. I like most elements of it, and yet some just ... don't work for me. I don't really understand high fantasy, and when everything has strange names and I'm having to keep twelve thousand characters straight ... that's not my talent. I have to say, though, that I was very pleasantly entertained by this novel.
Kai, the Darborian knight, did cause a few heart flutters in this crusty old reviewer. I was very intrigued by the connection between Jeniah and her magical creature, the chayim - which reminded me of the tales of maidens and their ability to touch unicorns, but the chayim connection is a lot deeper and has more purpose. The plot moved forward at a really good pace and I read it in two or three sittings.
I liked the combination of action and romance, adventure and magic. All in all, it was a very enjoyable read - without twelve thousand strange names to remember. I was able to track everything just fine.
Stay tuned for my interview with author Donna Hatch.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for my review, but that did not influence my opinion.
8 comments:
Sounds like an exciting book with a few new twists compared to regular fairy tale-esque stories. Should be a fun read. When does it come out?
I enjoyed Queen in Exile as well. And, there were plenty of heart-fluttering places tucked in between the action.
This is another in my abundant 'to read' piles. Loved her novel 'The Stranger She Married' and look forward to reading this one.
Thank you for the wonderful review!
I loved this book. I reviewed last week on www.ldswbr.com. Kai made my heart twitter too :)
I had the opportunity to pick one of Donna's books when I won a contest, and I went with The Guise of a Gentleman, because I thought I'd read something outside the fantasy genre. While I enjoyed that book, I've still really wanted Queen in Exile. Sigh.
And I'm with you on the new names for everything and having to remember dozens of characters. I write fantasy, and I don't do that (much lol).
Beautiful book cover! This may be one for my daughter, as well--she reads some of the books I buy,but she's so picky. This one looks perfect.
Hi Laura,
It's out right now - you can snag it at the purchase link in the body of the blog, or at your local bookstore.
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