I've read the first in Cook's Truth series (frustrated by the fact that, though I have books three and four, I cannot find Hidden Truth anywhere - and no, the irony's not lost me); I enjoyed her style, and snatched this up when it appeared on the shelves of my regular FSF bookshop.
Tess is Constenopolie's princess, bred and raised to assume the crown when her beloved parents die. Her life has been overshadowed by the Red Moon Prophesy - "a child of the coast destined to rule and conceived in the month of the eaten moon will make an alliance of the heart to set the mighty as pawns and drive out the tainted blood rising in the south." Fearing the prophecy, since her birth Tess has been the target of assassination attempts by agents from southern kingdoms.
Knowing from childhood that she must marry for politics, Tess is eager to meet her fiance, the second son of the king of Misdev. But the arrival of Prince Garrett changes Tess' life forever, when she discovers that the real princess Contessa was hidden away in a nunnery sixteen years ago - Tess is the only one of three decoys, designed to protect the royal line. I thoroughly enjoyed Tess' journey - she has integrity (her sense of duty impels her to find the real princess [with her "tiny, thin, perfect little ankles"] and restore her to the crown), hidden depths and skills, and an unknown magical ability (which, in the tradition of the best fantasy novels, does not come without a price). Tess begins with power, discovers she is a pawn, and then discovers power she had no idea existed.
From the the supporting cast to the main players (Tess; her bodyguard Kavenlow; Prince Garrett; his bodyguard, Captain Jenks; Tess' travelling companion Duncan; Princess Contessa; and her sweetheart Thadd), the book is peopled with believable, individual, interesting, three dimensional characters.
My only complaint is that this is clearly the first in a series, which always leaves me feeling manipulated. I have no problem knowing I'm going in to a series, or if the book is a stand alone which gets spun off, but The Decoy Princess ends with a number of significant plot lines unresolved - and I'll be buying the sequel to find out what happens next! - Alex
Tess is Constenopolie's princess, bred and raised to assume the crown when her beloved parents die. Her life has been overshadowed by the Red Moon Prophesy - "a child of the coast destined to rule and conceived in the month of the eaten moon will make an alliance of the heart to set the mighty as pawns and drive out the tainted blood rising in the south." Fearing the prophecy, since her birth Tess has been the target of assassination attempts by agents from southern kingdoms.
Knowing from childhood that she must marry for politics, Tess is eager to meet her fiance, the second son of the king of Misdev. But the arrival of Prince Garrett changes Tess' life forever, when she discovers that the real princess Contessa was hidden away in a nunnery sixteen years ago - Tess is the only one of three decoys, designed to protect the royal line. I thoroughly enjoyed Tess' journey - she has integrity (her sense of duty impels her to find the real princess [with her "tiny, thin, perfect little ankles"] and restore her to the crown), hidden depths and skills, and an unknown magical ability (which, in the tradition of the best fantasy novels, does not come without a price). Tess begins with power, discovers she is a pawn, and then discovers power she had no idea existed.
From the the supporting cast to the main players (Tess; her bodyguard Kavenlow; Prince Garrett; his bodyguard, Captain Jenks; Tess' travelling companion Duncan; Princess Contessa; and her sweetheart Thadd), the book is peopled with believable, individual, interesting, three dimensional characters.
My only complaint is that this is clearly the first in a series, which always leaves me feeling manipulated. I have no problem knowing I'm going in to a series, or if the book is a stand alone which gets spun off, but The Decoy Princess ends with a number of significant plot lines unresolved - and I'll be buying the sequel to find out what happens next! - Alex
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