Book Review!

The Forgotten Princess of Elmetia Rachel A. James Publisher: Prism Book Group Genre: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Medieval Fantasy Released: October 22nd, 2014 {Goodreads} It is 616AD, and one fatal night the ancient Kingdom of Elmetia falls. Saxons kill the Elmetian King, and capture Princess Teagen. Teagen poses as a slave girl and works for the Saxons in the Kingdom of Deira, until she discovers her brother is alive. She finds a way to escape, and her path crosses with Ryce the Warrior.

Struggling with his past, and angry against the tyrant Saxon king, Ryce helps the princess in pursuit of her brother. But just as the connection between them intensifies, obstacles get in their way. The Saxon king now wants vengeance, and will stop at nothing to get it. ------------------------------------------ WARNING: Possible Spoilers I was provided a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
{The Basics} Oh my. This has been put off for far too long. I am so thankful to Mrs. James (the author) for contacting me with the offer to read and review this book. It was such a pleasure! and I apologize to her for not having the review ready beforehand.
This is a simple, yet lovely story. And an easy read. I truly enjoyed this tale! I did say it's a historical fiction, and to a point, that is true, though there didn't seem to be much of the historical in it other than the time period and names of kings. Still, it was rather good.
Teagen is the rightful princess of Elmetia, but upon the death of her father, she goes into hiding posing as a slave girl in the Saxon kingdom of Deira. It is there, years later, she learns her older brother is alive and there are rumors of him rallying an army to take back his kingdom. On impulse (and perhaps against her better judgement) she sets out in search of him, which in turn takes her on a whirlwind adventure.
{Positives} Niall, Teagen's brother (and true heir to the Elmetian crown), is married to Cinnia. Though their marriage is rather rocky and unstable, they come together and promise to try harder.
{Negatives} Teagen doesn't seem as grief-stricken as she should be when switching clothes with a dead friend. . . Sure, she's under tremendous pressure, but her home is under attack, her father was just killed, she's separated from her brother, and is trading clothes with a dead friend in order to conceal her identity. Cinnia is rather bitter to Teagen at first (we learn she has problems in bearing children).
Teagen learns a horrible secret and knows she should grant forgiveness to a certain person, but cannot find the grace to do so.
The Saxon king forces a boy to do something, threatening his family.
{Spiritual Content} Teagen believes in the Christian faith. She prays as often as possible and is grateful to her God for providing for her in all her years of captivity. Ryce, on the other hand, cannot give his faith so easily. He struggles with belief and admires Teagen's peace.
{Violence} A man is found with a stab wound. There is a great battle, wherein the kingdom of Elmetia falls along with her king. Men die.
Teagen stabs a man in the chest. At one point, she is assaulted by outlaws (nothing too serious) and receives a head wound; she passes out, coming to with minor memory loss. Later, she falls from a tree and breaks a leg, sustaining another bad head wound and a more major case of memory loss. [My first reaction to this: Really? It just seems like one thing after another happens to her. I admit, I was a bit irritated with the loss of her memory and the entire attitude change to some characters.]
Ryce is stabbed, falls over a palisade and thought dead.
{Language, Alcohol & Drugs} A bad guy calls another man an "imbecile." No alcohol content that I can recall. . . Possible mention of wine and such during parties. . .
{Love-y Content} There is an attraction between Ryce and Teagen. A bit of hand-holding. Minor touch--she rides in front of him on horseback, he carries her a couple times. At least one tender kiss.
{Conclusion} Overall, I enjoyed this little tale. If you like a good medieval story that's an easy read, with adventure and a touch of romance, this is a lovely one to try.
Again, my thanks to Mrs. Rachel James for allowing me to review!
------------------------------------------ Recommended ages: 13+ My rating:

A Bookish Sarah

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