Review - Crown Duel

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Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Genres: YA fiction, Historical, Fantasy

Pages: 471

 

              

I loved this book so much, I read it twice. But still, it's been a while since I've read it, so I'll use the summary as shown on Goodreads.com.

Young Countess Meliara swears to her dying father that she and her brother will defend their people from the growing greed of the king. That promise leads them into a war for which they are ill-prepared, which threatens the very people they are trying to protect. But war is simple compared to what follows, in peacetime. Meliara is summoned to live at the royal palace, where friends and enemies look alike, and intrigue fills the dance halls and the drawing rooms. If she is to survive, Meliara must learn a whole new way of fighting-with wits and words and secret alliances.

In war, at least, she knew in whom she could trust. Now she can trust no one.

 

 

 

Crown Duel is written in first person, in the point of view of clever, quick-tempered Meliara. Originally, it was not one book, but two(Crown Duel and Court Duel). But they were later put together as one novel,(with a bonus short story!) which is what I'll be reviewing.

The two parts of the story are very different from each other, as you may have guessed from the titles. Part one(Crown Duel) involves war; Part 2(Court Duel) is during times of peace. And Meliara doesn't know what's harder to maneuver—the battlefield or the royal palace.

I loved seeing Mel grow throughout the book. In the beginning she was rude and rather judgmental. But circumstances changed her, though she never grew to be perfect. The quirks that I loved about her personality remained. She certainly wasn't your usual countess, and I loved that she was different.

If you like adventure, fantasy, romance, or teen fiction, pick this one up. It's a classic of young adult literature. And I devoured it. Twice.

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I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving yesterday! I had a great time with my family. Very grateful for them. So, what are you all thankful for this Thanksgiving week?