Anya has been enjoying her life in the Fae realm, having little real responsibilities. Now a prediction by the Great Redwood has put her calm world in jeopardy, as her aunt, the Queen of Chrior, has decreed that Anya will be her successor. Determined to shirk the heavy mantle of responsibility that being the Queen would entail, Anya sets off on a quest to locate her cousin, Prince Zabriel. Little does she expect the dangers that lurk ahead in the human world....
Wow! I know it's early in the year but I may have just read one of my top reads of the year already with Cayla Kluver's THE QUEEN'S CHOICE! The story starts off a tad bit slow and I was initially worried that Anya was going to be one of those vapid heroines who randomly stumbles into trouble. However, the action rapidly kicks in once Anya decides to hunt for Zabriel and quite frankly I didn't want the book to end.
Anya is the epitome of a teenager, with her rash decisions and her sharp loyalty for those she loves- even when they are wrong. However, these are the same qualities that make her so endearing. My heart grieves for Anya and all that she loses in the course of one impetuous choice. Cayla Kluver does an absolutely magnificent job at showing us Anya's emotions and letting us feel the grief she endures and I keep hoping, even now that I've finished the first book in the series, that Cayla Kluver will find a way to make things right for Anya.
The world building in THE QUEEN'S CHOICE is also spectacular. Cayla Kluver utilizes the nasty divisions between the Fae and humans to make some very strong statements about prejudice and judging a person by their race. In fact, one of the things that makes THE QUEEN'S CHOICE such a powerful fantasy novel is Kluver's willingness to delve into sensitive topics and show us that there is always more than one side to any story.
THE QUEEN'S CHOICE is one of those stories that grabs you and just doesn't let go. Anya, despite being a teenager, is a character that even adults can relate to. What an absolutely beautiful book and one I'll be recommending to everyone. THE QUEEN'S CHOICE is highly recommended!
Magic was seeping out of me, black and agonizing. I could
see it drifting away. The magic that would let me pass the
Road to reach home again.
When sixteen-year-old Anya learns that her aunt, Queen of
the Faerie Kingdom of Chrior, will soon die, her grief is
equaled only by her despair for the future of the kingdom.
Her young cousin, Illumina, is unfit to rule, and Anya is
determined not to take up the queen's mantle herself.
Convinced that the only solution is to find Prince Zabriel,
who long ago disappeared into the human realm of Warckum,
and persuade him to take up his rightful crown, Anya
journeys into the Warckum Territory to bring him home. But
her journey is doomed to be more harrowing than she ever
could have imaginedβ¦.
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