But the stern, forbidding Erik refuses to marry. He offers his nephew’s hand to Tessa instead. And to Oliver he offers insult, challenge – and the sorts of loaded glances that leave Oliver as flustered as he is furious.
Tessa doesn’t relish the prospect of marrying for a political alliance, but she’s ready to fulfill her duty to her family and people – even more so when she realizes that she won’t have to wed the churlish Erik, but his charming nephew, instead. Only…the king has two nephews. And Tessa has a choice to make.
The Drake Chronicles is a slow-burn fantasy series, full of court intrigue, adventure, drama, dragons, and passionate romance. Heavily influenced by Viking history and mythology, the series follows the intertwining stories of multiple couples as they fall in love, and fight to save their families, and their kingdoms.
Comment: I heard of this book while checking some recommendations. The premise seemed intriguing and I decided I had to try it.
Oliver and his niece Tessa go on a journey to a reign in the north so that she can marry Erick, the north king, as an alliance for their army's chances of defeating their enemy. It seems this is a simple enough boring mission at first, but they are welcomed by their north counterparts, which they didn't expect, and soon they realize their pre conceived ideas weren't all correct. However, Tessa starts finding the king's nephews intriguing, especially since one of them will be the king's heir, and she considers marrying one of them instead... for the alliance this would make no difference, even more so when it becomes obvious to all that king Erick seems more interested in Oliver and vice-versa....
I had a good time reading this story because it was mostly comforting. I felt glad there were not bad situations that couldn't be controlled, and I liked it that the characters we came to like were as good as it seemed they would. Sometimes, with a new story there is some comfort in knowing that if one expects positive/cozy scenarios, they do happen.
The plot is pretty basic, Oliver and Tessa's kingdom has been ta war and the important players have been killed so now Tessa needs to have a political marriage and the king in the north is known for his army and his war tactics. It is suggested that he is ruthless and many other negative-like adjectives, which is why Oliver and Tessa feel some trepidation traveling there, but they also know there is no better alternative. They fully expect to have a hard time, and not just culturally, but are surprised by how welcoming people are and, for the most part, are treated like guest and not like someone who is there to basically ask for help.
I liked this idea, even though it's not very original. Still, I was curious to see how the author would develop certain situations, namely the romance and the characters' interactions. I was also interested in seeing how they would deal with the expectations of both sides and how this could be seen as advantage to the north king and his kingdom. Of course, the romance was more than an expectation and I was eager to see how Erick and Oliver would deal with one another.
In this regard, the romance was a bit tame, and not only because things happen at a slow burn speed. I liked it that they took time to understand one another a little before anything physical happened, but I will be honest and say that the tension between them wasn't as fully yearning as i imagined, after their first meeting. I mean, I liked it that the point wasn't to force Erick to an alliance with a person he would not love, and that having a relationship with Oliver would suit, but if this is easily put aside, then their falling in love could have been way more intense in terms of their own feelings.
With this I mean that while I liked it that they accepted one another early on, only doubting something could last for appearances sake, I kind of wanted them to deal with their feelings more passionately, both before and after admitting them. Since the story has a continuation, I fully expect that being in a different environment, that this will help them see watch other in yet another level, and that it can reinforce things between them.
One aspect I liked a lot was how friendly most characters were at the north kingdom's court and how Oliver and Tessa got to have friends beyond the expectations on their alliance. It was also great to see that most people in the north didn't care about Oliver's illegitimacy as how own south people did, and that he was liked for himself and for his personality. Tessa, too, found new ways of looking at herself and there's this hint of duty vs love in the path for her and the king's nephew.
If there is one flaw I think shouldn't have been this obvious is how slightly superficial some emotions are portrayed. The author has a good writing style but it seems as if some ideas/feelings are expressed very thinly for the potential they had. I wanted more scenes in which we would see the characters' thinking and processing of things instead of having them delivered in an almost simplistic "voice". Or, in other words, more showing and less telling.
No comments:
Post a Comment