A.K. Koonce’s debut comes as the first in a three-part serial. The Hundred Year Curse is part one of the Royal Harem serial. This is a reverse harem romance with one princess and three brother princes.
The first thing that comes to mind while and after reading this is “fairy tale”. Like…a true fairy tale, complete with curses and princes and princesses. After a slew of re-tellings and urbanizations, this one is going to stand out. It’s an original story that is set in a historical fantasy world and Koonce rocks it.
The character development is amazing for such a short section, each character clearly having its own voice and presence in the story. I would like to see more of the slimy creepy of a ‘bad guy’, but I’m sure we’ll get more of him later. I’m currently not too impressed with Princess Wren. I hope she grows into a more forceful person. Then again, I’m pretty sure it’s her more submissive attitude that gives the fairy tale feel so much authenticity.
You really don’t know much about the world in which the characters live. You never see outside the castle/beach and what you do see is sort of misty and vague in your mind. Normally this would bug me, but everything just comes together with the classic fairy tale vibe. (Really…if you think to written fairy tales, how many wax poetic about the scenery?)
Overall, I really enjoyed this quick read and am looking forward to the next one. It is a light, easy read with just enough going on to keep you interested and characters that will draw you in.
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I received an advance copy of this book and volunteered to review it.
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