instantdedicated

Andrea always knew she was different from her sisters. Unlike the other princesses who were content studying to be a lady with her mother, the queen, Andrea longed to become a squire and serve in the army. When she turns fourteen (17 in Earth years), her father ends her dream and sentences her to lady lessons with her mother. As Andrea struggles with her new life, her longing to be more overwhelms her. One night after fleeing her father's palace Andrea stumbles upon a gateway to another world (Earth) and learns how different life could be. When she returns to her world, however, everything begins to crumble as her kingdom readies for a war she may have inadvertently caused. I can't say how much I enjoyed this book. I usually don't read a lot of books with a time travel (or in this case world traveling) element. I can say I was honestly surprised by how smoothly this story flowed between the two worlds and how intricate the history was. Andrea's character is really what drives you through this novel. You have a smart, strong willed young woman who wants more from life than what her parents seek for her. Her story draws you in, and you find yourself eagerly flipping pages to find out what will happen next in the story. Her sadness will tug at your heartstrings and her happiness will leave you with a big smile on your face. While the other characters aren't as well fleshed out as Andrea, this isn't a problem as you spend so much of your time in Andrea's head seeing things as a young woman who is absorbed in her own life will see them. The details and background stories gradually come forward as Andrea herself learns the truth. The transitions from one world to the other was smoothly done. I love how the author explained how Andrea was able to grasp the English so quickly and was pleasantly surprised when she addressed directly rather than leaving the reader to come up with their own explanations. Overall this book is a gem. A likable heroine, a riveting story, and a lot of emotion. I want more like this! I loved it! Cautions for sensitive readers: Some violence, but otherwise a clean read.

2022-10-29 03:36