TEST
Elizabeth Minogue is a new pen name for Elizabeth English, whose medieval trilogy was well received here at AAR. Now she enters the world of Fantasy Romance, a world of mysticism, destiny and romance, with very few missteps.
Seven year old Prince Florian of Venya was spirited out of his country after seeing his parents killed in a coup engineered by King Richard of Valinor. He is rescued by an envoy of King Richard’s who, appalled at his treachery of his liege, changes sides.
Eighteen years later a mythology has grown up around Prince Florian, enhanced by the many ballads sung extolling his virtues and deeds. He is the leader of the Venyans in exile, working to build an invasion force to reclaim his country. He has supported his people by piracy, sailing in his ship The Quest, targeting Valinorian ships and interrupting their trade. However, after all these years in exile, many of his people are ready to relinquish their dreams of returning to Venya and remain where they are, especially as confidence in the prince is at an all time low due to a mistake in judgment a year earlier involving an incursion into Venya that brought untold suffering onto the people in the city of Riall.
Princess Rosamund was in Riall and knows firsthand the devastation which occurred there. The daughter of the Valinorian king, her rightful place was also usurped by her Uncle Richard, who had himself crowned king after her father’s death. She grew up always on guard, wary of assassination attempts and trying to make herself inconspicuous.
In Riall, Rosamund’s quick thinking saved the lives of many and has gained her the respect and adulation of the Venyans. Her actions also resulted in her imprisonment by King Richard. After a year, she escapes and finds her way to Prince Florian, whom she hopes will give her passage to a neighboring kingdom where she believes she will be safe from Richard. Florian agrees to help her and so begins their shipboard journey as they try to outrun, outthink, and outmaneuver King Richard’s forces, who are hot on their trail. Florian comes to learn of the reverence with which his people hold Rosamund, a reverence that is in startling contrast to his current low cachet. If he can get her to join forces with him – to marry him – it could make all the difference in the upcoming fight.
These are two complex people with many layers to them. Florian is complicated, conflicted and has played so many roles – The Prince, The Pirate, The Lover – that he is no longer sure who the real man is. He does know, though, that Rosamund is too smart not to see through his various guises, that he needs to reveal a part of his real self to her if he is to win her. But his secrets are many and his caution so ingrained, that this proves to be more difficult, as well as enlightening, than he thought it would be.
Rosamund is so weary of intrigue, of always being on her guard, that the idea of marriage to Florian, while tempting in some ways, just exhausts her to think of it. It is clear to the reader that she is made for great things and is capable of much valor, but she sees herself as an ordinary, plain woman. But, they do join forces and begin fighting the elements and enemies within and without.
In a fantasy novel, Elizabeth Minogue has the difficult task of creating an entirely new world. As a reader, it took me a while to get settled, to feel grounded in this new world. There were six different kingdoms, their political differences, and their mythologies to keep straight. The character names, cultural references and at times the language itself were foreign and I found myself mentally tripping over some of them – Ashkii, Eredor, Beylik, filidhi and fheara – so that it took me about 70 pages to begin to get it all organized and straight in my own mind as to who was who and what all the relationships were. This is one of my few complaints about the book. I would have liked to have found my footing sooner.
But once I was settled into Minogue’s world, I found it to be a fascinating place. Much of the novel takes place aboard Florian’s ship The Quest. The author portrays the feel of shipboard life vividly, and when they ride out a typhoon, the terror and exhilaration it engenders feels authentic. But most importantly, it is the complicated relationship between Florian and Rosamund, with its many layers, which thoroughly engrossed me as they worked to find a balance between duty, destiny and love. At one point soon after their marriage Florian says, “I will not deny that our marriage was made for Venya’s good. But had I been free to follow my own heart” – he drew a shaking finger across her lips, swollen from his kisses – “oh, Rosamund, it would have led me straight to you.” Well okay then – sign me up!
It is these moments of reality-based emotion that kept me rooted while in the fantasy world. And if at times there was the odd, jarring moment (for example, the time we are told that a supporting character has a feather growing out of his temple, something which is not explained or ever mentioned again) and if the final battle sequence was a bit over the top, these moments do not keep me from recommending The Prince.
Grade: B
Book Type: Fantasy Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 23/10/04
Publication Date: 2004
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.