Veena’s review of Tears Of The Rose (Twelve Kingdoms, Book 2) by Jeffe Kennedy
Romantic Fantasy published by Kensington Books 25 Nov 14
Amelia starts the series as a shallow, selfish character obsessed with her beauty such that I couldn’t see myself warming up to her and consequently had very low expectations for her story. On the contrary, her story is even more compelling than the first book in the series, as she transforms herself into a formidable character. This book lays out what I believe will be a thrilling conclusion to the series. If you enjoy fantasy with a touch of whimsy and action, then this story is definitely for you.
Amelia is born a princess, the youngest of three sisters who are completely under the thumb of their powerful father. She’s been living in an ivory tower, shielded from harsh reality, much beloved of her father and the entire kingdom for her beauty. From a young age she understands the power she wields and doesn’t hesitate to use it, even marrying the handsome prince intended for her older sister because they are so perfect together.
But life is definitely not a fairy tale, and before the year is out she finds herself a widow and pregnant. Suddenly her placid, comfortable life is shaken up as she finds herself in the center of a vortex of power wielded by her father, the current ruler over the twelve kingdoms; her father-in-law, a ruler over one of those twelve kingdoms; and a powerful priest who wants to use her to rule through the power of the church. With the help of a few loyal people, she’s able to discern the truth from the lies and slowly but surely begins to think for herself. She definitely believes she’s touched in a divine sense, and maybe she is as things start to fall into a pattern different from what the powerful people in her life desire.
As she makes a difficult journey back to her husband’s keep to give birth to her son, the future ruler of the twelve kingdoms as well as her husband’s kingdom, a diversion in the path takes her to the borders of the protected land beyond which her sister dwells. Here she discovers truths that had been long hidden from her. Most importantly, she, who was hell bent on destroying herself for love of her beloved dead prince, finds love again. This brings in a dose of reality and breaks the façade of the fairy tale as she loves and sacrifices for the first time in her life. As she deals with her new reality and begins to make choices and decisions, I found that along the way I had warmed up to her and was rooting for her. Regardless of the new, strong woman she’s becoming, I thoroughly enjoyed the little mannerisms that she retains, such as making sure that her forehead is always smooth and her face is always smiling. Perhaps there’s a lesson in this for all of us.
The character that I empathized with from the get-go is the protective oldest sister, who looks out for her younger sibling, regardless of the personal price she pays. I am awaiting her book with bated breath, plus I feel a lot of their mother’s secrets hopefully will see the light of day as their father gets his comeuppance.
Grade: B
Summary:
Three sisters. Motherless daughters of the high king. The eldest is the warrior-woman heir; the middle child is shy and full of witchy intuition: and the youngest, Princess Amelia, she is as beautiful as the sun and just as generous.
Ami met her Prince Charming and went away to his castle on the stormy sea-cliffs—and that should have been her happily ever after. Instead, her husband lies dead and a war rages. Her middle sister has been taken into a demon land, turned into a stranger. The priests and her father are revealing secrets and telling lies. And a power is rising in Ami, too, a power she hardly recognizes, to wield her beauty as a weapon, and her charm as a tool to deceive…
Amelia has never had to be anything but good and sweet and kind and lovely. But the chess game for the Twelve Kingdoms has swept her up in it, and she must make a gambit of her own. Can the prettiest princess become a pawn—or a queen?
Other books in this series:
