| According to a tradition as old as time, called the Tine, the princesses of Dissany leave their home on their seventeenth birthday and upkeep a political alliance by going to live with another nation in their land. Due to her birth order, Marisol Bean is slotted to live with the stones while her twin Meredith will go to the dragons but the sisters make a switch in order to fulfil Marisol's need for adventure. And adventure is exactly what she gets. She becomes a servant to the new dragon king tending his rare crop. She is the sole witness to an assassination attempt which magically wounds him and now they voyage throughout the kingdoms in order to restore his power.
This gentle flight of fancy was a solid start to an appealing new series. The first instalment of the Daughters of Dissany introduces us to the dauntless Marisol and a world of captivating creatures. Girls and women alike will fall in love with the unicorns and male readers will enjoy the magic and the unique dragons. As the introductory book it is understandable that it needs to lay down the background information but I found it dragged a little and then the ending was a bit too abrupt. The world building was sound and I enjoyed so many of the secondary characters especially Tuk and Chikun. I think the relationship between Urich and Marisol could have been so much more than what it was. The potential was there but their emotions and feelings toward one another weren't explored deeply enough. I admit the cute title is what initially attracted me to the book but as I started reading I was disappointed with it because to me it gave away the ending which frustrated me. Even with its weaknesses, I found this to be an enjoyable young adult fantasy and I 'd happily recommend it to fans of the genre. I'm looking forward to seeing what else Marisol gets up to as well as seeing how her sisters fare in their respective placements.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Theresa Joseph |