After I read Always, the prequel novella for The Lost Princess series by Jody Heldund, I knew I HAD to get my hands on the other books ASAP! They were at the very top of my to-buy list for this month and I wanted to squeal with delight when all three books arrived in the mail last weekend.
I’m loving this series so far! And based on the reviews I’ve seen, it’s only going to get better from book to book.
Book 1 in the series, Evermore, picks up seventeen years after where the novella left off. The eldest princess—the Crown Princess Constance, rightful Queen of Mercia—is now twenty years old and known as Lady Adelaide of Langley.
Check out the back cover blurb for more info on the story:
An ancient key. A secret treasure. And a princess destined to use them both to fight evil and restore peace.
Raised by a noble family, Lady Adelaide has always known she’s an orphan. Little does she realize she’s one of the lost princesses and the true heir to Mercia’s throne…until a visitor arrives at her family estate, reveals her birthright as queen, and thrusts her into a quest for the throne whether she’s ready or not.
Unable to tolerate King Ethelwulf’s cruelty and lawlessness, Christopher Langley left Mercia years earlier, training a group of rebels in neighboring Norland. When he returns home after his mother’s death, he discovers that not only is Adelaide all grown up, but she’s also the rightful queen of Mercia.
When King Ethelwulf discovers Adelaide’s location, he’ll stop at nothing to capture her and the key she holds to the ancient treasure. Christopher is just as determined to protect Adelaide so she can lead the growing rebellion. When feelings ignite between the two old friends, forces threaten to destroy their love and rip them apart forever.
As I read the first few chapters of Evermore, I had that giddy sense of anticipation, already knowing I’d love the book and that this series was going to hold so much exciting adventure. Luckily, my initial impression proved correct. Adelaide’s story was far more unpredictable than I anticipated. Just when I thought I knew how the adventure would play out, things would take a different turn. In fact, the plot of this series as a whole is turning out to be more complex than you might think at first glance.
It remains to be seen if Adelaide will be my favorite of the three princesses—I’ll have to withhold that judgement until I get to Book 3–but my favorite character from this book was actually Mitchell. He is hard to judge for most of the book—is he a bad guy or is he a good guy?—but ultimately I sympathized with him.
This is very much a true series, where you need to read the books in order to understand everything. By the end of the book, the most important plot lines of this individual story were resolved, but the overall story was left open ended, like if you watched Part 1 of a miniseries and you need to watch the next part to find out what happens next. Part of me wanted to jump on to Book 2 right away, but I’m making myself read a different book between each one of this series because I’m really excited about the other books I ordered this month, too! Plus, if I spread them out a little, I can savor the story longer!
I can’t wait to see how Adelaide continues to develop into a strong leader—with her handsome “knight in shining armor” at her side, of course!—find out what the other two princesses have been up to all this time and how the rest of their story will unfold. I know the plot twists aren’t finished yet, and that the quest to regain Mercia’s throne will continue to be an exciting adventure!
Before you go: If you missed my review for the prequel novella, Always, check it out here! https://lifeandlitblog.com/review-always-by-jody-hedlund/
