THE KING'S DAUGHTERS by Nathalie Mallet

I anxiously waited for this book for months because Ms. Mallet's first book, PRINCES OF THE GOLDEN CAGE, was my favorite of 2008. It finally arrived and I read it in between contractions and even took it to the hospital with me when I gave birth, although I was too exhausted to read it while there. And so I finished reading KING'S while nursing. Anyway, it was great adventure story and just what I needed to help me through all that.



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Prince Amir is on his way to Sorvinka with Princess Eva, whom he fell in love with in PRINCES. He's planning on asking her father for her hand in marriage. The trip's been rough. They started out with a full entourage of servants and soldiers and gifts and such, but they've been attacked repeatedly along the way. Plus, it's been getting colder and darker the closer they get to Eva's home. Amir's a desert prince and he's not used to that. I live in Alaska, so I've seen people endure their first winter in a cold climate. If they don't adapt, they either die or go back. You've got to be climatized for the cold, but things are even worse for Amir. Sorvinka isn't the wonderful place Eva left when she was brought to the desert to marry the next Sulton, which she didn't do by the way. Besides cold and dark, it's also gotten more violent and hopeless. But, that's not the worse of it for Amir.



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Eva's also gotten rather cold. I remember thinking at that point, "What is wrong with this girl? If I was her, I'd be all over Amir like a bad rash!"



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So, Amir and Eva and what's left of their stuff and entourage arrive in Sorvinka, only to be treated like invaders. Amir manages to save one eunach servant, Milo. By eunach, yes, I mean he's been deprived of certain male equipment usually thought to be necessary for pleasing a lady. As it turns out, Milo's rather resourceful in that respect and in regards to a cute little kitchen maid, but I digress.



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Amir tries to impress the King with gifts and all that, and fails miserably, undoubtedly because Eva failed to explain cultural differences. What a dunderhead! At this point, I was thinking, "Are you sure about this girl? And if you are, maybe you should consider eloping. Vegas is nice this time of year."



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During the course of these events, Amir meets Diego who's betrothed to Eva's younger sister and outta his freakin' mind. I love characters who are outta their freakin' minds. I always have at least one each story I write. He also learns the reasons why everyone's on edge. One of Eva's other sisters has been kidnapped. Two more are kidnapped shortly thereafter. Besides landing in a strange country, Amir's landed in the middle of a major mess.



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Amir's rather resourceful himself. In PRINCES, he proved himself a talented investigator and so he sets out to learn who's abducting the princesses. Along the way, he learns the Queen, who's been sick for years, is a lot nicer than the King, but her two girlfriends are constantly at each other's throats. One of them likes to stir up potions and she doesn't seem to really know what she's doing. Diego, the prince who's supposedly outta his ever-lovin' mind, is the only one willing to be his friend, so he's got no choice but to take him along on investigations. And Eva's still giving Arctic Princesses a bad name.



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Amir keeps hearing about a witch called Baba Yaga. If you know anything about Eastern European mythology, you know she's a popular baddie over there. I couldn't remember much about her, just that. Anyway, Amir and company set out to discover the truth, save the princesses, and prove themselves worthy, while all the other characters twist and turn the plot. At one point, Amir is kissed by a rebel chick and I thought, "Forget Eva! This one's a better kisser!"



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I'll always love PRINCES OF THE GOLDEN CAGE best, I think. http://enduringromance.blogspot.com/2008/03/princes-of-golden-cage-by-nathalie.html I seem to be that way with other authors too. I always love the first book I read of theirs best. Don't know why. However, Ms. Mallet successfully dragged me this way and that and I didn't figure things out on my own because I was too swept up in it all. As much as I read, I'm rarely surprised by a story. So, when I am surprised by a story, it's a wonderful treat. http://www.nathaliemallet.com/