{Release Day Review & US Giveaway} MOTH AND SPARK by Anne Leonard

ISBN #: 978-0143126218

Page Count: 384

Copyright: December 30, 2014

Publisher: Penguin Books

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

A prince with a quest, a beautiful commoner with mysterious powers, and dragons who demand to be freed—at any cost

Filled with the potent mix of the supernatural and romance that made A Discovery of Witches a runaway success, Moth and Spark introduces readers to a vibrant world—and a love story they won’t soon forget.

Prince Corin has been chosen to free the dragons from their bondage to the power Mycenean Empire, but dragons aren’t big on directions. They have given him some of their power, but none of their knowledge. No one, not the dragons nor their riders, is even sure what keeps the dragons in the Empire’s control. Tam, sensible daughter of a well-respected doctor, had no idea before she arrived in Caithenor that she is a Seer, gifted with visions. When the two run into each other (quite literally) in the library, sparks fly and Corin impulsively asks Tam to dinner. But it’s not all happily ever after. Never mind that the prince isn’t allowed to marry a commoner: war is coming. Torn between his quest to free the dragons and his duty to his country, Tam and Corin must both figure out how to master their powers in order to save Caithen. With a little help from a village of secret wizards and rogue dragonrider, they just might pull it off.

Mandy's Review:

Fair warning, this review will have a bit of a spoiler. I try not to give spoilers in my reviews but I need to this time in order to explain some of my feelings.

First, I will say, the novel is beautifully written in that Anne Leonard presents a world in which I would enjoy living. She has presented a new twist on fantasy that works well with a reader's imagination. There's a bit of a love story thrown in, for all you romantics out there, which is a pretty recognizable situation: well-to-do nobleman has an illicit love affair with a commoner.

Corin is not like other nobleman, though. He is tired of the games the courtiers play in order to win his affections. No longer do the plunging necklines, heaving bosoms, and dainty actions have an effect on his libido. As soon as he sees Tam, he is smitten and, soon, in love.

Tam is only at court because her sister-in-law is a courtier. She feels it an obligation to come to court to help where she can. Seeing Corin for the first time, she thought he was a soldier and falls in love immediately. Finding out he's the prince to the throne, Tam realizes that their love can never fruition into what she'd like to have most: marriage and children.

***** Here comes the spoiler *****

Circumstances are soon out of the king's control when war breaks out. Corin must go out with his soldiers and try to hold off the enemy as much as they can. Before he leaves for battle, Corin's father, the king, marries Corin and Tam in the middle of the hall ... which made me feel a little confused. The book summary and the story leading up to this point almost adamantly stated that the prince would not be able to marry a commoner. It was forbidden. Then, after the marriage is done and Corin and Tam are back together again, it's stated that who the prince marries isn't actually a law but more of a known fact. Putting that in the novel almost made it seem like an afterthought, like the author was trying to justify why she allowed the two to marry after making us feel like it was a law of the kingdom that the prince could not marry below his station.

I'll try not to give any more spoilers as I finish up my review ... Corin finally has his chance at the end of the novel to free the dragons, as was his mission from the start. And, I hate to say this, but the ending was a little anti-climactic for me. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Overall, Moth and Spark was a novel I rather enjoyed. Should there be sequels I will read them. The two issues I had with the novel were really  minimal in the scope of the entire story, so please do not let that stop you from grabbing your own copy ... especially if you enjoy a good fantasy novel with a bit of romance thrown into the pot.


*A physical copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Giveaway:

This giveaway is for one physical copy of MOTH AND SPARK to a U.S. resident. The giveaway will close on January 2nd. The winner will be randomly chosen and will have 48 hours to respond with their U.S. mailing address (no PO boxes, please).

Good luck!

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