⭐⭐⭐☆
A fantasy book with MCs in their very early twenties, this
book presents a well thought out world of Kingdom of Venostes (shades of The
Lord of the Rings here).
Jastyn Cipher is the town outcast since she is an Odium
Child, that is, a child born out of wedlock. She has a difficult life just
surviving. She adores her step-sister, Alana, who is suffering from an illness
that could end her life soon. Jastyn will do anything to save her sister (a
kind of throwback on The Hunger Games sibling love here). The Queen is
considered the best healer in the kingdom and Jastyn tries to smuggle into the
palace hoping to meet the queen and seek her help in healing her sister.
Instead of the Queen, Jastyn meets the Princess. Princess Aurelia is a
sheltered royal who dreams of going beyond the walls of the kingdom, who dreams
of adventure. She is soft and kind, if a little naïve.
We wouldn’t like to discuss more of the story which is
rather involved and has quite a lot happening. The pace seems a little slow in the
beginning because there is just so much to introduce and familiarise the reader
with. But it moves along fairly well.
Though Jastyn is the titular Daughter of No One, she didn’t
impress us. All the daring, strength, emotion and character in Book One (this
one is the first of a trilogy) belong to Princess Aurelia. Jastyn’s friend,
Coran, also impresses with his loyalty. Maybe subsequent book will add more to
Jastyn, but at least this first book belongs to the Princess entirely.
This seems like a promising series.
⭐⭐⭐☆
