Back to Her Roots: The Ring and The Crown - Melissa De La Cruz

The Ring and The Crown by Melissa De La Cruz
Date Released: April 1, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 384 pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: For Review (Thanks for the copy!)
Rating: LOVED IT
Series: (The Ring and The Crown #1)

Goodreads Synopsis: Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve?

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen.

But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard.

Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one. 

From Goodreads

I would call The King and The Crown a mixed bag of emotions. Some good while others are bad. Finishing, the book I realized how short it fell in my expectations of Melissa De La Cruz. It needed a spark and she just didn't give it at all. But what I did love was the cover and a promising beginning!




Don't get me started on how great the cover is! Who doesn't love the red and orange hues on it, but all good things come to an end. I came into the book with such BIG expectations it just did not deliver. The book starts out strong and I thought it would have the Blue Bloods writing and feel too it, but I just didn't. We meet Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But in a intricate web of lies, magic, and rivalry the story is bogged down by flat characters, no action, and no magic!


Why Mel..Why!

This book even had a Beyonce quote on the first part of the book and then a Lorde quote on the second part, I honestly thought it would be a great book. I would call The Ring and The Crown a mix of Downtown Abbey with gossip, lies, and deaths. It was a thrill ride seeing all these characters do things we wouldn't see ourselves doing and it was enticing.

The characters in the book suffered a lot from lack of characterization. She introduces them way too quickly without introducing them and some even get cut off right in the middle. *are-you-series-face* There was also no magic or any action really in the book. We don't see Aelwyn use her powers or see fights between the characters. It all seemed to be done verbally done, and it didn't appeal to me.


 

The Ring and The Crown is a book you should pick up if you love characters introduced quickly and a fast paced plot. If you loved Mel's Blue Bloods, I would also recommend this one too! A bubbling plot, the high luxe world of the rich, and lies, the book was a thrill of a ride!

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