Review
Peasant Princess
(The Teller of Destiny #3)
Publication Date: Mid-Late 2014
Paperback
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
“I would do it again.” Lunule placed Raphere’s
cold fingers between his hands, to warm them. “A thousand things I would do for
your pardon.”
Events
in Paz Etur have taken an ugly turn. Whispers of conspiracy and censure echo
within the city. Recovering from a near-mortal wound, Raphere can do little to
shield those she has sworn to protect.
As
First Scout Otti embarks upon a journey east, to unravel Raphere’s past, Rant
finds his own challenges waiting in Paz Ori. The dark deals he made as a
mercenary cannot be dismissed, and Dark Lords are not known for patience.
Even
Tranquia is beginning to have misgivings where Raphere is concerned. As strange
plagues spread over the plains, and wolves prowl forever closer to the kingdoms,
will Raphere have the strength to calm the ill winds churning from all
directions? Will she find her closest ally in the cruelest of princes?
Preview Review
I only reviewed the first few chapters of
Peasant Princess, so this review will be a little shorter than my normal
reviews.
I was glad when I started Peasant Princess, that
things immediately begin from where I had been left hanging in Princes and
Fools. I didn't want to wait around, agonizing over what was going to happen,
and thankfully, I wasn't.
I immediately noticed that Lunnule was his
same-old Joffrey-ish self. I don't know why this makes me love him so much, but
I do. Does that say something strange about me? Lunnule is pretty much the
focus of the first few chapters, and for that I'm glad, because if you haven't
gotten it already, I like him. As a character, not a person. He's a very, very
bad person.
Rant Pae is back too. He's actually trying to
become a responsible adult, from what I can tell. (Sure, Lunnule is trying that
idea out too, but I just can't see him succeeding.)
All in all, I'm totally ready for this book to
actually be in my hands, or on my computer. The preview definitely wasn't
enough for me.
Genre: Young / New Adult Fantasy
Tour
Organized by: Indie Sage, LLC
Purchase
Link:
From Continue #1
Princes and Fools #2
Excerpt from
TELLER OF DESTINY: BOOK THREE
PEASANT PRINCESS
©2014 A. H. DE CARRASCO
…His expression softened as he sat
down beside her. Carefully, Lunule moved the chair and winced as it creaked. He
leaned closer to her. His elbow nearly touched her hand. His fingers could
almost reach her face. Raphere’s dark hair had grown quite long since she came
to the palace. He lifted a lock and held it between his fingers. It was soft,
like silk.
“Do you wish to pull it?”
He released the curl and leaned
back. “No, not today.”
“Good,” she retorted and turned her
face away. But sleep was gone, and without a thought to his struggle, she
lifted her arms above her and slowly stretched out the kinks in her limbs.
Could she take his weight? The nasty
voice of his mind goaded. He shook his head to clear away the persistent
thought.
“I am not supposed to be here,” he
told her.
“Really?” She didn’t seem to care
that he was.
“My father has brought me to task.
Told me I shouldn’t see you unless you called for me.”
“Then why are you here?”
“You didn’t want to see me?”
“Hardly.” She scoffed at him,
cutting him to the quick with one word.
“But, of course, I knew you wouldn’t
want to see me. But I care little for other’s wants or needs, as you’ve told
me. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
“Lunule,” she snapped angrily and
made to rise but cried out in pain. Lunule leapt to his feet, shocked that she
still suffered, and watched helplessly as she seemed to shrink under her blankets. Her
breath rasped from her throat, uneven and harsh.
“Raphere.”
“Prince,” she whispered, her voice
strained. “Why must you torture me? Haven’t you had your fill?”
Lunule was quiet a moment then ventured
on another path. “I wanted to thank you.”
“For what? Taking the wound you
deserved?” she retorted hoarsely.
“I shouldn’t have come,” he said.
Suddenly very ashamed of himself, he retreated toward the antechamber. “I am
sorry, Raphere.” Again the apologies spilled from his lips. Ah! He was a fool.
“No. Do not leave, please.”
He turned around as his heart
lightened. He reclaimed the seat he had left and leaned near her. Her
captivating green eyes looked at him a moment.
“How is Rant? Is he well?”
Lunule’s jaw tensed as he felt the
knife’s twist. His lips lifted into a smile to cover his wound and he leaned
back in the chair. “He is well. He returned to Paz Ori with his mother.”
“Any word for me?”
His hesitation was imperceptible
even as his mind, quick as a bee’s wing, contemplated his choices. He had left
the note behind. Why make the journey to retrieve it tonight? He made his decision, if only a
postponement. “No,” he lied. “Not yet, anyway.”
He noticed her disappointment but it
mattered little. She wanted him near only to serve as a messenger.
“I must have angered him.” Raphere
decided.
“No,” he reassured her. It was the
least he could do. “I think he had other matters to see to. Not that you
weren’t important. My father strictly forbade his seeing you, and he had to leave that day.”
This did nothing to soften her
frown, however. Again, she averted her face from him.
“I freed the prisoners for you, as
you asked.”
She turned back toward him. “I am
glad, Lunule. It was the right thing to do.”
“I know that now,” he admitted. “You
are always teaching me…such things. I never realize how stupid...” His words
dwindled.
“Raphere,” he began again, not
knowing what his very next words would be—what chitchat could he offer to
change her mood, her heart. This was a failure. Almost accusingly he continued.
“Now you must forgive me.”
“I forgive you, Lunule,” she told
him but her heart was not in it. He could tell that much.
“That is not my only penance, I’m
afraid,” he admitted. “My father wants me to go to the Feast of Second Harvest
and wash the feet of ten peasants.”
This sudden information brought a
true laugh from Raphere but she winced in pain even as she chuckled.
“Their feet? Oh, Lunule, what an
appropriate punishment for you.” Her throat was dry and her laughter turned to
hoarse coughing. Lunule leaned forward and grabbed her hand. She squeezed his
fingers tightly as pain wracked her body.
“Dear Fate, Raphere,” he said
miserably. “I am so sorry. I never meant harm to you. Not like this.”
She continued to cough. He grabbed
the water pitcher and filled a cup, spilling the liquid in his haste. The
prince acted as servant, supporting her head and helping her bring the cup to
her mouth. She drank deeply. Her emerald eyes met his over the rim.
“The water tastes bitter,” she noted
when she was done, her voice yet hoarse.
He took the cup from her and placed
it on the bed’s night table, then gently fluffed her pillow.
He couldn’t help himself, being so
close to her, her breath on his face. He lowered his lips and gently kissed her
cheek.
She said nothing, not a retort or
insult. Again, he took her hand in his even as her eyes grew moist. He watched
helplessly as she blinked back tears.
“I would do it for you,” he told her
quickly. “I would wash their feet if you wished it.”
She didn’t say a word to comfort
him. She looked away just as a tear proved victorious against her battle and
spilled onto the cheek he had kissed, as if to wash it clean.
“You didn’t hear me that night,
Raphere, when Tranquia said you would die. She claimed there was nothing she
could do. I told her she must not let you die. I told her before all the nobles
and stable hands that you couldn’t die...because I love you. And I do in my
heart, as only I can know.”
Lunule squeezed her hand tighter.
Fearing she would draw it away from his, he clasped it with both of his hands.
“I don’t expect you to return my
affection—”
“Affection?” she countered bitterly.
“Is that what you call your actions? Affections—?”
“I can only ask a chance to prove my
feelings are real. Only that. I would wash their feet for you, Raphere. A
thousand things I would do for your pardon.”
She pulled her hand back and rolled
onto her side, toward the balcony. Away from him. “Do it for yourself, Lunule.”
Her words dismissed him.
About the Author
A. H. De Carrasco embarked upon
the writer’s journey at a young age, writing illustrated fan fiction for her
grade school classmates’ favorite shows. Several decades later, she is
publishing her collection of fantasy novels for teenagers and adults. Lately,
she writes beside a waterfall as her husband tests his goggles and flippers.
Her cats look on in displeasure from the screen door, but purr happily when she
writes at her desk.
Giveaway
*Note: I received a preview of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way altered my opinion/review.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I LOVE your comments! And I do read all of them so keep at it! Thanks for visiting!