Crown Duel: a book recommendation
♥ Here you go, Adriana. I’ll put up book recommendations on Sundays. JUST FOR YOU. ♥
5 out of 5 stars.
This book (and it’s sequel, Court Duel, which is now sold with book 1) is AMAZING. Sherwood Smith is one of my favorite writers–she is a true master of her craft–and this YA fantasy doesn’t fail to deliver. I actually read this for the first time when I was 14-years-old, and after some recent gushing with fellow readers about how swoon-worthy a certain hero is, I decided to reread it.
And oh man, is it just as wonderful as I remember.
Young Countess Meliara swears to her dying father that she and her brother will defend their people from the growing greed of the king. That promise leads them into a war for which they are ill-prepared, which threatens the very people they are trying to protect. But war is simple compared to what follows, in peacetime. Meliara is summoned to live at the royal palace, where friends and enemies look alike, and intrigue fills the dance halls and the drawing rooms. If she is to survive, Meliara must learn a whole new way of fighting-with wits and words and secret alliances.
In war, at least, she knew in whom she could trust. Now she can trust no one.
Oh Mel, you’re so awesome. Seriously, she’s a kick-butt heroine who learns her weaknesses and strives to overcome them. She’s brave, clever, and heroic–everything I love to see in YA. I loved Mel when I was 14-years-old, and I loved her even more now.
And did I mention the swoon-worthy hero? I won’t say his name because you spend 2 books trying to figure out if the love interest is who you hope it will be. And WOW is it satisfying when the couple finally unites!
Note: if you’re a writer, notice how deftly Smith writes. She’s a proponent of avoiding cliches and finding unique wording–and she’s darn good at applying it herself.
You tell me: have you read Court Duel? Did you love it or hate it? And, do you have any book recs to give me?
May 8, 2011 @ 10:41 am
Thanks for the book recommendation, Susan. I’ve never heard of this one but it’s definitely going on my must read pile now. It definitely looks like my kinda book 🙂
May 8, 2011 @ 6:25 pm
Ooh, well let me know if you enjoy it! 😀
May 8, 2011 @ 2:51 pm
This sounds really good. Thanks, Sooz! I’ll add it atop my towering TBR pile. 😉
May 8, 2011 @ 6:28 pm
I know what you mean by towering TBR…the only consolation is a lot of them are on my Kindle, so at *least* they don’t take up too much space. Okay, so that’s not much of a consolation because then I forget I even had the book in my TBR pile! 🙂
May 8, 2011 @ 7:58 pm
Oh, my gosh. My name in your post… :D!!!! EEK! <– Fangirling shamelessly.
And the book sounds so good! I'll have to buy it as soon as I get somebody to take me to Barnes & Noble lol This is perfect timing, too, because I'm going home soon, and I'll be stuck at the airport for 6 hours, so I needed books to read lol
You make me so happy, Sooz 😀
Hmm, let's see, book recs for you:
The Wind on Fire by William Nicholson. I read it a long time ago and to this day I still quote it (even though nobody knows what I'm talking about. Lame). It's amazingly written –or it was amazingly translated, since I read it in spanish lol I re-read it all the time 🙂 Goodreads summary: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/295184.The_Wind_on_Fire_Trilogy
Because I can't do the books justice 😀
Aaaaand, have you read The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood? (I can't believe that's really her name lol I mean, it's so plant-y! It fits the book well. Too well.) I think what I liked most about this one was the tone of the writing. It's kind of hard to describe, but it was very distinctive. To be honest, I liked the book as I was reading it, but it was the ending which made me love it 🙂 And the cover is so purty 😀
I can't think of any other books that you haven't already read LOL I'll dig through my bookcase and see what I can find 🙂
Loves,
A
P.S.: Do you have Barnes & Noble in Germany?
May 9, 2011 @ 3:48 pm
I’ve so been meaning to read POISON DIARIES. I’ve heard great things, so…that will definitely go in my TBR pile. And THE WIND ON FIRE–I will have to look into that! Thanks, Adriana!! <3
And alas, no B&N in Germany. 🙁 I couldn't live without my Kindle because any English books are kinda hard to find and pretty expensive (at least where I live, which is the middle of nowhere).
Finally, you also make me berry berry happy. 😀
May 9, 2011 @ 3:34 pm
I JUST started reading this two days ago!
May 9, 2011 @ 3:46 pm
Ack! Let me know what you think!! 😀
May 9, 2011 @ 5:21 pm
AHHHH I love love loooove Crown Duel/Court Duel! Read it for the first time about three years back and I’ve lugged my copy with me EVERYWHERE ever since. Mel is AMAZING, even though I seriously wanted to strangle her for being so stubborn at times XD And the hero – won’t say his name either – SET THE BAR for me. I’m not even kidding. Every guy I meet, real or fictional, gets compared to him now.
I don’t think enough people know about the sheer awesome that is this book, so THANK YOU for recommending it <3 ;D
May 9, 2011 @ 7:38 pm
Um, yes. I have decided Unnamed Hero will have to be cleverly recreated in one of my own novels…except that then I’ll just be ripping off Smith, and I probably won’t do nearly as good a job.
And you’re right–more people must learn of this book!!
May 9, 2011 @ 6:55 pm
I know you know that my love of this book is UNDYING, but I’m saying it here for everyone who doesn’t know: READ. THIS.
Vaguely Related Story: I first read Crown Duel/Court Duel in tenth grade, and one day accidentally left it in Biology (um, not that I was reading when I should have been Learning Things). And someone stole it. *cry and heartbreak* Then a few days later, I saw a girl reading it, and stormed over to confront her.
“THAT,” I said, “is my BOOK. And you stole it.”
“I know, I’m sorry! But Biology was boring and this was SO GOOD.”
“ISN’T IT?”
No joke–that girl and I are still best friends.
Which is to say: This book is so good it will turn you into a thief.
May 9, 2011 @ 7:39 pm
Yes. COMMENT WIN for Sara. “This book is so good it will turn you into a thief.”
And what better story of new-found friendships than over reading and stealing?
May 11, 2011 @ 7:45 am
Oh crap. *runs to the bookshelf at 1 AM to re-re-re-reread Crown Duel*
Every time someone reminds me of this book, I’m forced to reread and relive the awesomeness.
May 11, 2011 @ 8:49 am
!!! I love hearing how much everyone loves these books!! SO COOL.