Under the Trees

Summary:

Desperate to prevent an abusive arranged marriage, Princess Araya flees to a neighboring kingdom, only to land at the mercy of the impulsive Crown Prince Thoredmund, who provides refuge in a secluded forest and teaches her survival skills. Her surprise at the unexpected hold the prince has on her heart mirrors his shock at falling for the one girl he can’t have. 

As the young couple’s feelings for each other grow, the fragile alliance between the two kingdoms threatens to break apart. With a vengeful duke and an enraged king fast on their trail, Thor and Araya must decide how much they’re willing to risk for love.  Even if staying together means starting a war.  (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)

Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review courtesy of YA Bound Book Tours.

Review:

I found this book fairly run-of-the-mill and had a somewhat “meh” reaction.  Princess Araya struck me as pretty naïve and clueless, which got old quickly.   Prince Thor did have some appealing aspects, but he was struck with insta-love for the most part.  Each character had appealing aspects, but neither was very complex and I found them very predictable.  The side characters had some interest, Silas had the potential to be extremely interesting in the sequel (I got the impression there will be a sequel at least).

Nothing about this book was bad and it was a nice little escape, but I was just expecting it to go further into the world-building and interactions.

Rating: 3 stars!

Who should read it? Folks looking for a predictable, but quick fix fantasy.

Want to read the whole series? TBD