Continuing my catch up on reviews, I find I’ve read quite a few books recently.

This is the first in a trilogy I’ve been waiting a while to read, based on the great blurbs that thoroughly piqued my interest. Here’s how that panned out…

The Bastard Prince by Patty Jansen

“She has a dragon, and she’s not afraid to use it.”
That was the tagline that sold the book to me. Well, maybe Nellie won’t be afraid to use her dragon, but not in this book.
Nellie is an atypical fantasy lead – 50, unmarried, and with no ambition beyond remaining as a kitchen worker in the palace to put off the inevitable poverty that will be her lot when she can no longer work. Unfortunately for her, circumstances beyond her control derail her dull but comfortable situation as politics and magic snare her future whether she wants it or not.
This is a well-written book, make no mistake. I enjoyed the writing, though it is a slow story. The character of Nellie is drawn in painstaking detail; her current circumstances, how she ended up where she is, and how her life is dragged off at a tangent against her will, and through her good intentions. I just wish the pace had been a little less plodding, and the payoff worth the wait.
While this is not, strictly, a cliff hanger ending, it’s really the first third of a bigger book, not a book in its own right. I will continue with the series, as I love the meticulous world building and the potential in the characters. I just felt a little cheated it didn’t live up to that tagline.

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Despite my mild irritation, its still a good book, and a refreshingly different heroine.

Find The Bastard Prince HERE

How do you feel about books when they don’t go where you expect them to? Do you blame the blurb writer, or your own preconceptions. Or are you delighted to be outwitted and revel in the surprise?