The Decoy Princess

I read somewhere that Dawn Cook was a pen name Kim Harrison used in the past and got interested in some of those book and how they differ from her Dark Fantasy book. I picked up the one that drew my eye first.

The Decoy Princess

By: Dawn Cook 

Write up:  

Princess Contessa's dreams of living happily ever after marrying a prince are shattered when her "parents" reveal that she's actually a street urchin they raised as their daughter to thwart assassins from their real target. 

What a cute cover. When I picked this up, I expected a cute and light read. And it was that, but it also has some interesting depth as well. On the surface the story is this: When the Princess is born there is a prophecy that she will bring some kind of big climactic change/destruction to the world. This leads to many power players in the area to send out all kinds of assassins to kill the newborn baby. After some failed attempts, the idea is put forth to smuggle the really Princess out of the Palace and replace her with a Decoy who will take the brunt of the attacks. A cold and kind of very sinister decision, especially when you get the fact that at least 3 baby decoys did not survive. Tessa is the one that does. So she is raised her entire life thinking she is the Princess and that the King and Queen are her parents. But on the side, she had been trained in all manner of self defense and battle tactics by the main advisor to the King. She was told it was because of the murder attempts as she needed to be prepared more than most, but soon finds out it is for other reasons. Then the day arrives when she is to meet the Prince of a neighboring Kingdom that she is to marry. The plan was to inform her about her real identity before the wedding and bring in the real Princess, but things don't go as planned and Tessa finds out in the worst possible way. She ends up on the run when the Prince takes offense to the lie and exposes his plans for her Kingdom ahead of schedule....none of which are good for her or the King and Queens continued well being.

Tessa ends up on the run, in shock and confused about who she is and what her place in the world is. On her Journey to find the Advisor that raised her, who had left to fetch the real Princess, she finds out not only is she more than just the Decoy Princess, but her advisor is also more powerful that she ever imagined. He is part of a shadowy group of people that really control the world she lives in...and they view Kings and Queens as mere puppets, game pieces in a never ending game of power and influence. A lot more people are part of this game than she expected and not only is she a powerful piece, but she was being groomed to be a major player as well.

I liked the story within the story that is played out in this book. Some people think one thing is going on and take it at face value, but the reader knows that not every person is as they seem and a much bigger game is being played. It gives some of the seemingly minor characters a lot more depth. Jecks, the Captain of the Prince's guard for example. When the reader first meets him...they are already drawn to him because of his cold intensity. He comes across as a very smart and noble type guy who has to put up with this horrible, vicious Prince that treats him like a slave. But then one scene adds another layer to his story and makes you pull back and look at him with whole new eyes, and question his motives. This is the same with many characters. What could have been a bubble gum type book had a little bit more meat to it because the characters are not cookie cutter. Yes, some fit stereotypes, but they all show flashes of more.  Duncan the gambler and cheat on the surface, has many flashes where the writer hints at more underneath. A sad story that needs telling, and would probably show he is more than he seems as well. This hinted mystery and depth, pulls you into the characters and then into the story. I also loved the future romantic aspects that are hinted at. Both Duncan and Jecks seem to draw Tessa to them for different reasons, and from the hints neither would be good for her health. Jecks even more so, but he is so tempting. Ah, those tortured bad boys; they are every girl’s kryptonite. All in all...I look forward to reading the second book that continues where this left off. I need more of these 3 characters.

 

Overall grade: B+