Young Adult Book Reviews

Genre: Realistic Fiction

King Leander of Ashland has decided to choose an heir from his three grandchildren and a commoner who has shown great potential. All four contenders are sent to Almus Terra Academy where they are expected to show initiative, leadership, and of course excel in their classes. Titus is the only one who knew he was a prince growing up because his parents told him even though they were not supposed to. He feels great pressure to perform well and earn the crown, but his growing health concerns cannot be ignored anymore. Alaric was left to fend for himself in Ireland and has no real interest in ruling, but he does like going to a school where he has opportunities he could have never dreamed of. Emmeline was also not raised by her parents, but was raised in the lap of luxury and feels she would be the best ruler and is willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. Sadie was happy growing up in Ashland until tragedy struck and she lost her way for a bit before being offered this opportunity. Can they all find a way to be successful and happy at this academy or is the pressure to compete too much? How will they be accepted by all the other children of elite and successful people? Who will prevail in becoming the official heir apparent?

This is the first in a series and each chapter follows one of the four main characters, which makes it easy to really understand where each character is coming from. All of the candidates have their own secrets and insecurities, but they try not to let any of that show in case it would hurt their chances of being able to rule one day. Sadie is definitely the most intriguing character simply because she is not an official blood relation, but the people come to appreciate her nonetheless because she is one of them and has lived in the kingdom her entire life. The ending feels fast because a lot happens very quickly, but that will only make readers want to continue on with the next one. Recommended for fans of other royal stories like Royal Blood or American Royals.