A runaway prince returns to his kingdom to find it threatened by wicked sorcery…
Ten years ago, Ramy escaped his stifling royal life to chase freedom across the world. Called home by the rumblings of war, he faces the unexpected truth.
A neighboring kingdom threatens to attack if he refuses their princess in marriage, while Arlene, his twin sister, has been imprisoned by their parents to protect her from her dangerous and forbidden magical powers.
Dauntless Ramy pledges to help his sister and marry the princess to deliver his kingdom from the clutches of war, but the budding romance he shares with headstrong villager Lyerly is the loose thread that could unravel his best laid plans.
Cast into the mired political landscape of the kingdom’s dark history—one where women are brutally killed for using magic—Ramy must decide what’s worth fighting his kingdom or the women he loves.
* * *Perfect for readers who love the emotional tension of The Princess Bride and jaw-dropping twists of the hit TV drama, Reign.The Wayfarer Prince is a heart-wrenching romantic fantasy with a double dose of mysterious magical powers and a touch of feminine rage.
(Some swearing and steamy scenes. This book ends on a cliffhanger.)
Elizabeth Paloma is a lifelong creative and hopeless romantic. From a young age, she was perpetually swept up in stories of castles, magic, and princesses who rescued themselves (or the hero!). She owes her fascination with fantasy novels to authors like Terry Brooks and William Goldman.
By day, teacher Liz is not afraid to look silly, singing and dancing with her elementary students. At home, she spends her nights hyper-focused on artistic pursuits like writing and drawing.
Elizabeth lives in New Mexico with her husband, two sons, two rescue dogs, and an ever-growing number of houseplants.
It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn't good enough to hold my attention for long. However, it was a debut novel, so I do give the author credit for how well it was written and the character development. The POVs were also easy to tell apart. The rating is more about the fact I felt bored most of the time, and skimmed over chapters. However, that doesn't mean others will feel the same way. I think I just wasn't the right reader for it because it had many positives. There is also a chance I'll probably check out the next in the series. The cover is gorgeous, which is the main reason I chose the book.
Thank you to the author for giving me an ARC for it. I'm thankful for the opportunity to have read it.
This is a very easy and entertaining read. The pacing is a bit slow to begin with, but it picked up about 1/3 in and the plot becomes simaltaneously more interesting and frustrating. That said, I found myself yearning for more so it's been some pretty late nights this week.
This book is written from 3 different POVs, Arlene, Ramy (twins), and Jachlanne. Not a particular fan of this style unless it's really well done. In this book I think it's a good effort but I find at times the narratives from two female characters Arlene's and Jachlanne's a bit similar, especially in the beginning. Additionally there are two things I am really struggling with this book:
First, I found it quite hard to understand the characters' motives truly. Perhaps on the surface level / at face value, I do -
Second, there are details the book didn't IMO adequately address. For instance, the prince left at 12 (a child!!!!) and returned a decade later at 22. Surely his physical appearance would have changed to a point people would... question his identify before immediately accepting his claim? Even if he still has similar features? I also find it hard to understand the conflict between the two kingdoms.... perhaps this is something to be explored in future books (don't think so though). But then countries had gone to war for less in history so perhaps it's not entirely unrealistic.
I was forewarned the book ends with a cliffhanger. Appreciate the warning. I think it actually wraps the major plot line up quite neatly and nicely, with a lot more to be discovered in the remaining series.
Liz paloma -where have you been all my life? You write so incredibly well, I felt like I could feel the texture of the embroidery, the heat from the bonfire, the tingle in my fingertips... reading this story was such a pleasure!
I am paraplegic and in a lot of pain all the time, this book made me forget about it all! The world building, in particular, was so well written that i could see the town and characters as clearly as if it was a memory.
I loved the magic and mysteries and secrets and how it all unfolded... I love that I was intrigued by jachlann, then I went on a roller coaster of hating her and admiring her and hating her again and being proud of her and then feeling sorry for her and rooting for her... And omg, the spicey scenes were great, again it was like I could feel it all! All!
What lost that last half a star for me was just that one part I couldn't quite understand - the Royal family live with the noble families? Is it a castle? A separate village? I know there is a wall around the castle, and I know the secret entrances and about the foliage, but I just couldn't understand the situation of how they lived. The story often mention the noble people walking the halls of the castle or watching the royals do something or another or dining all together, but I just got lost with who or why the nobles were there, and did they live there permanently or just visiting? Did they have rooms in the castle or were the smaller buildings inside the wall houses for them? Because the rest of the book was so damn good, I just couldn't picture these parts of the story. Also the villain seemed to almost be put into the story, not much depth to her character, with the levels of writing in this story I feel we should have had more about her
I can not wait for the next book, and the next and the rest! I need to know what happens next and how the magic develops, what was the list of names for, will she or won't she, and, if any wayfarer past life people/problems comes into the present... and omg, the twist!!! Seriously- when is the next book out??!!
I really enjoyed this book. It's a story of siblings and a story of women. I appreciated that it was more than your typical romantasy. The romance is there, and it's sweet and it's warm (and purposeful about consent <3 YES!!!!), but there's so much more to it.
The story opens as Prince Ramy arrives back at home after years galivanting across the world and avoiding his duty. The country is on the brink of war, and his sister (a secret witch in a world that despises women's magic) is caught in middle. He resigns himself to a strategic marriage to help save his sister and his kingdom. It seems like a fine enough plan until he finds himself falling in love with a local peasant woman. Suddenly, he's faced with a choice between love and peace.
What I really loved most about this book was the multiple POVs. So many romantasies have alternating POVs between just the two love interests, but with this, we also get Ramy's sister (Arlene) and his betrothed's (Jachlanne). All four of these characters have SO much going on. Backstories and struggles and thoughts and emotions - the author does a great job of fleshing out these characters. Jachlanne was easily my favorite character in the bunch, and I can't wait to (hopefully!?!?!?) read more about her in the rest of this series.
At its heart, for me, this book is about women fighting against expectations and suppression, and coming into their own... owning their own paths. Each of the women find strength within themselves (some magical, some less fantastical, but no less powerful), and each rises in her own way to face the challenges and limitations placed on her.
The description of the book on this page warns that this first volume ends in a cliffhanger, and hooooo boy, does it. I honestly REALLY loved the ending. It was perfectly fitting and it had my jaw on the floor. I can't wait to get my hands on book 2 when it's available.
The Wayfarer Prince by Elizabeth Paloma is the first book in the Kingdom of Sword and Moon trilogy and it's off to a spectacular start!
Having been on the run from his overbearing parents, Prince Raymond "Ramy" finally returns home to his twin sister, Arlene to stop an impending war by marrying his betrothed Princess Jachlanne...and that's just the introduction!
I fell instantly in love with Ramy's roguish charm and impish internal dialogue, filling in details of this deliciously built world through his witty sense of humor and impeccable kindness to those he cares for deeply.
The story unfolds in the first-person POVs of Ramy, his sister Arlene, and Princess Jachlanne, alternating across different chapters throughout the book. Without spoiling too much plot, there are good reasons we find them as our main characters, as the intensity of this tale draws them together in a web of secrets, conflicting emotions and morals, and struggles for power in a world that has broken them, leaving them to pursue their unique views on freedom through the dangerous games they each play...
I'm head over heels for this series already and find myself heavily invested in finding out how their stories, magic, and morals will continue to develop in the next book! I was happy to read that book 2 is already in production and will be titled, The Maiden of Eldritch Woods, which I am greatly looking forward to!
If you love character driven fantasy, with all the guilty pleasure tropes of romance, and a cast of intriguing characters, The Wayfarer Prince needs to be at the top of your tbr!
✔️triggers : alluding to child abuse/SA ✔️multiple POV ✔️forbidden love ✔️insta love ✔️second chances ✔️magic/sorcery ✔️hidden truths
For me this was an OK read. I’d still recommend for an easy read and I am interested in reading the second book. But it wasn’t anything extra special to me. It had a great plot but I felt it was lacking in its deliverance at times. It felt repetitive with Jackie’s intentions. While I loved the dynamic of Ramy and Arlene, the rest of the characters and their relationship building (even Lyerly and Ramys) felt lack luster. But I will say Jackie’s character did get some rises out of me. And I did like the mystery of magic and its origin. There were some awesome plot twists that I did not expect. I would also like to acknowledge how cool it was that she added a sign language to a character ! I haven’t seen that in a fantasy book yet. Towards the middle of the book, it did pick up and while I never lost interest I just felt it was okay. Good writing and kudos to the author for writing a book that was still interesting and had a good premise. Thank you for kindly for sharing your talent and hopeful for the conclusion to Ramy and Arlene’s story.
Upfront: I know the author. I was so excited for her accomplishment, though she'd told me little of it during the run-up to publication. I assured her I'd read it, though I knew it wasn't my favorite genre.
And here's the high compliment for the book: About 60 pages in, I forgot that I was reading a book by a friend, and was just reading the book avidly.
The characters and setting are in many ways as expected in a fantasy-with-romance book, but they are more complex and interesting than you might expect. Paloma trades perspectives among three of the characters, which leads to more nuanced understanding of their own situations but also of this kingdom's structural faults, and the yearning to set them right.
It is of course a story of power in the wrong hands, and a fight for taking those reins.
While the prince gets title billing, it is his sister, his fiancee, and his mother's stories that catch the reader's attention and sympathy, and that connect to universal struggles of our own time and nonmagical kingdom.
I can't give any genre book 5 stars. But I rarely give stars at all....I want you to read this book. I am certainly looking forward to reading the second installment!
“Freedom is the ability to choose. For some people, it’s religion. For others, they choose the safety of a marriage because it means freedom from harm. What looks like freedom to you is a cage to someone else.”
“The Wayfarer Prince,” by Elizabeth Paloma
I liked the concept of this book for sure. The story is right up my alley, but I felt like the amount of POV’s, and characters made it less impactful in my head. I like the magic and how it is considered a bad thing, so it’s hidden. I liked the trauma with the characters, SA and isolation. The arranged marriage felt anticlimactic because I didn’t like Princess Jachlanne’s character at all. My biggest problem was that it got super slow and repetitive at 75%. 3 out of 5 stars.
-Magic -SA/ Isolation -Arranged Marriage -Multi POV
Thank you for the ARC, Hiddengems.
“One person’s freedom is another person’s prison.”
I truly enjoyed this book! From the beginning, I was absolutely hooked!
After running away from home 10 years ago & traveling with the Wayfarers, Prince Raymond “Ramy” hears rumors of an impending war. He returns to his kingdom in hopes of ending the threat of war & saving his twin sister, Arelene, by marrying Princess Jachlanne.
The story is told in first-person POVs alternating between characters – Ramy, Arlene, & Jachlanne. As the story unfolds the three characters become entangled in a web of secrets & lies and play dangerous games to gain power!
Think … magic… forbidden romance… women struggling to overcome a society against them…secrets …a pursuit for freedom
The Wayfarer Prince is a “light” romantasy and easy to read – I CANNOT wait for the next book in the series!
This book is the first book in the trilogy and off to an amazing start. Most definitely enjoyed this book right from the beginning and read it straight through until the end.
The story is told in first person POV between three characters alternating throughout the chapters. In love with this book and can't wait to introduce it to people. This book needs to be on top of your TBR if you love fantasy. will let you know, this book ends on a cliffhanger!!!
I received an advance reader copy and gave my honest review
- I love how it has a map in the book - this sentence made me laugh "like the time we put a field mouse on the Queen’s dinner plate or the countless songs we wrote insulting the local nobility." - Wayfarers who are a outlaw nomads that travel from kingdom to kingdom but apparently dangerous - the letters are so adorable and very sweet -"The Wayfarers had a saying: A mossy stone may be a comfortable place to rest, but it provides no warmth." - this had me so hooked and I am wanting more but I gotta wait for book 2 to come out
I wasn't impressed by the plot or the character development throughout the book. I was expecting a fun adventure, but it all felt lackluster. The story seemed to drag in many places where I would have thought it would be more exciting. This made the book (especially the middle part) a chore to get through. Most of the characters came across very one-dimensional. This had the potential of becoming a captivating fantasy novel, but too many things caused it to fall short.
He had run away from his responsibilities as a prince when he hears rumors of war. He goes home where he finds out his sister has been locked up to prevent problems. He will need to marry the princess to stop the war. Will he do it? How will it all go? See what will happen next I received an advance copy from hidden gems and I want to review
I was a beta reader of this self-published romantasy, and I loved it! Typically I stay away from romance, but the premise and the characters had me hooked from chapter 1. I love the characters and their motivations, the flow of the story, and the villain... Any more will be spoilers 😜
Not my favorite or even one I am eager to read the next book of. I skimmed through a lot of it as so much was very uninteresting. I felt there was much that could have been left out and unnecessary all together.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I certainly consumed this book. The characters were believable, their desires and pain. The author wasn’t afraid to touch subjects that others would avoid. Although parts of the ending came off a bit silly, it didn’t stop me from enjoying the book as a whole!
I loved the story line and although it took me a bit to get into the story, I did enjoy it. I think more than one POV is what really threw me and took me a bit to get used to.