What do you think?
Rate this book
Royal Deception
A Prince who can shift his arms into swords, a tutor who can shift his arms into wings, and a madman who wants to kill them both . . . .
Like all royals, thirteen-year-old Prince Symon is a living weapon. Literally. His best friend, Lana, is also a blade shifter, his tutor is a bird shifter, and then his only brother is killed by fish shifters. He must embrace animal shifter persecution or somehow change his kingdom.
Symon doesn’t have time to decide. Someone is trying to kill him, and his magic blades won’t be enough to save him. If he trusts the wrong people, he could start a war.
For generations, blade shifters have ruled commoners and animal shifters without trouble.
Until now.
Like all royals, thirteen-year-old Prince Symon is a living weapon. Literally. His best friend, Lana, is also a blade shifter, his tutor is a bird shifter, and then his only brother is killed by fish shifters. He must embrace animal shifter persecution or somehow change his kingdom.
Symon doesn’t have time to decide. Someone is trying to kill him, and his magic blades won’t be enough to save him. If he trusts the wrong people, he could start a war.
For generations, blade shifters have ruled commoners and animal shifters without trouble.
Until now.
- GenresFantasy
424 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
2 people are currently reading
558 people want to read
About the author
Denae Christine
4 books171 followersDenae Christine is a Bible-believing Christian who lives in Colorado and teaches high school math and English.
She has moved too many times and gathered too many bookshelves. She likes being with her family, listening to audiobooks, playing with little kids, puzzling, and collecting dragons.
Others find her strange because
A, she likes reading and math equally well.
B, she was homeschooled but now teaches in a public school.
C, she thinks kittens are cuter than human babies.
D, anything pink is automatically superior (except pink kittens).
She is most thankful to God for Jesus, for her family and friends, and that she is not allergic to apples or PB&Js (her lunch every day).
(I do not accept review requests, but I do accept book suggestions.)
She has moved too many times and gathered too many bookshelves. She likes being with her family, listening to audiobooks, playing with little kids, puzzling, and collecting dragons.
Others find her strange because
A, she likes reading and math equally well.
B, she was homeschooled but now teaches in a public school.
C, she thinks kittens are cuter than human babies.
D, anything pink is automatically superior (except pink kittens).
She is most thankful to God for Jesus, for her family and friends, and that she is not allergic to apples or PB&Js (her lunch every day).
(I do not accept review requests, but I do accept book suggestions.)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 7, 2017
So I finally did my good reader deed, and picked up and read a book by an independent author. Ironically, Denae Christine is someone whom I friended here on Goodreads before knowing she wrote and had books published. I get a little nervous about friending authors, but since I didn't know she was an author until AFTER I friended her, I let it slide.
So...how was my first independent YA read? Actually pretty good. 3 stars rounded up to 3.5. I didn't really know what to expect going in, as the synopsis doesn't give much away aside from the fact that we have shifters of various types, and a royal Prince smack in the middle of it.
I've said it before, and I'll likely say it again, but I'm certainly not the target audience for YA novels. That said, there are some novels that can bridge the gap between a true YA read, and something that can appeal to a larger group. I feel that Royal Deception can certainly appeal to all age ranges, though younger readers will get more bang for their buck. It's violent, yes, but relatively bloodless, with nary a naughty scene or a swear to raise parent's eyebrows.
Much like the A Song Of Ice And Fire novels, Royal Deception gives us named chapters, although here we get to know just how many chapters by character there have been. We essentially follow two main POV characters, though Prince Symon certainly has the lion's share of chapters. As our "main" character, he's actually rather vividly drawn. Throughout the novel, we follow him from youth to young manhood, watching as he matures, learns, and experiences joy, heartache, danger, boredom...and everything else. There's even a little bit of romance for Prince Symon, though it's never overdone, and never implausible. As a sairman, his arms can shift into blades, capable of cutting through nearly anything (except silver). This is the mark of royalty and nobility, and while he certainly doesn't have much of an ego about it, he becomes quite capable with his sayirs (arm blades). He also certainly benefits from having a bird shifter as a tutor, even if he tends to dismiss said tutor more often than he listens to him.
And that's probably my biggest complaint about Prince Symon. In one chapter, he's questioning the treatment of animal shifters (which is pretty awful, and only getting worse), and then in the next chapter he's pretty aloof and unconcerned about it all. This starts to resolve itself as the tale unfolds, but it's pretty annoying early on as he can't seem to figure out what he really feels. Oh, and he's also REALLY REALLY good at ignoring imminent danger, to the point where he is basically knowingly looking the other way and allowing himself to be distracted.
Still, all that said, he grows into a caring and generally thoughtful young man, attempting to do the right thing by his morals and conscience even if that might be contrary to the laws of his nation. I really wish this had been explored in more detail, to add some true internal conflict with the Prince and the laws he is sworn to uphold as the King's son. We do get snippets of this conflict, but I feel the book could have really excelled with more exploration this divisiveness. It's perfect YA fodder; the new view vs. the established rule, the progressives vs. the fundamentalists, the flexibility of youth vs. the inflexibility of age.
Our other main POV character, though his chapters slowly diminish to non-existence as the book progresses, is Leighman Bazon. Each type of shifter has a name like this, with Leighman being the title for a shifter who can turn their arms into wings. Leighman Bazon is the first POV character in the book, and the sacrifice he makes when we first meet him is pretty impactful. Bazon is patient and helpful, especially since all Leighmans also have the ability of telling if someone is lying or not, but as we get further into the book, he basically disappears. It's a strange choice, introducing such an interesting character, and then removing them from the tale. I found it detrimental in the end, as the banter between Symon and Bazon, as they discuss the similarities & differences between blade shifters and animal shifters, was quite enjoyable. It was the alternate views provided by Leighman Bazon that helped shape Prince Symon into the man he's becoming, but the more the Prince could use his council, the less Bazon is around.
The other shifters are varied and enjoyable, though we don't get to see them nearly as much. The interactions with them are short, providing just enough insight into their particular shifting abilities and specialties. I certainly wanted more of them, especially when Prince Symon and his friend/love interest Lana come across one in a very cool way. Alas, they fade as the story progresses as well.
On the negative side, I wish the world building had been given a bit more love. We get some explanation of where major locations are, but details are vague. The same goes for general locations. This is very much an interaction driven book, so location and environmental details tend to suffer. There's also some strange political rules that are mentioned, but not given much in the way of definition. Why do there need to be a certain number of Royals in order for a nation to be...well, a nation? Any less than that, and they essentially forfeit their status? Ummmmm...ok...but why? Why that magic number? And why is that magic number so small? It's never explained, but it's mentioned enough times in the story to require more explanation. Also, why does nobody take Symon seriously. He's never been a kid to cry wolf, and doesn't seem like much of a complainer, and yet none of the adults give him much credence, even when he OVERHEARS plots against his kingdom and literally sees assassins lurking in the shadows. Everyone is like "meh, well, we didn't hear it, so whatevs Symon. Don't you have studying to do?". The adults in the tale certainly aren't incompetent, but man, they need to pay more attention.
We also never truly meet the big bad of the story. We get interludes where his/her/their master plan is slowly parceled out, but we never really uncover just who is after Prince Symon. Instead, we are left with a bunch of nameless, faceless ninja-esque warriors who make trouble for Symon and those closest to him. But even if they are essentially nameless, they aren't without threat. There are moments of true danger for our heroes, and lives are lost in creative ways.
I was worried a bit, as the book starts out kinda slow, even with Leighman Bazon's big sacrifice to kick off the proceedings. But Denae Christine finds her groove not too long after that, and the book moves along at a pretty decent pace after that. We have equal amounts of exposition, education, action, and adventure, with character details and motivations steadily given out. True, the villainous master plan is convoluted and could have been resolved much more easily with 50 men and silver tipped crossbow bolts, as opposed to some number of men and silver armor and clubs, but I digress. Action scenes are decently written, as are some of the courtly moments. Ironically enough, some of the most vividly detailed scenes take place during a celebration dance. The author clearly enjoyed writing the book, and the celebration scenes in particular, and I get the sense that there will be much more world building and shifter interactions in the following books. Especially given the surprise ending that Royal Deception throws our way.
So yeah, all in all a pretty solid read. A few frustrating omissions aside, especially given the fact that PEOPLE CAN SHIFT INTO ANIMALS, and we barely follow any of that! Really, there needed to be more of the other types of shifters! Still, I really enjoyed the tale of Symon and his quest to...well...I'm not really sure. He's definitely on his way somewhere, to do something... Ok, I may not exactly know what that something is, but I'm definitely interested in finding out!
So...how was my first independent YA read? Actually pretty good. 3 stars rounded up to 3.5. I didn't really know what to expect going in, as the synopsis doesn't give much away aside from the fact that we have shifters of various types, and a royal Prince smack in the middle of it.
I've said it before, and I'll likely say it again, but I'm certainly not the target audience for YA novels. That said, there are some novels that can bridge the gap between a true YA read, and something that can appeal to a larger group. I feel that Royal Deception can certainly appeal to all age ranges, though younger readers will get more bang for their buck. It's violent, yes, but relatively bloodless, with nary a naughty scene or a swear to raise parent's eyebrows.
Much like the A Song Of Ice And Fire novels, Royal Deception gives us named chapters, although here we get to know just how many chapters by character there have been. We essentially follow two main POV characters, though Prince Symon certainly has the lion's share of chapters. As our "main" character, he's actually rather vividly drawn. Throughout the novel, we follow him from youth to young manhood, watching as he matures, learns, and experiences joy, heartache, danger, boredom...and everything else. There's even a little bit of romance for Prince Symon, though it's never overdone, and never implausible. As a sairman, his arms can shift into blades, capable of cutting through nearly anything (except silver). This is the mark of royalty and nobility, and while he certainly doesn't have much of an ego about it, he becomes quite capable with his sayirs (arm blades). He also certainly benefits from having a bird shifter as a tutor, even if he tends to dismiss said tutor more often than he listens to him.
And that's probably my biggest complaint about Prince Symon. In one chapter, he's questioning the treatment of animal shifters (which is pretty awful, and only getting worse), and then in the next chapter he's pretty aloof and unconcerned about it all. This starts to resolve itself as the tale unfolds, but it's pretty annoying early on as he can't seem to figure out what he really feels. Oh, and he's also REALLY REALLY good at ignoring imminent danger, to the point where he is basically knowingly looking the other way and allowing himself to be distracted.
Still, all that said, he grows into a caring and generally thoughtful young man, attempting to do the right thing by his morals and conscience even if that might be contrary to the laws of his nation. I really wish this had been explored in more detail, to add some true internal conflict with the Prince and the laws he is sworn to uphold as the King's son. We do get snippets of this conflict, but I feel the book could have really excelled with more exploration this divisiveness. It's perfect YA fodder; the new view vs. the established rule, the progressives vs. the fundamentalists, the flexibility of youth vs. the inflexibility of age.
Our other main POV character, though his chapters slowly diminish to non-existence as the book progresses, is Leighman Bazon. Each type of shifter has a name like this, with Leighman being the title for a shifter who can turn their arms into wings. Leighman Bazon is the first POV character in the book, and the sacrifice he makes when we first meet him is pretty impactful. Bazon is patient and helpful, especially since all Leighmans also have the ability of telling if someone is lying or not, but as we get further into the book, he basically disappears. It's a strange choice, introducing such an interesting character, and then removing them from the tale. I found it detrimental in the end, as the banter between Symon and Bazon, as they discuss the similarities & differences between blade shifters and animal shifters, was quite enjoyable. It was the alternate views provided by Leighman Bazon that helped shape Prince Symon into the man he's becoming, but the more the Prince could use his council, the less Bazon is around.
The other shifters are varied and enjoyable, though we don't get to see them nearly as much. The interactions with them are short, providing just enough insight into their particular shifting abilities and specialties. I certainly wanted more of them, especially when Prince Symon and his friend/love interest Lana come across one in a very cool way. Alas, they fade as the story progresses as well.
On the negative side, I wish the world building had been given a bit more love. We get some explanation of where major locations are, but details are vague. The same goes for general locations. This is very much an interaction driven book, so location and environmental details tend to suffer. There's also some strange political rules that are mentioned, but not given much in the way of definition. Why do there need to be a certain number of Royals in order for a nation to be...well, a nation? Any less than that, and they essentially forfeit their status? Ummmmm...ok...but why? Why that magic number? And why is that magic number so small? It's never explained, but it's mentioned enough times in the story to require more explanation. Also, why does nobody take Symon seriously. He's never been a kid to cry wolf, and doesn't seem like much of a complainer, and yet none of the adults give him much credence, even when he OVERHEARS plots against his kingdom and literally sees assassins lurking in the shadows. Everyone is like "meh, well, we didn't hear it, so whatevs Symon. Don't you have studying to do?". The adults in the tale certainly aren't incompetent, but man, they need to pay more attention.
We also never truly meet the big bad of the story. We get interludes where his/her/their master plan is slowly parceled out, but we never really uncover just who is after Prince Symon. Instead, we are left with a bunch of nameless, faceless ninja-esque warriors who make trouble for Symon and those closest to him. But even if they are essentially nameless, they aren't without threat. There are moments of true danger for our heroes, and lives are lost in creative ways.
I was worried a bit, as the book starts out kinda slow, even with Leighman Bazon's big sacrifice to kick off the proceedings. But Denae Christine finds her groove not too long after that, and the book moves along at a pretty decent pace after that. We have equal amounts of exposition, education, action, and adventure, with character details and motivations steadily given out. True, the villainous master plan is convoluted and could have been resolved much more easily with 50 men and silver tipped crossbow bolts, as opposed to some number of men and silver armor and clubs, but I digress. Action scenes are decently written, as are some of the courtly moments. Ironically enough, some of the most vividly detailed scenes take place during a celebration dance. The author clearly enjoyed writing the book, and the celebration scenes in particular, and I get the sense that there will be much more world building and shifter interactions in the following books. Especially given the surprise ending that Royal Deception throws our way.
So yeah, all in all a pretty solid read. A few frustrating omissions aside, especially given the fact that PEOPLE CAN SHIFT INTO ANIMALS, and we barely follow any of that! Really, there needed to be more of the other types of shifters! Still, I really enjoyed the tale of Symon and his quest to...well...I'm not really sure. He's definitely on his way somewhere, to do something... Ok, I may not exactly know what that something is, but I'm definitely interested in finding out!
April 25, 2016
And off we go to the land of Arton! In this world, which, I must say first off, is very vibrant and well thought out, the people are shifters. They can either shift their extremities into weapons, or they are animals shifters and can shift into some sort of animal-human hybrid. The shifters who can call forth weapons (generally blades) are in charge, and they either want to bind, kill, or exile the animal shifters.
As the name suggests, our main character is a prince named Symon. He lives in the kingdom of Arton and his father passed a law that all animal shifters must be bound so they could no longer shift. I'm sure you can imagine this is not good news for the animal shifters, and mostly they are treated as slaves or servants.
Throughout the book, Symon is consistently coddled, and everyone is convinced his life is always in danger. It mostly follows Symon as he is sent from one place to another each time his parents feel there is a threat to him. Don't misunderstand, I thought the book was good, if a bit repetitive. I mostly liked Symon, he seemed to be a thoughtful lad who recognized the plight of the animal shifters and even felt sympathetic towards them. Unlike everyone else in the book, he didn't always assume it was animal shifters causing all the mayhem, and ultimately he learned it was not.
I had a hard time relating to everyone else's response, mostly because it seemed it was the animal shifters being killed more often than not, yet everyone wanted to blame them. That part seemed like a stretch for me, but overall you could follow why everyone thought as they did. I won't post any spoilers, but I thought the ending was a bit abrupt as well. All that said, the story is a good one, and I am glad I read it. I will definitely try to make time to read the second book and see what Symon gets himself into.
Would recommend this story to lovers of fantasy/adventure books with a royal twist.
As the name suggests, our main character is a prince named Symon. He lives in the kingdom of Arton and his father passed a law that all animal shifters must be bound so they could no longer shift. I'm sure you can imagine this is not good news for the animal shifters, and mostly they are treated as slaves or servants.
Throughout the book, Symon is consistently coddled, and everyone is convinced his life is always in danger. It mostly follows Symon as he is sent from one place to another each time his parents feel there is a threat to him. Don't misunderstand, I thought the book was good, if a bit repetitive. I mostly liked Symon, he seemed to be a thoughtful lad who recognized the plight of the animal shifters and even felt sympathetic towards them. Unlike everyone else in the book, he didn't always assume it was animal shifters causing all the mayhem, and ultimately he learned it was not.
I had a hard time relating to everyone else's response, mostly because it seemed it was the animal shifters being killed more often than not, yet everyone wanted to blame them. That part seemed like a stretch for me, but overall you could follow why everyone thought as they did. I won't post any spoilers, but I thought the ending was a bit abrupt as well. All that said, the story is a good one, and I am glad I read it. I will definitely try to make time to read the second book and see what Symon gets himself into.
Would recommend this story to lovers of fantasy/adventure books with a royal twist.
December 23, 2015
Royal Deception was a rich fantasy novel set in a very well realized world. All of the classic elements of a good fantasy novel are here. There’s betrayal, deception, and assassination attempts galore. Where this book stands apart from others is the shifting aspect of things. This may not be 100% unique of a concept depending on how you look at things. Magic is a pretty common thing in the world of fantasy, and magic can do just about anything. Even so, it certainly isn’t all that common and Denae effortlessly blends this element into the story so it feels like something you haven’t read before.
My only real complaint with Royal Deception came in the form of pacing issues. The action sequences were really great and fun to read, and there’s plenty, but at nearly 500 pages, it can’t all be action. Those in between parts were interesting, but could get a little slow for me at times. Admittedly, I prefer a good action scene in a fantasy novel as opposed to the hashing of plot points – the difference between the battle of Helm’s Deep and the forming of the Fellowship – but I also understand that they have to exist to drive the story forward, no matter how dull they might get. In this case, there’s an excellent mixture of the two to keep things from getting too bogged down with logistics. If you’re like me, I assure you you’ll get plenty of kick ass sword fights.
Royal Deception is a great fantasy read and I very much look forward to the next installment of the series.
My only real complaint with Royal Deception came in the form of pacing issues. The action sequences were really great and fun to read, and there’s plenty, but at nearly 500 pages, it can’t all be action. Those in between parts were interesting, but could get a little slow for me at times. Admittedly, I prefer a good action scene in a fantasy novel as opposed to the hashing of plot points – the difference between the battle of Helm’s Deep and the forming of the Fellowship – but I also understand that they have to exist to drive the story forward, no matter how dull they might get. In this case, there’s an excellent mixture of the two to keep things from getting too bogged down with logistics. If you’re like me, I assure you you’ll get plenty of kick ass sword fights.
Royal Deception is a great fantasy read and I very much look forward to the next installment of the series.
December 21, 2016
Once I got past the first few pages, the book really started to pick up for me! At the very beginning, a lot of information came out all at once, and when that happened, I got a little overwhelmed. A lot of fantasy books make this mistake, instead of slowly doling out information throughout the work, they want to give it all out in one dose. This book did that. However, once I got through the muddle at the beginning, it really started to even out. Obviously it was filled with cliches and archetypes, and all manner of mischief, but these things are cliche for a reason, aren't they? They're popular! I did find it of note that though the main character does witness a lot of action, he doesn't always participate so much. Or when he does, it's then off to the next hidey-hole. I have no issue with that, but I know other people may expect the main character to be more involved. To me, the more interesting part is the interactions between all of the shifters. However, I'm sure once the second and third books come into play, it'll be even better.
February 26, 2017
Royal Deception is a attention grabbing fantasy that keeps the reader wanting more. The characters are original and detailed. The plot is fast-paced and interesting. This is a must read for fantasy fans!
March 30, 2019
Prophetic nightmare, foreign usurper, shifter persecution, slaver bandits, hired assassins and one friend. Magic alone will not save the kingdom of Arton, let alone its Prince.
Think retelling of Lion King with characters who are part shapeshifter. Some are blade shifters, and some are animal shifters. Someone is trying to take over the kingdom, and Symon has to stop it. There's danger, friendship, magic, slavery, and betrayal. Perfect for 10 to 15 crowd or adults who enjoy fun fantasy stories.
I am pretty biased, I admit. Still, who doesn't love a retelling of The Lion King where the Prince can turn his arms into swords, and where animal shifters are wrongly persecuted, where everyone has secrets, and where the prophetic nightmare . . . .
But you'll just have to read it to find out more. :)
Think retelling of Lion King with characters who are part shapeshifter. Some are blade shifters, and some are animal shifters. Someone is trying to take over the kingdom, and Symon has to stop it. There's danger, friendship, magic, slavery, and betrayal. Perfect for 10 to 15 crowd or adults who enjoy fun fantasy stories.
I am pretty biased, I admit. Still, who doesn't love a retelling of The Lion King where the Prince can turn his arms into swords, and where animal shifters are wrongly persecuted, where everyone has secrets, and where the prophetic nightmare . . . .
But you'll just have to read it to find out more. :)
November 29, 2015
This book kept me interested that is for sure. I felt the characters were exciting and new and interesting to read about. I like the story line and I think I would read more from this author. You should see what you think! * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
August 24, 2022
Couldn't make it past the first few chapters; there were just so many things I struggled with. I did not connect to the characters, the story was boring, and I didn't like the writing style--rather sloppy and amateurish, with rather lazy storytelling. I know it may be too early to not finish, but if the first chapter or so is a reflection of the rest of the book, it's not going to get much better. I might consider picking up another book from this author once she gets much more experience.
April 3, 2020
Engaging read
Full of action. I enjoyed the world--the idea of the two kinds of shifters is fascinating. Feeds into the next book.
Full of action. I enjoyed the world--the idea of the two kinds of shifters is fascinating. Feeds into the next book.
September 1, 2015
This book was really good in the way of writing style and the general idea. I loved the thought that there were races that could shift their bodies for survival, and the discrimination between shifters was something I wish had been explored more in-depth and focused on.
However, this book was basically a repeat of the same chapters over and over. There's a threat on Symon's life. Symon goes away to stay safe. Symon complains that he hates being "safe." Symon goes home. Another threat on Symon's life. Symon goes away to stay safe. Symon complains that he hates being safe. You get the picture?
Also, there was almost no action, which got very boring very fast. Yes, there were assassination attempts, but most of them were so poorly thought out on the assassin's part that it didn't even seem as though the assassins were a real threat. It felt like Symon was never in any actual danger, and it destroyed the chance to build tension and make the story more interesting.
Symon was far to selfish for me to feel any sort of emotional attachment to him, and this detachment made me unable to relate to his pain/grief at the end of the story. Symon didn't think about anyone but himself, least of all his kingdom or his parents, and I really hated about how he was whining about his parents literally trying to save his life the entire book. You are the sole heir to this kingdom, and there are assassins coming after you. Stop saying you want to go fight them and think about what it would mean for your kingdom if you were murdered. How it would effect your parents, who lost TWO other children. *sigh*
Lana was a paper doll princess. She was just there to be the adorable best friend that Symon occasionally tried to save, and she was very two dimensional. There was nothing about her that made me feel as though she was a real, living, breathing person. Zuzanna in Daughter of Smoke and Bone was a perfect example of how to do this type of character (the bubbly, nice, sweet friend that likes to dance and wear pretty things (although Zuzanna was more sarcastic)). Please, for the love of God, make secondary characters human, with their own problems and their own lives that don't revolve around the MC's.
Carly was one of the few characters that I liked, and that's mostly because I was curious as to why she was sticking around Lana and Symon. I hope the author makes her into a spy, or was somehow relates her to the merfolk that killed Prince Jocktan, and expands on her background as a slave. I think it would be a serious waste of a character to just say, "She stayed with Lana because she was grateful." and leave it at that.
Also, Claur. He was supposed to seem like this menacing, hooded figure, but he lost all appeal to me after the 13th chapter. I understand that the author was trying to build tension, but she took it a little too far. She built and built and built and built but she never really delivered, and after a while, Claur just became this mustache twirling villain sitting on the sidelines. He didn't hold my interest at all, and I found myself skipping over the pages that had his thoughts because I just didn't care anymore.
The length of this book could have been cut in half. I'm serious. There is no need whatsoever to have this book be 468 pages. Symon was almost killed like five times. He traveled a lot. He pulled an Elsa (conceal, don't feel) every other page, and for the most part, it just focus on the more boring parts of court life. There wasn't nearly enough scandal or intrigue to hold my attention, and I could skip an entire chapter but still know what was going on. The ending was much too rushed, as though the author looked at her book and went "Holy shit, it's already 400 pages. Better wrap it up." The end was only in the last 60 pages, and it was far too quick compared to the pacing of the rest of the book, which sort of left me feeling like I had whiplash. Book's plodding along, and suddenly, "BAM!" it's over.
So, even though I liked the original idea and the writing style, there was just too much about this book that I didn't like for it to be redeemable. Go read Daughter of Smoke and Bone instead. It's got good writing, an original idea, and the best storyline/pacing/character development that I've ever seen in Fantasy.
However, this book was basically a repeat of the same chapters over and over. There's a threat on Symon's life. Symon goes away to stay safe. Symon complains that he hates being "safe." Symon goes home. Another threat on Symon's life. Symon goes away to stay safe. Symon complains that he hates being safe. You get the picture?
Also, there was almost no action, which got very boring very fast. Yes, there were assassination attempts, but most of them were so poorly thought out on the assassin's part that it didn't even seem as though the assassins were a real threat. It felt like Symon was never in any actual danger, and it destroyed the chance to build tension and make the story more interesting.
Symon was far to selfish for me to feel any sort of emotional attachment to him, and this detachment made me unable to relate to his pain/grief at the end of the story. Symon didn't think about anyone but himself, least of all his kingdom or his parents, and I really hated about how he was whining about his parents literally trying to save his life the entire book. You are the sole heir to this kingdom, and there are assassins coming after you. Stop saying you want to go fight them and think about what it would mean for your kingdom if you were murdered. How it would effect your parents, who lost TWO other children. *sigh*
Lana was a paper doll princess. She was just there to be the adorable best friend that Symon occasionally tried to save, and she was very two dimensional. There was nothing about her that made me feel as though she was a real, living, breathing person. Zuzanna in Daughter of Smoke and Bone was a perfect example of how to do this type of character (the bubbly, nice, sweet friend that likes to dance and wear pretty things (although Zuzanna was more sarcastic)). Please, for the love of God, make secondary characters human, with their own problems and their own lives that don't revolve around the MC's.
Carly was one of the few characters that I liked, and that's mostly because I was curious as to why she was sticking around Lana and Symon. I hope the author makes her into a spy, or was somehow relates her to the merfolk that killed Prince Jocktan, and expands on her background as a slave. I think it would be a serious waste of a character to just say, "She stayed with Lana because she was grateful." and leave it at that.
Also, Claur. He was supposed to seem like this menacing, hooded figure, but he lost all appeal to me after the 13th chapter. I understand that the author was trying to build tension, but she took it a little too far. She built and built and built and built but she never really delivered, and after a while, Claur just became this mustache twirling villain sitting on the sidelines. He didn't hold my interest at all, and I found myself skipping over the pages that had his thoughts because I just didn't care anymore.
The length of this book could have been cut in half. I'm serious. There is no need whatsoever to have this book be 468 pages. Symon was almost killed like five times. He traveled a lot. He pulled an Elsa (conceal, don't feel) every other page, and for the most part, it just focus on the more boring parts of court life. There wasn't nearly enough scandal or intrigue to hold my attention, and I could skip an entire chapter but still know what was going on. The ending was much too rushed, as though the author looked at her book and went "Holy shit, it's already 400 pages. Better wrap it up." The end was only in the last 60 pages, and it was far too quick compared to the pacing of the rest of the book, which sort of left me feeling like I had whiplash. Book's plodding along, and suddenly, "BAM!" it's over.
So, even though I liked the original idea and the writing style, there was just too much about this book that I didn't like for it to be redeemable. Go read Daughter of Smoke and Bone instead. It's got good writing, an original idea, and the best storyline/pacing/character development that I've ever seen in Fantasy.
October 14, 2015
Ok, so I actually enjoyed this book—really, I did. Despite my 3 out of 5 star rating, there were things I really, really liked in this novel.
I’m a huge anime nerd so when I read in the description that the characters could shift their bodies into weapons I wasn’t all like, “Oh my God, that’s the most creative thing ever!” Because I’d seen it before in Soul Eater and a bit in Bleach—though in a different sense for that anime. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t written well here. I’d heard of it before—as I’ve heard of many concepts in fantasy—but it was still enjoyable and crazy awesome. Author, Denae Christine, definitely gets points for stirring my imagination.
I thought the main character was cool. He was a typical prince, a little bratty but in a way that was to be expected from the kind of life that he lived. I thought he was a little insensitive at times but he was young and a bit naïve so I was willing to ignore it.
The book was creative, it was adventurous, and it was full of characters with unique and original names. I love reading interesting names so I was very pleased to find myself scribbling down and highlighting some of the characters, particularly Claur.
The action was good, I could keep up with every scene and it wasn’t hard to imagine what was going on in the writing. I thought the description and detail was good too, there was just enough and even more than I needed in some instances—but that’s not a complaint—Christine did a great job at bringing her world to life and painting a picture of her characters and the lives they lived. I would be very pleased to see this come to life in a movie or a TV show, because I thought the idea was really cool and the concept was entertaining enough to attract audiences of all ages and interests.
Things like betrayal, deception, and assassination of royalty are all what people die to see on the TV screen these days. I could easily imagine flicking through the channels and seeing Royal Deception on … so then why did I give it three stars?
Let me explain.
First…the way the book started was a complete turn-off for me. There were so many names dropped, locations mentioned, magic, folk, just a plain old info-dump of what the book was about and who was involved. There was SO much to take in I shut the book and gave myself a rest for a few days. When I came back I found that it wasn’t so bad. The story wasn’t full of info-dumps, most of the dumping and explaining was done all at once in the first few pages. But once I got past that the reading smoothed out.
Now, I mentioned before that the action was good but I felt like Symon was removed from a lot of it. When I was reading I was like, this is awesome! But looking back, all he really did was hop from one hideout to the next … and then the book ended. I think the pacing should have been a little better. It seemed like the story dragged in places but sped through the end.
My last complaint. This book was original in its own way but it depended very heavily on typical and cliché themes. I can’t really count that against Christine, with a book titled Royal Deception you could guess what it’s going to be about. Betrayal amongst royals, assassinating an heir, who can you trust? It was a little too typical to me BUT I think the shifters and the creativity brought in through their discrimination and turmoil somewhat made up for that.
Royal Deception isn’t a bad book by ANY means. I have my complaints but that’s just my personal opinion. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it become a best seller some day and I’d recommend it to any reader looking for something out of the box and full of adventure. I did enjoy it and I think others will too.
I’m a huge anime nerd so when I read in the description that the characters could shift their bodies into weapons I wasn’t all like, “Oh my God, that’s the most creative thing ever!” Because I’d seen it before in Soul Eater and a bit in Bleach—though in a different sense for that anime. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t written well here. I’d heard of it before—as I’ve heard of many concepts in fantasy—but it was still enjoyable and crazy awesome. Author, Denae Christine, definitely gets points for stirring my imagination.
I thought the main character was cool. He was a typical prince, a little bratty but in a way that was to be expected from the kind of life that he lived. I thought he was a little insensitive at times but he was young and a bit naïve so I was willing to ignore it.
The book was creative, it was adventurous, and it was full of characters with unique and original names. I love reading interesting names so I was very pleased to find myself scribbling down and highlighting some of the characters, particularly Claur.
The action was good, I could keep up with every scene and it wasn’t hard to imagine what was going on in the writing. I thought the description and detail was good too, there was just enough and even more than I needed in some instances—but that’s not a complaint—Christine did a great job at bringing her world to life and painting a picture of her characters and the lives they lived. I would be very pleased to see this come to life in a movie or a TV show, because I thought the idea was really cool and the concept was entertaining enough to attract audiences of all ages and interests.
Things like betrayal, deception, and assassination of royalty are all what people die to see on the TV screen these days. I could easily imagine flicking through the channels and seeing Royal Deception on … so then why did I give it three stars?
Let me explain.
First…the way the book started was a complete turn-off for me. There were so many names dropped, locations mentioned, magic, folk, just a plain old info-dump of what the book was about and who was involved. There was SO much to take in I shut the book and gave myself a rest for a few days. When I came back I found that it wasn’t so bad. The story wasn’t full of info-dumps, most of the dumping and explaining was done all at once in the first few pages. But once I got past that the reading smoothed out.
Now, I mentioned before that the action was good but I felt like Symon was removed from a lot of it. When I was reading I was like, this is awesome! But looking back, all he really did was hop from one hideout to the next … and then the book ended. I think the pacing should have been a little better. It seemed like the story dragged in places but sped through the end.
My last complaint. This book was original in its own way but it depended very heavily on typical and cliché themes. I can’t really count that against Christine, with a book titled Royal Deception you could guess what it’s going to be about. Betrayal amongst royals, assassinating an heir, who can you trust? It was a little too typical to me BUT I think the shifters and the creativity brought in through their discrimination and turmoil somewhat made up for that.
Royal Deception isn’t a bad book by ANY means. I have my complaints but that’s just my personal opinion. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it become a best seller some day and I’d recommend it to any reader looking for something out of the box and full of adventure. I did enjoy it and I think others will too.
February 9, 2016
Animal sifters, Kings, Queens, Lords, Ladies, commoners, and Inurites, among other characters, some shifting to wings, some with swords called sayirs shifting in their arms, some unable to shift at all and some being bound to prevent them from shifting – all at odds with each other on some level or another.
Then there was Prince Symon growing up in this environment, sometimes feeling a little over protected. He was a sickly child but through tradition, he was being primed to take his place as King of Arton~Dir, the controlling capital of all around them. Lady Lana who had become his one and only friend over the years was ever present in his life, through battles and pleasure and he needed that companionship.
Symon's life, over the years, was always being threatened and as a child he could not understand why. Claur was the real reason why, with a wicked mission in mind. How was his favorite Uncle Ozar involved?
Lots of action and danger swirled around Symon and Lana and in the end you are left hanging until you read the next book. If you like these kinds of stories and are looking for entertainment, experience the Royal Deception!!
Although I am not really into fantasy and this book was long, it was an interesting read even if I couldn’t remember the assortment of lives intermingled into this story. The main characters are memorable and at the end there is a three page list of characters along with a three page Glossary that defines all the cities and inhabitants of each city.
Then there was Prince Symon growing up in this environment, sometimes feeling a little over protected. He was a sickly child but through tradition, he was being primed to take his place as King of Arton~Dir, the controlling capital of all around them. Lady Lana who had become his one and only friend over the years was ever present in his life, through battles and pleasure and he needed that companionship.
Symon's life, over the years, was always being threatened and as a child he could not understand why. Claur was the real reason why, with a wicked mission in mind. How was his favorite Uncle Ozar involved?
Lots of action and danger swirled around Symon and Lana and in the end you are left hanging until you read the next book. If you like these kinds of stories and are looking for entertainment, experience the Royal Deception!!
Although I am not really into fantasy and this book was long, it was an interesting read even if I couldn’t remember the assortment of lives intermingled into this story. The main characters are memorable and at the end there is a three page list of characters along with a three page Glossary that defines all the cities and inhabitants of each city.
March 14, 2016
Denae Christine’s Royal Deception is an epic fantasy of shape-shifters and assassins and royalty, told primarily from the view point of the sickly young Prince Symon of Arton. Animal shifters, the Gahim, are despised by the ruling class, executed, sold as slaves, or bound as little better than servants. Kept confined to the royal castle for much of his life, Prince Symon has few friends, and, partly raised by a bound Gahim tutor, is worrying the more extremist factions of the ruling class with his egalitarian bent, something which the neighbouring kingdom of Inurot makes continuing efforts to correct with attempts to assassinate him and eradicate his family.
The world of Royal Deception displays strong world-building and a detailed social structure for the various shifter species, added to a colourful cultural background set across several kingdoms. In Prince Symon, Denae Christine has created a character well able to elicit sympathy in younger readers, chafing under the heavy hand of his over-protective parents and possessed of a strong belief in justice. The plot is equally divided between the development of Symon and the political intrigue driving the assassination plots and violence that threaten his life and his kingdom. Certainly a recommended read for all the fans of fantasy out there.
The world of Royal Deception displays strong world-building and a detailed social structure for the various shifter species, added to a colourful cultural background set across several kingdoms. In Prince Symon, Denae Christine has created a character well able to elicit sympathy in younger readers, chafing under the heavy hand of his over-protective parents and possessed of a strong belief in justice. The plot is equally divided between the development of Symon and the political intrigue driving the assassination plots and violence that threaten his life and his kingdom. Certainly a recommended read for all the fans of fantasy out there.
June 4, 2016
'Royal Deception' is a decent Fantasy novel.
The reader is hooked into the plot fast enough and presented with a conflict to maintain interest. However, a lot of momentum is lost after the first chapter. There is a shift in POV and it's quite unclear for a while what the plot is going to be after this point.
The style is competent and doesn't get in the way. Sadly, a lot of the exposition is rather forward and could have been executed better. None of these issues are glaring enough to ruin the experience, though. The ideas worked into this book are relatively novel and make for an intriguing premise.
If you are looking for a Fantasy story about shapeshifting and social conflict you should check out 'Royal Deception'.
This review is a first impression based on the first hour of reading. For other first impressions of indie and self-published Fantasy check out: http://firsthourfantasy.blogspot.de/
The reader is hooked into the plot fast enough and presented with a conflict to maintain interest. However, a lot of momentum is lost after the first chapter. There is a shift in POV and it's quite unclear for a while what the plot is going to be after this point.
The style is competent and doesn't get in the way. Sadly, a lot of the exposition is rather forward and could have been executed better. None of these issues are glaring enough to ruin the experience, though. The ideas worked into this book are relatively novel and make for an intriguing premise.
If you are looking for a Fantasy story about shapeshifting and social conflict you should check out 'Royal Deception'.
This review is a first impression based on the first hour of reading. For other first impressions of indie and self-published Fantasy check out: http://firsthourfantasy.blogspot.de/
Read
September 7, 2016Read for #SPFBO
Read
July 8, 2017I love it!!! Best cliff hanger at the end!! Would not recommend it for people under 10...But other that that it was amazing!!!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews