This book starts off the Zhekan Mates series of books. Of all of them, this was the strangest because of how Angelica ends up from being in Brooklyn to waking up in the Kingdom of Zheka. But we meet the central characters who will have their own stories in the rest of the series. In this book, I loved the characters of the three royals. Aerdan is the future Commander which equivalent to a king. His two friends are royal cousins and they are inseparable. His mother is the current ruler and a very just and fair ruler.
From this introduction to the characters and their personalities, the rest of the story is an adventure. Women wield the magic in the kingdom, and the people work very hard at their daily work. The kingdom is peaceful because they have an arena for men to let their aggressions loose – and it’s a very violent event where people come and cheer for the most popular fighters.
The story line, once it gets into the real story of what’s going on in Zheka, gains momentum and carries the reader along. The cat may get on your nerves – I love cats, but this one is pure snark as soon as he opens his mouth. I found the story fun as it sort of mixed other fairy tales I grew up with while making a new and different type of kingdom. The books that follow get even better, I think, as we come to know these people and care about the outcome for the kingdom. Give it a try. The series is a good one you really shouldn’t pass up!