Rant & Rave- The Head, The Heart, and The Heir by Alice Hanov

Hi all! I'm back with a rant and rave for a book I read in early April (and its prequel novella), Alice Hanov's The Head, The Heart, and The Heir. Before we get to that, however, it's time for a quick recap of my thoughts on the other books I've read since my last post- Ballad & Dagger by Daniel Jose Older and Worldwalker by Jamie Dalton. Ballad & Dagger was an Owlcrate book, and also a novel in the Rick Riordan Presents collection. Riordan's influence is very evident in the book- so much so that it felt like the writing style was a little juevenile for a YA book. While the novel was culture-rich and included a lovable cast of characters, I couldn't get over how lackluster the plot was. I bought Worldwalker primarily because it is beautiful (and the author was offering mystery boxes and I'm a sucker for a good mystery box)- the cover is gorgeous shades of purple, and each chapter heading page has background art. I think the plot of the book flowed well and I liked the main character, Adalyn. However, I found the ending to be mediocre. The Head, The Heart, and The Heir follows Alex. Alex is a princess, but she has been forced to live most of her childhood in hiding after her grandfather murdered her mother. When her grandfather passes, she finally has the freedom to return to her kingdom and her father. As she, and her kingdom, will soon discover, she isn't the adorable princess that once roamed the castle. As her sorceress powers manifest, she discovers that her emotions make her a threat to anyone that gets too close. When she discover's the truth behind her mother's death, she's not sure she can handle being around the family and friends that lied to her. And after all the chaos she's caused since her return, between her manifesting powers and her lack of courtly grace, do they even want her in the castle? So let's rant... The author's voice and word choice weren't my favorite. While the book's content was reminiscent of Arthurian fantasy, the author's voice fell short of that mark. I wanted to get lost in the world of Torian, and sometimes I did, but I kept getting caught up in the semantics of the book. That being said, the often simplistic vocabulary made the book a fast, fun read. Alex almost feels overpowered for the world of Torian, in my opinion. She has magic, a kingdom, fighting and hunting skills, a loving father, incredibly loyal friends, two amazing men trying to woo her... The list goes on. The author does try to temper this in a few ways. For instance, Alex is not the greatest fighter, but she's still proficient. She desn't have full control over her magic, but she can still use it when she needs it. I understand that Alex doesn't have it easy, but she definitely seems to have it all. And let's rave... Before I say this- those of you that know me, I haven't been replaced by aliens. My favorite thing about this book was the romance. It constantly had me swooning! I loved that, while the book primarily followed Alex, periodically there was an "Aaron" chapter. Seeing their love blossom from both sides was a real treat. The love interest, Aaron, is the picture of honor, trustworthiness, and chivalry, without getting in Alex's way of defending herself. Each character in the book is well-developed and clearly thought out. While some characters start with a lot of these traits and backstories, others develop as the book (and I'm sure series) goes on. I'm excited to see where some of the characters go from here. I'm not going to do a complete review of the prequel novella, but I will say that I liked the full novel much more. The characters didn't feel as fully developed in the novella, and I found it hard to find motivation to read it. While the novel was plot-rich, the novella seemed to lack any real direction, similar to slice-of-life novels. So those are my thoughts on The Head, The Heart, and The Heir by Alice Hanov. I really enjoyed it as a fun, light read. It's digital release date is June 14th, and its physical release date is August 2nd, so make sure to grab a copy and let me know what you think in the comments! Dana