Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

     I love Sherwood Smith. Some of her books seem stronger than others, but I haven't read one that I haven't liked.

     This one is similar to my very favorite Sherwood Smith book (so far), "The Trouble With Kings" (which I apparently haven't reviewed here)--there's an embattled princess who begins by hating a powerful leader and then is moved to understanding and finally to love, there's plenty of kingdom politics--but there's a whole lot more battling going on in this one. In fact, at first I was really turned off by the battles, but as I got into the story I really enjoyed it.

One sentence summary: Meliara and her brother promise their dying father that they will overturn the present (corrupt) regime, but their efforts are stymied by their poverty, their lack of allies and their misunderstanding of what is really going on with kingdom politics--and when the corrupt regime is finally ended and their lives are dramatically changed, things seem as complicated as ever.

   This is a charming book with some good messages, a strong (if stubborn) female main character and a happy ending. I really liked it.

Sex: nope
Bad language: none