From Publisher’s Website

Magic has broken free over the Twelve Kingdoms. The population is beset by shapeshifters and portents, landscapes that migrate, uncanny allies who are not quite human…and enemies eager to take advantage of the chaos.

Dafne Mailloux is no adventurer–she’s a librarian. But the High Queen trusts Dafne’s ability with languages, her way of winnowing the useful facts from a dusty scroll, and even more important, the subtlety and guile that three decades under the thumb of a tyrant taught her.

Dafne never thought to need those skills again. But she accepts her duty. Until her journey drops her into the arms of a barbarian king. He speaks no tongue she knows but that of power, yet he recognizes his captive as a valuable pawn. Dafne must submit to a wedding of alliance, becoming a prisoner-queen in a court she does not understand. If she is to save herself and her country, she will have to learn to read the heart of a wild stranger. And there are more secrets written there than even Dafne could suspect…

My Review:

While the story does have romance in it, the romance doesn’t drive the story forward. This is a Fantasy novel that happens to have romance. Which is a nice departure from my typical Romance Novels. Fantasy has always been a favorite of mine. My first “adult” book in 4th grade was Andre Norton’s Beast Master.

This story is my favorite of the Twelve Kingdoms series. I love Dafne, probably because I can identify with her more than I could Andi, Ami, and Ursula. She is a bibliophile and relies on her book knowledge as a shield against the world. I wish I was the polyglot that she is. Dafne’s ability to assimilate languages is amazing.

Luckily for Dafne, that skill as well as her research skills, help her when King Nakoa decides to keep her. I enjoyed Dafne’s journey of learning the Nahanauian culture and discovering not only the history of the islands, but also history of Annfwn and possibly the Twelve Kingdoms. I would love to see more stories from Dafne’s point of view and what she is learning from that vast library and from her new friend.

As the etching on the knives Ursula gave Dafne says, “This is why it’s perilous to ignore a librarian.”

As you can tell, I loved this book. I’ve read it from start to finish a few times since I got it. I wish I knew why it took me so long to read a book by Jeffe.

I wonder if there will be a book about Jepp and Kral……

 

I give The Pages of the Mind a 5 Horseshoe rating.

 

The Pages of the Mind is available from Amazon in Print and Kindle editions. It is also available from Barnes and Noble in Print and Nook editions.

 

Publication Details:

Author Jeffe Kennedy
Title The Pages of the Mind
Format Ebook
Length 432 Pages
Publication Date June 15, 2016
Publisher Kensington
ISBN 978-1-4967-0425-2