Pepper Thorn

This book was provided to me by the author to read and review as part of the GoodReads first-reads program.

What a lovely book! This is truly a case of 'don't judge a book by its cover.' The cover made it look a bit more childish than the actual book was. It is a YA book, don't get me wrong, but I felt that it was fairly uncompromising in its treatment of Princess Rose and the situation she landed herself in. She wasn't a wilting flower, but she also wasn't an asexual heroine that felt no fear. She was believable.

Princess Rose has been cursed to be loved by everyone she meets, which creates a rather big problem for her when it comes time for her to marry. After turning down her suitors, she finds herself in a foreign kingdom with the mysterious Prince Raven. Does he love her for who she is? How did she end up there? What are his true intentions and the secrets he keeps? A fairly basic plot, but an interesting one and I believe [a: Pepper Thorn|5221854|Pepper Thorn|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1317682379p2/5221854.jpg] handles it well.

My only complaint about the ending is that the story felt a bit unresolved in some aspects. I feel like there's more to the story, and more secrets that Prince Raven is keeping that could potentially be solved. While I adore that his creepy behavior is treated as a problem rather than Romantic as Edward Cullen was in the [b: Twilight|41865|Twilight (Twilight, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361039443s/41865.jpg|3212258] books, I wonder what the thrust of the curse he was under was and if things could be changed in his kingdom. Likewise, I'd like to see Princess Rose go forward and seek out the solution for the curse she is under.

Lovely book, though, and a very nice author. I'll likely recommend it to friends in the future.… (meer)