Book Review: Water Princess, Fire Prince

"When the Lady Dragon does come,

Hold fast, do not fear, do not run. 

Your Water Princess will fight

Fire Prince will set all to right 

Each shall come from a fall 

Their Union will save you all. 

 Despite the fact that she's on track for competing in the Olympics, and he's practically raised his younger brothers since they lost their mom in a car accident, Clara Mandras and Andrew Stevenson are pretty much normal teens. They have normal hopes, normal dreams, and they live in a normal world. All this is torn away from them when they are thrust into another world and declared Water Princess and Fire Prince. With no experience ruling a country, meeting each other for the first time, and being expected to fight the Lady Dragon - an evil sorceress plaguing the world of Rizkaland - Clara and Andrew are underprepared and inexperienced. Unless they learn to work together despite their standing opposition, Rizkaland's hope will be lost. 

What is to come will change their lives forever." 

I read this book by Kendra Ardnek in a matter of hours; and, believe me, traveling to other worlds does really mess with your timeline! ; ) Here’s what I thought of my adventure…

The Setting:
Rizkaland (once I figured out how to pronounce it) was a very intriguing world. Just familiar enough to keep it from being confusing, but very original and fascinating! I loved the different colors of water, and the journey through the mountain.

The Characters:
My favorite character was definitely Andrew, with Clara as a close second (once she came around). They both had so much to learn, and I loved watching them grow. Jill Anna, Jasmine, and one surprise character (whom I can’t name) were also big favorites. I found Laura amusing and mysterious, and I look forward to finding out more about her.

The Story:
The whole story was a book nerd’s dream—tons of literary references from the start that added so much! (Who else begins their book with a hilarious take-off on Jane Austen’s famous beginning of Pride & Prejudice or throws Alice in Wonderland references in with the dialogue?!!) Quite the clever plot with lessons in trust, hilarious moments (like teaching medieval friends to play Monopoly!), great action, and even some mystery. (That was definitely my favorite!! Some big surprises.)

The Concerns:
Parent’s may want to have caution in considering this book for younger readers because of some feministic attitudes (that do come around some later in the book), SPOILER ALERT! strong romance between older teenagers (including awkward thoughts of physical affection and the actual thing mostly after an arranged marriage). There is also a scary dragon, intense action, teenage attitude (not including disrespect of authority), and a fantasy portrayal of God.

Altogether I found it to be a great non-magical (nearly) fantasy for older readers! Please excuse me while I go use the great seal of England to crack nuts. ; )

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