The Crown of Rosemund by Michele Ashman Bell

The Crown of Rosemund
by Michele Ashman Bell

ISBN-13: 9781524414344
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Released: April 1st 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Anduron, 1498. The king and queen are dead, murdered by one who will stop at nothing to rule. But the young princess—Rosemund—has survived, taken deep into the forest by her parents’ most trusted advisor. There, she finds refuge in a small cottage and a new life, one in which she must play a role that will ensure her survival. Soldiers are combing the countryside searching for the lost princess, and they will not rest until she is found—and eliminated.

Rosemund’s strength grows as she trains for battle and endures the hardships and dangers of peasant life. When chance brings Maxwell, a young man from the nearby village, into her life, Rose finds in him an ally and a friend. As her 18th birthday approaches, the time has come for Rose to reclaim her birthright.


My Review:
The Crown of Rosemund is a fantasy novel, probably aimed at teenagers based on Rose's age. I had a hard time liking Rose because she was timid and fearful, though she was generous and meant well. She kept telling people that she needed to claim the throne before the Regent killed everyone off through his policies, then the next chapter would happen (which was a jump of a month or three months later) and she'd done nothing. That happened again and again. She only tried for the throne when the option of staying as a peasant was taken away from her. But, hey! The people had nothing to lose anymore so were willing to fight the Regent, so it turned out to be perfect timing.

But she acted impulsively and made poorly thought out plans, so she lost supporters. She was more intent on declaring herself Queen than getting her small army into the castle when the enemy was vulnerable, so she only won because one of her smart supporters saw the flaw in her plan. About the smartest thing she did was fall in love with a well-educated merchant's son who had better training to be king than she ever received.

That's the other thing. The beginning involved a lot of telling rather than showing. We're told she's taught this, that, the other, so that she would know how to rule. She's always been the heir, though, so why wasn't she learning this her whole life? The only things she seemed to have actually learned was how to farm and to fight, and she tended to punch her allies for being more concerned about her safety than she was. She was constantly letting "her emotions get the better of her." This led to impulsive, foolish decisions that should have ended up with her dead but somehow always worked out well. So at least she's lucky. There was no sex or bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.