Why?
I see Princess Anella as a tom boy (like me) before such an idea every occurred or was tolerated by anyone. That means that her interests and talents weren't quite feminine, but she tried.
So why is she out for revenge? Well, you see, even though she was willing to accept that her growing skill with a sword could never be seen beyond the midnight lessons in the arms-room, an uncle she'd never been told about had other plans - not that he knew anything about her first hand.
Thanks to her passion for the tournament (like her father and her brothers), she wasn't in the palace at a time when everything fell apart. Her uncle somehow was able to smuggle a sizable force into the palace when everyone was busy preparing for the ball that would take place after. Anella came in after the coup was successful to find her father impaled and her brothers hung from the rafters. That is enough to give anyone nightmares.
Since she is in disguise as a boy, she is able to see and then get away before anyone is the wiser. And then she is on the run. Until she can figure a way to drum up an army and undo the damage, she's just a girl, seventeen years old, who happens to be pretty good with a sword.
One thing evolves to another and someone comes up with the idea of following the tournament circuit. Just following wasn't good enough either. Passing as a boy of roughly fourteen, she needed to sharpen her skill with the sword enough to win each event. She could accomplish two things this way. First, competing in every district around the land would almost certainly see her presented to the new king personally, but almost might not be good enough; placing well would very likely seal the deal and she would be able to confront the man who had killed her father and brothers face to face. The other thing she could accomplish is a private meeting with each of the lords who were attached to her family via marriage. Everyone could make an appearance at the grand tournament in the capital, and lords could bring an entourage of guards; they would even be invited to the ball, and could bring an escort. With luck, her army would be enough. With luck, she would be presented to the king. Everything - the entire house of cards - depended on if the new king, her uncle, was as passionate about the tournament as her father had been. It depended on how much of the customs he'd changed and how much he'd much he'd kept the same.
Need I say... Yeah, she got the bad guy, but that's not where this story ends. You see, he's had an entire year to import his own personal army. Now she had to go after them. No way could she just let them wander around uncontested.
I'm working my way through a final edit and waiting for some feedback from some pre-readers, or beta readers as they are commonly known. You'll be seeing this book on Amazon hopefully by the end of the month. Look for it.
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4 comments:
Excellent cover!
Trials of the Youngest Princess by Anna Walls.
When I recently got a copy of one of my favorite authors, Anna L. Walls, upcoming book, I was a bit under the weather, which usually leaves me easily distracted and unable to focus. As with all her stories, I had no need to worry about that with her latest book, The Trials of the Youngest Princess. Being a huge fan of medieval history, this book was right up my alley. However you don’t have to be a medieval fan to be captivated by Princess Anella’s story. Having been a prolific reading and reviewer in the past, life can sometimes get in the way and make reading more of a challenge. This book was a breath of fresh air and hard to put down. The characters are developed so well, that you will feel you know them. Anna seamlessly blends back story in with action, without going overboard on either. She points you in the direction and lets you follow her characters and their journey as if you were riding alongside them. She gives you a lot of back story at the very beginning about her family. You may be tempted to skim past, but these are important details that help you understand who she is and why she is so willing to go to the ends of the earth to fight for her kingdom.
Her story is one of family, growing up and overcoming obstacles. The story begins and ends in the kingdom of Mayrit, but the journey in between covers many adventures and places. When I first began reading, Anella reminded me of the youngest daughter on The Game of Thrones (another favorite of mine). However, as the story develops you will discover that her tomboy ways are the only thing she has in common. Anna develops the character of Anella with many nuances and breathes life into our young heroine. Anella isn’t petulant. She has cunning and focus and uses what she learns to grow, but I get ahead myself.
Anella is not a frilly princess, she wants to do what the men and the boys do. It is not long before she begins sneaking to the training rooms in the middle of the night to play with the swords after spending time watching the men practice. She becomes quite good at recreating what she observes and of course one night she is caught by the Sword master. Although he’s afraid he may one day regret his decision, he begins to train her as long as she keeps up her studies with the ladies of the house.
One day, when the kingdom is over-thrown and her family killed before her eyes, Anella sets out on a journey to reclaim her birthright. There will be times when she runs into obstacles and times when she will stumble, but she is cunning and fierce and never gives up. In the end, winning back her kingdom, becomes only part of her goal. Saving and protecting her people is becomes her mission.
This is the perfect book to lose yourself in. It’s definitely a must read.
I love your work, Anna!!!
LOVE the cover, Anna!!
Veery creative post
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