The Pages of the Mind by Jeffe Kennedy
The Pages of the Mind by Jeffe Kennedy
Series: The Uncharted Realms
On Sale Date: May 31, 2016
Adult, Fantasy Romance
Kensington, 432 pages
Source: ARC
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
An Orphan's Throne
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.
I first discovered Jeffe Kennedy's stunning writing with her novel, Mark of the Tala, the first book in The Twelve Kingdoms series. Filled with a fantastic world, magic, and a swoon-worthy couple to love - I couldn't wait to pick up her newest book, The Pages of the Mind, which introduces a new spinoff series, The Uncharted Realms, featuring my favorite librarian, Dafne Mailloux.
New readers to Kennedy's writing may begin with this spin-off series although I suggest starting with The Twelve Kingdoms trilogy to fully appreciate the exceptional world building and characters created. Fans will enjoy finally get Dafne's well-deserved story as The Uncharted Realms opens the way for some exciting new possibilities.
Pages of the Mind takes readers to a tropical island at the far reaches of The Twelve Kingdom's borders where a mysterious group of sea people possessing powerful magic, hold secrets of dragons and prophecies.
Traveling on a diplomatic mission by her queen to the island Nahanau, Dafne will need all her skills as a linguist as she meets the island's barbarian king in hopes of negotiating peace. Only King Nakoa KauPo speaks no language that Dafne knows of. With only the chemistry that flares between them to guide her, Dafne discovers a language beyond words and an island of magic and wonder.
Readers are going to love Dafne as a smart and capable heroine. A librarian, who, though not an adventurer, is up to the challenge her queen presents to her. She faces the challenge head-on, and more than once she humbles the mighty king with her quick mind.
Nakoa, our swoon-worthy barbarian king, is fierce and powerful, yet, readers will eat up his romantic gestures as he courts Dafne in his own language - one of the body and simply words - the impact is ... melting, to say the least.
The Pages of the Mind is a terrific blend of fantasy and romance. Romance fans are going to love the slow building relationship between Dafne and Nakoa and their undeniable chemistry. With a lush and vivid island setting, prophecies, dragons, and political agendas - The Uncharted Realms promises an exciting new fantasy romance series to dive into.
