The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz

Once I got into the story that was unfolding, it was interesting to see four separate views of the events going down. Having these four narrative threads to follow was difficult at first, but it got better - eventually. Glamour and magic is used for everything ranging from war to illusions and pretty dresses.Įach of the main four girls in the Ring and the Crown are involved in the treaty being made between Prussia and the Franco-British empire after a terrible war that was ended with dark magic. Their world is an alternate take on Regency-era England, with the British Empire ruled by the queen and her sorceror Merlin. It was a promising beginning to a story told from the point-of-view of four (yes, FOUR) girls living out their roles in royal and magical intrigue. Review: The Ring and the Crown begins with two awesome quotations - one by Emily Dickinson, and one from a Beyonce song.

(Apr.Summary: Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment. Likewise, the use of sex as a tool and a weapon lends an unsettling undercurrent to the story. The magic-dominated society de la Cruz creates has a certain faded charm%E2%80%94part Gatsby, part Downton Abbey%E2%80%94but the ending suffers from pacing problems, with several developments and resolutions taking place offstage or in exposition. Romance, intrigue, betrayal, and magic are interwoven in this complex and somewhat overwrought drama, which also plays out in secret love affairs, hidden identities, and desperate conniving. American socialite Ronan Astor plans to use the season to land a wealthy, noble husband to revitalize her family's finances, and French noble Isabelle hopes to steal her lover Leopold away from his future wife. While Princess Marie-Victoria faces imminent betrothal to Prussian Kronprinz Leopold, her childhood friend Aelwyn has returned from Avalon to take up a position as a court magician. De la Cruz (Frozen) launches a series set in the late 1920s of an alternate Earth where magic is real and the Franco-British Empire holds dominion over much of the world.

The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz