Aurelia

Full review posted on my blog, PidginPea's Book Nook.

Aurelia, princess of the kingdom of Tyralt, longs for freedom. Weighed down by old-fashioned traditions, courtly expectations of behavior, and her father's unending parade of chosen suitors, Aurelia wants to make her own choices and move freely among her kingdom and its people.

But someone wants this kind and just princess dead; recently, she has been the target of multiple assassination attempts. Her childhood friend Robert, the son of a former royal spy, has returned to court to try to protect her and identify the culprit. As they race to gather clues, their friendship begins to blossom into something more. As her situation becomes increasingly dire, Aurelia must depend on Robert and show more herself to preserve her kingdom, and her life.

Aurelia is a smart, headstrong, determined heroine from start to finish. She knows what she wants and will not be turned away from her goals. She is not a stilted, prim and proper princess; she is realistic and relatable. I could feel her sense of entrapment, the conflict between her desire to go off and see the world and her duties to her family and her kingdom. She is never the damsel in distress; she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself and, ultimately, defending herself against immediate danger. She and Robert are a team, not a one-sided rescue mission.

I finished the book reluctantly, wishing it wasn't over. I loved this fantasy/romance/mystery blend and I can't wait to see how Aurelia and Robert's adventures continue in the sequel, Exile! show less

Aurelia, the crown princess of Tyralt, has been the unwitting target of several assassination attempts. To keep her safe and unconcerned, her father tries to keep her in the dark as to the danger to her life - and calls her childhood classmate Robert back from his family's self-imposed exile to watch over her. While Robert and Aurelia begin to explore their deepening relationship, they must also act quickly to untangle the web of intrigue and discover who is out to kill Aurelia.

Aurelia herself is a treat. She's headstrong (sometimes foolishly so), but intelligent and cares deeply for the people she will one day rule. I enjoyed watching her relationship with Robert reawaken after their separation - the scene on the bridge where they show more first show their vulnerable sides is a lovely, touching reminder of the beauty and perils of trusting someone else.

The charming characters and the fast-paced action plot (especially at the end) make Aurelia a great read, and a gripping one. Personally, I would have enjoyed a bit more flirtatious banter between the leads, but I'd recommend it to those who enjoy Tamora Pierce's works or fairy-tale retellings (even though that's not quite what this is).

More at my blog. show less

Robert Vantauge remembers Aurelia, and although she’s older and even more beautiful now, she hasn’t changed much. She was once the troublemaking classmate he knew years ago, and now she’s the mischevious princess he saw mingling with the crowd at the ball. She was so charming – why would anyone be out to kill her? Sent to Tyralt’s castle to protect the princess and solve the mystery of who has been trying to take Aurelia’s life, Robert must play a game of deceit and keep the truth away from Aurelia, all the while studying the attempted murders and trying to figure out who did it. But the princess is smart and could figure it out in a moment. And what of their friendship, slowly forming into something that could be more? Time show more is running out. The threats are becoming more violent, more real, to Robert and to Aurelia. And Robert knows he can’t let Aurelia go – she’s much too precious to him to let him make even the smallest of mistakes.

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I LOVED this book. LOVED. It was written well, developed well, and ended well. It had character, meaning, and life to it. The characters were all realistic and, well, loveable. Everything about this book is loveable. And it is also mysterious, dangerous, and full of action. AND it is clean. Which makes things even more wonderful. I read the book in two days, most of it in one morning. I was intrigued, excited, and having too much fun reading it.

And who doesn’t love a book that is just too much fun?

One word to describe this book: Yes, I’ve already said it…loveable.

Favorite character: Too hard to decide… Robert and Aurealia were both amazing, but so were Chris and Drew. But, if I had to pick….Robert.

I highly recommend this book to anyone. Really! No exceptions (which there normally are).

Exile is book #2…and guess what? I’m excited. Can you tell? show less

I read Aurelia in a day. It was an entertaining read; however the book progressed too fast. I would have liked a little more detail and background. I enjoyed the book and am glad it is in my library because it was one of those books that give your find a break after reading lots of in depth books. This was the author’s first book and it was fairly obvious that it was her first book. I want to read her next book coming out this year to see how her writing will grow.

The first in a new series about a spunky princess from the make-believe kingdom of Tyralt,
the story opens with a ball, a coming-out party for her younger (beautifully perfect) sister.
Aurelia's life is threatened without her knowing it- her food taster has died...
An old school friend, Robert becomes involved as a secret bodyguard but guarding the princess proves to be no easy matter. Tyralt's beloved princess won't stay put long and is always sneaking out of the castle in disguises.
Smart, sexy, and rebellious Aurelia doesn't want to sell her body and soul, but reign as a true queen.
Evil stepmother, distant father, gorgeous racehorses, and gorgeous men, spunky leading lady- what else could we ask for in a good princess book?
The book show more leaves us hanging, and I can't wait to find out what happens next to the princess and her "bodyguard."

*This book is a little steamy, but nothing too hot for younger teens. show less

Pretty much every little girl has imagined being a princess and how great that would be. Well, Aurelia is a princess, a crown princess, and her story shows that it's not everything our little kid selves hoped it was. Aurelia's mother left after her brother died in a horseback riding accident years ago. These losses caused her father the king to shut down; he hardly ever talks to her anymore. Her stepmother Elise and she do not have a great relationship, although she loves her stepsister Melody. Her last remaining real friend has just wedded and is moving away. Even worse than all of this, someone is trying to kill her. On the plus side, a cute guy from her youth is back to help protect her.

Aurelia is a book I selected primarily for the show more pretty cover and because it came up just below some awesome fairy tale revision I had read on Shelfari (although I don't remember what book). The main genres to be found in Aurelia are mystery, romance and intrigue. They are all done quite well and convincingly. Another awesome element of the book: the horses. You can tell that Osterlund, like many other girls (like me), adored horses as a child. Many are lovingly described, such that you can get a really clear picture of them in your mind.

The story is satisfying, but is not what makes this a really great read; the characters were what really sold me on this book. Aurelia is not your typical princess. For one thing, she frequently dresses up as a boy and escapes the castle, so that she can familiarize herself with her city. On these journeys, her favorite place to go is the docks, where an old sailor will tell her stories. Aurelia is clever, sarcastic and stifled by court life. She is vibrant and full of life. Robert, too, is well-characterized. The other characters are a bit one-dimensional, but not enough so to detract from the story significantly.

If you're looking for a good princess story, you've found one. show less

My full review can be found HERE: http://leaveyoureyesbehind.blogspot.com/2010/01/reading-recap_25.htmlI'm going to start this book review off with a confession: I am a very, very hard person to keep entertained/engaged. Kindergarteners can focus better than me - well okay, some can... Usually it takes me a few days at least to get through a 200 page book, either because I stumble over some pacing potholes or because I just flat can't concentrate... - THIS BOOK is...NOT one of those books! It only took me a few hours to read this - not in the least because it's short or anything, but because it was such an enjoyable reading experience. I wish all authors could pace their stories the way Ms. Osterlund does. Her sequences of events flow show more very effortlessly and never once does the story lag or excelerate too rapidly. - One thing in particular I really enjoyed about this book was the attention given to the setting. I love it when authors take the time to visualize for us the worlds they create, and I got such vivid descriptions of the places in the story that I felt like I could paint them. So bravo and thank you for that! - And let's not forget the characters: they all were relevant to the story. Now that may sound like the most basic assessment out there, but so many books have characters that are just really random and don't seem to serve much of a function other that background drapery. Here, every person we are introduced to matters and has a very special role to play in the story's development. I especially liked how she wrote Robert: he was strong and smart yet deeply caring. It was so refreshing to have a "love interest" character who was *not* a jerkface :) - The only thing I have with the book (and this is most definitely a "me thing" probably, and has nothing whatsoever to do with the writing) is the MC herself: Aurelia, a spunky, plucky, "princess who kicks butt". She was a little too spunky and plucky for my taste, and she got on my nerves sometimes in what I perceived as her constant need to be right: with her father, with Robert, etc. If I was reading this as a teen, I would probably not even notice it, but I'm 21 years old and so that kind of stood out to me. - Anyway, this is a credit to the author and her storytelling ability, in that even though Aurelia got on my nerves, I still cared about her and wanted everything in the story to work out for her. And they did! For now, at least… I heard there’s going to be a sequel, and I will eagerly await its release! **This book is definitely recommended!** - Amelia show less