Princess Esofi of Rhodia and Crown Prince Albion of Ieflaria have been betrothed since they were children but have never met. At age seventeen, Esofi’s journey to Ieflaria is not for the wedding she always expected but instead to offer condolences on the death of her would-be husband.
But Ieflaria is desperately in need of help from Rhodia for their dragon problem, so Esofi is offered a new betrothal to Prince Albion’s younger sister, the new Crown Princess Adale. But Adale has no plans of taking the throne, leaving Esofi with more to battle than fire-breathing beasts.
I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the series. Effie Calvin's The Queen of Ieflaria is the first in a five-book series that, to my understanding, follows different characters in every book. It's a sweet romance with minimal plot; the book starts in medias res and the threat of dragons feels perfunctory. Esofi's ladies in waiting are walking stereotypes; Esofi's self-righteous and talks about burning down a temple but she's the cute little protagonist and so there's no backlash apart from Adale's perplexed retort. Adale's court is no better, with cartoonish villains and sovereigns that talk like disgruntled parents even during official occasions.
It's still a coherent narrative, and the romance really is very sweet. The writing is good enough to allow an immersive experience. There were long bits about the different kinds of gods and types of worhips, that I suppose are setting up for the other books, and those bits were intriguing, just not enough to make me continue the series. But it's a honest romance with plenty of cute moments.
The Queen of Ieflaria is a nice quick read to pass the time without thinking too much.
✨ 3 stars
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