The Sleeping Prince is a companion novel to The Sin Eater's Daughter. It can be read alone or first. In fact, it had been a while since I read The Sin Eater's Daughter, and I didn't really remember all the relationships until the end of the book, but it didn't really matter.
Errin is struggling to survive after her father died and her brother, Leif, left to serve in the army. Leif hasn't been heard from, and Errin refuses to believe he is dead. Her mother is ill, and Errin believes she is somehow possessed because she gets very violent, especially around the full moon. Errin has used all her knowledge as an apothecary's assistant to cure her mother to no avail.
When the government declares that all must evacuate the village, Errin doesn't know what to do. She must keep her mother locked up and no one knows about her illness. The village will be taken over by soldiers in anticipation of an invasion by The Sleeping Prince. It seems he is no longer asleep and has taken over the neighboring country and slaughtered many including the royal family. His use of golems makes him a formidable opponent.
She gets help from a mysterious friend, Silas. He appeared in the village and is hiding in an empty cabin. He keeps his face hidden, but has helped Errin by paying her for her medicinal potions. Now he vows to help her by taking her and her mother to a safe but secret place. Errin puts her trust in him only to be betrayed.
The legends and histories of the different countries and characters at times was a bit confusing, but didn't stop me from following the story and feeling the tension.
Her journey to find her mother (who has been captured by the army) and find the secret place that Silas has revealed to her is exciting and perilous. I was stunned by the ending. This is not a happy situation, and I'm begging for the next book because really, you can't leave Errin in that situation very long, can you??
I can easily recommend The Sleeping Prince to my fantasy fans, and I can't wait to do so.
Published by Scholastic, May 31, 2016
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
336 pages
Rating: 4.5/5
This cover is mesmerizing! I think I had passed up this series because of its ratings on GR, but the covers are really awesome. Added the first to my TBR. You sold me.
ReplyDeleteSounds like another good one. I can't keep up on all the fantasy books out there because I don't usually read them either.
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