When Princess Celine asks Evie to come with the royals of Lanover on a tour of their kingdom, the young seamstress can hardly refuse. But even though she feels confident in her skills as royal dressmaker, Evie is hardly confident about her ability to remain calm as she revisits the places from her nomadic and traumatic past. Crown prince Frederic seems to have taken an interest in her, but Evie has no doubt that interest will vanish like smoke when he learns her secrets.
As the royal tour continues to confront Evie with her pitiful past, many mysterious attacks on the entourage occur. Familiar with each part of the diverse kingdom, Evie is strategically placed to hear strange whisperings of plots and stratagems. Can Evie master her fear of rejection enough to trust Frederic and provide the information that could save Lanover?
This young adult fantasy novel was an adventure-filled retelling of the ugly duckling story. I enjoyed all the varied landscapes and people groups which populated the kingdom. Evie and Frederic’s romance was simple but interesting, and all in all, the book made an enjoyable couple hours on my recent airplane ride.
Rosanne E. Lortz 