Clash of Wills

FANTASY:  Princess Samantha’s brother, Julian, was denounced because of his magical abilities years ago and she hasn’t seen him since. Her cousin Nicholas brings hope with a magical compass that can lead her to her brother. Her companion for the journey, Prince Wills of a neighboring kingdom, is unaware of her true destination.  They don’t really get along (perhaps because of their disastrous first meeting), but as time goes by they both start to feel admiration and more for each other. At the end of the journey unexpected, dangerous things are waiting for them, and it becomes clear that secrets of the past might rob them all of a future.

“Clash of Wills”, like all good modern fairytales, throws a reader into a new world overflowing with magic, threatened with evil and sprinkled with love. The little details of the journey, the different magical beings and historical tidbits all serve to enchant this world even more. Even though it’s very fun, this novel could have used more page-time to develop the world, characters and especially the relationships more fully. Wills and Samantha’s relationship in particular was frustrating at times, with the cycle of trust and distrust repeated several times. Despite this, Ms. Rogers pens a truly enjoyable, fast paced story every fan of Disney would be happy to pick up!       

Mimi Smith