The Goddess’s Choice: Book One of the Kronicles of Korthlundia

EPIC FANTASY:  Rival nations, united with a royal marriage and skillfully unified by a fair king, have lived in harmony for fifty years. Now the aged king has assigned his daughter the task of selecting her consort. Power-hungry men eagerly seek the young princess’s attention. Robrek Angusstamm, a farmer’s son with a Goddess-given gift with animals, captures Samantha’s heart. Conspiracies and dark magic threaten the kingdom’s stability, as the princess and amihealer struggle to fulfill their destinies in time.

Inspired by a fairy tale, Jamie Marchant delivers the conventional theme of good versus evil, including the tragic hero, overwhelming obstacles, and hidden evil. The Goddess’s Choice presents two young adults as the main characters. Robrek, labeled a ‘demon,’ suffers despicable treatment. His inner struggles have compelling qualities that are overcome too quickly, almost as if by a magic wand. The process of his transformation would have been fascinating to explore in richer detail. Darhour, the princess’s dedicated guard, exhibits significant depth. His silent suffering, sacrifices, and bravery were gripping and his character proved riveting compared to Princess Samantha. Opportunities for meaningful dialogue were lost, especially between Samantha, Darhour, and Robrek; and there was a need for less repetition in the narrative, along with the multiple perspectives. In The Goddess’s Choice, the evil is great, the struggles are brief, and those with the most capacity for good are under-explored. An entertaining fantasy about star-crossed lovers, mortal peril, and personal struggle in the face of evil.

Anna Fitzgerald