The Twelve Kingdoms

Starred review from June 15, 2014

As the middle daughter of the High King, Andi isn't the warrior (that's older sister Ursula) or the beautiful one (younger sister Amelia has that sewn up), but she does have a distinct tie to her mother's people, the Tala, that might change the balance of power in the realm. No one in the Twelve Kingdoms speaks of the dead queen or the Tala, so when Andi, while out riding, meets the mysterious Rayfe, she is stunned to find out that he is king of the Tala and that she is destined to be his queen. VERDICT The fairy-tale setup only hints at the depth of worldbuilding at work in this debut series. What could be cliched is instead moving as Andi is torn between duty to her father and the pull of Rayfe and his kingdom. Andi starts out passive, in the shadows, and insecure but experiences great growth as the story develops. This well-written and swooningly romantic fantasy will appeal to fans of Juliet Marillier's "Sevenwaters" series or Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 6, 2014
The second Twelve Kingdoms fantasy novel (after The Mark of the Tala) concerns itself with the second of three princesses, a young woman who’s half human and half Tala demon. Princess Amelia has never had to be anything other than a petulant child with a pretty face, and unfortunately, that is who she remains for the first half of the book. The setting shows promise, but the story lacks substance, and while copious time is spent on establishing the princess as a spoiled brat, comparatively little is given to her transformation into a wise and noble lady—a transformation that happens with astounding speed and little explanation. The political intrigue and maneuvering, much of it involving a powerful church that Amelia somehow knows very little about, are crammed into a few rushed
final chapters, but most readers will have given up long before that point.

April 13, 2015
Kennedyâs third Twelve Kingdoms novel (after The Tears of the Rose) is a competent romance set in a fantasy world, but thereâs very little to satisfy fantasy fans. Ursula, eldest of the three daughters of High King Uorsin, has spent her life training as a warrior. When she returns home from a failed military mission, the anger of her tyrannical father is nearly overshadowed by the strange crowding of the capital city and the presence of foreign soldiers. Ursula soon learns that her father is out of control, and with the help of friendsâand an alliance with mercenary captain Harlanâshe escapes and attempts to join up with her sisters. Romance blossoms between the uptight princess and the handsome mercenary, and Kennedy ratchets up the explicit lovemaking over the course of the journey. Ursulaâs characterization is inconsistent, and anachronistic terms like âfan clubâ are sprinkled throughout the stilted faux-medieval dialogue, but series fans will find this installment satisfactory. Agent: Connor Goldsmith, Fuse Literary.