Onyx & Ivory

 Power through that first chapter! ^_^

I may not be being fair to those first 16 pages of this book. I had just finished previewing a cute little mystery book for my daughter. And riding the high of a good crime story can sometimes color your opinion of what comes after. With that being said, the first few pages of this didn't really hold me or draw me in. What held me going were two things:

1. The summary in the dust jacket "They call her Traitor Kate." 

2. Stubbornness: Once I start a story, I have to know how it ends. 

Now, if you've seen my goodreads profile you know that I am "currently reading" about 17 books. I confess, I got distracted by shinier and newer stories. But I will eventually come back to them. Woven was on my want to read list for almost 5 years before I finally took it off the shelve and read it. So there's hope for all those seemingly forgotten titles. Of course, I digress. 

Kate Brighton is the daughter of a man who tried to kill the king. The man was punished for his crime (beheaded I think) but the one who really suffers, is his daughter. She did what we would all do to shake off shame. She changed her name, moved to a new town, found a job, and tried her best to scrape out a living. But it is inevitable that people would learn who she was. This discovery was helped along by the palace making sure to print her picture and distribute it around the entire kingdom so she would have no safe place. And with her secret out, people waste no time raining even more misery upon her. 

Of course, this book isn't about Kate's social position. It's about how her secret magical gifts and her new job as a Relay rider bring her back in touch with her old life. There is Corwin, the prince she used to love...still loves, and the family secrets she has yet to uncover. I would say more, but then I might risk spoiling it for you. 

Overall, I give this one 3.75 stars. It would have been 4 stars, but I'm docking the author some points for teasing me. There's one scene I was waiting for because it was just a natural progression for Kate and Corwin once they were reunited, but author Arnett is a dirty tease. (hint, hint, wink, wink)

And as I have nothing else...Happy Reading!