A few weeks ago, I was reminded that I'd bought A Princess in Theory (Reluctant Royals #1) by Alyssa Cole and like most book purchases, it languished on my to-read list for an embarrassingly long time before I picked it up.
Reader, I loved it. I went out and acquired more by Alyssa Cole, including this book. It's the first in the Runaway Royals series but follows on from the Reluctant Royals series and a few of those characters make an appearance, even as Shanti and Sanyu were introduced in earlier books.
Basically, Sanyu is the reluctant heir to the Njazan throne who feels he can never live up to his domineering father's legacy, a feeling encouraged by the actions of his chief advisor. His social anxiety and grief have rendered him functionally useless as a monarch and his country is teetering on the brink of revolt.
Shanti decided she wanted to be a queen at age 7 and spent her entire life preparing herself to be a good one. She's clever, focused, driven, perceptive, and absolutely hamstrung by Njazan misogyny. Her good ideas are ignored and her time wasted by busywork in the library. I loved Shanti, though she'd probably be difficult to be friends with in real life. I especially liked the book of quotes she kept with wisdom from her role models (mostly other queens).
However, I felt this book took a while to get off the ground and found myself frustrated with Sanyu and his inaction more than once. He definitely gets better but his character growth (and the majority of the plot) seem to take place at the end of the book. Some of those plot reveals are incredible and foreshadowed so neatly but lost their impact when so many are shoved into such a short period of time.
I definitely enjoyed this book and enjoyed Alyssa Cole's writing, but this wasn't my favourite of hers.
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