“A Princess of Landover” is the new novel by Terry Brooks and the sixth entry in his “Kingdom of Landover” fantasy series.
The fan-favorite series has not been heard from in quite some time, with “A Princess of Landover” being the first story written for the series since “Witches’ Brew” in 1995.
While the Landover series is a favorite, it is often dwarfed by the more expansive, and more popular, Shannara series by Brooks.
The Shannara series includes 20 novels as well as various other media, and the great amount of attention given by Brooks to the series often eclipses the lesser developed Landover series.
The overall summation of the series is the story of a retired lawyer named Ben Holliday whose life changes when he follows up an advertisement offering to sell ownership of a magical kingdom.
Taking a chance on what sounds impossible, he finds himself the new king of the magical kingdom of Landover.
The kingdom contains many magical creatures such as dragons, fairies, witches and kobolds and is structured like a small country in medieval Europe.
Ben Holliday manages to live up to the responsibility of his title and the series follows his many adventures in the kingdom.
“A Princess of Landover” is a bit different in that instead of following Ben Holliday, the story is about his daughter, the princess Mistaya.
Mistaya is half-human and half-fairy, far more intelligent than a normal girl of 15, and an accomplished sorceress.
She was raised in the kingdom of Landover and previously in the series was kidnapped and almost corrupted by an evil witch named Nightshade. However, “A Princess of Landover” begins with the princess in a boring, completely non-magical boarding school located in our world.
Fed up with the unexciting reality her father grew up in, she runs away, back home to Landover. Soon after returning to her castle in Landover, her parents decide her education must be continued regardless of her wishes. Add to this the unwanted marriage proposal of one of the most sinister lords in the kingdom, and Mistaya runs away again.
The young princess finds herself in the old abandoned library of the kingdom, and it is here she discovers a plot threatening the whole kingdom.
Not only that, she also meets a handsome young man and grows up a great deal thanks to the ordeal of her adventure.
While Mistaya makes for a spirited and interesting protagonist, her headstrong attitude and stubbornness are often quite annoying to both her parents and the reader.
As a princess, she feels she is entitled to more than most and believes she is wiser than most as well. Yet, at the same time, she behaves exactly like any other teenager with an inflated opinion of themselves.
The novel’s overall theme is Mistaya’s growth into adulthood as she learns how to consider others in her actions and to realize the consequences of what she does.
The question is, does the person reading this book find Mistaya worth putting up with until she gets to that point?
Besides the main character’s obvious personality flaws, there is a lot to love in this entry in the “Kingdom of Landover” series.
The whimsical and sometimes humorous nature is always present and is refreshing compared to the gloomier fantasy worlds which populate the shelves.
All the characters are well-developed with perhaps the most intriguing being the magical half-fairy, half-cat Edgewood Dirk.
There is the occasional plot hole, and Mistaya’s plan to reverse the evil plot she uncovers is totally unbelievable.
Fans who have been waiting a long time for this book’s release will most likely be ecstatic to receive it, but regular fantasy fans may not want to use this as their introduction to the series.