The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison
This is my fourth book in the Royalty Rules challenge, which I just realized ends April 31st!! So I better get booking! Literally!
The Princess and the Hound really starts in the prologue. It tells of the tale of King Richon and the Wild Man. Basically, King Richon is turned into a bear for his misdeeds toward animals by the Wild Man’s possession of animal magic. Since that time the animal magic has been feared, those who posses the traits are killed or must keep their talent hidden forever. Prince George posses the magic as did his mother. He is forced to keep it secret and thus isolates himself.
At the age of seventeen, George agrees to marry Princess Beatrice. George does not expect to love Beatrice nor does he want to become close to someone, the marriage is strictly a political alliance. But once he meets Princess Beatrice he is drawn to her and her relationship to Merit, her hound. Although George knows the Princess does not posses the animal magic, her relationship with the hound is something all together different. The Princess may have her own secret as does George.
I thought that The Princess and the Hound was well written and intriguing. I was hooked from the Prologue! The story is focused on self-acceptance, which both George and Beatrice struggle with. It is lengthy but I never found myself bored. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and that made the story even better. I do recommend this book, especially for fantasy lovers.