Title: The Virginia Kingdom Chronicles
Author: L L Livesey
Genre: YA/NA Fantasy Drama
Reviewer: Jenny
Book Blurb:
Set in a fascinating world that’s reemerging from a devastating famine caused by genetically modified seeds, The Virginia Kingdom Chronicles, Book 1: The Crown begins in 1992, when a Dutch accountant flees to the United States after stealing millions from a notorious drug cartel. Adopting a new identity, Espen Koning settles down on a remote Virginia farm.
Two hundred years later, nineteen-year-old Lady Elise Koning’s induction as heir to the prime governorship of Virginia is underway. However, her indolence causes her grandmother, the current ruler, to warn Elise that her succession is not set in stone. She could still name her youngest son, Carl, as the heir instead. But unwilling to give up on Elise just yet, she recruits the former adviser to Elise’s deceased father to groom the young woman for her leadership role.
The rules of the game are changing, as Virginia follows the lead of neighboring Carolina in transforming into a sovereign kingdom. Elise is changing as well—to the chagrin of her longtime companion, Decker Regan.
As Elise prepares herself for the rigors of being a strong ruler, will treachery undo her efforts to rise to the occasion?
Two hundred years later, nineteen-year-old Lady Elise Koning’s induction as heir to the prime governorship of Virginia is underway. However, her indolence causes her grandmother, the current ruler, to warn Elise that her succession is not set in stone. She could still name her youngest son, Carl, as the heir instead. But unwilling to give up on Elise just yet, she recruits the former adviser to Elise’s deceased father to groom the young woman for her leadership role.
The rules of the game are changing, as Virginia follows the lead of neighboring Carolina in transforming into a sovereign kingdom. Elise is changing as well—to the chagrin of her longtime companion, Decker Regan.
As Elise prepares herself for the rigors of being a strong ruler, will treachery undo her efforts to rise to the occasion?
Review:
The premise of The Virginia Kingdom Chronicles intrigued me, with its parallel storyline and court intrigue. I'm biased toward complicated plotting and mechanisms, and enjoy various takes on the futuristic genre, so I had high expectations for this book. The writing also seemed to suit my taste quite well, though there were some inconsistencies. That's probably part of the reason the rating skews a bit low on the scale.
I admit that the timelines confused me, since we start off in 1992 and then switch to 2190 without a clear lead-in. The transitions are in generally marked with the year at the top of each section, with a few exceptions, but the twentieth century section eventually seems like a redundant backstory. Espen Koning's story and Elise Koning's story are interlinked by virtue of a shared last name, but otherwise the tones (nervous escape from a temperamental drug dealer, bildungsroman of a spoiled girl destined to become a great queen) don't match. Setting-wise, the twenty-second century portion is pretty interesting because it demonstrates the retrograde of society, but the references to mutant strains threw me off.
Onto the characters, which form the backbone of the story: As the heir, Elise knows a lot of people, and I started off needing to reread every few pages to get a better sense of the who's who of the colonies. It gets easier after Elise figures out what she really wants (the ability to rule well, not the ability to embarrass the other ladies). The character development is a bit truncated, as both Elise's and Joshua's personality changes are somewhat abrupt. I would've liked to see their romance expand in a more natural and less physical way, especially since their previous relationships were pretty physical. I was somewhat surprised that a monarchial society would accept such conduct, but then again, there was Justin and his consort, and Queen Helena (some of my favorite characters from this story).
The plot picks up in the latter half of the novel, and I found myself rooting for Lady Elise and her warder friend. I liked how Lucy has so much power during the court case, and I liked how the underdog lawyer is able to construct a strong defense for Elise. Usually in court intrigue-type stories, crimes are covered up without any witnesses, and people don't bat an eye, but he makes sure to question everyone's intention.
There are a lot of things to like about this book. After Elise realizes that she needs to learn from Professor Rhroder, she commits herself wholeheartedly. A bit of her former personality reappears when she tricks Joshua, but she admits her mistake and doesn't hold a grudge. And the ending––I did not expect that at all. There's this whole series of twists, and just when I thought I knew what was happening, I realized I didn't. The real mastermind is shrewd and hides crime easily, though I need Elise to come back and take back the throne. The people are waiting for her, and I'm kind of excited for the showdown.
L.L. Livesey is a promising author, and I'm expecting a lot more from her future books!
Rating:
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