CROWN OF CROWNS

A coming-of-age novel with elements of romance, SF, and fantasy, set in a royal court.

In the fantastical world of Geniverd, a king and queen are chosen every 40 years by the “Crown of Crowns,” a bird that comes down from the heavens to select the rulers most worthy of the titles by landing on their heads. Teenage Kaelyn never really concerned herself with the possibility of becoming royalty; her mother and father are the leaders of their clan, the Gaard, but it’s been many years since a ruler was chosen from their family line. She mostly occupies her time with Roki, a teenage boy from her city who shows her what happens outside of her family estate. But after her mother’s death and Roki’s disappearance, Kaelyn feels like she has to grow up fast. She runs a charitable foundation in honor of her mother, spending her time doing good works in Geniverd. Shortly after turning 18, Kaelyn becomes engaged to a prince, and two godly beings tell her in a dream that she’ll be crowned the next queen of Geniverd. If that wasn’t stressful enough, Roki returns to her as a powerful spirit. Over the course of this novel, Loveman spins a futuristic fantasy tale that approaches some classic princess-story tropes in unexpected ways. The book begins with some awkwardly quick pacing, apparently in an effort to cover as much of Kaelyn’s backstory as possible before her 18th birthday. After that, however, the pace evens out and the story effectively finds its flow. Kaelyn is a main character whom readers will easily be able to root for; she has an admirably strong sense of her own beliefs and an appealing need to do what’s right for the people around her.

An original and creative YA tale with a likable lead.