Right from the get go of Promised to the Prince I knew I was going to like Maya. She’s a badass with a weapon right from the opening scene and I loved it. This opinion stuck with me throughout the entirety of the book, though for different reasons. Though she puts down the sword in later years, she is still such a strong, independent woman throughout the course of the novel, both past and present, and this made her such a standout character.
The back and forth between how Luka and Maya first got to know each and become good friends, to a few years down the road when they have lost contact was such a great element to this book. I enjoyed the juxtaposition from where they were in school to where their lives had led to years later, and it really made this book for me. They go from competitive students, both trying to be the very best, to completely different adults than what they ever expected for themselves. Maya, rather than being a great warrior, makes battle weapons instead, whereas Luka is a bitter, injured soldier incapable of being on the frontlines ever again due to the severity of an injury he received in battle.
Maya and Luka have to relearn each other and their friendship after three years of being apart with no communication, having to learn each other all over again because they have changed so much in the years between. They struggle through miscommunications, discovering who they are through the different traumas and difficulties they have both faced in the years since they last saw each other, but they they manage to figure out who they are together.
Promised to the Prince by Sirena Knighton was a pleasant, quick little read which furthered my love of the Song of the Four Kingdoms series. As with the previous book, this one is also a standalone, though reading the prior book does help to fill in the blanks on certain details so is advisable. And once again we are left with a rather insidious epilogue that hints at details coming in the next book in the series and leaves the reader with questions.
This book is a great read for fans of fantasy romance, with an emphasis on romance, and is a short, fun ride to jump into!
