The Ring and the Crown, by Melissa de la Cruz

The Ring and the Crown (The Ring and the Crown #1), by Melissa De La Cruz

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Historical, 2014-Favourites, Romance

Rating: 5/5 stars









Goodreads Summary: Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve? 

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. 

But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard. 

Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.

Review:

*Beware of severe spoilers*

 Okay, I am done with this world. Holy moly. 

  

 I am so done. This book has left me so shocked, and so amazed at how amazing this was. I feel as if I was spending a whole day in this gorgeous world, and as if I was a real part of it.

 This takes place all the way back in the 14th century England, and is written in 5 different point of views, Aeywyn's, Wolfgang's, Marie's, Isabelle's, and Ronan's. Five people, five people who came together and made this book wonderful. Five people who loved and hated each other.

  So this book mainly is focused on Eleanor's throne. She has a daughter who is about to marry Leopel, a forming prince, and they together, can rule the powerful nation that they live in. But, they both love other people, and scandals form. Side characters come into the spotlight, and you will absolutely enjoy their points of view too, and plot twists will totally change the way you thought that this book was going to end.

   I usually hate these type of books. Magic in a Victorian era/setting? Uhhh.. nope. But I know that Melissa De La Cruz has usually wow-ed me, and I decided to give this a try because literally everyone's been raving about it.

   For me, I don't like when books have too much magic in them, even if the plot is supposed to focus on it. Nothing hardcore for me, please. Many people, I mean MANY people have complained because of not-large-focus of magic in this book. I'm happy that there isn't a large focus, actually. It was very light-hearted, and I found that the author mainly focused on the romance and scandals, which I absolutely loved, unlike many others.

    This book was so fast-paced, especially for something this genre. Before I knew it, my heart was racing, and my OTPs and ships were already created and I was hoping for somethings to happen. In many, many cases, I was completely wrong, and Melissa De La Cruz surprised me.

    Let's get started with the characters.

    Aeywyn: I liked this chick from the beginning. She was kick-ass and a total magic-making rebel. I totally shipped her with Leo, but as we can see, that never worked. :( It made me really sad because I liked her as a character, and that scene in the beginning when she froze the little boy and took her bag back made me love her instantly. I wish that she could've fell in love with someone, someone special who would've made her smile, but she didn't. :( She had a really strong bond with Marie, but a man would've suited her nicely. <|3

    Wolfgang: Holy CHEESECAKES. This guy made me swoon and I lost my breath whenever he did something or said something sexy to Ronan but I'm not jealous of her... okay maybe I am.

   **HIM This idiot did make me really mad at one point, and you'll know why by the end if you love Wolf as much as I do. He deserves RONAN and she deserved him and they just... UGH. I'm too nice to give spoilers.

     Marie: In the beginning towards the end, I loved this girl. She wasn't like the other royals, she was a rebel and couldn't wait to leave and get out of there. When Wolf just ruined his and Ronan's relationship and something happened with Marie, I was done with this bitch. I COULDN'T STAND HER AND SHE MADE ME FRUSTRATED. My hard feelings towards her suddenly occurred in the final chapter, imagine that. =_= She had like THREE FREAKIN' GUYS WHO LIKED HER. IMAGINE THAT. WHAT A SL*T.

     Isabelle: Surprisingly, I loved Izzy. She was so posh and chic and I was so happy for her in the end, because she was happy. What happened with her and Leo was sad, but all that matters was that she was happy in the end, even if she ended with a baby.

      Ronan: This was my ultimate favourite character. She had points when she was innocent and sweet, and then there were those times when she was kick-ass and a total rebel. I felt so freakin' bad for her in the end, because after everything she's fought for, she didn't get what she wanted. What a disturbing plot twist.

      The worst/best thing about this book was the ending. I was so UPSET with it. Doesn't it suck when you have a specific ship that you love, and it's all suddenly ruined? Yeah, that's how poor me feels right now, and I'm not going to let that depressing feeling slide until I get the sequel. WHEN IS IT COMING OUT BECAUSE I NEED IT RIGHT NOW.

     

       Amazing author, BUT I WON'T BECAUSE THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. SO I WON'T BE MEAN. JUST PLEASE. RELEASE THIS TOMORROW. OR THE DAY AFTER. <33

      Do I recommend? UHH.. DUH!