AURELIA was an enjoyable high fantasy novel about a princess mired in court politics who is currently in danger of assassination. Is it the stepmother who favors her own daughter over Aurelia? Is it the king of a neighboring kingdom whose motives are not at all clear?Aurelia's childhood friend and fellow classmate Robert Vantauge comes from the frontier to protect his friend. His father was the former spymaster of the kingdom but is now retired and raising horses far from the political intrigue of the castle. Robert's uncle is one of the king's advisers and his cousin Chris is a noted courtier.Aurelia is smart, stubborn, and eager to be a good leader to her people. However, her stepmother and the king are more concerned with marrying her off to "suitors" nearly three times her age than they are with her abilities as a ruler. Aurelia feels that her fate is like a shackle around her ankle keeping her from doing what she wants to do. It takes Robert's investigations to unravel the tangle of plots around her and leads her to see an ultimate betrayal. But, along the way, Aurelia and Robert fall in love. He has loved her since they were children but this is a new thing for her. After all, he travels from the edge of the frontier to help her when she needs him.The story is well-written and the characters well-developed. Fans of fantasy will enjoy this story of intrigue, betrayal, and romance. Luckily, the sequel EXILE is available for readers who want to know what happens next for Aurelia and Robert.
