Review of World Devoted

[Ruth Naomi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "World Devoted" by Emily Albert.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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World Devoted by Emily Albert is a story about a princess's desire to be in power; her desire is so enormous that she would do anything to get to the throne.

When Queen Fay gave birth to her twins, Lenna and Remy, her husband, King Ollivan, abandoned them. Therefore, she had to raise the kids and rule the kingdom on her own. Having grown up alongside her mother, Princess Lenna feels she has all it takes to assume the throne when her mother is no more.

Years later, Queen Fay has been ailing and is weak. This could be an excellent sign for Lenna, whose desire to take over as queen is more than anything ever imagined; having people obey and worship her is something she desperately desires. Nevertheless, one thing would hinder her greatest ambition– her brother, Prince Remy. Then, surprise! An unexpected return in the kingdom enormously threatens Lenna’s chances of being queen. Is Lenna the fitting candidate the kingdom wants, or does she have her motives?

This book has a manifold of characters: witches, servants, soldiers, and royal people, among others. Diversity is the aspect I enjoyed most. Also, the difference between people in power and commoners is quite visible. There's the use of respectful titles like 'Your Highness' and 'Your Majesty.'In addition, I liked Kendra's personality. She was a mother figure to the twins; she knew how to relate and engage with them without allowing her emotions to get the better part of her.

However, there were a few things I did not like. For one, Lenna was a contradictory lady. She says one thing then does another. Part of her cares for her mother, but another wants her dead so she can seize the throne. And though she cared for her brother, Remy, she still took him as a threat to the throne. While being the protagonist, Lenna was also the antagonist. I did not resonate with her latter personality.

Then there's Ollivan, whose departure made Queen Fay critically ill. After all those years, couldn't she move on and find a replacement suitor, or was she too ignorant to realize her children and an entire kingdom needed her? For these reasons, I rate the publication three out of four stars.

Be that as it may, the book kept me on my toes until the end. Most characters were well developed, and that aided the story reach a culminating conclusion. I detected very few grammatical errors, so the work is professionally edited. I recommend it to fanatics of YA political fantasy.

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World Devoted
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[NetMassimo]

Some strange choices by King Ollivan and Queen Fay you pointed out, otherwise this seems an interesting fantasy (dark fantasy?) about power with Lenna craving it so much that it comes before her family. Thank you for your great review!

[Nkgchidimma080]

Struggle for power isn’t easy especially for a woman ,I think this book is intriguing and interesting,nice review.

[Jasy95]

This sounds like a really interesting novel with complex characters! Thanks for the great review.