White Hart

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Sarah Dalton for giving me this book to review.

There is only one craft-born every generation and because the realm needs magic again the king has said that the next craft-born has to marry his son Prince Casimir. Mae is the craft-born but does not want to be a princess instead she wants be with her father and someday have adventures, when Ellen another girl from her small town claims she is the craft-born, Mae is happy to let her marry Casimir. But on the day Prince Casimir comes to their town, Ellen is kidnapped and Mae’s father is murdered. Mae, along with Casimir and Mae’s white stag Anta, go into the cursed Waerg woods to find those responsible. However, will Mae’s quest for revenge overcome her fear of her craft-born powers being discovered?

White Hart is a good YA fantasy novel which has the classic fantasy and fairytale feel, as it has a quest, young love and magic. I liked how descriptive the Waerg woods are as they come across as creepy, not just because of the creatures in it, but its general atmosphere.

Mae is a very impulsive and a bit of a whiny character, but I understood her desire to leave her town where she is an outcast looking for adventure even though it is a bit cliché. I liked Cas as he is more complex than he first appears to be, although he is oblivious and wanders into danger all the time, but I liked how he grew to appreciate Mae and see her as more than just a poor farm girl. I also liked Sasha as she says what she thinks and was willing to help Mae and Cas even when they had not been kind to her.

This book ends on a cliff-hanger I did not see coming and I am interested to see what happens next. I would recommend White Hart to fans of Witch Song by Amber Argyle and Cornerstone by Kelly Walker.