The Princess and the Hound by Mette Harrison

The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison

Prince George realizes at a young age that his mother can talk to animals, and she teaches him to do the same. He realizes as a young man that the ability to speak with animals should be kept secret for animal speakers are hunted down and burned at the stake. George must keep this part of himself a secret from the kingdom that he leads. He is lead by duty in all things, and with duty he will marry Princess Beatrice from the neighboring kingdom. Princess Beatrice has a wild hound that always stays at her side, and he is discovering that this odd pair has a secret of their own. Will George be courageous to free them and himself?

I liked this book, but it also disappointed me in few ways. I thought the book has a beautiful fairy tale quality to it that resonated deeply with me, and I really enjoyed that. I thought that the characters were well portrayed and the writing was overall really nice. The beginning is a little bit slow and I worried that it wouldn’t get better, but it does and I’m glad I did continue onward. I also wished the climax had been a little bit more well described, and thought in some instances that it was confusing, and just a bit predictable. I was expecting something cooler or more surprising to happen. I also felt that some passages of the book at the end were a bit forced. Less critical readers probably would not have noticed these things as I did. Overall, I do think it was a nice read and that the author did a good job with it. I think the writer still has room to get better, but that this was a very nice piece of work. If you love the fairy tale genre or Goose Girl type stories then this will be enjoyable to read.

Mette Harrisons Website: http://www.metteivieharrison.com/