Book Chat’s rating: ∗∗∗∗/5
When Rick Riordan said “I defy you not to love this book”, I take it at challenge accepted. So I had high hope for the book and it delivered. It was a very fun and quick read, easy writing, suitable for middle grade or younger.
Thorn is a boy who was sold into slavery, but he does not accept his fate and wants to atone his sinful past. While being paraded on the street for interested buyers, he freed two other kids and managed to caught the attention of Tyburn, an executioner from Gehenna. Tyburn bought him from his captor and took him to back to Gehenna. On the way there, Thorn tried to escape but instead, discovered his captor and minions plot to kill Tyburn for revenge. A boy with honor, he stayed to help Tyburn only to realize Tyburn was ahead of them all. Impressed, Tyburn made a deal with Thorn, if he stayed to serve Tyburn for one year, he will be freed. A deal is made. Back in the Kingdom of Shadow – Gehenna with dark Magic, the King, Queen and the young Prince were killed by dark magic beyond anyone’s imagination that was long forgotten. Lilith (Lily), the young princess, now has a mission to rule the country, but in fact, she needs to get married to prince Gabriel of the neighbor Kingdom of Light who is rumored to instigate wars toward her homeland. Thorn and Lilith met and found that a slave and a princess were not that different: Both with missions larger than lives, with magic they have never learned, and skills that were already in their blood. Together with K’leef, a prisoner, the three of them form a friendship and went on an adventure to save their land. And did I forget to mention Hades, the giant heroic bat that flies the kids everywhere? When you have necromancers and zombies and dark magic, a bat is a must have!
Through and through, this book is a solid read with beautiful artworks. Thorn was a better developed characters than Lily although it seems to me it should be Lily to grow more as a princess. I enjoy some humor throughout the book as well as explanation of the world of Six Princes and the element of each power. I wish the talent of Lily Shadow develops more though, it would make her a much stronger character. Thorn was perfect! I really like him, his quirk reminded me of Percy Jackson.
