298th out of 790 books
—
1,982 voters
Princess at Sea (Princess #2)
by
Dawn Cook
One day Tess was the crown princess of Costenopolie, and the next she discovered she was a beggar's child, reared as a decoy to keep the real princess safe from assassins. But Tess's flair for politics, self-defense, and shopping--and her recently discovered magical powers thwarted the kingdom's enemies and restored the real princess to the throne.
Now, she dons an ambassad...more
Now, she dons an ambassad...more
Paperback, 344 pages
Published
July 25th 2006
by Ace
(first published July 5th 2006)
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Nov 26, 2008
Elizabeth
marked it as to-read
Once upon a time, Tess was Princess Contessa of Costenopolie. Then she learned she was really just a decoy princess, a target for would-be assassins. Her parents were killed as part of an audacious royal coup masterminded by the prince of a neighboring kingdom, and Tess was instrumental in restoring a semblance of order. That was then. This is now.
Now, her sister, the real Contessa of Costenopolie, sits on the throne, along with her new husband, a prince of Misdev. Tess acts as an advisor, lend...more
Now, her sister, the real Contessa of Costenopolie, sits on the throne, along with her new husband, a prince of Misdev. Tess acts as an advisor, lend...more
Basic summary of my problems: Tessa appears off her rocker for most of the book. The end of the book Tessa becomes needy and whiny. Second book completely undoes Tess's strong and independent/resourceful nature that was the reason she was likable in first book. For details, you'll have to be prepared for spoilers.
Warning: this review contains major spoilers. Read at your own risk.
SO, this book frustrated me on multiple levels.
First of all, Tess spends half the book acting completely insane. Some...more
Warning: this review contains major spoilers. Read at your own risk.
SO, this book frustrated me on multiple levels.
First of all, Tess spends half the book acting completely insane. Some...more
Damn it, I think I have to give this book five stars. Not that it was perfect, but it is withstanding the "stick-in-my-head" test -- meaning a few days out I'm still thinking about the characters and reluctant to leave them for the next book.
The Princess at Sea is a follow-up to the Decoy Princess and I liked even better. This book was a bit darker and more contemplative. In the Decoy Princess, Tess finds out that she is not the real princess (that should not be much of a spoiler given the title...more
The Princess at Sea is a follow-up to the Decoy Princess and I liked even better. This book was a bit darker and more contemplative. In the Decoy Princess, Tess finds out that she is not the real princess (that should not be much of a spoiler given the title...more
Compared to Decoy Princess, this book is unfortunately inferior. While in Decoy Tess runs circles around the characters that are trying to best her, in this book she is continually run circles around. She tries to keep her head above water but eventually there isn't even the pretense that she has control of anything.
Her abilities change drastically in this volume, as well. Whereas before she used stealth and weapons, in Sea Tess's abilities with magic grow, but they seem to be to be haphazard at...more
Her abilities change drastically in this volume, as well. Whereas before she used stealth and weapons, in Sea Tess's abilities with magic grow, but they seem to be to be haphazard at...more
I think I like this book more than the first, as Tess becomes a more complex character.
In The Decoy Princess, all of the action takes place quickly. Tess discovers that her entire life has been a lie, and has to outwit and outfight trained soldiers in order to save her kingdom from a deranged younger son. Before she is even able to process her identity, she is told about the world of "players" and "pieces", the true powers behind the throne, and her actual importance as Kavenlow's apprentice.
As...more
In The Decoy Princess, all of the action takes place quickly. Tess discovers that her entire life has been a lie, and has to outwit and outfight trained soldiers in order to save her kingdom from a deranged younger son. Before she is even able to process her identity, she is told about the world of "players" and "pieces", the true powers behind the throne, and her actual importance as Kavenlow's apprentice.
As...more
Just as engrossing as the first book in this series! I truly could not put this book down. We were introduced to Tess in "The Decoy Princess". This book picks up pretty much where the first book leaves off, with Tess chaperoning her sister, the Queen, and her new husband on a journey to Misdev. And from the get go, adventures await. Throughout the book our plucky heroine is captured by pirates, thrown in a pit with a deadly animal while pirates bet on how long she will live, left to die on a bur...more
Princess at Sea was a strange book, having all the right elements but somehow was less than the sum of its parts. I liked Tess and her relationship with Contessa was a nice and unexpected aspect of the novel that I enjoyed. I loved the initial drama of the kidnapping and the action taking place largely outside the comfort of the palace.
On to the inevitable "but" - Princess at Sea suffered from some very confusing plot twists and contrivances. In the first book, the world of the game and players...more
On to the inevitable "but" - Princess at Sea suffered from some very confusing plot twists and contrivances. In the first book, the world of the game and players...more
I like this series. It's fun. Full of adventure and the heroine only occiasinally sinks into bizzare neurotic passages that are centered around emotional problems that are really quite simple to cut through. I'm trying to figure out how, when we're presented with a basically strong, smart, capable heroine she's always, to varying degrees, emotionally stunted . . . But this is a problem with the genre in general and, despite a few times when I wanted to punch her in the face, for the balance Tess...more
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Apparently there are only two books in this series. I got the series because I wanted a taste of Kim Harrison's writing style. I didn't care for it.
I didn't care much for the characters. Instead, it was the game that hooked me into continuing reading.
As I read, I wondered if the author secretly sympathizes with anorexics. The characters would perform daring deeds after skipping meals, not eating for days, and even without drinking water.
I heard somewhere that Dawn Cook wrote this for a young adu...more
I didn't care much for the characters. Instead, it was the game that hooked me into continuing reading.
As I read, I wondered if the author secretly sympathizes with anorexics. The characters would perform daring deeds after skipping meals, not eating for days, and even without drinking water.
I heard somewhere that Dawn Cook wrote this for a young adu...more
Despite the cover art, this book was not the light fantasy I was expecting. Our heroine is captured, threatened with rape and murder repeatedly, loses control of her abilities and then finally is betrayed by her love interest who turns out to be quite the psychopath (this plot twist has makes the heroine look like a particularly bad judge of character on top of everything). In the last few pages, she has another potential love interest on the horizon but the happy ending felt tacked on after all...more
Sequel to The Decoy Princess.
I rather enjoyed this one, I just wish there was more of it. The very end of the book while satisfying, showed some revelations, some actions seen in a new light, and I really wished there was more. At the very least an Epilogue of a few years down the road! But oh well. While the end left it open if the author ever wanted to go back and add a third book, she's already said she won't. I suppose I'll just have to imagine myself how it all works out, which I likely wil...more
I rather enjoyed this one, I just wish there was more of it. The very end of the book while satisfying, showed some revelations, some actions seen in a new light, and I really wished there was more. At the very least an Epilogue of a few years down the road! But oh well. While the end left it open if the author ever wanted to go back and add a third book, she's already said she won't. I suppose I'll just have to imagine myself how it all works out, which I likely wil...more
I wasn't really a fan of this sequel. To me, it felt a bit disjointed, and didn't have as much of the "charm" as the first book in the series. I know - writing sequels is hard, but some of the characters just did a complete 180. Also, Tess isn't as likable in this book - I couldn't quite place my finger on why that was. Her supposed reaction to her overdose of venom was an interesting twist at first, but... at risk of divulging any spoilers, it just got unbearably dull and/or disjointed. Also, t...more
I wanted to like this as much as the first, but there were too many inconsistencies and sometimes I couldn't keep up with the way the characters interacted with each other. It's supposed to be about "players" who are supposedly the power behind the thrones with no one else knowing, but I didn't see any of that. I can understand that in the first book, but this one should have expanded on that. There should have been more political intrigue. I would still like to see a third book in this series t...more
Wonderful series. The cover was a little misleading, and the main reason it took me so long to read. Do not be fooled! This series is far darker, the concepts and relationships more painful and wonderful, then I would ever have expected going in. I suppose this is what I get for ever doubting the skills of Dawn Cook, aka Kim Harrison. Never again!
The second, and final, installment of the Princess Series skips forward about a year from the end of the first book. Though I had been looking forward...more
The second, and final, installment of the Princess Series skips forward about a year from the end of the first book. Though I had been looking forward...more
Both books followed the same pattern where at first I was just reading along but not really sucked in, and then something would happen and I just had to know what happened next. I admit I did skim ahead because I was really really curious, but then made myself come back and read it properly. There were a few surprises, and unexpected angst. I found most of the characters had layers which got slowly peeled back as time went by, and some things get revealed that I sort of expected, yet didn't quit...more
Slight spoilers
I have to say I enjoyed the sequel to the Princess Decoy more than I expected. Before reading it, I had actually spoiled things for myself. I knew that Duncan would turn his back on Tess (I didn't however, know what it was he had done). Duncan had been my favorite character (still is) so I was slightly put off for some time. But once I had began to read it I began to enjoy it. I mean what better way too start a book than to have the queen dumped into the ocean, by her husband?
Thou...more
I have to say I enjoyed the sequel to the Princess Decoy more than I expected. Before reading it, I had actually spoiled things for myself. I knew that Duncan would turn his back on Tess (I didn't however, know what it was he had done). Duncan had been my favorite character (still is) so I was slightly put off for some time. But once I had began to read it I began to enjoy it. I mean what better way too start a book than to have the queen dumped into the ocean, by her husband?
Thou...more
The sequel to The Decoy Princess. Tess is back! With bonus pirates! (You had to know this was coming with a title like that!) This time she steps into the role of ambassador for the true (and newly crowned) queen. It makes sense. Legitimate bloodline or no, the queen's a stranger to a lot of people, and Tess the decoy princess is the one with the real political clout. (Really and truly. As revealed in the first book, there are games and players and behind the scenes machinations, and Tess really...more
Ah, that was good! This was my second try at reading this book. I really enjoyed the first one, but I bounced off of this one on my first try because it takes a really long time to get good. Tess spends the first half of this book being yanked around from one out-of-control situation to the next, plus she really, really is just as appalling a judge of character as Jeck claims! (I don't think that that's much of a spoiler, especially since the claim was in the first book.)
Of course, at just about...more
Of course, at just about...more
Jul 27, 2011
Kaia Sand
added it
Yet another fantastic book by Dawn Cook. I find the idea of "players" secretly controlling the sovereigns of all the countries very intriguing, and I love Dawn Cook's characters. I REALLY hope she writes a third book because the ending definitely leaves room for one, and I'll need another book to feel completely satisfied with the storyline.
****Implied Spoiler****
Does anyone else want to kill Duncan?
****Implied Spoiler****
Does anyone else want to kill Duncan?
About 80 pages in, I decided this one was more dire and desperate than the first one, so I started skimming towards the end. I did not enjoy it as much as the first one; it's almost like the author felt she had to out do the drama of the first one. It just ended up feeling flat out depressing, with way too many antagonists, not enough enjoyable characters.
There was a major twist towards the end. I enjoyed the last 2 chapters.
There was a major twist towards the end. I enjoyed the last 2 chapters.
Well, to say a was a little surprised to find this book was a 2nd not a 1st was not a surprise, in fact, at all. I was slightly lost and there were references almost from the start to provide me with hints of missing information. But all the same, I really liked this one and think that I will pursue it further. I wish there was a third one of these! I'd be on it in a heartbeat.
The context of the protagonist’s powers is cool but really contrived. Her slowly learning about them in the first one makes it sort of in the background and intrigues, but when it’s front and center in the second one I got annoyed easily at the stupidity. Also, characters change personalities to fit the plot in the sequel and there are some effed up messages about love.
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Von Anfang bis Ende einfach nur spannend!!!
Ich kann gar nicht viel schreiben ohne nicht irgendetwas zu verraten. Ich fand das Buch einfach super. Man lernt die Charaktere besser kennen und findet Sachen raus, mit denen man nie im Leben gerechnet hätte. Da merkt man, dass eben doch nicht alles so ist, wie es scheint. Tolle Wendungen, spannend geschrieben. Ein Lese Vergnügen. =)
Ich kann gar nicht viel schreiben ohne nicht irgendetwas zu verraten. Ich fand das Buch einfach super. Man lernt die Charaktere besser kennen und findet Sachen raus, mit denen man nie im Leben gerechnet hätte. Da merkt man, dass eben doch nicht alles so ist, wie es scheint. Tolle Wendungen, spannend geschrieben. Ein Lese Vergnügen. =)
very, very, very disappointed....that there is no third book. I loved the concept of the 'players' and I really loved the lead character Tess.....BUT seriously I felt cheated with the romance, because well there really were no moments between Tess and her ultimate ever after guy. It is not enough for the wind to tell me he loves her I want to see it in his actions. He didn't even kiss her, not once!!!! Feel really cheated and feel even more cheated that there is no third book.
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Since I loved the first book so much, I could hardly wait to get my hands on this one, and it was well worth the wait. I didn't want to stop reading. Tess's character was so easy to sympathize with, I felt I had the same emotional reactions to the book's events as she did. If this were to become a trilogy, I would love to read more.
I picked this up for 2 bucks, on sale, and didn't realize it wasn't the first in a series. It was great as a stand alone. The love triangle was sweet and innocent to the end, though predictable from the start. The magic in the world was interesting enough, though some of it was probably better explained in beginning novels.
This book is awesome I wish there was one more. Hopefully when she finishes up the Hollows Series (under Kim Harrison) she writes one more. This story has so many twist and turns. Which leads down to a big kind of surprise. I was amazed at how much I like it. Usually I stick to paranormal but because Kim Harrison is one of my favorite authors I had to check out. This one does not disappoint. Awesomely written leaving you hankering form more. Definite Recommendation.
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other pseudonyms: Kim Harrison
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“If you ever try to change my memories again, I will slap you into next spring.” I took a breath, knees shaking as I felt small beside him, my white dress brushing against his black trousers. Some women get flowers or poems from their suitors. I get insults and threats.”
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