This review is part of Melody’s Summer Reading: Diversity Spotlight. Enjoy!

The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz
Narrated By: Jennifer Ikeda
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction, Fantasy (Magic), Romance
Running Time: Unabridged | 10 hrs and 23 mins
Source: Free via Summer 2015 Sync Program
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Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve?

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world’s only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen.

But even with the aid of Emrys’ magic, Eleanor’s extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen’s Guard.

Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie’s face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she’s always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she’s always dreamed of–the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor’s court: trust no one.

Wow. Where do I even begin? I am just so taken aback by how much I enjoyed this book. Aside from the magic that I knew this book entailed, this is unlike anything I would have ever picked up own my own without plenty of hesitation. My first choice of something to read is far from historical or romance so to read this, I was completely out of my element. And I am so, so, so, so glad that I stuck with this because it was such a fun and scandalous story!

In The Ring and the Crown, we follow a number of characters in the (alternate history) Franco-British Empire as they come together for a typical season of gatherings, which just so happens to include the latest announcement of marriage in the royal family. I loved the range of characters that we followed both inside the royal family and afar, making their way into the presence of royalty period. That was fascinating within itself the different classes that were represented here, the privilege that was made known. I really loved the world building. That said, I really wanted more magic. More mischief. Here’s to hoping there will be more in the sequel. Though the characters got themselves into enough compromising positions to keep me entertained so I can’t say that the desire for more magic was overwhelming. It wasn’t. Plenty of drama went down. It’s like Game of Thrones meets Gossip Girl meets some Keira Knightley historical romance piece meets Big Brother. Manipulation, party of {insert cast number here}, your table is ready! I loved every single minute of this book, oh my goodness.

The characters were so rich and distinct and had so much depth and personality. I thought it would be difficult to keep track of all of the characters but Cruz does a fabulous job at balancing each character, major or minor. Every character has their purpose and it rarely feels like you’re trying to keep up with who is who. I also loved the many different relationship dynamics among the characters as well and seeing the different power plays. Woo! Talk about scandals! My oh my.

The Ring and the Crown gives us an entertaining but equally powerful and heartbreaking look at self worth and what it means to abide by as well as go against society’s standards in the war for joy. The Ring and the Crown is a mesmerizing story about responsibility to family, to one’s country, to one’s true self and the sacrifices people make because of duty, because of love, because of hope for freedom and a life without worry. I loved it.

Now I listened to the audiobook (and read along with my own hardcover copy) and was so pleased with the audiobook, oh my goodness. Wow. That was great. I really enjoyed myself. My reading experience would not have been the same, would not have been half as exciting had I not had this audiobook. The narrator brought this story to life in a way I never could have in my head. I tried reading a bit without the audiobook and my imagination failed me. Period pieces are hit or miss for me (alternate history or not) and even though this historical romance had an element of fantasy with the magic, there wasn’t a ton of it and at the end of the day, it’s still a historical…but in listening to this audiobook, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is what I need when I read historicals. I need the theatrics.

I can honestly say that I don’t think that I would have enjoyed this book as much as I have had I not listened to the audiobook. I would have consumed this in a completely different way and not for the better and I blame my mind for not drowning in the richness of this book own its own. I’m sad that that’s the case. I don’t know whether to be disappointed in my own mind or accepting of what’s always been… my constant disconnect with certain genres. But knowing that I’ve found a way that I can finally truly enjoy these things that I just could not for the life of me connect with before… it really makes me happy. And I can’t wait for the sequel. I can’t wait. What an incredible book chock full of surprises and what a lovely ending! I want more and I can’t wait until more is available because this right here was fabulous.

The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz is available today.