Name: Coronets and Steel
ISBN: 9780756406424

Sherwood Smith

California girl Kim Murray--enamored by older, more romantic times--studies ballet and fencing and travels to Europe to investigate her family's mysterious origins, only to be swept up in an adventure of fantastic deceptions and passionate intrigue--and a shocking realization about her own bloodline. By the author of Treason's Shore.

Coronets and Steel

California girl Kim Murray travels to Europe and soon finds herself swept up in an adventure of fantastic deceptions and passionate intrigue--and a shocking realization about her own bloodline that leaves her reeling.

Sarah Escorsa

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

** spoiler alert **
           Written by Sherwood Smith, Coronets and Steel follows Aurelia Kim Murray, who is spending her summer break after graduating in Europe, trying to find her Grandmother’s family after her Grandmother whispers that she needs to fix what is broken in the family.

Okay, that’s the basis. Now, I need to tell you that everything else WILL BE SPOILERS for this novel. That goes crazy. Absolutely crazy. And that reads a bit like an inner monologue in not the best way, bouncing between languages everywhere. I will get into that.

*SPOILERS BELOW. ALL OF THE SPOILERS.*

So, Kim, it turns out, looks almost exactly like her cousin Ruli who happens to also have the same first name as they were both named after Kim’s grandmother, since everyone else in the family thought that Grandma Lily had died in WWII. With that, Kim gets drugged and kidnapped. But it’s okay, because they thought she was Ruli and they were saving her.

That, that is a thing. And it’s written off that easily.


 
The plot for this novel is a bit all over the place, and honestly the weakest character, other than Ruli, is Kim herself. I really like the supporting characters, it just goes everywhere. And the writing, and the grammar, is just a bit all over the place.

WITH THAT, I really enjoyed this novel and read the second one. Because there is magic, and creatures, and I really enjoyed Alec. I’d maybe like my own, without the kidnapping bit.


 
Alec, our leading man (one of our leading men?) is the current… ruler of the country that their families have traditionally ruled, and puts that before everything else. Then, you have cousin, who … okay, maybe we should leave a few things for when you read it.

This novel took me forever to read, because it was just difficult to get through. The writing style was so… maybe if you fluently speak multiple languages this writing style will make a lot more sense for you. If you can’t deal with a novel that you have to reread sections to understand what is going on, keep walking. If you don’t like romance and kidnapping and very piraty vibes, find a different book. If you don’t like magic and fantasy elements, definitely not for you.


 
If that all sounds interesting still… then give this a shot. You will likely enjoy the fun ride that is this series.