Fantasy is not my favorite genre at all. I find it hard to get immersed in fantasy worlds and to visualize the story. However, I was able to fully enjoy this one. The descriptions were lovely and the culture described was vivid. There is even a glossary of the various foods that were mentioned in the book. I felt like I was reading about actual cultural groups! The story involves a king who has usurped the throne. In doing so, Ximena’s people were driven from the land. In order to protect the true royal line, Ximena became a decoy for the Condesa. Both she and Catalina, the real Condesa, are hoping to seek revenge on the king and his people. But when Ximena is summoned to the king’s castillo, she realizes that not all of the Llacsans are as evil as she imagined. And she must decide if she truly wants to risk hurting more people in order to take back the throne for Catalina.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was the animals that Ximena wove. I could imagine them so clearly and I would love to have seen more of them! I could see this book becoming a movie – a Disney movie would be amazing! Being that it is based on actual Bolivian history, another thing I would have liked was a detailing of how it represents that history throughout the story.
If you like a detailed fantasy world that you can truly envision, I recommend this book.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was the animals that Ximena wove. I could imagine them so clearly and I would love to have seen more of them! I could see this book becoming a movie – a Disney movie would be amazing! Being that it is based on actual Bolivian history, another thing I would have liked was a detailing of how it represents that history throughout the story.
If you like a detailed fantasy world that you can truly envision, I recommend this book.