by Sharon Tucker

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of A Choice of Crowns. There is also a link to purchase it from Amazon, and from an indie bookstore where a portion of the sale goes to help support KRL.

Ever wonder how different your life would be had you made a different choice at a pivotal time? This second book in Barb Hendee’s Dark Glass series, A Choice of Crowns (2018) involves how the enchanted mirror, which readers encountered in Through a Glass Darkly (2017) affects Olivia Geroux, soon to marry King Rowan of Partheny.

Olivia’s father sees her as a matrimonial bargaining chip, as has often been the case throughout civilized history. Readers quickly understand that her father’s calm in bargaining her life away is par for the course, considering his indifference to all his children, and that should she fail in marrying Rowan, the consequences will be most unpleasant. Olivia has learned to assume indifference in such circumstances, since emotional outbursts would be less than useless. Imagine her surprise when she arrives in Partheny, and finds life lived along quite different lines, that include benevolence, selflessness, and concern for others.

Partheny is not a utopia, since other excesses abound, and its ruler, Rowan, is hardly wise and fair. What concerns Olivia, besides her apparent failure to attract his notice, is that the object of his obvious affections is justifiably terrified of him, and that so many lives will change for the worse if he attains her.

The three-paneled mirror does not appear as quickly in this second novel, giving readers more time to absorb the world of Partheny and the characters who people it. But when it does appear, the same bargain is offered: Olivia will see three different outcomes for the series of events about to unfold concerning those nearest her, but she will have no memory of how each scenario evolves that would help her to choose wisely when the time comes.

The world of this novel in the Dark Glass series differs from its predecessor but is just as pleasant a read. The protagonist faces different facets of many of the same issues in the company of quite different characters, however. Readers will not be able to keep from putting themselves in Olivia’s shoes as she explores the possibilities and the consequences of choosing which path she will ultimately take.

I’m looking forward to the next novel, A Girl of White Winter, due out in August of this year: new characters, new dilemmas and new choices in the third book of this highly entertaining series.

To enter to win a copy of A Choice of Crowns, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “choice,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen April 14, 2018. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

You can also use the is link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Sharon Tucker is former faculty at the University of Memphis in Memphis TN, and now enjoys evening supervising in that campus library. Having forsworn TV except for online viewing and her own movies, she reads an average of 3 to 4 books per week and has her first novel—a mystery, of course—well underway.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases using those links. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.