The Princess and the Bear

The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison

He could see the magic everywhere now, in all the animals around him. Even the trees had a portion of magic, though it was a cooler green. The air itself, it seemed, was made of life, for it, too, had a greenish tinge to it.

What else could he see?
He looked at his own hands and saw the magic in them.

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

He was once a king, turned into a bear as punishment for his cruel and selfish deeds.
She was once a princess, now living in the form of a hound.
Wary companions, they are sent--in human form--back to a time when magic went terribly astray. Together they must right the wrongs caused by this devastating power--if only they can find a way to trust each other. But even as each becomes aware of an ever-growing attraction, the stakes are rising and they must find a way to eliminate this evil force--or risk losing each other forever. 

My Thoughts:


A good read. Not my most favorite book, but it was worth my time.

The romance wasn't very present. In fact, I kind of was surprised that they even got together. The attraction was there when they were bear and hound, but as people--it wasn't as strong. I wish the connection would've been developed a little more, but I understand that writers are limited in the word count. 

But I did love the story. I loved how Richon, the king who is also a bear, discovers that he had magic all along. I thought that was an incredibly nice twist. Although it's regarded as a "stand-alone" book, I really felt glad that I had read The Princess and the Hound first. It gave me some much needed context for the rest of the adventure. I would be interested to see how the changes that Richon and Chala made to the kingdom affected Prince George's world in the future. But I guess there is no real way to discover unless Harrison writes another book.

Recommendation: Library or borrow from someone else

Rating: 3/5 stars