meganbmoore | Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (Reply)

In some ways, the plot of this book (originally released as two books) is the most generic of generic fantasy plots. Countess Meliara of Tlanth (we shall call her Mel, as the book calls her Meliara so rarely that I blinked when it did) and her brother, Branaric (Bran) are descended from the royal line through their mother. Their mother was murdered years earlier by the current rulers of the country, and they swear revenge, eventually starting a rebellion. Things do not, of course, go exactly as planned and Meliara is captured and used to attempt to force Bran to surrender. Later, she escapes with the aid of a nobleman named Shevraeth, whose loyalty she has cause to doubt, and she makes her way across the countryside to rejoin Bran. Along the way, she gains a reputation as being the only noble involved in the whole mess who cares about the common folk.

Once things have settled down, she retires to the country to rebuild her estates, but is persuaded to enter society by Bran’s new fiancee, Nimiar. There, she finds herself clashing again with Shevraeth, who she still does not trust, and encountering a potential plot against the crown. She also finds herself face-to-face with court intrigues she has no training for, potential suitors, and possible rivals, as well as a secret admirer who guides her through the court with his letters.

All the above fits the basic description of far too many fantasy novels to name. What sets Crown Duel apart from the rest is not the story it tells, but how it tells the story.

Mel is not a powerful sorceress, or a political savant, or a master swordwoman, nor does she become any of these things throughout the course of her story, unless you count learning to hold her own in court and developing leadership skills, and the possibility of other things. She does, in fact, remain very much a normal girl trying her best, and part of that is making mistakes, both in action and in judgment. Her initial capture is largely because of her own mistake, as is another major plot point later in the first half, and many of her difficulties are caused by her trusting the wrong person, or not being willing to trust the right person. Like many teenaged girls, while she can accept some mistakes she makes, she hides from and tries to avoid others, and she does not magically learn the error of her ways the second she makes a mistake, but rather, as the story evolves. All of this is acknowledged by the text, and used for character growth.

Mel is not a great heroine because she’s inherently special, but because she learns and grows, and it’s because of her determination to do so that her potential as a leader is developed. In addition, the romance, while (very) secondary and fairly obvious, is not tacked on to have a romance, but instead is used as an important part of Mel’s growth and learning. Shevraeth is not Mel’s handsome reward for being the heroine, but rather something she grows to appreciate and see the truth of, and an important part of her development.