When I first saw this book, I was interested because it references Merlin, who is one of my favorite historical-mythological characters. Then, it did me one better by also working in the legend of Robin Hood, one of my other favorite historical-mythological characters. And there are more descendants of legends, but I don't want to spoil that.

The book begins with Princess Janet (can I also just say that I love how ordinary her name is!) and her delightful sisters, and an old friend Malcolm who returns to be her protector. And it's funny. They tease each other about boys. And younger sister Alexis tries to single-handedly capture criminals. And Janet is unable to control her magic and causes some problems. But in general, this is a fun, happy, loving family.

Until the curse comes. Her sisters are attacked first and when Janet faces it, she is given a charm that will only protect her for seven days. So she and Malcolm must find Merlin in seven days, hope he's still alive, hope he can break the curse and save the kingdom, and hope they can outrun the Dread Knights that are nearly unkillable.

The characters are wonderful, complicated, but good. There is so much good. They don't give up. They don't leave each other behind. They don't succumb to the darkness or evil. The intertwining legends are also super cool. So many connections between stories that are creative and just work. I loved it. There was also constant action - never a dull moment for our heroes. That said, the constant action made it feel a little choppy at times. Things happened and secrets were revealed with too little build up. I wanted some hints so I could piece things together before all of the grand reveals.

Overall, I thought this was a fabulous start for a debut author and I can't wait to see what he writes next!

Content warnings: A lot of action violence and both attempted and actual kidnapping. One not-so-graphic sex scene and reference to another couple sharing a tent together. Kissing on a few occasions. No cussing.

I received a free ARC from the author and have reviewed it willingly. ( )