ALL THE FRAGILE HEARTS (DUAL MOONS DUOLOGY)

The fates of a warrior princess and a royal guard entangle in Solomon’s series-starting romantic fantasy novel.

Cecelia is eldest child of King Filip of the Archipelago of the Moons and the presumed heir to the kingdom, despite that fact that her mother is not the queen. She always felt like an outsider in her own family, especially as she doesn’t know the truth regarding her late mother’s identity. She was brought up to be a fierce warrior and a brilliant strategist, so when her father, who has visions, tells her to travel with her brother to the kingdom of Korith to investigate a looming threat, she accepts her mission—even when he tells her she’ll likely never return home. Viktor is the kinsguard of Korith’s young monarch, and a remarkably skilled fighter who’s killed many men during his service. He’s assigned the role of bodyguard to visiting princess Cecelia and her young sibling. Viktor’s frustration increases when he becomes romantically infatuated with Cecelia. Despite their mutual attraction, the pair find themselves unwillingly thrown together by an arranged marriageand caught in the middle of a chaotic political plot and popular rebellion. As their newly formed bond is tested, Cecelia and Viktor come to realize there are plenty of secrets hidden in Korith’s history. Solomon’s first entry in the Dual Moons duology features chapters that focus alternately on Cecelia and Viktor, which is an effective narrative strategy. They ably introduce the two complex main characters as they both struggle with questions of identity and duty, as well as their romantic feelings for each other: “Fragile hearts…need tender care,” Cecelia whispers to Viktor at one point. “Your loneliness can keep mine company.” Their love story builds in an intricately developed fictional world; the story delves into religion and politics, examining the oppression of a people and the lengths to which people will go to gain power. The author also makes the intriguing choice to separate the characters with two road trips to explore the internal dynamics of a frayed kingdom.

A great start to a fantasy duology featuring well-developed characters and settings.