The Blameless
Book One
by E.S. Christion
Hi! Have you ever dreamt of being royalty? I used to daydream about living in a castle as a princess. Well, Brianna is the princess of Predonia. She is living a very happy and comfortable life with her parents and brother in the castle when something happens that changes her life forever.
One night, Princess Bri is being tucked in by her parents when all of a sudden, they were killed before her eyes. Her mother’s last words were shouting for her to run. Bri ran and ran all the way to a blacksmith shop where she planned to hide until the calamity ended. However, a man named Flinton found her. She was planning to fight against him, but when she saw his warm, kind eyes, Bri knew he was here to help her. Flinton rescued Bri from being captured and took her to meet up with his companions named Derek and Kove. It would take a while to reach their destination, and Bri learned many things along the way. The first was that her rescuers were all Blameless. To be Blameless means you have performed an incredibly selfless act and earned powers from the deities. There were three types of powers: air, sun, and earth. Bri also learned that she was Blameless herself. She had the powers to create things and to summon things. Another thing Bri discovered was their destination. They were traveling to Mount Elrad, the home of all Blameless. When they arrived, the group went to Flinton’s house. Bri would be staying with Flinton until she could reclaim her rightful place on the throne of Predonia. Bri became close friends with Flinton’s sister, Cassie, and Kove’s brother, Taeo. While eavesdropping on a secret meeting, Bri discovers that she is supposedly the most powerful Blameless ever. This puts a lot of pressure on her at her lessons which she is struggling with. However, after a new tactic, something changes. Bri is finally able to control her powers! One day, while playing outside with Cassie and Taeo, Bri is kidnapped and taken to Predonia. While she is held captive, Vaylec’s (the mastermind behind the death of her parents) plan becomes clear. He wants to control Bri behind the scenes while she is princess. Bri manages to stay on his good side. All the while, she is planning an escape. One day, while on a picnic, she sees her opportunity and grabs it. She takes off on a horse while Vaylec is looking the other way. However, she is easily recaptured, and Bri pays for her efforts. Vaylec throws her in the dungeons with even less chance of escaping than before.
There is only one thing I would change about this book. I would love to have more details on Bri’s life before her parents were killed. I was taken by surprise when the book dove into the action immediately.
There were so many good parts in the book that it was hard to pick a favorite. One of my favorite parts is when Bri begins calling Derek, Flinton, and Kove her uncles. It was really fun for me to see the bond grow between them. I also really liked how much Bri and Cassie got along. Another favorite part was when, despite the circumstances, Bri was able to bond with Violet, Vaylec’s sister, who was also being held captive.
I would compare this book to Keeper of the Lost Cities. In both books, there are many people who have talents and gifts. If you liked Keeper of the Lost Cities, you will love this book, too!
Will Bri escape Vaylec and the predicament she is in? Will she be able to take back Predonia? Or will she remain Vaylec’s prisoner, stuck playing the puppet and never able to help? As I always say, read the book to find out!
A few helpful things I like to say about the books I read:
“Run and Get Mom” (how I describe the scariness factor – zero being not scary at all and five being majorly scary): 3
“Yucky-Lovey Stuff” (how I describe the romance factor – zero having no yucky-lovey parts in it and five having major yucky-lovey parts): 1
I give this book 5 wands.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this book! It was so intriguing that I couldn’t put it down for a second! I loved Bri’s courage and Cassie’s silliness. I even loved Taeo’s snarky attitude. The characters and the plot had me twisted up in their lives. I felt as though I was going through all the things the characters were! No matter what age or genre preference, The Blameless is the perfect book for you.
Source: Review Copy
