Lost Princess of Aerides

A Princess For Sale

Young Adult - Fantasy - Epic
480 Pages
Reviewed on 06/12/2021
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

Lost Princess of Aerides: A Princess for Sale by Rob Dorsey is a gorgeous offering for fans of epic fantasy, the second volume in the Avinon Chronicles. The most important woman in Avinon, the one known as the “daughter of a thousand Kings,” Crown Princess Adria Mereda of Avinon has been missing for more than a month. It is rumored that she is being kept captive by the scoundrel who passes himself off as the king of Bodaria — Vayus Audan. Jannus Holgar, her husband, leads a mission to rescue the princess. In his company are Prince Aron of Avinon, the princess’s son, and his Princess Sefina of Avinon, a well-trained and very skilled warrior, and many others. Can they find and save the princess before it is too late and do they have enough fight for the challenges ahead?

Rob Dorsey is a terrific writer who pulls the reader in with the beautiful and superb world building, introducing them to the planet of Aerides. The characters are not ordinary people; they are princes and princesses, warriors, and then there are the bad guys, too. The antagonist is well-written and Dorsey creates suspense by making readers guess if the one they suspect to be behind the kidnapping is the right person. The world the author creates for these characters is one that readers can easily imagine and the love that the entire planet has for the Crown Princess is evident in the pain that everyone feels when they learn about her abduction. The characters are robustly written, multilayered, and they evolve through the story in a way that is natural. The prose is hugely descriptive, oftentimes lyrical; the evocative style of writing and the royal use of language are among the many ingenuities of this narrative. The conflict in Lost Princess of Aerides: A Princess for Sale is strong and deftly written and it escalates quickly to a conclusion that is, at the same time, a satisfying moment and a promise to readers of what is to come in the next volume.

Jose Cornelio

Adria Mereda is the Crown Princess of Avinon and, undoubtedly, one of the most respected women on the planet Aerides. Now she has gone missing. Someone has her, and her family and friends are determined to find and bring her home, including her husband Jannus Holgar, her son Prince Aron, and his Bodarian wife, Princess Sefina. Follow these royal characters and their companions on a dangerous hunt for the Princess, a journey filled with surprises. Without clues and with so many odds, can they succeed?

Rob Dorsey invents a world that is fascinating and defines the rules by which it evolves in Lost Princess of Aerides: A Princess For Sale. The writing is imaginative and the author takes meticulous care when crafting the elements of the setting, giving readers a strong mental picture of the world the characters navigate. The sense of royalty and nobility is written into the DNA of the characters; they are sophisticated and believable, growing through situations that are at times harsh and challenging. My most favorite characters were Aron and Sefina, brave warriors whose strength is tested in ways they never imagined. Apart from the key characters like Jannus Holgar, readers will adore Zoltan Gor, especially in the last scenes.

Themes of family, adventure, love, war, and friendship are seamlessly and naturally written into the story; the conflict starts with a strong premise and it grows in incremental doses as the characters follow a tortuous trail in search of the lost princess. The characters are so lovely and skillfully developed that readers won’t be able to take their eyes off them. Lost Princess of Aerides: A Princess for Sale by Rob Dorsey is spellbinding, twisty, and never lacking in action; it is a wonderful read with a strong conflict that rises up to a satisfying denouement. While it is the second book in The Avinon Chronicles, it reads perfectly as a standalone novel.

Christian Sia

Lost Princess of Aerides: A Princess For Sale by Rob Dorsey is the second book in The Avinon Chronicles, an engaging epic fantasy that is packed with action and adventure. The story takes place on an imaginary planet called Aerides, a planet that has been at constant war. After an airship crash, Princess Adria Mereda is kidnapped. Her husband, Jannus Holgar, and son, Prince Aron of Avinon, set out on a mission to rescue her. But this is not going to be an easy rescue for it is fraught with multiple dangers and their enemy is a formidable one, who seems to anticipate every move they make. Can they rescue Adria or will it be too late when they find her? With the odds stacked against them, can they even survive?

The pacing is leisurely as readers open A Princess For Sale, yet interesting in the way the narrator introduces readers to the setting with strong and vivid descriptions, allowing them a strong visual of the geographical elements of the planet. But it gains speed as Rob Dorsey introduces the compelling premise. The conflict is strong and Dorsey describes battles with warships with the clarity of a skilled storyteller. The story features a cast of interesting, well-developed characters, and following Prince Aron and his warrior princess Sefina was exhilarating; the bond between the two is strong and skillfully written, and it is pure joy to see them evolve through the story. The terrifying moments are meticulously crafted and filled with action. Rob Dorsey has a unique gift for descriptive prose, and his storytelling is superb, presenting a world that is exciting to navigate and providing fans of action-packed fantasy novels a white-knuckle experience with airships and original characters. He writes tough-as-nails, wiseass characters that are wonderful company in this adventure.

Vincent Dublado

Lost Princess of Aerides: A Princess for Sale by Rob Dorsey continues the events following the first installment of The Avinon Chronicles Series. Last time, you witnessed Princess Adria Mereda survive a horrific air crash. Unfortunately, you are about to witness the princess being abducted. The princess has been missing for more than a month, and the Avinonian Supreme Council has petitioned the king of Avinon to terminate the search for his daughter and declare the princess dead. This is in order for the restructuring of the government to continue and succession to follow. But the princess's husband, Janus Holgar, knows that Adria Mereda is alive and knows too well who has abducted her. Vayus Audan has his own reasons for holding the princess captive. In an inquiry led by Zoltan Gor, Vayus stresses that the princess is a prisoner of war, and he abides by the long-standing laws of Aerides that POWs are liable to be taken as slaves by their captors. This crisis will put Crown Prince Aron of Avinon and his wife Princess Sefina to the test in liberating Adria Mereda.

Lost Princess of Aerides: A Princess for Sale is the ideal epic fantasy for anyone who indulges in escapist literature. Consider members of a royal bloodline who take steps in saving one of their own and putting their lives on the line, and they execute the operation with such panache and style against an enemy whose profile gives you plenty of reasons to hate him. It is compliant with contemporary social norms where the swashbuckling credits are no longer exclusive to the male characters. Sefina is everything you could hope for in a wife, a princess, and a daughter-in-law. She is strong, spunky, and loyal to her house. Rob Dorsey creates enough situations in the plot to put the mettle of the characters to the test as well as some moral choices here and there. Sefina has become my favorite character, and I enjoyed this sequel. I recommend it to anyone who has a taste for swordfights and high adventure.

Rabia Tanveer

Lost Princess of Aerides: A Princess For Sale is the second volume in the Avinon Chronicles by Rob Dorsey. The people of Avinon are morning the loss of Princess Adria Mereda who might be dead after the airship she was aboard crashed. But there was no trace of Adria at the crash site. Prince Regent Jannus Holgar has no idea where his wife is and if she is alive. That does not mean he and his children are not going to do everything in their power to find her. Prince Aron and his wife Princess Sefina enlist the help of the best minds of Avinon aboard the Victory (airship) and start the search for Princess Adria. However, searching for the lost princess is not easy. She could be anywhere. And what is the guarantee that she is alive?

It’s been almost a year since I read Swords of Aerides and you can imagine how excited I was to read Lost Princess of Aerides: A Princess For Sale. Aron and co. make a comeback as they search for his mother who is gone without a trace. He is, hands down, one of my all-time favorite characters. Aron is smart without being cocky, confident without being overconfident, and he has immense respect for Sefina. The two work together like a well-oiled machine and lead their entourage in search of Arida. The narrative runs smoothly, it flows incredibly well and is paced just right. It is packed with action and suspense, which is exactly what I like in epic fantasy. The dialogues are revealing, the characters are perfectly developed, and Rob Dorsey allows readers to immerse themselves in the story with realistic imagery. It is enjoyable and entertaining, something that I was expecting!