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Brian L. Braden is an award winning author and photographer. His articles have been featured in a variety of print and online publications such as the Military Times, Air Power Journal and Oxford University Press. He has published several books and is the recipient of the Alabama Penman and the Darron L. Wright awards for fiction. Brian is a veteran living in Alabama .
Reviewed by Michael Gardner for Readers' Favorite
The Golden Princess by Brian L. Braden takes an interesting approach with the setting for this fantasy novel by establishing the story in a mythical prehistory of Earth, somewhere in what is now western Eurasia. It allows Braden to quickly bypass the usual world-building that’s required to establish a new fantasy setting, which may polarize fantasy readers who like a bit more explanation about how the world works. He paints his world in context to the location, which merges together like a medieval blend of Russian and Turkish cultures. The result is the great city of Hur-ar, which is in the middle of a political struggle for power. At the heart of the struggle are Sarah and her brother Ezra. Both are heirs to power and both want none of it. Unfortunately, their enemies are more interested in seeing them dead, so their only course of action is to escape. This is not as easy as it seems. As cloak and dagger fantasy goes, it’s good stuff.
I listened to the audiobook version of The Golden Princess and want to give huge raps to the vocal performance of the narrator Philip Battley. As well as reading the story with lively enthusiasm and pace, he gives every character (and there are many) a unique voice, switching from one accent to another with fluidity and ease. I enjoyed the story and the writing very much, but I really appreciated having such an expert narrator to take me on this particular journey.
