7/24/2018 Cecilia-Wenn Die Sterne Schleier Tragen by Anna Nigra Anna Nigra is a German author and this book is her debut novel. It is a novel about love and war and shows us a society that is similar to ours and yet totally different. It was unexpected, brutal, bloody, and left me with a cliffhanger I am still not sure if I read that right. Yap, sometimes that happens with me and a novel. Cecilia-Wenn Die Sterne Schleier Tragen* by Anna Nigra Cecilia Series #1 Publisher A Tree & A Valley on July 5, 2018 Genre Novel Pages 393 Format Softcover Source Publisher Goodreads ✶✶✶ Marry a stranger? Cecilia cannot believe what her father is asking her to do! She is only 18 and her future husband is the Crown Prince of Europe! But the king desperately wants Cecilia as the wife of his son. He would not tolerate a no. Reluctantly Cecilia travels with her family to the royal palace to meet her husband-to-be. To her great relief, the 21-year-old Prince Noran is not only good-looking, but also charming and loving. But his spirited brother Elias also teases Cecilia with his provocative style. And as if two handsome men, a jealous sister, and an impatient king were not enough, an incredible intrigue seems to be woven in the palace … (personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary) Story Cecilia is destined to marry a future king. The future king of Europe, to be exact. Noran is a few years older, and not at all like his father, the current king. But Cecilia isn´t sure if she wants to marry him at all, despite his charming way and handsome look. And then there is his brother Elias. Wild, handsome as hell, and with a secret that makes Cecilia understand the world a bit better. How will she decide when the time has come and she needs to make a decision? Style Somewhat old-fashioned in style, here a world is unfolded before the reader, where women are only seeming to be jewelry for the powerful men and where society is on the brink of war. It is unfortunate, but although there are some fierce scenes in this novel, and the characters are in part anything but harmless and nice, I found the story all in all kind of bland. I missed that certain something, the momentum that keeps the reader even over the slightly stretched scenes at the bar. And the plot had started so well. Linguistically, the novel is simple and easy to read. A bit old-fashioned, as I said earlier in this review, but nonetheless readable. The world is reorganized, Europe is ruled by a king, and society has changed a lot. Not always for the better. But even that could not distract from the sometimes very cramped and often illogical plot or could convince me to see this novel as anything but average. And unfortunately, the novel is also very predictable in some places, seems constructed. Characters As good as the individual figures are partly created, it has disturbed me massively that Cecilia is not allowed to decide for herself. She has to do what her father wants her to do. No questions asked from her side. And the fact, that her father acts strangely the second Cecilia and her family arrives at the palace, told me everything. The classic love triangle, a woman between two men, is not particularly convincing and is not new either. As smart as Cecilia looks at the beginning of this novel, as much was I wondering why she was acting the way she acted. Yes, she´s a young woman, not even twenty, but she has a brain, doesn´t she? But she presents the reader a very naïve side of her – or is she supposed to be a naïve young woman who doesn´t know anything about the world? Conclusion For readers who have no great expectations and just want something nice to read, the novel is a good grip on the shelves. Unfortunately, the novel did not convince me. Too bad, but my expectations due to the promising back text and the beautiful cover were probably set too high – the novel could not keep the promise. I am sorry to say that but for me only an average novel. Happy reading *This book was, at the time this review was published, only available in the German language. This title was kindly provided to me by the publisher A Tree & A Valley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Anna Nigra Anna Nigra was born in 1990 in Celle. The author lives together with her partner and her one-year-old son near Hamburg. When she is not reading or writing, you will probably find her on the terrace, having a loud coffee with friends. Follow Twitter ❀ Instagram ❀ Goodreads ❀ Facebook ❀ Bloglovin ❀ Tumblr ❀ Pinterest on 7/24/2018 Share this! Labels A Tree And A Valley, Anna Nigra, Cecilia Series, Cecilia Wenn Die Sterne Schleier Tragen, Novel, Review, sliderpost Newer Post Newer Post Older Post Older Post