This Life is Fiction

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

Synopsis from Goodreads

Going into this:

If you lot aren't aware, I love me some kickass females!  Especially those who do it with a sword and don't back down.  I also love the castles and magic and romance themes, so this book literally had my name written all over it.  So when I got an offer from Netgalley to read an e-arc of it, well I had no choice but to insta download and hop to it.

The first few chapters:

I may have cried.  An author who can get me crying in the first few chapters is something else.  I am not even lying, I shed a tear or two.  Actually, I cried several times during this book, Larson did good.  I like for books to make me emotional, make me mad enough to throw it, and make me sad enough that I have to stop reading because the pages get blurry through the tears.  This book did not incite my rage, but did capture my emotions.

And so on:

I loved the book.  It was everything I expected and more.  It had magic, mystery (new things are constantly brought out into the open!), romance (there is a bit of a triangle, they don't bother me, and it wasn't extensive like some authors like to do, but it is there), it was fast paced, and Alex was kickass!  The only major issue I had was that the second book is not out so I do not know what happens next.

I would really recommend this book to fans of Kristin Cashore, Tamora Pierce, Alex Lidell, and Maria V. Snyder.