The Twelve Kingdoms: The Mark of the Tala by Jeffe Kennedy

The Twelve Kingdoms: The Mark of the Tala by Jeffe Kennedy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've read some other stories by Jeffe Kennedy, and while I liked them as well, this is by far my favorite. She has a knack for storytelling, and I enjoyed everything about this book. I don't read a lot of what I would consider epic/high fantasy books, and I'm not sure why because I thoroughly enjoy them. (I've been trying to figure out the difference between the epic/high labels but have only been getting conflicting answers to this question, so I've given up; however, IMO I would consider this book to be epic fantasy).

The Mark of the Tala is the story of Andi, the middle child. I loved how Ms. Kennedy portrayed the three sisters, because they reminded me of my own family. My oldest sister is much like Ursula – controlling, always has to be in charge. My middle sister is much like Andi (without the magic, of course!) – the quiet one, peacekeeper, unnoticed. And I find myself comparing myself with Amelia – babied, perhaps a bit spoiled (at least according to my sisters). I enjoyed the characterization in this story and am looking forward to seeing more of Amelia and Ursula in upcoming books.

I also thought the world building was fantastic. The history of The Twelve Kingdoms and Annfwn was interesting and thorough, and the Tala were an intriguing people. As the story unfolded, we found out that everything wasn't as it seemed. The pictures portrayed within the story were constantly changing to reveal something else entirely, and by the end of the book I was captivated by the story and the people. I am planning on reading the other two books in this trilogy as soon as possible to see where Ms. Kennedy takes the story!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


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