AURELIA by Anne Osterlund Book Review
Series: Aurelia, #1
Publication Date: April 17th 2008 by Puffin
Rating: 
– Acceptable | 
Book Summary: Princess Aurelia is next in line to rule the kingdom of Tyralt, but she would rather be one of the common folk, free to learn and roam and . . . not marry the next tyrannical prince that comes courting. Naturally, the king wants Aurelia to marry for political power. Aurelia wants to marry for love. And someone in the kingdom wants her . . . dead. Assigned to investigate and protect Aurelia is Robert, the son of the king’s former royal spy and one of Aurelia’s oldest friends. As Aurelia and Robert slowly uncover clues as to who is threatening her, their friendship turns to romance. With everything possible on the line, her life, her kingdom, her heart, Aurelia is forced to take matters into her own hands, no matter the cost.
Aurelia by Anne Osterlund Book Review Overview:
- Reads like historical fiction, but is set in a fictional kingdom of Tyralt
- The romance was a little disappointing; I wished for just a little extra oomph
- Mystery that keeps you guessing until the end
In AURELIA by Anne Osterlund, Robert Vantague travels back to the kingdom of Tyralt to uncover an assassination plot against Princess Aurelia. The son of the king’s former royal spy, Robert is also Aurelia’s childhood friend. Can Robert keep Aurelia safe and uncover the culprit before it’s too late?
AURELIA by Anne Osterlund reads like a historical fiction novel. However, the setting is in a fictional kingdom where Aurelia is the heir to the throne. Anne Osterlund crafts Tyralt, a beautiful kingdom that Aurelia is set to rule one day. I loved the world-building, as well as the conflicts that Anne Osterlund has set up in AURELIA with the neighboring kingdoms. Though not based on real historical facts, AURELIA by Anne Osterlund managed to quench my craving for a historical read.
I loved the premise of the romance in AURELIA by Anne Osterlund, but I wished there was just a little more juiciness to the romance. Osterlund keeps the romance strictly PG in AURELIA, which made me a bit disappointed. I love romances in which the suitor is deemed unworthy of the heroine due to differences in classes because the fun emerges in how the heroine and the suitor overcome this problem. There is certainly chemistry between Aurelia and Robert, but what the romance lacked was passion. I’m not asking for Undying Devotion, but a cuter line here or there in AURELIA by Anne Osterlund would have made me a happier reader.
Aurelia and Robert’s love of horses become a pretty important element in AURELIA by Anne Osterlund. I was fascinated by the Geordian desert horses in the story. Their strength, beauty, and ability to race reminded me of the water horses in Maggie Stiefvater’s THE SCORPIO RACES.
As for the actual plot, AURELIA by Anne Osterlund will keep you guessing until the very end. Despite my attempts to guess the culprit of the assassination plot, Anne Osterlund managed to keep me on my toes. I did not see the ending of AURELIA by Anne Osterlund coming, though the clues were there all along. When the culprit was revealed, I immediately thought to myself, Why didn’t I figure that out myself? But I realized that it was because Osterlund made me doubt myself and like the characters, I fell for the carefully laid facade that the character had put up. AURELIA by Anne Osterlund is a well-written mystery.
Fans of historical fiction, fairy tales, and princesses will love AURELIA by Anne Osterlund. If you love forbidden romances, I would also recommend you to pick up this book.
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About the Author
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Anne Osterlund grew up in the sunshine of Eastern Oregon and graduated from Whitworth College. She lives in a cute little yellow house with her new feline friend, Charlotte, and her own library of young adult books. She also teaches sixth grade and enjoys immersing her students in language, literature, and imagination. Anne has written three novels, Aurelia, Academy 7, and Exile, all published by Penguin Books, and is polishing a fourth.
This sounds absolutely fantastic. It’s definitely the kind of book that I’d enjoy
Awesome! I hope you like it.
Too bad. I love books like this and this sounds just okay. The mystery portion may be more promising. Thanks for your review.
-FABR Steph@FiveAlarmBookReviews
I think it’s still worth a shot if this is you’re kind of book.
I love the cover for this one! It sounds really interesting.
This book was sooo good! I personally really liked that the romance is PG, because it’s the first book, and their romance develops nice and slow… But in Exile (#2)…mmmmm yummy romance indeed!
Keep reading for more intriguing and awesome situations!! 
Then I’ll definitely look forward to picking up book 2
I am a fan of ALL of those things: historical fiction, fairy tales AND princesses!
Honestly, I can handle a PG rated romance even though I prefer a little more.