Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I suppose I'm not the target market for the book. I was fooled by the summary and the reviews. I'll try and explain why I didn't like it and why you might or might not like it. The first thing to understand is that this book is focused on romance first, interpersonal drama second, and action a distant third. The second thing to understand is that the romance is almost a parody of YA female-targeted romance. You have the guy with gemstone colored eyes that change color with his moods. You have the girl who's a scrappy tomboy that isn't confident in her looks. The guy is a complete unrelenting bastard but he occasionally shows off a softer side... only when he's alone with the girl. Also, the guy is super-talented with magic. Also, he's a prince. Although we open with an action scene the action stuff is then firmly pushed to the back burner. This is really exemplified by the end of year test. We have 22 young combat mages competing for five spots. The first part of the competition is a series of one on one duels. A tournament designed to identify the best fighter? Nope, just one fight each. The second part of the competition is an oral examination grilling the candidates on combat scenarios. This happens off screen. To repeat for emphasis: the author yada-yadas her way through half of the test that is at the center of the climax of the book. If you're looking for a straightforward romance with a sprinkling of magic stuff in the background, this is for you. If you wanted to cheer for an underdog protagonist as she kicks ass and takes names after learning magic, not so much.