Sherwood Smith is the author of The Trouble with Kings, published earlier this year by Samhain Publishing; she has also written Crown Duel, the Wren books, and a couple books about Inda, in addition to a couple published by Norilana Books. Other than the Wren books, the majority of her work is set on Sartorias-deles, a planet accessible to earth through a World Gate (a large amount of magic). This novel (available in e-form here; in print form in about a year) is one of two that come together; the second (Twice a Prince) is due on July 22, 2008.

Sasha is, yes, actually a princess — although at the moment she’s living in Southern California, attending graduate school, and waiting tables. Her mother was married to a prince of Khanerenth, which is a country on Sartorias-deles; it’s on the other side of a magical World Gate. Unfortunately, a Bad Man took over their country, and Sasha and her mother were forced to flee. Sasha’s father asked them to hide on Earth. However, one day, when Sasha’s around twenty-five, some people come to kidnap her to the other world — and, unlike many past attempts, they succeed. Now, of course, Sasha has been thrown back into the world of danger that she escaped fifteen years ago, and her mother has no idea where she is. Will Sasha survive?

So many of the questions in this book are not answered yet, because of the second book. It ends with what I definitely considered a cliffhanger; the more emotionally invested in the romantic plot one is, the more, I believe, it will feel like a cliffhanger. Genre-wise, it’s sort of a mixture of urban, heroic, and romantic fantasy. The ‘urban’ fantasy part is the butt-kicking, liberated, twentieth/twenty-first century females — plural, yes. Sasha’s mother (Sun or Ataniel) kicks just as much butt as she does. The heroic part is, obviously, the saving of the kingdom; there is a romance plot, but it’s sublimated for the majority of the story.

This would be a great entry into Ms. Smith’s world of Sartorias-deles. In this story, we see Sartorias-deles (and, specifically Khanerenth) from the eyes of someone who knows and understands twentieth- (or twenty-first-) century America. She relates many things in either world to the other world; for example, the Sartorias-delesians have no word for ‘destiny’ or ‘fate’. I’d managed to read five or six other novels set on that world without realizing that, since so far (almost) all those novels have been narrated by natives. Yes, Sasha was born there, but her mother was not, and Sasha spent fifteen important years here. Sasha generally talks like an Earthling, and it makes the other world very accessible.

Sasha is an awesome character; she’s almost six feet tall and has been trained in various kinds of self-defense her entire life. I liked how Ms. Smith included such details as Sasha’s difficulty in finding gloves large enough to borrow, and other bits of reality about being so much taller than the average female. I also really liked that her skill in weaponry didn’t come out of thin air; she really had been training her entire life. Of the other characters, Zathdar, the pirate, is certainly most notable (at least at first) for his wardrobe. He swears it’s so his officers can see him, but I think it’s because he takes a perverse joy in wearing lime-green, orange, red, and blue all at once. Sasha’s mother, who also kicks a certain amount of butt, is a little more subtle than her daughter; I expect in the next book, she will kick even more butt.

I’d definitely recommend this book to fans of Ms. Smith’s other works; I’d also recommend it to those who are looking to enter her worlds for the first time. Readers who enjoyed Crown Duel will recognize a few last names; Senrid‘s main character is mentioned, as well. Those who like politics well-integrated with action, boats, and pirates will also enjoy this. It could very easily be enjoyed by YAs or adults; the violence is off-stage and kept to a minimum. My only caveat is that one should realize, going in, that one will have to wait a little over a month for volume two. I am definitely counting down the days! 4.5/5 stars.