Imagine a world where kisses are power, Princesses have the ability to give Princes “kisses” to enhance their speed, strength, even to heal. Ivy is one of these princesses, but her ability to cure a curse doesn’t work when she kisses her prince, and in shock and disbeliefs she wonders if the kiss is as powerful as she have been taught.

Ivy needs a partner for a very important mission, which involves destroying the egg of a Sable dragon, enter Prince Zachariah (“just call me Zach” as he tells everyone) he is rumored to be the strongest Prince without ever having a partner, which Ivy find hard to believe. No one can be that strong without the aid of a “kiss” but Zach is able to prove that he is that strong. Ivy is still determined to give Zach a kiss to make him even stronger, and every time she tries he keeps refusing.

Zach has his reasons as to why he won’t just go and kiss Ivy. Royals assume that their kiss is the key to defeating evil, and that there is no need for love, since it’s not needed, there is literally no love between Princesses and Princes, they breed to make more soldiers and that’s it. Romantics are just the opposite, they believe in the power of love and that it is stronger than what the Royals claim to be the ultimate power. Zach is half royal, half Romantic. He used his lineage to get the ability to fight, but he keeps his Romantic views as to why he won’t kiss Ivy.

During their trek towards the cave where the egg is Ivy and Zach are at each other’s throats because Ivy is so set in her way that she refuses to believe that Zach can be that stubborn over a kiss, Zach can’t believe that Ivy buys into the history of the Royals. As time passes Ivy starts to question if what Zach is saying is true and if what she was raised to believe is true, unsure of her own feelings towards Zach.

There were so many times during the book I wanted to strangle Ivy for being so stubborn and walking around with blinders on, epically after coming across a Romantic camp and seeing how they all treated each other and even welcomed her, even if it was in disguise.

I found things got really interesting when the group came across the mirror in the cave. Will not spoil anything but Oh WOW do things take a really interesting turn to throw everything Ivy knew about the Royals History off kilter.

By the end, Ivy accepts that everything she was taught was wrong and she plans on righting those wrongs.

I will say that this is a definite book to add to your shelf, it was a good read for a standalone.