Review of Aire by Lena Goldfinch and INT Giveaway of the book!

Goodreads Book Description: "Danger, magic, romance, and royal intrigue, AIRE is a must read!"
—NYT Bestselling Author JESSICA ANDERSEN

A tale of Legends reborn, royal intrigue, and an unforgettable, heart-melting romance that will sweep you away.

Annalisia is a seer, a princess with a courageous spirit—and a soft spot for Legends.

Jovanni is a Legend, a commoner with no patience for pampered royals.

Principessa Annalisia is stunned and conscience-stricken when an unknown enemy mistakenly abducts her maidservant. Determined to find the girl, Annalisia disguises herself as plain Anna and slips away from the palace. She tracks down Jovanni, her maidservant's daring older brother, and they soon begin to search together. As they uncover clues, Anna also discovers a kindred spirit in Jovanni. But would he be so free with her if he knew who she really was? Doubtful. Even so, she reveals her secret gift of visions to him, and in so doing disobeys the orders of her beloved grandmother, the queen.

With Jovanni, Anna can almost imagine she’s like any other seventeen year old girl, free to pursue the longings of her heart. When she learns that he also has a secret—he's a sentinel, an ancient shapeshifter who can take the form of a falcon—it seems as if they were destined to be together, as in the legends of il Sentiro. Though Anna is tempted to wish otherwise, she can’t forget that she’s a princess and it's her duty to marry another. Meanwhile, their hunt leads Anna ever closer to danger, for she herself is being hunted.

A princess and a commoner.

They never should have fallen in love...but they did.

AIRE is a lush, romantic fantasy, inspired by ancient Italy and Turkey.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review:  I was given this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Aire by Lena Goldfinch is a historical fantasy that stars a young Italian princess named Anna, who has the power to see the future. This is a power she keeps hidden from everyone because others might not understand. Her hand in marriage is given to a suitor who she doesn't love, and in a burst of rebellion, she flees the dance that would announce this betrothal. As she flees, her boat is caught by mercenaries who mistake her clothmaiden for her. What happens next is a whirlwind of Anna trying to find her missing friend, falling in love for the first time, and learning how to think for herself.

The setting of this novel is beautiful-- we get the sense of the vastness and gorgeousness of Italian royalty. There is plenty of intrigue and plot twists. Anna is a good protagonist, and we also get to see in the head of the male protagonist, Jovanni. The supporting characters are strong, especially Ilan, one of her favorite servants. The last 20% of the novel moves at a quick pace and at that point, is hard to put down.

I did feel that the middle section dragged quite a bit, as we keep getting told that Anna and Jovanni are looking for the missing girl, and a lot of wandering takes place. I also wasn't a big fan of the Italian words that were plugged into the text to remind us she was in Italy-- but that's more a personal preference.

Overall, a beautifully written historical fantasy that introduces us to some great characters.

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