Zel by Nancy

Synopsis: Zel and Mother have always been together. They live in a secluded glen far from any neighbors; they grow their own food; they live their own lives and most importantly, they are always together. Once in a great while Mother will go to town for needed supplies and take Zel along. One time while visiting the market, Mother decides to leave Zel on her own while she finishes some errands and Zel meets a curious young man. The young man is none other than the Crown Prince and after just one encounter with the young lady, the prince is desperate to find her. As Mother discovers her daughter's ardent admirer, she is determined to keep her safe, even to extreme and horrifying ends. Will Zel and her prince ever be together?

Review: It was very well written- 5 stars for great writing, but the ending was too weird for me. I did not believe that many of the attributes of the book were realistic. I did not think that Mother was a believable character- and usually I can be ok with one or two characters not being great, but as Mother was a main character and her story was the base theme for the whole book, I think it could have been...hm, maybe a little less extreme? When I read the chapters that were from Mother's point of view I found myself thinking, "Ok, no human being thinks like that!" I suppose that was perfectly intended, but it just rubbed me wrong. I did not like the ending either. It seemed to me that the story took a while to progress and then all of a sudden it's over! Ta-Da! It was like a sneeze; completely took me off guard and left me asking too many questions. But, like I said, it was very well written, I was intrigued and thoroughly drawn in after every chapter.