Zosia has the life most people dream about. Rich, royal, and revered, she is the princess of an island nation stepping forward into the 21st century. But the gold crown on her head feels more like a shackle, and she is kept from living the life of freedom and scientific exploration that she craves. After a party in Beijing blows up the tabloids, Lorcan is assigned to her as a knight protector who will accompany her during her year studying abroad in Scotland. Determined to hate her knight, she ignores his every move, even as sparks fly between the two. But darker secrets and hidden dangers are always on the horizon, and Lorcan may just be the only person who can keep her alive long enough to claim the throne. 

Falling Princess by Joline Pearce has everything a reader could want from a new adult royal college romance. With enemies-to-lovers, forbidden love, angst, a modern academia setting, and startlingly high stakes, it checked every box on principle alone. Despite being full of wonderful tropes, the first hundred pages were a little slow and dragged because there was a lack of any real action after the second chapter. In fact, Zosia spent chapters bemoaning her lack of freedom while making Lorcan’s life a living hell for his crime of being assigned to guard her. There were times I wanted to jump into the book and shake her because she was acting so spoiled. Come on, she’s a princess–and a living representation of a Goddess at that. She would have power if she was smart enough to know how to secure it.

While the plot didn’t kick in until the second half of the story, once I hit the 50% mark it was like reading an entirely different book (and I mean that in the best way possible). The stakes rose, the characters became more complex, and I stopped wanting to yell at Zosia. I actually loved where the author took her character and can see the makings of a fantastic queen in her choices. Speaking of the halfway point, that brings me to the romance (no, I won’t get into spoilers). I enjoyed the dynamic between the two lovers, especially considering the intense slow-burn. And when I say slow burn, I mean tension-filled, mutual yearning, angsty, slow burn.

The side characters were essential to the main plot without overshadowing Zosia’s development as a protagonist. They each had well-defined personalities that created interesting dynamics, and while there was a weird love square/pentagram going on, it didn’t take over the story. The worldbuilding was a bit on the weaker side, and the book played into contemporary romance more than fantastical thriller, but that was expected with how it was marketed. As to ratings, I’m settling on three stars: the first half of the book deserves two stars, while the second is more than deserving of four, so I’m splitting the difference. Overall, I enjoyed Falling Princess, and after that ending, I can’t wait to dive into Eternal Knight.