The Seventh Champion, Sylvia Mercedes (Review by Skylar Wetzel)

The Seventh Champion by Sylvia Mercedes quickly grabs you in when Rosie, the supposed dragon princess, decides she doesn’t want to be claimed by the King’s insufferable nephew, Taigan, and decides to take matters into her own hands. She grabs the nearest stranger and kisses him right in front of Taigan. Little does she know that her stranger, Valtar, is actually an assassin sent to kill her, and she has inevitably just saved her life. Thus begins the steamy connection she now shares with the assassin. Rosie was raised as a normal girl in a war-torn world and is thrust into the role of a princess meant to save the world. She doesn’t fully understand all the details and is convinced the King grabbed the wrong girl, who is meant to become a dragon. As the story evolves, both Rosie and you, as the reader, discover the pieces of the puzzle that begin to fit together and answer many questions. There is also a competition of seven champions who fight in a tournament-style setting to win the marriage and the honor of being the protector of the dragon princess. Rosie quickly has to learn court politics and navigate the emotions of the King to stay alive. Overall, Mercedes writes a straightforward romantasy book in the voice of a strong and amusing female character. At times, you’ll find Rosie to be a bit too trusting, but it often works out in her luck. You also hear little snippets of Valtar’s voice along the way that give you a peek inside the enemy’s mind. The ending of the book was explosive and kept me hooked with all the big plot twists. This series does end on a cliffhanger and with the amount of backstory and character development that occurred in this first book, I can see the second book going in many directions. I recommend this book to all the dragon loving romantasy readers.