At almost six feet tall with the redhead temper, Zee is an unlikely fairy tale princess for Gentry. She was in an accident that shattered her hip, and as a result goes to physical therapy. It is here that she met her knight (complete with a sword and armor). Zee has a long list of problems: money woes, her beautiful and gullible sister, her five-year-old nephew, her hoarder mother that is housebound, and her boss that is a drug dealer.
Gentry is a knight with a code of honour—he was told two years ago, by voices that only he hears, to be Zee's champion. He is not only autistic, but shy, and keeps a vigilant watch over his princess. He is always ready to rescue her.
When Zee's sister goes missing—is perhaps kidnapped—she turns to her champion. The ripple effect not only changes their lives, but connects them until 'The End' of their fairy tale.
Greenwood's The Reckless Oath We Made is a slow burn and I'm not sure that it is worth the patience. Let me clarify what I mean by that. As an English major, I thought I was going to love the way Gentry speaks—he speaks in Middle English, believing he's a knight—but I found it completely slowed the pace of the narrative, and certain readers will be alienated by the use of this speech. On one hand, the character is autistic, and he is being true to himself and how he chooses to live by what he perceives to be as a knight's code of conduct. But on the other hand, too much time is wasted on his speeches and reenactments. Unfortunately, this is also where she's going to lose more of her audience.
While this book didn't immediately suck me in, I did push through it in order to be able to objectively review it. After giving it much thought, I just don't think the book was for me and was mildly disappointed. Perhaps Greenwood should have abandoned the whole romance aspect, as well as Gentry's reenactments (less is more), and focused more on the mystery. She is clearly a talented writer, and for that reason, All the Ugly and Wonderful Things will be added to my pile of books to read.
BRYN GREENWOOD earned a MA in Creative Writing from Kansas State University. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, Last Will, and Lie Lay Lain.
Greenwood lives in Lawrence, Kansas.
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