Prince George has tried his entire life to be like his father, but in his magic, he will always be like his mother. Animal magic, the ability to understand and talk to animals, has never been officially outlawed by his father, but those with animal magic are rarely left to live in peace, and before her death, George’s mother made it clear that his magic was best left a secret—even from his father. When the king of a rival kingdom offers his daughter, Princess Beatrice, in marriage, George can’t refuse. Princess Beatrice is unlike any woman George has ever met. She is inseparable from her odd hound, Marit, is quiet and cold despite her father’s constant abuses, and is hiding something. As George and Beatrice begin to trust each other, they must learn to stand up for who they really are.
I liked The Princess and the Hound, but would only give it 3/5 stars, because it was slow near the beginning as the plot was getting set up. Once the plot starts, I really enjoyed getting to watch both George and Beatrice learn to trust others and loved the slow progression of their relationship through the novel, but it wasn’t enough to make me forget the slow beginning. The relationships in the book were generally pretty well thought out, but I felt like the main character was hesitant to form any strong opinions about any other characters, so it was difficult to enjoy any of the characters.