I tried to find Ms. Deveraux’s web site, but alas, none was to be found. I had fond memories of reading her books and decided to see if my memory was accurate. Unfortunately, I picked the wrong book to begin with.
The Conquest is the conclusion of the Peregraine story that was introduced in The Taming. In the Conquest we meet Zared the baby of the Peregraine family. Oh yeah, did I mention that the world thinks she is a boy? In an elaborate attempt to protect the ‘weakest link’, the Peregraine brothers announce the birth of a brother not the sister that has entered the world. She is trained and taught to be a boy but that doesn’t stop her from becoming a boy crazy teenager. Her brother comes up with the brilliant plan of taking her with him, as a squire, to a tournament where he is attempting to win a rich bride.
As if this wasn’t already a recipe for disaster, the Peregraine family is at war with the Howards. The Howard family is ruthless in its determination to wipe the Peregraine family off the face of the earth. The Peregraines contend that the Howards stole their land and title. Tearle Howard was fortunate enough to have been raised in France and not England. He wasn’t fed the hatred of the other Howards and decides to protect the Peregraines instead of kill them as his brother wants. He discovers the Peregraine’s secret and falls for Zared.
I hated Zared and Tearle. Zared is a spoiled, whiny, idiot. She shows her age constantly; she’s 17. She is wishy-washy and unable to see what is right before her eyes. Tearle is a push over (to a point). He puts up with Zared’s temper tantrums and distrust. He attempts to woo her by showing her the finer things in life, something she has no knowledge of. I think she would have had more respect for him if he’d shown her his prowess in the ‘manly areas’ she’d been trained to respect.
I started skipping pages early. I also became highly irritated with the characters early on. I see a pattern here…
Scooper Speaks 