The Princess and the Bear

By Mette Ivie Harrison

He was once a king, turned into a bear as punishment for his cruel and selfish deeds.
She was once a princess, now living in the form of a hound.
Wary companions, they are sent- in human form- back to a time when magic went terribly astray. Together they must right the wrongs caused by this devastating power- if only they can find a way to trust each other. But each becomes aware of an ever-growing attraction, the stakes are rising and they must find a way to eliminate this evil force- or risk losing each other forever.

I finally got my hands on the sequel to The Princess and the Hound on the bargain shelf at my favorite bookstore. I was stoked to find this and the third novel as well and read them both in three days. I was enchanted at Harrison's portrayal of the Hound, it was astonishingly well-done and I truly felt like I was in the mind of a hound that was trying to figure out how to be both human and hound. Her voice was so distinct and honest it was simply magic. The Bear was easy to relate to in his need to change and impress the Hound while trying to deal with being human again after being a bear for so long. There were a few parts depicting magic that made me feel uneasy, but the overall effect of this book was lovely, and the slow and steady realationship that developes between Chala and Richon is so real and rich. This book is a great companion to the first.