I just read this book about a month ago and I really liked it. It has some inaccuracies but for a new author's work it's really good.
The plot is set up like a classic fairy tale, with a few twists in the magic system. The Kingdom (that's what the world is called) is kept peaceful by Wise Women (Women who have the power to feel lifecurrents in the earth and use them), but the men (the king esspecially) are resenting the fact that they have to rely on women to keep things working.
Alexandra (the heroine) is an invisible princess and a bit of an ugly duckling. Her three older brothers are classic princes (They do have some twists in them that make them real and really funny. Read the opening scene in chapter 1 and you'll know what I'm talking about.), her mother is the most powerful Wise Woman in the Kingdom and is the queen; her father the king and is reallllllly starting to resent how much power his queen has.
When her mother is attacked by an unearthly creature, Alexandra's powers can't save her. When the queen dies, the whole Kingdom begins to die. One day the king meets a woman who's eyes reflect no light. Alexandra knows this woman is no good, so do her brothers. They have to do something about her.
Will this fairy tale have a happy ending?
The thing that caught me about the book was the dedication: This book is dedicated to ugly ducklings everywhere./ Don't worry about those fluffy yellow morons: they'll never turn into swans.
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