Book review - A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying

Title: A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: fantasy
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Rating: 

a solid read

Summary (provided by publisher): Twelve-year-old Rowan is destined to be Queen; her twin brother, Rhydd, to be Royal Monster Hunter. Rowan would give anything to switch places, but the oldest child is always next in line, even if she is only older by two minutes. She resigns herself to admiring her monster hunting aunt's glorious sword and joining her queen mother for boring diplomatic teas. But tragedy shatters the longstanding rule, and Rowan finds herself hunting the most dangerous monster of all: a gryphon. 
Accompanied by a feisty baby jackalope and a giant wolf that barely tolerates her, Rowan sets off on a journey that will see her join other unlikely allies: a boy with monster-hunting ambitions of his own, and a girl hiding dangerous motives. It will take all of Rowan's skills, both physical and diplomatic, to keep this adventure on track. The future of her kingdom depends on it.

My opinion: All of the elements necessary for a solid team-up novel are present here: characters from different worlds , with vastly different perspectives, must find a way to work together for their survival. They initially hate each other but come to realize this is simply because they don't understand each other. Once they are able to recognize their biases they begin to learn from one another and find the ways their strengths compliment each other. The structure is a familiar one and doesn't deviate much from expected territory. There are underlying messages of the restrictions of societal expectation, environmentalism, and centrist politics. The characters are likeable though somewhat thinly portrayed. Given that this is the first in a planned series, there's plenty of room for growth here and I look forward to seeing the directions Armstrong takes it.

More information: A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying releases August 6. 
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.