Shielded

Gr 7 Up–Jennesara was second born, meaning she was not supposed to have magic. She has light hair and eyes, and the tell-tale sign of a white streak of hair was apparent on her brother, the firstborn. But she has a secret she has been keeping, braiding her hair her whole life to hide the white streak of her own. Jennesara finds out that she has been betrothed to the prince of Turia and is expected to leave in two days, just after her birthday. She must wed the prince, who has dark hair and eyes, and save her kingdom from the mages who threaten to destroy her home and her family. Jennesara is like many strong-willed, confident female characters. She is stubborn and learns quickly through trial and error. The story starts by world and character building and is somewhat slow, but quickly picks up the pace as soon as the action starts. While there are many stories about magic, Flanders has made magic a little different, and Flanders avoids the love triangle trope.