Who doesn’t love a good fairytale filled with charming knights, competitions, and opportunities to fall in love around every corner?! An Uncertain Choice has every bit a fairytale feeling, down to “being free from a vow upon finding true love”.

In the first chapter, I had expected a very different story than what this book turned out to be. I would almost say that the first chapter is severely out of place when compared to rest of the book. It’s a wonderful hooking chapter, don’t get me wrong, but it’s brimmed with action, concern, and heroism that has very little to do with the overall book of knights competing in friendly tournaments for a lady’s hand in marriage. It isn’t completely disconnected from the book, of course, there are references to it throughout the story, but the feelings and concerns that I encountered in that very first chapter, gave me such a different expectation for the book than it actually was. If that even makes sense? It took a turn from, “this book is going to be intense!” to “nevermind, this is a love story and I already know who she’s going to pick”, by the second chapter.

I like fairytales. I really, really do. But this book is so full of cliches that I literally had almost the entire book figured out by chapter 3. And I wasn’t wrong. I just kept reading it more out of curiosity to see if I was right in my predictions, than I did out of actual enjoyment of the story. It did make me smile often though, so perhaps that’s the goal of this book.

It is a clean book and it has Christian content and plenty of mentions of the Bible. There’s no sexual content, only a few kisses, and there’s no language. So, if you’re looking for an easy read that leans more on the light-hearted side of things, with a little bit of wondering “which knight will she pick?!”, then you might enjoy this book more than I did. I was just hoping for An Uncertain Choice to be less cliche than it was and after reading the first chapter, my hopes were lifted, and then dropped. So that’s why I’m only giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.

From the synopsis you can guess that the romance is going to be a bit quick, and a bit complicated. Normally, that would bother me, but here in the situation and these events, it works. Even though it isn't a long story, it felt like Rosemarie had plenty of time to choose and get to know the knights. And really, I can't see how she could go wrong. 

The only frowny face I can give 'UC' is that Rosemarie's love interest is quite apparent right from the beginning. There is a little back and forth and she doesn't trust her emotions fully, but I don't think that anyone would be truly surprised by her choice. 

But that dramatic ending! The action and events that make up the climax, I think, more than make up for any lack of surprise. It was intense, scary (somewhat gruesome), and wholly romantic. For me, 'UC' was everything a medieval love story should be all about: romance, chivalry, honor, and happy endings. 

<i>I recieved a copy of this book from the author via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own</i>
See more of this review and an interview with Jody Hedlund at <a href="http://alyssazech.blogspot.com">Sunrise Avenue</a>

There are so many words swirling around my mind while seeking to describe this novel, simply because  An Uncertain Choice was a reading experience that I find hard to put into one box of description. Opening the first chapter was like stepping into a another world.

A world that consisted of faraway kingdoms, where knights in shinning armor took center stage while vying for the hand ( and most important, the heart) of a lovely maiden. And where everything about it was vivid and fascinating all at once. 

And from the POV of  someone who had very little experience stepping into the YA genre, that was pure magic!

I can go on and on about the structure of this novel, but for me the beauty was in the details. This novel had the perfect mix of adventure and romance.  And I loved how Hedlund wrote the character of Lady Rosemary. She was the lovely young maiden in need of saving, while not being completely helpless. And the Knights -without giving anything away- were incredible. So in short, this novel is incredible.

Combined with an amazing story plot and well written characters, An Uncertain Choice is the perfect Medieval gateway read. So much of this story displayed swoon worthy strength, trial defined character, and the beauty of true love. I seriously could not get enough of it as I flew through the pages in less than two days. A rare and huge reading accomplishment, I’ll have you know 😉

I never had a chance to review this before it expired. I'm sorry!