The book is about the reclusive Persephone, who lives alone on the island of Deimatos, has since she was a child. Until the day she encounters Gavin Hawkforte, prince of Akora, who has come to her island to "take measurements" of the very phenomenon she herself has been noticing and concerned about - namely, that the long-dormant volcano under the island kingdom has once again become active. The two confide their concerns to each other, and Persephone realizes that her fears are correct. She decides to abandon Deimatos, the only home she has ever known, and travel to the capitol to attempt to warn the rest of the land of the danger in time for them to evacuate.
Of course, she and Gavin fall in love. Of course, she is so strong-willed that she can't let go of her independence and just be in love, so, of course, she almost ruins their budding relationship. Of course, everyone else makes it off the island except the two of them. And, of course, while this is technically a spoiler, they get married at the end, which should really suprise no one. The romantic storyline was a bit trite, but I enjoyed the parts about the volcano...not really something I've read about in other books, so an interesting angle. One other thing that bothered me was that the title of the novel had absolutely NOTHING to do with the book. There is a fountain at the palace of Akora. It's mentioned a total of once and has really nothing to do with the storyline. I find it annoying when a title doesn't reflect something about the book, let alone something important.
Overall, I'd give this one three out of five Whatevers. It was okay. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. It was a nice way to pass the time. A potboiler romance, which didn't strain the brain. Recommended for those who have an interest in volcanoes, those who love romances, and those who like a predictable happy ending.
2015-11
