I AM A MESS. Because this book, oh man, this book shredded my heart and then lovingly squeezed it over and over again. This series has been EVERYTHING. I loved it all- he angst, the secrets, the pain, the insane chemistry- but most importantly, these complex, flawed, radically imperfect humans. Broken Kingdom is epic romance at its finest- heartache, unbeatable odds, feuds, secrets, and an unbreakable soul mate bond that nothing- not time, memory, family, anger or hate- can fully sever.
I had NO idea what to expect with this book- and you shouldn’t either. Read the whole series, read Wicked Princess, avoid anything else, and come to this with fresh eyes. Like Bianca, you want to be in the dark. This is our final journey in this Royal Heart Kingdom- and there are no unsullied princes and princesses here. This is just broken people trying their best to find themselves, to find their path, to unravel the hurt and pain they’ve caused others, each other, and themselves. Two people trying to see through the smog of all that has been toxic, destructive, and broken- to be brave enough to see and LIVE the truth. To learn from their mistakes. Their story is authentic, raw, arduous, and emotionally arresting- but beautiful.
I say this with love, but I hope all haters GET it now. Wicked Princess served a very important role for Bianca - we’re so used to assuming that it is HEA and that the purpose of a story is romance. But, Bianca needed more than that. This girl could not be healed by finding love- she had to learn to love and forgive herself first. And the only way that happened was if she truly confronted everything. She needed to heal- what this woman was carrying under the surface, the ways in which she was hurting, the pain and guilt and fragility- it was just festering to the surface, bubbling out in her cruelty, vindictiveness, apparently selfishness. It wasn’t that- it was a cry for help that no one saw or understood. Save for one man. Looking back now, I admire and love Wicked Princess even more. Bianca wasn’t ready for love, for light, for happiness- because she was too broken, too lost. Nothing excuses her actions, in fact, Ashley doesn’t let her off the hook at all- she makes her suffer as she confronts who and what she was- for two whole books. But that is why Bianca’s redemptive arc is so powerful- she had the furthest to go, the most to expose, and we didn’t even know the half of it. I did not know who Bianca was...or IS...until Broken Kingdom. And I could not have done that without Wicked Princess.
But here is one of the many pieces of magic of Broken Kingdom- because we realize that Oakley needed Wicked Princess, too. We didn’t know why, we didn’t know how, but Broken Kingdom tells and reveals all. But both of these characters have to reconcile who they were with who they are...so that they can become who they want to be. Both of these characters have been drowning in pain and secrets and self-hate for so long it is a miracle they even had any heart left. But they do- they have so much, it was just calcified under their festering wounds- under Oakley’s party-guy, drugged out shield, under Bianca’s weaponized venom. And when you have that kind of pain, that kind of hurt- only those who share it sometimes can see it. They see each other- so freaking beautifully. But their path is not easy. They both have to find a way to love themselves, to make amends, to fight away their own darkness in pain before they can truly find a way to each other. ALL while they are retracing the trip that led them to this turning point. And that, that is SO incredibly painful. Because they have said and done HORRIBLE HORRIBLE things. Things we knew- and things we did not. These two had to be completely broken, destroyed, erased even in order to find their way.
This series is master class on character development- on redemption. The way Ashley has built and evolved these characters- they are SO real, so complex and nuanced, truly mesmerizing. I never thought I would say this, but I love Bianca. Her heart, her soul, once unleashed, are so beautiful. I tear up just thinking about the powerful journey Ashley has given this woman. And I loved seeing her discover her past- starting to see pieces of former self merge with her newer self. This isn’t the Bianca we knew before, or in Wicked Princess, this is the fully transparent Bianca- the free one. And OAKLEY? I thought no one would ever do it for me like Cole, but Oakley steals this whole series. He was always captivating and alluring, but I had no idea what was bubbling under the surface. This man’s heart, his soul? Well, it takes my breath away just how beautiful he is- despite all his fault, all his wrongs. These two are the furthest from perfect- in fact, they are villains in their own stories, but their story? Well, it is perfect. It is beautiful and liberating and powerful- the best kind of pain and redemption.
This is one of my favorite series of all time- and this book? This book is a crowning achievement. Ashley has so thoughtfully woven all the threads, built the story from book 1, so that everything can lead to this magical moment- when ALL of these characters we love- these flawed, broken, vulnerable and emotional characters we love- can finally come full circle and emerge as the beautiful butterflies they got for Liam. We realize that their books are not the sum. Cole, Oakley, Bianca, and Jace confront it all here- take the final step forward. Their Kingdom is, in fact, broken- but they can still be whole.
The Royal Hearts have shown us just how hard love can be- of any kind. And sometimes the best love, the most deep love, is painful. You can love so much you hurt- not just yourself but others. These characters have hurt for love, because of it, but also been healed and redeemed for it, because of it. I cried so much while reading this- experiences a veritable cornucopia of emotions that are so tangled up inside my heart that I’ll never unravel them. And I don’t want to- I want them to stay in a big emotional knot right in the center of my heart, because I am not ready to let this series go. I’ve loved everything about it- but what I’ve loved the most is Ashley’s brave story telling. She’s given us characters who are not always good, characters who are messed up. She’s been true to them, to their story- exposing some of the hard truths we as humans face everyday. She’s confronted humanity- with love, with honesty, with hope. This journey was messy, painful, hard, bittersweet, beautiful- and captivating. But now, now the universe is right, even if I’m not ready to say goodbye.
Thank you, Ashley, for staying true to you. True to this story. True to these characters. They mean more to me than you could ever know.