What do you think?
Rate this book
Reign of Dragons #1
King of Air
Being stuck in a time loop sucks, especially when I die on the same day, at the hands of the same man, over and over again. But in Life Number Seven, I'm determined to change my fate. You'd think being the princess of all shifters would come with benefits and glamour and freedom--it doesn't. It comes with isolation, constant fear, and a fabric over my head the whole damn time.Nobody will believe me or lift a finger to help me figure out why I'm stuck in this loop, not even my father, the dragon king. If I dare to even mention it to him, I end up with a bloody lip. Yeah, he's a very hard man to talk to. That's why I have no other choice but to switch places with my maid and run away.But things don't exactly go as planned when I'm kidnapped and find myself a captive of my father's sworn enemy. Just my luck.Lucien Di Laurier is a cocky bastard who thinks I'm an object to be owned. It doesn't help that he's impossibly beautiful and can literally control the air in my lungs with a wave of his hand. He wants to get his revenge on the king, and that's why he's after the princess...never realizing that I'm right there, in his home, pretending to be my maid. He vows to break me until I tell him all of my secrets, but...That still doesn't stop me.He'll kill me if he finds out my real name. He'll probably do worse things before that, but I can't help myself. He's everything I was never allowed to have. He's blinding light and passion and life, the perfect mistake wrapped up in a pretty ribbon, just for me.So I take what I can get even knowing how it will all end... until it does.
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 7, 2023
1527 people are currently reading
7943 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
May 7, 2023
I don't know if I was reading a different book to everyone else, but I regret forcing myself to finish this 😩 The beginning seemed interesting but it's like the whole time-loop plot was thrown away until the very end 😩
Estella was boring and annoying. Enemies to lovers, but the insta-love RUINED it. I didn't care for her and Lucien's relationship AT ALL. And honestly, not much happened in the book except some eye-rolling banter and sexy-time. I ended up skiming the last 50% of the book 🥱🥱🥱
Estella was boring and annoying. Enemies to lovers, but the insta-love RUINED it. I didn't care for her and Lucien's relationship AT ALL. And honestly, not much happened in the book except some eye-rolling banter and sexy-time. I ended up skiming the last 50% of the book 🥱🥱🥱
June 7, 2024
DNF 30%
I try really hard to give books a shot. All I really need is to be engrossed and I’m throwing 4 and 5 ⭐️⭐️ galore.
But I was having trouble getting into this one, so at 30% I decided to come check out the summary for the next book…yes, I was totally that kid who read the end of the book half through lol.
I would like to thank ALL of the people who posted their DNF and spoiler reviews. Ella cries the ENTIRE series?! Hard pass.
You have saved me hours of torture.
I hope my review can save someone else the same.
I try really hard to give books a shot. All I really need is to be engrossed and I’m throwing 4 and 5 ⭐️⭐️ galore.
But I was having trouble getting into this one, so at 30% I decided to come check out the summary for the next book…yes, I was totally that kid who read the end of the book half through lol.
I would like to thank ALL of the people who posted their DNF and spoiler reviews. Ella cries the ENTIRE series?! Hard pass.
You have saved me hours of torture.
I hope my review can save someone else the same.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2023
It's a no from me, Dawg.
I personally have a hard time with "modern" fantasy. This one just seemed lazy to me. It's set in modern-day America, but there are no reasons why... it felt like it was only for the purpose of not having to come up with names of places, honestly. There is magic, and dragons, and no real sense of it being a modern world (FMC has absolutely no contact with technology due to her being the dragoness) until there's some waaaay out of left field comment like "and then we got in the limo" and it was just super weird to me. Also, talking about "selfies"? In a fantasy novel? It was just uncomfortable.
The first half of the book was insufferable. There is literally one conversation had over and over again. The whole:
him:"Tell me what I want to know."
her:"Tell me why you want to know it."
him:"No,"
her:"Then I'm not telling you anything."
Him:"Then I'll torture you for it,"
OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. It never goes farther than that! And everyone around them is just "oh just answer his questions and all this will stop!" But he only asks her to tell him everything, and it stops there every time. There is no giving, compromise, or nothing.
My biggest issue is the MMC... now I LOVE the enemies to lovers trope, but this one just gave me icky vibes... in their "enemies" phase, he basically does nothing but assault her, while everyone around her keeps telling her "he's really a good guy just give him a chance" but he's imprisoned her, threatened torture for information, and attacks her all the time... It's just giving rape-culture vibes, honestly. Then he does a complete 180, and then all of his misgivings are forgiven? Stockholm syndrome?
Then I found that this was a 4 book series, and I audibly laughed. So I read a bunch of spoilers seeing if things got better, and I was just disappointed. I could not find a single thing I liked about this book. I try really, really hard to finish a book no matter what, but this one was so torturous to get through. On the bright side (I guess), I've read worse.
I personally have a hard time with "modern" fantasy. This one just seemed lazy to me. It's set in modern-day America, but there are no reasons why... it felt like it was only for the purpose of not having to come up with names of places, honestly. There is magic, and dragons, and no real sense of it being a modern world (FMC has absolutely no contact with technology due to her being the dragoness) until there's some waaaay out of left field comment like "and then we got in the limo" and it was just super weird to me. Also, talking about "selfies"? In a fantasy novel? It was just uncomfortable.
The first half of the book was insufferable. There is literally one conversation had over and over again. The whole:
him:"Tell me what I want to know."
her:"Tell me why you want to know it."
him:"No,"
her:"Then I'm not telling you anything."
Him:"Then I'll torture you for it,"
OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. It never goes farther than that! And everyone around them is just "oh just answer his questions and all this will stop!" But he only asks her to tell him everything, and it stops there every time. There is no giving, compromise, or nothing.
My biggest issue is the MMC... now I LOVE the enemies to lovers trope, but this one just gave me icky vibes... in their "enemies" phase, he basically does nothing but assault her, while everyone around her keeps telling her "he's really a good guy just give him a chance" but he's imprisoned her, threatened torture for information, and attacks her all the time... It's just giving rape-culture vibes, honestly. Then he does a complete 180, and then all of his misgivings are forgiven? Stockholm syndrome?
Then I found that this was a 4 book series, and I audibly laughed. So I read a bunch of spoilers seeing if things got better, and I was just disappointed. I could not find a single thing I liked about this book. I try really, really hard to finish a book no matter what, but this one was so torturous to get through. On the bright side (I guess), I've read worse.
March 15, 2023
D.N. Hoxa is a new-to-me author and so far I’m loving it. King of Air is a breath of fresh air! It’s not the cookie cutter romance novel. It does still have all the tropes we love, but its’ time loop plot gives it a distinct twist. And who doesn’t love a little suspense? The foreshadowing had me on the edge of my seat trying to piece everything together as I read. My imagination was going wild! I’m the type of reader that I see everything as a clue and run with it. The palpitations this gave me!
My only little nitpick would be that we don’t get to experience her other lives. It is talked about, but I wanted to fall in love with the husbands she loved only to have them taken away! Rip my heart out! But I get why it’s done the way it is.
Spice level (1-5): 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Pretty vanilla but quite a few scenes later in the book
Kink level (1-3): ⛓️ Magical breath play, praise kink galore
We follow Princess Estella, Dragoness, as she tries to break the time loop she is trapped in. For 6 lives, she has been killed by the same man on her 22nd birthday only to start the loop again. Estella attempts to convince her father, the Dragon King, to help her defeat the man that kills her. Yet, he doesn’t believe her. Determined to break the loop and gain control over her life, she schemes a plan to trade places with her hand maiden to locate the all knowing nymphs. Believing in the tales she was told as a child, she is convinced the nymphs will have all the answers she seeks. During her grand escape, she gets kidnapped and taken to Lucien, the unofficial, King of Air. Keeping her identity secret, Estella now impersonating her hand maiden Greta, tries to continue her journey to find the nymphs. However Lucien has other plans for her. The more they are together the more their relationship shifts. But can she trust Lucien when he is dead set on revenge and ending the Dragoness? Are the secrets they keep too great for them to overcome? And just who will end up being her 7th husband??
I’d recommend King of Air to anyone who enjoys a wonderful, spicy, fantasy read with all the praise you could ever want. I mean it. If you need a little praise in your life read this book. It will charge you right up! It’s not crazy spicy, nothing that will leave you questioning things, but there is quite a bit of it. If your not a fan of spice you can always skip those chapters. A lot of the scenes are chapter/s long so they are pretty easy to skip if that’s your thing. I for one thoroughly enjoyed the spice and story. ‘Greta’ and Lucien make a lovely pair and I can’t wait to find out what happens next in book 2! If this sounds like a book you’d enjoy, be a Good Girl and pick up a copy.
Warning: Reading this book may make you talk to flowers. May make you start a rebellious phase. May make you run in the woods hoping you get kidnapped and sent to a secret town with a sexy leader. May make you switch lives with others in hopes of adventure. May make you trap your crush into seeing you naked. May make you seek out magical forests. May make you a pro liar. May make you attempt to be an animal whisperer. I will not be responsible for any maiming, loss of limb, or life if you decided to hug a polar bear. May make you fall for your captor. May make you more obedient. May make you unlock a praise kink. May make you need more batteries. May make you completely dissatisfied because where is book 2!? Read responsibly.
*I received an Advance Reader Copy for free and I am leaving an honest review of my own volition. All thoughts are my own.*
My only little nitpick would be that we don’t get to experience her other lives. It is talked about, but I wanted to fall in love with the husbands she loved only to have them taken away! Rip my heart out! But I get why it’s done the way it is.
Spice level (1-5): 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Pretty vanilla but quite a few scenes later in the book
Kink level (1-3): ⛓️ Magical breath play, praise kink galore
We follow Princess Estella, Dragoness, as she tries to break the time loop she is trapped in. For 6 lives, she has been killed by the same man on her 22nd birthday only to start the loop again. Estella attempts to convince her father, the Dragon King, to help her defeat the man that kills her. Yet, he doesn’t believe her. Determined to break the loop and gain control over her life, she schemes a plan to trade places with her hand maiden to locate the all knowing nymphs. Believing in the tales she was told as a child, she is convinced the nymphs will have all the answers she seeks. During her grand escape, she gets kidnapped and taken to Lucien, the unofficial, King of Air. Keeping her identity secret, Estella now impersonating her hand maiden Greta, tries to continue her journey to find the nymphs. However Lucien has other plans for her. The more they are together the more their relationship shifts. But can she trust Lucien when he is dead set on revenge and ending the Dragoness? Are the secrets they keep too great for them to overcome? And just who will end up being her 7th husband??
I’d recommend King of Air to anyone who enjoys a wonderful, spicy, fantasy read with all the praise you could ever want. I mean it. If you need a little praise in your life read this book. It will charge you right up! It’s not crazy spicy, nothing that will leave you questioning things, but there is quite a bit of it. If your not a fan of spice you can always skip those chapters. A lot of the scenes are chapter/s long so they are pretty easy to skip if that’s your thing. I for one thoroughly enjoyed the spice and story. ‘Greta’ and Lucien make a lovely pair and I can’t wait to find out what happens next in book 2! If this sounds like a book you’d enjoy, be a Good Girl and pick up a copy.
Warning: Reading this book may make you talk to flowers. May make you start a rebellious phase. May make you run in the woods hoping you get kidnapped and sent to a secret town with a sexy leader. May make you switch lives with others in hopes of adventure. May make you trap your crush into seeing you naked. May make you seek out magical forests. May make you a pro liar. May make you attempt to be an animal whisperer. I will not be responsible for any maiming, loss of limb, or life if you decided to hug a polar bear. May make you fall for your captor. May make you more obedient. May make you unlock a praise kink. May make you need more batteries. May make you completely dissatisfied because where is book 2!? Read responsibly.
*I received an Advance Reader Copy for free and I am leaving an honest review of my own volition. All thoughts are my own.*
March 21, 2024
I really liked the basic idea of the book, especially the element of the time loop, which is rather unusual in fantasy books.
For me, the book started off very strong, but at about 40% in I began to wonder when the story would get back on track. I felt like the story was stuck at this point and only picked up the original plot line again at the very end. The end itself had a great plotline and made me curious for the next book even if it was a bit rushed through.
What sadly really annoyed me was that the heroine, who promised at the beginning to be independent and strong - ready to take her fate into her own hands - turned into a lovesick fool as the story progressed and wasn't cured of this by the end.
There was much focus on her attraction to him and not on her battle against destiny and her initial problems.
All in all, the story had sooo much potential for me and I would have liked it to be the epic fantasy story it could have been, but sadly wasn‘t.
For me, the book started off very strong, but at about 40% in I began to wonder when the story would get back on track. I felt like the story was stuck at this point and only picked up the original plot line again at the very end. The end itself had a great plotline and made me curious for the next book even if it was a bit rushed through.
What sadly really annoyed me was that the heroine, who promised at the beginning to be independent and strong - ready to take her fate into her own hands - turned into a lovesick fool as the story progressed and wasn't cured of this by the end.
There was much focus on her attraction to him and not on her battle against destiny and her initial problems.
All in all, the story had sooo much potential for me and I would have liked it to be the epic fantasy story it could have been, but sadly wasn‘t.
May 22, 2025
Yeah no 👎🏻
June 25, 2024
3.75 ⭐️ The story line is very interesting. It was almost 4 ⭐️ but some of the scenes seemed out of place to the rest of the book or executed kind of poorly. The twist at the end bumped it from a 3 ⭐️ to 3.75. It could be improved writing style wise but it was still a book I was engaged in and will continue the rest of the series.
March 17, 2023
Rcvd an advanced reader copy from the author for giving my two cents. Wow!! I love D.N's book. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. We meet Ella, dragoness heir and pretty much a prisoner in her own home. Her father, the Dragnon King, keeps her hidden all the time and is ruthless to a tee. There are only 3 people who know what she looks like. Ella knows she has lived 6 lives and dies in her 21st birthday..she knows because she has dreamed of them all and it always involves a man in a white mask. Her father won't believe has as usual. She's had to endure all thr pain again. Now they are at a new castle to pick her suitor...well.her father will. Smtg must be done. She has to find a way to the Mystic Forrest and she has found a way....trade places with her maid aka her friend. It could work...except on her escape she is kidnapped and when she wakes up it is the son of the man her father had killed. This place is like paradise to Ella except they don't know her as such and bag bad sexy Lucien wants to find the princess so her can get his revenge. There are secrets, lies, drama, learning about the past and a cliffhanger ending!!! Great book....bring in the.next book!!
June 6, 2023
Wow this book was good!
Honestly it would have been closer to a 5⭐️ read if it wasn’t for the amount of spicy scenes.
It was toooooo much. I’m talking like 2-3 ENTIRE chapters back to back. And then all of that again like 5 chapters later. It was just toooo much.
But I loved the twists and immediately jumping into book 2!!!
Honestly it would have been closer to a 5⭐️ read if it wasn’t for the amount of spicy scenes.
It was toooooo much. I’m talking like 2-3 ENTIRE chapters back to back. And then all of that again like 5 chapters later. It was just toooo much.
But I loved the twists and immediately jumping into book 2!!!
February 16, 2023
Excellent writing, fascinating world building, engrossing story arc and absolutely wonderful characters. Complex and intelligent. Who could ask for anything more?
September 30, 2025
I truly do not understand why this has such a high rating as it does. If you like strong fmc, action, a good romance between enemies? DO NOT READ THIS! This book should have been rewritten twice before an editor reviewed it.
Warning: Rant Ahead.
1) Setting: a fantasy-based America. Yup you read that right. America. As in, we have to go through a similar timeline to get to US of A. But you’re probably wondering maybe the time line could be different with it being a fantasy book. Probably. But we don’t know cuz it didn’t need to be in the story at all when it barely was addressed. Why have it? For the moments we’re traveling by limo or running around in jeans?? Those could have easily been swapped out of the story. It wasn’t needed.
2) Our FMC. I have no words of how much this girl irritates the life out of me. She SUPPOSEDLY reincarnated several times and yet seems to do jack with her life of each one until this one. Besides begging & pleading for people to listen to her. She didn’t learn anything from her past lives. Maybe minor things but nothing that elevates the story. None of her reactions truly felt authentic to ANY situation she is in. Her begging to her abusive tyrannical father for umpteenth time to convince him NOT get her betrothed, and expecting a different response from it??? Then there’s her thoughts. I don’t need to hear her internal struggle when it’s not. I get it. You’re in love. Please stop asking why you feel this way with your love interest.
3) The love interest. An “enemy” but is it really an enemy when insta-love is involved? Here’s a spoiler, so the girl is killed by the same villain every life cycle. Doesn’t know who it is. But the audience knows IMMEDIATELY without him ever coming onto the scene, it’s him. He’s a 2d mmc: hot, a tragic backstory, a villain but a heart of gold. If we could hear his inner thoughts, I’d guarantee they were the same as our fmc. Plus the dialogue and interactions between the two them, please get a room so we can move along to the plot.
4) The town’s ppl. Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But our girl has symphony for her captors when she shouldn’t & the towns folk are spewing the same message back to her that MC is a great guy just give a chance. Granted they’re only doing so the fmc doesn’t feel bad when she finally caves to bone this guy. (Which I legit don’t know if they do cuz I kept skipping over EVERY SINGLE TIME THEY EVEN STARTED EYE-FUCKING ONE ANOTHER. Authors, please stop, either commit or turn this obnoxious flirting/inner monologue down if you don’t know how to do it.)
I honestly could go on but I’m done. Please if you want a well rounded world building with in-depth characters and a plot that makes sense. Don’t read this one.
Warning: Rant Ahead.
1) Setting: a fantasy-based America. Yup you read that right. America. As in, we have to go through a similar timeline to get to US of A. But you’re probably wondering maybe the time line could be different with it being a fantasy book. Probably. But we don’t know cuz it didn’t need to be in the story at all when it barely was addressed. Why have it? For the moments we’re traveling by limo or running around in jeans?? Those could have easily been swapped out of the story. It wasn’t needed.
2) Our FMC. I have no words of how much this girl irritates the life out of me. She SUPPOSEDLY reincarnated several times and yet seems to do jack with her life of each one until this one. Besides begging & pleading for people to listen to her. She didn’t learn anything from her past lives. Maybe minor things but nothing that elevates the story. None of her reactions truly felt authentic to ANY situation she is in. Her begging to her abusive tyrannical father for umpteenth time to convince him NOT get her betrothed, and expecting a different response from it??? Then there’s her thoughts. I don’t need to hear her internal struggle when it’s not. I get it. You’re in love. Please stop asking why you feel this way with your love interest.
3) The love interest. An “enemy” but is it really an enemy when insta-love is involved? Here’s a spoiler, so the girl is killed by the same villain every life cycle. Doesn’t know who it is. But the audience knows IMMEDIATELY without him ever coming onto the scene, it’s him. He’s a 2d mmc: hot, a tragic backstory, a villain but a heart of gold. If we could hear his inner thoughts, I’d guarantee they were the same as our fmc. Plus the dialogue and interactions between the two them, please get a room so we can move along to the plot.
4) The town’s ppl. Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But our girl has symphony for her captors when she shouldn’t & the towns folk are spewing the same message back to her that MC is a great guy just give a chance. Granted they’re only doing so the fmc doesn’t feel bad when she finally caves to bone this guy. (Which I legit don’t know if they do cuz I kept skipping over EVERY SINGLE TIME THEY EVEN STARTED EYE-FUCKING ONE ANOTHER. Authors, please stop, either commit or turn this obnoxious flirting/inner monologue down if you don’t know how to do it.)
I honestly could go on but I’m done. Please if you want a well rounded world building with in-depth characters and a plot that makes sense. Don’t read this one.
May 24, 2024
Before starting to read this book I expected more of a Groundhog Day time loop. My expectation was incorrect (I should have not gone in with expectations but I was still lost regardless) and I found myself very confused. How did the main character even know she was in a time loop if she just kept reliving the same life starting from being born? I wanted more of an explanation on how she knew she was in a time loop and what memories she had to support this theory. How did she know it was the 7th time she was alive if she only had some memories of each life- how did she know it wasn’t actually the 27th time she was reliving the same life? I will say this was explained more as I continued reading but I was just lost at the beginning.
I also found myself a bit confused on the time period. It was modern with phones, internet and cars but still had carriages? I just wish it was explained a bit more so I could picture it easier in my head.
Overall I absolutely loved the story. The love story was fast paced but still had a lot of growth and didn’t seem out of character or rushed. It was believable and a beautiful love story. I am excited to read the next book.
I also found myself a bit confused on the time period. It was modern with phones, internet and cars but still had carriages? I just wish it was explained a bit more so I could picture it easier in my head.
Overall I absolutely loved the story. The love story was fast paced but still had a lot of growth and didn’t seem out of character or rushed. It was believable and a beautiful love story. I am excited to read the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2024
Not enough dragons for my liking… I wanted more dragons...
I don’t think it helped that apparently I’m not a fan of dragon shifters? I would rather there be humans AND dragons. Not humans who turn into dragons… That’s just my personal preference though. The cover of this book promised dragons and there are no interactions with dragons through the whole book? Just talk of dragon shifters and very vague ‘memories’ of shifting into one.
I’d seen this book recommended from readers who enjoyed fourth wing and it was not what I was expecting. It started off well until it fizzled out. The characters weren’t fleshed out enough for my liking. The relationships weren’t either. The relationship seemed to revolve around sexual attraction rather than an emotional connection. And I also found out that I’m not a fan of reincarnation/time loop tropes.
I don’t think it helped that apparently I’m not a fan of dragon shifters? I would rather there be humans AND dragons. Not humans who turn into dragons… That’s just my personal preference though. The cover of this book promised dragons and there are no interactions with dragons through the whole book? Just talk of dragon shifters and very vague ‘memories’ of shifting into one.
I’d seen this book recommended from readers who enjoyed fourth wing and it was not what I was expecting. It started off well until it fizzled out. The characters weren’t fleshed out enough for my liking. The relationships weren’t either. The relationship seemed to revolve around sexual attraction rather than an emotional connection. And I also found out that I’m not a fan of reincarnation/time loop tropes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2025
I have so many things to say about this book and author. The world building was lacking to say the least. If you’re going to have it be “modern” AND “renaissance-y” then I need you to commit to both of them. You can’t tell me I’m at an old ethereal castle then say it’s in New Jersey… very off putting. The FMC was unintelligent and whiney to say the least. It’s getting two stars bc there were some things that intrigued me like the shifting & magic portions but overall this book felt like a culmination of other creations. Most importantly, this book was repetitive and answered ALMOST NO questions forcing/ hoping I will read the others. I wish I got more questions answered in this one. I would not recommend this read unfortunately.
November 18, 2023
Quite the story!
Almost like a mix between Romeo and Juliet, and beauty and the beast. While I didn't want to know what was coming, it was hard not to with all the foreshadowing. Thank goodness this is a complete series!
Almost like a mix between Romeo and Juliet, and beauty and the beast. While I didn't want to know what was coming, it was hard not to with all the foreshadowing. Thank goodness this is a complete series!
March 23, 2024
so i really liked this but the plot is kinda messy. this also took a really weird smut turn where it was just never ending. i absolutely love the time loop plot and how this book ended though. probably closer to a 4 star? 3 star? i don’t know
May 12, 2024
amazing story
First off, I love dragons. Even better when they are rare and the villain. This book was such an amazing story. There are no such things as coincidences. I’m excited to see how this life is going to end, or how it could possibly start again.
First off, I love dragons. Even better when they are rare and the villain. This book was such an amazing story. There are no such things as coincidences. I’m excited to see how this life is going to end, or how it could possibly start again.
August 22, 2023
dragons and love
Dragons! Love! This book was a page turning escape and I loved every second of it. Already reading the next
Dragons! Love! This book was a page turning escape and I loved every second of it. Already reading the next
October 27, 2024
Poorly written. Had so much potential. DNF and that’s extremely rare for me no matter how bad the book is written. I picked up this book after being brain washed with repeated ads on instagram and it sounded interesting. Unfortunately the writing, the way the story was told was just bad.
April 12, 2025
I hate when the only interesting part of a book is the ending 😒 I just need spark notes for the rest of the series
February 27, 2023
Was really good. Waiting for the next
October 13, 2023
obsessed
I am loving this series so far! The world building is excellent, and I’m obsessed with Ella and Lucien. This is slow burn at its finest, it’s not so slow that I got bored or felt like there was a lot of unnecessary filler. It was perfection and I’m diving straight into the next book!
I am loving this series so far! The world building is excellent, and I’m obsessed with Ella and Lucien. This is slow burn at its finest, it’s not so slow that I got bored or felt like there was a lot of unnecessary filler. It was perfection and I’m diving straight into the next book!
March 10, 2023
Romeo and Juliet retelling meets Princess and the Pauper
I can tell within the first couple of pages how I'm going to feel about a book. Often, with Kindle Unlimited, I get the sense that I'm going to enjoy it but not well enough to be able to say good things about it or the writing isn't quality enough. So I don't review it.
This one.
Sigh.
It was good. It was actually really good. I want to clarify that there were just chapters of sex. And I'm not talking about those parts.
Not the first book I've read where we've had a princess and a pauper situation (with the princess having intense magic/abilities/lineage that she "needs to" be kept veiled and/or hidden) that involves kidnapping from the enemy. The trope is well-done here. It didn't drive me to "Well, I know every plot twist that's going to happen by the first four chapters." That's happened. I was mightily disappointed. The author managed to surprise me, which surprises me.
And I also really liked the growth and depiction of the two leads' bond. I am not advocating for falling in love with your kidnapper. That's a huge red flag. Yes, this is an enemies to lovers. But the reason they're enemies isn't necessarily because of THEM. Well, kind of. The logistics are a little difficult. It's kind of a Romeo and Juliet retelling. But without those circumstances, they would not be enemies and would instead probably be the staunchest of allies and lovers. Unfortunately, it is the circumstances that allow them to meet. Which is tragic, really. I'm not swooning over them like I do Jude and Cardan or Brienne and Jaime (again, kidnapping bad, super red flag). But they fit together so well and I get the feeling that if they actually worked together, they'd be an absolutely entirely unstoppable pair.
That revelation...toward the end (not the last one, but within the last thirty or so pages still), I wasn't expecting. I was expecting the rest of them. But that one got me. Which explains so much. Why there were four types. Why his dad thought he could do what he did (assuming he got it from the dad, not the mom, which is possible). Why her dad was so hellbent on that one aspect of the thing. It explains a lot. And I'm hoping I'm not wrong with my understanding because wow would that be embarrassing if I was wrong. But also, that would be a logical way to go. But hey, if I'm wrong, hopefully I'm wrong for an even better reason.
We don't get to see a whole lot of DRAGON in the book. Which is upsetting only because that's the whole reason why it caught my attention. I stayed because I genuinely liked the main character and I thought there were some interesting aspects going on in the world. Which got a little eyerolly. Not going to lie. But it's fine.
Speaking of interesting aspects of the world, reliving your own murder multiple times? Knowing who and when but not how or where? I have been reading a lot of them lately which is excellent because I am 100% here for murder mysteries like that. I don't think I'm going to get tired of it. And the fun part of this one is the main character, don't remember what her name is, has years breathing down her throat before it happens again. And isn't that just horrifying and delightful?
...Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not sure what the actual plot is. Damn. Have to drop a star.
I can tell within the first couple of pages how I'm going to feel about a book. Often, with Kindle Unlimited, I get the sense that I'm going to enjoy it but not well enough to be able to say good things about it or the writing isn't quality enough. So I don't review it.
This one.
Sigh.
It was good. It was actually really good. I want to clarify that there were just chapters of sex. And I'm not talking about those parts.
Not the first book I've read where we've had a princess and a pauper situation (with the princess having intense magic/abilities/lineage that she "needs to" be kept veiled and/or hidden) that involves kidnapping from the enemy. The trope is well-done here. It didn't drive me to "Well, I know every plot twist that's going to happen by the first four chapters." That's happened. I was mightily disappointed. The author managed to surprise me, which surprises me.
And I also really liked the growth and depiction of the two leads' bond. I am not advocating for falling in love with your kidnapper. That's a huge red flag. Yes, this is an enemies to lovers. But the reason they're enemies isn't necessarily because of THEM. Well, kind of. The logistics are a little difficult. It's kind of a Romeo and Juliet retelling. But without those circumstances, they would not be enemies and would instead probably be the staunchest of allies and lovers. Unfortunately, it is the circumstances that allow them to meet. Which is tragic, really. I'm not swooning over them like I do Jude and Cardan or Brienne and Jaime (again, kidnapping bad, super red flag). But they fit together so well and I get the feeling that if they actually worked together, they'd be an absolutely entirely unstoppable pair.
That revelation...toward the end (not the last one, but within the last thirty or so pages still), I wasn't expecting. I was expecting the rest of them. But that one got me. Which explains so much. Why there were four types. Why his dad thought he could do what he did (assuming he got it from the dad, not the mom, which is possible). Why her dad was so hellbent on that one aspect of the thing. It explains a lot. And I'm hoping I'm not wrong with my understanding because wow would that be embarrassing if I was wrong. But also, that would be a logical way to go. But hey, if I'm wrong, hopefully I'm wrong for an even better reason.
We don't get to see a whole lot of DRAGON in the book. Which is upsetting only because that's the whole reason why it caught my attention. I stayed because I genuinely liked the main character and I thought there were some interesting aspects going on in the world. Which got a little eyerolly. Not going to lie. But it's fine.
Speaking of interesting aspects of the world, reliving your own murder multiple times? Knowing who and when but not how or where? I have been reading a lot of them lately which is excellent because I am 100% here for murder mysteries like that. I don't think I'm going to get tired of it. And the fun part of this one is the main character, don't remember what her name is, has years breathing down her throat before it happens again. And isn't that just horrifying and delightful?
...Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not sure what the actual plot is. Damn. Have to drop a star.
September 22, 2023
2.7. why was it kinda good????
July 26, 2023
I understand this is a debut novel, and I truly think the plot was a great idea, however this read like a poorly written fanfiction. I felt like the author did not fully think out the details before writing the book and the interactions between the characters were unbearably repetitive. I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn't give it higher than 1 star. Spoilers below to go more into depth:
______SPOILERS BELOW________________
First my biggest frustration is that it is said that anyone who aids in providing outside contact to Ella will die (taking outside, giving a phone, etc). However, Ella decides that it would be a great idea to switch with her lady's maid to leave the castle - and somehow two of three guardians are just kind of fine with that.....I felt like this was a glaring plot hole; especially since her closest maid doesn't believe her story about the time loop.
Every interaction between the FMC and other characters is repeated. They have the exact same conversations. Her interactions with Janet are just Janet trying to convince her that Lucien is a decent guy. Her interactions with Lucien's friend/guard (I forgot his name) are just how much he will torture her if she doesn't tell Lucien what he wants. And the interactions between Ella and Lucien were so whiplash inducing, it was comical. One moment she is furious at him, but then kisses his cheek, then goes back to hating him. Then he keeps telling her over and over that she is his property and can do what he wishes with her. So one interaction will be threatening with him and then suddenly they are kissing or talking about how amazing the other is.....not sure how it got to that point.
Somehow he has the violin from her previous life, but nothing is ever explained about that. Also, she can remember her previous lives sometimes, but others the details are described as fuzzy. She remembers enough to discuss her husbands with her maid, then later cannot recall how she dies in a few of them.
There were so many plot holes, and the character interactions were awful. I just cannot recommend this book despite the overall plot being an interesting concept. I hope writing improves over the series, but I will not be reading the next book.
______SPOILERS BELOW________________
First my biggest frustration is that it is said that anyone who aids in providing outside contact to Ella will die (taking outside, giving a phone, etc). However, Ella decides that it would be a great idea to switch with her lady's maid to leave the castle - and somehow two of three guardians are just kind of fine with that.....I felt like this was a glaring plot hole; especially since her closest maid doesn't believe her story about the time loop.
Every interaction between the FMC and other characters is repeated. They have the exact same conversations. Her interactions with Janet are just Janet trying to convince her that Lucien is a decent guy. Her interactions with Lucien's friend/guard (I forgot his name) are just how much he will torture her if she doesn't tell Lucien what he wants. And the interactions between Ella and Lucien were so whiplash inducing, it was comical. One moment she is furious at him, but then kisses his cheek, then goes back to hating him. Then he keeps telling her over and over that she is his property and can do what he wishes with her. So one interaction will be threatening with him and then suddenly they are kissing or talking about how amazing the other is.....not sure how it got to that point.
Somehow he has the violin from her previous life, but nothing is ever explained about that. Also, she can remember her previous lives sometimes, but others the details are described as fuzzy. She remembers enough to discuss her husbands with her maid, then later cannot recall how she dies in a few of them.
There were so many plot holes, and the character interactions were awful. I just cannot recommend this book despite the overall plot being an interesting concept. I hope writing improves over the series, but I will not be reading the next book.
May 3, 2023
This is book one of the Reign of Dragons series and the main characters are Ella (Estella) Azarius, only child of the dragon king, and Lucien Di Laurier, who has a haven hidden by air magic called Aither, where shifters are safe from the dragon king and his men. Ella has been raised by her father after her mother died, but has basically been a prisoner in the castle, never allowed to even show her face apart from to her main guard Trevor, lady’s maid Greta and main cook Malda. They are the only ones allowed in her room and to ever see her face, to ensure no one knows what she looks like and she can’t be taken and held over her father as a bargaining chip. She has to wear an artora, a magically shielded veil which she can see out of and no one, not even a powerful magic user like her father, can see into. She has to appear for her birthday party, but before it she tried to speak to her father about what had been happening to her, not that he listened. She has been reliving her life in a time loop that goes from just after her mother’s death, to the day after her twenty second birthday, when a masked intruder kills her every time. She is now in the seventh repetition of this life and it is driving her mad. She has no freedom to get out there and try to find out who might be doing this and no one other than her maid and best friend Greta, will even listen to her and partly believe her! Her father is feared by many and a hard man to deal with, but she has no idea of just exactly how cruel he really is. He isn’t afraid to beat her when she lets him down or tries to disagree with him, but she will soon find out a whole lot more about his real cruelty.
Seeing no other choice, she decides to get her maid to swop places with her, as they arrive at the tournament where shifters will compete for her hand in marriage, chosen by her father from the top performers, to ensure she carries on his legacy and family line! She manages to get out of the tower where she is staying, but only narrowly manages to escape Trevor as he realises what she is doing. Only problem is that as soon as she reaches the woods she is kidnapped by another shifter, who works for Lucien, an enemy of her father. The kidnapper tells Lucien that she is the princess, but thankfully she is dressed as a main and goes by Greta’s name and since her kidnapper was drunk as usual, none of them believe him. She finds out that Lucien created this haven for shifters and magic users, who would be in danger from the rules of her father. He was nicknamed the King of Air by his own father, who trained him in Air magic from an early age and saw how proficient he was with it. His air magic keeps the village complete invisible to anyone outside of it and also keeps her imprisoned inside it! He is extremely handsome, but also cocky and reckons she can be useful in his revenge plot against her father. He wants to target the princess whilst she is away from home at this tournament, believing she will be easier to access. He has very personal reasons to want revenge and she is going to be forced to give him as much information as he needs about the princess! Everyone believes that the princess is just as evil as her father, especially with the risk to the men in the tournament, all fighting to become her husband and the risks involved.
The only problem is that she has never had any freedom or been able to even leave the castle she lives in, to even experience the outside world. All she has learnt is what she was taught and that was ruled by her father, so it was certainly narrow in context. She has no idea of exactly what he and her ancestors had done to rule all shifters and magic users. Pretending to be her maid, even as a prisoner of Lucien’s, has given her a lot more freedom than she has ever experienced before in her life. She gets to know his staff, Adeline and Ron, but it is Janet, who normally looks after the fields, who she becomes friendly with as she is forced to show Ella around and accompany her when she is outside of the cabin she was first put in, then Lucien’s own home. Ella is amazed to see the people using magic, water users by the lake, with air and earth users as well. Everyone seems to like Lucien, but he has one sidekick Ezrail, who Ella really doesn’t like, getting a bad feeling from him, made clear one day when he makes it plain what he will do to her once Lucien is finished trying to get information from her! Ella has to remember to pretend to be Greta, because if any of them, especially Lucien, ever found out she is actually the princess, they would kill her on the spot. She tries to not give away any information, trying to escape in the beginning, as she wanted to find some nymphs to get answers to her mystery killer and the time loop she has been stuck in. She has to return to the tournament before it finishes and before her father turns up for the last day and tells her who her husband will be!
Lucien ad Ella actually get closer as they spend more time together and he finds her affinity to animals useful to help with the smaller animals in the forest who were being harmed by the magic that hid the village from all. He even learns a bit about how to be with the animals, who are often scared of shifters because of the animals within them. She can feel something awakening within her when she is with him and eventually his own attraction to her is made plain as well. He is something she would never have been allowed until now, only when she was married in her past lives, which are not easy to remember as such, with most people being different in each life apart from those closest to her. Lucien tries to get to the princess with his men, but almost dies in the attempt. He is planning something else and Ella can’t stand to see her father kill him! He is pretty much everything she has always dreamed of having and Aither is a place she could see herself growing old in, but she can leave her friend Greta to the anger of her father if he discovers her gone! She can only take whatever she can get from Lucien and the friendship with others, until her time is up and she must escape back to her prison, where her death will await her on the same day as the last six times, unless the loop is broken. She will have to try and stop him, especially since he really doesn’t know how innocent the princess truly is and that it is Ella who he fell in love with! I can’t wait to see what will happen next, as the story ends suddenly and leaves you wondering how it might end. A long read, but one that you won’t want to put down and that certainly kept my attention the whole way through and meant I read it in a day. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Seeing no other choice, she decides to get her maid to swop places with her, as they arrive at the tournament where shifters will compete for her hand in marriage, chosen by her father from the top performers, to ensure she carries on his legacy and family line! She manages to get out of the tower where she is staying, but only narrowly manages to escape Trevor as he realises what she is doing. Only problem is that as soon as she reaches the woods she is kidnapped by another shifter, who works for Lucien, an enemy of her father. The kidnapper tells Lucien that she is the princess, but thankfully she is dressed as a main and goes by Greta’s name and since her kidnapper was drunk as usual, none of them believe him. She finds out that Lucien created this haven for shifters and magic users, who would be in danger from the rules of her father. He was nicknamed the King of Air by his own father, who trained him in Air magic from an early age and saw how proficient he was with it. His air magic keeps the village complete invisible to anyone outside of it and also keeps her imprisoned inside it! He is extremely handsome, but also cocky and reckons she can be useful in his revenge plot against her father. He wants to target the princess whilst she is away from home at this tournament, believing she will be easier to access. He has very personal reasons to want revenge and she is going to be forced to give him as much information as he needs about the princess! Everyone believes that the princess is just as evil as her father, especially with the risk to the men in the tournament, all fighting to become her husband and the risks involved.
The only problem is that she has never had any freedom or been able to even leave the castle she lives in, to even experience the outside world. All she has learnt is what she was taught and that was ruled by her father, so it was certainly narrow in context. She has no idea of exactly what he and her ancestors had done to rule all shifters and magic users. Pretending to be her maid, even as a prisoner of Lucien’s, has given her a lot more freedom than she has ever experienced before in her life. She gets to know his staff, Adeline and Ron, but it is Janet, who normally looks after the fields, who she becomes friendly with as she is forced to show Ella around and accompany her when she is outside of the cabin she was first put in, then Lucien’s own home. Ella is amazed to see the people using magic, water users by the lake, with air and earth users as well. Everyone seems to like Lucien, but he has one sidekick Ezrail, who Ella really doesn’t like, getting a bad feeling from him, made clear one day when he makes it plain what he will do to her once Lucien is finished trying to get information from her! Ella has to remember to pretend to be Greta, because if any of them, especially Lucien, ever found out she is actually the princess, they would kill her on the spot. She tries to not give away any information, trying to escape in the beginning, as she wanted to find some nymphs to get answers to her mystery killer and the time loop she has been stuck in. She has to return to the tournament before it finishes and before her father turns up for the last day and tells her who her husband will be!
Lucien ad Ella actually get closer as they spend more time together and he finds her affinity to animals useful to help with the smaller animals in the forest who were being harmed by the magic that hid the village from all. He even learns a bit about how to be with the animals, who are often scared of shifters because of the animals within them. She can feel something awakening within her when she is with him and eventually his own attraction to her is made plain as well. He is something she would never have been allowed until now, only when she was married in her past lives, which are not easy to remember as such, with most people being different in each life apart from those closest to her. Lucien tries to get to the princess with his men, but almost dies in the attempt. He is planning something else and Ella can’t stand to see her father kill him! He is pretty much everything she has always dreamed of having and Aither is a place she could see herself growing old in, but she can leave her friend Greta to the anger of her father if he discovers her gone! She can only take whatever she can get from Lucien and the friendship with others, until her time is up and she must escape back to her prison, where her death will await her on the same day as the last six times, unless the loop is broken. She will have to try and stop him, especially since he really doesn’t know how innocent the princess truly is and that it is Ella who he fell in love with! I can’t wait to see what will happen next, as the story ends suddenly and leaves you wondering how it might end. A long read, but one that you won’t want to put down and that certainly kept my attention the whole way through and meant I read it in a day. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
October 22, 2023
I don’t know exactly how I should rate this book.
The setting was weird in my opinion. It was written like a medieval fantasy world and from time to time the author reminds us that it’s the modern world with smart phones, the internet and everything… just in the place where most of the story plays there’s no connection 😂 ok why choose this setting then?
The overall story had so much potential, it was really intriguing and interesting to get to know everything.
Ella was a likeable but not immensely likeable character. Whereas Lucien… puh… he ruined the whole story for me. First he is the captor and really bad but the whole town tells Ella he’s a nice guy. Like yes, a captor is suuuuch a nice guy! They only saw what they wanted to see and nothing more. Lucien is the typical bad boy, no layers to him imo and it was ok for me cause I thought maybe we’ll get to know him with time… but Ella and Lucien didn’t communicate other than „tell me what I want to know“ - „No“ - „Ok“ that’s basically their whole conversation for 70-80% of the book. Then the first sex scene happens and I don’t know what to say. He’s soooo dominant, I just didn’t like it. After that scene they are naked on the bed and his friends want to come in, he lets them in and it’s just an awkward situation. The friends want to give her room to cover up but HE decides for her that she only covers herself if HE wants her covered. I mean 🤯 that was honestly the point where this book lost me.
This is I think the first book I’ve read where the „love“ story ruined the book for me and that’s the reason I don’t want to continue reading it…
The setting was weird in my opinion. It was written like a medieval fantasy world and from time to time the author reminds us that it’s the modern world with smart phones, the internet and everything… just in the place where most of the story plays there’s no connection 😂 ok why choose this setting then?
The overall story had so much potential, it was really intriguing and interesting to get to know everything.
Ella was a likeable but not immensely likeable character. Whereas Lucien… puh… he ruined the whole story for me. First he is the captor and really bad but the whole town tells Ella he’s a nice guy. Like yes, a captor is suuuuch a nice guy! They only saw what they wanted to see and nothing more. Lucien is the typical bad boy, no layers to him imo and it was ok for me cause I thought maybe we’ll get to know him with time… but Ella and Lucien didn’t communicate other than „tell me what I want to know“ - „No“ - „Ok“ that’s basically their whole conversation for 70-80% of the book. Then the first sex scene happens and I don’t know what to say. He’s soooo dominant, I just didn’t like it. After that scene they are naked on the bed and his friends want to come in, he lets them in and it’s just an awkward situation. The friends want to give her room to cover up but HE decides for her that she only covers herself if HE wants her covered. I mean 🤯 that was honestly the point where this book lost me.
This is I think the first book I’ve read where the „love“ story ruined the book for me and that’s the reason I don’t want to continue reading it…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2023
I’m going to be honest I only got to about 10% into this book. I’ve read other stories involving time loops and I love seeing how the different iterations play out and how the MC changes their actions and path in an effort to change the future and either stay alive or seek a particular outcome.
In this book the FMC comes off as so passive and I can’t tell if every iteration of her life is different or if it goes the same every time because there’s barely a mention of it. She basically wants her abusive dad to fix it for her and I just can’t relate. Why be afraid to die if there’s no genuine consequence for it. I do genuinely believe there are things worse than death but girl, run away. Try anything because doing nothing clearly isn’t working.
In this book the FMC comes off as so passive and I can’t tell if every iteration of her life is different or if it goes the same every time because there’s barely a mention of it. She basically wants her abusive dad to fix it for her and I just can’t relate. Why be afraid to die if there’s no genuine consequence for it. I do genuinely believe there are things worse than death but girl, run away. Try anything because doing nothing clearly isn’t working.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews