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The Mad King and the False Queen #1
The Mad King and the False Queen
Win a free kindle copy of this book!
20 days and 02:27:16
100 copies available
U.S. only
A princess and the pauper retelling with a marriage of convenience, perfect for fans of Once Upon a Broken Heart, Twin Crowns, and Throne of Glass. One princess. One assassin. One switch that puts both their lives at stake.
Azurem is one of four kingdoms ruled by guardians of magic. On the day that Princess Magdalena is to be crowned, she discovers that she wields a different, more volatile power than her father, calling into question the legitimacy of her birthright. The crown she was born to wear now hangs in the balance – and her new magic must remain a secret or else risk igniting a battle for the throne.
Ever since she was a child, Dagmara served the royal family of Azurem. As the most lethal and covert royal assassin, her job is a means to provide a better life for her brother. However, when Princess Magdalena’s father is killed, Dagmara begins to suspect the infamous Mad King – a man known for his terrorizing reign in an enemy kingdom.
When Princess Magdalena receives a marriage proposal from the Mad King, the girls devise a plan to switch places. Princess Magdalena investigates her newfound powers on a quest full of romance, secrets, and espionage, while Dagmara goes undercover as the Mad King’s betrothed to bring him to justice once and for all. As Dagmara delves into the Mad King’s involvement in the murder, she catches the eye of his suspicious and handsome captain, a man that embodies danger and desire. Caught between her heart and her blade, Dagmara must navigate politics and ancient clues that bring her closer to the truth – a truth that could unravel the fabric of the kingdom she has bled to protect.
Azurem is one of four kingdoms ruled by guardians of magic. On the day that Princess Magdalena is to be crowned, she discovers that she wields a different, more volatile power than her father, calling into question the legitimacy of her birthright. The crown she was born to wear now hangs in the balance – and her new magic must remain a secret or else risk igniting a battle for the throne.
Ever since she was a child, Dagmara served the royal family of Azurem. As the most lethal and covert royal assassin, her job is a means to provide a better life for her brother. However, when Princess Magdalena’s father is killed, Dagmara begins to suspect the infamous Mad King – a man known for his terrorizing reign in an enemy kingdom.
When Princess Magdalena receives a marriage proposal from the Mad King, the girls devise a plan to switch places. Princess Magdalena investigates her newfound powers on a quest full of romance, secrets, and espionage, while Dagmara goes undercover as the Mad King’s betrothed to bring him to justice once and for all. As Dagmara delves into the Mad King’s involvement in the murder, she catches the eye of his suspicious and handsome captain, a man that embodies danger and desire. Caught between her heart and her blade, Dagmara must navigate politics and ancient clues that bring her closer to the truth – a truth that could unravel the fabric of the kingdom she has bled to protect.
510 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 18, 2024
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8880 people want to read
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June 25, 2024
3.75!
"I have too many battles to fight"
"Then I want to be the person you return to when your battles are over."
I just had to sit on this rating for a while because on one hand I had so much fun with it while on the other hand there were problems that definitely did not help with my reading experience. The writing style was good, I had no problems with that. It managed to keep me hooked and was fast paced as well and for a debut novel I think both the authors did a spectacular job with making us go with the flow.
We have two main characters Magdalena and Dragmara.
I personally did not like Magdalena's pov at all, her as a character felt too boring and shallow for me and her monologue was just very bland, I wanted to skim it at times because it slowed the pacing of the book so much!! Like it would be going so good and then we'd get hit by her pov's and it would just disrupt the pacing because I swear to god I preferred Dragmara's 18 paged chapters over her 5 paged chapters and as for her love interests Ravi 🥲 I couldn't connect to him either so obviously when I can't connect to both the characters the romance is bound to doom 😭 so yeah everything regarding them in the book definitely did not work for me. Which bring us to......
....Dragmara 🥁 I am so, so, so happy that we got a major portion of the book in her point if view because ir made everything so much better and i enjoyed it so much. I was actually rooting for her and I loved how we got elements of suspense and mystery thrown in as well and how both Claude the king (love interest) and her were trying to destroy each other 🤭 so her point of view played out well, I honestly just think that for an assassin she really wasnt thay strong 😭 or maybe I've just read about really, really strong assassins. Claude 😩 I was so conflicted about him but I love dhim throughout and he was definitely a misunderstood morally grey character 🙃 as for the romance?? It was perfect *chefs fucking kiss* 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻 it was all I wanted and I'm so happy that I got it because it single handedly saved it.
The plot was again split into two. I personally loved Dragmara's more and I couldn't care less about Magdalenas 😭😭 sorry for the hate but I just couldn't stand her but how everything tied up and the plot twists led out were down very well and that ending was just mean 😡 I will definitely be reading the next one.
Overall, an enjoyable read and I can't wait for the next one to come out!!
___
yk the book is gonna be fire when it starts with the line "Dragmara felt safer when her gloves were laced with poison"
*Thank you to the author for sending me an E-ARC of this book*
"I have too many battles to fight"
"Then I want to be the person you return to when your battles are over."
I just had to sit on this rating for a while because on one hand I had so much fun with it while on the other hand there were problems that definitely did not help with my reading experience. The writing style was good, I had no problems with that. It managed to keep me hooked and was fast paced as well and for a debut novel I think both the authors did a spectacular job with making us go with the flow.
We have two main characters Magdalena and Dragmara.
I personally did not like Magdalena's pov at all, her as a character felt too boring and shallow for me and her monologue was just very bland, I wanted to skim it at times because it slowed the pacing of the book so much!! Like it would be going so good and then we'd get hit by her pov's and it would just disrupt the pacing because I swear to god I preferred Dragmara's 18 paged chapters over her 5 paged chapters and as for her love interests Ravi 🥲 I couldn't connect to him either so obviously when I can't connect to both the characters the romance is bound to doom 😭 so yeah everything regarding them in the book definitely did not work for me. Which bring us to......
....Dragmara 🥁 I am so, so, so happy that we got a major portion of the book in her point if view because ir made everything so much better and i enjoyed it so much. I was actually rooting for her and I loved how we got elements of suspense and mystery thrown in as well and how both Claude the king (love interest) and her were trying to destroy each other 🤭 so her point of view played out well, I honestly just think that for an assassin she really wasnt thay strong 😭 or maybe I've just read about really, really strong assassins. Claude 😩 I was so conflicted about him but I love dhim throughout and he was definitely a misunderstood morally grey character 🙃 as for the romance?? It was perfect *chefs fucking kiss* 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻 it was all I wanted and I'm so happy that I got it because it single handedly saved it.
The plot was again split into two. I personally loved Dragmara's more and I couldn't care less about Magdalenas 😭😭 sorry for the hate but I just couldn't stand her but how everything tied up and the plot twists led out were down very well and that ending was just mean 😡 I will definitely be reading the next one.
Overall, an enjoyable read and I can't wait for the next one to come out!!
___
yk the book is gonna be fire when it starts with the line "Dragmara felt safer when her gloves were laced with poison"
*Thank you to the author for sending me an E-ARC of this book*
dnf
June 22, 2024 Unfortunately, by chapter 3 I knew for certain that I was not a fan of the writing. DNF - unlikely I'll return to this one.
I would like to give a big thank you to Hope Abrom for providing me with a complementary digital arc of what sounds to be an absolute romantasy banger in exchange for my thoughts!
I can't wait to get to this, hopefully this week! And here we go 🤸♀️🤸♀️
I would like to give a big thank you to Hope Abrom for providing me with a complementary digital arc of what sounds to be an absolute romantasy banger in exchange for my thoughts!
June 2, 2024
➸ 5 stars
Thank you so much to the Abrom authors for sending me an arc of this amazing book! I loved every page and had so much fun reading it <3
🌹 𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐯/𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬
🌹 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜
🌹 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲, 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞
🌹 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩, 𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧
🌹 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐞, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥
🌹magdalena - I feel like I didn’t connect to her character individually as much as the others, her storyline was a lot slower but I still enjoyed her adventure and her time with Ravi was the cutest ever!
“Do you take it upon yourself to rescue every damsel in distress that ruins one of your street performances?”
“No, just you.”
🌹ravi - I loved him!! A street violinist falling for the princess and he doesn’t know she’s a princess?! I ate that little trope up!
🌹magdalena & ravi - They are SO CUTE!! I literally loved how he immediately liked her the first time they saw each other and how they continued to run into each other and formed a little team together <3
“𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.”
“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫.”
“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲? 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭.”
One of my favorite things about their romance was the way he constantly tried to be with her no matter what stood between them, all he wanted was her and he made that known! He would do anything for her and was so protective of her from the start!!!
· · ───────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬.”
🌹dagmara - I loved her heart, she deserves the world! She’s had a hard life and so much worry in her for the people around her and is going through so much shes such a strong girl!
“She was the daughter of an assassin, a girl with a condition the nurses couldn’t name, and she just wanted someone to love every part of her, not only the outside appearance.”
“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐚𝐦. 𝐀 𝐌𝐚𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠.”
🌹claude - this is my husband I LOVE misunderstood morally grey men! His backstory made me feel for him :( he cares so much for his people and is okay with having them believe him to be something he isn’t to protect them.
“I know you don’t trust me, but I vow to do what I can to keep you safe.”
“𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.”
“𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
“𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.”
🌹dagmara & claude - The ENEMIES TROPE with the MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE where they BOTH DONT TRUST EACH OTHER I ate it up! It created so much tension & banter!! I was smiling like an idiot at them going at each other just anticipating what would happen later on when the hatred started turning into something more ;)
“I can’t decide if I trust you,” “What is a king who can’t make a decision?”
“A thoughtful one.”
“𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐬.”
“𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.”
They were each others comfort in a way; she always made him smile subtly and he always remembered things about her and made sure she had what she needed at all times!! They fit together so well, they made each other feel all these emotions they’ve never felt before, they calmed each other! It showed vulnerability and trust starting to form deep inside they truly care for each other so much without realizing it!!
“𝐈𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.”
“I can’t stand you.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“If I wasn’t mad before, you will gladly drive me insane,”
“Gladly.”
Just when they start to trust each other, THEY GO BACK TO SQUARE ONE (honestly loved this since I’m utterly obsessed with slow burns) I have so many more quotes but I NEED to share this love confession…
“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐒𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝. 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰…𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.”
This confession will be embedded in my mind forever!
“𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞?”
“𝐘𝐞𝐬,”
“𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈’𝐦 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
“𝐈 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐝.”
· · ───────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞. 𝐃𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞.”
As much as I loved the king, there was a hot, mysterious and shamelessly flirty captain lurking around in the shadows and had such a tension filled meet cute that involved daggers and stabbing… I ate it up ;) The banter had me on the floor there was so much tension between them!!
· · ───────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠…” “𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐞? 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞?”
“𝐈…” “𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐞.”
“𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥?”
“𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐮𝐩. 𝐍𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐞.”
MY HEART ABSOLUTELY BROKE AND THEN THE ENDING RIGHT AFTER THAT?! MY JAW WAS ON MY FLOOR I GASPED LIKE NEVER BEFORE I THREW MY KINDLE ACROSS THE ROOM I NEED THE SECOND BOOK NOW BECAUSE WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?!
“We are not defined by our titles, our appearances, or our…” “…or our illnesses. We are defined by the actions we take, and the difference we make in this world, no matter how small.”
Thank you so much to the Abrom authors for sending me an arc of this amazing book! I loved every page and had so much fun reading it <3
🌹 𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐯/𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬
🌹 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜
🌹 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲, 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞
🌹 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩, 𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧
🌹 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐞, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥
🌹magdalena - I feel like I didn’t connect to her character individually as much as the others, her storyline was a lot slower but I still enjoyed her adventure and her time with Ravi was the cutest ever!
“Do you take it upon yourself to rescue every damsel in distress that ruins one of your street performances?”
“No, just you.”
🌹ravi - I loved him!! A street violinist falling for the princess and he doesn’t know she’s a princess?! I ate that little trope up!
🌹magdalena & ravi - They are SO CUTE!! I literally loved how he immediately liked her the first time they saw each other and how they continued to run into each other and formed a little team together <3
“𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.”
“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫.”
“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲? 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭.”
One of my favorite things about their romance was the way he constantly tried to be with her no matter what stood between them, all he wanted was her and he made that known! He would do anything for her and was so protective of her from the start!!!
· · ───────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬.”
🌹dagmara - I loved her heart, she deserves the world! She’s had a hard life and so much worry in her for the people around her and is going through so much shes such a strong girl!
“She was the daughter of an assassin, a girl with a condition the nurses couldn’t name, and she just wanted someone to love every part of her, not only the outside appearance.”
“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐚𝐦. 𝐀 𝐌𝐚𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠.”
🌹claude - this is my husband I LOVE misunderstood morally grey men! His backstory made me feel for him :( he cares so much for his people and is okay with having them believe him to be something he isn’t to protect them.
“I know you don’t trust me, but I vow to do what I can to keep you safe.”
“𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.”
“𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
“𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.”
🌹dagmara & claude - The ENEMIES TROPE with the MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE where they BOTH DONT TRUST EACH OTHER I ate it up! It created so much tension & banter!! I was smiling like an idiot at them going at each other just anticipating what would happen later on when the hatred started turning into something more ;)
“I can’t decide if I trust you,” “What is a king who can’t make a decision?”
“A thoughtful one.”
“𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐬.”
“𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.”
They were each others comfort in a way; she always made him smile subtly and he always remembered things about her and made sure she had what she needed at all times!! They fit together so well, they made each other feel all these emotions they’ve never felt before, they calmed each other! It showed vulnerability and trust starting to form deep inside they truly care for each other so much without realizing it!!
“𝐈𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.”
“I can’t stand you.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“If I wasn’t mad before, you will gladly drive me insane,”
“Gladly.”
Just when they start to trust each other, THEY GO BACK TO SQUARE ONE (honestly loved this since I’m utterly obsessed with slow burns) I have so many more quotes but I NEED to share this love confession…
“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐒𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝. 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰…𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.”
This confession will be embedded in my mind forever!
“𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞?”
“𝐘𝐞𝐬,”
“𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈’𝐦 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
“𝐈 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐝.”
· · ───────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞. 𝐃𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞.”
As much as I loved the king, there was a hot, mysterious and shamelessly flirty captain lurking around in the shadows and had such a tension filled meet cute that involved daggers and stabbing… I ate it up ;) The banter had me on the floor there was so much tension between them!!
· · ───────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠…” “𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐞? 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞?”
“𝐈…” “𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐞.”
“𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥?”
“𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐮𝐩. 𝐍𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐞.”
MY HEART ABSOLUTELY BROKE AND THEN THE ENDING RIGHT AFTER THAT?! MY JAW WAS ON MY FLOOR I GASPED LIKE NEVER BEFORE I THREW MY KINDLE ACROSS THE ROOM I NEED THE SECOND BOOK NOW BECAUSE WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?!
November 14, 2024
I was provided an e-copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
✅ Magic wielders and assassins
✅ Princess and assassin switching places
✅ Dagmara
✅ Politics and scheming
✅ 2 POVs
✅ Marriage of convenience
✅ Hate to love
✅ "Only one bed"
✅(🆗) Pace
✅🆗 Plot (✅ for Dagmara and 🆗 for Magdalena)
✅🆗 Romance & love interests
🆗(❌) Magdalena
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: death of loved ones, chronic illness, poison and murders
❗️❗️Mild cliffhanger
3.5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved Dagmara’s plotline but didn’t like Magdalena or get invested in her quest.
After discovering that she has magic she shouldn’t, and witnessing her father and brother’s assassination, only barely escaping death herself, Princess Magdalena knows she has to travel to the neighboring kingdom to learn more about her powers. But, when Magdalena receives a marriage proposal from the Mad King, she knows she also needs to investigate him, for she believes him to be responsible for the assassination of her family. Magdalena decides to send Dagmara, her father’s assassin and Magda’s best friend in her stead, to meet with the Mad King and try to find proof of his involvement in the murders.
There are politics, lies, scheming, and betrayals in this book, all mixed with an interesting magic system based on elemental magic. It is fairly simple to grasp, yet is more complex than simply having individuals with powers. The magic is linked to the land and the different kingdoms, and it directly affects nature and the people of the kingdoms when magic wielders die.
The pacing was good, but a few time jumps in the first part of the book might not have been the best choice. First, the funeral of Magda’s loved ones is skipped, then the mourning altogether is absent, and the next thing we know is that she is leaving for her quest to discover more about her magic. While traveling, Magda bartered passage onto a ship and told them she would work in exchange for passage, but we don’t see any of that either. Seeing as I struggled to connect with Magda and like her, I think seeing those moments in more detail might have helped me care for her more, and enjoy her chapters more.
I like Dagmara, and her chapters were engaging and interesting, but I don’t care about Magda and her quest. I feel that Magda had a half-baked plan and spent the whole book running around, trying to accomplish something, but only managing to appear gullible and naïve. Her plan was not well thought out. Flaustra’s queen told her not to come, but she decided to go to Flaustra anyway, she wanted to keep her identity a secret though, so she didn’t tell the palace’s guards who she was, yet she was shocked to be denied entry. What was she expecting? That just anyone could waltz into the palace because they said they needed to see the queen?
Then there is Ravi. She only just met him, and trusts him way too easily, especially considering that she is a foreign princess and the heir to her kingdom… But that’s okay because Ravi tells her that she is a very special snowflake oozing true bravery. And don’t get me started on the “romance” between Ravi and Magda. It was predictable, and cliché, and I was not invested in their relationship at all. Even when there was a “twist” to try to add angst to their romance, it was very predictable.
I also think that Magda’s priorities need some reorganizing. She sent her best friend to an enemy kingdom for who knows how long, while she embarked on this quest to find more about her magic, but ultimately, she didn’t find anything about her magic. She mostly ran around in Flaustra, trying to devise a plan as she went. She was ready to drop everything for her dog, which I understand, but at the same time, she also needs to think about her people, her kingdom, and her best friend. Dagmara was in danger every day she spent in Ilusauri, yet Magda didn’t seem to be in any hurry to get back to her friend and relieve her of her insane mission.
While Magda was wasting her time, Dagmara accomplished so much, helping her kingdom, guiding the Mad King toward a goal that would help both their lands, forming alliances, and trying to figure out who sent assassins to kill Magda’s family. Dagmara was a much more interesting character. She is King Bodgan’s assassin and best friend to Princess Magdalena. She is brave and selfless, accepting to put her life on the line for Magda’s unrealistic plan. Dagmara’s romance was also better-paced and developed, and much more interesting.
That being said, her interactions with Sabien annoyed me, because of Sabien’s behavior. I found the banter to feel forced instead of being natural and quirky. Also, considering that she is pretending to be a princess intending to marry Sabien’s King, I would think that he would refrain from flirting with her, even if he knows she is hiding things, but he does not hesitate to flirt, implying that they will end up in bed together and that she will end up with him instead of Claude. It annoyed me so much to see him behave this way, especially after Claude introduced him as a friend of his. Doesn’t Sabien have any loyalty and respect for his King and friend?! I dislike him.
I liked the story as a whole, but a few details bothered me, and I have to say that I only liked one of the main characters. Overall though, it was a good start to the series, and I am curious to see what the next book has in store for Dagmara and Magdalena. The ending is a mild cliffhanger too, and it makes me wish I had the second book, mostly so I can know what happens to Dagmara.
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✅ Magic wielders and assassins
✅ Princess and assassin switching places
✅ Dagmara
✅ Politics and scheming
✅ 2 POVs
✅ Marriage of convenience
✅ Hate to love
✅ "Only one bed"
✅(🆗) Pace
✅🆗 Plot (✅ for Dagmara and 🆗 for Magdalena)
✅🆗 Romance & love interests
🆗(❌) Magdalena
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: death of loved ones, chronic illness, poison and murders
❗️❗️Mild cliffhanger
3.5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved Dagmara’s plotline but didn’t like Magdalena or get invested in her quest.
After discovering that she has magic she shouldn’t, and witnessing her father and brother’s assassination, only barely escaping death herself, Princess Magdalena knows she has to travel to the neighboring kingdom to learn more about her powers. But, when Magdalena receives a marriage proposal from the Mad King, she knows she also needs to investigate him, for she believes him to be responsible for the assassination of her family. Magdalena decides to send Dagmara, her father’s assassin and Magda’s best friend in her stead, to meet with the Mad King and try to find proof of his involvement in the murders.
There are politics, lies, scheming, and betrayals in this book, all mixed with an interesting magic system based on elemental magic. It is fairly simple to grasp, yet is more complex than simply having individuals with powers. The magic is linked to the land and the different kingdoms, and it directly affects nature and the people of the kingdoms when magic wielders die.
The pacing was good, but a few time jumps in the first part of the book might not have been the best choice. First, the funeral of Magda’s loved ones is skipped, then the mourning altogether is absent, and the next thing we know is that she is leaving for her quest to discover more about her magic. While traveling, Magda bartered passage onto a ship and told them she would work in exchange for passage, but we don’t see any of that either. Seeing as I struggled to connect with Magda and like her, I think seeing those moments in more detail might have helped me care for her more, and enjoy her chapters more.
I like Dagmara, and her chapters were engaging and interesting, but I don’t care about Magda and her quest. I feel that Magda had a half-baked plan and spent the whole book running around, trying to accomplish something, but only managing to appear gullible and naïve. Her plan was not well thought out. Flaustra’s queen told her not to come, but she decided to go to Flaustra anyway, she wanted to keep her identity a secret though, so she didn’t tell the palace’s guards who she was, yet she was shocked to be denied entry. What was she expecting? That just anyone could waltz into the palace because they said they needed to see the queen?
Then there is Ravi. She only just met him, and trusts him way too easily, especially considering that she is a foreign princess and the heir to her kingdom… But that’s okay because Ravi tells her that she is a very special snowflake oozing true bravery. And don’t get me started on the “romance” between Ravi and Magda. It was predictable, and cliché, and I was not invested in their relationship at all. Even when there was a “twist” to try to add angst to their romance, it was very predictable.
I also think that Magda’s priorities need some reorganizing. She sent her best friend to an enemy kingdom for who knows how long, while she embarked on this quest to find more about her magic, but ultimately, she didn’t find anything about her magic. She mostly ran around in Flaustra, trying to devise a plan as she went. She was ready to drop everything for her dog, which I understand, but at the same time, she also needs to think about her people, her kingdom, and her best friend. Dagmara was in danger every day she spent in Ilusauri, yet Magda didn’t seem to be in any hurry to get back to her friend and relieve her of her insane mission.
While Magda was wasting her time, Dagmara accomplished so much, helping her kingdom, guiding the Mad King toward a goal that would help both their lands, forming alliances, and trying to figure out who sent assassins to kill Magda’s family. Dagmara was a much more interesting character. She is King Bodgan’s assassin and best friend to Princess Magdalena. She is brave and selfless, accepting to put her life on the line for Magda’s unrealistic plan. Dagmara’s romance was also better-paced and developed, and much more interesting.
That being said, her interactions with Sabien annoyed me, because of Sabien’s behavior. I found the banter to feel forced instead of being natural and quirky. Also, considering that she is pretending to be a princess intending to marry Sabien’s King, I would think that he would refrain from flirting with her, even if he knows she is hiding things, but he does not hesitate to flirt, implying that they will end up in bed together and that she will end up with him instead of Claude. It annoyed me so much to see him behave this way, especially after Claude introduced him as a friend of his. Doesn’t Sabien have any loyalty and respect for his King and friend?! I dislike him.
I liked the story as a whole, but a few details bothered me, and I have to say that I only liked one of the main characters. Overall though, it was a good start to the series, and I am curious to see what the next book has in store for Dagmara and Magdalena. The ending is a mild cliffhanger too, and it makes me wish I had the second book, mostly so I can know what happens to Dagmara.
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May 21, 2024
"I can't decide if I trust you," Claude stated. "What is a king who can't make a decision?"
"A thoughtful one."
Holy plot twist, batman!
I kinda was expecting that ending, but it hit me right in the feels, anyway😵💫
This book and these authors were such a good surprise!
I had tons of fun with this action-packed, fast-paced, catchy story where no one is who they seem to be and everything is a mystery ready to be unraveled.
I loved the dual POV narration and was equally enthralled by Dagmara's subplot as I was by Magda's.
The magic system is interesting and original, and Hope and Amanda Abrom certainly know how to create a fantastical world from scratch.
I appreciated the romance and appreciated that it waan't heavy on the YA-ness, even though it was pretty tame compared to the stuff I'm used to. Not hating on it for it, of course. I knew what I was getting myself into when I accepted to read this.
I struggled a little with the continuos pov switching and most of all with how long this is.
There were moments that kept dragging even though the pace is rampaging, and some decisions the characters made really made little sense to me.
For example, I loved Dagmara's character, but I expected more boldness and caution from a skilled assassin such as she was.
Overall this was a pretty good read and I can see many people falling head over heels in love with the world these two authors created.
Would definitely recommend to the fans of the genre, especially those who like their YA fantasy books sprinkled with romance, political intrigues and an immense amount of plot twists.
Many thanks to the authors and publisher for providing me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review✨
May 19, 2024
I was sent an ARC of this but I am shocked at how much I loved this??
It has all my favourite fantasy book tropes / plot points. Kings assassin and a princess with elemental magic are best friends. They swap places to get answers and save their kingdom. Betrayal, assassinations, castles, a ball scene, enemies to lovers, a DOG!!!
I predicted the plot twist but it was still so gripping. I loved the main characters and really got invested In the story. Dual POV chapters and great pace. Really easy to get into. Left on a cliffhanger but still got some answers at the end - I’m already wanting book 2 🥹
It has all my favourite fantasy book tropes / plot points. Kings assassin and a princess with elemental magic are best friends. They swap places to get answers and save their kingdom. Betrayal, assassinations, castles, a ball scene, enemies to lovers, a DOG!!!
I predicted the plot twist but it was still so gripping. I loved the main characters and really got invested In the story. Dual POV chapters and great pace. Really easy to get into. Left on a cliffhanger but still got some answers at the end - I’m already wanting book 2 🥹
December 30, 2024
4.5!!!
I was glued to my kindle the entire day reading this and I'm going to read the second one IMMEDIATELY.
it reminded me of barbie princess and the pauper which from me there simply is no higher compliment 🩷
I was glued to my kindle the entire day reading this and I'm going to read the second one IMMEDIATELY.
it reminded me of barbie princess and the pauper which from me there simply is no higher compliment 🩷
December 4, 2024
5 stars!!!! This was SUCH an unexpected surprise. It’s giving Barbie movie set in a high fantasy setting. Our two main characters are best friends; one is an assassin and the other is a princess. We get the ultimate plot line to ever plot line….THEY SWITCH PLACES. This sends us on two amazing journeys!!! One journey reminded me of Aladdin and the other reminded me of Wisteria by Adalyn Grace. I CANNOT GIVE HIGHER PRAISE BC FOR ME, HIGHER PRAISE DOES NOT EXIST.🙏🏻💓
Read this if you like:
-assassin x princess besties
-men written by women without it ever being tropey
-YEARNING & ROMANCE with minimal smut
-chronic illness rep
-DOG!!!!! DOG AS A MAIN CHARACTER!!!!!
-insane plot twists
-elemental magic
Not book two coming out next week! I FEEL ABUNDANCE AND GRATITUDE!! I am hoping that book two will bless us with more info on the magic system. I also think this book lagged in pacing towards the middle, but I love the characters so much that I really didn’t mind. I did guess a big plot twist, but I still loved seeing it unfold!
Final thing I’ll say is that the fact that this is written by two sisters is beautiful & magical. I love sisterhood🥹🥹🥹
Read this if you like:
-assassin x princess besties
-men written by women without it ever being tropey
-YEARNING & ROMANCE with minimal smut
-chronic illness rep
-DOG!!!!! DOG AS A MAIN CHARACTER!!!!!
-insane plot twists
-elemental magic
Not book two coming out next week! I FEEL ABUNDANCE AND GRATITUDE!! I am hoping that book two will bless us with more info on the magic system. I also think this book lagged in pacing towards the middle, but I love the characters so much that I really didn’t mind. I did guess a big plot twist, but I still loved seeing it unfold!
Final thing I’ll say is that the fact that this is written by two sisters is beautiful & magical. I love sisterhood🥹🥹🥹
May 28, 2024
4.25⭐️
this is such a good upper YA romantasy! the beginning had me hooked in no time👏🏼
also the flirting is so so cute and had me giggling over way to many men🤭
I really liked the dual POV - though I have to admit I was mostly interested in Dagmara’s POV for some time because there was so much happening and the romance 👀🤭😏 but Madga’s POV definitely grew on me👏🏼
this was fast paced and interesting and I really enjoyed the magic system and how the world was created✨ a few things felt a little bit rushed a couple times, but nothing I minded overall (or maybe that’s just me wanting Madga’s romance to be SLOW burn hehe)😌🙌🏼
after the ending I really want to read the second books like right now!! there are multiple people I wanna hug and multiple people I want to punch and like one person I want to both punch and hug… even though that person doesn’t deserve a hug🙈
anyways, such a fun read! can’t wait to read the next!!🫶🏼
thank you so much Hope and Amanda for providing me an ARC or this gorgeous book! this is still my honest opinion/review✨
this is such a good upper YA romantasy! the beginning had me hooked in no time👏🏼
also the flirting is so so cute and had me giggling over way to many men🤭
I really liked the dual POV - though I have to admit I was mostly interested in Dagmara’s POV for some time because there was so much happening and the romance 👀🤭😏 but Madga’s POV definitely grew on me👏🏼
this was fast paced and interesting and I really enjoyed the magic system and how the world was created✨ a few things felt a little bit rushed a couple times, but nothing I minded overall (or maybe that’s just me wanting Madga’s romance to be SLOW burn hehe)😌🙌🏼
after the ending I really want to read the second books like right now!! there are multiple people I wanna hug and multiple people I want to punch and like one person I want to both punch and hug… even though that person doesn’t deserve a hug🙈
anyways, such a fun read! can’t wait to read the next!!🫶🏼
thank you so much Hope and Amanda for providing me an ARC or this gorgeous book! this is still my honest opinion/review✨
May 25, 2024
The Mad King and the False Queen
⤷ ⭑⭑⭑.𝟱
⊹₊ ⋆ The four kingdoms of the land are ruled by royal families, each with a guardian appointed every generation with magical powers over the elements. The Kingdom of Azurem is ruled by the Life Guardians, who can manipulate water and heal injuries. Princess Magdalena’s coronation was interrupted by an attack that would not only affect her kingdom but also the lives of all guardians. Dagmara, an assassin for the Azuremi kingdom and Magdalena’s best friend, works with Princess Magdalena to uncover the secrets of the guardians and the attacks on the kingdom, starting with the sudden marriage proposal of Claude, the Mad King of Ilusauri. .𖥔 ݁ ˖
First of all, does anyone agree with me that the book should’ve been titled differently? This is because I didn’t expect the dual POV that switches between Dagmara and Magdalena in each chapter. I honestly wasn't a fan at the beginning, especially since it was told in the third person, but I eventually found it better to see the situations going on between the two characters.
The plot development was good, with each chapter raising the stakes. However, learning more about the backstories of Dagmara and Magdalena’s friendship would have been nice. Understanding how their friendship started and why they would risk their lives for each other would have added depth to the story. If there was a chapter about it, it was not memorable since I might’ve missed it.
Since Dagmara is an assassin, I thought she would be more discrete with her investigations at Ilusauri and have a better judgment of character. But I found myself questioning many of her decisions and reactions so it was pretty frustrating. You would've thought being an assassin would make her harder to crack under pressure. ++ I preferred her interactions with Martine and Sabien because of the banter, but I can’t help gushing about the slow burn between her and Claude.
The pacing started very slow with Magdalena’s chapters, but it eventually picked up when her quest for understanding the guardians and their powers intensified. I also found myself getting more excited about her interactions with Ravi. Boy, this man makes me swoon. Because of their interactions, I ended the book with more than half of my highlights or annotations!
RAVI TWISTING MY HEARTSTRINGS
Initially, I rated this book 4 stars, but after some contemplation, I gave it 3.5 because there is always room for improvement! Overall, this was a new and fresh plot. It was pretty predictable until the end, but that tiny twist before the ending was pretty good. I'm looking forward to getting the answers to the mysteries we still have yet to solve in the next book. ALSOOOO, PLEASE GIVE US MORE MARTINE AND PIERRE! I NEED MORE OF THEM IN THE NEXT BOOK.
༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚
𐙚 pre-read: omg i didn’t think i would get the arc. saw a lot of good reviews about this one so i hope it exceeds my expectations.
⤷ ⭑⭑⭑.𝟱
.☘︎ ݁˖ ❝ For the betterment of our kingdoms. ❞
❝ And the safety of our people. ❞
⊹₊ ⋆ The four kingdoms of the land are ruled by royal families, each with a guardian appointed every generation with magical powers over the elements. The Kingdom of Azurem is ruled by the Life Guardians, who can manipulate water and heal injuries. Princess Magdalena’s coronation was interrupted by an attack that would not only affect her kingdom but also the lives of all guardians. Dagmara, an assassin for the Azuremi kingdom and Magdalena’s best friend, works with Princess Magdalena to uncover the secrets of the guardians and the attacks on the kingdom, starting with the sudden marriage proposal of Claude, the Mad King of Ilusauri. .𖥔 ݁ ˖
First of all, does anyone agree with me that the book should’ve been titled differently? This is because I didn’t expect the dual POV that switches between Dagmara and Magdalena in each chapter. I honestly wasn't a fan at the beginning, especially since it was told in the third person, but I eventually found it better to see the situations going on between the two characters.
The plot development was good, with each chapter raising the stakes. However, learning more about the backstories of Dagmara and Magdalena’s friendship would have been nice. Understanding how their friendship started and why they would risk their lives for each other would have added depth to the story. If there was a chapter about it, it was not memorable since I might’ve missed it.
Since Dagmara is an assassin, I thought she would be more discrete with her investigations at Ilusauri and have a better judgment of character. But I found myself questioning many of her decisions and reactions so it was pretty frustrating. You would've thought being an assassin would make her harder to crack under pressure. ++ I preferred her interactions with Martine and Sabien because of the banter, but I can’t help gushing about the slow burn between her and Claude.
❝ Since the moment you arrived, no matter how much it initially bothered me, you have spoken to me as though I am not the Mad King, but just a man. It’s as if this madness isn’t my only defining characteristic. Because of you, I am irrevocably doomed, but somehow…I relish this destruction. ❞ 𖥔‧₊˚ ⊹
The pacing started very slow with Magdalena’s chapters, but it eventually picked up when her quest for understanding the guardians and their powers intensified. I also found myself getting more excited about her interactions with Ravi. Boy, this man makes me swoon. Because of their interactions, I ended the book with more than half of my highlights or annotations!
୭₊⋆ Magda leaned her back against the wall, letting out a soft smile. ❝ I think our relationship is better off the dance floor. ❞
Ravi stepped closer, putting his arm on the wall next to her head and leaning close. ❝ Oh, so you’re saying we have a relationship then? ❞ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
RAVI TWISTING MY HEARTSTRINGS
༘ ⊹ ❝ I told you before that when I saw you in the marketplace, it’s like one song was ending and another symphony was starting. You’ve made me feel alive again, and for once, I feel like I can have hope in a brighter future. ❞ ꕤ
Initially, I rated this book 4 stars, but after some contemplation, I gave it 3.5 because there is always room for improvement! Overall, this was a new and fresh plot. It was pretty predictable until the end, but that tiny twist before the ending was pretty good. I'm looking forward to getting the answers to the mysteries we still have yet to solve in the next book. ALSOOOO, PLEASE GIVE US MORE MARTINE AND PIERRE! I NEED MORE OF THEM IN THE NEXT BOOK.
༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚
𐙚 pre-read: omg i didn’t think i would get the arc. saw a lot of good reviews about this one so i hope it exceeds my expectations.
July 5, 2024
This book caught my attention with beautiful cover, intriguing title and very high rating on Goodreads. Pity, but the writing style was not for me, too much telling instead of showing and other issues, common in YA fantasies. I didn't like the way the characters and their relationships were conveyed, for example, the friendship between Dagmara and Magdalena, its background was almost non-existent. Characters were shallow, underdeveloped, and portrayed as helpless, blundering fools who did not know what they were doing, especially the girls. And don't start me on the most incompetent, the weakest royal assassin I have ever seen, you'd think she would be smart and cunning to make up for the lack of physical strength, alas. The only saving grace here was fast pace and action. 2.5/5
May 25, 2024
firstly, i’d like to start this review by stating that the authors were kind enough to send me an eARC, but all opinions are 100% my own! and thank you so much to the Abrom sisters!!
Firstly, i will admit that I am a slow reader, so reading such a long book should’ve taken me a while, right? WRONG! I read this book in 3 days because The Mad King and The False Queen had me hooked from the very beginning and never seemed to lose it’s grip on me. The fast paced writing of this story made the book fly by, yet the story never felt “empty” at any point. This is one of the only fantasy books I have ever read where I wasn’t bored during a single moment. It was both ambitious, yet easy to understand, and I give so many props to the Abrom sisters for being able to make such a long book not feel drawn out.
The dual POV’s of Magdalena and Dagmara was both refreshing and incredibly interesting. The two characters couldn’t be more different in every aspect of their lives; yet they had enough similarities that i understood why they considered each other family. Also, the quotes. THE QUOTE’S Y’ALL!! i currently have 30 bookmarks in my apple books app just of pages with my favorite quotes from this book, and i honestly could’ve had even more 😅
the characters in this book, particularly Ravi, Odie, Dagmara, and Magdalena, have quickly become some of my favorite book characters ever. not only were they absolutely hilarious, smart, witty, and Odie being an all around icon…but the authors somehow managed to make me feel as if i truly truly knew these people (and odie hehe) in real life. Claude was a very interesting character as well to me, he definitely kept me on my toes wanting to know more throughout the entire book. And i cannot wait to learn more about him, his backstory particularly, throughout the second book.
nothing is worse than reading a book where you connect with the story, but hate the characters. so i am beyond happy to say that not only did i love the storyline, but i also adored the characters. Speaking of characters…finally reading about chronic illness in a book, especially a fantasy book, was so so special to me personally as someone who has a family member with a chronic illness that they struggle with daily. I could really feel the effort and sensitivity the authors approached Dagmara with when writing and representing her illness. Her illness was not used as a plot device, no, Dagmara’s illness was incorporated into the storyline in a way that made perfect sense and i felt really accurately represented illness’ that aren’t often noticed by just looking at someone. A round of applause to both authors for the handle of such a sensitive subject; truly. thank you so much for writing Dagmara, she is a character i feel anyone with or without an illness can appreciate and understand. she didn’t let her illness hold her back, and neither should anyone else.
and of course, i couldn’t not mention THE PLOT TWISTS!!! I WAS CLUTCHING MY PEARLS BY THE END 😅. i am usually pretty good at figuring out plot twists in a book, but this book took me for such a loop, but in a way that made sense to the story and i feel like i should have noticed from the beginning. Which are my personal favorite types of plot twists, the betrayal that takes place is both predictable and not. And i couldn’t have thought of a better way to end the first book myself. the cliffhanger at the end of the book only makes me that much more excited to read the second book, and i just cannot wait to continue this story!
once again,
thank you so so much for sending me an eARC and for allowing me to enjoy this beautiful world and witty characters. I cannot wait to buy the second book in the series and keep an eye out for the physical copy of The Mad King and the False Queen in my local bookstores.
Xoxo.
Avary
Firstly, i will admit that I am a slow reader, so reading such a long book should’ve taken me a while, right? WRONG! I read this book in 3 days because The Mad King and The False Queen had me hooked from the very beginning and never seemed to lose it’s grip on me. The fast paced writing of this story made the book fly by, yet the story never felt “empty” at any point. This is one of the only fantasy books I have ever read where I wasn’t bored during a single moment. It was both ambitious, yet easy to understand, and I give so many props to the Abrom sisters for being able to make such a long book not feel drawn out.
The dual POV’s of Magdalena and Dagmara was both refreshing and incredibly interesting. The two characters couldn’t be more different in every aspect of their lives; yet they had enough similarities that i understood why they considered each other family. Also, the quotes. THE QUOTE’S Y’ALL!! i currently have 30 bookmarks in my apple books app just of pages with my favorite quotes from this book, and i honestly could’ve had even more 😅
the characters in this book, particularly Ravi, Odie, Dagmara, and Magdalena, have quickly become some of my favorite book characters ever. not only were they absolutely hilarious, smart, witty, and Odie being an all around icon…but the authors somehow managed to make me feel as if i truly truly knew these people (and odie hehe) in real life. Claude was a very interesting character as well to me, he definitely kept me on my toes wanting to know more throughout the entire book. And i cannot wait to learn more about him, his backstory particularly, throughout the second book.
nothing is worse than reading a book where you connect with the story, but hate the characters. so i am beyond happy to say that not only did i love the storyline, but i also adored the characters. Speaking of characters…finally reading about chronic illness in a book, especially a fantasy book, was so so special to me personally as someone who has a family member with a chronic illness that they struggle with daily. I could really feel the effort and sensitivity the authors approached Dagmara with when writing and representing her illness. Her illness was not used as a plot device, no, Dagmara’s illness was incorporated into the storyline in a way that made perfect sense and i felt really accurately represented illness’ that aren’t often noticed by just looking at someone. A round of applause to both authors for the handle of such a sensitive subject; truly. thank you so much for writing Dagmara, she is a character i feel anyone with or without an illness can appreciate and understand. she didn’t let her illness hold her back, and neither should anyone else.
and of course, i couldn’t not mention THE PLOT TWISTS!!! I WAS CLUTCHING MY PEARLS BY THE END 😅. i am usually pretty good at figuring out plot twists in a book, but this book took me for such a loop, but in a way that made sense to the story and i feel like i should have noticed from the beginning. Which are my personal favorite types of plot twists, the betrayal that takes place is both predictable and not. And i couldn’t have thought of a better way to end the first book myself. the cliffhanger at the end of the book only makes me that much more excited to read the second book, and i just cannot wait to continue this story!
once again,
thank you so so much for sending me an eARC and for allowing me to enjoy this beautiful world and witty characters. I cannot wait to buy the second book in the series and keep an eye out for the physical copy of The Mad King and the False Queen in my local bookstores.
Xoxo.
Avary
July 8, 2024
“ For the betterment of our kingdoms.” “ And the safety of our people.”
★ 3.5 stars
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the Abrom sisters for sending me this ARC. I'm so surprised how much I loved and had so much fun reading this!
This book had me hooked and sat from the very beginning! I’m a huge fan of tension, a good slow burn and enemies to lovers and this book had all 3 and more.
Even though this book was much more YA, I appreciated the amount of romance and the tension definitely made up for it! I really appreciated how fast paced it was and found the elemental magic so interesting! I really enjoyed this book being written in dual POV’s, however I will say I was much more invested in Dagmara’s journey than Magda’s.
The love triangle between Dagmara, Claude and Sabien had me blushing and giggling the entire book! The banter and tension between the three of them had me SAT and breezing through to find out how it all played out.
✨Dagmara & Sabien
I thought it was so fun how they met and their flirting/banter was so good! I love a strong fmc and really enjoyed how she was never afraid to speak her mind around him. And Sabien! He had me giggling from the start!
“ Is that a problem, Dagger?”
“I have a perfect memory of the moment I had you trapped against the bar. Unless….you’d like to remind me of that too?”
“There are many things I would do to get a reaction out of you, but none require a single word”
✨Dagmara & Claude
Their whole relationship was not what I had expected when Claude was introduced. But when I tell you I was invested, I was invested!!! THIS MAN! I love a morally grey mmc, especially when they are made out to be the villains when in reality they may not be, and Claude was this and more! He was so sweet to Dagmara (when he wanted to be) and he had me blushing and giggling every time they were together. I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers, slow burn and forced proximity, especially when banter and tension are in the mix! And don't even get me started on that love confession!!!!
“Shall we pretend we are in love for one evening? Then we can return to disliking one another.”
“ I knew from the moment you laid eyes on me that you loathe me. It’s mutual if that makes you feel better.”
“It's as if this madness isn't my only defining characteristic. Because of you, I am irrevocably doomed, but somehow... I relish this destruction.”
✨Magda and Ravi
It took me a bit to start getting into Magda’s journey because the pacing was a bit slow, but once she met Ravi and her quest with the guardians started becoming more complex, I was much more invested. Ravi is honestly such a sweet character and I loved his interactions with Magda! They were so cute together and I can't wait to see what’s in store for them!
“ You’ve lit a fire in me. I can't explain it, but it’s like I wasn't living until I met you.”
“ Then I want to be the person you return to when your battles are over.”
And that ending!!! I truly did not see that plot twist coming until I neared the end of the book, but it was definitely still shocking! I can't wait to find out how everything plays out and need the second book ASAP!
★ 3.5 stars
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the Abrom sisters for sending me this ARC. I'm so surprised how much I loved and had so much fun reading this!
This book had me hooked and sat from the very beginning! I’m a huge fan of tension, a good slow burn and enemies to lovers and this book had all 3 and more.
Even though this book was much more YA, I appreciated the amount of romance and the tension definitely made up for it! I really appreciated how fast paced it was and found the elemental magic so interesting! I really enjoyed this book being written in dual POV’s, however I will say I was much more invested in Dagmara’s journey than Magda’s.
The love triangle between Dagmara, Claude and Sabien had me blushing and giggling the entire book! The banter and tension between the three of them had me SAT and breezing through to find out how it all played out.
✨Dagmara & Sabien
I thought it was so fun how they met and their flirting/banter was so good! I love a strong fmc and really enjoyed how she was never afraid to speak her mind around him. And Sabien! He had me giggling from the start!
“ Is that a problem, Dagger?”
“I have a perfect memory of the moment I had you trapped against the bar. Unless….you’d like to remind me of that too?”
“There are many things I would do to get a reaction out of you, but none require a single word”
✨Dagmara & Claude
Their whole relationship was not what I had expected when Claude was introduced. But when I tell you I was invested, I was invested!!! THIS MAN! I love a morally grey mmc, especially when they are made out to be the villains when in reality they may not be, and Claude was this and more! He was so sweet to Dagmara (when he wanted to be) and he had me blushing and giggling every time they were together. I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers, slow burn and forced proximity, especially when banter and tension are in the mix! And don't even get me started on that love confession!!!!
“Shall we pretend we are in love for one evening? Then we can return to disliking one another.”
“ I knew from the moment you laid eyes on me that you loathe me. It’s mutual if that makes you feel better.”
“It's as if this madness isn't my only defining characteristic. Because of you, I am irrevocably doomed, but somehow... I relish this destruction.”
✨Magda and Ravi
It took me a bit to start getting into Magda’s journey because the pacing was a bit slow, but once she met Ravi and her quest with the guardians started becoming more complex, I was much more invested. Ravi is honestly such a sweet character and I loved his interactions with Magda! They were so cute together and I can't wait to see what’s in store for them!
“ You’ve lit a fire in me. I can't explain it, but it’s like I wasn't living until I met you.”
“ Then I want to be the person you return to when your battles are over.”
And that ending!!! I truly did not see that plot twist coming until I neared the end of the book, but it was definitely still shocking! I can't wait to find out how everything plays out and need the second book ASAP!
May 17, 2024
Oh my gosh!! I loved this book!! I actually didn't see some of the things coming until right before they happened!! The characters were fantastic! And the chemistry is top notch in my opinion!! I was on the edge of my seat! And now I need the second one asap!!! But ya guys should definitely put this on your tbr!!! This is definitely a 10 star book for me!!!
May 2, 2024
Looooooove. This book exceeded all of my expectations. Amazing world building and story telling. I loved the dual POVs between Princess Magda and Dagmara throughout the whole book. It was painful (in the best way) to have cliffhangers at the end of so many chapters just to turn the page and have a switched POV and a completely different scenario staring back at me. I ate this book up and am starving for more. The multiple love interests and confusing feelings had me in pieces and the big reveal at the end had me GASPING. Such a great plot with amazing characters and such a unique world and magic system. I cannot wait to read more. Hope and Amanda Abrom knew what they were doing with this one. 👏👏👏
(I read an ARC of this book before the release date).
(I read an ARC of this book before the release date).
December 11, 2024
𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶'𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
𝘦𝘱𝘴 : 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦
___ ★₊˚﹟𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻
꒰ court politics ꒱
"𝘪𝘧 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦."
___ ★₊˚﹟𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗱
⤷ dual povs
⤷ assassin x king
⤷ queen x street violinist
⤷ plot twists
⤷ hidden identities
⤷ princess swap
this book had me in a chokehold from page one. i read liz's review and immediately was intrigued, only to find out it was on ku? i knew i needed to immediately pick this up. this is i think my 5th five star read of 2024 and it is definitely my second favorite read of the year. second only to the poppy war. this book was so good. y'all dont even know. its so underrated and for why?? its so good. the prose that the abrom sisters weave into this story? the romances? the plot? the world? all of it. i love it all.
i loved the premace of the different guardians and the kingdoms. i loved each and every character, every little side character holds my heart. i loved how the different bloodlines and magic worked. the idea of the trials. everything. i was even addicted to hearing every new character and name introduced for i loved the creativity of the names. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 is an utterly transcending fantasy, the court intrigue and politics. seeing the difference in cultural and traditional life in the different kingdoms. the flaws each character was imbued with? sheer perfection.
"𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭."
___ ★₊˚﹟𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗱𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗸𝗿𝗼𝗹 .ᐟ
we will start off with the princess. she holds my heart. i loved her determination to find out why and how she had the ability she had. i loved her relationship with odie, and her sister-like friendship her and 𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗮 had. i cherished the way even after the heartache she'd been through, she still walked through flaustra with her head held high. she always had that air of importance, that regalness. i loved her relationship with 𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶. they were so precious.
"𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤. 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘪 𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸...𝘪 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯."
___ ★���˚﹟𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝘇𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗮 .ᐟ
this girlllll. she's so clever and determined. i loved her unknown illness, it made her seem all the more real. i loved her from the first page. she's smart and can hold her own. i loved her teamwork thing she had with her brother teos. i loved her tool belt, and her throwing stars and daggers. i liked her friendships with martine, and urszula. and i especially liked her and 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲. these two. the way they work is irrevocably the best dynamic i have seen. they take romance and tension to another level. off the charts.
"𝘪 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘦. 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘴."
___ ★₊˚﹟𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶 𝗸𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗹 and 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 .ᐟ
now our men. our mmc's. these absolute precious love interests. our mad king and our street violinist. let's start with claude. king 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 of the mind kingdom, of illusauri. this man. how he developed. his insanity was such a character trait i loved it. like yes he's mad but he also has a way with words. yes, he's definitely done some questionable things but he's just so amazing. i cant. i love everything he does. now, 𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶 𝗸𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗹. mr street violinist. i adore him. hes so precious. i loved the dynamic. queen x commoner. yes please i ate that up. i loved the emotions he made me go through and everything he felt for 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗱𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮 was so utterly devastating but so addicting.
𝘥𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯.
𝘦𝘱𝘴 : 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦
___ ★₊˚﹟𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻
꒰ court politics ꒱
"𝘪𝘧 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦."
___ ★₊˚﹟𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗱
⤷ dual povs
⤷ assassin x king
⤷ queen x street violinist
⤷ plot twists
⤷ hidden identities
⤷ princess swap
this book had me in a chokehold from page one. i read liz's review and immediately was intrigued, only to find out it was on ku? i knew i needed to immediately pick this up. this is i think my 5th five star read of 2024 and it is definitely my second favorite read of the year. second only to the poppy war. this book was so good. y'all dont even know. its so underrated and for why?? its so good. the prose that the abrom sisters weave into this story? the romances? the plot? the world? all of it. i love it all.
i loved the premace of the different guardians and the kingdoms. i loved each and every character, every little side character holds my heart. i loved how the different bloodlines and magic worked. the idea of the trials. everything. i was even addicted to hearing every new character and name introduced for i loved the creativity of the names. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 is an utterly transcending fantasy, the court intrigue and politics. seeing the difference in cultural and traditional life in the different kingdoms. the flaws each character was imbued with? sheer perfection.
"𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭."
___ ★₊˚﹟𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗱𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗸𝗿𝗼𝗹 .ᐟ
we will start off with the princess. she holds my heart. i loved her determination to find out why and how she had the ability she had. i loved her relationship with odie, and her sister-like friendship her and 𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗮 had. i cherished the way even after the heartache she'd been through, she still walked through flaustra with her head held high. she always had that air of importance, that regalness. i loved her relationship with 𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶. they were so precious.
"𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤. 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘪 𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸...𝘪 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯."
___ ★���˚﹟𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝘇𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗮 .ᐟ
this girlllll. she's so clever and determined. i loved her unknown illness, it made her seem all the more real. i loved her from the first page. she's smart and can hold her own. i loved her teamwork thing she had with her brother teos. i loved her tool belt, and her throwing stars and daggers. i liked her friendships with martine, and urszula. and i especially liked her and 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲. these two. the way they work is irrevocably the best dynamic i have seen. they take romance and tension to another level. off the charts.
"𝘪 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘦. 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘴."
___ ★₊˚﹟𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶 𝗸𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗹 and 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 .ᐟ
now our men. our mmc's. these absolute precious love interests. our mad king and our street violinist. let's start with claude. king 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 of the mind kingdom, of illusauri. this man. how he developed. his insanity was such a character trait i loved it. like yes he's mad but he also has a way with words. yes, he's definitely done some questionable things but he's just so amazing. i cant. i love everything he does. now, 𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶 𝗸𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗹. mr street violinist. i adore him. hes so precious. i loved the dynamic. queen x commoner. yes please i ate that up. i loved the emotions he made me go through and everything he felt for 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗱𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮 was so utterly devastating but so addicting.
𝘥𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯.
June 11, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️
What I liked:
✨ Dual POV/Two storylines - a princess and an assassin
✨ Chronic illness representation
✨ Pet companion 🐶
✨ Elemental magic
✨ Marriage of convenience
✨ Betrayal, politics, scheming
✨ Fast-moving plotline
✨ Fun banter/humor
The first half of the book had me completely HOOKED! So many things were happening, with great character and world introductions - I was IN!
What I didn’t like:
This was a bit too heated and spicy for a YA book, in my opinion. Okay, no extremely descriptive intimate scenes, but even the kissing was a bit 🥵, which I don’t mind, but this would have been more expected in a New Adult romantasy.
After the first half of the book, I felt like the plot became much more volatile and way too many things happened too conveniently. The plot became extremely predictable to me, and both girls should have been found out ten times over. The quick falling in love didn’t make any sense - it should have been dragged out a bit more before people started jumping each other 😅, so I wasn’t a fan of the romance either.
And lastly (a lot of YA books have this, which annoys the heck out of me), the “I know everything better, and adults are just there to be there, but I can’t talk to them or ask questions from them” mentality of both FMCs was very frustrating. Maybe go talk to your mom before you try to save the world?
Overall, it was a fun read but also very frustrating. This would definitely be a good story for people 14-17, but it’s not a YA book that I think many adults would enjoy… which is a shame because I was so very excited about it as I’m a big lover of YA fantasy romance 🥲
What I liked:
✨ Dual POV/Two storylines - a princess and an assassin
✨ Chronic illness representation
✨ Pet companion 🐶
✨ Elemental magic
✨ Marriage of convenience
✨ Betrayal, politics, scheming
✨ Fast-moving plotline
✨ Fun banter/humor
The first half of the book had me completely HOOKED! So many things were happening, with great character and world introductions - I was IN!
What I didn’t like:
This was a bit too heated and spicy for a YA book, in my opinion. Okay, no extremely descriptive intimate scenes, but even the kissing was a bit 🥵, which I don’t mind, but this would have been more expected in a New Adult romantasy.
After the first half of the book, I felt like the plot became much more volatile and way too many things happened too conveniently. The plot became extremely predictable to me, and both girls should have been found out ten times over. The quick falling in love didn’t make any sense - it should have been dragged out a bit more before people started jumping each other 😅, so I wasn’t a fan of the romance either.
And lastly (a lot of YA books have this, which annoys the heck out of me), the “I know everything better, and adults are just there to be there, but I can’t talk to them or ask questions from them” mentality of both FMCs was very frustrating. Maybe go talk to your mom before you try to save the world?
Overall, it was a fun read but also very frustrating. This would definitely be a good story for people 14-17, but it’s not a YA book that I think many adults would enjoy… which is a shame because I was so very excited about it as I’m a big lover of YA fantasy romance 🥲
August 11, 2024
Should be criminal for a book to be this good!
Hit every spot!!! Chefs kiss 💋 ✨👌🏼
Hit every spot!!! Chefs kiss 💋 ✨👌🏼
December 10, 2024
this was ABSOLUTELY amazing!!!!! if you didn’t read this yet GO DO IT NOW??? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???
it literally has every trope i like
- royals
- assassins
- identity swap
- misunderstood king everyone hates but is actually rlly sweet
- love triangle (????)
- THERES A LITTLE DOG COMPANION????
- magic powers
THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING. 6 STARS
it literally has every trope i like
- royals
- assassins
- identity swap
- misunderstood king everyone hates but is actually rlly sweet
- love triangle (????)
- THERES A LITTLE DOG COMPANION????
- magic powers
THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING. 6 STARS
May 28, 2024
Total rating: 4.7 stars. WOW. Okay I love a good romantasy and if you are looking for something refreshing and new this is for you!! I loved every single second of this not once was I bored. I am also so intrigued by how the Abrom sisters write together so fluidly. It’s amazing. One of my favorite things is I love when a third person POV makes me feel like it’s a first person and I can connect so well with the characters and that’s exactly what this did! The writing style is very much something I enjoyed.
Personally, I preferred Dagmara’s character and her chapters BUT I loved Magda all the same. The friends to lovers and enemies to lovers in this >>>. They were so cute. And the development of the characters and their stories are so good.
I actually wasn’t expecting the end and now I NEED THE NEXT BOOK IMMEDIATELY!!!! I loved the way this went in the end actually and I’m stressed for the next one. I loved this!!!
Personally, I preferred Dagmara’s character and her chapters BUT I loved Magda all the same. The friends to lovers and enemies to lovers in this >>>. They were so cute. And the development of the characters and their stories are so good.
I actually wasn’t expecting the end and now I NEED THE NEXT BOOK IMMEDIATELY!!!! I loved the way this went in the end actually and I’m stressed for the next one. I loved this!!!
May 29, 2024
I would like to thank Hope Abrom for providing me with an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Mad King and the False Queen is the first installment in a Romantasy series that follows two main POVs with parallel plots that aim to solve the bigger mystery. On one side we have Dagmara, the royal assassin investigating several murders possibly perpetrated by a neighboring king. On the other, we have Princess Magdalena, Dagmara's best friend and sort-of-boss that is trying to figure out who she is and what she can do.
The story in general is well developed and entertaining, but Magdalena's plot and romance doesn't hit the same way Dagmara's does. The princess feels a little aimless and superficial, even if it is fun and interesting to read. While she wanders through a foreign city and follows her dog around while being very ineffective in her original aim, the royal asassin gets her preconceived notions destroyed and honestly tries to get to the bottom of her assignment only to fall prey to the ups and downs of having two suitors flirting with her.
Dagmara's story and romance carries the book, but it is enough to enjoy it as a whole. Her love interest is not only tall, dark and handsome, but also a bad boy that gives "misunderstood prince of hell/unseely fae court (or night court)" vibes. I might be very biased, but I am rooting for him.
I enjoyed the book and even read it in a couple sittings. It was fun, mentally interesting and butterfly-giving, so I would definitely recomend it!. I do hate that it ends on a cliffhanger and leaves multiple unresolved questions, even if the last part is understandable for being a series.
As a whole I think another hit for the Abrom sisters.
The Mad King and the False Queen is the first installment in a Romantasy series that follows two main POVs with parallel plots that aim to solve the bigger mystery. On one side we have Dagmara, the royal assassin investigating several murders possibly perpetrated by a neighboring king. On the other, we have Princess Magdalena, Dagmara's best friend and sort-of-boss that is trying to figure out who she is and what she can do.
The story in general is well developed and entertaining, but Magdalena's plot and romance doesn't hit the same way Dagmara's does. The princess feels a little aimless and superficial, even if it is fun and interesting to read. While she wanders through a foreign city and follows her dog around while being very ineffective in her original aim, the royal asassin gets her preconceived notions destroyed and honestly tries to get to the bottom of her assignment only to fall prey to the ups and downs of having two suitors flirting with her.
Dagmara's story and romance carries the book, but it is enough to enjoy it as a whole. Her love interest is not only tall, dark and handsome, but also a bad boy that gives "misunderstood prince of hell/unseely fae court (or night court)" vibes. I might be very biased, but I am rooting for him.
I enjoyed the book and even read it in a couple sittings. It was fun, mentally interesting and butterfly-giving, so I would definitely recomend it!. I do hate that it ends on a cliffhanger and leaves multiple unresolved questions, even if the last part is understandable for being a series.
As a whole I think another hit for the Abrom sisters.
May 17, 2024
A thank you to Abrom Authors for allowing me to review the book.
If you like enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, mysteries, and politic intrigue all in a world of fantasy this is the book for you.
The Mad King and the False Queen is a book about political intrigue, hidden identities, and betrayal but also self-discovery, friendship, justice, and mystery.
I enjoyed reading this book, the storytelling but also the world-building are fantastic, it did take the first chapters to understand what was the direction of the story was but after that, I couldn't put the book down.
I also loved the dual POV of Magdalena and Dagmara, that we can see what is happening in both of their life, and the fact that you finish the chapter with some cliffhangers to have a different POV; it gives you that desire the read more for know what's going on.
For both Magda and Dagmara, the journey is far from easy. Their personal growth and emotional struggles are at the heart of the story.
There are plenty of twists and plot turns here, betrayals you see coming and those you don't.
You can't wait for the next book(I need it right now!!!)
(I was provided a digital ARC before the release date)
(This review is based on my own opinion)
If you like enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, mysteries, and politic intrigue all in a world of fantasy this is the book for you.
The Mad King and the False Queen is a book about political intrigue, hidden identities, and betrayal but also self-discovery, friendship, justice, and mystery.
I enjoyed reading this book, the storytelling but also the world-building are fantastic, it did take the first chapters to understand what was the direction of the story was but after that, I couldn't put the book down.
I also loved the dual POV of Magdalena and Dagmara, that we can see what is happening in both of their life, and the fact that you finish the chapter with some cliffhangers to have a different POV; it gives you that desire the read more for know what's going on.
For both Magda and Dagmara, the journey is far from easy. Their personal growth and emotional struggles are at the heart of the story.
There are plenty of twists and plot turns here, betrayals you see coming and those you don't.
You can't wait for the next book(I need it right now!!!)
(I was provided a digital ARC before the release date)
(This review is based on my own opinion)
May 20, 2024
Sooo many good things to say about this book (I had the honour of receiving an eARC of The Mad King and the False Queen, so here's my two cents).
If you don't feel like reading the whole review, here are some quick things I loved most (in no particular order):
- enemies to lovers
- chronic illness representation
- elemental powers
- assassins
- cute lil animal companion
- badass female leads
- siblings!!
- Barbie: Princess and the Pauper parallels
- multiple POVs with multiple love interests
- deception, lies, hidden identities
- very little spice (hard to come by with YA novels these days)
Overall, the plot of this book is captivating, and had me hooked at every chapter (what can I say? I'm a sucker for elemental powers and morally grey love interests). Literally RIGHT off the bat there was a huge twist that I wasn't expecting, and it drew me in immediately. There was never a moment when I was bored, which is pretty uncommon for most books. Nearly every chapter ended on a mini cliffhanger, which meant I just couldn't put the book down. This novel has many twists and turns and an even bigger cliffhanger at the end that is leaving me hungry for more. I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
The two main characters are lovable and unique in their own ways, causing their POVs/voices to differ and therefore making them ultimately more interesting. Both girls have their own respective love interests, and there are a lot of confusing feelings that go on, creating lots of tension between characters. Hope and Amanda have an uncanny ability to create characters that you really want to root for!
The world-building is also fantastic: four different nations led by rulers wielding four different elemental powers, different languages that cause barriers between characters (similar to real life!), tensions between the nations that escalate throughout the novel, causing more problems for the main characters. The actual development of the world is well-established and built in a manner that isn't too rushed or all-at-once, which makes it easier to understand.
I don't have even one negative thing to say about this book (which is a surprise to me, honestly, because usually I can find at least something). Trust me when I say you will not regret giving this book a try!
Congrats, Hope and Amanda, on creating such a fantastic piece of literature <3
If you don't feel like reading the whole review, here are some quick things I loved most (in no particular order):
- enemies to lovers
- chronic illness representation
- elemental powers
- assassins
- cute lil animal companion
- badass female leads
- siblings!!
- Barbie: Princess and the Pauper parallels
- multiple POVs with multiple love interests
- deception, lies, hidden identities
- very little spice (hard to come by with YA novels these days)
Overall, the plot of this book is captivating, and had me hooked at every chapter (what can I say? I'm a sucker for elemental powers and morally grey love interests). Literally RIGHT off the bat there was a huge twist that I wasn't expecting, and it drew me in immediately. There was never a moment when I was bored, which is pretty uncommon for most books. Nearly every chapter ended on a mini cliffhanger, which meant I just couldn't put the book down. This novel has many twists and turns and an even bigger cliffhanger at the end that is leaving me hungry for more. I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
The two main characters are lovable and unique in their own ways, causing their POVs/voices to differ and therefore making them ultimately more interesting. Both girls have their own respective love interests, and there are a lot of confusing feelings that go on, creating lots of tension between characters. Hope and Amanda have an uncanny ability to create characters that you really want to root for!
The world-building is also fantastic: four different nations led by rulers wielding four different elemental powers, different languages that cause barriers between characters (similar to real life!), tensions between the nations that escalate throughout the novel, causing more problems for the main characters. The actual development of the world is well-established and built in a manner that isn't too rushed or all-at-once, which makes it easier to understand.
I don't have even one negative thing to say about this book (which is a surprise to me, honestly, because usually I can find at least something). Trust me when I say you will not regret giving this book a try!
Congrats, Hope and Amanda, on creating such a fantastic piece of literature <3
July 31, 2024
Oooooo… I picked this up on a whim, but I really enjoyed it. This is told through two POVs, and I preferred Dagmara’s. For about 75%, I was pretty bored with Magdalena’s chapters. Then ending was pretty good though. The plot twists are predictable, but they were still fun. I will be picking up book two for sure!
Want to read
January 21, 2025After Onyx Storm I’m coming to this baby because all my friends keep showing “my wife” quotes and I have fomo
May 9, 2024
As one of my first ARC reads of this month, I’m so happy to have read this. It was such a journey! At times it felt like a prince and a pauper retelling which I loved. There was world-building and action…suspense and humorous banter.
Oh just also I love the names Andrzej, Sabien, and Dagmara. Great job to the authors for coming with them. But I can’t wait for the sequel which sucks because this isn’t even OUT YET😭🫣🤭
Oh just also I love the names Andrzej, Sabien, and Dagmara. Great job to the authors for coming with them. But I can’t wait for the sequel which sucks because this isn’t even OUT YET😭🫣🤭
July 21, 2025
unofficial review: my first read of July and it’s incredible 🥹 I WILL ACTUALLY NEVER STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK, AND I DONT CARE IF IT BECOMES MY WHOLE PERSONALITY 😩🫶🫶
official review: This book was so amazing beyond belief. I am so obsessed. This book follows two characters, Magdalena and Dagmara, and I love them both so much! Both their stories were so interesting and I was never bored while reading this. Dagmara I loved a little more just because of her incredible intelligence and wits. I admire her so much and this book really just showed how outspoken and brave she is which I adored. Magdalena was such a fun character as well because she was so determined and would never back down no matter what obstacle would come her way.
I also loved that this book had a simple and easy to understand world-building (obviously there were parts that you were intentionally not supposed to understand but other than that everything was clear). And the plot?? Omg it was amazing! My heart was beating furiously all throughout the second half of the book. That ending actually broke me and I couldn't believe that I was looking at the acknowledgment's page when I flipped to it because the cliffhanger was insane (in a good way).
The romance was jaw dropping. There was romance in both M and D's pov’s so to say that there was a lot of romance would be an understatement and I adored it! In Magdalena's pov, Ravi was so sweet and protective of her. Right from the start their chemistry was so palpable! 🥹 I really enjoyed them together!! As for Dagmara and Claude, the enemies, marriage of convenience trope in this was so excruciatingly tense and fiery and it was the best. I found Claude to be so intriguing because I love a good misunderstood ‘villain’ storyline. Anyways this is now my new favourite book and I WILL be recommending it to anyone and everyone who asks 🤭🫶
official review: This book was so amazing beyond belief. I am so obsessed. This book follows two characters, Magdalena and Dagmara, and I love them both so much! Both their stories were so interesting and I was never bored while reading this. Dagmara I loved a little more just because of her incredible intelligence and wits. I admire her so much and this book really just showed how outspoken and brave she is which I adored. Magdalena was such a fun character as well because she was so determined and would never back down no matter what obstacle would come her way.
I also loved that this book had a simple and easy to understand world-building (obviously there were parts that you were intentionally not supposed to understand but other than that everything was clear). And the plot?? Omg it was amazing! My heart was beating furiously all throughout the second half of the book. That ending actually broke me and I couldn't believe that I was looking at the acknowledgment's page when I flipped to it because the cliffhanger was insane (in a good way).
The romance was jaw dropping. There was romance in both M and D's pov’s so to say that there was a lot of romance would be an understatement and I adored it! In Magdalena's pov, Ravi was so sweet and protective of her. Right from the start their chemistry was so palpable! 🥹 I really enjoyed them together!! As for Dagmara and Claude, the enemies, marriage of convenience trope in this was so excruciatingly tense and fiery and it was the best. I found Claude to be so intriguing because I love a good misunderstood ‘villain’ storyline. Anyways this is now my new favourite book and I WILL be recommending it to anyone and everyone who asks 🤭🫶
July 3, 2024
This book was so amazing beyond belief. I am so obsessed. This book follows two characters, Magdalena and Dagmara, and I love them both so much! Both their stories were so interesting and I was never bored while reading this. Dagmara I loved a little more just because of her incredible intelligence and wits. I admire her so much and this book really just showed how outspoken and brave she is which I adored. Magdalena was such a fun character as well because she was so determined and would never back down no matter what obstacle would come her way.
I also loved that this book had a simple and easy to understand world-building (obviously there were parts that you were intentionally not supposed to understand but other than that everything was clear). And the plot?? Omg it was amazing! My heart was beating furiously all throughout the second half of the book. That ending actually broke me and I couldn't believe that I was looking at the acknowledgment's page when I flipped to it because the cliffhanger was insane (in a good way).
The romance was jaw dropping. There was romance in both M and D's pov’s so to say that there was a lot of romance would be an understatement and I adored it! In Magdalena's pov, Ravi was so sweet and protective of her. Right from the start their chemistry was so palpable! 🥹 I really enjoyed them together!! As for Dagmara and Claude, the enemies, marriage of convenience trope in this was so excruciatingly tense and fiery and it was the best. I found Claude to be so intriguing because I love a good misunderstood ‘villain’ storyline. Anyways this is now my new favourite book and I WILL be recommending it to anyone and everyone who asks 🤭🫶
I received an advanced review copy of this book for free and I am leaving my review voluntarily!
I also loved that this book had a simple and easy to understand world-building (obviously there were parts that you were intentionally not supposed to understand but other than that everything was clear). And the plot?? Omg it was amazing! My heart was beating furiously all throughout the second half of the book. That ending actually broke me and I couldn't believe that I was looking at the acknowledgment's page when I flipped to it because the cliffhanger was insane (in a good way).
The romance was jaw dropping. There was romance in both M and D's pov’s so to say that there was a lot of romance would be an understatement and I adored it! In Magdalena's pov, Ravi was so sweet and protective of her. Right from the start their chemistry was so palpable! 🥹 I really enjoyed them together!! As for Dagmara and Claude, the enemies, marriage of convenience trope in this was so excruciatingly tense and fiery and it was the best. I found Claude to be so intriguing because I love a good misunderstood ‘villain’ storyline. Anyways this is now my new favourite book and I WILL be recommending it to anyone and everyone who asks 🤭🫶
I received an advanced review copy of this book for free and I am leaving my review voluntarily!
Read
August 29, 2024ARC from NetGalley
DNF @22%
I can't.
DNF @22%
I can't.
December 25, 2024
I took a lot of notes throughout, so I hope this is constructive and not just mean. However, the more I read, the harder it got to be kind. Thank you to Booksirens for this ARC, and I am giving my thoughts freely and honestly. Apologies, much like this book, my review will have an astounding lack of transitions.
To begin, the characters and relationships between everyone were very surface level and had no depth to their connection. This made it very hard to care about almost anyone in the novel. I think the only two characters I really cared about were Teos and Kavi. As for backstory, they never really cover why Dagmara’s illness couldn’t have been healed by the royal family, or what the cliff incident with Teos was. The world building was shoddy at best. The authors also seem to set up Sabien for a love triangle, but all I see is sexual harassment. I swear they were trying to get me to like him at the beginning, but I have no idea where that went sideways. (Also- Dagger is just the worst nickname.)
It was beginning to get difficult to not actively pray for the downfall of all of the characters. All of the characters were highkey stupid, or knew everything for no reason at all. It also seemed like everyone was just awful at their jobs. Captain, assassin, Queen, all just gliding around with no training and not a care in the world about things they definitely should know about. The characters just repeated themselves constantly, but would also jump to conclusions without any lead up or follow up.
As for the prose, there was very little imagery, very little internal monologue or narration, and when there is, it is very rudimentary. Every paragraph felt like it had the exact same structure and feel, nothing stood out to me and it was exhausting to pay attention. There needed to be far less telling the audience plainly what happened and more letting us put it together. We don’t need everything handed to us on a silver platter and it took away from the experience because of that lack of detail and description. The passage of time throughout the book is also inconsistent, meaningless, and outright abhorrent. It is yesterday, today, and three days from now all at the same time! Literally within the same chapter. I have no idea how the timeline looks because of the large time jumps with no explanation or indication to what is happening. I was constantly looking to see if I missed a page somewhere because things weren’t adding up.
It got tiring having ‘twist’ after ‘twist’ after ‘twist’. It felt like the authors had a lot of ideas and decided not to cut any of them, but also not develop any of them. Instead, the entire book is just spare plotlines strung together into an incoherent mess. None of it is subtle either. There is a different between recognizing some foreshadowing and having every ‘spin’ thrown at you in a rapid-fire fashion. It was almost like they prepared to have a new climax to the story every few chapters just for the fun of it. Lastly, half of the book was simply the plot of Aladdin? And not in like a fun retelling way, more in a way that we weren’t supposed to notice even though it was blatantly obvious.
I originally requested the ARC because I saw the synopsis for the second in the series and wanted to start from the beginning. It sounded like it had good bones to work from. If there had been a good purge of excess and more time spent editing, then there would be far more potential. In the end, I am thankful to be done with this book and to never return.
To begin, the characters and relationships between everyone were very surface level and had no depth to their connection. This made it very hard to care about almost anyone in the novel. I think the only two characters I really cared about were Teos and Kavi. As for backstory, they never really cover why Dagmara’s illness couldn’t have been healed by the royal family, or what the cliff incident with Teos was. The world building was shoddy at best. The authors also seem to set up Sabien for a love triangle, but all I see is sexual harassment. I swear they were trying to get me to like him at the beginning, but I have no idea where that went sideways. (Also- Dagger is just the worst nickname.)
It was beginning to get difficult to not actively pray for the downfall of all of the characters. All of the characters were highkey stupid, or knew everything for no reason at all. It also seemed like everyone was just awful at their jobs. Captain, assassin, Queen, all just gliding around with no training and not a care in the world about things they definitely should know about. The characters just repeated themselves constantly, but would also jump to conclusions without any lead up or follow up.
As for the prose, there was very little imagery, very little internal monologue or narration, and when there is, it is very rudimentary. Every paragraph felt like it had the exact same structure and feel, nothing stood out to me and it was exhausting to pay attention. There needed to be far less telling the audience plainly what happened and more letting us put it together. We don’t need everything handed to us on a silver platter and it took away from the experience because of that lack of detail and description. The passage of time throughout the book is also inconsistent, meaningless, and outright abhorrent. It is yesterday, today, and three days from now all at the same time! Literally within the same chapter. I have no idea how the timeline looks because of the large time jumps with no explanation or indication to what is happening. I was constantly looking to see if I missed a page somewhere because things weren’t adding up.
It got tiring having ‘twist’ after ‘twist’ after ‘twist’. It felt like the authors had a lot of ideas and decided not to cut any of them, but also not develop any of them. Instead, the entire book is just spare plotlines strung together into an incoherent mess. None of it is subtle either. There is a different between recognizing some foreshadowing and having every ‘spin’ thrown at you in a rapid-fire fashion. It was almost like they prepared to have a new climax to the story every few chapters just for the fun of it. Lastly, half of the book was simply the plot of Aladdin? And not in like a fun retelling way, more in a way that we weren’t supposed to notice even though it was blatantly obvious.
I originally requested the ARC because I saw the synopsis for the second in the series and wanted to start from the beginning. It sounded like it had good bones to work from. If there had been a good purge of excess and more time spent editing, then there would be far more potential. In the end, I am thankful to be done with this book and to never return.
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