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The Bone Throne
The Unbroken Queen
Born illegitimate. Trained an assassin. Crowned a queen.
As an illegitimate princess, I’m bound by duty and betrothed to the crown prince of the House of Tannard, rulers of the nearby realms. However, beneath the royal façade, I serve as a loyal disciple of the formidable Sistern of Silence, the masters of soul voice. The sacred legacy of the death arts, a rare gift, courses through my veins, a heritage from my father’s line.
Upon reaching the distant shores of Tarragona to meet my betrothed, I discover I've been manipulated by the Mother of the Sistern. I was chosen to be the future queen for a reason I can’t yet fathom—a reason that could bring catastrophic consequences upon the realms.
As the northern realm's thirst for power intensifies and its enigmatic Razohan leader aims to reclaim the southern throne and the prized Etherweave, my disdain for my fiancé seems inconsequential, overshadowed by the imminent specter of war.
To protect the House of Tannard and maintain the delicate equilibrium of power, I must delve deeper into the clandestine pillars of the Sistern and awaken the lethal power of the death arts, lying dormant within me.
In a world where treachery and concealed truths dominate, I must remember that in war, love and mercy are luxuries none can afford. I've pledged my allegiance to the House of Tannard, rendering the seductive Razohan leader—my persistent shadow—my adversary.
As an illegitimate princess, I’m bound by duty and betrothed to the crown prince of the House of Tannard, rulers of the nearby realms. However, beneath the royal façade, I serve as a loyal disciple of the formidable Sistern of Silence, the masters of soul voice. The sacred legacy of the death arts, a rare gift, courses through my veins, a heritage from my father’s line.
Upon reaching the distant shores of Tarragona to meet my betrothed, I discover I've been manipulated by the Mother of the Sistern. I was chosen to be the future queen for a reason I can’t yet fathom—a reason that could bring catastrophic consequences upon the realms.
As the northern realm's thirst for power intensifies and its enigmatic Razohan leader aims to reclaim the southern throne and the prized Etherweave, my disdain for my fiancé seems inconsequential, overshadowed by the imminent specter of war.
To protect the House of Tannard and maintain the delicate equilibrium of power, I must delve deeper into the clandestine pillars of the Sistern and awaken the lethal power of the death arts, lying dormant within me.
In a world where treachery and concealed truths dominate, I must remember that in war, love and mercy are luxuries none can afford. I've pledged my allegiance to the House of Tannard, rendering the seductive Razohan leader—my persistent shadow—my adversary.
548 pages, Hardcover
Published March 26, 2024
85 people are currently reading
445 people want to read
About the author
Terina Adams
31 books48 followersWhen I wasn’t riding a camel through the Rajasthani desert, white water rafting the rapids on the Zambezi, bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls bridge or hiking the peeks in Pakistan, I was piloting a twin prop into remote aboriginal communities in northern Western Australia or staring down a microscope in a laboratory.
Now somewhat tamed, the microscope has morphed into a computer and I spend more time plotting dire situations for my protagonists than being in them myself.
I am the author of books that won’t stay normal.
Now somewhat tamed, the microscope has morphed into a computer and I spend more time plotting dire situations for my protagonists than being in them myself.
I am the author of books that won’t stay normal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
August 21, 2024
Re-Read:
I re-read this in preparation for the second book which is out so soon. I still ADORE this world-building. This absolutely has a writing style that might not vibe with everyone, but it works so well for me. It is also SO LONG, but I was just here to enjoy the ride. It also starts with a ton of the world-building and info, so it is a LOT up front.
It has its flaws, but I don't care about them honestly. I had a GREAT time and loved every second.
---
While this certainly HAS an enemies-to-lovers slowest of burns romance in it, there is a whole LOT of world-building, character growth, and intense politics. All things that I JUST LOVE.
This has a richly woven tapestry of intrigue and political maneuvering. It has detailed world-building, which is dense and immersive. The historical vibes and the intricate political landscape are reminiscent of classic epic fantasies, providing a rich backdrop against which the story unfolds. I love the vikings-vibe northern shifter tribes. I love the princesses trained as assassins and their hidden sisterhood cult. I love the historical-esque nature of marriages for political reasons.
I also adore the romance between Tamas and Tressya. I LOVE that the initial attraction for him is based on her courage, sacrifice, and intelligence. I like that our leading lady is plain for once. And I just love, love, love the banter between these two. Tressya is ruthless and smart. I love how she grows throughout the story and how she bonds with those around her.
And with that ending, I know that things are about to get even more complicated. GREAT book. This absolutely was exactly the kind of book I adore.
Highly recommend for anyone who loves complex politics and world-building alongside their romance and great characters. The only other book that made me feel this way was Queen Conqueror by Isabelle Olmo.
Thanks to R&R Booktours and the author for the opportunity to read and review. This is an honest and voluntary review.
I re-read this in preparation for the second book which is out so soon. I still ADORE this world-building. This absolutely has a writing style that might not vibe with everyone, but it works so well for me. It is also SO LONG, but I was just here to enjoy the ride. It also starts with a ton of the world-building and info, so it is a LOT up front.
It has its flaws, but I don't care about them honestly. I had a GREAT time and loved every second.
---
While this certainly HAS an enemies-to-lovers slowest of burns romance in it, there is a whole LOT of world-building, character growth, and intense politics. All things that I JUST LOVE.
This has a richly woven tapestry of intrigue and political maneuvering. It has detailed world-building, which is dense and immersive. The historical vibes and the intricate political landscape are reminiscent of classic epic fantasies, providing a rich backdrop against which the story unfolds. I love the vikings-vibe northern shifter tribes. I love the princesses trained as assassins and their hidden sisterhood cult. I love the historical-esque nature of marriages for political reasons.
I also adore the romance between Tamas and Tressya. I LOVE that the initial attraction for him is based on her courage, sacrifice, and intelligence. I like that our leading lady is plain for once. And I just love, love, love the banter between these two. Tressya is ruthless and smart. I love how she grows throughout the story and how she bonds with those around her.
And with that ending, I know that things are about to get even more complicated. GREAT book. This absolutely was exactly the kind of book I adore.
Highly recommend for anyone who loves complex politics and world-building alongside their romance and great characters. The only other book that made me feel this way was Queen Conqueror by Isabelle Olmo.
Thanks to R&R Booktours and the author for the opportunity to read and review. This is an honest and voluntary review.
October 24, 2024
If you like fantasy books with heavy world building, romance, and all sorts of adventures this book is for you. This was an enjoyable read that had me by the edge of my seat the whole time.
The character building was well done, and the world building gave you the information you needed, when you needed it.
Tressya and Tamas were great characters with tressya’s growth over the book turning her into a total badass.
Overall
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
🌶️/5
The character building was well done, and the world building gave you the information you needed, when you needed it.
Tressya and Tamas were great characters with tressya’s growth over the book turning her into a total badass.
Overall
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
🌶️/5
April 12, 2024
ARC Review: The Unbroken Queen
Stars: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️1/2
"The Unbroken Queen" by Terina Adams is a tale brimming with promise—a narrative of intrigue, duty, and forbidden power. However, as a reader, I found myself grappling with its execution.
While the premise of an illegitimate princess trained as an assassin, navigating political machinations and the allure of power, is captivating, the world-building falls short of expectations. The realms described lack depth, leaving me longing for more context to fully immerse myself in the story. Similarly, character descriptions are sparse, hindering my ability to connect with the cast beyond surface-level traits.
At a hefty 550 pages, the pacing feels sluggish, with the plot often meandering, prompting me to skim through to reach the conclusion. Though the slow burn of romance offers moments of intrigue, the payoff ultimately disappoints, failing to satisfy the tension built throughout the narrative.
It's evident that Adams attempted to weave together multiple narratives within the confines of a single book, but the result feels disjointed. As a reader, I struggled to reconcile the various threads, leaving me feeling disconnected from the overarching story.
In the end, "The Unbroken Queen" falls short of its potential. While it has its moments, the lack of cohesive storytelling and underdeveloped world-building leave much to be desired.
Stars: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️1/2
"The Unbroken Queen" by Terina Adams is a tale brimming with promise—a narrative of intrigue, duty, and forbidden power. However, as a reader, I found myself grappling with its execution.
While the premise of an illegitimate princess trained as an assassin, navigating political machinations and the allure of power, is captivating, the world-building falls short of expectations. The realms described lack depth, leaving me longing for more context to fully immerse myself in the story. Similarly, character descriptions are sparse, hindering my ability to connect with the cast beyond surface-level traits.
At a hefty 550 pages, the pacing feels sluggish, with the plot often meandering, prompting me to skim through to reach the conclusion. Though the slow burn of romance offers moments of intrigue, the payoff ultimately disappoints, failing to satisfy the tension built throughout the narrative.
It's evident that Adams attempted to weave together multiple narratives within the confines of a single book, but the result feels disjointed. As a reader, I struggled to reconcile the various threads, leaving me feeling disconnected from the overarching story.
In the end, "The Unbroken Queen" falls short of its potential. While it has its moments, the lack of cohesive storytelling and underdeveloped world-building leave much to be desired.
July 11, 2025
I took my time reading and the book is already published and the duology finished, but I still have to say that I hope they fixed their grammar and character's mix-ups. If the character is talking about Radnisa, why are they referring to Romelda a second later, when there's absolutely no reason to? Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. I felt like there was too much and not much happening at all times. I didn't connect with either the characters or the writing style, which made me not really care for the story or the book itself. Sometimes I also felt like I was reading some subplot that wasn't connected to anything mentioned previously, which got quite confusing. The romantic relationship between the characters felt forced, and I couldn't help but feel like I've read this exact same plot before in other books. Sadly won't be reading the next book.
April 1, 2024
This was my first ARC. I was approved to read it in exchange for an honest review.
I can honestly say that, as a first time ARC reader, I picked the right one to start off with.
The first few chapters start off with heavy world building that could be difficult to follow for some readers. However, the characters and geography that make the biggest difference in the story was repeated enough for me to piece necessary storylines together. I would suggest a world map and glossary to assist readers, if possible.
The story was action packed and filled with lots of slow burn and banter. The female main character was definitely not a damsel in distress and held her own throughout the story. Being written in dual POV, it was easy to follow the intentions of both the FMC and MMC. It was refreshing to follow the story of a female main character that didn't have men fawning at her feet due to her beauty. However, it did get redundant that the reader is consistently reminded of her lack of beauty.
Overall, I really did fall in love with the story of the two main characters. I genuinely rooted for both of them, even when the outcome for each were at odds. Although I had an ending in mind, the cliffhanger at the end was not at all what I expected. I'm looking forward to reading the rest that come in the trilogy.
Note: The copy I read did have a few spelling errors. Additionally, the POV label of chapter 37 is incorrect.
I can honestly say that, as a first time ARC reader, I picked the right one to start off with.
The first few chapters start off with heavy world building that could be difficult to follow for some readers. However, the characters and geography that make the biggest difference in the story was repeated enough for me to piece necessary storylines together. I would suggest a world map and glossary to assist readers, if possible.
The story was action packed and filled with lots of slow burn and banter. The female main character was definitely not a damsel in distress and held her own throughout the story. Being written in dual POV, it was easy to follow the intentions of both the FMC and MMC. It was refreshing to follow the story of a female main character that didn't have men fawning at her feet due to her beauty. However, it did get redundant that the reader is consistently reminded of her lack of beauty.
Overall, I really did fall in love with the story of the two main characters. I genuinely rooted for both of them, even when the outcome for each were at odds. Although I had an ending in mind, the cliffhanger at the end was not at all what I expected. I'm looking forward to reading the rest that come in the trilogy.
Note: The copy I read did have a few spelling errors. Additionally, the POV label of chapter 37 is incorrect.
June 6, 2024
The Unbroken Queen was a promising romantasy story following arrange marriage between two POV. One from an illegitimate princess, Tressya. She was appearing from early page with her colorful characteristic. The second was Tamas, a tribe leader who need lead his people into a battle to reclaim their homeland. With all the background stories and mythology infused the world is little bit confusing but also intriguing.
Although the plot is really interesting with political intrique and unique magic system. But I am not really enjoy with the writing style. The dialogue feel off and unrealistic. Early part of the story is dragging and filled mostly with infos. It is long pages book and suppose we can digging into the world as we follow the story. The pace feel dragging but the characters doing so much action with extra layers of personal struggles.
The romance feel premature and lack chemistry. I love see the potential but I need real tension to get into the romantic mood.
This book would interest readers who love arrange marriage story with enemy and court politic intrigues.
Thank you Netgalley and Terina Adams for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting Publication : 22 April 2024
Although the plot is really interesting with political intrique and unique magic system. But I am not really enjoy with the writing style. The dialogue feel off and unrealistic. Early part of the story is dragging and filled mostly with infos. It is long pages book and suppose we can digging into the world as we follow the story. The pace feel dragging but the characters doing so much action with extra layers of personal struggles.
The romance feel premature and lack chemistry. I love see the potential but I need real tension to get into the romantic mood.
This book would interest readers who love arrange marriage story with enemy and court politic intrigues.
Thank you Netgalley and Terina Adams for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting Publication : 22 April 2024
July 3, 2024
arc review
4.5/5
Let’s start by saying, a lot happened!
We jump straight in, getting to know our protagonist. She’s a bit on the wild side, yet isn’t a stranger to violence.
What to expect:
* feisty FMC with a tendency to get her dagger out at any given moment!!
* Slow burn, all the angst, tension and flirtatious banter
* He falls first extremely HARD
* dual PoV
* Enemies to lovers!
We follow our fiery protagonists who are bound by duty, weighing up whether to remain loyal or betray all they know for what the heart wants.
World building:
* There is a lot of moving parts at play, a lot to take on board and truly understand the depth of the world created. It was truly a delight to be so fully immersed. I think if you were a beginner to fantasy it may be a bit too heavy as a starter fantasy book however the book does give reminders throughout.
* Trying to wrap my head around all the different names and places was a mouthful but really immersed you into the world, with spirits, the power to control them, shapeshifting and more!! This book turned out to be so much more than I was expecting.
* the bone throne intrigues me a lot. It feels very game of thrones like and I’m loving it, with the different clans, houses and blood claims to the throne, all their lineage.
What I liked:
* The descriptions never lacked once, I thought the depictions were extremely thorough and beautiful. I could really picture everything clearly in my mind. “In the flaming torchlight, flecks of white stone seemed to dance along the floor’s surface, making it appear like ripples in an oily sea. Above, the same flecks of stone gave the ceiling the appearance of the night sky.” there’s too many to go through but it had me in awe.
* The love bind; the reveal of what the mark means, I was eating that scene up!!
* I loved the dual PoV’s, it made the flow of the book much easier to follow and think it was vital to have both views of our FMC/MMC to really see their thought processes as well as their battle being bound to their duties.
* I have read a lot of YA fantasy, so this was super refreshing to read an adult fantasy book that also didn’t make me cringe too much, I really felt the tone of voice which emulated pure passion between the characters, the back and forth between Tamas and Tressya had me always wanting more with the tension and angst. A perfect slow burn!
The characters:
Tamas - what a brute of a man / beast! A naughty thing he is, isn’t he. His dialogue has me giddy from the start. Very headstrong and not afraid to stand up for what he believes in.
Tressya - our feisty princess, lethal and always underestimated however was quick to always hold her own throughout. Yet also just a woman who wishes for freedom of choice, the constant struggle between doing her duty, remaining loyal but going against everything she truly feels also on top with the burden of guilt and betrayal. “The Mother was my mother, and her word is my law”.
Andriet - what a sweetheart! I just wanted to give him a cuddle. He’s a delight, he reminds me of a jester, mischevious and cunning with his own agenda but comedic nonetheless. “Pleasantly contagious” as a description couldn’t be more accurate. Oh sweet sweet Andriet.
The spirits dialogue was hilarious! very entertaining. Felt like they were guardians at times but comedic yet also the resemblance to a sibling badgering you was captured perfectly and eerie!
Carlin - he’s too sweet for his own good. He handled it all with such grace in an impossible circumstance.
The high stakes and quick pace in the last 200 pages had me on the edge of my seat, what was going to happen?! The way it ended… I need to know what happens next. The way I cried, it was heart wrenching.
A side note: I think chapter 37 was labelled wrong for the POV however this may only be in the copy I read.
Thank you so much NetGalley and Terina Adams for this opportunity to read this amazing book in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading more from this spectacular author.
4.5/5
Let’s start by saying, a lot happened!
We jump straight in, getting to know our protagonist. She’s a bit on the wild side, yet isn’t a stranger to violence.
What to expect:
* feisty FMC with a tendency to get her dagger out at any given moment!!
* Slow burn, all the angst, tension and flirtatious banter
* He falls first extremely HARD
* dual PoV
* Enemies to lovers!
We follow our fiery protagonists who are bound by duty, weighing up whether to remain loyal or betray all they know for what the heart wants.
World building:
* There is a lot of moving parts at play, a lot to take on board and truly understand the depth of the world created. It was truly a delight to be so fully immersed. I think if you were a beginner to fantasy it may be a bit too heavy as a starter fantasy book however the book does give reminders throughout.
* Trying to wrap my head around all the different names and places was a mouthful but really immersed you into the world, with spirits, the power to control them, shapeshifting and more!! This book turned out to be so much more than I was expecting.
* the bone throne intrigues me a lot. It feels very game of thrones like and I’m loving it, with the different clans, houses and blood claims to the throne, all their lineage.
What I liked:
* The descriptions never lacked once, I thought the depictions were extremely thorough and beautiful. I could really picture everything clearly in my mind. “In the flaming torchlight, flecks of white stone seemed to dance along the floor’s surface, making it appear like ripples in an oily sea. Above, the same flecks of stone gave the ceiling the appearance of the night sky.” there’s too many to go through but it had me in awe.
* The love bind; the reveal of what the mark means, I was eating that scene up!!
* I loved the dual PoV’s, it made the flow of the book much easier to follow and think it was vital to have both views of our FMC/MMC to really see their thought processes as well as their battle being bound to their duties.
* I have read a lot of YA fantasy, so this was super refreshing to read an adult fantasy book that also didn’t make me cringe too much, I really felt the tone of voice which emulated pure passion between the characters, the back and forth between Tamas and Tressya had me always wanting more with the tension and angst. A perfect slow burn!
The characters:
Tamas - what a brute of a man / beast! A naughty thing he is, isn’t he. His dialogue has me giddy from the start. Very headstrong and not afraid to stand up for what he believes in.
Tressya - our feisty princess, lethal and always underestimated however was quick to always hold her own throughout. Yet also just a woman who wishes for freedom of choice, the constant struggle between doing her duty, remaining loyal but going against everything she truly feels also on top with the burden of guilt and betrayal. “The Mother was my mother, and her word is my law”.
Andriet - what a sweetheart! I just wanted to give him a cuddle. He’s a delight, he reminds me of a jester, mischevious and cunning with his own agenda but comedic nonetheless. “Pleasantly contagious” as a description couldn’t be more accurate. Oh sweet sweet Andriet.
The spirits dialogue was hilarious! very entertaining. Felt like they were guardians at times but comedic yet also the resemblance to a sibling badgering you was captured perfectly and eerie!
Carlin - he’s too sweet for his own good. He handled it all with such grace in an impossible circumstance.
The high stakes and quick pace in the last 200 pages had me on the edge of my seat, what was going to happen?! The way it ended… I need to know what happens next. The way I cried, it was heart wrenching.
A side note: I think chapter 37 was labelled wrong for the POV however this may only be in the copy I read.
Thank you so much NetGalley and Terina Adams for this opportunity to read this amazing book in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading more from this spectacular author.
May 20, 2024
⋆⭒˚｡⋆ 2.5/5 stars.
This review will be spoiler-free. No quotes because this is an arc. I half recommend this book and half don't. I think this is good for people who enjoy a medium- to fast-paced story with mega slowburn romance and politics, politics, politics.
───── ⑅ the protagonists ⑅ ─────
Tressya! Wow, what a lady she is! She is not your average fmc: plain-faced, hides daggers in her skirts, and has wits! Super wow! She spent the vast majority of this book worrying about her loyalties to the sisterhood (which we barely got any information on), and whether or not she would be able to fulfill her duty after being married off to such an asshat prince! The girl has some spunk; definitely had the most interesting pov of the two.
Tamas. Ohhh, Tamas. A supposed war commander. An ultra-skilled spy and killer who can shapeshift. He basically falls in love with Tressya at first sight. Eugh. His character to me didn't make very much sense tbh and I wish that there was more to him than just "I'm thinking about Tressya. Why am I thinking about Tressya? Oh no, I'm ruining my big master plan because I keep thinking about Tressya."
───── ⑅ what I liked ⑅ ─────
Tressya's internal struggles. I liked that they didn't just disappear because a sexy man swooped her away, and that she was actually fighting with herself. She felt genuine guilt over her actions (though this was sometimes swept under the rug whenever she got horny? lol).
The author was not afraid to kill characters. It was refreshing to see that not everything goes the way the protagonists want; it made things far more interesting. I think it would have been even better had we had the chance to learn more about them as characters.
Andriet. My sweet, sweet Andriet. Such a MAN, genuinely kindhearted and respectful, wish every male character in this book was like him (maybe a little less stupid but its okay he gets a pass for being so lovely).
───── ⑅ what I didn't like ⑅ ─────
The beginning of this story was the biggest info dump I've ever had the displeasure of reading. I think there were at least ten different names of lords that were never mentioned again, several more names of territories, and terms I didn't understand. There is no map for this world either, so every time a name was brought up, I just had absolutely no idea where the characters were. Near the beginning, during some of the info dumping, the dialogue was really strange. It sounded obnoxiously formal. This was especially confusing because there were also moments in this book where hundred year old characters would whip out modern language and I would just be like ??? huh??? oh okay!
The plot's pacing was also kinda eugh. A chapter would end, we would move on to the next, and the protagonists were usually doing something completely different from what was happening in the previous chapter.
The stupid bite mark lmao. It gives Wattpad alpha werewolf.
things to expect in this book:
➺ prophecies
➺ shapeshifters (like actually lol)
➺ dual pov
This review will be spoiler-free. No quotes because this is an arc. I half recommend this book and half don't. I think this is good for people who enjoy a medium- to fast-paced story with mega slowburn romance and politics, politics, politics.
───── ⑅ the protagonists ⑅ ─────
Tressya! Wow, what a lady she is! She is not your average fmc: plain-faced, hides daggers in her skirts, and has wits! Super wow! She spent the vast majority of this book worrying about her loyalties to the sisterhood (which we barely got any information on), and whether or not she would be able to fulfill her duty after being married off to such an asshat prince! The girl has some spunk; definitely had the most interesting pov of the two.
Tamas. Ohhh, Tamas. A supposed war commander. An ultra-skilled spy and killer who can shapeshift. He basically falls in love with Tressya at first sight. Eugh. His character to me didn't make very much sense tbh and I wish that there was more to him than just "I'm thinking about Tressya. Why am I thinking about Tressya? Oh no, I'm ruining my big master plan because I keep thinking about Tressya."
───── ⑅ what I liked ⑅ ─────
Tressya's internal struggles. I liked that they didn't just disappear because a sexy man swooped her away, and that she was actually fighting with herself. She felt genuine guilt over her actions (though this was sometimes swept under the rug whenever she got horny? lol).
The author was not afraid to kill characters. It was refreshing to see that not everything goes the way the protagonists want; it made things far more interesting. I think it would have been even better had we had the chance to learn more about them as characters.
Andriet. My sweet, sweet Andriet. Such a MAN, genuinely kindhearted and respectful, wish every male character in this book was like him (maybe a little less stupid but its okay he gets a pass for being so lovely).
───── ⑅ what I didn't like ⑅ ─────
The beginning of this story was the biggest info dump I've ever had the displeasure of reading. I think there were at least ten different names of lords that were never mentioned again, several more names of territories, and terms I didn't understand. There is no map for this world either, so every time a name was brought up, I just had absolutely no idea where the characters were. Near the beginning, during some of the info dumping, the dialogue was really strange. It sounded obnoxiously formal. This was especially confusing because there were also moments in this book where hundred year old characters would whip out modern language and I would just be like ??? huh??? oh okay!
The plot's pacing was also kinda eugh. A chapter would end, we would move on to the next, and the protagonists were usually doing something completely different from what was happening in the previous chapter.
The stupid bite mark lmao. It gives Wattpad alpha werewolf.
things to expect in this book:
➺ prophecies
➺ shapeshifters (like actually lol)
➺ dual pov
April 8, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Terina Adams for the free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“If we were loyal to our fates, we should be mortal enemies, yet here we were, entwined in each other’s arms.”
-
✨enemies to lovers
✨stabby fmc
✨slowwwwww burn 😌
✨he falls first and HARD
✨dual pov
As a romantasy girlie, I was thrilled to start this book. It is filled with politics, secrecy, hidden gifts, and a war for power. We follow the journey of two enemies who struggle with remaining loyal to their duty and following their hearts. That’s right, we have the best trope here ✨enemies to lovers ✨. The world building is pretty intense at first, but there are plenty of moments to catch up.
Y’all know I love a stabby fmc who can take care of herself ✋🏻 tressya is that girl 👏🏻 she’s born into the Sistern of Silence (think a secret womens society with hidden powers in the death arts) and is well-trained with blades. I absolutely adored her and how real she was. She’s supposed to be unquestionably loyal to the Sistern, but ultimately starts to question thinks (rightfully so imo ✋🏻). She wants to do the right thing despite her orders. This leads her to a path of finding friendship she’s never had and a war with her heart.
Okay now let’s talk about our mmc, tamas. Tamas is the leader of the northern realm with a thirst for his born right to power. This man is a SIMP and I’m here for it 👏🏻 he says all the right things to melt a girls heart. With that said, I did not enjoy his chapters 😭 I feel like his chapters ruined the pacing of the book and took away a lot of suspense we could’ve had without his POV. I felt like he was a little bland in his POV, but I loved him from Tressya’s POV. However, this isn’t enough to deter me from reading the next book!
Okay, okay let’s get back to my fav part - enemies to loversssss 🙌🏻 this is what I expect when I hear a book marketed as enemies to lovers! They’re born enemies with duties on conflicting sides, yet can’t control their hearts. Not to mention the tension with the slow burn 😮💨
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I’m looking forward to the next one bc that cliffhanger got me good 😌
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“If we were loyal to our fates, we should be mortal enemies, yet here we were, entwined in each other’s arms.”
-
✨enemies to lovers
✨stabby fmc
✨slowwwwww burn 😌
✨he falls first and HARD
✨dual pov
As a romantasy girlie, I was thrilled to start this book. It is filled with politics, secrecy, hidden gifts, and a war for power. We follow the journey of two enemies who struggle with remaining loyal to their duty and following their hearts. That’s right, we have the best trope here ✨enemies to lovers ✨. The world building is pretty intense at first, but there are plenty of moments to catch up.
Y’all know I love a stabby fmc who can take care of herself ✋🏻 tressya is that girl 👏🏻 she’s born into the Sistern of Silence (think a secret womens society with hidden powers in the death arts) and is well-trained with blades. I absolutely adored her and how real she was. She’s supposed to be unquestionably loyal to the Sistern, but ultimately starts to question thinks (rightfully so imo ✋🏻). She wants to do the right thing despite her orders. This leads her to a path of finding friendship she’s never had and a war with her heart.
Okay now let’s talk about our mmc, tamas. Tamas is the leader of the northern realm with a thirst for his born right to power. This man is a SIMP and I’m here for it 👏🏻 he says all the right things to melt a girls heart. With that said, I did not enjoy his chapters 😭 I feel like his chapters ruined the pacing of the book and took away a lot of suspense we could’ve had without his POV. I felt like he was a little bland in his POV, but I loved him from Tressya’s POV. However, this isn’t enough to deter me from reading the next book!
Okay, okay let’s get back to my fav part - enemies to loversssss 🙌🏻 this is what I expect when I hear a book marketed as enemies to lovers! They’re born enemies with duties on conflicting sides, yet can’t control their hearts. Not to mention the tension with the slow burn 😮💨
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I’m looking forward to the next one bc that cliffhanger got me good 😌
April 26, 2024
✨ARC review ✨
I’m very thankful to NetGalley and Terina for allowing me an advanced copy of The Unbroken Queen in exchange for an honest review
The Unbroken Queen follows Tressya, a bastard born princess who was raised by a secretive Order and is now being sent to a foreign kingdom with one order: Marry the princes, become Queen, and produce an heir
In her journey Tressya overcomes many obstacles, questions everything she’s been taught, and falls for the one person she shouldn’t
We also follow Tamas, a northerner who believes due to prophecies and foreseen futures by witches. Tressya and Tamas are two sides of the same coin; both working towards completely opposite goals but can’t help but being drawn to one another
Overall, I found the pacing of this book to be a bit stilted but I did find the story to be intriguing enough to push through. The world building and magic system were relatively easy to follow which helps make up for some of the pacing issues. As an avid and honestly fast reader, this book took me longer to complete than I thought it would but I am very glad I continued to read it cuz I ended up enjoying it a lot by the end. I really enjoyed that Tressya while not conventionally beautiful was loved and found to be beautiful due to her characteristics beneath her skin
Here are some other things you have to look forward to reading this book:
👑 Enemies to lovers
👑 Slow burn 🔥
👑 Secret Order
👑 Unique magic system
👑 Shapeshifters
👑 Rival Kingdoms
👑 Prophecies and Fates
👑 Strong FMC
👑 He falls first
The Unbroken Queen is available now as paperback from Amazon and on KU
I’m very thankful to NetGalley and Terina for allowing me an advanced copy of The Unbroken Queen in exchange for an honest review
The Unbroken Queen follows Tressya, a bastard born princess who was raised by a secretive Order and is now being sent to a foreign kingdom with one order: Marry the princes, become Queen, and produce an heir
In her journey Tressya overcomes many obstacles, questions everything she’s been taught, and falls for the one person she shouldn’t
We also follow Tamas, a northerner who believes due to prophecies and foreseen futures by witches. Tressya and Tamas are two sides of the same coin; both working towards completely opposite goals but can’t help but being drawn to one another
Overall, I found the pacing of this book to be a bit stilted but I did find the story to be intriguing enough to push through. The world building and magic system were relatively easy to follow which helps make up for some of the pacing issues. As an avid and honestly fast reader, this book took me longer to complete than I thought it would but I am very glad I continued to read it cuz I ended up enjoying it a lot by the end. I really enjoyed that Tressya while not conventionally beautiful was loved and found to be beautiful due to her characteristics beneath her skin
Here are some other things you have to look forward to reading this book:
👑 Enemies to lovers
👑 Slow burn 🔥
👑 Secret Order
👑 Unique magic system
👑 Shapeshifters
👑 Rival Kingdoms
👑 Prophecies and Fates
👑 Strong FMC
👑 He falls first
The Unbroken Queen is available now as paperback from Amazon and on KU
May 4, 2024
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a review
3.75 stars.
It took me an embarrassingly long time to finish this (school and finals always get in the way) but I'm so glad I did. I actually really enjoyed The Unbroken Queen! I was drawn in by the promise of an assassin, an arranged marriage, political dealings, and enemies to lovers... and I was not disappointed. The main character, Tressya, is an illegitimate daughter trained by the Sistern of Silence as an assassin, and when she's sent overseas to be the bride to the future king of Tarragona, she discovers there's more to her mission than she originally believed. Opposite of Tressya, Tamas is the leader of the Razohan, and as he is maneuvering to claim the throne for himself, he has to decide between with his feelings for Tressya and the need to protect his people.
Honestly, I struggled to get through the beginning of the book because there was so much information to digest, and even now I'm still not sure exactly what everything meant. But the action and plot developments in the last third of The Unbroken Queen made up for that. I enjoyed the politics of the world, and appreciated that Tressya had a tendency to observe and make her moves in the shadows. She's smart and cunning, but still caring--as demonstrated in her friendship with Andriet. It did get a little tiring to read about how plain and unattractive Tressya was, like we got it the first few times lol. But Tamas' obsession with her does make up for that. I devoured the interactions between Tressya and Tamas... they were witty and snarky and so fun to read. And the slow burn was definitely slow burning. They were obsessed with each other, and I loved it. One annotation I made literally said "alex play down bad by taylor swift".... you get the point. It's a shame the next book doesn't come out until August, but I will be reading it the day it comes out.
Thank you to the author and publisher for providing a copy of this book!
3.75 stars.
It took me an embarrassingly long time to finish this (school and finals always get in the way) but I'm so glad I did. I actually really enjoyed The Unbroken Queen! I was drawn in by the promise of an assassin, an arranged marriage, political dealings, and enemies to lovers... and I was not disappointed. The main character, Tressya, is an illegitimate daughter trained by the Sistern of Silence as an assassin, and when she's sent overseas to be the bride to the future king of Tarragona, she discovers there's more to her mission than she originally believed. Opposite of Tressya, Tamas is the leader of the Razohan, and as he is maneuvering to claim the throne for himself, he has to decide between with his feelings for Tressya and the need to protect his people.
Honestly, I struggled to get through the beginning of the book because there was so much information to digest, and even now I'm still not sure exactly what everything meant. But the action and plot developments in the last third of The Unbroken Queen made up for that. I enjoyed the politics of the world, and appreciated that Tressya had a tendency to observe and make her moves in the shadows. She's smart and cunning, but still caring--as demonstrated in her friendship with Andriet. It did get a little tiring to read about how plain and unattractive Tressya was, like we got it the first few times lol. But Tamas' obsession with her does make up for that. I devoured the interactions between Tressya and Tamas... they were witty and snarky and so fun to read. And the slow burn was definitely slow burning. They were obsessed with each other, and I loved it. One annotation I made literally said "alex play down bad by taylor swift".... you get the point. It's a shame the next book doesn't come out until August, but I will be reading it the day it comes out.
Thank you to the author and publisher for providing a copy of this book!
August 19, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ I’m rounding up to 5! I’m fresh off finishing this book and the last 20% was wild, a whirlwind of emotions. I won’t lie, this book started off slow. There is a lot of world building and info thrown at you to set up the characters current situations. It’s a dual pov, which I enjoy, but the two main characters don’t meet until close to 30% in. Despite the slow start, I was hooked half way through and couldn’t put it down after that.
This book is well written, immersing you into world and magic systems. It’s also complex and though I began understanding things more and more as the book went on I also wish there was a glossary of terms and even a map to help with understanding the world better.
I really love the FMC, Tressya. We are constantly reminded that she isn’t a beautiful woman. But she doesn’t let those remarks affect her character. She’s intelligent, brave and fiesty. I love Tamas also, and I love that he falls first (love that trope lol). He never gives up on trying to win her affections. Their banter was so fun and I enjoyed any scenes where they were together.
This is very much a slow burn with a little bit of spice near the end. I had a few ideas of how I thought the end would go but I didn’t get it entirely right. Those last couple of chapters threw me through a loop. I’m glad I gave this book a chance and I’m eagerly awaiting the next one! This is an epic fantasy with a dash of romance you won’t want to miss!
Thank you BOMM & the author for the review copy! This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
This book is well written, immersing you into world and magic systems. It’s also complex and though I began understanding things more and more as the book went on I also wish there was a glossary of terms and even a map to help with understanding the world better.
I really love the FMC, Tressya. We are constantly reminded that she isn’t a beautiful woman. But she doesn’t let those remarks affect her character. She’s intelligent, brave and fiesty. I love Tamas also, and I love that he falls first (love that trope lol). He never gives up on trying to win her affections. Their banter was so fun and I enjoyed any scenes where they were together.
This is very much a slow burn with a little bit of spice near the end. I had a few ideas of how I thought the end would go but I didn’t get it entirely right. Those last couple of chapters threw me through a loop. I’m glad I gave this book a chance and I’m eagerly awaiting the next one! This is an epic fantasy with a dash of romance you won’t want to miss!
Thank you BOMM & the author for the review copy! This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
July 20, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Terina Adams for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
The Unbroken Queen starts off slow and a bit complex while building the characters and world. About 20% in, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down.
I thoroughly enjoyed the double POV. The FMC was intelligent and trained — giving her all the credibility needed in for the trials she faced. Tressya was not one of the breathtaking, beautiful characters that lucked into everything that came at her. She had relatable emotions and sensible inner dialogue. Tressya was a breath of fresh air after reading FMCs who are helpless and immature.
Tamas is a complex MMC who valued Tressya and respected her for her depth.
This is my first shape shifting read so I don’t have anything to compare it to. It was well explained, and I enjoyed the complexity.
Five star read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Super slow burn
Enemies to lovers ish
Low level spice - .5 🌶️
Looking forward to the sequel!
The Unbroken Queen starts off slow and a bit complex while building the characters and world. About 20% in, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down.
I thoroughly enjoyed the double POV. The FMC was intelligent and trained — giving her all the credibility needed in for the trials she faced. Tressya was not one of the breathtaking, beautiful characters that lucked into everything that came at her. She had relatable emotions and sensible inner dialogue. Tressya was a breath of fresh air after reading FMCs who are helpless and immature.
Tamas is a complex MMC who valued Tressya and respected her for her depth.
This is my first shape shifting read so I don’t have anything to compare it to. It was well explained, and I enjoyed the complexity.
Five star read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Super slow burn
Enemies to lovers ish
Low level spice - .5 🌶️
Looking forward to the sequel!
September 7, 2024
I really enjoyed this book! The last few chapters were a wild ride.
The book started off a bit slow with magic system similar to Dune but it quickly became entirely different storyline. I loved the dual POV but I wish we could have had more chapters of him. I liked Teressya. We were reminded that she is not very beautiful but is very intelligent. Tamas was so sweet and he falls first. He never gives up on her and their banter is top tier. I enjoyed the scene they were together. The book is very much a slow burn with spice near the end of the book. The magic system was easy to roll and the enemies to lovers was well executed. Being on opposite sides beca of duties, they struggled to keep away from each other.
Overall, I loved the book and would recommend it to Romantasy fans. But the cliffhanger is BAD!!
The book started off a bit slow with magic system similar to Dune but it quickly became entirely different storyline. I loved the dual POV but I wish we could have had more chapters of him. I liked Teressya. We were reminded that she is not very beautiful but is very intelligent. Tamas was so sweet and he falls first. He never gives up on her and their banter is top tier. I enjoyed the scene they were together. The book is very much a slow burn with spice near the end of the book. The magic system was easy to roll and the enemies to lovers was well executed. Being on opposite sides beca of duties, they struggled to keep away from each other.
Overall, I loved the book and would recommend it to Romantasy fans. But the cliffhanger is BAD!!
May 23, 2024
A lot happened in this massive book but it kept me intrigued. There were some surprising (to me) deaths and I thought it was interesting the ploys people will enact to make themselves useful in royalty when initial plans fail. I think this applied to more than just the main character.
Our MMC was essentially a shapeshifter and she didn’t really see his true form until more towards the end; and still she accepted him which I think just showed that she loved HIM and not just what he looked like—- though she was like EW when he looked like a certain person LOL
Her “please don’t kill him” was samesies for me; I was begging the same LOL I won’t say who for spoilers. I’ll just say it’s a likeable character. I also thought it was interesting that she could talk to spirits!! I really enjoyed those scenes.
Thank you R&R Book Tours and the author for the copy!
Our MMC was essentially a shapeshifter and she didn’t really see his true form until more towards the end; and still she accepted him which I think just showed that she loved HIM and not just what he looked like—- though she was like EW when he looked like a certain person LOL
Her “please don’t kill him” was samesies for me; I was begging the same LOL I won’t say who for spoilers. I’ll just say it’s a likeable character. I also thought it was interesting that she could talk to spirits!! I really enjoyed those scenes.
Thank you R&R Book Tours and the author for the copy!
May 26, 2024
4 ⭐️, 2.5🌶, currently CF friendly (that could change as more books in the series are released)
The Unbroken Queen is a dual POV fantasy, slow-burn, enemies to lovers (that are kind of still enemies?) that definitely takes you on a journey. There is magic, kingdoms, trials, conflict, and a brewing war. This book is action packed. The dual POV started off a little confusing for the first bit as the characters are not yet in each others lives so two very different things are happening at once, but it all blends together once the two main characters meet. The story is engaging and keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. There are some unexpected twists and turns that I never saw coming. The book takes place in an interesting world with a long history that I'm sure will be revealed more as the series goes on. I believe this is the first book in what will be a series and I am looking forward to reading the next book! I need to know what happens next after that ending!
If you like fantasy, magic, shifters, and your FMC a little stabby and spicy with a morally grey MMC then this book is for you!
Thank you NetGalley and Terina Adams for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
The Unbroken Queen is a dual POV fantasy, slow-burn, enemies to lovers (that are kind of still enemies?) that definitely takes you on a journey. There is magic, kingdoms, trials, conflict, and a brewing war. This book is action packed. The dual POV started off a little confusing for the first bit as the characters are not yet in each others lives so two very different things are happening at once, but it all blends together once the two main characters meet. The story is engaging and keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. There are some unexpected twists and turns that I never saw coming. The book takes place in an interesting world with a long history that I'm sure will be revealed more as the series goes on. I believe this is the first book in what will be a series and I am looking forward to reading the next book! I need to know what happens next after that ending!
If you like fantasy, magic, shifters, and your FMC a little stabby and spicy with a morally grey MMC then this book is for you!
Thank you NetGalley and Terina Adams for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
May 14, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Terina Adams for allowing me access to this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 stars ⭐️ This book had some really interesting magic and political concepts that showed initial promise- think female assassins, kingdoms, mythical creatures and paranormal entities. There was a sprinkle of spice at the beginning and end (though with a series titled ‘the bone throne’ you might expect more lol), and an attempt at an enemies to lovers romance. I enjoyed the dual POV but felt we still missed the opportunity to get to know either of the characters very well.
The plot was very ambitious and I got a bit lost and found it hard to keep track of what was happening and why. I would have preferred if the book attempted to cover less and instead focused more on really fleshing out the world, politics, magic system, characters and relationships. The plot and characters felt disjointed often, and an event would happen with seemingly no build up and then limited connection to the next plot point. At times I felt like I was trying to read multiple books at once.
The romance between Tomas and Tressya was forced and clumsy and I felt zero tension or chemistry between them other than them suddenly deciding they were in love at the end after some fairly bland encounters with each other. Ultimately because I felt so disconnected to the characters I wasn’t invested in what happened to any of them.
June 17, 2024
The Unbroken Queen by Terina Adams. This book was phenomenal. I was excited when I was approved for the ARC. It has so much in it and reminded me of so many other books and movies that I have read and watched. I loved the dynamic characters. Tressya, the main female character is so realistic in her emotions and how she deals with them. She is torn between her duty and being loyal but also begins to question what she is “told she is meant to accomplish.” She can tell there is more out there and that she is meant for more. There is conflict in her soul but she is understanding of that and doesn’t waste time whining about it. Rather she starts to make choices for herself and fight for what she wants. She finds a new sense of loyalty and duty in herself. Tressya isn’t just another pretty little spoiled princess but a fear fighter. She is skilled and can hold her own in a fight. For someone who has always been told she is less than and is only good enough to bear for the king; she truly becomes a force of nature.
Tamas, the main male character is also just as torn between duty and his love that he did not expect to have. He sees the fearsome warrior before him and encourages her to continue the fight and not be afraid of the decisions that she makes. He encourages her to not allow others to shame her for what she decides to fight for because only she knows her own heart.
The side characters were phenomenal as well. Some you’ll hate, some you’ll absolutely adore, and some you just want to get to know more.
I can’t wait for book 2! 
Tamas, the main male character is also just as torn between duty and his love that he did not expect to have. He sees the fearsome warrior before him and encourages her to continue the fight and not be afraid of the decisions that she makes. He encourages her to not allow others to shame her for what she decides to fight for because only she knows her own heart.
The side characters were phenomenal as well. Some you’ll hate, some you’ll absolutely adore, and some you just want to get to know more.
I can’t wait for book 2! 
May 2, 2024
The Unbroken Queen
Wow! I’m still reeling from that ending. What an epic fantasy romance that took my breath away.
There was so much going on in this story, war, duty, love, lies, magic, secrets, betrayal and so much more.
I loved the characters not only Tressya and Tamas but also the side characters as well. Tressya was a fierce woman who fought to do her duty. I really enjoyed her growth throughout the story! I don’t want to give anything away but it was good.
Tamas was an interesting character who had his own sense of duty and his growth over the course of the story was as profound and emotional as well.
I really loved this enemies to lovers relationship that was full of so much emotion, confusion, banter, and fighting!
This is a must read for lovers of morally grey enemies to lovers fantasy stories. There’s so many great tropes in here!
The ending leaves off a little cliffy making me eager for the next book!!
Wow! I’m still reeling from that ending. What an epic fantasy romance that took my breath away.
There was so much going on in this story, war, duty, love, lies, magic, secrets, betrayal and so much more.
I loved the characters not only Tressya and Tamas but also the side characters as well. Tressya was a fierce woman who fought to do her duty. I really enjoyed her growth throughout the story! I don’t want to give anything away but it was good.
Tamas was an interesting character who had his own sense of duty and his growth over the course of the story was as profound and emotional as well.
I really loved this enemies to lovers relationship that was full of so much emotion, confusion, banter, and fighting!
This is a must read for lovers of morally grey enemies to lovers fantasy stories. There’s so many great tropes in here!
The ending leaves off a little cliffy making me eager for the next book!!
May 22, 2024
I was provided an ARC of this title for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tressya + Tamas.
If you love a FIERCE take-no-crap FMC, Tressya is your girl. The Unbroken Queen is stacked with tropes that romantasy fans love, including but not limited to a slow burn enemies to (forbidden) lovers who would burn the world in each others name.
Lots of action and many twists and turns culminate in something of a cliffy ending that will leave readers eager for more of these characters’ and their epic story.
Thanks, of course, to the author & R&R Book Tours for my copy!
Tressya + Tamas.
If you love a FIERCE take-no-crap FMC, Tressya is your girl. The Unbroken Queen is stacked with tropes that romantasy fans love, including but not limited to a slow burn enemies to (forbidden) lovers who would burn the world in each others name.
Lots of action and many twists and turns culminate in something of a cliffy ending that will leave readers eager for more of these characters’ and their epic story.
Thanks, of course, to the author & R&R Book Tours for my copy!
August 10, 2024
*ARC received from Netgalley - all opinions are my own*
TL;DR: The Unbroken Queen has all the right elements for an amazing 5-star read, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite come together for me. While not my top choice, I believe this would suit anyone interested in a slower-paced fantasy filled with political intrigue.
Review:
The Unbroken Queen sounded like a perfect read - an instant 5-star book. The story features an illegitimate princess (Tressya) who has been moulded into a ruthless assassin within a secretive all-female order that manipulates kingdoms from the shadows. There’s also our shapeshifting male love interest (Tamas) who is destined to lead his clan and the Northern realm. Add in arranged marriages, heaps of political intrigue, wizards, warring orders, prophecies, and more.
To start on a positive note, the world-building is intriguing and rich with loads of interesting history and lore that I wish we got to delve a little deeper into in this book. It was great to watch Tressya grow in confidence and start to think for herself more and fight to make her own choices and she was a great female lead for the most part. It was nice to see a female lead (mostly) stand her ground and stick to her convictions against the male love interest.
Sadly, despite all the good parts, the execution didn’t quite do the book justice. From the start, the book is weighed down by excessive info-dumping, which continues throughout, with what we learn often not being relevant later on and easily forgotten. This slows down an already stilted pace and makes it easy to lose interest. By the time the action finally kicks in, I was tempted to skip to the end, which turned out to be a bit anticlimactic and underwhelming.
For the amount of content and the way the story unfolds, 548 pages feels excessive. We build up to a major event the entire book, which doesn’t happen until 90% of the way in, and the “real” action starts at 94%, meaning there’s over 450 pages of buildup that doesn’t deliver.
The supporting characters would also benefit from more development. We see very little of Tamas’ friends, so we never really get to know or care about them as we do Andreit. Andreit is given a strangely large amount of focus, and it would have been nice to get to know some of Tamas’ inner circle beyond them telling Tamas he’s an idiot and has made a mistake, which I feel downplays the importance of his role as Razohan leader and his prophesied ruling.
A few other things to point out: the Sistern remains a vague yet menacing presence; we learn nothing further about them or the Mother for the entirety of the book. There’s also the matter of the bite, which is often downplayed as a silly mistake, even though its significance is made clear several times given Tamas’ status as Razohan leader and future king of the realms. Several other elements are introduced and then shelved leaving this book feeling like a setup for the next instalment rather than a solid story on its own.
Overall, while the ideas were there, the execution didn’t fully work out for me. However, readers who enjoy slow-paced, politically-focused books might appreciate The Unbroken Queen better, as there is certainly a lot to love. It has the potential to become an excellent series with a bit more focus. I just wish it had delivered a bit more, especially given the book’s length
TL;DR: The Unbroken Queen has all the right elements for an amazing 5-star read, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite come together for me. While not my top choice, I believe this would suit anyone interested in a slower-paced fantasy filled with political intrigue.
Review:
The Unbroken Queen sounded like a perfect read - an instant 5-star book. The story features an illegitimate princess (Tressya) who has been moulded into a ruthless assassin within a secretive all-female order that manipulates kingdoms from the shadows. There’s also our shapeshifting male love interest (Tamas) who is destined to lead his clan and the Northern realm. Add in arranged marriages, heaps of political intrigue, wizards, warring orders, prophecies, and more.
To start on a positive note, the world-building is intriguing and rich with loads of interesting history and lore that I wish we got to delve a little deeper into in this book. It was great to watch Tressya grow in confidence and start to think for herself more and fight to make her own choices and she was a great female lead for the most part. It was nice to see a female lead (mostly) stand her ground and stick to her convictions against the male love interest.
Sadly, despite all the good parts, the execution didn’t quite do the book justice. From the start, the book is weighed down by excessive info-dumping, which continues throughout, with what we learn often not being relevant later on and easily forgotten. This slows down an already stilted pace and makes it easy to lose interest. By the time the action finally kicks in, I was tempted to skip to the end, which turned out to be a bit anticlimactic and underwhelming.
For the amount of content and the way the story unfolds, 548 pages feels excessive. We build up to a major event the entire book, which doesn’t happen until 90% of the way in, and the “real” action starts at 94%, meaning there’s over 450 pages of buildup that doesn’t deliver.
The supporting characters would also benefit from more development. We see very little of Tamas’ friends, so we never really get to know or care about them as we do Andreit. Andreit is given a strangely large amount of focus, and it would have been nice to get to know some of Tamas’ inner circle beyond them telling Tamas he’s an idiot and has made a mistake, which I feel downplays the importance of his role as Razohan leader and his prophesied ruling.
A few other things to point out: the Sistern remains a vague yet menacing presence; we learn nothing further about them or the Mother for the entirety of the book. There’s also the matter of the bite, which is often downplayed as a silly mistake, even though its significance is made clear several times given Tamas’ status as Razohan leader and future king of the realms. Several other elements are introduced and then shelved leaving this book feeling like a setup for the next instalment rather than a solid story on its own.
Overall, while the ideas were there, the execution didn’t fully work out for me. However, readers who enjoy slow-paced, politically-focused books might appreciate The Unbroken Queen better, as there is certainly a lot to love. It has the potential to become an excellent series with a bit more focus. I just wish it had delivered a bit more, especially given the book’s length
July 10, 2024
ARC review
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lore: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
World building:⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Let's break it down!
Add this to your TBR immediately and look out for this author!
Plot: The Unbroken Queen is a dual narrative book that follows an illegitimate princesses trained ?assassin? And a prince intent on reclaiming his families thrown after centuries of his lineage being banished and in hiding. The story is brimming with angst, tension, betrayal, self discovery, love and political intrigue.There is so much that happens, especially at the beginning, that it takes a few chapters to really get into the story. However, without the context of the begining the rest would not have made sense. There were so many layers to this story and it was so well laid out. I'm honestly not sure what some of these negative reviews are about because the story was both original and familiar, entertaining and eloquently told.
Characters: our FMC is more than your typical bad ass, she is multifaceted and her personality feels realistic and relatable .she is the illegitimate princes who seemingly never measured up, creating within her a deep rooted lack of self assurance and self worth. Though she tried to talk herself out of these thoughts, the subtle way the author puts in her lack of confidence in herself is done so well! She has had to work twice as hard to fit in, but never seems to, and ultimately realizes she wasn't meant to. What the FMC has been taught are weaknesses are really strengths though she doesn't see it yet.
The MMC is 🥵. He gives not only touch her and you die, but also touch her and I'll help her kill you. We love that support. He is also multifaceted..you can tell he is honorable, but he has doubts about if he's worthy and if he can handle the crown if he gets it. These are things a real person would contemplate and I appreciate that.
Lore: the lore is 😘 🤌. Like my goodness, the amount of history and legend you get in the book is insane. It is so well thought out and complete. I had no notes. Each new thing I learned about the lore of this world had me in a complete chokehold.
World building: here is where it fell a bit short for me. While the lore was superb, the execution of bringing that lore and world to life fell a bit flat. I wanted more. This story was very character driven, which is good, but with such heavy lore there needed to be more emphasis on world building to make it feel more complete.
Spice: this is a fantasy with spice, not a spicy book. There are definitely scenes that get steamy, but it is not the driving plot. As a plot girly myself, I was not too upset about this.
All in all I highly enjoyed this book and will be impatiently waiting for the second book because ... WTF was that ending!?! The cliffhanger that left me on was just cruel. I have so many questions and no answers until the next book releases 😭😭
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lore: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
World building:⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Let's break it down!
Add this to your TBR immediately and look out for this author!
Plot: The Unbroken Queen is a dual narrative book that follows an illegitimate princesses trained ?assassin? And a prince intent on reclaiming his families thrown after centuries of his lineage being banished and in hiding. The story is brimming with angst, tension, betrayal, self discovery, love and political intrigue.There is so much that happens, especially at the beginning, that it takes a few chapters to really get into the story. However, without the context of the begining the rest would not have made sense. There were so many layers to this story and it was so well laid out. I'm honestly not sure what some of these negative reviews are about because the story was both original and familiar, entertaining and eloquently told.
Characters: our FMC is more than your typical bad ass, she is multifaceted and her personality feels realistic and relatable .she is the illegitimate princes who seemingly never measured up, creating within her a deep rooted lack of self assurance and self worth. Though she tried to talk herself out of these thoughts, the subtle way the author puts in her lack of confidence in herself is done so well! She has had to work twice as hard to fit in, but never seems to, and ultimately realizes she wasn't meant to. What the FMC has been taught are weaknesses are really strengths though she doesn't see it yet.
The MMC is 🥵. He gives not only touch her and you die, but also touch her and I'll help her kill you. We love that support. He is also multifaceted..you can tell he is honorable, but he has doubts about if he's worthy and if he can handle the crown if he gets it. These are things a real person would contemplate and I appreciate that.
Lore: the lore is 😘 🤌. Like my goodness, the amount of history and legend you get in the book is insane. It is so well thought out and complete. I had no notes. Each new thing I learned about the lore of this world had me in a complete chokehold.
World building: here is where it fell a bit short for me. While the lore was superb, the execution of bringing that lore and world to life fell a bit flat. I wanted more. This story was very character driven, which is good, but with such heavy lore there needed to be more emphasis on world building to make it feel more complete.
Spice: this is a fantasy with spice, not a spicy book. There are definitely scenes that get steamy, but it is not the driving plot. As a plot girly myself, I was not too upset about this.
All in all I highly enjoyed this book and will be impatiently waiting for the second book because ... WTF was that ending!?! The cliffhanger that left me on was just cruel. I have so many questions and no answers until the next book releases 😭😭
dnf
April 11, 2024Read on eBook.
DNF at 48% (page 323)
Thank you to NetGalley and Terina Adams for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my review.
The premise of this book intrigued me when I first read the synopsis for the book and I was hopeful. Saying that this book needs a lot more editing. The writing was clunky, there was a lot of dense info dumps and I couldn’t connect with any part of the story.
I DNF’d this book 48% of the way through after trying really hard to get into it and finish it but it was putting me in a slump. Even though I read over 300 pages of this book I still feel like I don’t know anything about the characters of the world except for their one big trait. They were all one dimensional and felt like they were trying to be forced into tropes. Especially Tressya was very confusing to me, one minute she was written as a badass trained fighter from a secret religious group who takes no shit and the next she is meek and weak and doesn’t know what to do. It felt like she was changed to fit the scenes that the author wanted to include in the book.
Probably the worst part of this book was the writing for me. It felt clunky and confusing. There were so many times I had to reread sentences because they were not making sense to me from the way they were structured. And all the dense info dumps that weren’t actually giving enough information wasn’t helping with my disconnect with the writing.
The world also didn’t make sense, and not in a good way either. I was trying to understand how some of the magic worked or get explanations about the different peoples of the world but I had as much information from the synopsis as I did the first half of the book. Which lead to the plot not making much sense to me. Why is Tamas foretold to be the chosen heir? Why is Tressya sent to be the bride for the current heir? What is the deal with Tressya’s family? Where are all the people Tamas supposedly brought together and is leading? How come Tamas can play undercover spy when he is supposed to be leading an army?
And even get me started on the mating bite/bond thing. First of all, why does it take so long for us to know what that bite was when we are literally in Tamas’ head after he bites her. Also, I didn’t feel anything between the MCs at all. No chemistry, no attraction, nothing. A lot of their scenes that was supposedly setting up their romance didn’t click for me, which I think is what lead me to ultimately not like this book. The romance was shoved into the forefront so suddenly after so many chapters of nothing close to a romance it felt forced and I didn’t believe it.
DNF at 48% (page 323)
Thank you to NetGalley and Terina Adams for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my review.
The premise of this book intrigued me when I first read the synopsis for the book and I was hopeful. Saying that this book needs a lot more editing. The writing was clunky, there was a lot of dense info dumps and I couldn’t connect with any part of the story.
I DNF’d this book 48% of the way through after trying really hard to get into it and finish it but it was putting me in a slump. Even though I read over 300 pages of this book I still feel like I don’t know anything about the characters of the world except for their one big trait. They were all one dimensional and felt like they were trying to be forced into tropes. Especially Tressya was very confusing to me, one minute she was written as a badass trained fighter from a secret religious group who takes no shit and the next she is meek and weak and doesn’t know what to do. It felt like she was changed to fit the scenes that the author wanted to include in the book.
Probably the worst part of this book was the writing for me. It felt clunky and confusing. There were so many times I had to reread sentences because they were not making sense to me from the way they were structured. And all the dense info dumps that weren’t actually giving enough information wasn’t helping with my disconnect with the writing.
The world also didn’t make sense, and not in a good way either. I was trying to understand how some of the magic worked or get explanations about the different peoples of the world but I had as much information from the synopsis as I did the first half of the book. Which lead to the plot not making much sense to me. Why is Tamas foretold to be the chosen heir? Why is Tressya sent to be the bride for the current heir? What is the deal with Tressya’s family? Where are all the people Tamas supposedly brought together and is leading? How come Tamas can play undercover spy when he is supposed to be leading an army?
And even get me started on the mating bite/bond thing. First of all, why does it take so long for us to know what that bite was when we are literally in Tamas’ head after he bites her. Also, I didn’t feel anything between the MCs at all. No chemistry, no attraction, nothing. A lot of their scenes that was supposedly setting up their romance didn’t click for me, which I think is what lead me to ultimately not like this book. The romance was shoved into the forefront so suddenly after so many chapters of nothing close to a romance it felt forced and I didn’t believe it.
September 4, 2024
➳❥༻🌿👑🌿༺➳❥
Tʜᴇ Uɴʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ Qᴜᴇᴇɴ ʙʏ Tᴇʀɪɴᴀ Aᴅᴀᴍs
➳❥༻☕️🄱🄾🄾🄺•🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆☕️༺➳❥
📚📝✨𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊•𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒✨📝📚
👑𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺 𝟷 𝙸𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝚂𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂
🌿𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄: 𝙵𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙰𝚂𝚈 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴
👑𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙲𝙷 𝟸𝟼𝚃𝙷 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺
╰┈➤𝙰𝚅𝙰𝙸𝙻𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙾𝙽 𝙺𝚄✨
🌿𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐕𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐒: 𝙰𝙳𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙾𝚄𝚂; 𝙼𝚈𝚂𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙾𝚄𝚂; 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴; 𝙴𝙼𝙾𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻; 𝙳𝙰𝚁𝙺
👑𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐍𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑: 𝟼𝟽𝟺 𝙿𝙰𝙶𝙴𝚂
🌿𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄: 𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙼𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂; 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙱𝙸𝙳𝙳𝙴𝙽 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴; 𝙵𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙳 𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂; 𝙷𝙴 𝙵𝙰𝙻𝙻𝚂 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃; 𝙵𝙴𝙸𝚂𝚃𝚈 𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙾𝙸𝙽𝙴
👑𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ || 𝟻
➳❥༻🌿👑🌿༺➳❥
✨✨𝑀𝑦 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠✨✨
Thank you so much to @terina_adamsauthor & @bookofmatchesmedia for my gifted review copy of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧! This review is comprised entirely of my own thoughts & opinions, & is based on the copy I received.
WOW! The Unbroken Queen was an AMAZING book that had me absolutely hooked from the very first page. I loved Tressya as our FMC and she was such a great character - stabby, feisty, witty, and amazing in all the best ways. She’s definitely a character that can pull you into a story and I loved the amount of growth that she went through in this first book! I love the emotional impact her character brought as you read through her inner dialogues where she grapples with her feelings and her loyalty to the group of females she grew up with.
We start this book off with a lot of world building - which is to be expected as it’s the first book in a new Romantasy series. For me, I felt as though the world building was decently easy to follow and I enjoyed the way that Terina weaved the details into the narrative. Tressya is born as an illegitimate daughter of the king, and is sent to train as an assassin among the Sistern. As then years pass, to her surprise, she’s sent off to be married to the prince of the House of Tannard.
This is when the story takes a turn and we are introduced to our MMC, Tamas, the leader of the Razohan. From here, these two begin a journey that is full of twists and turns, politics, courtly intrigue, SLOW burn romance, the best banter you’ll ever see, and an enemies to lovers story that will leave you wanting more and more as the story goes on. I LOVED Tamas! There is just something so sweet about a MMC who falls first and who would do anything for the FMC. I loved his golden retriever energy so much and I craved when these two were on page together!
Overall, I absolutely loved this book! I thought it was a fantastic introduction to this world and I cannot wait to dive into the rest of the series! I need Book 2 after the ending of this one and I can just tell this series is going to be one that sticks with me!
➳❥༻🌿👑🌿༺➳❥
Tʜᴇ Uɴʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ Qᴜᴇᴇɴ ʙʏ Tᴇʀɪɴᴀ Aᴅᴀᴍs
➳❥༻☕️🄱🄾🄾🄺•🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆☕️༺➳❥
📚📝✨𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊•𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒✨📝📚
👑𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺 𝟷 𝙸𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝚂𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂
🌿𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄: 𝙵𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙰𝚂𝚈 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴
👑𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙲𝙷 𝟸𝟼𝚃𝙷 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺
╰┈➤𝙰𝚅𝙰𝙸𝙻𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙾𝙽 𝙺𝚄✨
🌿𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐕𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐒: 𝙰𝙳𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙾𝚄𝚂; 𝙼𝚈𝚂𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙾𝚄𝚂; 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴; 𝙴𝙼𝙾𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻; 𝙳𝙰𝚁𝙺
👑𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐍𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑: 𝟼𝟽𝟺 𝙿𝙰𝙶𝙴𝚂
🌿𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄: 𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙼𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂; 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙱𝙸𝙳𝙳𝙴𝙽 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴; 𝙵𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙳 𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂; 𝙷𝙴 𝙵𝙰𝙻𝙻𝚂 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃; 𝙵𝙴𝙸𝚂𝚃𝚈 𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙾𝙸𝙽𝙴
👑𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ || 𝟻
➳❥༻🌿👑🌿༺➳❥
✨✨𝑀𝑦 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠✨✨
Thank you so much to @terina_adamsauthor & @bookofmatchesmedia for my gifted review copy of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧! This review is comprised entirely of my own thoughts & opinions, & is based on the copy I received.
WOW! The Unbroken Queen was an AMAZING book that had me absolutely hooked from the very first page. I loved Tressya as our FMC and she was such a great character - stabby, feisty, witty, and amazing in all the best ways. She’s definitely a character that can pull you into a story and I loved the amount of growth that she went through in this first book! I love the emotional impact her character brought as you read through her inner dialogues where she grapples with her feelings and her loyalty to the group of females she grew up with.
We start this book off with a lot of world building - which is to be expected as it’s the first book in a new Romantasy series. For me, I felt as though the world building was decently easy to follow and I enjoyed the way that Terina weaved the details into the narrative. Tressya is born as an illegitimate daughter of the king, and is sent to train as an assassin among the Sistern. As then years pass, to her surprise, she’s sent off to be married to the prince of the House of Tannard.
This is when the story takes a turn and we are introduced to our MMC, Tamas, the leader of the Razohan. From here, these two begin a journey that is full of twists and turns, politics, courtly intrigue, SLOW burn romance, the best banter you’ll ever see, and an enemies to lovers story that will leave you wanting more and more as the story goes on. I LOVED Tamas! There is just something so sweet about a MMC who falls first and who would do anything for the FMC. I loved his golden retriever energy so much and I craved when these two were on page together!
Overall, I absolutely loved this book! I thought it was a fantastic introduction to this world and I cannot wait to dive into the rest of the series! I need Book 2 after the ending of this one and I can just tell this series is going to be one that sticks with me!
➳❥༻🌿👑🌿༺➳❥
September 26, 2024
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The world building was very good, I definitely like when I'm given details that help me picture it better in my head. The characters had interesting names that I've never or rarely have heard which was refreshing. I really liked that Tressya was not some immense beauty but did find the amount of times it was very redundant. Everyone calling her ugly and plain, Radnisa purposely dressing her in basic gowns that were out of fashion. It was brought up that she was to have dresses made to be fit for a queen but then never done. Radnisa doing her hair in an ugly bun was odd as well, what did they have to gain for the sistern by having Tressya made to look more unattractive? Radnisa felt overly mean, I felt so bad for Tressya growing up with no one to support and love her. I did really love that Tamas saw her for the beautiful strong woman she is, I found their banter and flirting fun throughout the book but their chemistry felt forced. They barely skimmed the surface of getting to know one another but are in love? It felt unrealistic.
I really felt like there was almost to many things going on and about got left behind such as when Tressya went to the queen and insisted she stop eating and drinking things brought to her by her servants because of poisenband then we never read more about that? The Ashenlands and the magic system was intriguing as well I wish there had been page time on those. At the end when the Salmun take their hoods off and all look alike except for their tattoos on their faces confused me, where was explanation of that? Im hoping in the next book some of these loose ends will be tied up.
I will say I struggled to get into the book at first, I didn't feel sucked in until 1/2 way through but ended up really enjoying the book. I also wish there had been a pronunciation guide in the front. I found myself skimming over a few different words. I really wish Tressya had gone to the library and done some research on the war 1000 years ago and on the people of the north. I longed for more information about those things. Also wouldn't have minded more about the sistern.
Overall I give this 3 stars I think this book was wonderful but fell short in alot of places. I do feel like we could have cut down on the self loathing, and the build up to the trials. I really enjoyed reading about those and the fight. The book was just getting really good when it ended.
The world building was very good, I definitely like when I'm given details that help me picture it better in my head. The characters had interesting names that I've never or rarely have heard which was refreshing. I really liked that Tressya was not some immense beauty but did find the amount of times it was very redundant. Everyone calling her ugly and plain, Radnisa purposely dressing her in basic gowns that were out of fashion. It was brought up that she was to have dresses made to be fit for a queen but then never done. Radnisa doing her hair in an ugly bun was odd as well, what did they have to gain for the sistern by having Tressya made to look more unattractive? Radnisa felt overly mean, I felt so bad for Tressya growing up with no one to support and love her. I did really love that Tamas saw her for the beautiful strong woman she is, I found their banter and flirting fun throughout the book but their chemistry felt forced. They barely skimmed the surface of getting to know one another but are in love? It felt unrealistic.
I really felt like there was almost to many things going on and about got left behind such as when Tressya went to the queen and insisted she stop eating and drinking things brought to her by her servants because of poisenband then we never read more about that? The Ashenlands and the magic system was intriguing as well I wish there had been page time on those. At the end when the Salmun take their hoods off and all look alike except for their tattoos on their faces confused me, where was explanation of that? Im hoping in the next book some of these loose ends will be tied up.
I will say I struggled to get into the book at first, I didn't feel sucked in until 1/2 way through but ended up really enjoying the book. I also wish there had been a pronunciation guide in the front. I found myself skimming over a few different words. I really wish Tressya had gone to the library and done some research on the war 1000 years ago and on the people of the north. I longed for more information about those things. Also wouldn't have minded more about the sistern.
Overall I give this 3 stars I think this book was wonderful but fell short in alot of places. I do feel like we could have cut down on the self loathing, and the build up to the trials. I really enjoyed reading about those and the fight. The book was just getting really good when it ended.
September 12, 2024
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Beware of possible spoilers.
Okay, so...Not going to lie, I didn't LOVE this book. I was really hoping I would, especially because I love intrigue and politics and all that fun stuff.
It did, of course, have all the politics and intrigue I wanted. Was it a little stilted at time? Yes, but it's also the first book in a series and it has to set up things somehow. I also didn't mind the characters, though I'll talk more about them later, and I think I'll definitely read the second book just to see where things go because, by the last 40%-ish it started to pick up the pace.
I think the thing that really threw me off the most was that it has a lot of info dumping, especially in the beginning. And then it moves from info dumping to awkward context conversations. The dialogue itself was rather awkward a lot of the time, but add in them trying to explain things and it got very muddled very quickly. Remembers how I said the last 40%-ish is where it picks up? Well, the rest of the book is info-dumping build-up. This isn't necessarily an issue for some people, but it really was a sludge to get through sometimes.
There was also the fact that the Mother never felt threatening. I'm not sure if she was meant to or not, but we just didn't get enough about the Mother or the Sistern to really feel like they were a threat. I would have loved if there were more spies Tressya ran into instead of just her lady's maid, who is more annoying than threatening.
Like I said before, I didn't mind the characters. Tressya isn't overbearing in her strength and she has some very solid intelligent moments. Tamas was....He had times where he was fine, but so many people called him an idiot and he kept doing impulsive things, so it never felt like he was this intelligent heir they were claiming him to be. Even before he meets Tressya he's not the smartest, and then he meets her and it's suddenly insta-attachment and he keeps messing up the plan. It was a little annoying...
A lot of the deaths I expected. One of them I thought would happen in another book, but it happens in this one. None of them really caught me off guard, which I was really hoping for. And I wonder if anyone else felt the same way?
Either way, I want to read the second book. I'm curious to see where this one goes. And if you enjoy slower build-ups, intrigue, and politics I really suggest you give this one a try.
Okay, so...Not going to lie, I didn't LOVE this book. I was really hoping I would, especially because I love intrigue and politics and all that fun stuff.
It did, of course, have all the politics and intrigue I wanted. Was it a little stilted at time? Yes, but it's also the first book in a series and it has to set up things somehow. I also didn't mind the characters, though I'll talk more about them later, and I think I'll definitely read the second book just to see where things go because, by the last 40%-ish it started to pick up the pace.
I think the thing that really threw me off the most was that it has a lot of info dumping, especially in the beginning. And then it moves from info dumping to awkward context conversations. The dialogue itself was rather awkward a lot of the time, but add in them trying to explain things and it got very muddled very quickly. Remembers how I said the last 40%-ish is where it picks up? Well, the rest of the book is info-dumping build-up. This isn't necessarily an issue for some people, but it really was a sludge to get through sometimes.
There was also the fact that the Mother never felt threatening. I'm not sure if she was meant to or not, but we just didn't get enough about the Mother or the Sistern to really feel like they were a threat. I would have loved if there were more spies Tressya ran into instead of just her lady's maid, who is more annoying than threatening.
Like I said before, I didn't mind the characters. Tressya isn't overbearing in her strength and she has some very solid intelligent moments. Tamas was....He had times where he was fine, but so many people called him an idiot and he kept doing impulsive things, so it never felt like he was this intelligent heir they were claiming him to be. Even before he meets Tressya he's not the smartest, and then he meets her and it's suddenly insta-attachment and he keeps messing up the plan. It was a little annoying...
A lot of the deaths I expected. One of them I thought would happen in another book, but it happens in this one. None of them really caught me off guard, which I was really hoping for. And I wonder if anyone else felt the same way?
Either way, I want to read the second book. I'm curious to see where this one goes. And if you enjoy slower build-ups, intrigue, and politics I really suggest you give this one a try.
April 27, 2024
Read this review and more on my blog, uncovered-books.
I received a free copy of The Unbroken Queen from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.
Boy has it been a while since I have been drawn so easily into a book that I struggle to put it down. The Unbroken Queen reminded me of why I love to read.
We follow Tressya, a bastard princess, and Tamas, the leader of the northern realms. The Unbroken Queen is duel POV, which was a really nice aspect to seeing how this story unfolds from both of the characters perspectives. Both characters were well written, although my preference was for Tamas’s chapters over Tressya’s. While I liked Tressya as a character, at times it felt like she was constantly just reacting to what was happening to her, and other times she took complete control over everything and everyone. I found that these were almost 2 distinct personalities that she had which I just couldn’t reconcile into one character. It was not obvious that she was playing the fool while she had no control over what was happening, especially since we have her internal monologue in her chapters, which I believe would have added so much more dimension to her character, with her intentionally being crafty and manipulating others to eventually play the long game to get her way.
The overall plot of The Unbroken Queen was surprisingly intricate and well balanced. War is brewing in a neighbouring Kingdom, not that the House of Tannard is aware of the threat to their throne. This underlying plot is the driving force to the events that occur, and individuals decisions as to how they react to the numerous situations that occur. Not only that, various other subplots are occurring that all have various meaningful impact on the main storyline and they were expertly woven into it with it feeling too overwhelming. Some we dont fully get to understand, as neither of the main characters understand fully what they mean. I hope that in the sequel that some of these are addressed in further detail.
One thing I shall mention is that this does include a very steamy sex scene, as well as describing a post sex discussion in another part of the book. Both of these are relevant to the plot, so be warned.
While it miss that je ne sais quoi that would have made this an easy 5 star read, I suspect most people will easily fall in love with this tale.
I received a free copy of The Unbroken Queen from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.
Boy has it been a while since I have been drawn so easily into a book that I struggle to put it down. The Unbroken Queen reminded me of why I love to read.
We follow Tressya, a bastard princess, and Tamas, the leader of the northern realms. The Unbroken Queen is duel POV, which was a really nice aspect to seeing how this story unfolds from both of the characters perspectives. Both characters were well written, although my preference was for Tamas’s chapters over Tressya’s. While I liked Tressya as a character, at times it felt like she was constantly just reacting to what was happening to her, and other times she took complete control over everything and everyone. I found that these were almost 2 distinct personalities that she had which I just couldn’t reconcile into one character. It was not obvious that she was playing the fool while she had no control over what was happening, especially since we have her internal monologue in her chapters, which I believe would have added so much more dimension to her character, with her intentionally being crafty and manipulating others to eventually play the long game to get her way.
The overall plot of The Unbroken Queen was surprisingly intricate and well balanced. War is brewing in a neighbouring Kingdom, not that the House of Tannard is aware of the threat to their throne. This underlying plot is the driving force to the events that occur, and individuals decisions as to how they react to the numerous situations that occur. Not only that, various other subplots are occurring that all have various meaningful impact on the main storyline and they were expertly woven into it with it feeling too overwhelming. Some we dont fully get to understand, as neither of the main characters understand fully what they mean. I hope that in the sequel that some of these are addressed in further detail.
One thing I shall mention is that this does include a very steamy sex scene, as well as describing a post sex discussion in another part of the book. Both of these are relevant to the plot, so be warned.
While it miss that je ne sais quoi that would have made this an easy 5 star read, I suspect most people will easily fall in love with this tale.
September 3, 2024
4.5 Stars
What is this book about?!
As an illegitimate princess, I’m bound by duty and betrothed to the crown prince of the House of Tannard, rulers of the nearby realms. However, beneath the royal façade, I serve as a loyal disciple of the formidable Sistern of Silence, the masters of soul voice. The sacred legacy of the death arts, a rare gift, courses through my veins, a heritage from my father’s line. Upon reaching the distant shores of Tarragona to meet my betrothed, I discover I’ve been manipulated by the Mother of the Sistern. I was chosen to be the future queen for a reason I can’t yet fathom—a reason that could bring catastrophic consequences upon the realms. As the northern realm’s thirst for power intensifies and its enigmatic Razohan leader aims to reclaim the southern throne and the prized Etherweave, my disdain for my fiancé seems inconsequential, overshadowed by the imminent specter of war. To protect the House of Tannard and maintain the delicate equilibrium of power, I must delve deeper into the clandestine pillars of the Sistern and awaken the lethal power of the death arts, lying dormant within me. In a world where treachery and concealed truths dominate, I must remember that in war, love and mercy are luxuries none can afford. I’ve pledged my allegiance to the House of Tannard, but the allure of the Razohan leader, my constant shadow and adversary, tests my loyalty—and threatens to unravel my very soul.
Now to my review:
I really enjoyed this book! There is fantastic world building, unique magic system and dual POV, which y'all know I am an absolute sucker for. The FMC is great- very strong and feisty, which, again, is always a trait that I am going to be drawn to. I was also obsessed with the fact that this story is legit enemies to lovers. I have read a lot of books lately, that the FMC and MMC were not really enemies to lovers. This allows the slow burn to burnnnnn. and I am HERE for it. The last 75% of the book had me on edge and the way it ended?! Y'all also know that when I cry, that means the book is a fantastic one. I cannot wait to dive into the next book.
This book is for you if you love:
*He falls first
*Banter
*Dual POV
*Strong FMC
*Spice
*Enemies to lovers
Thank you BOMM and Terina Adams for allowing me the opportunity to read this book and be part of the tour!
What is this book about?!
As an illegitimate princess, I’m bound by duty and betrothed to the crown prince of the House of Tannard, rulers of the nearby realms. However, beneath the royal façade, I serve as a loyal disciple of the formidable Sistern of Silence, the masters of soul voice. The sacred legacy of the death arts, a rare gift, courses through my veins, a heritage from my father’s line. Upon reaching the distant shores of Tarragona to meet my betrothed, I discover I’ve been manipulated by the Mother of the Sistern. I was chosen to be the future queen for a reason I can’t yet fathom—a reason that could bring catastrophic consequences upon the realms. As the northern realm’s thirst for power intensifies and its enigmatic Razohan leader aims to reclaim the southern throne and the prized Etherweave, my disdain for my fiancé seems inconsequential, overshadowed by the imminent specter of war. To protect the House of Tannard and maintain the delicate equilibrium of power, I must delve deeper into the clandestine pillars of the Sistern and awaken the lethal power of the death arts, lying dormant within me. In a world where treachery and concealed truths dominate, I must remember that in war, love and mercy are luxuries none can afford. I’ve pledged my allegiance to the House of Tannard, but the allure of the Razohan leader, my constant shadow and adversary, tests my loyalty—and threatens to unravel my very soul.
Now to my review:
I really enjoyed this book! There is fantastic world building, unique magic system and dual POV, which y'all know I am an absolute sucker for. The FMC is great- very strong and feisty, which, again, is always a trait that I am going to be drawn to. I was also obsessed with the fact that this story is legit enemies to lovers. I have read a lot of books lately, that the FMC and MMC were not really enemies to lovers. This allows the slow burn to burnnnnn. and I am HERE for it. The last 75% of the book had me on edge and the way it ended?! Y'all also know that when I cry, that means the book is a fantastic one. I cannot wait to dive into the next book.
This book is for you if you love:
*He falls first
*Banter
*Dual POV
*Strong FMC
*Spice
*Enemies to lovers
Thank you BOMM and Terina Adams for allowing me the opportunity to read this book and be part of the tour!
April 1, 2024
The Unbroken Queen - A Fantasy Romance with Intrigue and Magic
In Terina Adamssoo's "The Unbroken Queen," readers are transported to a world rife with political intrigue, forbidden love, and magical prowess reminiscent of Game of Thrones. Set against the backdrop of warring factions vying for the coveted Bone Throne, this tale weaves together elements of fantasy and romance in a gripping narrative that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment.
At its core, "The Unbroken Queen" follows the tumultuous journey of Tressya, a formidable princess with a mysterious connection to death, and Tamas, the enigmatic leader of the Razohan clan. As Tressya finds herself thrust into the heart of southern politics, bound by an arranged marriage, she becomes entangled in a web of deception and betrayal. Meanwhile, sparks fly between Tressya and Tamas, despite their opposing allegiances, leading to a forbidden romance fraught with tension and passion.
While the premise of the book is undeniably compelling, some readers may find themselves grappling with certain aspects of the story. The narrative occasionally feels crowded, with plot holes that detract from the overall cohesion. Additionally, character development may leave something to be desired, as protagonists sometimes act out of character, causing confusion for readers.
However, despite these shortcomings, "The Unbroken Queen" offers a tantalizing glimpse into a richly imagined world, populated by a diverse cast of characters. From the strong-willed Tressya to the charismatic Tamas, each character adds depth and complexity to the unfolding drama. Moreover, the inclusion of unique magical elements and intricate world-building serves to further immerse readers in the story's fantastical realm.
Overall, "The Unbroken Queen" is a captivating read that combines elements of fantasy and romance to great effect. With its intriguing premise, compelling characters, and pulse-pounding action, this book is sure to leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series. So, if you're in search of a fantasy adventure brimming with political intrigue, forbidden love, and magical intrigue, look no further than "The Unbroken Queen."
In Terina Adamssoo's "The Unbroken Queen," readers are transported to a world rife with political intrigue, forbidden love, and magical prowess reminiscent of Game of Thrones. Set against the backdrop of warring factions vying for the coveted Bone Throne, this tale weaves together elements of fantasy and romance in a gripping narrative that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment.
At its core, "The Unbroken Queen" follows the tumultuous journey of Tressya, a formidable princess with a mysterious connection to death, and Tamas, the enigmatic leader of the Razohan clan. As Tressya finds herself thrust into the heart of southern politics, bound by an arranged marriage, she becomes entangled in a web of deception and betrayal. Meanwhile, sparks fly between Tressya and Tamas, despite their opposing allegiances, leading to a forbidden romance fraught with tension and passion.
While the premise of the book is undeniably compelling, some readers may find themselves grappling with certain aspects of the story. The narrative occasionally feels crowded, with plot holes that detract from the overall cohesion. Additionally, character development may leave something to be desired, as protagonists sometimes act out of character, causing confusion for readers.
However, despite these shortcomings, "The Unbroken Queen" offers a tantalizing glimpse into a richly imagined world, populated by a diverse cast of characters. From the strong-willed Tressya to the charismatic Tamas, each character adds depth and complexity to the unfolding drama. Moreover, the inclusion of unique magical elements and intricate world-building serves to further immerse readers in the story's fantastical realm.
Overall, "The Unbroken Queen" is a captivating read that combines elements of fantasy and romance to great effect. With its intriguing premise, compelling characters, and pulse-pounding action, this book is sure to leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series. So, if you're in search of a fantasy adventure brimming with political intrigue, forbidden love, and magical intrigue, look no further than "The Unbroken Queen."
April 1, 2024
The Unbroken Queen - A Fantasy Romance with Intrigue and Magic
In Terina Adamssoo's "The Unbroken Queen," readers are transported to a world rife with political intrigue, forbidden love, and magical prowess reminiscent of Game of Thrones. Set against the backdrop of warring factions vying for the coveted Bone Throne, this tale weaves together elements of fantasy and romance in a gripping narrative that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment.
At its core, "The Unbroken Queen" follows the tumultuous journey of Tressya, a formidable princess with a mysterious connection to death, and Tamas, the enigmatic leader of the Razohan clan. As Tressya finds herself thrust into the heart of southern politics, bound by an arranged marriage, she becomes entangled in a web of deception and betrayal. Meanwhile, sparks fly between Tressya and Tamas, despite their opposing allegiances, leading to a forbidden romance fraught with tension and passion.
While the premise of the book is undeniably compelling, some readers may find themselves grappling with certain aspects of the story. The narrative occasionally feels crowded, with plot holes that detract from the overall cohesion. Additionally, character development may leave something to be desired, as protagonists sometimes act out of character, causing confusion for readers.
However, despite these shortcomings, "The Unbroken Queen" offers a tantalizing glimpse into a richly imagined world, populated by a diverse cast of characters. From the strong-willed Tressya to the charismatic Tamas, each character adds depth and complexity to the unfolding drama. Moreover, the inclusion of unique magical elements and intricate world-building serves to further immerse readers in the story's fantastical realm.
Overall, "The Unbroken Queen" is a captivating read that combines elements of fantasy and romance to great effect. With its intriguing premise, compelling characters, and pulse-pounding action, this book is sure to leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series. So, if you're in search of a fantasy adventure brimming with political intrigue, forbidden love, and magical intrigue, look no further than "The Unbroken Queen."
In Terina Adamssoo's "The Unbroken Queen," readers are transported to a world rife with political intrigue, forbidden love, and magical prowess reminiscent of Game of Thrones. Set against the backdrop of warring factions vying for the coveted Bone Throne, this tale weaves together elements of fantasy and romance in a gripping narrative that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment.
At its core, "The Unbroken Queen" follows the tumultuous journey of Tressya, a formidable princess with a mysterious connection to death, and Tamas, the enigmatic leader of the Razohan clan. As Tressya finds herself thrust into the heart of southern politics, bound by an arranged marriage, she becomes entangled in a web of deception and betrayal. Meanwhile, sparks fly between Tressya and Tamas, despite their opposing allegiances, leading to a forbidden romance fraught with tension and passion.
While the premise of the book is undeniably compelling, some readers may find themselves grappling with certain aspects of the story. The narrative occasionally feels crowded, with plot holes that detract from the overall cohesion. Additionally, character development may leave something to be desired, as protagonists sometimes act out of character, causing confusion for readers.
However, despite these shortcomings, "The Unbroken Queen" offers a tantalizing glimpse into a richly imagined world, populated by a diverse cast of characters. From the strong-willed Tressya to the charismatic Tamas, each character adds depth and complexity to the unfolding drama. Moreover, the inclusion of unique magical elements and intricate world-building serves to further immerse readers in the story's fantastical realm.
Overall, "The Unbroken Queen" is a captivating read that combines elements of fantasy and romance to great effect. With its intriguing premise, compelling characters, and pulse-pounding action, this book is sure to leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series. So, if you're in search of a fantasy adventure brimming with political intrigue, forbidden love, and magical intrigue, look no further than "The Unbroken Queen."
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