The Kings of Avalier Series The Last Dragon King, 9781464218842 The Broken Elf King, 9781464218859 The Ruthless Fae King, 9781464218866 The Forbidden Wolf King, 9781464218873 Leia Stone
Leia Stone is the USA Today bestselling author of multiple bestselling series including Matefinder and Wolf Girl. She's sold over two million books and her Fallen Academy series has been optioned for film. Her novels have been translated into five languages and she even dabbles in script writing. Leia writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance with sassy kick-butt heroines and irresistible love interests. She lives in Spokane, WA with her husband and two children.
Sometimes I’m in the mood for a something predictable and light. The kind of book that doesn’t ask too much of you and just lets your brain switch off for a while (basically the literary equivalent of trash TV). So I didn’t go into this series expecting anything groundbreaking but I did expect to be entertained.
And for a while, I actually was.
Cacia Stark’s strongest aspect is definitely the romance. The tension between the characters in books 1 to 3 is engaging and, at times, genuinely addictive. That being said, I was repeatedly thrown off by the emphasis on purity and virginity, particularly in books 1 and 3. It felt outdated and unnecessary, especially in a genre that is often meant to offer some form of escapism.
Also mind: MAJOR trigger warning for r*** in book 3. What bothered me most is not the inclusion itself, but how it came out of nowhere, was totally unexpected and dealt with horribly in my opinion.
The biggest problem of the series, however, is the fantasy plot. As the story progresses, complex, seemingly unsolvable conflicts are resolved in the most underwhelming and convenient ways. At times I genuinely wondered if the author was serious. Instead of clever solutions, we get things like: best friends conveniently not having to fight each other in the wolf-queen contest anymore after a little speech of FMC (book 4) or a high-stakes pregnancy storyline that is brushed aside with a time jump and a casual “never mind, it was all fine“ (book 1).
By the time book 4 attempts to wrap up the overarching narrative, these weaknesses become even more apparent. And the finale? Completely anticlimactic. I genuinely did not care anymore. The only reason I finished it is because I’m a completionist and can’t leave things unfinished.
So my final rating: 2/5 It’s a shame. Most of the books were actually quite entertaining until it came down to what really mattered: the plot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.