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The Crown Prophecy
Mundane baker Quinn Parry wasn’t born with a Gift, unless you count her skills with a pastry bag.
When she’s hired into the kitchen of the magic-Wielding royal family, she thinks the most challenging part of her new routine will be hiding her position from her magic-hating mother. She certainly doesn’t expect to get entangled in the affairs of the crown prince.
Then Prince Evander surprises her— instead of the selfish, arrogant royal she expected, he’s witty and kind and shares her love of reading. Quinn finds herself more drawn to him than she should be, especially considering he has a duty to preserve the magic of the kingdom by marrying one of the Wielders competing for his hand.
But the contest is masking a darker truth, and the duo finds themselves working together to decipher a cryptic prophecy that might be their only chance of saving the kingdom. Battling a tidal wave of forbidden feelings, Quinn and Evander are left to reckon with the possibility that the mystery that binds them may also be the ruin of everything they love.
When she’s hired into the kitchen of the magic-Wielding royal family, she thinks the most challenging part of her new routine will be hiding her position from her magic-hating mother. She certainly doesn’t expect to get entangled in the affairs of the crown prince.
Then Prince Evander surprises her— instead of the selfish, arrogant royal she expected, he’s witty and kind and shares her love of reading. Quinn finds herself more drawn to him than she should be, especially considering he has a duty to preserve the magic of the kingdom by marrying one of the Wielders competing for his hand.
But the contest is masking a darker truth, and the duo finds themselves working together to decipher a cryptic prophecy that might be their only chance of saving the kingdom. Battling a tidal wave of forbidden feelings, Quinn and Evander are left to reckon with the possibility that the mystery that binds them may also be the ruin of everything they love.
350 pages, Paperback
Published October 28, 2024
33 people are currently reading
6746 people want to read
About the author
Meg Acuna
1 book103 followersMegan Acuna is a content creator, mom, and lover of all things cottagecore. She began writing and binding her own fantasy novels at age 11, and finishing a full-length romantasy novel feels like a dream come true. When she’s not writing, you can probably find her in her greenhouse or at the thrift store. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Matt, and their two toddlers, Rowan and Juniper.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
November 5, 2024
Shamelessly reviewing my own book so I have a little space here to say THANK YOU to all the incredible readers who have given my little cozy romatasy a chance. This is a dream come true and I can’t thank you enough.
October 5, 2024
This book is a charming blend of fantasy adventure that digs into the heart of the main character. It lovingly details enchanting culinary creations as well as the magical romance between an unlikely pair. The Crown Prophecy was so enjoyable and hard to put down!
November 14, 2025
The Crown Prophecy had me turning the pages so fast the moment I started it. The plot grabs you from the very beginning with plenty of twists and turns along the way. 5/5 stars!!! I am recommending to everyone who loves romantasy!
October 26, 2024
Thank you to Meg Acuna for gifting me an ARC of her book.
First things first, bravo to Meg for writing and releasing her debut novel! No matter what my thoughts or feelings are on it, it is a huge undertaking and a major accomplishment and she deserves a huge gold star :)
Onto my review-- Please remember that my opinions are my own and you do not have to agree!
I didn't love The Crown Prophecy, I liked it. It felt initially like a 2014 fantasy novel in a way that felt cozy and comfortable, and in some ways like reading a story I loved in my early years of reading.
That feeling quickly fell away for me though.
Unfortunately as I went on, I felt like I was reading a middle grade novel that all of a sudden at 50% through remembered it was supposed to be an adult book so it threw in some sh*ts, a couple f-bombs and a few not-great sex scenes (I'm not a smut person to begin with so that's really neither here nor there) as a bandaid to the otherwise clean and easy storyline.
If The Crown Prophecy had remained completely clean, I know that I would have absolutely eaten it UP between the ages of 12 and 14, but as a 23-year-old, it lacked a lot of substance for me. I'm not saying I need a super in-depth high fantasy, I'm perfectly happy reading character-driven stories, but The Crown Prophecy really wasn't that either.
The main character, Quinn, is sweet but a bit basic. Her love interest Evander is rumoured to be snarky and vain but is immediately too soft. And they both fell in love with each other in seconds. I'm not really all that interested in the insta-love trope, and Quinn and Evander 100% fall into that category. Colette and Vanessa, in my opinion, are the stronger of the main characters, but even their character building felt a bit unstable at times. Also why the heck do all these characters giggle and laugh at just about everything? Not to mention that every problem they encounter is either solved immediately or never really existed to begin with. If Quinn mentions that it felt like everything happened at once, it's because it actually did.
Now this isn't inherently a problem, and if I was 13 I most likely wouldn't notice this at all. But I'm not 13 and reading this book felt fairly juvenile to me. It was a fast read, a fun read, but I felt frustrated with the simplicity of it, and at times it felt like a bunch of tropes strung together to try and create a backbone.
To be clear: I don't hate this book. I just have some bones to pick with it. It is not the worst book I've ever read, but neither is it the best. And overall, I personally think The Crown Prophecy would do better as a YA book than as an adult book.
All that being said, if you want a fast romantasy read, pick up The Crown Prophecy, because at the very least you’ll have some fun.
First things first, bravo to Meg for writing and releasing her debut novel! No matter what my thoughts or feelings are on it, it is a huge undertaking and a major accomplishment and she deserves a huge gold star :)
Onto my review-- Please remember that my opinions are my own and you do not have to agree!
I didn't love The Crown Prophecy, I liked it. It felt initially like a 2014 fantasy novel in a way that felt cozy and comfortable, and in some ways like reading a story I loved in my early years of reading.
That feeling quickly fell away for me though.
Unfortunately as I went on, I felt like I was reading a middle grade novel that all of a sudden at 50% through remembered it was supposed to be an adult book so it threw in some sh*ts, a couple f-bombs and a few not-great sex scenes (I'm not a smut person to begin with so that's really neither here nor there) as a bandaid to the otherwise clean and easy storyline.
If The Crown Prophecy had remained completely clean, I know that I would have absolutely eaten it UP between the ages of 12 and 14, but as a 23-year-old, it lacked a lot of substance for me. I'm not saying I need a super in-depth high fantasy, I'm perfectly happy reading character-driven stories, but The Crown Prophecy really wasn't that either.
The main character, Quinn, is sweet but a bit basic. Her love interest Evander is rumoured to be snarky and vain but is immediately too soft. And they both fell in love with each other in seconds. I'm not really all that interested in the insta-love trope, and Quinn and Evander 100% fall into that category. Colette and Vanessa, in my opinion, are the stronger of the main characters, but even their character building felt a bit unstable at times. Also why the heck do all these characters giggle and laugh at just about everything? Not to mention that every problem they encounter is either solved immediately or never really existed to begin with. If Quinn mentions that it felt like everything happened at once, it's because it actually did.
Now this isn't inherently a problem, and if I was 13 I most likely wouldn't notice this at all. But I'm not 13 and reading this book felt fairly juvenile to me. It was a fast read, a fun read, but I felt frustrated with the simplicity of it, and at times it felt like a bunch of tropes strung together to try and create a backbone.
To be clear: I don't hate this book. I just have some bones to pick with it. It is not the worst book I've ever read, but neither is it the best. And overall, I personally think The Crown Prophecy would do better as a YA book than as an adult book.
All that being said, if you want a fast romantasy read, pick up The Crown Prophecy, because at the very least you’ll have some fun.
November 6, 2024
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this novel and had the best time diving into Quinn's world. I've never read a book that is cozy but also anxiety inducing at the same time, but this book is. It's such a fun concept with some of my favourite tropes weaved throughout (think found family, who did this to you, and some more that would be spoilers). The world building is subtle yet the descriptions capture all the senses to create a beautifully immersive read. I really loved this book and I NEED to find out what is going to happen next. It's not often I find myself unable to put a book down, but The Crown Prophecy is that book. If you love cozy fantasy, romantasy, and even high fantasy, you will love this.
October 23, 2024
This book is the perfect read if you want cozy fantasy, but you thought Legends and Lattes was too boring and needed romance and a more interesting plot. It really comes through that Meg knows what she's writing about and that she did her research wherever she could. She has a way of making a fantasy world relatable. You'll feel at home in a world that isn't your own.
I can't wait to see where these characters end up in book 2!
I can't wait to see where these characters end up in book 2!
October 5, 2024
The Crown Prophecy was truly a joy to read. It was engaging and kept me up at night turning its pages. This book had everything I needed from a fantasy and I will absolutely be reading it again!
January 1, 2025
~Good flavor, but needed more time in the oven~
The Crown Prophecy is a cozy romantasy that is reminiscent of The Selection or the first book of Throne of Glass. I also got a bit of a Serpent and Dove vibe but to a lesser extent.
I picked up The Crown Prophecy because I have followed the author on YouTube for a few years. Generally, I enjoyed the book and found it to be a page turner.
——
Positives:
Cozy details
The baking scenes
Quinn is great at self-regulating and I loved seeing that depicted by a MC in a novel.
Some of the comforting conversations/dialogue. (However, this can be overused and overapplied to characters it does not suit)
The last quarter of the book was really exciting and engaging!!
Negatives:
Build-up/Pay-off is too short to have meaning.
Several instances of Chekov’s gun needed to be placed much in advance. For example, hints that Quinn may have a Gift should have been peppered in throughout the early sections of the book. It is explained later why she didn’t feel her Gift because of how her mother had halpyerite at the cottage, but there should have been allusions to Quinn feeling more energized when she is away from home and sluggish or disconnected from herself when she is at the cottage. Similarly, she should feel particularly energized / more herself when she is at the castle because of everyone’s heightened powers because of the queen. Speaking of halpyerite, the reader should have been made aware of its existence much in advance. Similarly, how had we never known that Siphons existed until more than 75% through the book? I feel like this is an important power to be aware of so that the tension can appropriately build throughout the book. We, as the readers, can learn about the intricacies of the world and then are able to draw our own conclusions or hypotheses as we read. Having proper setup makes watching the dominoes fall all the more satisfying. A great example of good setup and payoff is in House of Earth and Blood when the concept of The Drop is explained at the very beginning of the book and specifically how no one has every done it alone and lived and then we get to see what that looks like at the end of the book.
One-note characters.
Unfortunately, I think just about all of the characters suffer from this, but particularly it is most noticeable in Quinn and Evander.
We are told that Quinn is hot-headed and we see little other descriptors for her (even as she prepares for the wedding, it’s the only attribute she can ascribe to herself). However, also it is often incongruent with how she acts, particularly with her mother and other characters like Georgette. We often see a meek Quinn. Also, for someone who is so hot-tempered, she is remarkably good at self-regulating?? It would have been cute for Quinn to acknowledge that she needs self-regulating techniques so she doesn’t fly off the handle at everyone but… we don’t get that… so instead we’re left feeling confused as to why someone who is good at self-regulating is also described as being a hothead. We know that Quinn is a baker by profession and a non-Wielder, but even both of those change partway through the book. Of course characters, especially main characters, are supposed to evolve, but we did not have a strong sense of who Quinn was at the start and so it is hard to say who she becomes at the end.
Evander is like the classic fantasy genre prince. Brooding for a few scenes but then utterly devoted to our FMC. Wants to have more control within his day-to-day which is ironic because he rules a kingdom. Maybe we could also say he’s bad gift giver because who gives someone who can’t play an instrument some sheet music? (I’m sorry, I know this was supposed to be a sweet moment, but it felt flat for me. It felt like a bad attempt to replicate Dorian gifting Celaena sheet music but that moment had much more meaning because it was established that Dorian knew Celaena had both a love of music and the latter has musical prowess, specifically on piano).
Quinn’s mom also gets so little attention that she is a flimsy Mother Gothel copy.
Other characters can also be pretty insubstantial, like Serena is an unrealistic mean girl who flips to liking the FMC later in the book.
These flat characters become harder to reconcile with as the plot marches forward because as characters profess their love for each other, you don’t feel like you know them so how could you love them the way they love each other? How can you mourn complex enemies if they were never complex to begin with?
On a more positive note, I did enjoy Colette and Vanessa as characters. I felt they were genuine and interesting.
Tells but doesn’t Show.
This is very true for Quinn and her mother’s relationship. We hear so much about how Quinn and her mother fight, but we only see it one time (and it’s a good fight so it’s a shame we don’t get more!) We hear that Quinn and her mom love each other, but we never see tender moments so we have no proof that they love each other. Quinn’s mom has no redeeming qualities, so when she dies, I have no sympathy for her. Show us why they love each other and show us how they have fought in the past so we can understand how their relationship now.
People gossip that Evander is arrogant, but we never see why people would think that. When we meet Rhys in ACOTAR or Cardan in Cruel Prince, we see immediately why they have their reputations. The reason we’re given is because he’s a prince and hasn’t married yet and is therefore probably self-entitled, which feels pretty thin, especially because again, it’s just gossip. It’s not an action we see take place. Quinn dislikes Evander from the start because of this and so it just feels lazy. What would have been more believable if Quinn acknowledged some sort of prejudice leftover from her mother.
Lack of clarity for the plot/world throughout.
This is the most glaring issues for me. If the magic is just “party tricks”, then why are people being kidnapped over it? Does Marisol need to be worried about getting nabbed because she can change the color of a fabric? Some Gifts obviously have military benefit, but other Gifts are very innocuous. The magic system is never clearly defined, which causes the world to fall apart. In other fantasy media where people have powers like Shadow and Bone (Grishaverse as a whole) or Avatar: The Last Airbender, the magic system is immediately defined and power levels/maximums are generally understood early on. It seems there were attempts because “green-Wielding” seem to be a thing, but is there blue-Wielding? Is it called red-Wielding or fire-Wielding? Neither are applied to the character who has a fire Gift.
Class is also not defined. It is totally unclear for most of the book whether it is normal for royals to marry commoners, and even more so what a “commoner” even is in this world. One guy gives a stink about it after the wedding and Georgette seems to have some prejudice but also there are girls in the competition that would be of a similar class as Quinn. Why would a tailor’s daughter be fine to marry a prince but not a merchant’s daughter? Just because Quinn worked in the castle? What if the tailor was the royal tailor? Would that invalidate his daughter from the competition?
There was an attempt to define the world politics, namely with the main antagonist Farion/Orobos but without having the above defined, it’s really hard to contextualize the stakes. Some of it is forgiveable because Quinn is a baker so she wouldn’t need to know politics within her kingdom.
Lack of consistency.
I think Mundane is only used in the first chapter and then Non-Wielder is used up until three-quarters of the way through and then we start to see Mundane again. One of the other reviews I read commented on how the book begins as something that would be appropriate for middle/high school age readers, but then remembers it could be more adult and starts adding swear words and there are some sexually explicit scenes. Of course one is not superior to the other, but it is just inconsistent. Also, some language has been changed to sound more appropriate for the fantasy/pre-industrialization setting, but others have not. Words/phrases like “comfort zone”, “kitten heels” and “prep” (instead of prepare) sit at odds with phrasing like “bed chamber”, “doublet”, and “pianoforte”.
Typos.
I read the digital version from B&N and there were a few quite minor typos. Typos can happen in books by major publishers too, but I think unfortunately this pointed to a recurring QA/QC issue.
——
This is a super long review and I don’t write this all to be mean-spirited or say that I hated the book. On the contrary, I enjoyed reading The Crown Prophecy! My review is coming from a place of love and genuine desire to see improvement in the author’s future books. I believe in Meg Acuna as a writer, I think she definitely has the chops, but I also think that there is room for refinement. Not everyone may agree with my review, plenty of others have given the book five stars. If the author ends up reading my review, please take this all with a grain of salt as you wrote a whole book, I merely wrote a review.
I look forward to reading the next installment in Quinn and Evander’s story and any future series that may come out down the line.
The Crown Prophecy is a cozy romantasy that is reminiscent of The Selection or the first book of Throne of Glass. I also got a bit of a Serpent and Dove vibe but to a lesser extent.
I picked up The Crown Prophecy because I have followed the author on YouTube for a few years. Generally, I enjoyed the book and found it to be a page turner.
——
Positives:
Cozy details
The baking scenes
Quinn is great at self-regulating and I loved seeing that depicted by a MC in a novel.
Some of the comforting conversations/dialogue. (However, this can be overused and overapplied to characters it does not suit)
The last quarter of the book was really exciting and engaging!!
Negatives:
Build-up/Pay-off is too short to have meaning.
Several instances of Chekov’s gun needed to be placed much in advance. For example, hints that Quinn may have a Gift should have been peppered in throughout the early sections of the book. It is explained later why she didn’t feel her Gift because of how her mother had halpyerite at the cottage, but there should have been allusions to Quinn feeling more energized when she is away from home and sluggish or disconnected from herself when she is at the cottage. Similarly, she should feel particularly energized / more herself when she is at the castle because of everyone’s heightened powers because of the queen. Speaking of halpyerite, the reader should have been made aware of its existence much in advance. Similarly, how had we never known that Siphons existed until more than 75% through the book? I feel like this is an important power to be aware of so that the tension can appropriately build throughout the book. We, as the readers, can learn about the intricacies of the world and then are able to draw our own conclusions or hypotheses as we read. Having proper setup makes watching the dominoes fall all the more satisfying. A great example of good setup and payoff is in House of Earth and Blood when the concept of The Drop is explained at the very beginning of the book and specifically how no one has every done it alone and lived and then we get to see what that looks like at the end of the book.
One-note characters.
Unfortunately, I think just about all of the characters suffer from this, but particularly it is most noticeable in Quinn and Evander.
We are told that Quinn is hot-headed and we see little other descriptors for her (even as she prepares for the wedding, it’s the only attribute she can ascribe to herself). However, also it is often incongruent with how she acts, particularly with her mother and other characters like Georgette. We often see a meek Quinn. Also, for someone who is so hot-tempered, she is remarkably good at self-regulating?? It would have been cute for Quinn to acknowledge that she needs self-regulating techniques so she doesn’t fly off the handle at everyone but… we don’t get that… so instead we’re left feeling confused as to why someone who is good at self-regulating is also described as being a hothead. We know that Quinn is a baker by profession and a non-Wielder, but even both of those change partway through the book. Of course characters, especially main characters, are supposed to evolve, but we did not have a strong sense of who Quinn was at the start and so it is hard to say who she becomes at the end.
Evander is like the classic fantasy genre prince. Brooding for a few scenes but then utterly devoted to our FMC. Wants to have more control within his day-to-day which is ironic because he rules a kingdom. Maybe we could also say he’s bad gift giver because who gives someone who can’t play an instrument some sheet music? (I’m sorry, I know this was supposed to be a sweet moment, but it felt flat for me. It felt like a bad attempt to replicate Dorian gifting Celaena sheet music but that moment had much more meaning because it was established that Dorian knew Celaena had both a love of music and the latter has musical prowess, specifically on piano).
Quinn’s mom also gets so little attention that she is a flimsy Mother Gothel copy.
Other characters can also be pretty insubstantial, like Serena is an unrealistic mean girl who flips to liking the FMC later in the book.
These flat characters become harder to reconcile with as the plot marches forward because as characters profess their love for each other, you don’t feel like you know them so how could you love them the way they love each other? How can you mourn complex enemies if they were never complex to begin with?
On a more positive note, I did enjoy Colette and Vanessa as characters. I felt they were genuine and interesting.
Tells but doesn’t Show.
This is very true for Quinn and her mother’s relationship. We hear so much about how Quinn and her mother fight, but we only see it one time (and it’s a good fight so it’s a shame we don’t get more!) We hear that Quinn and her mom love each other, but we never see tender moments so we have no proof that they love each other. Quinn’s mom has no redeeming qualities, so when she dies, I have no sympathy for her. Show us why they love each other and show us how they have fought in the past so we can understand how their relationship now.
People gossip that Evander is arrogant, but we never see why people would think that. When we meet Rhys in ACOTAR or Cardan in Cruel Prince, we see immediately why they have their reputations. The reason we’re given is because he’s a prince and hasn’t married yet and is therefore probably self-entitled, which feels pretty thin, especially because again, it’s just gossip. It’s not an action we see take place. Quinn dislikes Evander from the start because of this and so it just feels lazy. What would have been more believable if Quinn acknowledged some sort of prejudice leftover from her mother.
Lack of clarity for the plot/world throughout.
This is the most glaring issues for me. If the magic is just “party tricks”, then why are people being kidnapped over it? Does Marisol need to be worried about getting nabbed because she can change the color of a fabric? Some Gifts obviously have military benefit, but other Gifts are very innocuous. The magic system is never clearly defined, which causes the world to fall apart. In other fantasy media where people have powers like Shadow and Bone (Grishaverse as a whole) or Avatar: The Last Airbender, the magic system is immediately defined and power levels/maximums are generally understood early on. It seems there were attempts because “green-Wielding” seem to be a thing, but is there blue-Wielding? Is it called red-Wielding or fire-Wielding? Neither are applied to the character who has a fire Gift.
Class is also not defined. It is totally unclear for most of the book whether it is normal for royals to marry commoners, and even more so what a “commoner” even is in this world. One guy gives a stink about it after the wedding and Georgette seems to have some prejudice but also there are girls in the competition that would be of a similar class as Quinn. Why would a tailor’s daughter be fine to marry a prince but not a merchant’s daughter? Just because Quinn worked in the castle? What if the tailor was the royal tailor? Would that invalidate his daughter from the competition?
There was an attempt to define the world politics, namely with the main antagonist Farion/Orobos but without having the above defined, it’s really hard to contextualize the stakes. Some of it is forgiveable because Quinn is a baker so she wouldn’t need to know politics within her kingdom.
Lack of consistency.
I think Mundane is only used in the first chapter and then Non-Wielder is used up until three-quarters of the way through and then we start to see Mundane again. One of the other reviews I read commented on how the book begins as something that would be appropriate for middle/high school age readers, but then remembers it could be more adult and starts adding swear words and there are some sexually explicit scenes. Of course one is not superior to the other, but it is just inconsistent. Also, some language has been changed to sound more appropriate for the fantasy/pre-industrialization setting, but others have not. Words/phrases like “comfort zone”, “kitten heels” and “prep” (instead of prepare) sit at odds with phrasing like “bed chamber”, “doublet”, and “pianoforte”.
Typos.
I read the digital version from B&N and there were a few quite minor typos. Typos can happen in books by major publishers too, but I think unfortunately this pointed to a recurring QA/QC issue.
——
This is a super long review and I don’t write this all to be mean-spirited or say that I hated the book. On the contrary, I enjoyed reading The Crown Prophecy! My review is coming from a place of love and genuine desire to see improvement in the author’s future books. I believe in Meg Acuna as a writer, I think she definitely has the chops, but I also think that there is room for refinement. Not everyone may agree with my review, plenty of others have given the book five stars. If the author ends up reading my review, please take this all with a grain of salt as you wrote a whole book, I merely wrote a review.
I look forward to reading the next installment in Quinn and Evander’s story and any future series that may come out down the line.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2024
This was so FUN - I loved it! Can't wait for book 2!
December 30, 2024
Okay I literally just finished and have to write my thoughts down NOW!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️.5
First of all I loved this book. I love all things cozy Romantasy books and Meg delivered. Part two of this book reaaally captured my attention to the point I didn’t want to put it down because I had to know what happened. And talk of the baking in part one had my mouth watering. The descriptions of some of the dishes I swear I could truly imagine them. One thing I would’ve love to see added (maybe on a special edition 👀) is copies of some of the recipes that are talked in detail. This could be fun as the reader to be able to try some of the recipes. I loved watching Quinn really grow into herself as a character and watching her relationship with her mom ugh. It was hard to read about (in a good way) bc Meg did such a beautiful job at portraying a narcissistic behavior. And that cliff hanger……THANKS MEG!! Ugh
⭐️SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS⭐️
Do not continue if you haven’t read the book!!!!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Okay let’s talk spicy scenes first….I actually enjoyed that those scenes were not overly explicit and didn’t take up an entire chapter. It was tastefully done and added to the story rather than taking over or forced.
I loved that the MMC was the one being rescued by the FMC instead of her being a damsel in distress yes even though she was captured for a brief time. It was fun watching her say hell no to Evander in her dreams and go save him and take matters into her own hands despite him trying to tell her to not come and remarry to save the kingdom.
I loved watching her relationship evolve with Vanessa and Colette and them being so willing to help her not just as their queen, but as their friend.
I throughly enjoyed the adventure this book took me on. Thanks Meg Acuna for taking a leap of faith and publishing this book! 🩷
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️.5
First of all I loved this book. I love all things cozy Romantasy books and Meg delivered. Part two of this book reaaally captured my attention to the point I didn’t want to put it down because I had to know what happened. And talk of the baking in part one had my mouth watering. The descriptions of some of the dishes I swear I could truly imagine them. One thing I would’ve love to see added (maybe on a special edition 👀) is copies of some of the recipes that are talked in detail. This could be fun as the reader to be able to try some of the recipes. I loved watching Quinn really grow into herself as a character and watching her relationship with her mom ugh. It was hard to read about (in a good way) bc Meg did such a beautiful job at portraying a narcissistic behavior. And that cliff hanger……THANKS MEG!! Ugh
⭐️SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS⭐️
Do not continue if you haven’t read the book!!!!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Okay let’s talk spicy scenes first….I actually enjoyed that those scenes were not overly explicit and didn’t take up an entire chapter. It was tastefully done and added to the story rather than taking over or forced.
I loved that the MMC was the one being rescued by the FMC instead of her being a damsel in distress yes even though she was captured for a brief time. It was fun watching her say hell no to Evander in her dreams and go save him and take matters into her own hands despite him trying to tell her to not come and remarry to save the kingdom.
I loved watching her relationship evolve with Vanessa and Colette and them being so willing to help her not just as their queen, but as their friend.
I throughly enjoyed the adventure this book took me on. Thanks Meg Acuna for taking a leap of faith and publishing this book! 🩷
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2024
4⭐️ I’ve been watching Megan on YouTube for years and was so stoked to read her book. It lived up the the expectations and I really enjoyed the story. Can’t wait for the 2nd book.
November 8, 2024
What an absolute pleasure to read one of my favorite creator’s debut novel 🤎The Crown Prophecy was a fun & easy read that was cozy while also having some high stakes interest. I had a good time and found myself invested in the plot & excited to see what happens next.
**spoilers**
I also really enjoyed the FMC saving the MMC, a nice change of pace. Quinn was refreshingly sweet and I enjoyed that she wasn’t angsty (as many FMCS in romantasy’s are). Evander was fun & I enjoyed him as well! I would have loved to see more behind the scenes of the build up to their romance, but I feel their quick to fall in love story felt very fairytale and appropriate for the novel as a whole. Also, thank you Meg for not making the main character 18 years old 😂😂😂
I enjoyed Meg’s writing style and thought she did an amazing job with descriptive language to paint the picture and make me feel immersed in the cozy baking vibes. Perfect fall read!!
**spoilers**
I also really enjoyed the FMC saving the MMC, a nice change of pace. Quinn was refreshingly sweet and I enjoyed that she wasn’t angsty (as many FMCS in romantasy’s are). Evander was fun & I enjoyed him as well! I would have loved to see more behind the scenes of the build up to their romance, but I feel their quick to fall in love story felt very fairytale and appropriate for the novel as a whole. Also, thank you Meg for not making the main character 18 years old 😂😂😂
I enjoyed Meg’s writing style and thought she did an amazing job with descriptive language to paint the picture and make me feel immersed in the cozy baking vibes. Perfect fall read!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2025
3.5/5 ⭐️
For this author’s first book and it being indie published, the writing was pretty great! This had me feeling like it was almost like a magical version of The Selection from someone else in the castle’s POV. The plot was actually gripping and I wanted to keep reading. The story was easy to follow and overall quite cute! I liked the relationships the main character Quinn had developed throughout the book but sometimes the story felt a bit rushed and I felt like I was missing so many pieces of how the kingdom or magic worked. I feel like as Quinn had learned stuff in her books I would have enjoyed learning more with her! Very interested to see what happens in book two though, it was left on a cliff-hanger of sorts with many unanswered questions. The nickname “my love” was used a few too many times and I felt like the book would have been even better with closed-door romances as the spicier scenes felt rushed and didn’t really add to the romance I was reading. Overall though I am definitely planning to buy book 2 and think that as a first time author this was GREAT!! Nothing cringy or poorly written in a single line. You should be proud of this book Meg!
For this author’s first book and it being indie published, the writing was pretty great! This had me feeling like it was almost like a magical version of The Selection from someone else in the castle’s POV. The plot was actually gripping and I wanted to keep reading. The story was easy to follow and overall quite cute! I liked the relationships the main character Quinn had developed throughout the book but sometimes the story felt a bit rushed and I felt like I was missing so many pieces of how the kingdom or magic worked. I feel like as Quinn had learned stuff in her books I would have enjoyed learning more with her! Very interested to see what happens in book two though, it was left on a cliff-hanger of sorts with many unanswered questions. The nickname “my love” was used a few too many times and I felt like the book would have been even better with closed-door romances as the spicier scenes felt rushed and didn’t really add to the romance I was reading. Overall though I am definitely planning to buy book 2 and think that as a first time author this was GREAT!! Nothing cringy or poorly written in a single line. You should be proud of this book Meg!
December 9, 2024
Meg is a dear personal friend of mine and I could not put the book down. Her talent for communication and understanding people’s circumstances are deftly at work as she crafts loving tributes to people and their beautiful and complex relationships.
Readers of the Romantasy genre will undoubtedly come for the romance and they will be delighted with it, but something that truly tugged at my heartstrings was some of the other relationships. I will not spoil it, but there was sincere depiction of love and its wounds in this story and I am not ashamed to say it made me tearful.
A lovely story of characters and the things we do for and to the people we love.
Readers of the Romantasy genre will undoubtedly come for the romance and they will be delighted with it, but something that truly tugged at my heartstrings was some of the other relationships. I will not spoil it, but there was sincere depiction of love and its wounds in this story and I am not ashamed to say it made me tearful.
A lovely story of characters and the things we do for and to the people we love.
February 13, 2025
This is my first time ever writing a book review, but I have been following Meg on YouTube for a few years now and seeing her go through the process of getting this book out, I felt like I had to!
I first want to say, I enjoyed the book. The overall plot and elements kept my interest. I finished the book within a week and never found myself needing a break. There is excitement and typical fantasy/romance tropes that we all root for.
The issue I had with the book is that honestly, it wasn’t long enough. I am aware there is a book two, but I think if this book was around 400/500 pages, it would have easily been 4 stars for me. Things felt rushed and not spaced out enough. There wasn’t enough depth to character, relationships, and problems. Though I liked all the characters Meg created, but I wasn’t particularly attached to any, even the main character.
I would recommend this book, I will be telling my romantasy book friends about it. I do not regret buying this book, there is something special about reading someone’s first book when it first comes out. Congratulations Meg!
I first want to say, I enjoyed the book. The overall plot and elements kept my interest. I finished the book within a week and never found myself needing a break. There is excitement and typical fantasy/romance tropes that we all root for.
The issue I had with the book is that honestly, it wasn’t long enough. I am aware there is a book two, but I think if this book was around 400/500 pages, it would have easily been 4 stars for me. Things felt rushed and not spaced out enough. There wasn’t enough depth to character, relationships, and problems. Though I liked all the characters Meg created, but I wasn’t particularly attached to any, even the main character.
I would recommend this book, I will be telling my romantasy book friends about it. I do not regret buying this book, there is something special about reading someone’s first book when it first comes out. Congratulations Meg!
January 4, 2025
I couldn’t stop turning the pages once I started reading this book! I haven’t picked up a book in a while that I have had a hard time putting down! I cannot wait for the second to come out!
November 20, 2024
Loved. Cozy baking and romance. All of the best tropes. Love the world building and lore. Can’t wait for Book 2!
November 18, 2024
Never wanted to put this book down!! Loved the romance story. Loved the plot line . My only qualm is that I wished a few scenes were fleshed out a little more.
November 13, 2024
This is a very fun, cosy romance fantasy with some games and trials some fun magic, some twists and turns and some spice highly recommend!
The reason I did not give this book 5 stars was it did feel a little instant lovey as well as I personally feel this story would have done better without the spice that was in it. I love spicy romances, but this one felt like a YA novel that had last minute spice thrown in. I think this would be the perfect book and would love to see this author release a version that is why because I think it would do so so so well now with all this being said it is still an amazing story. I love the characters. I think the storyline was fun. kept me intrigued and I do highly recommend reading it and just because the spice wasn’t for me does not mean it’s not for you I think, a lot of people will eat this up!!
The reason I did not give this book 5 stars was it did feel a little instant lovey as well as I personally feel this story would have done better without the spice that was in it. I love spicy romances, but this one felt like a YA novel that had last minute spice thrown in. I think this would be the perfect book and would love to see this author release a version that is why because I think it would do so so so well now with all this being said it is still an amazing story. I love the characters. I think the storyline was fun. kept me intrigued and I do highly recommend reading it and just because the spice wasn’t for me does not mean it’s not for you I think, a lot of people will eat this up!!
November 9, 2024
The characters and plot were good. I honestly just wish the book was longer, so that the storyline had more breadth and there was more time for character development. The love story, and some of the pivotal scenes seemed too short.
In the first half of the book some of the vocabulary was so far from everyday vernacular (even set in a regal period) that it felt a bit choppy to read. It read more like a young adult book.
The second half of the book was written substantially better than the first half and I found myself more and more excited to read as I got further into it. Overall I thought this was a great debut novel and I am looking forward to reading the second book!
Congratulations Meg Acuna!!
In the first half of the book some of the vocabulary was so far from everyday vernacular (even set in a regal period) that it felt a bit choppy to read. It read more like a young adult book.
The second half of the book was written substantially better than the first half and I found myself more and more excited to read as I got further into it. Overall I thought this was a great debut novel and I am looking forward to reading the second book!
Congratulations Meg Acuna!!
February 24, 2025
I am not sure this was the right book for me. It was a cozy book but had many tropes I don’t love royalty, people in different social spheres which bothers me in a power dynamic. Also I didn’t feel like the portrayal of the other kingdom was nuanced enough. Honestly it was a fun cozy read but likely wasn’t for me.
December 29, 2024
3.75 stars! Congrats on Megan becoming a published author!! It takes a lot of courage and passion to bring something to life in writing that you love!! :)
My favorite parts of the book:
- I love the cozy baking, and castle atmosphere and this book has my favorite tropes! Fantasy set in a kingdom with a trial for the hand of the prince! And to top it off, all of the baking!! :)
- I really loved Megan’s writing style, as her description of things made me want to keep turning the page to find out what happened next! :)
- I loved all of the characters, especially the side characters! I would love to see more of Colette and Vanessa hanging out with Quinn. :) <3
The reason for it not being a full 5 star:
- Going into the book, I knew it had all of my favorite tropes but was a Romantasy. I don’t dislike Romantasies, but I also just in general can’t really handle super steamy scenes especially when there’s a lot of them all of a sudden, thrown into the book halfway through. It just felt a little too fast-paced and Insta lovey For me personally. If I read a romance in a fantasy or just in a general romance, I love for it to be a light hearted and warming contemporary, or something less instalove.
- the book feels a little lost, like it doesn’t know if it wants to be a full YA novel which is most of the book ( which I actually suprisingly liked ), outside from the couple sex scenes. I feel like this can leave a reader rating it less stars because they either went into it expecting adult and get ya, or they go into it expecting YA and all of a sudden the book is super adult in sex scenes and swear words almost 3/4th of the way through the book. I think Megan just needed more world building and overall more descriptions when things happen, in order for the book to feel a little less ya and less rushed during certain scenes!
- There was huge build up through the first 2/3rds of the book based on the trials and finding a new queen who would weild side by side with Evander to save the kingdoms wards, as well as who the person was involved in attempting to ruin the trials and dethrone the prince to take over the kingdom, but all of that was sadly rushed through / not fleshed out enough when it came time to the climax of the story. It was only 4 pages of the person trying to stop the final trial and overthrow Evander who was both revealed then captured, and all of a sudden Evander and Quinn were engaged and everything was right in the kingdom- at least for a bit. Again, it just felt very YA, because things weren’t as fleshed out and so it made the book feel a little lost.
- I feel there definitely could’ve been more added to the storyline as far as Quinn’s new found Weilding Powers went before the final trial. All of a sudden a couple chapters before the climax, it kind of was just added in there. She started questioning things and I was excited to see where her curiosity about possible powers would go, but nothing really was talked about too much up until all of a sudden she saved Evander during the final trial in the assassination attempt, and again wasn’t fleshed out as much as it could’ve been! I would love to see Quinn’s powers way more fleshed out, and where her curiosity goes within the extent of how strong her powers are/ what she can do with them in book two! 💖
- the phrases “ My Gods, or To the Gods, ect. “ Were used a little too much personally for my enjoyment. It felt like the phrases were thrown in their constantly towards the end. Not saying it would hinder anyone else’s enjoyment of the book, but personally just wasn’t for me. <3
- This one isn’t Megan’s fault at all, and I feel bad that publication didn’t catch this before the book came out, but there was about 8-10 different spelling errors throughout the book I noticed as I was reading. It didn’t make my reading experience any less enjoyable, just something to point out specifically for Megan, in hopes that maybe she can switch publications teams or do more beta reading/ a final check, etc. to help with those little errors! Still thoroughly over all enjoyed the book and am so proud of Megan as a new debut author! :) <3
My favorite parts of the book:
- I love the cozy baking, and castle atmosphere and this book has my favorite tropes! Fantasy set in a kingdom with a trial for the hand of the prince! And to top it off, all of the baking!! :)
- I really loved Megan’s writing style, as her description of things made me want to keep turning the page to find out what happened next! :)
- I loved all of the characters, especially the side characters! I would love to see more of Colette and Vanessa hanging out with Quinn. :) <3
The reason for it not being a full 5 star:
- Going into the book, I knew it had all of my favorite tropes but was a Romantasy. I don’t dislike Romantasies, but I also just in general can’t really handle super steamy scenes especially when there’s a lot of them all of a sudden, thrown into the book halfway through. It just felt a little too fast-paced and Insta lovey For me personally. If I read a romance in a fantasy or just in a general romance, I love for it to be a light hearted and warming contemporary, or something less instalove.
- the book feels a little lost, like it doesn’t know if it wants to be a full YA novel which is most of the book ( which I actually suprisingly liked ), outside from the couple sex scenes. I feel like this can leave a reader rating it less stars because they either went into it expecting adult and get ya, or they go into it expecting YA and all of a sudden the book is super adult in sex scenes and swear words almost 3/4th of the way through the book. I think Megan just needed more world building and overall more descriptions when things happen, in order for the book to feel a little less ya and less rushed during certain scenes!
- There was huge build up through the first 2/3rds of the book based on the trials and finding a new queen who would weild side by side with Evander to save the kingdoms wards, as well as who the person was involved in attempting to ruin the trials and dethrone the prince to take over the kingdom, but all of that was sadly rushed through / not fleshed out enough when it came time to the climax of the story. It was only 4 pages of the person trying to stop the final trial and overthrow Evander who was both revealed then captured, and all of a sudden Evander and Quinn were engaged and everything was right in the kingdom- at least for a bit. Again, it just felt very YA, because things weren’t as fleshed out and so it made the book feel a little lost.
- I feel there definitely could’ve been more added to the storyline as far as Quinn’s new found Weilding Powers went before the final trial. All of a sudden a couple chapters before the climax, it kind of was just added in there. She started questioning things and I was excited to see where her curiosity about possible powers would go, but nothing really was talked about too much up until all of a sudden she saved Evander during the final trial in the assassination attempt, and again wasn’t fleshed out as much as it could’ve been! I would love to see Quinn’s powers way more fleshed out, and where her curiosity goes within the extent of how strong her powers are/ what she can do with them in book two! 💖
- the phrases “ My Gods, or To the Gods, ect. “ Were used a little too much personally for my enjoyment. It felt like the phrases were thrown in their constantly towards the end. Not saying it would hinder anyone else’s enjoyment of the book, but personally just wasn’t for me. <3
- This one isn’t Megan’s fault at all, and I feel bad that publication didn’t catch this before the book came out, but there was about 8-10 different spelling errors throughout the book I noticed as I was reading. It didn’t make my reading experience any less enjoyable, just something to point out specifically for Megan, in hopes that maybe she can switch publications teams or do more beta reading/ a final check, etc. to help with those little errors! Still thoroughly over all enjoyed the book and am so proud of Megan as a new debut author! :) <3
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2025
Okay I'll be writing a lot so that when book 2 comes out, I'll be able to remember what happened without reading again!
Let me start with the things I didn't like, since those are always simmering at the top of my mind right after I finish a book.
I honestly did not care for Quinn very much at the start. She was bratty and a little TOO headstrong for her position. She was literally a baker/servant mouthing off to the crown prince. Like I said in one of my reading updates, I think romantasy books these days are starting to be oversaturated with feisty FMCs that aren't smart about it. It also made Evander look a little stupid to be so infatuated with her for being "different" just because she was standoffish and rude? Granted, they were both bratty for decent reasons, but the disparity between their stations was enough to make me nervous.
I also think the "twist" was fairly predictable and was maddening when Quinn couldn't understand what the evil king was getting at. I guess to me it's obvious she's the main character so obviously she has dormant OP abilities, but girl if you knew, you could have saved Evander from getting his arm dislocated.
The pacing was another boo from me. The way we were progressing SO FAST up to 80% made me think this was going to be a standalone...only for 3 chapters of traveling with minimal info gain in all that time. Suddenly Quinn's mom is chill, and then she's not, and then she's dead. Then in the last 5% it just felt hurried again. Oh we found Maddox. Okay now I found Evander. By the way, not a single guard is suspicious of me. Oh also, Colette single handedly got Maddox out of the castle and they're on their way home? Also, Quinn's powers exploded into light and saved everyone and we're back home now. Also the queen is awake???
The queen being awake actually felt like a logical next step in the plot as there are too many questions that no one has the answer to except for her, but everything in the end was just like slamming on the brakes only to then slam on the gas into a brick wall.
Let me now get into the things I loved! I loved the girly friendship between Quinn, Vanessa, and Colette. I loved the dynamic Quinn had with Mellie. I think the girl relationships were really sweet and added to the book's depth.
Despite myself, I also liked the spicy scenes. They were tasteful and not overdone! Evander was a big sweetie pie even though the romantic build up felt so quick. I also think Quinn had significantly less reservations about this relationship than she should have, but oh well.
What I'm so sad about is that the story moved from Quinn's love of baking to some insane political plot. I was really sad when she started making macarons to de-stress, only for her to have left them half done on the counter in favor of making out with Evander. It felt almost symbolic in the way they got left behind, never finished.
It truly sounds like I hated this book, but it was an entertaining read despite the things I just couldn't get behind. I am definitely looking forward to book 2!
Let me start with the things I didn't like, since those are always simmering at the top of my mind right after I finish a book.
I honestly did not care for Quinn very much at the start. She was bratty and a little TOO headstrong for her position. She was literally a baker/servant mouthing off to the crown prince. Like I said in one of my reading updates, I think romantasy books these days are starting to be oversaturated with feisty FMCs that aren't smart about it. It also made Evander look a little stupid to be so infatuated with her for being "different" just because she was standoffish and rude? Granted, they were both bratty for decent reasons, but the disparity between their stations was enough to make me nervous.
I also think the "twist" was fairly predictable and was maddening when Quinn couldn't understand what the evil king was getting at. I guess to me it's obvious she's the main character so obviously she has dormant OP abilities, but girl if you knew, you could have saved Evander from getting his arm dislocated.
The pacing was another boo from me. The way we were progressing SO FAST up to 80% made me think this was going to be a standalone...only for 3 chapters of traveling with minimal info gain in all that time. Suddenly Quinn's mom is chill, and then she's not, and then she's dead. Then in the last 5% it just felt hurried again. Oh we found Maddox. Okay now I found Evander. By the way, not a single guard is suspicious of me. Oh also, Colette single handedly got Maddox out of the castle and they're on their way home? Also, Quinn's powers exploded into light and saved everyone and we're back home now. Also the queen is awake???
The queen being awake actually felt like a logical next step in the plot as there are too many questions that no one has the answer to except for her, but everything in the end was just like slamming on the brakes only to then slam on the gas into a brick wall.
Let me now get into the things I loved! I loved the girly friendship between Quinn, Vanessa, and Colette. I loved the dynamic Quinn had with Mellie. I think the girl relationships were really sweet and added to the book's depth.
Despite myself, I also liked the spicy scenes. They were tasteful and not overdone! Evander was a big sweetie pie even though the romantic build up felt so quick. I also think Quinn had significantly less reservations about this relationship than she should have, but oh well.
What I'm so sad about is that the story moved from Quinn's love of baking to some insane political plot. I was really sad when she started making macarons to de-stress, only for her to have left them half done on the counter in favor of making out with Evander. It felt almost symbolic in the way they got left behind, never finished.
It truly sounds like I hated this book, but it was an entertaining read despite the things I just couldn't get behind. I am definitely looking forward to book 2!
April 17, 2025
I liked this a lot and quickly got hooked into the story. If you loved The Selection as a teenager, this is the book for you. Here's the great stuff:
A romantic competition to find a bride for the prince
A sweet and genuine romance
Magical powers that are unique to each wielder
Mouthwatering baking scenes
Light fantasy world building
Having said that, I found a lot of problems with this book that affected my enjoyment; it's such a shame because it could have been a 5-star read.
Firstly, the writing is quite unsophisticated. It's still readable, but it was evident from the first few pages that the level of writing and prose is basic. Not too surprising for a debut author, but it's something that could have been improved through editing.
Secondly, the writing style and overall tone give the book a young-adult feel (or even younger to be honest!) and yet it has swearing and sex scenes in it. I feel that the mature elements clashed with the rest of the story and would have been better left out.
Thirdly, the characterisation is quite weak and often inconsistent. There are lots of one-dimensional characters who are made to fit into a specific role. For example, there is the spoiled prince, the controlling mother, the kind and understanding mentor, the mean girl etc. We're often told things about characters (eg. the prince is rumoured to be arrogant) but that's not shown through their actions.
Finally, while the plot moves at a good, gripping pace, the 'plot twists' and reveals seem almost random. There are a few small mysteries set-up, but there is no foreshadowing or development of those mysteries; the answer is just randomly revealed in an unsatisfying way. It seems like the author had some good ideas for reveals, but didn't know how to incorporate them into the story and build up to the big moment.
A romantic competition to find a bride for the prince
A sweet and genuine romance
Magical powers that are unique to each wielder
Mouthwatering baking scenes
Light fantasy world building
Having said that, I found a lot of problems with this book that affected my enjoyment; it's such a shame because it could have been a 5-star read.
Firstly, the writing is quite unsophisticated. It's still readable, but it was evident from the first few pages that the level of writing and prose is basic. Not too surprising for a debut author, but it's something that could have been improved through editing.
Secondly, the writing style and overall tone give the book a young-adult feel (or even younger to be honest!) and yet it has swearing and sex scenes in it. I feel that the mature elements clashed with the rest of the story and would have been better left out.
Thirdly, the characterisation is quite weak and often inconsistent. There are lots of one-dimensional characters who are made to fit into a specific role. For example, there is the spoiled prince, the controlling mother, the kind and understanding mentor, the mean girl etc. We're often told things about characters (eg. the prince is rumoured to be arrogant) but that's not shown through their actions.
Finally, while the plot moves at a good, gripping pace, the 'plot twists' and reveals seem almost random. There are a few small mysteries set-up, but there is no foreshadowing or development of those mysteries; the answer is just randomly revealed in an unsatisfying way. It seems like the author had some good ideas for reveals, but didn't know how to incorporate them into the story and build up to the big moment.
January 10, 2025
Megan, you totally wrote a book!! What even. This is so cool. And it's good! Man, writing this review is so hard because I obviously want to say it's the most perfect piece of print in existence. It's hard to review someone's writing when it feels like such an attack to the writer, especially when the relationship is so one-sided. Anyway, I hope you keep going and keep writing and keep writing for you and for joy and not for 5 star reviews.
Ok onto the book. This was a great idea and cool setting and I loved the cozy baking vibes. It was a bit slow for me at first. I was having trouble continuing to read. Then I was turning pages so fast around when Quinn got moved up to the contestant's quarters.
I wanted it to be YA because it felt so YA until like 70% through. Plus, the spice was short, uninspiring, and unnecessary. The best scenes were the kissing only ones. It was slow and cozy and low stakes and YA and then ramped up super quick to a whole journey through the forest and adult scenes and battle with the biggest bad dude and then it just ended. If the book matched, it would have been better. Slow down the ending with more details and explanations. Shoulda been YA.
I wanted Quinn and Evander to interact neutrally or in an exploring way a few times instead of him being instantly in love at the sound of humming.
Ok that's all. I'll be ready for book 2 cause I feel like this story is getting interesting and could go so many different cool places.
Ok onto the book. This was a great idea and cool setting and I loved the cozy baking vibes. It was a bit slow for me at first. I was having trouble continuing to read. Then I was turning pages so fast around when Quinn got moved up to the contestant's quarters.
I wanted it to be YA because it felt so YA until like 70% through. Plus, the spice was short, uninspiring, and unnecessary. The best scenes were the kissing only ones. It was slow and cozy and low stakes and YA and then ramped up super quick to a whole journey through the forest and adult scenes and battle with the biggest bad dude and then it just ended. If the book matched, it would have been better. Slow down the ending with more details and explanations. Shoulda been YA.
I wanted Quinn and Evander to interact neutrally or in an exploring way a few times instead of him being instantly in love at the sound of humming.
Ok that's all. I'll be ready for book 2 cause I feel like this story is getting interesting and could go so many different cool places.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2025
It was a good story but needed to be developed a bit more. It had nice vibes with the baking aspect and the secretive castle that isn’t what it seems. The book jumps straight into the plot which is usually good and starts a good pace for the rest but I really needed a backstory. I was curious how we ended up in the beginning like why was Quinn chosen? Why did Mellie have such a say in her employment? Sometimes Quinn felt a little too like a Wattpad character especially in the beginning. She grew out of it throughout but she felt very stereotypical.
I found the plot to be a little boring especially when it was broken up into the parts that it was. I was wanted more mystery and more twists which hopefully can happen in the next book!
I did like the romance aspect. It was definitely a insta-love situation but I didn’t really mind it seeing as that’s kinda how the rest of the book went as well. I liked Evander he is definitely the typical romantasy MMC. And I did like how she ended saving him with her own power.
I could definitely see the inspiration from The Selection and Throne of Glass (book 1 only) which contributed to some fun vibes.
The other characters like Serena were also pretty typical characters with their own tropes. I did love Colette and Vanessa a lot and I loved seeing them on the page together so I’m hoping for more of them in book 2.
I found the plot to be a little boring especially when it was broken up into the parts that it was. I was wanted more mystery and more twists which hopefully can happen in the next book!
I did like the romance aspect. It was definitely a insta-love situation but I didn’t really mind it seeing as that’s kinda how the rest of the book went as well. I liked Evander he is definitely the typical romantasy MMC. And I did like how she ended saving him with her own power.
I could definitely see the inspiration from The Selection and Throne of Glass (book 1 only) which contributed to some fun vibes.
The other characters like Serena were also pretty typical characters with their own tropes. I did love Colette and Vanessa a lot and I loved seeing them on the page together so I’m hoping for more of them in book 2.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2026
I really liked this book! The characters were all super fun and I loved the friendship between them. I liked the main character and her love interest, I really believed that they were in love and strong partners. I also loved all of the side characters. The world building is great and comprehensive. The pacing was well done, and the conflicts were interesting. I was intrigued and invested.
The only things I didn't like were
This was really hard to read before bed because the descriptions of delicious food made me really hungry :(
The book was a little less cozy than I expected; there were some pretty violent parts . I didn't dislike these parts; I was just a little shocked.
I CANNOT WAIT for the next book!!! <3 <3 <3
P.S. I got to meet the author at a book selling event and she was so kind and nice! Silly story: she had these 3D printed little fidget toy croissants for people to take. I left it on my kitchen table, but the next day found it on the floor. A mystery for sure. Turns out my cat had been playing with it. That little croissant has become her favorite toy of all time. She will come up to me and yell and then lead me to wherever the croissant is to throw it for her. <3
The only things I didn't like were
This was really hard to read before bed because the descriptions of delicious food made me really hungry :(
The book was a little less cozy than I expected; there were some pretty violent parts . I didn't dislike these parts; I was just a little shocked.
I CANNOT WAIT for the next book!!! <3 <3 <3
P.S. I got to meet the author at a book selling event and she was so kind and nice! Silly story: she had these 3D printed little fidget toy croissants for people to take. I left it on my kitchen table, but the next day found it on the floor. A mystery for sure. Turns out my cat had been playing with it. That little croissant has become her favorite toy of all time. She will come up to me and yell and then lead me to wherever the croissant is to throw it for her. <3
November 9, 2025
I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting the author, Meg Acuna, at a Halloween book event in Seattle. Her description of the book, along with her cute outfit and croissant fidgets had me picking up the book to read. It is a sweet cozy romance with a good strong female lead, a male protagonist that supports her, and a sprinkling of twists I promise you won't see coming.
I appreciated that the spicy scenes were realistic and not of those long drawn out scenes that are borderline unrealistic. Although, I would like to warn readers there are some details to them that may not be appropriate for some readers. If you are still interested in reading the book, but don't want the sexy details, when they start to kiss or throw suggestions, skip a page or two. You can always back track a paragraph or two if you feel like you've missed something.
The first publication has some printing errors in the form of missing letters in words throughout the book, so if that is something that bothers you may wish to wait for the second print. You can figure out the work by the context,.so the storyline was not affected.
I wish the second half was a little longer, but things ended in a good place. I am looking forward to the second book to see how things wrap up.
I appreciated that the spicy scenes were realistic and not of those long drawn out scenes that are borderline unrealistic. Although, I would like to warn readers there are some details to them that may not be appropriate for some readers. If you are still interested in reading the book, but don't want the sexy details, when they start to kiss or throw suggestions, skip a page or two. You can always back track a paragraph or two if you feel like you've missed something.
The first publication has some printing errors in the form of missing letters in words throughout the book, so if that is something that bothers you may wish to wait for the second print. You can figure out the work by the context,.so the storyline was not affected.
I wish the second half was a little longer, but things ended in a good place. I am looking forward to the second book to see how things wrap up.
March 23, 2025
First of all I just want to say that I was extremely impressed with Meg’s writing style for this being her debut novel. Outstanding job and I can’t wait for more books to come. I will for sure be reading them all!
Now for the review of the book itself, I really like how the story started off immediately capturing my attention and got straight to the point vs a slow build up. The world was very simple to follow with the extent of it being the extent of the 2 rival kingdoms. It was also definitely the perfect cozy read. I really enjoyed how descriptive the baking scenes were. It really felt like I was right there in the palace kitchen with Quinn!
The only minor critique I have is that I felt that the romance between Quinn and Evander was quite rushed. Especially the jump between part 1 and part 2. It didn’t seem like they had nearly enough interactions to be suddenly head over heels in love with each other. I think the pacing would have been a lot better if this book focused solely on Quinn and Evander’s relationship and the next book more on the conflict between the kingdoms.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed The Crown Prophecy. Can’t wait for book 2!
Now for the review of the book itself, I really like how the story started off immediately capturing my attention and got straight to the point vs a slow build up. The world was very simple to follow with the extent of it being the extent of the 2 rival kingdoms. It was also definitely the perfect cozy read. I really enjoyed how descriptive the baking scenes were. It really felt like I was right there in the palace kitchen with Quinn!
The only minor critique I have is that I felt that the romance between Quinn and Evander was quite rushed. Especially the jump between part 1 and part 2. It didn’t seem like they had nearly enough interactions to be suddenly head over heels in love with each other. I think the pacing would have been a lot better if this book focused solely on Quinn and Evander’s relationship and the next book more on the conflict between the kingdoms.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed The Crown Prophecy. Can’t wait for book 2!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2025
Great storyline, but the spice and cussing were sudden and unnecessarily intense (especially the spice), in my opinion. The burn seemed slow in the beginning and gave me hope for the Love Interest's character building, but then went 0-100 real quick, leaving little to the imagination. The story itself was captivating, though, more so at the beginning through 70% of the book, and if the duties of motherhood hadn't called, I would've finished this in one sitting. Nonetheless, I basically finished it in 2 days, taking 5 days to read the last 50 pages, at no fault to the author herself. Just a busy life! This storyline has more potential, though, and I appreciated certain mystery aspects and a good loathe-to-love/enemies-to-lovers trope. I hope she builds out more of the main Love Interest's character in any further installments. The story reminds me a bit of The Selection, but with superpowers and more spice.
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