Rey Entre Sombras

The Half King #1

by Melissa Landers

UN REINO LLENO DE SECRETOS. UN PALACIO CIMENTADO EN MENTIRAS. SOLO ELLA PODRÁ EVITAR QUE LA MALDICIÓN ACABE CON TODO.
Cerise Solon nunca ha cumplido con las expectativas, ¿cómo podría hacerlo si es una vidente incapaz de presagiar el futuro? No tiene sentido que la eligieran como la responsable de romper la maldición que amenaza con acabar con el último miembro de la familia real.
El joven rey Kian es un enigma tan oscuro como la maldición que lo consume: durante el día, su arrogancia y su magnetismo son imposibles de ignorar, pero en la noche, se desvanece entre las sombras. Sus ojos grises y su mordaz forma de hablar toman por sorpresa a Cerise, quien jamás había pensado que alguien aceleraría su corazón y la sonrojaría de esa manera. Sin embargo, Kian es un riesgo que no puede permitirse; su deber con el reino está primero, especialmente porque el rey, en su próximo cumpleaños, se perderá para siempre en la oscuridad de la noche.
Kian tiene el tiempo contado y Cerise, quien toda su vida pensó que no era especial, pronto descubrirá que la única oportunidad de salvarlo depende de ella y del gran secreto que le han ocultado desde que nació. ¿Podrá romper la maldición o se convertirá en la perdición del hombre al que ama y del reino entero?
DÉJATE SEDUCIR POR KIAN MORTARA, REY DE DÍA Y SOMBRA DE NOCHE.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy Romance, Magic, Fiction

440 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2024

About the author

**Receive news, updates, and exclusive excerpts from Melissa by subscribing to her e-newsletter!**

Melissa Landers writes science fiction for teens and the young at heart. The Alienated trilogy (ALIENATED, INVADED, UNITED) and the Starflight duology (STARFLIGHT, STARFALL) are complete! Look for Melissa's middle grade debut BLASTAWAY, now available from Disney-Hyperion.

**IMPORTANT** Please do not request an ARC through Goodreads. All review copies are distributed by the publisher.

Reviews

[Kristen's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels like I am finding my favorite reads of the year toward the end of the year.
This was absolutely phenomenal! This book came out last week and I already NEED book 2!
This was a PERFECT New Adult Romantasy! The story was the best blend of fantasy, romance, and high-stakes adventure. The political complexities of the different noble families and the rich history behind the kingdoms add layers to the plot and made everything feel so so significant. There were multiple twists that gave me a "HAH, GOTCHA"!
I didn't put this book down...read it cover to cover in about 7hrs.
ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR RIGHT NOW!

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Random Things Tours.

The Half King is the first book in an explosive magical fantasy series, and I, for one, couldn't put this book down! I can't wait to get my hands on book 2!
We follow Cerise Solon, who's been being trained to become a Seer, but who doesn't seem to have the sight. As a second born child, she doesn't have any say in this and when she's hastily sent away to become the Half King - Kian Hannibal Mortaras acolyte after his previous one took her life. Except Cerise has no magic at all and cannot see the future and she fears what she will do once everyone finds out.
All first born children of the noble families in the kingdom have been cursed by The Goddess after a huge betrayal. Each first born child was cursed with: perilous beauty, destructive knowledge, and insatiable bloodlust, depending on which bloodline they came from.
As Cerise begins uncovering secrets and piecing things together, the race is on for the Half King and all the first born descendents from each family before they turn 21, and the curse fully takes over.
There are lots of clever twists in this book along with magic, self-discovery, and a budding romance.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Half King swept me up right away and kept its hold until the very end. It’s fast-paced, but still takes the time to let the characters’ hearts shine through. I really liked the commentary on faith and how stories can be twisted for someone else’s gain. The romance is a tad insta-lovey but that actually didn’t bother me because I liked Cerise and Kian’s dynamic—it made sense to me. This is being pitched as New Adult, but I’d consider this a wonderful upper YA novel even with the on page sex scenes (they’re caring, not gratuitous). I was surprised and delighted that I liked this book as much as I did and I’ll be looking forward to the sequel!

[Maeghan 🦋 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I should’ve just stayed curious about this.

[Tara]

"An enigmatic young ruler who turns into shadow at sunset."

JUST TAKE MY MTHFCKN MONEY NOW BICH!!!!!!

[Zana]

DNF @ 71%.

Ngl I came here to hate read yet another Red Tower book, so going forward, know that I had the worst intentions at heart.

The first 10% was actually pretty interesting. Cursed noble children, a king that disappears into smoke when the sun sets and then reappears when the sun rises. Sounds cheesy, but it's honestly not a bad premise imo.

And y'all know I love shadow daddies (basic and derogatory), so I was actually interested in a Red Tower book for once in my life.

But what I thought was going to be an adult read turned very YA very quickly. There's political intrigue that's pretty basic (oh no who's trying to kill the king??), they all go on a quest, FMC discovers her magic via orgasming with the king (not YA, but very Wattpad/AO3), etc. etc.

I didn't care much for the characters. The world building was very intro to fantasy. I still have ~30% left to read but I honestly stopped caring. I couldn't even hate because I got so bored. Will they break the curse? Will the FMC end up with the king? Who knows.

Off to hate read another Red Tower book!

[Elise H · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5⭐️

Oh that was bad 🤣
Got it as the Fairyloot romantasy monthly book and yes, it’s gorgeous, but the story is unfortunately not…

The writing is really simple
The characters are childish
The plot has holes …

First, how can I take seriously an heroin whose name means « cherry »? 🤣
Cerise is just ridiculous… she’s 19, acts like a 12 years-old, don’t see simple things just in front of her, but magically understand everything else without explanations. After 2/3 days at the court, she trusts just the right persons, gives hope to Kian after talking 5 secondes to him, discovers every secrets others have spend decades studying,…. That’s not just the chosen one trope, that’s just ta-da! You’re perfect! 🤣🤣🤣

So nope…
And there’s some plots that are odd. Like, how can Kian’s parents have been king and queen for years when first born Mortara dies at 21, and second born is given to the Order?
Or this whole plot around sex and magic, like WTF??!

I’m not reading the sequel, that’s for sure…

[hailey🥀🦢✮˖°. · Rating 3 out of 5]

“They would rather extinguish a woman’s flame than stand in her warmth.”

there’s things i really liked about this book, and things i didn’t like as much. it started off slow, but that didn’t bother me as it gave it time to set up the world-building and introduce us to cerise. around the 20% mark it really started to pick up and sucked me into the story completely.

and then… it started to burn out again a bit halfway through. i think my main issue was the pacing. nothing would be happening for pages upon pages and then it would get really interesting just to slow down again and the cycle would repeat.

the romance started out strong for me, but i think they fell for each other a little too quickly and there wasn’t enough build up for their strong emotions. regardless, i really like the two characters and think they had some cute moments. i just wish there was a bit more showing than telling when it came to the romance. i also think it’s mislabeled as a romantasy. the romance takes the backseat in this.

what i really liked about this was the journey our fmc goes on. she’s been sheltered from so many truths her entire life by a corrupt order of priests and has to dismantle all of her beliefs to learn the truth in order to save the king as well as all first-borns from their curses. i thought the lore of the goddess sheira, the curses, and the religion was really interesting to read about.

overall, this was a pretty decent read. i’d be interested in reading the sequel, but it’s not at the top of my priority list.

[kayleigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

i feel like i have many thoughts about this book that i’m not sure how to articulate. the premise was spectacular to me. a disappearing king and an authors note explaining the inspiration behind cerise being the authors own personal experience with religion. but it felt so hollow the further into the book i got.

the king was mean at first which fit him and the way he was cursed. but the fmc speaks to him once and says ‘do it for me 🥺’ and suddenly he’s changing all his ways. it felt like the characters were all cardboard cutouts. and the king’s disappearing could have been so much darker and cooler but it was kinda barely explored.

there was also lots of TELLING instead of showing. i wanted to see cerise and the king fall in love night after night but instead was told that it happened.

idk i did really want to like this one but it wasn’t meant to be

[Mel Lenore · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this story was so cool. Curses, shadow kings, evil priests? I'm in. But sadly the potential was missed in a lot of ways for me. I wish we'd gone more in depth and explored the curses more. The shadow king was so cool but took up too little of the plot. The relationship was serious insta love and too sweet with not enough banter for me. Our FMC was also a little too meek for my preferred MC. She was fine, but I wanted her to have more backbone. Overall, this story was fine but disappointing in the missed potential.

[Cindy ✩☽♔]

12/17/23
I just saw a Red Tower update on Instagram and apparently, this is finally happening: July 2024

I legit came here to add a pretty book to my TBR only to find I had it on my radar all they back in 2017!? Jeez what a wait 😅
---
9/15/18
Quite certain this is not gonna make a 2018 release =(
---
4/6/2018
And still no news...*sigh*
---
1/10/18
It's 2018...please give me a release date!!!
---
A ruler who turns into a shadow at sunset...alright I am interested...

[Ellie]

is this ever going to come out . . . PLEASE

[megs ☪︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i LOVED this book! everything about it was perfect. i might add more to this review later but my god, this was incredible. the twists and the lore and the LOVE.

i’m absolutely obsessed with Cerise. she may be a bit naive and full of love, but she is a badass when it comes down to it. her brain and the way she puzzled through things was so good and actually quite funny at times. she started out meek and completely evolved into a tough ass lady of the temple.

kian was so down bad for her and honestly who wouldn’t be? i seriously loved them both and the way the attraction between them was gradual!! miss girl was checking him out everytime he came back at dawn.

love love love and i’m so excited for the next book like that epilogue??! NEED IT NOW!!

[Laura Díaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo he devorado porque engancha. El principio y la premisa me han parecido muy novedosos dentro de lo típico de cortes y palacios. Tira de muchos clichés y eso creo que ha sido lo que me ha hecho bajarle la puntuación. Es un romantasy en toda regla con todo lo típico y más.
El final me han sorprendido. Ni en mil años me hubiera esperado ese plot twist.
Aunque termina “abierto”, me parece que está muy bien como libro único también. Porque el segundo libro no sé si tendrá una trama tan llena de sucesos, pues todo lo que tenía que ocurrir ha ocurrido.

[Sammy Storey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DID IT. I’m sorry I just did not care for this one. This was 474 pages and that was 474 too many

[Valerian Wentwitch (the raven) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Recently, it has been brought to my attention that staring at tree bark for days on end is actually quite enjoyable when your only other option for entertainment is reading The Half King. It does not plague you with an FMC as "strong" and "badass" as a rabbit kit, prose as riveting as relieving yourself, and a setting as lush as a forest after clear-cutting. Oh no, the bark does nothing but stick to the tree and collect delicious bugs for me to snack on as I debate between flying with my wings closed and finishing a book.

This is the tenth Red Tower (RT) book I have subjected myself to (I still have yet to read Star Bringer and Heaven Breaker) in my masochistic goal of reading every book they publish. This, of course, to prove that they care more about a book's aesthetic/physical marketability than its contents, and appeal to people that feel the same. And, out of all those books, I can confidently say that this is the third worst book they have published, beating out my previous agreed-upon third worst, The Games Gods Play. Still though, it is not yet worse than second place, The Wren in the Holly Library and first place, Sanctuary of the Shadow, which can hardly be considered an accomplishment by any means.

So, grab some bugs of your own, acknowledge that this is going to be an incredibly long review, and prepare to enter the nonexistent court of the Half King...

The Review
Now, before I get into the bulk of what I wish to say, it is my desire to ask you, dear reader, something important:

Do you like it when authors treat you like a fool? Do you just want to ask questions on your own? Is it fun when the author holds your hand? Do you like all my questions? Are they getting repetitive? Do you want me to stop? Is it possible to stop? Am I doing this for a reason? Is this raven actually a loon? Is my name truly Valerian? Is it actually Pinecone? Should I get back to my review?

If you are anything like me, you hated how I interrupted the important bits of this review with a random paragraph filled with questions. So, imagine how it must feel to read an entire 381 page book filled with paragraphs like them. Vexatious, yes? Well, that was my exact experience reading The Half King, and it only stopped when I turned the final page and tossed the book out of the sky for squirrels to make nests out of (even they did not want it).

It is for this reason that I believe an editor never saw this book, for it needed one. No, it needed five. No, an army of blasted editors from RT's nonexistent "quality control" department. Actually, take your talons and scratch all of that. This book should have never been published in the first place. It is a pain to read, adds nothing to RT's lineup or books in general, and caused me such significant brain damage that I have to repeatedly fix more grammatical errors in this review than I normally do. Feathers, I am going to peck a hole through the backspace button (something I wish the author did when she was brewing the little piece of—ahem, apologies) by the time I am through with reviewing it.

The Good
Ordinarily, this is the section in which I praise the book for doing some measurable thing right. For the first time since Sanctuary, I have truly nothing to put here, regardless of how hard I have been straining myself thinking of things. There was no element of this book that was good. No good characters. No good plot points. No good worldbuilding details. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

What Went Wrong
Everything. Quite literally everything. And, rather than list each thing off under this heading as I always do, I am just going to give every major problem a heading of its own. That is, to really peck home why this book is terrible.

The "Deadly" Court of the Half King
Ah yes, the "deadly court," my favorite nonexistent feature of a book in which its entire concept hinged upon it. I loved all the "smiling sycophants whose hearts are filled with secrets and lies," they really worked to remind me that RT synopses have nothing to do with the books they are written for. Honestly, the courtiers were so secretive, that they barely appeared on page at all. Truly stunning work, Landers.

This book is not about a deadly court. In fact, our darling FMC only spends up to page 146 at the castle in the first place, and the rest of the time on a long, meandering journey through a confusingly described setting looking for some magical MacGuffin to lead them to another magical MacGuffin. And then for that MacGuffin to be essentially irrelevant because the FMC becomes absurdly overpowered when she has the best sex to have ever sexed, leaving the entire journey nothing more than wasteful filler.

The Tender "Found Family"
You know what? Nothing says "found family" to me more than randomly writing into your exposition that the flat, uninteresting characters your FMC has been barely interacting with for the past 220 pages "all carved a permanent place in her heart." And by barely interacting, I mean interactions that have consisted of anything outside of plot-related dialogue. Save for the love interest, Kian (though barely), Cerise had nothing vital to say to Daerick, Nero, or General Petros. So why the flock the author thought to stick this bit in is beyond me. No, I am being foolish. I know precisely why she stuck it in: she wanted to check a trope box and did not have the skill to organically fit it in. Case closed.

The Setting
The last time I read a book with a setting as bland and nondescript as the one in The Half King, I suffered severe feather loss, so it is a wonder now that I still have any on my body. And while that book was calledSanctuary of the Shadow, I still managed to end up with a bald patch below my crop region when I closed the cover on this book as well.

After finishing the entirety of this Wattpad marvel, I still have no idea where they are. I know they are in the dry, cracked desert, yet there are forests. But there cannot be any forests because the FMC said it was barren and sandy. But there are also caves at random, yet no caves to rest in. And there are springs, but the ground is so packed nothing can grow there. And there are endless mountains, yet flat enough space for them to make camp every day. And there are paths between rocks, yet there are no places to hide from predators. But the foliage is dense enough for the predators to hide. Now, does any of this make any sense to you? I swear, I am not over-dramatizing anything. This is how it was repeatedly described throughout the entirety of their MacGuffin journey. Every new detail contradicted the last, and it was not because of how far they were moving, they stayed on the same mountain the entire time, going up and down it more than once.

The Romance
This portion was, by far, without a doubt, the absolute worst aspect of the entire book. Instead of a heart-pounding romance, this felt like a groomer instruction manual. As a shock to hopefully no one because this book is an RT child, the romance began with insta-lust and quickly moved into the insta-love territory. In fact, King Kian Hannibal Mortara was passing longing gazes at hIs LaDy Of tHe TeMpLe on page 190. That is, 190 out of 381, with them having next to no meaningful exchanges whatsoever. And if that was not bad enough, he gave his overly-dramatic love confession on page 201, with, again, no real meaningful exchanges in between. The entire confession came out of nowhere, leaving the reader wondering what, precisely, they missed, and why they were already getting to that point.

But that is not what makes it the worst. What makes it so, is the fact that, because of her religion, Cerise was so incredibly innocent the entirely of the book, that the MMCs had to guide her along like a blind Mortara brush hound. She knew nothing of sex (and kept calling it "the act of love" as though she were a parent giving "The Talk" to a child), had never been in a relationship, and literally broke down on page 245 over a fight that was blown well out of proportion for no reason other than the author wanted it to be so.

Throughout the book, Cerise feels so innocent she borders that of a child, and it is disgusting to me knowing that she could never give informed consent when there is no evidence showing she even knew what consent was in the first place. It is consistently reiterated that her life as a lady of the temple yielded an extreme lack of knowledge to the world around her. Don't believe me? Here's a direct quote from Kian on page 246 after her compelled her to tell him why she was upset over their stupid fight:

"Gods be damned. I sometimes forget how sheltered you've been."

On top of that, it even says during their second RT obligatory sex scene that, just as he was about to go down on her "she didn't fully understand what he meant to do" (305). It's truly remarkable how the author expects us to want this relationship when it just feels like some weird guy is saying all the right things to get the most purest and virginal of virgins in bed. Or how about when he found that "erotic spot she hadn't known existed" (304)? As in, how in the skies did she not know she had a pleasurable spot down yonder? She is so innocent she had not even touched herself? What am I supposed to feel about this relationship other than being incredibly uncomfortable? And to think, IT GETS WORSE!

On page 306, he gives her this ridiculously obvious longing gaze behind his satisfied smile for her to repay him by giving him oral as well. Never once explaining to her what that would entail, and instead immediately lying down for her to do it. So amazing! On page 240, he drugged her with fantasy birth control in her tea without her knowing what it was, only explaining it after she consumed it all. Then, he had the gall to get mad at her when she was upset he did it without her permission. While I understand the need for birth control and safe sex on the page, it did not have to be in this bizarrely written, vaguely consensual way. It even says after she drank it: "as she glanced into her empty mug, she wondered if she agreed with him [about birth control]."

Kian spends the majority of his time either being weirdly distant with Cerise, melodramatic around her, or getting in fights for no reason then implying they are her fault, yet over and over we are told how deeply in love they are. And maybe all the time they spent together in that shadow world Kian passed into at night made them feel that way. Too bad we never actually see that on page and are just told it happens.

In another "important" fight, Kian gets pissy because Cerise decided to spare Nero's life, despite believing that it would kill her, in an effort to get the MacGuffin Petros Blade from where it was being kept. He says dialogue such as: "You were going to leave the rest of us behind to grieve your loss? Did you give us no consideration when you decided to surrender your life and drown in that wretched place?" (297). Then he adjusts the compulsion he put on her that forces her to put her life above all else regardless of what she wants, something she directly states in text to be unhappy with, yet he gives her no choice. And this choice leads to the inevitable death of her mother since he forced her to prioritize herself rather than endanger herself to save others. In which she gets rightfully angry, and he dismisses her. So romantic!

Religion and Feminism
The largest and most prominent aspect of this book was its discussions surrounding religion. Cerise, herself, was trained as a seer for the country's only mentioned religion for the goddess, Shiera, and became both the oracle for her and the High Priestess at the very end. Now, I did see mentions of the book being based on the author's own experience deconstructing religion, and I am glad that it was something she could express herself through, though this is a published work and I am going to break down my issues with it just as I do every other aspect of the book.

I could definitely see how the author's own experience bled into Cerise's journey, and that was part of the problem. You see, it was too idealistic. Coming from a bird that dealt with a similar experience, it is never as easy as just hearing others comment on the harm of your beliefs and you suddenly changing. You challenge it, feel that it is an attack on your very self. And to that bit I must give credit where it is due, as page 204 directly states these very feelings in Kian's dialogue to Cerise, and she challenges what he says, still wrapped up in her sheltered life and the spoon-fed lies she was given. But legitimately good paragraphs like this do not last, and when Cerise inevitably comes to the conclusion that the structure of her faith and the Priests that run it is a lie, her world is not necessarily rocked. She just...changes her mind. That is all. She realizes that Father Padron is a bad guy for using religion to justify terrible actions, and remains mostly the same in character, the only difference being that her ignorant little head is no longer blind to the harms of the Temple. I wanted more struggle from her; more emotions deeper than the Severus Snape, "my life is a lie" meme. I needed there to be an impact on how her worldview shifts, and how she begins to wonder if she can even trust her friends, for she knew the Temple longer, and had barely known them for a month or two. Why would she choose the word of random people over her own upbringing as easily as she did?

The answer: if she was more than a one-dimensional stand-in for the author, she wouldn't. She has no depth, so therefore she does not have the capacity to show her shifting worldview's effect on her habits and ways of thinking. Because she was designed to be the special snowflake FMC, she was written to always be perfect, before and after deconstructing the teachings of a harmful religion.  

Another large part of why the religious discussion did not quite work for me was the way in which it handled manipulative religion's effect on women. It is true the Priests manipulated the Seers into thinking love and sex would sully them, and sever their ties to the goddess in order to keep them obedient and afraid of their own bodies, however, it is really hard to fly that message home when you are writing a manipulative relationship as a healthy one. The book talks about how religious men take women's agency away, yet it is essentially advertised that men can give it back. For example, on page 306 (yes, back to that goddess-awful sex scene) we get this bit:

A quiet voice warned that it would be greedy of her to take more pleasure so soon, but she silenced the voice. She was in command now. For once in her life, she would take what she wanted and feel no shame for it.

What this paragraph is essentially saying is that, since she gave Kian oral, she now had agency over her own body. Oh yes, the only way the author knew to give her FMC deconstructing a harmful religion was a BJ. Not only that, but Cerise is shown reclaiming herself by wearing pants instead of gowns. Wow. So feminist. Its not as though there are bigger issues in organized religion that women face than wearing pants. I love the idea of Cerise realizing that her religion is incredibly harmful to people like her, yet I do not like the lazy way in which it was handled. It is not enough to just mention it and do some one offs about giving oral while wearing pants because the FMC is a big girl now. And if that is all one thinks that can be said, then they are a fool, and know nothing of the commentary they are trying to make.

I am all for FMCs finding their sexual awakening, but more often than not it, felt like Kian was trying to push Cerise into doubting her religion more than she already was to get her in bed. In fact, remember that page I complemented? Page 204? Well, that paragraph I praised was when Kian was disappointed Cerise stopped making out with him. Regardless of whether her reason was because she was whipped by religion or not, he should have just agreed with her decision and let her think it over alone. It is such a double standard and a hole in the narrative when the ugly priests are considered disgusting and wrong for guilting women over the use of their bodies, yet when the super large, ambiguously tan love interest does it, it is considered hot because "he cares." Hard to believe in what the author is trying to say when she constantly contradicts it.

Plot Convenience
1. Cerise suddenly being skilled enough with her magic to open the secret door despite barely having practiced (331)
2. Cerise being able to heal someone exactly when she needs to despite never being taught (336)
3. Cerise suddenly being able to break through shields when she needs to (338)
4. Cerise randomly being able to reach into people's chests with her magic to squeeze their hearts and create shields at the same time (346)
5. Cerise suddenly being able to make objects levitate (348)
6. Blue getting hurt the moment Cerise is about to kill Father Padron, allowing him to get away when she runs to the dog's aid (360)

Misc. Issues
1. How unintelligent Cerise is
2. Kian acting like a dramatic child
3. The dull prose
4. The amount of times I had to read the phrase: "male skin smell." Can someone please tell this bird what male skin smells like in contrast to any other clean human's skin?
5. The "banter"
6. Every mention of Daerick's "bean sprout beard"
7. MY LADY OF THE TEMPLE being said by Kian more than important plot points
8. Cerise's magic unlocking during such amazing sex
9. The fake out death

Red Tower repetitiveness checklist (those that appeared in bold):
*Ambiguously tan love interest
*Small FMC
*Overpowered FMC
*Edgy love interest that is at home in the darkness
*Heavy-handed messaging
*Oral scene before missionary scene
*MMC that is considered hot for the bare minimum, i.e., basic feminist takes/actions
*Harassment against FMC by a man that is thwarted by MMC
*Repetitive descriptions about how large the love interest is (in all meanings of the word)
*The best sex to have ever sexed
*FMC uses/loves strictly daggers to defend herself
*Inorganically injected tropes
*MMC with muscles on top of muscles
*Supposedly. Impactful. Phrases. Interrupted. With. Periods.

Total score on the Red Tower repetitiveness scale: 9/14

Thank you so much for reading!
-V.W.

[Mia Mattingly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the book's title is representative of a lot of what went wrong here. This is a book that wants to be about stuff that it ends up being only half about, and half-formed ideas. The title is a reference to the male lead, however the book is largely attempting to be a critique of a patriarchal religious/political system and how it disenfranchises, decenters, and oppresses women. And yet the book is named after a man who, I can't stress enough, really doesn't DO anything -- thus, factually, overshadowing all the stuff the heroine actually does do. 🙄

The world-building was very weak. Going back to "the half king" as a thing, the reason given in the book/synopsis is he gets the name because he fades away every night due to a curse. The name never really ended up earning how punchy it sounds, because we spent no time dealing with how this shadow curse has impacted his rule as a very young king. No time actually thinking about how supposedly most people disdain him, but not enough they'd rebel. I just feel like we never actually thought about what the impending end of a dynasty looks like politically (even though we have several examples across history we could look at to draw inspiration from).

The characters, sadly, were flat and/or static. I can't tell if this book was supposed to be YA, but it FEELS YA. And not in a good way. I wasn't a fan of the insta-love, and the plot felt like we were going breakneck pace. I literally could not give you a reason as to why the two leads like each other by the end of the book. Not a clue. I could see a version of this story that easily could've been chopped up across several books to allow for actual world building and character interaction/developments. I think I mostly finished because by the time I figured out nothing interesting was going to happen, I was already halfway through the book and didn't want to give up. This came to me in a romantasy box, and sadly it ended up being a losing combination: not enough interesting romance to justify the romance, not enough interesting world to justify the fantasy.

That said, it wasn't entirely bad. There was so much I genuinely wanted to like, it was just things got in the way. The book attempts critique at the patriarchal religious system, but isn't self-aware enough to chastise the two main male characters/supports for looking down on our female character's "foolishness/naivety/faith". This book is also INCREDIBLY male-heavy. There are no supporting female characters and we don't even call attention to that and take time to think about what it's like to be a woman in a male-dominated space. We also don't really ever dwell on this idea that she's in a relationship that's incredibly imbalanced in terms of power/agency with the king. Yeah, he's a good guy, but that doesn't eliminate the imbalance of power. It just feels better/safer/less hostile than being under someone who flaunts that power.

I really want this author to try writing again, because I don't think her style is unreadable, and the best parts of this were her thinking about how this character takes strength and inspiration from this goddess. I just wish she'd done a little more thinking about where she ought to place her focus when writing.

[♡ Lily the Lilac ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

❀ 𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕊𝕡𝕠𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕖 ❀

⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇ ⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇ ⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇ ⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇

╰┈➤ Stars: 3.5 ⭐!
╰┈➤ Pov: First-person FMC
╰┈➤ Spice: 2 / 5
╰┈➤ Content: Swearing; violence; themes of death and grief; religious trauma; drug use; suicide and self-harm (in backstory); infrequent semi-detailed spice

💛 𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 💛

꒰ 𝐿𝒾𝓀𝑒𝓈 ➛ It had cool ideas and the pace was relatively good! The curses were very unique and one of the best parts, so points for creativity. (Also WHAT WAS THAT ENDING OMG, THE TWISTS WERE ALL SAVED FOR THEN. The .5 in this review is JUST because of the ending)

꒰ 𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒𝓈 ➛ The whole thing was very average; there wasn't much of a special hook, a thing that really truly drug me in. (Maybe that's just my personal preference). By no means was The Half King a bad story, just not special

🤍 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 🤍

ˋ°•* 𝒞𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓈𝑒 ➳ I liked her for how sweet and kind she was, if a little naive. Makes sense though, since she was sheltered from a good chunk of the world

ˋ°•* 𝒦𝒾𝒶𝓃 ➳ He was also a fine character; he started out as harsh and cold (with his curse he definitely has a reason) but I was surprised how quickly he grew nicer. Pretty charming

ˋ°•* 𝒟𝒶𝑒𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓀 ➳ Now if we're actually talking about charming, Daerick had to take the cake hehe ^^ He was a complete goofball, and I love goofball characters

ˋ°•* 𝒪𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓈 ➳ Nero and General Petros were the ones I least paid attention to, but they weren't badly written! And Father Padron... you'll just have to see for yourself about Father Padron

💜 𝓡𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮 💜

Pretty slow-burn and soft, as in there isn't a lot of tension between the two characters. There seemed to be moments of insta-love a bit, especially at the beginning, but not enough to make me scowl -v- There wasn't as much popping, heated chemistry as I'd hoped, but hey, not every book has to have that. The romance between Kian and Cerise was subtler

⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇ ⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇ ⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇ ⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇

𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓵𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷: The Half King was a pretty likeable read. It won't be sitting in my favorite's shelf, or even my second-favorites, but it definitely won't be anywhere near the books I don't like! An average read that I would say was worth my time!

❀ 𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕤𝕒𝕨, 𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘! ❀

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

While The Half King may not be a new all-time favourite book of mine, I found the novel to be perfectly competent in the first half (out of the ordinary for Red Tower releases), and as the story progressed into the second half, quite compelling in its themes. The Half King has a fairly basic premise and structure for a romantic fantasy novel, but what I found interesting about it are its main character and its moral messages. The book discusses the intersection of feminism and religion in a way that I found quite unique. The main character, Cerise, starts the book believing very firmly in the belief of her church, even though that same church uses its preachings as a weapon against women. But over the course of the novel, she learns to separate her personal religious beliefs from that of the church and unlearns the sexism she has been taught. There was also an allegory in the early stages of this story that I really liked. In this novel, women with magic are seen as unnatural and wrong, but as Cirsee begins questioning what she has been taught, she claims that if God gave women magic, then it is inherently natural. I thought this served as a beautiful allegory for queerness. So overall, while I think this was a somewhat average fantasy novel, I really liked the author's writing style when it came to theme. I'll definitely continue the series!

(Please note when I use terms like God and the church, those aren't the exact words used in the novel, rather their real life counterparts. In the novel it's words like goddess, high priestess ... yk)

[Sotiria Lazaridou · Rating 4 out of 5]

From its opening pages, The Half King stakes its claim as a romantasy rich with far more than mere romantic tension. the novel delivers a layered fantasy realm, compelling curses and intrigue and protagonists whose internal struggles drive the story almost as much as the external stakes. I found it to be a deeply satisfying read, one that almost reaches a perfect balance, but with just enough loose ends or pacing choices that stop it from being quite flawless. a 4-star rating seems fitting: ambitious, beautiful, touching and with enough flaws to be honest.

the two main characters, Cerise Solon and King Kian Mortara, are beautifully drawn and their relationship is one of the book's greatest strengths. Cerise is a second-born noble, trained from childhood to become a Seer (an oracle of prophecy, a conduit of divine insight), yet she has never manifested the Gift. her uncertainty, her sense of being “less than” in the temple, her longing for purpose and her empathy (especially for those less visible) all make her instantly sympathetic and human. she is not designed as the flawless heroine: Melissa Landers gives her flaws, such as self-doubt, the occasional impatience and a tendency to assume others’ expectations are always accurate. these traits ground her, making her growth meaningful.

Kian Mortara, the titular Half King, is at once tragic and regal. his curse (the inherited legacy of his family’s betrayal of a goddess) dooms him to vanish into shadow each night with the added specter of permanent disappearance looming on his twenty-first birthday. Kian’s exterior is shaped by that curse: there is weariness, a hardened reserve, a man who has accepted suffering as inevitable, but the author gives him more: kindness, stubbornness and a sense that beneath the myth and the prophecy, he yearns for real connection. his relationship with Cerise, which begins with wariness and tension (as befits someone who vanishes each night and holds a throne at risk), evolves across alliance, friendship and longing with gradual, though sometimes swift, emotional shifts.

the book weaves several tracks: Cerise’s journey from a temple filled with expectations she cannot meet, her arrival at the Mortara court following the death of the previous emissary (her replacement), Kian’s struggle to hold onto hope in the face of his curse and a quest to break not just his curse, but that of the entire realm’s firstborns. intertwined with this are mysteries and secrets: ancient betrayal, hidden journals, familial expectations, religious dogma and political factions both overt and secretive. the pacing leans toward the brisk side: the world is established quickly, the stakes periodically escalate and the plot moves from court politics to perilous quests (involving dangerous relics, hidden dangers and moral dilemmas) with relative urgency. there are moments where I wished Melissa Landers had lingered more when it came to describing Cerise’s internal resistance, Kian’s night absence or the full weight of certain political machinations, but overall the momentum kept me engaged.

the world-building is one of the novel’s most appealing achievements. Melissa Landers crafts the “Allied Realm,” composed of multiple noble houses each bearing its own inherited curse with enough complexity to feel ancient without bogging down in lore. the concept of curses linked to birth order, of religious institutions that demand more obedience than understanding, of prophecies whose interpretation is both a gift and a burden create a sense of high stakes, moral ambiguity and beauty. the magic (or divine gifts) system is not presented as easily exploitable; there are costs, limits and expectations. the temple’s rituals, the holy order of worship of the goddess Shiera, the reverence intermingled with fear feel textured. one can sense the grooves of tradition, of suppressed dissent, of people who believe and of people who doubt.

where the novel falls slightly short (hence not a full five stars) is in certain pacing choices, occasional predictability in some of the twists and a romance that sometimes feels accelerated (given the scale of political and magical upheaval). some of the mystery threads are resolved more cleanly than I expected given their setup, while others are left dangling in anticipated sequel fashion, which is fine for a series starter but sometimes gives the resolution a partially uneven feel. in addition, while the magic and worldbuilding are rich, the broader picture (other noble houses’ lands, the deeper workings of the religion, the cultural diversity of the realm beyond Mortara) sometimes feels under-explored; there is a promise of vastness, but the view sometimes narrows too tightly on the court and the immediate quest.

in sum, The Half King delivers a romantasy that succeeds on charm, depth and scope. its characters are vivid and resonant, the world is immersive, the themes are substantial and the plot keeps propelling you forward with intrigue, mysticism and moral weight. for readers who enjoy fantasy with romance, curses, divine intrigue and characters wrestling with duty and identity, it’s a book that entertains, moves and sets up exciting possibilities for what comes next. if the sequel continues the momentum and fills in some of the broader world’s missing corners, this series could become a standout in the genre.

[belle ੈ✩‧₊˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

.ೃ࿐

3 ★

ੈ✩‧₊˚ my thoughts

If you’re looking for a decent romantasy, this is a safe bet.

For what it was, I enjoyed this book. It was a decent romantasy with an interesting world and magic system. I saw some quite mixed reviews, and I was apprehensive before starting, but that probably appropriately lowered my expectations.

I think this book needed to go through another round of edits to further flesh out the story. Especially the romance I think, needed more attention. It was kind of superficial and underdeveloped.

I’m not yet sure if I’m going to read book 2 as the Half King didn’t really end on the most exciting cliffhanger, so I guess we’ll see when book 2 releases if I’m still interested.

-`♡´- Happy reading! Belle

─ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ୨୧ ──── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──── ୨୧ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─

୨୧➛ post-read ── .✦

I enjoyed this a lot for what it was. Full rtc ❤️

ೃ࿐ pre-read .ೃ࿐

Found this audiobook in my audible account, we’ll see how it goes 🤭✨

[Ingerlisa]

DNF at page 180... because the writing is too simplistic and all this book is, is dialogue.

[Allison • Alli’s Fairy Tales · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!!

Unfortunately, this story felt a bit generic and underdeveloped. Some of the key elements about the lore and curses weren’t presented fully. The “why” for Cerise’s living situation didn’t feel well explained.

The behavior of the characters felt way younger than described in the book. It felt like I was following high school freshmen. The spice that was included in this book also felt equally as childish and unnecessary to the plot of the story.

**mild spoiler**
Love-making makes my powers stronger…. Really?!?!

This was an average experience. I don’t think this is a book that I would recommend very often, but others might enjoy it more than me.

Thank you Entangled Publishing and Red Tower Books for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review! 💜🧚

[Morwen]

[NetGalley Sample]
I won't give this an official rating as the sample only had 4 chapters and it wouldn't be fair to rate, but from what I've seen, this would probably be a 2.5/3⭐ for me.
Nice ideas and potential, rushed execution.

The beginning of this book feels like a guy that drags you to meet his extended family before he even asks you out for dinner. Everyone seems sort of nice, but you don't know where you fit in, and everything moves like a whirlwind.
[This is not a description of the plot, just of how I felt reading it]

Before you realize it, you know that ambitious Seers should not have sex, 'cause it impacts visions, but you still have no idea how common Seers are or why there seem to be many?
Or why everyone seeks to be well accustomed with facts about the FMC she herself has just found out about like '5 seconds' before?

I guess this could be a good choice for someone who wants to skip all slow world introductions and wants to be thrown right into the story without preamble, and without worrying too much about 'WTF IS HAPPENING'??

Unfortunately, this sample did not motivate me to buy the full version. I might have read the whole thing and gave it a better chance if the ARC were complete, but it's probably for the best, since I'm already a bit perplexed about it.

In my defense, the author/publisher asked for feedback in exchange for the sample, so I have to assume she or the publisher thought this sample would be representative enough of what to expect.

[Fanny Reads ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, este libro fue una experiencia, literal 😮‍💨. Partimos de una premisa que ya todas conocemos: la chica elegida, el “shadow daddy” misterioso y la inevitable tensión prohibida. Peeero aquí hay un giro interesante —el protagonista no controla las sombras, las sombras lo controlan a él, y eso ya le da un aire más oscuro y distinto al cliché de siempre.

Ella es dama del templo, devota de su diosa, jurando castidad y lealtad eterna, mientras que él es un rey maldito por esa misma diosa desde hace generaciones. O sea, el drama está servido. No es tanto un enemies to lovers, sino más bien un forbidden love con tintes trágicos, lo que le da ese toquecito extra de angustia que me encanta.

Ahora sí, siendo honesta: el ritmo a veces se siente lento y la química entre los personajes… mmm, no me convenció del todo. Las escenas más “spice” se sintieron un poco incómodas porque no había esa conexión previa que te hace gritar “¡ya bésense!”. Pero fuera de eso, me enganchó muchísimo la parte política y la trama detrás del gobierno y los sumos sacerdotes —cada capítulo era como ir desenterrando secretos y meterte más en un mundo de fantasía oscura y guerra inminente ⚔️.

Y ese final… hermana, ese final. 😭 No lo vi venir para nada, fue triste, impactante y me dejó con una necesidad real de saber qué pasa después de esa GRAN batalla final porque la descripción de la autora me hizo sentir que literal estaba ahí dentro, y eso es WOW. Así que sí, un libro que empieza con sombras… y termina dejándote en la completa oscuridad esperando la continuación. 🖤

[Brend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epilogue lover (me) goes to bed grinning tonight

[Toribetweenpages]

DNF at 30%

The FMC was so vanilla… where’s the flavaaaa?!
The plot was interesting but the way the reveals were presented was so clinical it sucked out the fun.

Best part was the puppy

[Jessica]

Has a very fairy tale feel, with people cursed with extreme beauty, and a king who disappears at night (reminding me of both Beauty and the Beast and East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon). Several surprises, right up to the last page.

*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*

[mag_book_ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/5
Super zaczynam ten rok 😅 wahałam się czy zrobić dnf ale stwierdziłam że dobrnę do końca.
Tu był tak okropny potencjał ale skończyło się największym zawodem. Autorka wymyśliła fajne i ciekawe elementy świata - klątwy, elementy religijne, moce itd ale nie potrafiła wykorzystać ich w praktyce.

Początek był nawet wciągający - dziewczyna bez mocy żyje sobie w świątyni, dostaje nagle przepowiednie ze to ona ma zniszczyć klątwę króla, który co noc zmienia się w cień i po swoich 21 urodzinach stanie się na stałe widmem.
Zaczyna się więc walka z czasem i Cerise zostaje kapłanką świątyni w stolicy.
Do tego momentu bawiłam się całkiem nieźle ale potem zaczęły się intrygi, spiski które ciągnęły się jak flaki z olejem i choć dla głównej bohaterki nie było oczywiście co tu w tej stolicy jest nie tak, to dla czytelnika od razu widać podejrzanych.
Nawet romans był tu słaby. Nie było żadnej chemii między bohaterami, to uczucie pojawia się z nocy na dzień tak jak sam główny bohater, który jest po prostu mdły.

[Nadine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Half King is the last Fairyloot romantasy novel I had to read from my subscription (which I have since cancelled). While I absolutely love the design of the hardcover, the story inside… not so much.

The Half King follows Cerise as a second daughter forced into the religious Order as penance for her ancestors’ participation in a bid to kill the goddess. Cerise is sent to the Half King’s court where she discovers a way to break the curse on the families who tried to kill the goddess.

Everything about The Half King felt like a first draft. The character development, the world, and the magic system felt incomplete.

Cerise and the Half King barely talk to each other before they’re professing their love and making love over and over off page. While Cerise has some substance to her character, the Half King has none. All readers learn about him is that he’s suffering under the curse. How is he suffering? I couldn’t tell you since readers are not told and what little we see is forgettable.

Religion plays a large role in the world and the main character’s life. Cerise’s religious disillusionment felt almost instant rather than a big powerful moment. Readers are told Cerise was raised within the religion and has been properly indoctrinated. However, once she arrived at court it read as if she was already questioning her faith.

Sexuality also plays a large role in this world because of the religion’s control. Cerise has a sexual awakening. Again, this awakening felt instant rather than a fully fleshed out crisis of faith. Why do authors have their characters meet and fall in love over the course of one novel? Why can’t the characters get to know each other then fall in love in the sequel?

Spice level: 🌶️

Overall, The Half King was a disappointment. While the premise is semi interesting, it’s buried under barely developed characters and a poorly defined magic system.