Review Detail
I Killed the King
Featured
Young Adult Fiction
987
Mystical Murder Mystery
(Updated: June 12, 2026)
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
4.0
Characters
3.0
Writing Style
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
A book that combines my love of fantasy (and super cool magic systems) and murder mysteries? I just know this one is going to be a *chef's kiss*
I Killed the King by Rebecca Mix and Andrea Hannah is YA fantasy mystery novel that combines mystical magic and murder. After a decade of war, the kingdoms of Avendell and Istellia have finally agreed to peace. As nobles and magic wielders from both countries arrive at remote Castle Avendell for a historic all-night masquerade to celebrate, King Costis summons an unlikely group to his the crown prince, his Istellian bride-to-be, his personal guard, a wild beast teamer, and the palace’s questionable new healer. But before Costis can reveal why he has gathered them, the castle goes dark. When the lights come back, the king is dead—murdered with the princess’s knife, in a weak spot only his guard knew of, and with venom from one of the beast tamer’s monsters lacing the blade. With no clear killer—and everyone a suspect—they make a risky Tell no one until the treaty is signed. But when a winter storm seals everyone inside and someone aware of the king's untimely death begins to pick off guests one by one, the six suspects must work together to discover who killed the king . . . before one of them is next.
What I liked most about this book is the simple fact that it kept me hooked. The plot was well paced. The setting was tight, and though it didn't allow all that much grand world-building, it was expanded well enough. The characters were mostly developed.
One thing that I didn't particularly like about this book, was the volume of characters that were featured in it. And I get it, you can't have a small set of characters without raising immediate suspicions in the whole "who dunn it." But I felt like most of the characters fell a little flat in terms of their development and plot relevance. Yet, I get it. It's a small problem. It's still a good book.
Overall, this is a solid book that can easily be a bridge the gap between mystery novels and fantasy novels. And I cannot WAIT until we get book 2.
I Killed the King by Rebecca Mix and Andrea Hannah is YA fantasy mystery novel that combines mystical magic and murder. After a decade of war, the kingdoms of Avendell and Istellia have finally agreed to peace. As nobles and magic wielders from both countries arrive at remote Castle Avendell for a historic all-night masquerade to celebrate, King Costis summons an unlikely group to his the crown prince, his Istellian bride-to-be, his personal guard, a wild beast teamer, and the palace’s questionable new healer. But before Costis can reveal why he has gathered them, the castle goes dark. When the lights come back, the king is dead—murdered with the princess’s knife, in a weak spot only his guard knew of, and with venom from one of the beast tamer’s monsters lacing the blade. With no clear killer—and everyone a suspect—they make a risky Tell no one until the treaty is signed. But when a winter storm seals everyone inside and someone aware of the king's untimely death begins to pick off guests one by one, the six suspects must work together to discover who killed the king . . . before one of them is next.
What I liked most about this book is the simple fact that it kept me hooked. The plot was well paced. The setting was tight, and though it didn't allow all that much grand world-building, it was expanded well enough. The characters were mostly developed.
One thing that I didn't particularly like about this book, was the volume of characters that were featured in it. And I get it, you can't have a small set of characters without raising immediate suspicions in the whole "who dunn it." But I felt like most of the characters fell a little flat in terms of their development and plot relevance. Yet, I get it. It's a small problem. It's still a good book.
Overall, this is a solid book that can easily be a bridge the gap between mystery novels and fantasy novels. And I cannot WAIT until we get book 2.
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