Review Detail

In the Kingdom of Ravenspire, Lorelei is the crown princess and a fugitive ever since Queen Irina murdered her father and stole the throne. Lorelei is determined to get revenge and, with her brother and her father’s most trusted guard at her side, she has a plan to kill the queen. In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, Prince Kol has always been reckless and carefree as the second born prince. He was never meant to take the throne but when tragedy strikes his parents and older brother, he finds himself in charge of a kingdom slowly losing the battle against an army of ogres. In exchange for Queen Irina’s help against the ogres, Kol agrees to kill Lorelei and bring the queen the heart of the princess. But when their paths do cross, Kol finds that Lorelei is nothing like he expected and the princess finds herself drawn to the newly crowned king. Together they might be able to achieve both their goals but Queen Irina has a few hidden moves left to play.

This was one of my most anticipated books since the moment I first heard about it. The cover design caught my attention right away(it’s so gorgeous!) and the synopsis sounded like something I would really enjoy. It also sounded like the type of book I could easily read in a sitting because I wouldn’t want to put it down. And I was right.

I absolutely adored Lorelei. She was strong and so protective over her brother. She was so determined to take her kingdom back from Irina and her heart hurt for her people who were starving because of the queen’s cruelty. She had a way of seeing the good in people and that served her well throughout the book. She was a character that I really connected to while reading. I trusted those she trusted, I got angry and wanted revenge along with her, my heart broke with hers. I loved her bond with her little brother Leo. The teasing and obvious affection they showed each other was heartwarming in the tense moments.

Kol was another great character. His was the second POV and I felt for him. He was thrust into a life he never expected to have and just wanted to do whatever it took to save his kingdom. He went from being reckless and a bit of a prankster to having to be a king, and while he may have still been a bit reckless in his attempts, his only desire was to save his people.

I enjoyed the spin on the original tale. The huntsman was a dragon-shifter, as were his friends, and the princess had powerful magic. There was so much new added to the story that it felt like a completely new story instead of a retelling. It was easy to read it all in one sitting because it was action-packed and every chapter end just made me say ‘one more chapter’. Even when there was no fighting or action immediately happening, it was entertaining to read the characters’ bantering and teasing each other. I laughed out loud quite a few times. I also cried and screamed a few times as well. It was definitely an emotional read that I felt very invested in finishing.

Other than the dynamics between the characters, my favourite thing about this book was the world. Both Ravenspire and Eldr were vividly described and I really liked the way different kingdoms had different abilities and beliefs. Ravenspire had magic, Eldr shifted into dragons, and there were mentions of other kingdoms, some with no magic, some with magic, some who hated dragon shifters. It all helped to make the world-building feel complete but without feeling like I had learned everything so when the next book comes out, I have more world-building to look forward to. And more characters to fall in love with.