Wayward Reviews

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A fantasy romance with forbidden love, a living saving quest and the unraveling of a kingdom based on lies.

Book Synopsis

A king by day. Shadow by night…

The Great Betrayal changed everything for the Allied Realm. Long ago, the kingdom’s noble houses rose up against the goddess… and for their treachery, the firstborn of each noble family was cursed.

One with perilous beauty. 
One with destructive knowledge. 
One with insatiable bloodlust.

But the royal house Mortara received the worst affliction of all. For while the king exists during the day, he fades into nothingness at night…until his twenty-first birthday, when he will be lost to the shadows forever.

Now an acolyte has arrived at court. Like all the second-born children of the Allied Realm, she’s destined to serve the goddess and become a Seer…only Cerise Solon has no gift of foretelling. In fact, she has no magical gift at all.

Instead, she’s surrounded by courtiers and priests―smiling sycophants whose hearts are filled with secrets and lies. And at the center of it all sits His Majesty Kian Hannibal Mortara, with his haunting eyes, sharp tongue, and an unerring ability to send her pulse skittering at the worst possible moments.

Falling for him is unthinkable. Because the king is the last of his line, and as the specter of his twenty-first birthday―and the full force of his curse―approaches, the kingdom holds its breath.

But there’s only one way to save a dying king… and it lies with the one person who’s hiding the biggest secret of all. Cerise. 

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Review

* Non-Spoiler Review*

I got this book with my Fairyloot subscription box – unfortunately I couldn’t find the cover online, so I am using the original one.

This book left me severely underwhelmed.

Coming off the high of Godkiller, I was ready for another fantasy adventure. While I did get an adventure in this book, I didn’t like the romance between the MMC and FMC. Their ages bugged me being only 20 & 21, I get an adult fantasy subscription and this felt very YA.

Was the concept of the world interesting enough? Yes, I enjoyed learning about how this world became cursed by a Goddess. Along with the descriptions of each cities and how the contribute to the main kingdom.

But what lacked for me was character development, the concept had bones but it hadn’t been fleshed out as much as I would have liked. I think the editor should have pushed Landers on this.

Overall, it was ok. If you want a light fantasy romance, I wouldn’t dissuade you…but personally it was meh for me.

Spice Rating: 2/6 – See my rating system here

Book Rating: 3/5