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chaosreadsthings's review against another edition
4.0
Alessandra's one goal is to become the queen. She even has a full proof plan: 1) Woo the King, 2) Marry the King, and 3) Kill the King. As the second daughter, she as been underestimated for too long and when the opportunity arises, she is ready to put her plans into motion. Things are going perfectly, and the longer Alessandra spends time at court the more she prays that she doesn't lose her heart in the process.
So, this book started off strong! I loved the idea of a strong female character, progressive, smart witty. And, dang, does this girl have some strong aspirations. Alessandra is the second daughter and has had to wait for her older sister to be wed/sold off to the highest bidder before making an appearance in society. No balls, no outings, nothing. Just hanging out at the house. Finally, daddy says "Hey, I'm marrying off your sister, get ready to attend a ball" and don't you know it this girl has been laying in wait. She has a whole wardrobe picked out and ready to pack up to take to the castle before she's even been invited. She's been preparing her outfits and solidifying her plans the whole time while having some fun on the side and selling all the little trinkets and gifts to help fund her new wardrobe. She tells her dad, "I'm going to marry the king" and he's all "sweet baby, she's delusional."
But he takes her. They go to this big meet and greet for king and she does all those things that we've seen in all the 90's rom-coms where she comes in, minds her own business, ignores the king, and he magically is drawn to her because she's not tripping over her feet to get close to him and BAM! Wouldn't you know it, she's invited to the castle. I mean, that's a given, the book wouldn't have been as long if she wasn't successful.
Then things kind of taper off. The story's still interesting, but more of in a I want to see what's going to happen so I'm going to keep reading/listening. Many of Alessandra's commentary, makes me think of Irene Adler from Sherlock. She's smart, observant, reads people well and she knows it and she's sure that she lets you know it as well.
There is a supernatural element to this with the King's power, but I wouldn't consider this a supernatural story since it's not really the main focus of it.
Star wise, this book was really a 3.5, but we'll round up to a 4 because I prefer even numbers, and honestly it was pretty good. It read sort of cozy. Things happened, but at the end everything was neatly wrapped up in a neat little bow with a HEA. It's not really a spicy read. There's mention of sex, but it's really more in passing. Some goodish tension though.
So, this book started off strong! I loved the idea of a strong female character, progressive, smart witty. And, dang, does this girl have some strong aspirations. Alessandra is the second daughter and has had to wait for her older sister to be wed/sold off to the highest bidder before making an appearance in society. No balls, no outings, nothing. Just hanging out at the house. Finally, daddy says "Hey, I'm marrying off your sister, get ready to attend a ball" and don't you know it this girl has been laying in wait. She has a whole wardrobe picked out and ready to pack up to take to the castle before she's even been invited. She's been preparing her outfits and solidifying her plans the whole time while having some fun on the side and selling all the little trinkets and gifts to help fund her new wardrobe. She tells her dad, "I'm going to marry the king" and he's all "sweet baby, she's delusional."
But he takes her. They go to this big meet and greet for king and she does all those things that we've seen in all the 90's rom-coms where she comes in, minds her own business, ignores the king, and he magically is drawn to her because she's not tripping over her feet to get close to him and BAM! Wouldn't you know it, she's invited to the castle. I mean, that's a given, the book wouldn't have been as long if she wasn't successful.
Then things kind of taper off. The story's still interesting, but more of in a I want to see what's going to happen so I'm going to keep reading/listening. Many of Alessandra's commentary, makes me think of Irene Adler from Sherlock. She's smart, observant, reads people well and she knows it and she's sure that she lets you know it as well.
There is a supernatural element to this with the King's power, but I wouldn't consider this a supernatural story since it's not really the main focus of it.
Star wise, this book was really a 3.5, but we'll round up to a 4 because I prefer even numbers, and honestly it was pretty good. It read sort of cozy. Things happened, but at the end everything was neatly wrapped up in a neat little bow with a HEA. It's not really a spicy read. There's mention of sex, but it's really more in passing. Some goodish tension though.
eucandcitescgen's review against another edition
1.0
personajul principal e ASA de unlikable sincer nu o suport. primeste totul pe tava lucrurile sunt asa usoare pentru ea mereu e legit ZERO tensiune
lucinreads's review against another edition
4.0
it was good but there was something missing. there wasn’t really a world or anything. i still liked it.
yunooooo's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a satisfying read. It has everything I've been wanting, enemies to lover, and fake relationship. I'm so glad to see how that part was played out. But the whole reason I'm rating this 5 stars is that I've been enchanted by the Shadow King. He's only 19 btw. I was hooked from the very first page; I devoured everything in 2 sittings and I love it so much more than I expected. The female MC was unique. She set out to do what she wanted; She was ambitious, And I love her. Her plan was to make the Shadow King fall in love with her, become his queen, kill him and take the throne. Pretty bold, right? We all know she's going to fall for him, but the process of that was done very well. I found myself smiling all the time, it wasn't cliché or anything like i expected. Although, there is little world-building and not a complex magic system. For a book that is less than 350 pages, it could not get any better. ♥️
moodyserena's review against another edition
3.0
The idea was so new and intriguing. The execution was sadly not up to par on how I imagined it should have been. Just a lot of gossip, of court play and brainless backround charachters with no real purpose or personality. I've read it once, I won't read it again.
kris_pixie's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this. It wasn't perfect but I found it to be incredible. Just what I needed to end a reading slump.
kyul_973's review against another edition
4.0
I loved how unapologetic and realistic Alessandra was. The king was a good character though I think we didn’t get to see as much of him as I would have liked.
Overall the book was a good and easy read. I appreciated how the intrigue was lead and also that Alessandra was such a strong female character. She knew her worth and what she wanted and got things done to reach her goals, whether it was in a legal way or not.
Overall the book was a good and easy read. I appreciated how the intrigue was lead and also that Alessandra was such a strong female character. She knew her worth and what she wanted and got things done to reach her goals, whether it was in a legal way or not.
mrstommyshelby's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book! Can’t wait for the sequel to come out!!
noralastra's review against another edition
3.0
3.5! This was an entertaining read and my first book by the author.
I always like reading stand-alone fantasy books because they're usually easy to follow. This was an easy, quick read. Alessandra is a force and I enjoyed watching her thought process unfold.
Her character growth was interesting. She is unapologetically herself, ruthless, and cunning yet kind. She finds everything she was looking for by the end of the book. I liked how her relationship with Kallias progressed and though I knew it would end that way, it was still nice to watch.
The plot twist towards the end was unexpected for me so I really enjoyed it! The pacing was well done though I don't know if I would call this an enemies to lovers when it was brief and one-sided. Overall this was a good read!
I always like reading stand-alone fantasy books because they're usually easy to follow. This was an easy, quick read. Alessandra is a force and I enjoyed watching her thought process unfold.
Her character growth was interesting. She is unapologetically herself, ruthless, and cunning yet kind. She finds everything she was looking for by the end of the book. I liked how her relationship with Kallias progressed and though I knew it would end that way, it was still nice to watch.
The plot twist towards the end was unexpected for me so I really enjoyed it! The pacing was well done though I don't know if I would call this an enemies to lovers when it was brief and one-sided. Overall this was a good read!