heidivhalford's review against another edition
4.0
If you hated the first book, don’t worry, it gets better.
The first book was the prequel for this. I didn’t love The Betrothed but it needed to set the stage for this book. This book has all the missing pieces that I was longing for in the first book. My main complaint is that there wasn’t enough. I loved this book and will definitely need to read it again, though I think I could have used some more relationship building to strengthen the connection to the chemistry that was being created between all of the characters. (Of course I would have loved the romantic relationship a little more juicy with more interactions between the main characters. I feel like it was lacking a little in comparison to what Cass used in her Selection Series.) I did still feel like I connected to characters and they were definitely lovable. I am not sure if I would read the first book again, maybe just as a refresher, but I would definitely read this book again. I loved the ending, but also I felt like it was missing something a little extra, maybe an epilogue after the sort-of-epilogue or some type of hint that there is more to the story.
Quick synopsis: I love Kiera Cass. I was worried after I didn’t love the first book in this series, but was hopeful for this book. It was good, but it was not the Selection-Series-level good. Not disappointed and would definitely read again.
The first book was the prequel for this. I didn’t love The Betrothed but it needed to set the stage for this book. This book has all the missing pieces that I was longing for in the first book. My main complaint is that there wasn’t enough. I loved this book and will definitely need to read it again, though I think I could have used some more relationship building to strengthen the connection to the chemistry that was being created between all of the characters. (Of course I would have loved the romantic relationship a little more juicy with more interactions between the main characters. I feel like it was lacking a little in comparison to what Cass used in her Selection Series.) I did still feel like I connected to characters and they were definitely lovable. I am not sure if I would read the first book again, maybe just as a refresher, but I would definitely read this book again. I loved the ending, but also I felt like it was missing something a little extra, maybe an epilogue after the sort-of-epilogue or some type of hint that there is more to the story.
Quick synopsis: I love Kiera Cass. I was worried after I didn’t love the first book in this series, but was hopeful for this book. It was good, but it was not the Selection-Series-level good. Not disappointed and would definitely read again.
ark99's review against another edition
2.0
~I received an arc from netgalley~
So I did not like the first book at all, just thought it was very bland BUT the ending of the last book did leave me wanting to know what happened honestly.
This was a lot better than the first, but not really enough to redeem the entire duology. I did enjoy Hollis by herself and also with ~new love interest~ their banter was nice, but all in all, I feel like there wasn't enough build up to things that happen in this book. Like,, stuff just happens a little too clean. There weren't enough struggles in these tasks the characters are trying to accomplish. Of course as a real person, you'd want everything in your life to happen without struggles, BUT in a book if that happens, it feels too fake because almost everything has struggles. Yes, there were some struggles in this book, but not enough compared to all the things in this that just fell right into place. The ending was also very predictable which isn't bad necessarily but I feel like it needed some kind of punch of an ending considering everything else just fell flat, and it did not deliver.
So I did not like the first book at all, just thought it was very bland BUT the ending of the last book did leave me wanting to know what happened honestly.
This was a lot better than the first, but not really enough to redeem the entire duology. I did enjoy Hollis by herself and also with ~new love interest~ their banter was nice, but all in all, I feel like there wasn't enough build up to things that happen in this book. Like,, stuff just happens a little too clean. There weren't enough struggles in these tasks the characters are trying to accomplish. Of course as a real person, you'd want everything in your life to happen without struggles, BUT in a book if that happens, it feels too fake because almost everything has struggles. Yes, there were some struggles in this book, but not enough compared to all the things in this that just fell right into place. The ending was also very predictable which isn't bad necessarily but I feel like it needed some kind of punch of an ending considering everything else just fell flat, and it did not deliver.
ceodell25's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sjandersen's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kmbooky's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my gosh this book is amazing. I just can't get over how it turns out. Still reeling an hour after finishing it. Hoping there is a third book for this series.
kathrynhenson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sarahmjenkins's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
deedoodah_reads's review against another edition
3.0
✧ L E T M E S U M M A R I S E ✧
Hollis has lost everything at the hand of the Dark Knights – her husband, her family and her home. Widowed and heartbroken, Hollis flees to Isolte with the last of her new relatives. But a plot is forming to overthrow the King, and all is not as it seems to be. Can Hollis adjust to her new life and move on from the loss of Silas?
✧ W H A T W O R K E D W E L L ✧
Undoubtedly, The Betrayed is a lot better than The Betrothed (review can be found here). There is a lot more action, a better story plot and just an overall feel that the author knew what she was doing with this book. The plot was fairly interesting as it followed Hollis trying to fit in with her new family in Isolte – a country she had once sworn to despise – and her subsequent involvement in the plot to overthrow King Quintin.
The development of Hollis was much better in The Betrayed. She stopped being shallow and whiny, and started to actually get involved in things – making things happen for herself. She became fierce and loyal, and her kindness was actually seen rather than being told. However, we also see a lot of character development from Etan, one of the characters from the first book who becomes one of the main characters in this book. His sharp and distasteful front is broken down to reveal a tragic backstory and a boy who is tired of losing people for being from a specific family.
✧ W H A T N E E D E D W O R K ✧
There are still flaws with The Betrayed that we saw with the first book. The plot was stretched out into 352 pages, when in reality, a lot of that was just Hollis in Isolte failing to fit in with her new family or their customs. I still stand by what I originally mentioned with The Betrothed – the book could have been a lot more concise. The drawn-out plot did make me question just how much longer I had before I reached the conclusion, rather than just flowing through the story.
Whilst Hollis did have a massive character overhaul, there were still some annoying aspects of her personality that remained from before. She spent a lot of the first half of the book doing little but arguing with Etan and crying. She failed to understand that Etan would be mourning the loss of his family members, and instead only considered the fact that she had lost her husband. I would have liked to see her be a little more selfless at the start, instead of at the very end.
Though I was quite satisfied with the resolution in Isolte with King Quintin, the resolution with King Jameson seemed a lot less satisfying. The confrontation was interesting yes – with a few twists that even I didn’t expect – but what happens to Jameson seemed very … convenient.
✧ W H A T T H R E E W O R D S ✧
Improved, shocking but basic.
✧ T O C O N C L U D E ✧
The first book alluded to the idea that Silas may still be alive, so I wanted to see if that was true. I also wanted to see whether the series was worth the investment, and whether the story got any better. It did, but I wouldn’t say it was massively better. The conclusion was okay – satisfactory but not thrilling. However, there were some little twists I wasn’t quite expecting, and we did get to see a sweeter romance with Hollis (which I haven’t mentioned because it’s a spoiler). Although The Betrayed was an improvement, I just didn’t think it was anything to write home about.