A review by shaykay
King of Corium by C. Hallman

challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

King of Corium was a book I picked up on Kindle Unlimited after struggling to get into anything. The synopsis reminded me so much of the Kingmakers series by Sophie Lark. I adored that series and loved the concept. So when I learned that this series focused on a college for the criminal elite's children, I couldn't wait to get into it. I wanted to see how similar it was to the Kingmakers. But I quickly learned that the similarities between these two series end quickly. First off, this book is dark, and the series as a whole keeps getting darker. So definitely look at the trigger warnings before going into this one. But anyways, this book focuses on Qiunton/Q, who is like it boy because his father is like the king of criminals because of how notorious he is. Everyone at the school treats him like a king, and the students, professors, and staff pretty much all do whatever he says. Then, on the other hand, we have Aspen. Aspen is in a dangerous situation due to her father being a rat. Once a rat is always a rat, and that status trickles down to Aspen. She was sent to Corium because the college is considered a safe space, and no one is allowed to kill anyone there. But everyone is horrible to her. No one talks to her unless they are being mean, she's stuck in basically the broom closet to live in, and she's barely even given any food. We also get both their point of views, and it is crazy how poorly she's treated, and it all stemmed from her father's doing. There are times in the book Aspen even begs her mom to let her come home because she never wanted to be a part of the criminal world. Still, her mom barely talks to her and when she does, she's adamant that she has to stay at Corium since it is the safest place for her. The book ended up being okay, but the ending is what made me continue. I wanted to see what happened to Aspen since the book ended on a pretty intense cliffhanger!
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