Curse of Shadows and Thorns (The Broken Kingdoms Book 1)

The right amount of everything. Line hook sinker!! Cant wait to get the next one.

I really enjoyed this book. I read most of it within two days. Around 10hr shifts at work. The last half of it kept me on the edge of my seat and I am excited to see what happens to our Elise.

So I’ve been in a book slump for The last month and I happened to come across this author’s tiktok And read the blurb and I sat on the book for a few weeks until I saw another TikTok And decided to take the plunge because I noticed that the last book comes out soon So by the time I finish Reading needs the last one will be out.Well this book got me out of my book slump. It is so well written and the characters are just perfection. I will say that the FMC does make some really dumb decisions BUT She does them in a way that you can relate to As a younger coming of age adult.Spoilers below probably.So this book follows is 1 person POV. Elise is the main character you follow. She is related to the Royal family in this book. Her Uncle is the king and her Mother is his sister. She has one older sister and she is betrothed to her Uncle son ( her cousin ). So yes there is some light incest that is talked about but it is not in the book. It’s just more historical think GOT or British Royal Family. Now this book does talk about consorts and how taking on lovers and cheating is a thing historically. I just want to mention both of those things because I do know some people have problems with those types of things but I don’t think they are a problem in this book because they are not Really brought up in a s$xual way. There is very little smut in this book there are a few scenes between the main MCs. So the book starts out FMC has become of age at 20 For marriage and her dowry has been open so people can start bidding her hand at marriage. So There’s a marriage negotiator named Legion Gray who is the MMC Who has been basically called upon to take on the negotiations for her marriage to find her a husband. You soon find out that everything is not as it seems. There is a lot going on And there are people coming for the Crown but you also find out quickly that there are lots of Fae In this book and you realize that the throne was taken by Elisa’s distant relatives that are now dead.. You also find out that Legion is not who you think he is and has been cursed to not remember who he is. The last 25% of this book is perfection there It’s so much going on that it is amazing. At the end of the book we find the FMC and the MMC separated but you understand why even though the decisions might not be the best You can understand why they’re in place and why they happened. I will say that with the book series having 7 books and this book being 350 pages it can be a lot and there are parts that are somewhat slow in the book but I don’t think the book needs to be Shorter or any parts taken out becauyes there’s so much back story going on that each part of the book is taking a step towards telling the story and I think it’s needed. There isn’t too much repeating but there was a time or 2 where I did pause from reading but I still read the book in A-day and a 1/2. I think how they tied the blood wraith into who Legion Gray was and how he was and how he is actually valid the last nightprints really sets up the rest of the series and how Ari it comes in to play for the next book. As I touched on above the only thing I really didn’t love is how naive the FMC was but I understand why she was written that way but I didn’t think she made smart decisions like not taking off her bracelet That identified who she was or When she was going to go back to where her Hometown was after she saw what her sister and cousin did. She had absolutely no reason to go back there even to get Mattus knowing that atthat time she could not trust Mattus’s Uncle. Even if she had met up with Mattus at that point she could have been kidnapped or in trouble in the sense with the blood wraith.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/ 5Ok guys, I really liked this book.First things first, this book kept me interested throughout the entirety. Even sections where we’re not wrapped up in action/mystery/thrill I was never bored or felt like “hey this is a bit slow” which I really love because I feel like that can be difficult to find (even in my some of my favorite novels).Elise, the fmc, is strong, intelligent, rebellious and (thank the gods) emotionally and mentally MATURE. I also love that she is REAL and human with a healthy dose of natural fear, but still faces those fears and is brave in the face of immorality. I felt connected to her from the jump.Quotes about Elise:”A dagger?” Legion’s deep voice spurred me from the moment.”Seemed fitting. Kindness on the outside.” Mattis touched one of the blossoms, dragging his finger to the hilt of the dagger. “A warrior in the inside.”A proper lady might flush or turn away embarrassed. I was neither proper nor a lady. I was a second daughter who gambled in game halls and spent my days with a mouthy carpenter and opinionated serfs.Legion, the mmc, HELLO BABY. I’m usually drawn more to a morally grey villian which Legion is not (I guess he is morally grey if you consider not blinking at murder and violence, maybe I’m detached after a million novels but I digress) but he has a cocky attitude and teasing personality for days while also being loyal, caring and gentle.The banter between Elise and Legion is *chef’s kiss* and their angst/tension throughout is palpable.”Herr Svart is a promising match,” Legion said. I shot my annoyance in his direction. “Perhaps you should pursue him, Herr. I’m sure you two could make each other quite happy.””In due time Kvinna. I have no doubt I won’t age well.””I wouldn’t be so sure.” Three hells. I shook away the thoughts of his attractive face, and prayed to the gods, who should never have given me the gift of speech, that I wouldn’t make a fool of myself by admitting as much.I also fell IN LOVE with a couple supporting characters who are developed beautifully. Halvar and Tor remind me quite a bit of Cassian and Az. Every single time Halvar opens his mouth I’m smiling – he’s charming, hilarious and brings so much genuine joy to the book.The banter between ALL the friends/circles is also so relatable and fun. You can feel their bonds and love for one another while also enjoying the way they tease the hell out of each other. They jump back and forth between daily interactions and deep, meaningful conversations without skipping a beat.

This was a perfect introduction to The Broken Kingdoms series. The world building and plot were captivating and I was so enthralled the whole way through. I loved the character development and that everyone had a backstory that fit in perfectly with who they were to the plot. The spice was a little on the mild side for me but the story was so well written that I didn’t even care. I can see so much potential going in to the second book and hope that it is as well written as this one was. My only criticism is I wish there would have been some of Legion’s POV in the book and not just as a bonus at the end.