Reviews with content warning for Confinement - The Wicked King

After a first book so mind bogglingly horrifying, I surprised myself by truly enjoying this sequel. The Cruel Prince felt like a sort of nightmarish junior high, where love isn’t real, everyone is miserable, and no one wins. The Wicked King felt a bit like high school, with characters finding their footing, and forging real relationships - and of course the stakes are much higher.

Yes, the FMC is still deeply un relatable to me, and her choices made me want to pull my hair out in frustration.

Yes, all of the characters continue to operate so far beyond morally grey areas they are all difficult to root for.

And yet, somehow in the midst of the ever-more-complicated political schemes and endless list of confusing character names… I found myself loving this story. The plot twists were plentiful and intelligently written (I guessed exactly one). There was such steep character development that the FMC and MMC became entirely different people. There was relationship angst, but it was elegant rather than despicable. There was exactly one spicy scene and it was fade to black. The MMC’s tail wasn’t mentioned, praise be.

If you don’t care much for back story or world building, read a synopsis of book one and jump to book two. It will absolutely have you on the edge of your seat - or in my case - yelling “OMG” loudly in the car.

I will immediately read book three.

Content Warnings

gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed this book a lot more than the first. I think this was due to the book focusing on the politics and the battles one has as a ruler rather then the drama of the first book.
It easily kept me entertained throughout the whole book and has me very interested in the third and final book and how everything is going to be wrapped up.

Content Warnings

picaresquedreamer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

magdapuczynska's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I gobbled this thing up quicker than any other book. It's a big improvement from the first book in the series and just the right mix of plot and spicyness. I'm looking forward to the next book.

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shelvesofivy's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

I know that sometimes sequels suffer, but I personally found this one leagues above the first book in terms of tension, intrigue, and overall pacing. God these characters now have me in a chokehold <3

Content Warnings

sxndaze's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

a sequel that hits!

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