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danielled75's review against another edition
4.0
Imagine a world where kisses are power, Princesses have the ability to give Princes “kisses” to enhance their speed, strength, even to heal. Ivy is one of these princesses, but her ability to cure a curse doesn’t work when she kisses her prince, and in shock and disbeliefs she wonders if the kiss is as powerful as she have been taught.
Ivy needs a partner for a very important mission, which involves destroying the egg of a Sable dragon, enter Prince Zachariah (“just call me Zach” as he tells everyone) he is rumored to be the strongest Prince without ever having a partner, which Ivy find hard to believe. No one can be that strong without the aid of a “kiss” but Zach is able to prove that he is that strong. Ivy is still determined to give Zach a kiss to make him even stronger, and every time she tries he keeps refusing.
Zach has his reasons as to why he won’t just go and kiss Ivy. Royals assume that their kiss is the key to defeating evil, and that there is no need for love, since it’s not needed, there is literally no love between Princesses and Princes, they breed to make more soldiers and that’s it. Romantics are just the opposite, they believe in the power of love and that it is stronger than what the Royals claim to be the ultimate power. Zach is half royal, half Romantic. He used his lineage to get the ability to fight, but he keeps his Romantic views as to why he won’t kiss Ivy.
During their trek towards the cave where the egg is Ivy and Zach are at each other’s throats because Ivy is so set in her way that she refuses to believe that Zach can be that stubborn over a kiss, Zach can’t believe that Ivy buys into the history of the Royals. As time passes Ivy starts to question if what Zach is saying is true and if what she was raised to believe is true, unsure of her own feelings towards Zach.
There were so many times during the book I wanted to strangle Ivy for being so stubborn and walking around with blinders on, epically after coming across a Romantic camp and seeing how they all treated each other and even welcomed her, even if it was in disguise.
I found things got really interesting when the group came across the mirror in the cave. Will not spoil anything but Oh WOW do things take a really interesting turn to throw everything Ivy knew about the Royals History off kilter.
By the end, Ivy accepts that everything she was taught was wrong and she plans on righting those wrongs.
I will say that this is a definite book to add to your shelf, it was a good read for a standalone.
Ivy needs a partner for a very important mission, which involves destroying the egg of a Sable dragon, enter Prince Zachariah (“just call me Zach” as he tells everyone) he is rumored to be the strongest Prince without ever having a partner, which Ivy find hard to believe. No one can be that strong without the aid of a “kiss” but Zach is able to prove that he is that strong. Ivy is still determined to give Zach a kiss to make him even stronger, and every time she tries he keeps refusing.
Zach has his reasons as to why he won’t just go and kiss Ivy. Royals assume that their kiss is the key to defeating evil, and that there is no need for love, since it’s not needed, there is literally no love between Princesses and Princes, they breed to make more soldiers and that’s it. Romantics are just the opposite, they believe in the power of love and that it is stronger than what the Royals claim to be the ultimate power. Zach is half royal, half Romantic. He used his lineage to get the ability to fight, but he keeps his Romantic views as to why he won’t kiss Ivy.
During their trek towards the cave where the egg is Ivy and Zach are at each other’s throats because Ivy is so set in her way that she refuses to believe that Zach can be that stubborn over a kiss, Zach can’t believe that Ivy buys into the history of the Royals. As time passes Ivy starts to question if what Zach is saying is true and if what she was raised to believe is true, unsure of her own feelings towards Zach.
There were so many times during the book I wanted to strangle Ivy for being so stubborn and walking around with blinders on, epically after coming across a Romantic camp and seeing how they all treated each other and even welcomed her, even if it was in disguise.
I found things got really interesting when the group came across the mirror in the cave. Will not spoil anything but Oh WOW do things take a really interesting turn to throw everything Ivy knew about the Royals History off kilter.
By the end, Ivy accepts that everything she was taught was wrong and she plans on righting those wrongs.
I will say that this is a definite book to add to your shelf, it was a good read for a standalone.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
3.0
3.5/5
I found this book to be surprising! I enjoyed going into this fantasy world but I wish there was more to the magic system. I wish there was more background on the characters, I loved them. The first half of the book was slow but it picked up almost too fast with the second half.
I found this book to be surprising! I enjoyed going into this fantasy world but I wish there was more to the magic system. I wish there was more background on the characters, I loved them. The first half of the book was slow but it picked up almost too fast with the second half.
ateachersguidetoreading's review
4.0
“Seems like you’re awfully eager to kiss me, Ivy. Why don’t we just cut to the chase?”
In this world a Kiss is not a kiss, instead it's used as a powerful weapon that unlocks serious magic. Ivy is the strongest Princess and she's partnered with Zach, a skilled swordsman. It's believed their kiss will produce the most powerful magic but this pair rarely see eye to eye. With the fate of their world relying on their success, can they put their differences aside?
I really enjoyed this book, like really! It draws you in and, before you know it, you're reading it with a big smile plastered on your face. It was much needed after a few mediocre reads. I flew through this book and got caught up in the world and their story. It's an interesting concepta and I adore Ivy and Zack - wow, the tension between them was fantastic, it kept me on my toes! Brom deserves all the love too. Part of the plot twist I seen coming and the other part surprised me, just as it should. My only criticism is the ending. It seemed quite rushed and, even though I loved that part of the epilogue, I feel that time period could have been covered in more detail, or even a second book.
I'd highly recommend this book to all YA Fantasy lovers and I wish we had a little more of Ivy and Zach.
Pros:
> Interesting concept
> Loveable main and side characters
> Serious tension and build up
> Lots of much needed fluff
Cons:
> Ending felt rushed
Memorable quotes:
> “Love is... wishing that you could have one more day together, one more minute, one more second together, and hoping it lasts a lifetime, and then believing maybe it could.”
> “Because a kiss would mean nothing to you, while it meant everything to me.”
In this world a Kiss is not a kiss, instead it's used as a powerful weapon that unlocks serious magic. Ivy is the strongest Princess and she's partnered with Zach, a skilled swordsman. It's believed their kiss will produce the most powerful magic but this pair rarely see eye to eye. With the fate of their world relying on their success, can they put their differences aside?
I really enjoyed this book, like really! It draws you in and, before you know it, you're reading it with a big smile plastered on your face. It was much needed after a few mediocre reads. I flew through this book and got caught up in the world and their story. It's an interesting concepta and I adore Ivy and Zack - wow, the tension between them was fantastic, it kept me on my toes! Brom deserves all the love too. Part of the plot twist I seen coming and the other part surprised me, just as it should. My only criticism is the ending. It seemed quite rushed and, even though I loved that part of the epilogue, I feel that time period could have been covered in more detail, or even a second book.
I'd highly recommend this book to all YA Fantasy lovers and I wish we had a little more of Ivy and Zach.
Pros:
> Interesting concept
> Loveable main and side characters
> Serious tension and build up
> Lots of much needed fluff
Cons:
> Ending felt rushed
Memorable quotes:
> “Love is... wishing that you could have one more day together, one more minute, one more second together, and hoping it lasts a lifetime, and then believing maybe it could.”
> “Because a kiss would mean nothing to you, while it meant everything to me.”
alyssaindira's review against another edition
3.0
**NO PLOT SPOILERS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS REVIEW**
This was kind of a last minute decision to read, with the hope I wasnt losing my desire to read physical books **sweat smile emoji**. Luckily for me, from the first page I was captivated and intrigued by the characters and the storyline. As for the wrting, it was pretty simple without being overly complex. It was enough to ground you into the storyline and create lovable characters. The character vibrancy springs from the ink. The descriptions in the book...ah. A bit tedious in some place, necessary for storytelling and scene markup for the other. But I definitely think there was way to much travel and dead..space in this book. Sure, things happened during the travel scenes, but they just seemed dull...but maybe that is just me since I dislike most travel scenes unless they are written extremely well.
But the heart of the story were the characters. Ivy's sass and grit captured my attention from the very beginning. Even if her wishy washy brain on tough subjects seemed to be..out of the blue. But I understand this was probably just a pacing problem in a standalone novel, not enough time to really have her contemplate and work throguh her changing beliefs and all that. But I did admire her persistent and determination. She would not give up , and when she set her sights on something, she would do everything in her power to achieve it. Even if the meaning of her power change over time.
I was the most surprised by Zach. By YA trope standards, I was expectng a dark and broody prince, when zach arrived, cherful, springloaded, and armed with wit, I was automaticaly entranced. I became even more infatuated with this unruley 'prince' the further the story went on. Sure, it could have developed his character a bit more, but there werent eoguh words. It would have been better I think if this book was a dual POV, to get the full experience of the mindsets and such. But Zach did capture my heart <3
I just think the travel scenes and limited action scenes could have been better written, paced well and such. The pacing and delivery are what made the second half of the novel drag on in my opinion. BUt maybe I am just a needy reader. Alright, remember, this is all my ramblings. If you want your own, read the book!
This was kind of a last minute decision to read, with the hope I wasnt losing my desire to read physical books **sweat smile emoji**. Luckily for me, from the first page I was captivated and intrigued by the characters and the storyline. As for the wrting, it was pretty simple without being overly complex. It was enough to ground you into the storyline and create lovable characters. The character vibrancy springs from the ink. The descriptions in the book...ah. A bit tedious in some place, necessary for storytelling and scene markup for the other. But I definitely think there was way to much travel and dead..space in this book. Sure, things happened during the travel scenes, but they just seemed dull...but maybe that is just me since I dislike most travel scenes unless they are written extremely well.
But the heart of the story were the characters. Ivy's sass and grit captured my attention from the very beginning. Even if her wishy washy brain on tough subjects seemed to be..out of the blue. But I understand this was probably just a pacing problem in a standalone novel, not enough time to really have her contemplate and work throguh her changing beliefs and all that. But I did admire her persistent and determination. She would not give up , and when she set her sights on something, she would do everything in her power to achieve it. Even if the meaning of her power change over time.
I was the most surprised by Zach. By YA trope standards, I was expectng a dark and broody prince, when zach arrived, cherful, springloaded, and armed with wit, I was automaticaly entranced. I became even more infatuated with this unruley 'prince' the further the story went on. Sure, it could have developed his character a bit more, but there werent eoguh words. It would have been better I think if this book was a dual POV, to get the full experience of the mindsets and such. But Zach did capture my heart <3
I just think the travel scenes and limited action scenes could have been better written, paced well and such. The pacing and delivery are what made the second half of the novel drag on in my opinion. BUt maybe I am just a needy reader. Alright, remember, this is all my ramblings. If you want your own, read the book!
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I really enjoyed this fresh take on fairy tales. The book takes place in a world where a Kiss holds power to fight evil. It's used as a weapon in war, completely devoid of the outdated concept of love. But there is a faction of people (the Romantics) who have rebelled---they believe that the kiss is being misused, that the meaning of True Love's Kiss is much more important (and more powerful) than a kiss being used in war. I loved seeing Ivy's views on the possibility of love change and grow---and her understanding of her way of life evolve as she learns that many of her basic beliefs are not only wrong, they're dangerous. The romance is sweet, if somewhat predictable, and I appreciated that it moved slowly for the most part. (We find out that from Zach's perspective things moved quickly enough to warrant the dreaded instalove label, but the book is saved by the fact that the book isn't told from his POV and he doesn't declare his feelings early on.) Overall, I thought this book was a win!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley and Fantastic Flying Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
I really enjoyed this fresh take on fairy tales. The book takes place in a world where a Kiss holds power to fight evil. It's used as a weapon in war, completely devoid of the outdated concept of love. But there is a faction of people (the Romantics) who have rebelled---they believe that the kiss is being misused, that the meaning of True Love's Kiss is much more important (and more powerful) than a kiss being used in war. I loved seeing Ivy's views on the possibility of love change and grow---and her understanding of her way of life evolve as she learns that many of her basic beliefs are not only wrong, they're dangerous. The romance is sweet, if somewhat predictable, and I appreciated that it moved slowly for the most part. (We find out that from Zach's perspective things moved quickly enough to warrant the dreaded instalove label, but the book is saved by the fact that the book isn't told from his POV and he doesn't declare his feelings early on.) Overall, I thought this book was a win!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley and Fantastic Flying Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
ameserole's review
4.0
So happy I randomly picked this up one day.
Kiss of the Royal was pretty cute. Not going to lie, it does start off rather slowly (at least for me) but luckily things pick up rather quickly. In it, you will meet Princess Ivy. She has a pretty tough decision - who to kiss. It's kind of like the bachelorette but ya know.. for battle mode. She's not looking for love, nope - she's trying to be strategic about the entire thing.
So.. maybe not like the bachelorette?
Either way, it was a lot of fun to read. I enjoyed falling in love with all of the characters - even the evil queen was a favorite. Plus any "couple" that thinks they wont actually fall for one another at any point in their "relationship" is hilarious. Definitely enjoyed it from start to finish.
Kiss of the Royal was pretty cute. Not going to lie, it does start off rather slowly (at least for me) but luckily things pick up rather quickly. In it, you will meet Princess Ivy. She has a pretty tough decision - who to kiss. It's kind of like the bachelorette but ya know.. for battle mode. She's not looking for love, nope - she's trying to be strategic about the entire thing.
So.. maybe not like the bachelorette?
Either way, it was a lot of fun to read. I enjoyed falling in love with all of the characters - even the evil queen was a favorite. Plus any "couple" that thinks they wont actually fall for one another at any point in their "relationship" is hilarious. Definitely enjoyed it from start to finish.
chery_swedish's review
2.0
Si hubiera leído el libro con otro mood le habría dado tres estrellas, pero como estaba de buen humor se lleva cuatro (actualización: tras pensarlo mejor merece un 3.5 así que le bajo una estrella). El desarrollo de personajes es justito y el del mundo practicamente inexistente. Me ha gustado la relación de los protagonistas, cómo al principio hay roces pero poco a poco se van acercando. ¿A quién no le gusta un enemies to lovers? Aunque aquí no diría que su relación es exactamente así.) Lo del Beso me ha parecido lo más cursi que he leído este año, por dios cringe máximo. Creo que es una lectura de relleno. No la recomendaría.
danni_taylor's review
5.0
⭐ 5 Stars ⭐
I heard a lot of good things about this (mostly booktok XD) and I can actually say I liked loved this book!
Although I wasn't sure about it at first I ended up enjoying it, and it wasn't as generic as I first thought so that's a plus. The author's writing is great! It's super descriptive and immerses you into the world she creates.
At first I wasn't keen on the characters but I warmed up to them and by the end loved them. I did kinda jokingly guess one of the twists but it still shocked me so it's all gooood.
Omg can we talk about that epilogue though! It honestly boosted my rating ½ a star XD Added very nice closure and was super cute!
All in all this was a great read and I recommend to anyone that loves fantasy and romance.
I heard a lot of good things about this (mostly booktok XD) and I can actually say I liked loved this book!
Although I wasn't sure about it at first I ended up enjoying it, and it wasn't as generic as I first thought so that's a plus. The author's writing is great! It's super descriptive and immerses you into the world she creates.
At first I wasn't keen on the characters but I warmed up to them and by the end loved them. I did kinda jokingly guess one of the twists but it still shocked me so it's all gooood.
Omg can we talk about that epilogue though! It honestly boosted my rating ½ a star XD Added very nice closure and was super cute!
All in all this was a great read and I recommend to anyone that loves fantasy and romance.