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justagrlandherdog's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I didn’t go into this book thinking I’d love it. I knew it was popular, thought I’d enjoy it but didn’t think I’d become obsessed with it just a few chapters in. While its still early in the year it is one of the best books I’ve read so far. So many times it had me laughing and smirking and giddy and then at the climax, oof, I was anxious. I couldn’t put it down. I love Aren and Lara’s banter, the things Aren does it try to win Lara over. The side characters were gold! Nana and Jor, funniest lines I’ve read. The cliffhanger at the end definitely has me opening the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: War
Minor: Death of parent and Child abuse
marylinaris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The world building and established political set up was promising but I kinda slogged through this book - as it was mostly just boring. Lara spends most of the story not knowing what’s going on and the rest slowly piecing clues together. Since the author obviously wants us to figure out the world with Lara, Aren’s POV is also incredibly boring because it cannot tell us any more that what Lara knows at the given time.
The main characters had some intriguing qualities but I couldn’t tell you anything personal about them, which lead me to not click with either of them. There was one side character I found interesting (because she had an actual personality) but that didn’t help overall. The romance also had weird pacing, I would’ve expected something more of the political marriage but them being married did surprisingly little to more the plot in any particular direction.
This book has a lot of missed potential and overall couldn’t really catch me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death and War
Minor: Death of parent
sami_leigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, and War
Minor: Confinement, Toxic relationship, War, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Child death, Grief, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Dual POV, third person narration. Relatively strong character development allowing for the reader to truly champion the protagonist. The world building left some description to be desired in order to truly picture the setting of Ithicana and The Bridge. I’m looking forward to the development of some characters -both their relationships with others and the revelation of further backstory -in the sequel. I LOVE the representation of strong female warriors who don’t seem to be questioned based on gender.laurelreads's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A fun and decent enemies-to-lovers but not worth the hype
Trigger/Content warnings: loss of parents, mild violence (breaking vital body parts), one detailed sex scene (not fade to back)
To be honest, I’m disappointed.
I listened to the audiobook on Audible plus after receiving many recommendations from others. I’d heard so much about this duology that I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped.
The Bridge Kingdom wasn’t a bad book. It just isn’t exceptional. My favorite part was how Lara had to be creative while being undercover in Ithicana. In a way, she reminded me of Mal from Descendants, and Alessandra from The Shadows Between Us. All of them were capable girls with big ambition and determination, but started questioning their beliefs in the process of spying.
Now comes the part I think could be better. I wish there were more details on world-building other than the bridge. Readers were told about different islands in Ithicana, but few actual descriptions were provided. I also think there were relationships worth exploring other than Lara and Aren’s. For instance, I’d really love to read how Lara and her sisters were trained together and how they bonded. Lara and Aren’s romance could be more naturally done and less predictable as well.
I think I might like it better if I’d read the book instead of the audiobook. The narrators were good, yet I got lost in all the names and countries and couldn’t follow up when they were strategizing. It didn’t help that the male voices all sounded the same to me, so I didn’t know who was talking. I also had a hard time visualizing the bridge in my head, and I think the map in a physical book would help.
The Bridge Kingdom is your typical enemies-to-lovers romance, with political intrigue and a badass fighter girl. While it has its flaws, and may be overly hyped up, it was still fun to read and brought me joy. I’m interested to see how things all tie up and I’m reading the second book already, but I probably won’t reread the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Violence
ka_ke's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Bridge Kingdom is a fun read. The characters are not deep but they are relatable. The plot is nothing new but still an excellent story. It was not nearly as spicy as some people led me to believe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and War
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Vomit
charhollyx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was really looking forward to reading this series for quite some time, and it didn’t disappoint. Although the plot is relatively predictable, the world was interesting and the characters were believable.
Although I would have preferred a little more romantic build up/sexual tension - lacking of actual sex didn’t bother me at all but I live for tension.
If you haven’t got the sequel readily available before you start reading, I really recommend purchasing both!!
I didn’t particularly enjoy the ending, after Aren learnt of all Lara’s lies, saw her development and trusted her regardless; I really liked his maturity. However, when he finds out about the letter that Lara couldn’t destroy in time, all of his affection for her vanishes and he decides not to believe her? Sounded like a random decision for the theme of the second book to be fair.
Although I would have preferred a little more romantic build up/sexual tension - lacking of actual sex didn’t bother me at all but I live for tension.
If you haven’t got the sequel readily available before you start reading, I really recommend purchasing both!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Murder, War, Violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
raeraesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: War, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
huntitled's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Audiobook:
A great new adult fantasy book which to be honest surprised me a lot and I could not stop reading it.
It has everything most romantic fantasy readers could ever dream of: "enemies to lovers" and "arranged marriage" tropes, tons of sexual tension, fast-paced story, tough main character, and intriguing world building which—despite the lack of magic—I enjoyed very much.
Lara is a princess, trained by her father to become a spy. She is supposed to marry the enemy king and help defeat his kingdom. She soon finds out that her husband is not the monster she believed him to be and that her true enemy is someone else. Now she needs to decide where her loyalties lie.
King Aren is my favorite character. I just wish he did not suffer from the "Jon Snow syndrome" so much. He is simply too nice and gullible, and often makes decisions that lead to serious issues which could have otherwise been prevented. On the other hand, the fact that Lara is reasonable, smart, yet not manipulative, is quite refreshing. The relationship between Lara and Aren was well written and felt very believable.
The narration of the audiobook is also amazing, both narrators did a great job.
Overall, The Bridge Kingdom has become one of my favourite fantasy books.
A great new adult fantasy book which to be honest surprised me a lot and I could not stop reading it.
It has everything most romantic fantasy readers could ever dream of: "enemies to lovers" and "arranged marriage" tropes, tons of sexual tension, fast-paced story, tough main character, and intriguing world building which—despite the lack of magic—I enjoyed very much.
Lara is a princess, trained by her father to become a spy. She is supposed to marry the enemy king and help defeat his kingdom. She soon finds out that her husband is not the monster she believed him to be and that her true enemy is someone else. Now she needs to decide where her loyalties lie.
King Aren is my favorite character. I just wish he did not suffer from the "Jon Snow syndrome" so much. He is simply too nice and gullible, and often makes decisions that lead to serious issues which could have otherwise been prevented. On the other hand, the fact that Lara is reasonable, smart, yet not manipulative, is quite refreshing. The relationship between Lara and Aren was well written and felt very believable.
The narration of the audiobook is also amazing, both narrators did a great job.
Overall, The Bridge Kingdom has become one of my favourite fantasy books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual content and Death
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, and Misogyny
baexlee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I picked this up on a whim because of a recommendation I saw on tiktok, and I won't lie, I initially was a bit skeptical, but wow did Danielle Jensen absolutely steal my heart with The Bridge Kingdom. I think this is what I have been missing in my search for adult fantasy. Jensen doesn't pull any punches and from the very first chapter I was hooked.
Now I thought about this a lot and it almost doesn't feel fair, but I cannot help but to compare this to my recent rereads of a few other notable adult fantasy novels. I decided I will mention it though because the reviews and recommendations everywhere compare this work to those series and frankly this is a disservice to Danielle Jensen and The Bridge Kingdom. Both of those series left me frustrated at their conclusion (or current end point) because there are so many loose ends, randomly thrown in tidbits of information that feel important when you are reading them and then are just tossed aside, or inconsistently motivated characters but The Bridge Kingdom does not under any circumstances suffer from this same failure. Jensen masterfully foreshadows and builds a complex and unique fantasy world that acknowledges the intelligence of both the characters and the reader themselves. Lara and Aren do not feel any less than the capable, competent and deadly rulers that they are written to be and the politics and dealings of Ithicana are nuanced and realistic.
In a time when I am enjoying reading, but still struggling to find those really stunning reads that stick long after I close the page, this was a welcome reprieve that left me laughing out loud, cheering and gasping at Lara's journey and excitedly relaying the plot back to my husband (who was happy to listen even though he didn't really know what I was talking about). If you are looking for a happy ending, or even hope for one in the second novel, The Bridge Kingdom will not deliver on that front. But if you are seeking something that brings you into it's world, seduces you with it's brilliantly balanced characters and complexities, then I cannot recommend this book more.
Now I thought about this a lot and it almost doesn't feel fair, but I cannot help but to compare this to my recent rereads of a few other notable adult fantasy novels. I decided I will mention it though because the reviews and recommendations everywhere compare this work to those series and frankly this is a disservice to Danielle Jensen and The Bridge Kingdom. Both of those series left me frustrated at their conclusion (or current end point) because there are so many loose ends, randomly thrown in tidbits of information that feel important when you are reading them and then are just tossed aside, or inconsistently motivated characters but The Bridge Kingdom does not under any circumstances suffer from this same failure. Jensen masterfully foreshadows and builds a complex and unique fantasy world that acknowledges the intelligence of both the characters and the reader themselves. Lara and Aren do not feel any less than the capable, competent and deadly rulers that they are written to be and the politics and dealings of Ithicana are nuanced and realistic.
In a time when I am enjoying reading, but still struggling to find those really stunning reads that stick long after I close the page, this was a welcome reprieve that left me laughing out loud, cheering and gasping at Lara's journey and excitedly relaying the plot back to my husband (who was happy to listen even though he didn't really know what I was talking about). If you are looking for a happy ending, or even hope for one in the second novel, The Bridge Kingdom will not deliver on that front. But if you are seeking something that brings you into it's world, seduces you with it's brilliantly balanced characters and complexities, then I cannot recommend this book more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, and Confinement
summera's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Death of parent
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