Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
Imagine a modern fantasy romance book, based on Beauty and the Beast. Then add a load of ice and snow. That is this book.
Bride of the Winter King is the first book in a romance fantasy duology written by Holly Rose.
Every year, the Winter King hosts a ball to choose a Summer Queen, but the girl who is chosen is never seen again.
Three years ago, Adara’s sister was chosen and Adara and her father haven’t seen her since. This year, Adara is old enough to be one of the girls at the Winter King’s ball and Adara wants revenge. She wants to kill the Winter King.
First of all, I really enjoyed the pacing of this book. I thought, because it is quite a short book, that it may move too quickly or just be full of action, but it wasn’t. The story was well thought out and I never found it to feel slow or boring either, it kept me interested throughout.
The writing was also very good and I loved that it was in the 1st person. I think that was a good choice for this book, because you get to know exactly what Adara is thinking. 1st person POV also means that you are never sure what the Winter King is thinking, so you’re constantly left guessing, just as Adara is.
The author was good at keeping us in the dark throughout, which helped to piqued my interest and left me with lots of questions.
However, these questions were not answered. At all. I know no more about this world, or the King, or what happens to the Summer Queens than I did at the beginning. I know that there is meant to be a second book and I really hope that gives us some answers, but I felt that the development of the story was hindered by the lack of information.
I think this was emphasised because Adara ignored all of the signs that showed something was wrong or not as she thought it was. This was infuriating as a reader and I had guessed a lot of things whilst she was still clueless and unaware.
There was some character development but it was limited. The ending shows that Adara is still the same person, despite slowly growing more doubtful about her plan throughout the story and learning more about the winter king and the castle.
I think this was done to emphasise the enemies to lovers trope that I imagine will be developed a lot more in the second book. I also think the author was trying to create a strong FMC, however I found her to be a little plain and annoying at times and she was so useless at learning more about her surroundings.
There was also a lack of backstory for the characters. We learn very little about Adara’s past, other than her sister being taken, and we learn almost nothing about the Winter King and how he has ended up here. This made me care less for the characters and made them a little boring.
The world building was also very limited and for me that is one of my favourite parts of a fantasy book. I love learning about a new world and new places but the only place we see is the Winter King’s castle. I would have liked to have seen more of the world around it before we got a stuck there.
All in all, I think compared to other romance fantasy books, this one is lacking. With limited characters, that aren’t fleshed out very well, and a world that isn’t very interesting, I don’t think it is as good as others.
I love the enemies to lovers trope (so it get points for that) and I am curious to find out what is going on, so I will read the second book, but it is definitely not my favourite and I don’t think the sequel will change that.
Bride of the Winter King is the first book in a romance fantasy duology written by Holly Rose.
Every year, the Winter King hosts a ball to choose a Summer Queen, but the girl who is chosen is never seen again.
Three years ago, Adara’s sister was chosen and Adara and her father haven’t seen her since. This year, Adara is old enough to be one of the girls at the Winter King’s ball and Adara wants revenge. She wants to kill the Winter King.
First of all, I really enjoyed the pacing of this book. I thought, because it is quite a short book, that it may move too quickly or just be full of action, but it wasn’t. The story was well thought out and I never found it to feel slow or boring either, it kept me interested throughout.
The writing was also very good and I loved that it was in the 1st person. I think that was a good choice for this book, because you get to know exactly what Adara is thinking. 1st person POV also means that you are never sure what the Winter King is thinking, so you’re constantly left guessing, just as Adara is.
The author was good at keeping us in the dark throughout, which helped to piqued my interest and left me with lots of questions.
However, these questions were not answered. At all. I know no more about this world, or the King, or what happens to the Summer Queens than I did at the beginning. I know that there is meant to be a second book and I really hope that gives us some answers, but I felt that the development of the story was hindered by the lack of information.
I think this was emphasised because Adara ignored all of the signs that showed something was wrong or not as she thought it was. This was infuriating as a reader and I had guessed a lot of things whilst she was still clueless and unaware.
There was some character development but it was limited. The ending shows that Adara is still the same person, despite slowly growing more doubtful about her plan throughout the story and learning more about the winter king and the castle.
I think this was done to emphasise the enemies to lovers trope that I imagine will be developed a lot more in the second book. I also think the author was trying to create a strong FMC, however I found her to be a little plain and annoying at times and she was so useless at learning more about her surroundings.
There was also a lack of backstory for the characters. We learn very little about Adara’s past, other than her sister being taken, and we learn almost nothing about the Winter King and how he has ended up here. This made me care less for the characters and made them a little boring.
The world building was also very limited and for me that is one of my favourite parts of a fantasy book. I love learning about a new world and new places but the only place we see is the Winter King’s castle. I would have liked to have seen more of the world around it before we got a stuck there.
All in all, I think compared to other romance fantasy books, this one is lacking. With limited characters, that aren’t fleshed out very well, and a world that isn’t very interesting, I don’t think it is as good as others.
I love the enemies to lovers trope (so it get points for that) and I am curious to find out what is going on, so I will read the second book, but it is definitely not my favourite and I don’t think the sequel will change that.
This book was the fantasy I’ve been looking for all year. I have had trouble reading fantasy recently, and I think this brought me out of my slump. I read this in two sittings. I say two because unfortunately I had to go to sleep, or else it would’ve been a single sitting.
Adara is a wonderful character that you can’t help but sympathize with. You immediately feel her plight and respect the energy and time she’s put into being able to right a wrong toward her. She knows exactly what she wants and stops at nothing to get it, which is wonderful.
The King is a bit different than I expected but in the best way. He isn’t the stereotypical domineering figure that many male fantasy characters are. It was refreshing to see him take Adara’s actions and words to heart and not immediately lash out with anger, even if the situation may call for it.
While I believe I know where the story is going, I am excited to see where the second novel takes it and if I end up being right with my predictions. It was fast-paced and always surprised me with where events took the characters, and I’m curious to see how the relationship between the King and Adara will change after the turn of events in the final pages.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i really loved this!! some of the most engaging writing i've read in a fantasy romance for a while. "falling in love with the man who killed my sister/best friend/ex lover/etc" is one of my least favorite tropes because it never feels like the heroine Truly holds the hero accountable, especially once she finds out he's not the worst person alive or has a reason for doing what he did or has no control over what happened, etc etc... this wasn't a problem here! there's a part near the end i almost cheered, because, yeah, fuck his feelings, he's not the one who DIED? really excited for the next one & to see how their relationship evolves<3
but i did not realize this was the first in a series for some reason so i was STRESSED the closer we were getting to the ending
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Liked
*Beautifully designed book
*Easy to read, fast paced
*good read for older ya readers
*beautiful descriptions of setting
Disliked
*No chemistry
*Very surface level characters
*very insular setting
*forgettable
*Beautifully designed book
*Easy to read, fast paced
*good read for older ya readers
*beautiful descriptions of setting
Disliked
*No chemistry
*Very surface level characters
*very insular setting
*forgettable
I was impatiently waiting for this book to be released and was so glad when I finally got to delve in. It’s a great high fantasy with fantastic I came here to kill you, beauty and the beast, enemies to “feelings”.
Adara is a fantastic strong female lead who is driven by vengeance to kill the winter king. We read in her POV as she struggles with her choices to want to kill the winter king and what that may mean for herself and the kingdom.
Elearic our winter king is the perfect brooding, mysterious immortal king (even if he is blonde lol). Who’s little secrets keep you guessing through the book.
My only gripe, it finished too soon. I want more and I feel like we only got to the first peak of the book and then it was done. We need a third act.
I know the next book is coming soon but I feel I knew what was going to happen already in the last chapter due to the publicity that I found my self saying… what?!? That’s it!?!?
Adara is a fantastic strong female lead who is driven by vengeance to kill the winter king. We read in her POV as she struggles with her choices to want to kill the winter king and what that may mean for herself and the kingdom.
Elearic our winter king is the perfect brooding, mysterious immortal king (even if he is blonde lol). Who’s little secrets keep you guessing through the book.
My only gripe, it finished too soon. I want more and I feel like we only got to the first peak of the book and then it was done. We need a third act.
I know the next book is coming soon but I feel I knew what was going to happen already in the last chapter due to the publicity that I found my self saying… what?!? That’s it!?!?
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated