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rogerdoger13's review against another edition
3.0
The Hidden King was an enjoyable read. I found it to have a solid story and, overall, enjoyed the writing.
The story follows Aed, who experiences tragedy and decides to try to find a better life for himself and his family. He comes to find out that the idyllic picture he held for this new place isn’t what he thought it was. Through his journey he finds out some truths from his past that no one ever expected.
The author has good foreshadowing throughout the book. While the book didn't leave off on a cliffhanger, you can tell there is quite a bit coming as the series continues.
There were times I found the descriptions to be a bit overdone in areas that weren’t significant to the story. I would have preferred character descriptions and details instead of very detailed descriptions of a building or wall. Also, there were a few times where the characters fell a little flat for me. All of this got better as the book went on and we really got into the meat of the story. I think the characters have a lot of potential and I am hoping they continue to grow as the series continues.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story follows Aed, who experiences tragedy and decides to try to find a better life for himself and his family. He comes to find out that the idyllic picture he held for this new place isn’t what he thought it was. Through his journey he finds out some truths from his past that no one ever expected.
The author has good foreshadowing throughout the book. While the book didn't leave off on a cliffhanger, you can tell there is quite a bit coming as the series continues.
There were times I found the descriptions to be a bit overdone in areas that weren’t significant to the story. I would have preferred character descriptions and details instead of very detailed descriptions of a building or wall. Also, there were a few times where the characters fell a little flat for me. All of this got better as the book went on and we really got into the meat of the story. I think the characters have a lot of potential and I am hoping they continue to grow as the series continues.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
fallingwings's review against another edition
5.0
This book destroyed me emotionally. If anyone finds pieces of my heart, could you kindly return them to me? Thanks.
Cons:
× The only con I can conjure up is the fact that if I had not read the prequel (which is book 2) before this, the tragedy wouldn't have had such a powerful and emotional impact on me, which happens early on in this book. I'm not a person who can know a character for only a few chapters and then be heartbroken by their demise right after. So I personally would stress newcomers to at least consider reading book 2 before this one if you want to be emotionally invested in the tragedy that happens early on, just because it gives us more time with the characters, it gives us more background, more insight to why they live the way they do and why their connections are like so. Regardless, it's not a deal breaker if you choose to read this one first. This book still stands beautifully on its own.
Pros:
× This book made me cry. I wasn't even at chapter 5 by the time I was sobbing like a baby. Books rarely make me cry. There might be certain instances/themes that make me a little misty-eyed, but I don't cry and I don't sob. I was not okay. By the time I reached chapter 6, I had to put the book down for the rest of the day just so I could recover my broken heart.
× death was written beautifully. Even if I hadn't cried, I wouldn't be able to ignore how it was handled.
× Holy crap, I was not expecting to die like that and I think that's what makes it so much worse to swallow. Because no one realized until it was too late what was wrong.
× I love how the author writes Aed's every day struggles with his hands. I also love that Aed takes up learning how to read.
× I don't know how to describe this author's writing style but it really vibes with me. I love how the characters and scenes are written. It's not overly complex but it's also far from simplistic.
× I understand Ninian's family better now. The prequel kind of confused me concerning this matter, but it's flat out explained here.
× Boudicca and Eamon are precious beans who must be kept safe at all times. I love both of these characters so much.
× Plenty of wonderful family moments between Aed and Ronan.
× There are female guards. Hel-lo. Um, yes? Typically guards are men in many books I read, but I was surprised--and pleased--to see female guards alongside men here.
× Can I just say I'm so much of a fan of platonic touching and hugging? Because I am and this book has a ton of it.
× This book was literally just one big emotional rollercoaster for me and I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
I really hope we see some familiar faces from the prequel in the next installment. I'm also curious if we're going to see any fae. While I don't need the book the center around fae, it would be interesting to know what they think of Aed and his background.
I stumbled across the authors website and found a short story with Ninian telling Ronan a bedtime story back before the tragedy occured and yeah, I cried. Again.
Cons:
× The only con I can conjure up is the fact that if I had not read the prequel (which is book 2) before this, the tragedy wouldn't have had such a powerful and emotional impact on me, which happens early on in this book. I'm not a person who can know a character for only a few chapters and then be heartbroken by their demise right after. So I personally would stress newcomers to at least consider reading book 2 before this one if you want to be emotionally invested in the tragedy that happens early on, just because it gives us more time with the characters, it gives us more background, more insight to why they live the way they do and why their connections are like so. Regardless, it's not a deal breaker if you choose to read this one first. This book still stands beautifully on its own.
Pros:
× This book made me cry. I wasn't even at chapter 5 by the time I was sobbing like a baby. Books rarely make me cry. There might be certain instances/themes that make me a little misty-eyed, but I don't cry and I don't sob. I was not okay. By the time I reached chapter 6, I had to put the book down for the rest of the day just so I could recover my broken heart.
Spoiler
Ninian thought he'd be happy enough if he could simply live and die with Aed beside him. The foreshadowing hits so hard.×
Spoiler
Ninian's× Holy crap, I was not expecting
Spoiler
Ninian× I love how the author writes Aed's every day struggles with his hands. I also love that Aed takes up learning how to read.
× I don't know how to describe this author's writing style but it really vibes with me. I love how the characters and scenes are written. It's not overly complex but it's also far from simplistic.
× I understand Ninian's family better now. The prequel kind of confused me concerning this matter, but it's flat out explained here.
× Boudicca and Eamon are precious beans who must be kept safe at all times. I love both of these characters so much.
× Plenty of wonderful family moments between Aed and Ronan.
× There are female guards. Hel-lo. Um, yes? Typically guards are men in many books I read, but I was surprised--and pleased--to see female guards alongside men here.
× Can I just say I'm so much of a fan of platonic touching and hugging? Because I am and this book has a ton of it.
× This book was literally just one big emotional rollercoaster for me and I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
I really hope we see some familiar faces from the prequel in the next installment. I'm also curious if we're going to see any fae. While I don't need the book the center around fae, it would be interesting to know what they think of Aed and his background.
I stumbled across the authors website and found a short story with Ninian telling Ronan a bedtime story back before the tragedy occured and yeah, I cried. Again.
anotherstoryreader's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of The Hidden King for an honest review!
I really enjoyed The Hidden King. I can't say it was a totally original story but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. It's a true rag to riches story that has themes from some of my favorite stories. Part Count Of Monti Cristo part Joseph from the bible, part Alladin. Aed is a street rat from the poor part of the world. Tragic circumstances send him on a journey with an end he could never imagine. I'll be honest when I opened this e-book and read the "About the book" section my enthusiasm for this book took a little hit. I always hate when writers name there character things I have no idea how to pronounce. This was quickly followed by a Glossary of how to pronounce the names and slang terms used. My thoughts went something like this... "Great Now I'll know how to pronounce the names in this story" to "OH gosh, I need a glossary to pronounce the names in this story." The first chapter was a little confusing until I got to know who was who. I can't really say I learned how to say most of them since flipping back to the glossary in a e-mail is not worth the effort. But the story was so compelling and the new characters were spaced out enough that I really didn't interrupt the story too much. Overall it was a fast-passed book with loveable characters and story you are sure to love. I believe this book could be a standalone but with a semi-open ending for future books. One other semi critique I felt like things happened very quickly without many true obstacles. (The second hald of the book.) While it's nice to not wait 4 books for a conclusion I would have enjoyed a little more detail. We hardly get to know anyone in the king's court or how they feel about the king to come. I'll leave it at that so I don't give any spoilers.
I really enjoyed The Hidden King. I can't say it was a totally original story but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. It's a true rag to riches story that has themes from some of my favorite stories. Part Count Of Monti Cristo part Joseph from the bible, part Alladin. Aed is a street rat from the poor part of the world. Tragic circumstances send him on a journey with an end he could never imagine. I'll be honest when I opened this e-book and read the "About the book" section my enthusiasm for this book took a little hit. I always hate when writers name there character things I have no idea how to pronounce. This was quickly followed by a Glossary of how to pronounce the names and slang terms used. My thoughts went something like this... "Great Now I'll know how to pronounce the names in this story" to "OH gosh, I need a glossary to pronounce the names in this story." The first chapter was a little confusing until I got to know who was who. I can't really say I learned how to say most of them since flipping back to the glossary in a e-mail is not worth the effort. But the story was so compelling and the new characters were spaced out enough that I really didn't interrupt the story too much. Overall it was a fast-passed book with loveable characters and story you are sure to love. I believe this book could be a standalone but with a semi-open ending for future books. One other semi critique I felt like things happened very quickly without many true obstacles. (The second hald of the book.) While it's nice to not wait 4 books for a conclusion I would have enjoyed a little more detail. We hardly get to know anyone in the king's court or how they feel about the king to come. I'll leave it at that so I don't give any spoilers.
jcaesara's review against another edition
5.0
This is a repost of my review copied from Amazon because for some unknown reason it was deleted.. And unfortunately it is not the full review I posted here initially :(
I read the book last year in March.
.
.
.
So, I finished the book the same way I started it, in tears, thanks to an excerpt from the next book.
The stories about Aed and Ninian always made me cry.
I cried a lot during this book. The way Radcliff writes made me feel so vividly what Aed experienced: the loss of his love, the torture, the pain of not knowing what happened to Ronan, his interior turmoil, etc.
There were also funny moments with Ronan and Boudicca :) And Ronan is a sweet little boy who melts your heart with his constant worry for Aed. I also liked that Aed always consulted with Ronan and listening to him.
Also, a thing that I really liked is that everybody has different eye color. Red is Aed's eye color and Ninin had violet eyes. Boudicca has pink eyes :)
And we also have green, yellow, different types of blue, periwinkle,..
The future looks hard for Aed and I'm looking forward to read about how he will deal with his new responsibilities.
I read the book last year in March.
.
.
.
So, I finished the book the same way I started it, in tears, thanks to an excerpt from the next book.
The stories about Aed and Ninian always made me cry.
I cried a lot during this book. The way Radcliff writes made me feel so vividly what Aed experienced: the loss of his love, the torture, the pain of not knowing what happened to Ronan, his interior turmoil, etc.
There were also funny moments with Ronan and Boudicca :) And Ronan is a sweet little boy who melts your heart with his constant worry for Aed. I also liked that Aed always consulted with Ronan and listening to him.
Also, a thing that I really liked is that everybody has different eye color. Red is Aed's eye color and Ninin had violet eyes. Boudicca has pink eyes :)
And we also have green, yellow, different types of blue, periwinkle,..
The future looks hard for Aed and I'm looking forward to read about how he will deal with his new responsibilities.
geethr75's review against another edition
5.0
This was truly an amazing book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The character of Aed is well fleshed out and depicted. The secondary characters are also well developed. I especially liked Ninian and Boudicca. The book deals with what is perhaps a cliched topic, but the author has given it her own spin, making it truly unique. An engrossing read.
ameserole's review against another edition
3.0
The Hidden King sounded like a pretty good book. Then once I dove into it, I was liking everything that I was reading. Yet, the pace was kind of a hot mess for me because it would go from fast to slow throughout the book. At least for me.. but I did still enjoy everything that was happening.
I'm also kind of jealous of all the pretty eye colors within this world. Not sure if they mean something or not but I would be a-okay with violet eyes. Maybe even pink? Just saying. Other than that, you do get to meet Áed and Ronan. I wasn't expecting to fall in love with little Ronan as quickly as I did but I'm not mad one bit either.
Another thing I didn't expect, the emotions flowing through me. It had such sad moments that almost broke my heart. Luckily for me, the adventure was pretty entertaining. Especially when you get to meet drunk Boudicca.
Overall, it was a bit predictable when it came to some things but I'm intrigued to dive into the next book just to see what the heck is going to happen next.
I'm also kind of jealous of all the pretty eye colors within this world. Not sure if they mean something or not but I would be a-okay with violet eyes. Maybe even pink? Just saying. Other than that, you do get to meet Áed and Ronan. I wasn't expecting to fall in love with little Ronan as quickly as I did but I'm not mad one bit either.
Another thing I didn't expect, the emotions flowing through me. It had such sad moments that almost broke my heart. Luckily for me, the adventure was pretty entertaining. Especially when you get to meet drunk Boudicca.
Overall, it was a bit predictable when it came to some things but I'm intrigued to dive into the next book just to see what the heck is going to happen next.
anca_antoci's review against another edition
5.0
The Hidden King is a young adult fantasy and the first book in The Coming of Áed. The story follows Áed; a young man stuck in Maze—a rundown city at the bottom of a cliff with no mercy for the weak. Áed lives with his partner Ninian and their adopted son Ronan. A tragedy pushes Áed and what's left of his family in the aftermath of a tragedy to flee Maze and seek shelter in White City—the city atop the clifftop which holds the promise of a better life. Along the way, he makes allies, enemies and discovers his origin.
Themes: Celtic mythology, court intrigue, tragedy, and grief
The writing was fluid, the descriptions atmospheric, and the characters relatable. There's a tragic twist at the beginning of the story, but I can't say more without giving away spoilers. I found it easy to read, well-paced and engaging. This is a character-driven story, so don't expect much to happen plot-wise. I wish it had a little more conflict, but that's just a personal preference.
What kept me reading was the combination of comedy and action, sprinkled with profound moments to achieve a perfect balance. There were some highly emotional scenes and a bit of sarcasm to break the tension.
Tropes
As far as tropes go, the title is a spoiler. I think you can guess who the hidden king is, but if you can't, I won't spoil it for you. So, we have the secret royalty trope, which is always fun to watch unfold. Also, the chosen one is another popular trope in fantasy.
Read more: https://www.summonfantasy.com/reviews/the-hidden-king-by-e-g-radcliff-book-review
Themes: Celtic mythology, court intrigue, tragedy, and grief
The writing was fluid, the descriptions atmospheric, and the characters relatable. There's a tragic twist at the beginning of the story, but I can't say more without giving away spoilers. I found it easy to read, well-paced and engaging. This is a character-driven story, so don't expect much to happen plot-wise. I wish it had a little more conflict, but that's just a personal preference.
What kept me reading was the combination of comedy and action, sprinkled with profound moments to achieve a perfect balance. There were some highly emotional scenes and a bit of sarcasm to break the tension.
Tropes
As far as tropes go, the title is a spoiler. I think you can guess who the hidden king is, but if you can't, I won't spoil it for you. So, we have the secret royalty trope, which is always fun to watch unfold. Also, the chosen one is another popular trope in fantasy.
Read more: https://www.summonfantasy.com/reviews/the-hidden-king-by-e-g-radcliff-book-review
lchamberlin97's review against another edition
5.0
** A disclosure, to start: I have a (slightly distant) connection to the author, and read this book because it was gifted to me partially with the author in mind. **
That being said, I did genuinely enjoy this book!
As some of the other reviews state, the concept is a tad cliched (humble man finds he has not-humble origins) - but I never read it like it was supposed to be some grand reveal. I accepted that a book called the Hidden King would indeed have a "hidden king." Let's just say I was not surprised, and that was okay.
I liked that Aed's powers were morally complex, and that was probably where the book had something a more interesting to add to the clichés. (I'm not sure if this is really a spoiler, but:.) Actually, I wish a bit more time might have been spent addressing these complexities, which I found more intriguing than some of the aforementioned clichés (such as plot points like the political bits at the end).
I thought Radcliff's writing was quite good, especially for a debut. There's some good world building - it seems she's very attentive to developing the world's customs. I would love to know more about the history that led these people to those customs...and since book 2 is in the past, maybe I'd get more there :)
Mostly, I feel like there's a lot of potential here and would be interested to see where else this author goes!
That being said, I did genuinely enjoy this book!
As some of the other reviews state, the concept is a tad cliched (humble man finds he has not-humble origins) - but I never read it like it was supposed to be some grand reveal. I accepted that a book called the Hidden King would indeed have a "hidden king." Let's just say I was not surprised, and that was okay.
I liked that Aed's powers were morally complex, and that was probably where the book had something a more interesting to add to the clichés. (I'm not sure if this is really a spoiler, but:
Spoiler
I'm specifically referring to the fact that Aed's powers really messed some people up, including his dear old dad, who was a mentally unstable rapist.I thought Radcliff's writing was quite good, especially for a debut. There's some good world building - it seems she's very attentive to developing the world's customs. I would love to know more about the history that led these people to those customs...and since book 2 is in the past, maybe I'd get more there :)
Mostly, I feel like there's a lot of potential here and would be interested to see where else this author goes!
katkinney's review against another edition
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this Celtic inspired fantasy which is the first in a series. Aed scrapes out a difficult life in the Maze, where he depends on Ninian and Ronan. His mother is long since gone, having left in the night with only a parting letter for him that Ninian read as Aed could not. When something terrible happens, Aed and Ronan are forced to journey to the nearby White City, and the novel becomes a coming-of-age journey where Aed discovers his true legacy and hidden powers. I really enjoyed the lavish descriptions of the city and the marketplace. Everything was easy to picture and see in my head. Aed doesn’t understand his magic or where it’s coming from and so people keep getting hurt which leads to terrible consequences for him and Ronan. Parts of this book feel like set up for the rest of the series, but I enjoyed the way things unfolded and the neat reveals that were spread out along the way, including some of my favorite tropes. I’m definitely curious to see what happens for Aed and Ronan (and some of the other characters introduced towards the end of the book, who I bet will play larger roles in future books) next!
Trigger Warnings:
Trigger Warnings:
Spoiler
tortureauthorkimberlyquay's review against another edition
5.0
I don't read a lot of YA, but this one called to me. Radcliff is great at building a world that you can fall right into. I am always amazed at high fantasy because of the work it must take to create an entire world. Aed is a lovable character and keeps you reading. This is a well written and very imaginative story! I really enjoyed it!