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themoodreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, War, Blood, Death, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Murder, Violence, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, War, and Vomit
booksalacarte's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The traitor queen- 4⭐️ 3🌶️
Lara has only one thought when her husband is taken prisoner: I will do whatever it takes to set you free.
A queen now in exile as a traitor, Lara has watched Ithicana be conquered by her own father, helpless to do anything to stop the destruction. But when she learns her husband, Aren, has been captured in battle, Lara knows there is only one reason her father is keeping him alive: as bait for his traitorous daughter.
And it is bait she fully intends to take.
Risking her life to the Tempest Seas, Lara returns to Ithicana with a plan not only to free its king, but for liberating the Bridge Kingdom from her father's clutches using his own weapons: the sisters whose lives she spared.
But as Lara and her companions formulate a plan to free Aren from her father's palace, they soon discover that while it is easy to get in, it will be quite another thing to get Aren, and themselves, back out. Not only is the palace inescapable, there are more players in the game than Lara ever realized, enemies and allies switching sides in the fight for crowns, kingdoms, and bridges. But her greatest adversary of all might be the very man she's trying to free - the husband she betrayed.
With everything she loves in jeopardy, Lara must decide who - and what - she is fighting for: her kingdom, her husband, or for herself.
✨My Opinion✨
Betrayal
Exiled queen
Daring rescue
Great side characters
Political intrigue.
The action was non-stop, which helped a lot with missing big plot holes.
Some loose ends were tied up quick and off page, which I didn’t love.
Some loose ends were tied up quick and off page, which I didn’t love.
Now it seems like their story is complete and I wonder about who we will be following for the next 5 proposed books? Will this exhaust the series, being so long? I see that the brother is the next focus… I’m assuming 2 books for him too… then 2 books for the king’s sister?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Confinement, War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Death, and Emotional abuse
hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Gore, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, War, Animal death, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Blood, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Genocide, Medical content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content
jhaneveauguste's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Blood, Death, Torture, and War
charhollyx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A thrilling end to this part of the series (as I think book three is about two side-characters.)
I really rooted for Lara throughout this book and despite usually feeling irritated at reading a characters constant guilt-ridden emotions when they mess up, I found the guilt that Lara and Aren felt to not only not annoy me, but I empathised and felt their pain.
I loved these characters. I loved the sisters and Jor but I would have liked to see depth in other side characters alike those important to Aren, so that I felt his pain with him as he watched them go through pain or triumph.
A good decision to make the next book about Zarrah and Keris. Lara and Aren’s story is finished now and perusing those characters would only result in a boring book - I’m excited to see how book three turns out.
It’s such a vivid, well-written world with so much more to explore than just Ithicana.
I really rooted for Lara throughout this book and despite usually feeling irritated at reading a characters constant guilt-ridden emotions when they mess up, I found the guilt that Lara and Aren felt to not only not annoy me, but I empathised and felt their pain.
I loved these characters. I loved the sisters and Jor but I would have liked to see depth in other side characters alike those important to Aren, so that I felt his pain with him as he watched them go through pain or triumph.
A good decision to make the next book about Zarrah and Keris. Lara and Aren’s story is finished now and perusing those characters would only result in a boring book - I’m excited to see how book three turns out.
It’s such a vivid, well-written world with so much more to explore than just Ithicana.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Confinement, War, and Violence
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent
deesquared's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Pregnancy
finnickdeservedbetter's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Death, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Genocide and Cursing
Minor: Vomit and Kidnapping
baexlee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The Traitor Queen is a satisfying follow up installment in the Bridge Kingdom series and Danielle Jensen continues to round out Lara and Aren's complex romantic entanglement. As in The Bridge Kingdom Jensen does a great job utilizing foreshadowing throughout the book, leaving hints of what is to come or the intentions or motivations of the characters. The balance of narrative perspective varies a bit more in this one that in the first, but it is fitting to the story given the circumstances that Lara and Aren initially find themselves in, and the fact that less is hidden about the kingdom of Ithicana as a whole in this novel. The pacing has also picked up, and this is likely due to the stakes being higher, Lara and Aren always had a threat to their lives hanging over their heads, but the threat is much more immediate throughout these pages and it makes for a page turner.
The guilt of both Lara and Aren is portrayed well throughout, delving into the complexities and the volatility of their emotions as they work to free Ithicana and deal with their consequences of their choices, their relationship and the lingering feelings that they may have for each other. I think that Jensen explores Aren's guilt especially well through the expanding of his perspective. Not only is he a king who's kingdom has suffered because of his choices, but he cannot seem to help himself from continuing to make those damning choices that made his people suffer those losses in the first place. All of this is done however, without over complicating (or perhaps bloating is a better word) the narration.
The primary reason that I cannot rate this 5 stars like I did the initial installment is the ending. Perhaps it just felt too rushed when it was all said it done, and I can tell that while Lara and Aren's story has predominately come to a close, Keris and Zarrah's story will be taking off in the third book and the political entanglements have certainly not come to a close, especially not after it was revealed that Keris is Lara's full brother rather than half brother, and now he sit's on one throne and she sits on another . So we'll see Lara and Aren again I'm sure I just wanted something a little more for the final chapter between the two of them, and I guess I'll leave it at that, we'll see what happens in the third book.
The guilt of both Lara and Aren is portrayed well throughout, delving into the complexities and the volatility of their emotions as they work to free Ithicana and deal with their consequences of their choices, their relationship and the lingering feelings that they may have for each other. I think that Jensen explores Aren's guilt especially well through the expanding of his perspective. Not only is he a king who's kingdom has suffered because of his choices, but he cannot seem to help himself from continuing to make those damning choices that made his people suffer those losses in the first place. All of this is done however, without over complicating (or perhaps bloating is a better word) the narration.
The primary reason that I cannot rate this 5 stars like I did the initial installment is the ending. Perhaps it just felt too rushed when it was all said it done, and I can tell that while Lara and Aren's story has predominately come to a close, Keris and Zarrah's story will be taking off in the third book and the political entanglements have certainly not come to a close, especially not after it was revealed that
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Drug use, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Alcoholism
izzy_reads's review against another edition
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Torture, and Violence
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