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cala_p's review against another edition
2.0
Copy provided by the author.
This was the first book I got off a reviewing site called Booksirens. It was one that sounded the best. It was...okay. It started strong, and the writing was fairly good and had a good flow to it, but in a lot of ways the book fell short.
First off, I was bored. A princess is forced to marry a prince from another kingdom, and right before the wedding the castle is attacked by enemies. The prince then stays to help, but then is going to be executed, at the same time the princess is forced to marry the other prince. While the two work together to fix this and find the king. The attempt at drama was there, but it fell short.
Secondly, I was just confused. Said “other prince” “saved” her castle. At first, they hint that he’s the villain. Then it sounds like he is the one who drove the others away, but stayed to try to take over. And the Queen in all this--good or bad, I wasn’t sure. She seems to be working for or with the intruder prince, in exchange for her daughter’s hand, but often this doesn’t seem overly forced. Like she does play a level of villainy in this.
When the castle was attacked, prince/King-to-be helps the princess and her maid with help from his brother. When villain prince shows his true colors, the good prince’s brother gets captured, (Still not sure where he went), and the prince gets tossed into jail to be executed.
At the same time that the princess is working on saving him, she wants to look for her father. But, then so does the queen, who agrees to marry off her daughter to the villain in exchange for saving her husband from the other intruders. Again, what is her angle? Is this just super good writing or bad writing that never thought her through.
Third, the sad attempt at a love... triangle(s)? Square? While the princess and prince didn’t want to marry each other, while hiding out, they do form an attraction to one another. He’s also the only one she has left, so really, he’s her only help at this point. The maid then also starts to form an attraction, after one friendly conversation and a shared look. Again, though, the maid also only really just met him too. So when it comes down to it, the maid gets mad at the princess for possibly having to marry the villain (cause there’s a lot of choice here!) and for not loving the prince enough. If she was a longtime girlfriend or something, I would get it. But this was just a poorly executed love triangle. Then later turns out the prince's brother is in love with the princess too and at the same time, the maid loves him. All while the princess is “jealous” because she thinks he loves the mad since he refuses to go back to his kingdom. Why does she care?
Fourth, connected to that, the characters themselves weren’t the greatest. I couldn’t wrap my head around the princess. In one scene she’s crying and trying to make her maid/friend un-mad at her. In another she’s carrying swords and trying to be a bad a** and help a jailbreak. So which is it? I see she’s clearly related to her mother.
Time jumps by weeks but no indication of it. I’m really not quite sure of that ending.
I could see a good story here. I think it needed some more fleshing out and some finer plot details fixed. As is, it did fall flat for me.
This was the first book I got off a reviewing site called Booksirens. It was one that sounded the best. It was...okay. It started strong, and the writing was fairly good and had a good flow to it, but in a lot of ways the book fell short.
First off, I was bored. A princess is forced to marry a prince from another kingdom, and right before the wedding the castle is attacked by enemies. The prince then stays to help, but then is going to be executed, at the same time the princess is forced to marry the other prince. While the two work together to fix this and find the king. The attempt at drama was there, but it fell short.
Secondly, I was just confused. Said “other prince” “saved” her castle. At first, they hint that he’s the villain. Then it sounds like he is the one who drove the others away, but stayed to try to take over. And the Queen in all this--good or bad, I wasn’t sure. She seems to be working for or with the intruder prince, in exchange for her daughter’s hand, but often this doesn’t seem overly forced. Like she does play a level of villainy in this.
When the castle was attacked, prince/King-to-be helps the princess and her maid with help from his brother. When villain prince shows his true colors, the good prince’s brother gets captured, (Still not sure where he went), and the prince gets tossed into jail to be executed.
At the same time that the princess is working on saving him, she wants to look for her father. But, then so does the queen, who agrees to marry off her daughter to the villain in exchange for saving her husband from the other intruders. Again, what is her angle? Is this just super good writing or bad writing that never thought her through.
Third, the sad attempt at a love... triangle(s)? Square? While the princess and prince didn’t want to marry each other, while hiding out, they do form an attraction to one another. He’s also the only one she has left, so really, he’s her only help at this point. The maid then also starts to form an attraction, after one friendly conversation and a shared look. Again, though, the maid also only really just met him too. So when it comes down to it, the maid gets mad at the princess for possibly having to marry the villain (cause there’s a lot of choice here!) and for not loving the prince enough. If she was a longtime girlfriend or something, I would get it. But this was just a poorly executed love triangle. Then later turns out the prince's brother is in love with the princess too and at the same time, the maid loves him. All while the princess is “jealous” because she thinks he loves the mad since he refuses to go back to his kingdom. Why does she care?
Fourth, connected to that, the characters themselves weren’t the greatest. I couldn’t wrap my head around the princess. In one scene she’s crying and trying to make her maid/friend un-mad at her. In another she’s carrying swords and trying to be a bad a** and help a jailbreak. So which is it? I see she’s clearly related to her mother.
Time jumps by weeks but no indication of it. I’m really not quite sure of that ending.
I could see a good story here. I think it needed some more fleshing out and some finer plot details fixed. As is, it did fall flat for me.
sallashelves's review against another edition
3.0
Full review:
https://bookstoldmeso.blogspot.com/2019/02/review-kingdom-cold.html
I could have continued reading this book for another three hundred pages just to get to know the characters more. The potential is there, I truly hope the author will continue writing and develop more in-depth characters and worlds in the future as well!
https://bookstoldmeso.blogspot.com/2019/02/review-kingdom-cold.html
I could have continued reading this book for another three hundred pages just to get to know the characters more. The potential is there, I truly hope the author will continue writing and develop more in-depth characters and worlds in the future as well!
jackiehorne's review against another edition
Fantasy teen royals who talk and act like modern day characters, and a heroine who acts pretty ridiculously in the opening two chapters made me put this one aside pretty quickly.
bkclub4one's review against another edition
3.0
14/2/2019
15 days to go!
In the meantime, here is the trailer-> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4MVpsLZEt4
&
You can read my Arc review here
15 days to go!
In the meantime, here is the trailer-> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4MVpsLZEt4
&
You can read my Arc review here
ankysbookbubble's review against another edition
5.0
I finished this book in one sitting, that's how good it was. I loved how simple yet engaging it was.
I loved how much the characters evolved throughout the story, how Charlotte transformed from a spoiled princess to a brave queen; how Young transformed from an ambitious prince to a loving husband and king. The story was all so well written, and though I'd originally hoped it'd be a standalone—since it's a review copy and I hate waiting for sequels—now I wish it was the beginning of a series because I want more.
I wished the story could have lasted longer, but I liked how well the author wrapped it up, though that does not mean I liked the ending. It shattered me.
I want to tell the author off for that spectacularly heart breaking ending, but even so, I know the story wouldn't have had the same impact on me if not for that ending.
So, I'll definitely recommend you to read Kingdom Cold if you're looking for some YA fantasy that will sweep you off into its tale.
I loved how much the characters evolved throughout the story, how Charlotte transformed from a spoiled princess to a brave queen; how Young transformed from an ambitious prince to a loving husband and king. The story was all so well written, and though I'd originally hoped it'd be a standalone—since it's a review copy and I hate waiting for sequels—now I wish it was the beginning of a series because I want more.
I wished the story could have lasted longer, but I liked how well the author wrapped it up, though that does not mean I liked the ending. It shattered me.
I want to tell the author off for that spectacularly heart breaking ending, but even so, I know the story wouldn't have had the same impact on me if not for that ending.
So, I'll definitely recommend you to read Kingdom Cold if you're looking for some YA fantasy that will sweep you off into its tale.
bethtabler's review against another edition
3.0
An eARC of this novel was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to desperately like this book. The cover was cute; the story sounded interesting and enticing, and the character's where culturally diverse, but it didn't sing for me, and that's ok. Not all stories sing for every person who reads them.
The story follows a cast of royalty through an arranged marriage, betrayal, war, unrequited love, and then eventual marriage. There are many bumps on the way, much like a tamer and more kind version of Game of Thrones.
There are some excellent parts of this story. Firstly, Chenelle wrote a very diverse story culturally. The two leads of the novel, Prince Gray and Princess Charlotte are of Asian and African heritage respectively. I like that; I also like how Chenelle wrote the settings, memories, and environments of the characters reflecting those upbringings. It is not something you often see in literature, and it is not something you see done that isn't ham-fisted. The author was not throwing up her diversity flag yelling, "hey look at what I did!" She wrote it with class and sensitivity as is befitting. The characters culture is not a thing, it is a part of who they are, and that is how it should be written.
Secondly, I liked the leads in the story, especially Gray. Gray changed and developed as a character; he became more of himself if that makes sense. I love his progression as a person and leader and felt like he was an exceptional counterpart to Princess Charlotte. Charlotte also demonstrated growth. She started the novel as a typical teenage child with ordinary problems and ended as a scarred, but more emotionally mature adult.
Thirdly, the love story was charming. I don't want to give too much away, but as the story progresses and the characters mature the bond that develops between the personalities is written well and is lovely.
The good of the story did not outweigh what did not work for me. I had a difficult time with the points of view changing from chapter to chapter. On the one hand, the multiple points of view were there to lend many voices to the story and/or scene, but they sounded very similar in much of the book. So it became both confusing and repetitious. It did get better as the story progressed, but I found it difficult connecting with any one character aspect because of the shaky beginning.
Also, I found that the story lacked the necessary detail to build a clear picture of events. We hopped from moment to moment before I could get a visual representation of the scene in my head. Again, this led to a disconnection to the characters and the setting.
The plot progression was strange for me also. The events of this story could easily fill three books but are reduced down to a distilled short single book. This seems like an awful missed opportunity. It would have made a killer trilogy.
Brittni Chenelle wrote a solid YA love story. Although the story is plagued with technical problems like pacing, POV, and lack of detail, the central love theme was successful, and the ending comes as quite a shock. Give it a try. It wasn't for me, but maybe it will be for you.
I wanted to desperately like this book. The cover was cute; the story sounded interesting and enticing, and the character's where culturally diverse, but it didn't sing for me, and that's ok. Not all stories sing for every person who reads them.
The story follows a cast of royalty through an arranged marriage, betrayal, war, unrequited love, and then eventual marriage. There are many bumps on the way, much like a tamer and more kind version of Game of Thrones.
There are some excellent parts of this story. Firstly, Chenelle wrote a very diverse story culturally. The two leads of the novel, Prince Gray and Princess Charlotte are of Asian and African heritage respectively. I like that; I also like how Chenelle wrote the settings, memories, and environments of the characters reflecting those upbringings. It is not something you often see in literature, and it is not something you see done that isn't ham-fisted. The author was not throwing up her diversity flag yelling, "hey look at what I did!" She wrote it with class and sensitivity as is befitting. The characters culture is not a thing, it is a part of who they are, and that is how it should be written.
Secondly, I liked the leads in the story, especially Gray. Gray changed and developed as a character; he became more of himself if that makes sense. I love his progression as a person and leader and felt like he was an exceptional counterpart to Princess Charlotte. Charlotte also demonstrated growth. She started the novel as a typical teenage child with ordinary problems and ended as a scarred, but more emotionally mature adult.
Thirdly, the love story was charming. I don't want to give too much away, but as the story progresses and the characters mature the bond that develops between the personalities is written well and is lovely.
The good of the story did not outweigh what did not work for me. I had a difficult time with the points of view changing from chapter to chapter. On the one hand, the multiple points of view were there to lend many voices to the story and/or scene, but they sounded very similar in much of the book. So it became both confusing and repetitious. It did get better as the story progressed, but I found it difficult connecting with any one character aspect because of the shaky beginning.
Also, I found that the story lacked the necessary detail to build a clear picture of events. We hopped from moment to moment before I could get a visual representation of the scene in my head. Again, this led to a disconnection to the characters and the setting.
The plot progression was strange for me also. The events of this story could easily fill three books but are reduced down to a distilled short single book. This seems like an awful missed opportunity. It would have made a killer trilogy.
Brittni Chenelle wrote a solid YA love story. Although the story is plagued with technical problems like pacing, POV, and lack of detail, the central love theme was successful, and the ending comes as quite a shock. Give it a try. It wasn't for me, but maybe it will be for you.
romantasylife's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
I knew I wanted to read this book as soon as I read the synopsis that Brittni emailed me. I mean, who doesn't want to read a book about a girl who attempts to kill her betrothed? Sign me up! I'm so glad I agreed to read this book.
Likes:
I loved Charlotte as a character. Always trying to do what's right by her kingdom and most of all, her friend. She does whatever she can. Even if that means marrying someone that you don't want to. She's also just a sixteen-year-old girl who doesn't want to be queen. She just wants to be normal!
I loved that there were so many twists and turns. I feel like anything could have happened in this book. Quite a few things did happen that I was not expecting at all. It's a great book to keep you on your toes.
The drama. Oh, the drama. I live for it. I loved the love triangle and the arranged marriages. I really wish this book as written for either new adult or adults because I believe this book would have been a magnificent smutty read. (That's basically the only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars.)
I loved Minseo! Honestly, I think they should have ended up together in the end. I need to know why Charlotte didn't jump on that. I definitely would have.
Dislikes:
I need more. I want more Minseo! I need more Minseo! Brittni better give me a book of Minseo. That's all I have to say.
Final Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. I honestly feel like I could have devoured this book in one sitting if I didn't have to work or anything. It's addictive. I was constantly wanting to know what was going to happen next. I'm definitely planning on reading more of Brittni's work in the future. Thank you so much for finding my blog and asking me to read this fun book!
5/5 Stars
I knew I wanted to read this book as soon as I read the synopsis that Brittni emailed me. I mean, who doesn't want to read a book about a girl who attempts to kill her betrothed? Sign me up! I'm so glad I agreed to read this book.
Likes:
I loved Charlotte as a character. Always trying to do what's right by her kingdom and most of all, her friend. She does whatever she can. Even if that means marrying someone that you don't want to. She's also just a sixteen-year-old girl who doesn't want to be queen. She just wants to be normal!
I loved that there were so many twists and turns. I feel like anything could have happened in this book. Quite a few things did happen that I was not expecting at all. It's a great book to keep you on your toes.
The drama. Oh, the drama. I live for it. I loved the love triangle and the arranged marriages. I really wish this book as written for either new adult or adults because I believe this book would have been a magnificent smutty read. (That's basically the only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars.)
I loved Minseo! Honestly, I think they should have ended up together in the end. I need to know why Charlotte didn't jump on that. I definitely would have.
Dislikes:
I need more. I want more Minseo! I need more Minseo! Brittni better give me a book of Minseo. That's all I have to say.
Final Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. I honestly feel like I could have devoured this book in one sitting if I didn't have to work or anything. It's addictive. I was constantly wanting to know what was going to happen next. I'm definitely planning on reading more of Brittni's work in the future. Thank you so much for finding my blog and asking me to read this fun book!
5/5 Stars
curls's review against another edition
2.0
Charlotte is only sixteen when she is going to be given in marriage as an alliance to a powerful country with a strong military.
Young is the youngest prince who is unexpectedly gaining a kingdom. Charlotte doesn’t want to get married, and impulsively shoots an arrow at him when he arrives. Their marriage is off to a great start.
"I'm Prince Young of Vires," I said, bowing deeply. My mind raced.
I'll never love you.
I continued. "It's an honor to meet you."
You tried to kill me.
Thankfully it is canceled when enemies attack the castle- forcing them to run.
This is a plot driven story without a lot of character development. It makes me think of younger (middle grade) works that have a lot of action but not a lot of characterization. But then there are talks about the consummation of the marriage that wouldn’t make this appropriate for very young readers.
It has several POV - Princess Charlotte, Prince Young, Milly the ladies maid, Prince Emmett of the rival kingdom, Prince Minseo Young’s older brother. I really grew to like Young - he’s a honorable guy.
The ending was surprising. Especially when the author announced that it is part one of three. This book could be read as a stand-alone.
Ultimately I didn’t care for it. This feels like a first draft. It’s too heavy on plot twists without character development. Emmett was the only voice that was really unique, and that’s because of his arrogance. I am giving it one extra star for the ending.
Free on Kindle Unlimited.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Young is the youngest prince who is unexpectedly gaining a kingdom. Charlotte doesn’t want to get married, and impulsively shoots an arrow at him when he arrives. Their marriage is off to a great start.
"I'm Prince Young of Vires," I said, bowing deeply. My mind raced.
I'll never love you.
I continued. "It's an honor to meet you."
You tried to kill me.
Thankfully it is canceled when enemies attack the castle- forcing them to run.
This is a plot driven story without a lot of character development. It makes me think of younger (middle grade) works that have a lot of action but not a lot of characterization. But then there are talks about the consummation of the marriage that wouldn’t make this appropriate for very young readers.
It has several POV - Princess Charlotte, Prince Young, Milly the ladies maid, Prince Emmett of the rival kingdom, Prince Minseo Young’s older brother. I really grew to like Young - he’s a honorable guy.
The ending was surprising. Especially when the author announced that it is part one of three. This book could be read as a stand-alone.
Ultimately I didn’t care for it. This feels like a first draft. It’s too heavy on plot twists without character development. Emmett was the only voice that was really unique, and that’s because of his arrogance. I am giving it one extra star for the ending.
Free on Kindle Unlimited.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
suphybaby's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Death