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lilshell's review against another edition
3.0
I was given this ARC on NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions on the book. I read the description of this novel and I was drawn to it. I thought it seemed like a book I would usually enjoy and it happened to be just that. I rated this book 3.5/5 stars. Although I enjoyed the novel there were a few aspects which I felt let the book down on an overall rating. The character’s development throughout this short book was one of my favorite features. Each of the character’s personalities were very different from one another and it was a very inclusive book.
“Dying wasn’t my intention” is a great attention grabber as the first line in a book. I was instantly hooked in. The main character Charlotte is an independent princess with no intention of accepting her arranged marriage by her parents. The Prince she has been arranged to marry however is a very quiet boy who just wants to honor his commitment to his own father and Charlotte’s. There is a war ongoing throughout the book and therefore this forced marriage is in order to build an alliance, however it becomes far more complicated than just that. To reiterate, the character development was actually used perfectly. As it is a relatively short book I didn’t expect to see such growth in the characters and I was very impressed. There were equally as many characters to love, to hate and to have a love/hate relationship with.
The book gets straight into the center of the business so you’re not given much time to understand the context of the book before there is a full on war. However with the fast pace at the beginning of the book it ran short on fuel around half-way through. It began to get a small bit messy and confusing. There were a lot of moments where I believed characters had been declared dead, but then they weren’t and all of a sudden they were dead again. However, there were many twists and turns you would not expect which added to the excitement of the plot.
Despite this, the book has many things to offer including romance, action, death and it was even humorous in parts.
Overall it is a quick, interesting and an enjoyable read. It is easy to connect with the characters. The end of each chapter is a mini-cliffhanger making you want to read on. However, the plot lacked in parts, became a bit messy and difficult to follow. Other than this it was a great book and I would recommend reading if you’re looking for a relatively short fantasy-romance novel. It is yet another book you made need the tissues on hand for, I certainly did. Thank you again to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.
“Dying wasn’t my intention” is a great attention grabber as the first line in a book. I was instantly hooked in. The main character Charlotte is an independent princess with no intention of accepting her arranged marriage by her parents. The Prince she has been arranged to marry however is a very quiet boy who just wants to honor his commitment to his own father and Charlotte’s. There is a war ongoing throughout the book and therefore this forced marriage is in order to build an alliance, however it becomes far more complicated than just that. To reiterate, the character development was actually used perfectly. As it is a relatively short book I didn’t expect to see such growth in the characters and I was very impressed. There were equally as many characters to love, to hate and to have a love/hate relationship with.
The book gets straight into the center of the business so you’re not given much time to understand the context of the book before there is a full on war. However with the fast pace at the beginning of the book it ran short on fuel around half-way through. It began to get a small bit messy and confusing. There were a lot of moments where I believed characters had been declared dead, but then they weren’t and all of a sudden they were dead again. However, there were many twists and turns you would not expect which added to the excitement of the plot.
Despite this, the book has many things to offer including romance, action, death and it was even humorous in parts.
Overall it is a quick, interesting and an enjoyable read. It is easy to connect with the characters. The end of each chapter is a mini-cliffhanger making you want to read on. However, the plot lacked in parts, became a bit messy and difficult to follow. Other than this it was a great book and I would recommend reading if you’re looking for a relatively short fantasy-romance novel. It is yet another book you made need the tissues on hand for, I certainly did. Thank you again to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.
hheiling's review against another edition
1.0
1,5*
That book read like a middle / high school drama in the worst way.
The characters were so fickle.
I mean the story was about a kingdom under near constant siege and war and the characters are wondering if they are in love and with whom. And the connection between the love interests was so not believable.
It was very short, that's why I finished the book.
That book read like a middle / high school drama in the worst way.
The characters were so fickle.
I mean the story was about a kingdom under near constant siege and war and the characters are wondering if they are in love and with whom. And the connection between the love interests was so not believable.
It was very short, that's why I finished the book.
ashton_reads_'s review against another edition
3.0
2.5/5
I wish this book felt more mature and professional, but it was full of twists and turns!
One nit-picky thing I do want to mention is the use of unnecessary stuff, like weird sentences that don’t fit into the plot, or cliffhangers and plot points that don’t amount to anything. Everything that’s written needs to have a purpose to the plot, the characters, something.
The plot didn’t feel too rushed, necessarily, but the characters surely did. Their feelings were all over the place and they didn’t make sense most of the time, if they were even explained. In those moments, it feels as if the author tried to “show, not tell” but she didn’t show enough. And the romance? Needed a whole lot more development than it had, as well.
Brittni Chenelle has a lot of potential, but her characters and some other nit-picky things need a LOT of work. However, I was entertained enough to give it the rating I did. Entertainment while reading means a lot to me, because that’s one of the biggest reasons I read. And ultimately I was entertained, and I was invested enough in the main characters (Charlotte and Young) that I wanted to know what would happen to them.
So, basically what I’m trying to say is that my purpose here isn’t to shoot down an author (who by the way is self-published, an amazing feat in itself); my purpose is to hopefully shine some constructive criticism over this novel. And I know this review sounds really negative, but I did enjoy this book, so maybe you will too!
(PS thank you to Brittni Chenelle for giving me a free ebook copy of her book in exchange for an honest review!)
Oh, and if you enjoyed this review, you can follow me here on Goodreads or on my book-devoted Instagram @ashton_reads! Au revoir!
I wish this book felt more mature and professional, but it was full of twists and turns!
One nit-picky thing I do want to mention is the use of unnecessary stuff, like weird sentences that don’t fit into the plot, or cliffhangers and plot points that don’t amount to anything. Everything that’s written needs to have a purpose to the plot, the characters, something.
The plot didn’t feel too rushed, necessarily, but the characters surely did. Their feelings were all over the place and they didn’t make sense most of the time, if they were even explained. In those moments, it feels as if the author tried to “show, not tell” but she didn’t show enough. And the romance? Needed a whole lot more development than it had, as well.
Brittni Chenelle has a lot of potential, but her characters and some other nit-picky things need a LOT of work. However, I was entertained enough to give it the rating I did. Entertainment while reading means a lot to me, because that’s one of the biggest reasons I read. And ultimately I was entertained, and I was invested enough in the main characters (Charlotte and Young) that I wanted to know what would happen to them.
So, basically what I’m trying to say is that my purpose here isn’t to shoot down an author (who by the way is self-published, an amazing feat in itself); my purpose is to hopefully shine some constructive criticism over this novel. And I know this review sounds really negative, but I did enjoy this book, so maybe you will too!
(PS thank you to Brittni Chenelle for giving me a free ebook copy of her book in exchange for an honest review!)
Oh, and if you enjoyed this review, you can follow me here on Goodreads or on my book-devoted Instagram @ashton_reads! Au revoir!
books_over_everything's review against another edition
3.0
I was given a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Title Kingdom Cold
Author Brittni Chenelle
Description from Amazon
Attempted murder, that’s how sixteen-year-old Princess Charlotte’s engagement starts. It seems like the only thing she has in common with Prince Young of Vires is their mutual discontent.
When her kingdom’s attacked, Charlotte’s parents renegotiate her hand in marriage to a handsome stranger with a sinister plan. With the people Charlotte loves dying around her, and her kingdom’s future at stake, the only person she can turn to is the prince she betrayed. But, should she save her kingdom or her heart? One must fall.
Initial Thoughts
Since I was given a free eARC, I didn’t have too many initial thoughts about this book. It sounded interesting enough when I applied but I didn’t have a ton of feelings about it. The description offered on NetGalley is somewhat vague but, it did catch my eye.
Cover Art
Since this is an e-book, it’s difficult to discuss the “shelf appeal” of this book. However, I do think the cover art is pretty. I like cherry blossoms and I think they represent Prince Young’s “eastern” kingdom nicely.
I’m not a fan of how the crown is not centered under the title – my inner perfectionist actually hates this. If this were a physical book, it would never be a forward facing book on my shelf because of that imperfection.
Writing Style
I enjoyed the multiple POV, first person style in this book. I liked that minor characters were given POV chapters. It provided a different look at the situations unfolding.
Some Things I Wasn’t Crazy About
The ending. I hated the ending. I thought it was pretty unnecessary. Also, I totally didn’t see the plot connecting itself to a certain famous myth. No spoilers, but that seemed out of nowhere. There was one small reference to it earlier on, but I kind of wrote that off an as oversight.
Politics. In my opinion, the politics, which is the major driver of the plot, make no sense in this story. At one point, there are three young princes all in love with Charlotte who is basically described as so-so at best.
Final Thoughts
This book was ok. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either. I think it had a lot of potential but it fell short. The ending (that I didn’t like at all) shaped a lot of my opinion of the whole story.
However, despite it’s flaws, I want to give a special shout out to the fact that this was self-published. This was impressive work for one person to produce start to finish.
⭐⭐⭐⭐️
Recommendations for Further Reading
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson – the main female characters in both of these stories are similar. There is also a sense of arranged marriage for political alliances and the threat of war on one kingdom.
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson – Mary E. Pearson can do no wrong. Her writing is brilliant and amazing. If you liked the idea of arranged marriage, warring kingdoms, and multiple POVs – read this series.
The Traitor’s Game by Jennifer A. Nielsen – similar to The Remnant Chronicles Series, The Traitor’s Game is another story of arranged marriage and political alliances. There is also romance with a seemingly bratty princess type girl and a way to good for her nice guy.
Kingdom Soul by Brittni Chenelle – the sequel to Kingdom Cold coming in June of 2019.
Title Kingdom Cold
Author Brittni Chenelle
Description from Amazon
Attempted murder, that’s how sixteen-year-old Princess Charlotte’s engagement starts. It seems like the only thing she has in common with Prince Young of Vires is their mutual discontent.
When her kingdom’s attacked, Charlotte’s parents renegotiate her hand in marriage to a handsome stranger with a sinister plan. With the people Charlotte loves dying around her, and her kingdom’s future at stake, the only person she can turn to is the prince she betrayed. But, should she save her kingdom or her heart? One must fall.
Initial Thoughts
Since I was given a free eARC, I didn’t have too many initial thoughts about this book. It sounded interesting enough when I applied but I didn’t have a ton of feelings about it. The description offered on NetGalley is somewhat vague but, it did catch my eye.
Cover Art
Since this is an e-book, it’s difficult to discuss the “shelf appeal” of this book. However, I do think the cover art is pretty. I like cherry blossoms and I think they represent Prince Young’s “eastern” kingdom nicely.
I’m not a fan of how the crown is not centered under the title – my inner perfectionist actually hates this. If this were a physical book, it would never be a forward facing book on my shelf because of that imperfection.
Writing Style
I enjoyed the multiple POV, first person style in this book. I liked that minor characters were given POV chapters. It provided a different look at the situations unfolding.
Some Things I Wasn’t Crazy About
The ending. I hated the ending. I thought it was pretty unnecessary. Also, I totally didn’t see the plot connecting itself to a certain famous myth. No spoilers, but that seemed out of nowhere. There was one small reference to it earlier on, but I kind of wrote that off an as oversight.
Politics. In my opinion, the politics, which is the major driver of the plot, make no sense in this story. At one point, there are three young princes all in love with Charlotte who is basically described as so-so at best.
Final Thoughts
This book was ok. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either. I think it had a lot of potential but it fell short. The ending (that I didn’t like at all) shaped a lot of my opinion of the whole story.
However, despite it’s flaws, I want to give a special shout out to the fact that this was self-published. This was impressive work for one person to produce start to finish.
⭐⭐⭐⭐️
Recommendations for Further Reading
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson – the main female characters in both of these stories are similar. There is also a sense of arranged marriage for political alliances and the threat of war on one kingdom.
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson – Mary E. Pearson can do no wrong. Her writing is brilliant and amazing. If you liked the idea of arranged marriage, warring kingdoms, and multiple POVs – read this series.
The Traitor’s Game by Jennifer A. Nielsen – similar to The Remnant Chronicles Series, The Traitor’s Game is another story of arranged marriage and political alliances. There is also romance with a seemingly bratty princess type girl and a way to good for her nice guy.
Kingdom Soul by Brittni Chenelle – the sequel to Kingdom Cold coming in June of 2019.
aliasvalia's review against another edition
3.0
Characters 7
Atmosphere 5
Writing style 5
Plot 6
Intrigue 5
Logic 6
Enjoyment 6
Atmosphere 5
Writing style 5
Plot 6
Intrigue 5
Logic 6
Enjoyment 6
auburnedge's review against another edition
3.0
This is a very very tame game of thrones type story. There is an arranged marriage, battles, backstabbing, and a whole lot of other stuff going down. For me this was just a bit too much going on. I couldn't get fully into the characters but I did enjoy the amount of diversity that was shown.
lydiahephzibah's review against another edition
DNF @ 20%. Awful pacing, no backstory or world building, and undermines the diverse main characters by relying on old and uncomfortable stereotypes - biracial Charlotte is described as "caramel coloured" and Young, who is Asian, is described as having almond shapes eyes. The writing feels really immature, like a teenager's first draft that needs a looooot of work.
thehamsterreads's review against another edition
4.0
I first must point out how much I love the cover of this book! It’s absolutely beautiful! I really enjoyed this book a lot. It’s different than a lot of the other fantasy that I’ve read lately so that made it a fun read for me. It was a quick read and fast paced. I liked how much Charlotte grew over the course of the story, otherwise she would have annoyed me because she starts off so spoiled. Overall a very good read that I definitely recommend!
thewoollygeek's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this, yes the main character is very self centred but I found that more realistic given the age and I found it interesting, fast paced and fun. I can’t wait for the next book. An interesting fun read, great characters and good plot.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
taylorfennerwrites's review against another edition
Review and rating to come. Not sure where exactly to put this one yet and need to process for a while.