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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
That said, even though the romance was muddled—especially from Oak’s POV, watching Wren shift from a fragile, open girl into a cold, calculating queen—it still felt authentic. Their dynamic is exactly what I’d expect from two people like them, shaped by manipulation, mistrust, and impossible circumstances. Star-crossed lovers of sorts, trying to balance power struggles and survival, rather than build a relationship on complete trust.
Switching to Oak’s POV in the second book was interesting. I liked the perspective, partly because it made Suren seem extremely untrustworthy. Holly did a phenomenal job with the character arcs and dynamics. This book felt darker than the first, and the shift in Wren’s character was impactful. Her arc made sense for someone who had endured what she had, and it was believable that those around her would view her warily. If the story had been told from her POV again, I think it would have lessened the tension and weakened the overall narrative. In fact, it likely would have felt too much like The Cruel Prince trilogy, where Jude’s POV kept readers in the loop about her schemes. I feel that if The Wicked King had been written in Cardan’s POV, it would have had a similar feel to this duology—Cardan (and the reader) in the dark, while Jude manipulated and schemed, sharing as little as possible. As a reader, I usually prefer being inside the head of the most secretive character, but here I actually appreciated not having that POV.
That said, there were a few things I didn’t get:
1. Once Wren had the throne, I don’t understand why she didn’t immediately get rid of Bogdana—unless Bogdana already had Bex by that point? I’m still unclear on when exactly the kidnapping happened. Why not force Bogdana to swear loyalty as soon as she could? I suppose that would have been too easy, and it would have shortened the story significantly, lol.
2. I also took issue with Oak’s lack of communication. I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope, and while I understand why he kept certain things secret, I can’t figure out why he didn’t just say outright that he wasn’t involved in Cardan’s assassination attempt while they were in the tent on the island. He could have eased some of the mistrust with his family right then, especially since everything else was already falling apart and it was hard enough to tell allies from enemies.
All that aside, the story wrapped up well, and I really did enjoy it.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
0 Spice 🚫🌶️
It was good. I really liked the writing and the characters but man was the pacing a little all over the place. And then it suddenly picked up in the third act in a bit of a rush. I definitely liked the Cruel Prince trilogy more then this duology but it was fun seeing the world and beloved characters again.
0 Spice 🚫🌶️
It was good. I really liked the writing and the characters but man was the pacing a little all over the place. And then it suddenly picked up in the third act in a bit of a rush. I definitely liked the Cruel Prince trilogy more then this duology but it was fun seeing the world and beloved characters again.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes