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notsobinaryart's review
Compared to Alyssa Cole’s other books in the series, this one seems much less cheery and hopeful. The constant manipulation and gaslighting from one of the significant side characters made the read not entertaining for me. The blatant misogyny also was something I didn’t expect to bother me as much as it did, but it was so severe in this country’s culture (or at least in their politics) that I couldn’t personally find enjoyment.
This isn’t to say it’s a bad book, but I would say to know what to expect before reading this book.
This isn’t to say it’s a bad book, but I would say to know what to expect before reading this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Abandonment and Emotional abuse
bubblesofbayla's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
3.0
pewterwolf's review
3.0
3.5 Stars.
I had such high hopes with this. Such high hopes! And yet, it didn't hit the heights. There are moments and ideas that work and I wanted more from, and yet there are others that just didn't.
A big issue I had was the romance. This is a marriage of convenience and our two leads - Shanti and Sanyu - fall in love. But the romance between them is... well... non-existent. There is instant attraction, but we rarely see this. And them falling in love with each other... I didn't see it. It's hard to warm to a royal romance novel if there is no romance. Maybe this should love yourself story...
I liked both leads: Shanti, who has always wanted to be queen so she can do some good, but feeling like she can't do any as she is a woman in a male dominated society with men around her who thought Queens should be quiet, pretty and gentle (basically, seen and not heard). The complete opposite to who she is (I found I kept reading this because of Shanti. I instantly liked her and she was one of the main reasons I kept reading/audiobooking this).
Sanyu took a little longer to warm to. He's trying to figure out how to be a good king like his father, but struggling with anxiety and grief (I liked how Alyssa tackled mental health). But the reason who it'll take longer for people to warm to Sanyu is because he blindly follows his his advisor, an almost father-like figure. There feel like there are signs of emotional abuse he gave to Sanyu as a child and, not only that, the advisor seems determined to keep the kingdom as it was and, because of this, he would undermine Sanyu and do things behind his back (and OOOOH, I hated the advisor SO MUCH. I do understand why he was doing/saying what he was [I don't agree with him in the slightest and I wish Sanyu saw it and spoke up sooner, but I found him sexist, a misogynist and other things that made me want to DNF this multiply times!).
And other things didn't work. The ending felt rushed (example is Sanyu and his relationship with his advisor. That felt really rushed and didn't feel true to the either characters) and things were revealed and some of them had no clue.
But I keep coming back to the romance. There's no romance in this and that is the book's biggest problem. I wanted to root for Sanyu and Shanti and root for their happily ever after, but there was nothing to root for. I rooted for Shanti and Sanyu separately, but not together. Hell, there was a good chunk of this book that I was rooting for Shanti alone and was waiting for her to go all Shonda Rhimes on me and her to say something like this:
This book had potential, and some of the potential was on point and met. Others not so much. But I do have two other Alyssa Cole books - [book:A Prince on Paper|38622940] & [b:When No One is Watching|49398072|When No One is Watching|Alyssa Cole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585146341l/49398072._SY75_.jpg|73236183] - so intrigued to see what these are going to be like.
I had such high hopes with this. Such high hopes! And yet, it didn't hit the heights. There are moments and ideas that work and I wanted more from, and yet there are others that just didn't.
A big issue I had was the romance. This is a marriage of convenience and our two leads - Shanti and Sanyu - fall in love. But the romance between them is... well... non-existent. There is instant attraction, but we rarely see this. And them falling in love with each other... I didn't see it. It's hard to warm to a royal romance novel if there is no romance. Maybe this should love yourself story...
I liked both leads: Shanti, who has always wanted to be queen so she can do some good, but feeling like she can't do any as she is a woman in a male dominated society with men around her who thought Queens should be quiet, pretty and gentle (basically, seen and not heard). The complete opposite to who she is (I found I kept reading this because of Shanti. I instantly liked her and she was one of the main reasons I kept reading/audiobooking this).
Sanyu took a little longer to warm to. He's trying to figure out how to be a good king like his father, but struggling with anxiety and grief (I liked how Alyssa tackled mental health). But the reason who it'll take longer for people to warm to Sanyu is because he blindly follows his his advisor, an almost father-like figure. There feel like there are signs of emotional abuse he gave to Sanyu as a child and, not only that, the advisor seems determined to keep the kingdom as it was and, because of this, he would undermine Sanyu and do things behind his back (and OOOOH, I hated the advisor SO MUCH. I do understand why he was doing/saying what he was [I don't agree with him in the slightest and I wish Sanyu saw it and spoke up sooner, but I found him sexist, a misogynist and other things that made me want to DNF this multiply times!).
And other things didn't work. The ending felt rushed (example is Sanyu and his relationship with his advisor. That felt really rushed and didn't feel true to the either characters) and things were revealed and some of them had no clue.
But I keep coming back to the romance. There's no romance in this and that is the book's biggest problem. I wanted to root for Sanyu and Shanti and root for their happily ever after, but there was nothing to root for. I rooted for Shanti and Sanyu separately, but not together. Hell, there was a good chunk of this book that I was rooting for Shanti alone and was waiting for her to go all Shonda Rhimes on me and her to say something like this:
This book had potential, and some of the potential was on point and met. Others not so much. But I do have two other Alyssa Cole books - [book:A Prince on Paper|38622940] & [b:When No One is Watching|49398072|When No One is Watching|Alyssa Cole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585146341l/49398072._SY75_.jpg|73236183] - so intrigued to see what these are going to be like.
rants_n_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
annie_the_lesbrarian's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really liked Alyssa Cole’s writing, I just think the story wasn’t for me.
luizalikesbooks's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
andrea_author's review
5.0
Shanti has achieved her childhood dream of becoming a queen—but there's a catch: there's a 4-month trial period. No queen in the country's history has been invited to stay permanently.
Sanyu II is mourning the death of his father and convinced he has no chance of succeeding as absolute monarch of the kingdom he inherited. He agreed to the arranged marriage because it was his father's dying wish. Sanyu has no desire to get attached to his bride, when all the queens before her were forced to leave.
But Shanti has different ideas. She doesn't need love, but she does want to help Sanyu come into his own as monarch, and bring his country into the twenty-first century. But will she get the chance, when the patriarchal system insists on her silence?
Alyssa Cole has created a fascinating world in this fictional African kingdom. She did a brilliant job of depicting a despotic monarch who's driven by fear of failure—and the wise wife who helps him find his strength and his identity as a compassionate leader.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.
Sanyu II is mourning the death of his father and convinced he has no chance of succeeding as absolute monarch of the kingdom he inherited. He agreed to the arranged marriage because it was his father's dying wish. Sanyu has no desire to get attached to his bride, when all the queens before her were forced to leave.
But Shanti has different ideas. She doesn't need love, but she does want to help Sanyu come into his own as monarch, and bring his country into the twenty-first century. But will she get the chance, when the patriarchal system insists on her silence?
Alyssa Cole has created a fascinating world in this fictional African kingdom. She did a brilliant job of depicting a despotic monarch who's driven by fear of failure—and the wise wife who helps him find his strength and his identity as a compassionate leader.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.
mizpurplest's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
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? Yes
3.5
holdenehlinger's review
4.0
Read this for hours straight on a plane which is one of my favorite things ever. I feel like my interest started to wane towards the end, still really enjoyed it though. I picked up this book because I’d heard good thing about Alyssa Cole and I’ll definitely read another book by her.
-> “true intelligence always questions, even if it means questioning itself.”
-> “humans are terrible, and somehow they think they will get better just because they have a ring on their finger from another terrible human.” (
-> “true intelligence always questions, even if it means questioning itself.”
-> “humans are terrible, and somehow they think they will get better just because they have a ring on their finger from another terrible human.” (