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A review by katharine_opal
Kiss of Treason by Brandi Spencer, Brandi Spencer
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
I am actually surprised how much I liked this one! I was expecting this to just be a fluffy romance set in a fantasy world, and not much more. The plot of this book has quite a bit of political intrigue! The politics of our main characters and their status within their society come heavily into play. The main characters are childhood friends, who have grown up alongside one another their entire lives. But Kennard is a prince, and Odelia is a commoner. Until Odelia finds out that her family history is not what she thought it was. I don't want to go more deeply into the plot for fear of spoiling it. The romance is solid! Both Kennard and Odelia are likable characters, and clearly have good chemistry with one another. None of their romance feels rushed or out of place, and their scenes together are enjoyable. I also liked the worldbuilding and powers system for this world! The story explains upfront how certain powers work within this world, and as the story goes on, naturally adds details on how certain powers work. I did laugh at the King CONSTANTLY transforming. Like, sir why are you transforming to say a single sentence, and then switching back? That actually ended up being explained, thankfully. There was one thing that did mildly annoy me and would take me out of the scene I was reading every so often. The use of the "curse word" that is "frog nuggets". Or worst yet, "flaming crusted frog nuggets". I understand that's a way of skirting around censorship and avoiding potential snafus. But...frog nuggets? Really? I struggle to think of what real-life curse word that phrase is replacing. BUT, this is a minor thing and only a personal pet peeve! If you don't care about lore-friendly fantasy curse words, it probably wouldn't bother you!
All in all, this is a solid little fantasy book! I noticed at the end, that it said there is a second book. The first book ends in a way that works perfectly as a stand-alone. But I am interested in potentially reading the second volume.
I am actually surprised how much I liked this one! I was expecting this to just be a fluffy romance set in a fantasy world, and not much more. The plot of this book has quite a bit of political intrigue! The politics of our main characters and their status within their society come heavily into play. The main characters are childhood friends, who have grown up alongside one another their entire lives. But Kennard is a prince, and Odelia is a commoner. Until Odelia finds out that her family history is not what she thought it was. I don't want to go more deeply into the plot for fear of spoiling it. The romance is solid! Both Kennard and Odelia are likable characters, and clearly have good chemistry with one another. None of their romance feels rushed or out of place, and their scenes together are enjoyable. I also liked the worldbuilding and powers system for this world! The story explains upfront how certain powers work within this world, and as the story goes on, naturally adds details on how certain powers work. I did laugh at the King CONSTANTLY transforming. Like, sir why are you transforming to say a single sentence, and then switching back? That actually ended up being explained, thankfully. There was one thing that did mildly annoy me and would take me out of the scene I was reading every so often. The use of the "curse word" that is "frog nuggets". Or worst yet, "flaming crusted frog nuggets". I understand that's a way of skirting around censorship and avoiding potential snafus. But...frog nuggets? Really? I struggle to think of what real-life curse word that phrase is replacing. BUT, this is a minor thing and only a personal pet peeve! If you don't care about lore-friendly fantasy curse words, it probably wouldn't bother you!
All in all, this is a solid little fantasy book! I noticed at the end, that it said there is a second book. The first book ends in a way that works perfectly as a stand-alone. But I am interested in potentially reading the second volume.