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A review by books_over_everything
Kingdom Cold by Brittni Chenelle
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.