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hellobookbird 's review for:
The shattered king
by Charlie N. Holmberg
"My body for the crown. My blood for the Phoenix."
The kingdom of Cansere is on the brink of war. Young men are conscripted from their homes, and a royal decree from the queen has made healing the only legal form of craftlock. Nym, a healer and beekeeper, is the sole provider for her family of seven now that her younger brother has been sent to the warfront. But when a letter comes from the queen, summoning Nym to the palace to heal Prince Renn, the kingdom’s ailing shut-in, Nym finds herself making the tumultuous journey from her family’s apiary to the capital city. Nym is determined to fail the queen’s mission and return to her younger siblings as soon as she can.
But escaping the castle’s hold isn’t as easy as failing a simple test. Prince Renn is cold and distant, and his illness is nothing like Nym has ever seen before, nothing she could ever imagine treating. In a moment of connection with Prince Renn, Nym manages to remedy the faintest symptom of his ailment―only to discover that no healer before has made such progress. Forced to become the prince’s official healer and a ward of the castle, and with her only hope of returning to her family hinging on the prince’s recovery, Nym must navigate the castle’s cruel and twisted court and uncover the haunting truth behind Prince Renn’s illness―even as she finds herself irrevocably drawn to him.
I was a broken healer, a woman whose craft would become illegal the second he was whole again. A woman too shattered by men to allow another to break her.
HOLY WOW, I NEED BOOK TWO IMMEDIATELY.
This has become my absolute favorite of Holmberg's. It has everything: captive healer, recalcitrant prince, magical healing, a mystery illness, forced proximity, snobby royal to considerate friend, and BAM! WAR CONFLICT!
It has hints of To Poison a King and even a beauty and the beast-esque let-her-visit-family-even-though-he's-afraid-she-won't-come-back that brings them closer together and made me squeal but don't for a minute think it doesn't stand on its own.
Nym is down-to-earth, having been forced to grow up too soon. She takes care of her younger siblings and has since she was sixteen. I practically laughed maniacally whenever she would lose her temper, pointing out LOGICAL THINGS to the ridiculous demands of the nobility. She did get thrown into the dungeon for her troubles but honestly they needed a little lip. I enjoyed discovering more of her scars as she and the prince got closer. I rejoiced and was filled with happiness when she got to go home to see her family. I sighed dreamily when he confessed and wept with sympathy when she fought against herself. I would die for Nym.
Renn originally wasn't anything more than an unhappy and snobby prince with a hellish helicopter mother. But as he begins to see Nym more as a person rather than a tool, his personal growth is ASTOUNDING (but believable). He's smart, bookish, pretty, teasing, considerate, kind. He respects her boundaries. He isn't afraid to confess his feelings. He does the hard things and feels the good feelings. He shares in her wonder and enjoys being able to provide for her. He appreciates the sacrifices she makes and he tries to support her as much as he can. HE EVEN THROWS HIS MOTHER OUT OF HIS ROOM. The mama's boy! I WAS SO PROUD. YOU GO, RENN!
Outside of just loving the two of them, I was constantly fascinated by the craftlock of this world. Healing craftlock works by dowsing into a person's lumis (a magical manifestation of the body), each person having a different looking lumis with a different fix to their ailments. Nym is unique in that she can see death lines, making her a far more effective healer since she won't accidentally off someone. Renn is unique in that his lumis is (or at least, would have been) a kaleidoscope of color with various blown glass balls and baubles. I can just imagine just how beautiful it would be, even in its shattered state.
While war is an afterthought that's mentioned in the background most of the book, it hits hard in the last quarter and boy do things heat up quickly.
I cannot wait to see more of the other two craftlocks in book two: soulbinding and mindreading.
"I would worship you until my last breath."
"You owe me no promises."
"I would give you every oath, Nym."
Healer-centric fantasy lovers will eat this one up.
Major thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC! I've already pre-ordered this baby since I liked it so much.