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A review by avid_reader_96
King's Bride by Beck Michaels
4.0
Favorite quotes:
“But I believed you would never want me, for why would the beauty ever choose the beast?””
“We don’t ever truly die,” she whispered. “We only change worlds,” Jökull replied. “And I need you in this one.””
“he shook his head. “You were meant to be on my side of things. Don’t force me to be your villain. Don’t do that to me.””
“And for all the other women who had their lives stolen from them. Their attackers threatened pain or humiliation if they fought back, but they still hurt them. Better to hurt them, too. To leave their own mark and make sure it cost them the same.”
— King's Bride (Chronicles of Urn Book 1) by Beck Michaels
Beck Michaels knows how to weave a tale! I don’t know where to begin unpacking this. It was definitely a fantasy novel worth reading. There were so many gems buried throughout the story: grief, loss, trauma, neglect, self-esteem/self-love, etc.
I love a fictional story that can resonate with real life problems, like healing from sexual assault. There is a trigger warning in the book but Sunnëva healing is done really well. It isn’t quick or glossed over. Her character actually grows. Jökull doesn’t experience as much growth, except learning to compromise, but Sunnëva’s perception of him changes naturally. He changes her. He does it subtly.
Jökull is so swoon worthy. However, his behavior toward our heroine in the beginning caused me to put it down and pick it back up later. I was burnt out on MMC treating their FMC like crap. It doesn’t take long to realize Jökull won’t hurt her, he was all bark. She remains wary of him and they do experience a little of the miscommunication trope but it becomes very evident early on he won’t mistreat her or allow anyone else to. Their relationship could be describe as a slow burn but he fell first, she fell harder and it was beautifully written. There was a perfect balance between spice and plot which is rare these days.
I absolutely loved this book. And Rumiel (our antagonist) is a “villian” I can see being given a redemption arc. Except for his actions toward the end of the book, he didn’t appear to be all that bad. Or maybe I like tortured hero’s and he has the makings of one.
Reasons for 4 stars instead of 5:
It is a slow burn but be warned our main characters don’t “consummate” until the 70% mark or so. Their relationship from there is solidified but some things felt rushed.
The big battle was a little anticlimactic
We’re not really given a reason for Rumiel not wanting to leave, we’re given a very vague explanation
The epilogue was definitely more telling than showing. The story telling was nonexistent in that “chapter”
But these are all small things that don’t really subtract from what a great book this was. I can’t wait to see what Beck does next with this series. I will absolutely read the next book and recommend this one to anyone that would listen.
“But I believed you would never want me, for why would the beauty ever choose the beast?””
“We don’t ever truly die,” she whispered. “We only change worlds,” Jökull replied. “And I need you in this one.””
“he shook his head. “You were meant to be on my side of things. Don’t force me to be your villain. Don’t do that to me.””
“And for all the other women who had their lives stolen from them. Their attackers threatened pain or humiliation if they fought back, but they still hurt them. Better to hurt them, too. To leave their own mark and make sure it cost them the same.”
— King's Bride (Chronicles of Urn Book 1) by Beck Michaels
Beck Michaels knows how to weave a tale! I don’t know where to begin unpacking this. It was definitely a fantasy novel worth reading. There were so many gems buried throughout the story: grief, loss, trauma, neglect, self-esteem/self-love, etc.
I love a fictional story that can resonate with real life problems, like healing from sexual assault. There is a trigger warning in the book but Sunnëva healing is done really well. It isn’t quick or glossed over. Her character actually grows. Jökull doesn’t experience as much growth, except learning to compromise, but Sunnëva’s perception of him changes naturally. He changes her. He does it subtly.
Jökull is so swoon worthy. However, his behavior toward our heroine in the beginning caused me to put it down and pick it back up later. I was burnt out on MMC treating their FMC like crap. It doesn’t take long to realize Jökull won’t hurt her, he was all bark. She remains wary of him and they do experience a little of the miscommunication trope but it becomes very evident early on he won’t mistreat her or allow anyone else to. Their relationship could be describe as a slow burn but he fell first, she fell harder and it was beautifully written. There was a perfect balance between spice and plot which is rare these days.
I absolutely loved this book. And Rumiel (our antagonist) is a “villian” I can see being given a redemption arc. Except for his actions toward the end of the book, he didn’t appear to be all that bad. Or maybe I like tortured hero’s and he has the makings of one.
Reasons for 4 stars instead of 5:
It is a slow burn but be warned our main characters don’t “consummate” until the 70% mark or so. Their relationship from there is solidified but some things felt rushed.
The big battle was a little anticlimactic
We’re not really given a reason for Rumiel not wanting to leave, we’re given a very vague explanation
The epilogue was definitely more telling than showing. The story telling was nonexistent in that “chapter”
But these are all small things that don’t really subtract from what a great book this was. I can’t wait to see what Beck does next with this series. I will absolutely read the next book and recommend this one to anyone that would listen.