A review by caaleros
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

4.0

Lara and her sisters were taken away from their mothers by their father, the King of Maridrina, when they were 5 and trained to be the perfect spies and assassins. But only one daughter would be chosen to fulfill the marriage alliance with their enemy kingdom, Ithicana. As queen she would learn enough about the Ithicana to take over the highly sought after bridge that enables trade.

But as Lara becomes a part of Ithicana in order to destroy it, she's beginning to question everything she believes about the two kingdoms she's connected to. Will she fulfill her mission? Or will her loyalty be to Ithicana and its King?

"The Bridge Kingdom" has great world-building, likeable characters, political schemes, and--you guessed it!--romance.

I listened to the audiobook on the off-chance that I might like it, and I was surprised when I found a gem. Although it's high fantasy, there is no magical element to the story. It's set in a world completely different than ours with its own kingdoms, cultures, and politics. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I've started the second book and I can already tell I'm going to love it even more than the first. I'm excited to have a new fantasy series to explore!