Take a photo of a barcode or cover
katemc7 's review for:
The Ever King
by LJ Andrews
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a GREAT intro to a new world and new set of characters! I felt like I was reading Pirates of the Caribbean with some mythology thrown in and a little more magic. The ONLY reason this wasn't a full five star for me was because I felt a little too much whiplash from Erik and Livia. A little too much LUST with a reminder of why they *hated* each other. But once they gave into I fell in love. Erik was a man after my heart! Standing up for the things and people he believes in. Doing anything for his people. Recognizing he is doomed for his feelings for Livia if she doesn't reciprocate, while also pulling Livia out of her shell a little bit. Livia was wonderful! She was naive and also very stuck in her beliefs. She was just deciding she wanted to experience things with a man when she is reunited with her soulmate (for lack of a better term). I LOVED watching these two rile each other up. I LOVED watching Livia break Erik's walls, and I LOVED watching her come a little undone by him. She didn't understand why she was so drawn to this bad boy when really he was a wonderful man with little boundaries in the way of protecting what he considered his. That cliffhanger was a gut punch BUT luckily book 2 is available to jump into.
Livia feels something in the air. A bit unsettled if you will before her parents are to set off on their annual trip with the other rulers of the kingdom. She finds herself thinking of the broken boy in the jails all those years ago. The one who claimed to come back and wreak havoc on their territory as retailiation for what had been done to his family. But nothing has happened in so long why would it now. But then everything happens at once. The divide between the Earth fae and the Sea fae is lifted, and Livia is reunited with the boy (now man) she has found herself thinking about on and off for years. He is off course ridiculously handsome but has kidnapped her as a bargaining chip to use against her dad. This is how she finds herself on a ship sailling away from the only home she has ever known with a man she can't read. A man who keeps reminding her of what she is, a prisoner, while also doing nice things for. And sometimes she finds him looking at her with something like desire in his eyes. And he calls her love of all things which yes of course it does things to her. So she has to remind herself that he is the BAD guy. But the longer they spend together the more she starts to like. The more she starts to see what he is hiding behind his mask as King. The more she starts to want things with him that she hasn't ever experienced before. And once she realizes that everything he thought he knew was different she recognizes that they have a connection deeper than she thought possible. She realizes she loves and would do anything to help his land and his people even leave hers.
Erik has been dead set on revenge for the last 20 years of his life. He keeps thinking about the girl who read him stories in the jail. The girl who is his enemy's daughter. He hasn't been able to figure out a way to get said revenge until fate seems to answer him and the divide between his world and hers is dropped for a night. A night that he uses to his advantage to kidnap said girl- Princess Livia. He will use her as a bargaining chip with her father to get revenge on what was done to his father all those years ago. He finds himself drawn to Livia though. He doesn't like it when she is sad but wow does he LOVE it when she gets riled up. When he sees her sass. A side she doesn't seem to pull out a lot unless she is with him. He has never felt this connection with someone before, but he can't dive into it because she is his enemy. Even though SHE isn't responsible for anything that happened all those years ago. But the longer he is with her the more he finds himself falling HARD and FAST for her. The more he finds himself providing for her and wanting her to be happy with him. The more he finds himself wanting this pull to be two sided. The more he finds himself wanting her to be truly his. So when she gives in and he realizes that she feels the same way he does he feels a peace that he hasn't felt since he saw her all those years ago. She helps him see that he has confused his past with revenge versus what actually happened. She makes him stronger. She makes him possessive which is why he would do anything for her. And he literally means ANYTHING.
This was perfectly paced. I loved the mix of adventure and found family and romance and steam. I loved all of the different kindgoms and found myself excited of what all is to come out of this world. I love a morally gray man, and Erik was perfect in that role. The ending of this one killed me BUT I have a feeling I am going to like book 2 even more than this one. I liked the magic system as well. I will 100% be going back and reading the Broken Kingdom series! I highly recommend this if you haven't already picked it up!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Livia feels something in the air. A bit unsettled if you will before her parents are to set off on their annual trip with the other rulers of the kingdom. She finds herself thinking of the broken boy in the jails all those years ago. The one who claimed to come back and wreak havoc on their territory as retailiation for what had been done to his family. But nothing has happened in so long why would it now. But then everything happens at once. The divide between the Earth fae and the Sea fae is lifted, and Livia is reunited with the boy (now man) she has found herself thinking about on and off for years. He is off course ridiculously handsome but has kidnapped her as a bargaining chip to use against her dad. This is how she finds herself on a ship sailling away from the only home she has ever known with a man she can't read. A man who keeps reminding her of what she is, a prisoner, while also doing nice things for. And sometimes she finds him looking at her with something like desire in his eyes. And he calls her love of all things which yes of course it does things to her. So she has to remind herself that he is the BAD guy. But the longer they spend together the more she starts to like. The more she starts to see what he is hiding behind his mask as King. The more she starts to want things with him that she hasn't ever experienced before. And once she realizes that everything he thought he knew was different she recognizes that they have a connection deeper than she thought possible. She realizes she loves and would do anything to help his land and his people even leave hers.
Erik has been dead set on revenge for the last 20 years of his life. He keeps thinking about the girl who read him stories in the jail. The girl who is his enemy's daughter. He hasn't been able to figure out a way to get said revenge until fate seems to answer him and the divide between his world and hers is dropped for a night. A night that he uses to his advantage to kidnap said girl- Princess Livia. He will use her as a bargaining chip with her father to get revenge on what was done to his father all those years ago. He finds himself drawn to Livia though. He doesn't like it when she is sad but wow does he LOVE it when she gets riled up. When he sees her sass. A side she doesn't seem to pull out a lot unless she is with him. He has never felt this connection with someone before, but he can't dive into it because she is his enemy. Even though SHE isn't responsible for anything that happened all those years ago. But the longer he is with her the more he finds himself falling HARD and FAST for her. The more he finds himself providing for her and wanting her to be happy with him. The more he finds himself wanting this pull to be two sided. The more he finds himself wanting her to be truly his. So when she gives in and he realizes that she feels the same way he does he feels a peace that he hasn't felt since he saw her all those years ago. She helps him see that he has confused his past with revenge versus what actually happened. She makes him stronger. She makes him possessive which is why he would do anything for her. And he literally means ANYTHING.
This was perfectly paced. I loved the mix of adventure and found family and romance and steam. I loved all of the different kindgoms and found myself excited of what all is to come out of this world. I love a morally gray man, and Erik was perfect in that role. The ending of this one killed me BUT I have a feeling I am going to like book 2 even more than this one. I liked the magic system as well. I will 100% be going back and reading the Broken Kingdom series! I highly recommend this if you haven't already picked it up!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!