A review by theraccoonqueen
The Rivaled Crown by Holly Renee

emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I’m going to start with saying I still really loved the series as a whole but this book just felt so RUSHED. The timeline had me so incredibly confused, I was under the impression in TVK that Verena hadn’t been on the streets for super long but in this book they all talk like they were young children when the raid happened and she was displaced? Not a huge issue but something that was mentioned quite a few times that had me scratching my head and taking me out of the story. Also there were a few plot lines/revelations that occurred in this book that felt like they would’ve been better placed in book two or like, maybe this could have been a four book series to properly explore everything. 

The first bit of the book is slow and then all the sudden things are happening and it just all feels like things were conveniently added in order to further the story along. Which I’m usually just a ✨vibes reader✨ my critical thinking when I’m reading books is usually nonexistent so if I picked up on this stuff it was very noticeable. 

I still enjoyed the story overall, but this book just kinda fell flat for me sadly. Am I still sad that we don’t get anymore Dacre? Yes. Would I love more Verena and Kai and Wren? Also yes. 

I would recommend this series still, but mostly to those readers who want more romance in their fantasy novels and don’t want much with the world building and complex plot lines. 
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