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Curtsies & Consequences: A Cozy Fantasy Romance
A chaotic princess, a handsome knight, and magic run amuck.
Welcome to the Known Kingdoms, where the crane flowers bloom in every imaginable color, and the Princess Royal, the only heir to the throne, has a big, particularly hairy secret. All those rumors about the Beast of Barlow, the terrifying creature running through the woods and robbing carriages? All true.
Just don't ask Princess Kira how she knows.
When a planned hunt for the Beast throws Kira in the path of Sir Robert, who has the nerve to be infuriatingly polite and ridiculously handsome, Kira realizes she'll need to lie low. The plan is simple -- keep Robert close and keep all of her secrets.
It's all going fine until she wakes up as the Beast she's been pretending to be.
A cozy fantasy rom-com with nods to Beauty and the Beast, Curtsies & Consequences is the first book in a series.
Welcome to the Known Kingdoms, where the crane flowers bloom in every imaginable color, and the Princess Royal, the only heir to the throne, has a big, particularly hairy secret. All those rumors about the Beast of Barlow, the terrifying creature running through the woods and robbing carriages? All true.
Just don't ask Princess Kira how she knows.
When a planned hunt for the Beast throws Kira in the path of Sir Robert, who has the nerve to be infuriatingly polite and ridiculously handsome, Kira realizes she'll need to lie low. The plan is simple -- keep Robert close and keep all of her secrets.
It's all going fine until she wakes up as the Beast she's been pretending to be.
A cozy fantasy rom-com with nods to Beauty and the Beast, Curtsies & Consequences is the first book in a series.
363 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2024
3 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 5, 2024
At the start, there isn't a whole lot happening to drag you in. It starts off pretty slow, with main character Kira, the princess of the Kingdom, turning into a beast to rob and terrorize people that go through the woods, one of those people being Robert, who she soon has to work with to find out why the kids at the orphanage are turning into the beast.
I was not a fan of Kira as a main character. She just seemed really rude, immature, and unlikeable and she had constant beef with her stepmother, which is explained in more detail later on, but way too far in the book, in my opinion. I wish we had more information on this earlier on, because maybe then she wouldn't have annoyed me as much. She does get better as the book goes on, especially once we get that explanation, but she definitely acts like a princess, and not the good kind. I mean, she claims to want to take over the throne from her step mother, who seems that she would be a way better ruler by anyone's standards, but doesn't act in any way that would show that she deserves it. Robert was a breath of fresh air, and was way better than Kira in all senses of that. Robert and Kira were complete opposites, but he deserved better.
There was even a love triangle, if you can call it that, between Kira, Robert, and Robert's childhood best friend. However, if this was meant to be a major plot point, it needed a lot more than it got and it was placed on the back burner and at times, I found myself wishing that Robert ended up with his best friend instead.
Thank you to Sun Valley Books, Melissa Constantine, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.
I was not a fan of Kira as a main character. She just seemed really rude, immature, and unlikeable and she had constant beef with her stepmother, which is explained in more detail later on, but way too far in the book, in my opinion. I wish we had more information on this earlier on, because maybe then she wouldn't have annoyed me as much. She does get better as the book goes on, especially once we get that explanation, but she definitely acts like a princess, and not the good kind. I mean, she claims to want to take over the throne from her step mother, who seems that she would be a way better ruler by anyone's standards, but doesn't act in any way that would show that she deserves it. Robert was a breath of fresh air, and was way better than Kira in all senses of that. Robert and Kira were complete opposites, but he deserved better.
There was even a love triangle, if you can call it that, between Kira, Robert, and Robert's childhood best friend. However, if this was meant to be a major plot point, it needed a lot more than it got and it was placed on the back burner and at times, I found myself wishing that Robert ended up with his best friend instead.
Thank you to Sun Valley Books, Melissa Constantine, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.
October 1, 2024
This story was very unique! I have not read anything else like this & it was quite refreshing.
It’s also nice not to have so many triggers/ trigger warnings! I like a dark read and I think in a way trigger warnings can kind of intrigue you to read more and see how dark something really is? But this had such a good unique story line & not one trigger warning that I could think of at the top of my head apart from a family death that they talk about in past tense.
The humour had me literally LOL.
I did find it a little hard to keep up with the characters as they all more or less get introduced at the beginning and you have to try and follow along but that could just be my downfall to be honest.
It did confuse me slightly but again, this could be down to me! But everything made sense in the end if you kept following right through ( worth it, keep going…).
Robert & Kira live in my mind & I can’t wait to follow the rest of the series! Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this incredible arc 💗
It’s also nice not to have so many triggers/ trigger warnings! I like a dark read and I think in a way trigger warnings can kind of intrigue you to read more and see how dark something really is? But this had such a good unique story line & not one trigger warning that I could think of at the top of my head apart from a family death that they talk about in past tense.
The humour had me literally LOL.
I did find it a little hard to keep up with the characters as they all more or less get introduced at the beginning and you have to try and follow along but that could just be my downfall to be honest.
It did confuse me slightly but again, this could be down to me! But everything made sense in the end if you kept following right through ( worth it, keep going…).
Robert & Kira live in my mind & I can’t wait to follow the rest of the series! Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this incredible arc 💗
September 23, 2024
Curtsies & consequences starts slow, but things quickly improve as you understand the main character more. I grew to like her a lot more than I expected to. My heart will always come around for an off-putting woman.
(Xavier though… kind of sucked. Even for a minor character. I’m not really one to mind when characters behave badly, but I felt like I was gonna go crazy seeing him described as an angel when all he really did was be rude and insensitive to his boyfriend. I would’ve taken all of their scenes and given them to Robert.)
<3 Robert!!! <3 Loved that sweet guy.
I’d best describe the world building as ‘Howl’s moving castle with Fairies.’ I really enjoyed these aspects and I’d like to read the sequel. Diana and Jordaan seem like a fun time.
This book was at its best when focused on the two main character’s and drawing on the fairytale similarities with the author’s unique twists. If ‘beauty & the beast, but the beast is a weird grumpy princess’ sounds appealing to you, check it out! 3.75 stars.
(Xavier though… kind of sucked. Even for a minor character. I’m not really one to mind when characters behave badly, but I felt like I was gonna go crazy seeing him described as an angel when all he really did was be rude and insensitive to his boyfriend. I would’ve taken all of their scenes and given them to Robert.)
<3 Robert!!! <3 Loved that sweet guy.
I’d best describe the world building as ‘Howl’s moving castle with Fairies.’ I really enjoyed these aspects and I’d like to read the sequel. Diana and Jordaan seem like a fun time.
This book was at its best when focused on the two main character’s and drawing on the fairytale similarities with the author’s unique twists. If ‘beauty & the beast, but the beast is a weird grumpy princess’ sounds appealing to you, check it out! 3.75 stars.
September 29, 2024
English
Curtsies and Consequences by Melissa Constantine is a hilarious no-spice regency fantasy romance, à la My Lady Jane.
Meet Kira, the future queen of the Known Kingdoms, as she will tell you one hundred times in this book. But for now, her crown is held by her stepmother, which she deeply resents. So to take her revenge, she robs the Lords of the country by being the Beast of Barlow, a mythical creature, using an enchanted fur pelt. But one day, she meets the knight Robbie, and the magic starts running havoc. The pair has to solve a mystery raised by Kira’s cousin: kids from an orphanage suddenly became small versions of the Beast of Barlow… But this doesn’t have any link with Kira, does it?
I absolutely loved this story! It was original and a breath of fresh air from all the regency or contemporary romances I usually read. And did I say it was hilarious? The humor went from sharp and witty banter to comical situations, and I found myself laughing out loud at times.
The narration has multiple POV, between the two MCs and their friends, which is a bit weird at first, but I quickly realized that there’s not just one love story, but three!
The characters were so damn-well written, I actually regret not to have a bit more to read on them. I would have loved a bit more insight on all the characters, because the comical of the situations removed a bit of the dramatics. One example: when Kira and Robbie find themselves again at one point, the focus is not on them but on magical objects that appear out of thin air.
I have to admit I did not like Kira at first: I found her obnoxious and rude to her stepmother, but as I delved into the story, she really grew out on me - especially when I learned why she hates her Stepmother so much. You know when you read something and you have to go back to a sentence at the beginning of the book and you realize you completely misunderstood it. Yeah. Like that.
The world-building was deep and novel, and I wished it was more introduced at the beginning of the book. I felt a bit of frustration at knowing new things about the world at the very end of the book - how could I have guessed what the mystery of the book was without knowing anything about the world I’m reading about?
That being said, it was a very, very good story that went way deeper than I expected, and it will probably stay with me for a while.
*Small note* I had the pleasure of reading this as an ARC, but there were a lot of missed words or errors in construction of sentences, especially at the end. I hope this is resolved when the book is out.
Français
Curtsies and Consequences de Melissa Constantine est une romance hilarante de régence fantastique, à la My Lady Jane.
On rencontre Kira, la future reine des Royaumes Connus, comme elle vous le dira cent fois dans ce livre. Mais pour l'instant, sa couronne est détenue par sa belle-mère, ce qui lui déplaît profondément. Alors, pour se venger, elle vole les seigneurs du pays en se faisant passer pour la Bête de Barlow, une créature mythique, à l'aide d'une fourrure enchantée. Mais un jour, elle rencontre le chevalier Robbie, et la magie commence à faire des ravages. Le duo doit résoudre un mystère soulevé par le cousin de Kira : des enfants d'un orphelinat sont soudainement devenus de petites versions de la Bête de Barlow... Mais cela n'a aucun lien avec Kira, n'est-ce pas ?
J'ai absolument adoré cette histoire ! C'était original et une bouffée d'air frais par rapport à toutes les romances de régence ou contemporaines que je lis habituellement. Et ai-je dit que c'était hilarant ? L'humour va des conversations vives et spirituelles à des situations comiques, et je me suis surprise à rire à gorge déployée à certains moments.
La narration a plusieurs points de vue, entre les deux personnages principaux et leurs amis, ce qui est un peu bizarre au début, mais j'ai vite réalisé qu'il n'y avait pas qu'une seule histoire d'amour, mais trois !
Les personnages sont tellement bien écrits que je regrette de ne pas avoir un peu plus à lire sur eux. J'aurais aimé en savoir un peu plus sur tous les personnages, car le comique des situations enlève un peu de dramatisme. Un exemple : lorsque Kira et Robbie se retrouvent à un moment donné, l'accent n'est pas mis sur eux mais sur des objets magiques qui apparaissent de nulle part.
Je dois admettre que je n'aimais pas Kira au début : je la trouvais odieuse et grossière avec sa belle-mère, mais au fur et à mesure que j'avançais dans l'histoire, j'ai commencé à l'apprécier- surtout quand j'ai appris pourquoi elle détestait tant sa belle-mère. Vous savez, quand vous lisez quelque chose et que vous devez revenir à une phrase du début du livre et que vous vous rendez compte que vous l'avez complètement mal comprise. Oui, c'est ça.
La construction du monde était profonde et nouvelle, et j'aurais aimé qu'elle soit plus introduite au début du livre. J'ai ressenti un peu de frustration en apprenant de nouvelles choses sur le monde à la toute fin du livre - comment aurais-je pu deviner le mystère du livre sans rien savoir du monde sur lequel je lisais ?
Cela dit, c'était une très, très bonne histoire qui allait bien plus loin que ce à quoi je m'attendais, et elle restera probablement gravée dans ma mémoire pendant un certain temps.
Quotes
"-Oh, don't do that, it's really unfair.
-Don't try to be your friend?
-Don't blush. You're much too handsome already."
"Laughter bubbled up from within her, and Robert felt as if he'd won something. Whatever curse might fall on them for laughing in this place would be worth it."
"Fault and blame are not subjects I like much. What I like to do is fix things."
"He should have told her. That and a hundred more small things. He'd never be worthy of her, but he could try."
"Everything about her said that she was so high above him he had no business even looking at her. He couldn't look anywhere else."
Curtsies and Consequences by Melissa Constantine is a hilarious no-spice regency fantasy romance, à la My Lady Jane.
Meet Kira, the future queen of the Known Kingdoms, as she will tell you one hundred times in this book. But for now, her crown is held by her stepmother, which she deeply resents. So to take her revenge, she robs the Lords of the country by being the Beast of Barlow, a mythical creature, using an enchanted fur pelt. But one day, she meets the knight Robbie, and the magic starts running havoc. The pair has to solve a mystery raised by Kira’s cousin: kids from an orphanage suddenly became small versions of the Beast of Barlow… But this doesn’t have any link with Kira, does it?
I absolutely loved this story! It was original and a breath of fresh air from all the regency or contemporary romances I usually read. And did I say it was hilarious? The humor went from sharp and witty banter to comical situations, and I found myself laughing out loud at times.
The narration has multiple POV, between the two MCs and their friends, which is a bit weird at first, but I quickly realized that there’s not just one love story, but three!
The characters were so damn-well written, I actually regret not to have a bit more to read on them. I would have loved a bit more insight on all the characters, because the comical of the situations removed a bit of the dramatics. One example: when Kira and Robbie find themselves again at one point, the focus is not on them but on magical objects that appear out of thin air.
I have to admit I did not like Kira at first: I found her obnoxious and rude to her stepmother, but as I delved into the story, she really grew out on me - especially when I learned why she hates her Stepmother so much. You know when you read something and you have to go back to a sentence at the beginning of the book and you realize you completely misunderstood it. Yeah. Like that.
The world-building was deep and novel, and I wished it was more introduced at the beginning of the book. I felt a bit of frustration at knowing new things about the world at the very end of the book - how could I have guessed what the mystery of the book was without knowing anything about the world I’m reading about?
That being said, it was a very, very good story that went way deeper than I expected, and it will probably stay with me for a while.
*Small note* I had the pleasure of reading this as an ARC, but there were a lot of missed words or errors in construction of sentences, especially at the end. I hope this is resolved when the book is out.
Français
Curtsies and Consequences de Melissa Constantine est une romance hilarante de régence fantastique, à la My Lady Jane.
On rencontre Kira, la future reine des Royaumes Connus, comme elle vous le dira cent fois dans ce livre. Mais pour l'instant, sa couronne est détenue par sa belle-mère, ce qui lui déplaît profondément. Alors, pour se venger, elle vole les seigneurs du pays en se faisant passer pour la Bête de Barlow, une créature mythique, à l'aide d'une fourrure enchantée. Mais un jour, elle rencontre le chevalier Robbie, et la magie commence à faire des ravages. Le duo doit résoudre un mystère soulevé par le cousin de Kira : des enfants d'un orphelinat sont soudainement devenus de petites versions de la Bête de Barlow... Mais cela n'a aucun lien avec Kira, n'est-ce pas ?
J'ai absolument adoré cette histoire ! C'était original et une bouffée d'air frais par rapport à toutes les romances de régence ou contemporaines que je lis habituellement. Et ai-je dit que c'était hilarant ? L'humour va des conversations vives et spirituelles à des situations comiques, et je me suis surprise à rire à gorge déployée à certains moments.
La narration a plusieurs points de vue, entre les deux personnages principaux et leurs amis, ce qui est un peu bizarre au début, mais j'ai vite réalisé qu'il n'y avait pas qu'une seule histoire d'amour, mais trois !
Les personnages sont tellement bien écrits que je regrette de ne pas avoir un peu plus à lire sur eux. J'aurais aimé en savoir un peu plus sur tous les personnages, car le comique des situations enlève un peu de dramatisme. Un exemple : lorsque Kira et Robbie se retrouvent à un moment donné, l'accent n'est pas mis sur eux mais sur des objets magiques qui apparaissent de nulle part.
Je dois admettre que je n'aimais pas Kira au début : je la trouvais odieuse et grossière avec sa belle-mère, mais au fur et à mesure que j'avançais dans l'histoire, j'ai commencé à l'apprécier- surtout quand j'ai appris pourquoi elle détestait tant sa belle-mère. Vous savez, quand vous lisez quelque chose et que vous devez revenir à une phrase du début du livre et que vous vous rendez compte que vous l'avez complètement mal comprise. Oui, c'est ça.
La construction du monde était profonde et nouvelle, et j'aurais aimé qu'elle soit plus introduite au début du livre. J'ai ressenti un peu de frustration en apprenant de nouvelles choses sur le monde à la toute fin du livre - comment aurais-je pu deviner le mystère du livre sans rien savoir du monde sur lequel je lisais ?
Cela dit, c'était une très, très bonne histoire qui allait bien plus loin que ce à quoi je m'attendais, et elle restera probablement gravée dans ma mémoire pendant un certain temps.
Quotes
"-Oh, don't do that, it's really unfair.
-Don't try to be your friend?
-Don't blush. You're much too handsome already."
"Laughter bubbled up from within her, and Robert felt as if he'd won something. Whatever curse might fall on them for laughing in this place would be worth it."
"Fault and blame are not subjects I like much. What I like to do is fix things."
"He should have told her. That and a hundred more small things. He'd never be worthy of her, but he could try."
"Everything about her said that she was so high above him he had no business even looking at her. He couldn't look anywhere else."
September 5, 2024
Blog Review
Thoughts I had While Reading:
What I loved:
-This is a unique story - it's very creative and hilarious.
-I need chocolate now.
-Feminist plotline.
-I have already laughed out loud at least three times and I'm not even on page 40 yet.
-I have yet to see any sort of trigger. There is a family death, but it's only in reference to the past.
-The representation!!!
-The humor is everything. EVERYTHING.
What kept it from being 5 stars (I changed my score since finishing this book, a rare occurrence!!):
-Hard to keep track of the characters (this may be a personal preference as I am bad with names in real life as well). I couldn't knock the author for this as I started to get more comfortable with the characters over time. A little list of characters before the start of the book or at the end could be helpful.
-The book was slightly confusing at times as to what was happening. This can be the fault of the writer, but can also be the fault of the reader. In this case, I believe it was my fault because this writing style is different from what I am used to (books I typically read).
UPDATES AFTER FINISHING:
Ok, I just finished this book. I started it this morning. I am a fast reader, but I have been engrossed in this work of art all day long.
I will need to keep up with the series, because this was such an enjoyable read.
I am also addicted to coffee, and Robert and Kira will be living in my head rent-free for the foreseeable future.
Thoughts I had While Reading:
What I loved:
-This is a unique story - it's very creative and hilarious.
-I need chocolate now.
-Feminist plotline.
-I have already laughed out loud at least three times and I'm not even on page 40 yet.
-I have yet to see any sort of trigger. There is a family death, but it's only in reference to the past.
-The representation!!!
-The humor is everything. EVERYTHING.
What kept it from being 5 stars (I changed my score since finishing this book, a rare occurrence!!):
-Hard to keep track of the characters (this may be a personal preference as I am bad with names in real life as well). I couldn't knock the author for this as I started to get more comfortable with the characters over time. A little list of characters before the start of the book or at the end could be helpful.
-The book was slightly confusing at times as to what was happening. This can be the fault of the writer, but can also be the fault of the reader. In this case, I believe it was my fault because this writing style is different from what I am used to (books I typically read).
UPDATES AFTER FINISHING:
Ok, I just finished this book. I started it this morning. I am a fast reader, but I have been engrossed in this work of art all day long.
I will need to keep up with the series, because this was such an enjoyable read.
I am also addicted to coffee, and Robert and Kira will be living in my head rent-free for the foreseeable future.
October 28, 2024
Kira is the Princess Royal and the heir to the throne, and she is chafing under her stepmother's thumb while awaiting to ascend to power. In the meantime, she uses a magic cloak to pretend to be the legendary Beast of Barlow and roam the kingdom as a quasi-highwayman for her own amusement (and revenge too). Her childhood friend Robert is a knight, too handsome for his own good, but also kind and generous. Strange events start happening in a nearby kingdom with orphans turning into tiny version of the Beast when they leave the orphanage. Kira and Robert investigate this mystery as events unfold to bring them closer together. This new-adult romantasy is low steam but has lots of heart. Plenty of royal intrigue and magical happenings, with multiple plot lines to follow and a large cast of supporting characters. There's a nice thread of humor throughout as we learn more about Kira and her struggles as the Princess Royal, and her relationships with her stepmother and Robert. There are multiple 3rd-person POVs, which was a bit much at first but given how many supporting characters there are it really helped to tie everyone together (and set the stage for the next book in the series). Although there were a few pacing issues, the story picks up speed after the first third of the book and there was plenty of engagement through to the end of the story. This is a new-to-me author and I would definitely read her again, and I'm looking forward to the next installment in the series. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this story, this was my objective review.
October 2, 2024
Obviously I love it.
Read
October 1, 2024DNF
I really can't get into this book. The blurb sounded amazing but unfortunately it's not for me
I really can't get into this book. The blurb sounded amazing but unfortunately it's not for me
September 28, 2024
I’m honestly left scratching my head after reading Curtsies & Consequences. From the start, Kira, the Princess Royal of the Known Kingdoms, came off as callous and shallow 😕. It wasn't until 80% of the way in that we finally learned why she acted this way, but even then, I struggled to connect with her. She remained self-centered and rude throughout most of the book, and despite the explanation, I just couldn’t grow to like her. 😣
The plot had an interesting premise—Kira has a huge, hairy secret 🐺. She's the Beast of Barlow, sneaking out with the magic of an old cloak to maintain her mythical double life. Everything goes off the rails when she’s tasked with helping her cousin Bertie investigate why orphans are turning into little copies of the Beast 😳.
To solve this, she's paired with Sir Robert, the most infuriatingly beautiful (and dense) knight 😍🤦♀️. It’s all about keeping her secret from Robert and the palace while dealing with the orphans, but things spiral out of control when Kira literally wakes up as the Beast she’s been pretending to be.
Despite that, the execution felt all over the place. There were so many events that just didn’t make sense or seemed to go unresolved. It felt like certain things were forgotten halfway through and left me wondering what the point was. 🌀 The side characters—who had so much potential—were sadly underexplored. I would've loved to see more depth to them, but instead, many faded into the background.
Honestly, Robert was the only character I truly enjoyed. He was infuriatingly dense at times, which was frustrating 😩, but at least he had moments of charm that made me want to root for him. He definitely became my favorite character despite all the chaos. 😅
In the end, I’m still not sure what the book was supposed to be about. It left me feeling lost and unsatisfied. Maybe this is perfect for fans of:
🌹 Beauty and the Beast retellings
🔮 Shapeshifting secrets and hidden identities
⚔️ Enemies-to-lovers (with a lot of forced proximity)
💥 Mismatched partnerships and tension
🏰 Court politics and intrigue
🐾 Magic, fairies, and mysterious curses
💔 Slow burn romance with misunderstandings
🌪️ Orphan mysteries and dangerous plots
🤔 A dose of moral ambiguity in the main character
If you enjoy a slow reveal and don’t mind a main character who’s a bit hard to love, give this one a try. Otherwise, it might be a confusing read.
The plot had an interesting premise—Kira has a huge, hairy secret 🐺. She's the Beast of Barlow, sneaking out with the magic of an old cloak to maintain her mythical double life. Everything goes off the rails when she’s tasked with helping her cousin Bertie investigate why orphans are turning into little copies of the Beast 😳.
To solve this, she's paired with Sir Robert, the most infuriatingly beautiful (and dense) knight 😍🤦♀️. It’s all about keeping her secret from Robert and the palace while dealing with the orphans, but things spiral out of control when Kira literally wakes up as the Beast she’s been pretending to be.
Despite that, the execution felt all over the place. There were so many events that just didn’t make sense or seemed to go unresolved. It felt like certain things were forgotten halfway through and left me wondering what the point was. 🌀 The side characters—who had so much potential—were sadly underexplored. I would've loved to see more depth to them, but instead, many faded into the background.
Honestly, Robert was the only character I truly enjoyed. He was infuriatingly dense at times, which was frustrating 😩, but at least he had moments of charm that made me want to root for him. He definitely became my favorite character despite all the chaos. 😅
In the end, I’m still not sure what the book was supposed to be about. It left me feeling lost and unsatisfied. Maybe this is perfect for fans of:
🌹 Beauty and the Beast retellings
🔮 Shapeshifting secrets and hidden identities
⚔️ Enemies-to-lovers (with a lot of forced proximity)
💥 Mismatched partnerships and tension
🏰 Court politics and intrigue
🐾 Magic, fairies, and mysterious curses
💔 Slow burn romance with misunderstandings
🌪️ Orphan mysteries and dangerous plots
🤔 A dose of moral ambiguity in the main character
If you enjoy a slow reveal and don’t mind a main character who’s a bit hard to love, give this one a try. Otherwise, it might be a confusing read.
October 17, 2024
I generally avoid books that offer me a princess character, and at least when this book starts, Kira, the female lead, is an example of why I do that. She's petulant, rude, immature, entitled, and convinced that, despite all of this, she should have been allowed to accede to the throne in advance of her 21st birthday, rather than being placed under the regency of her stepmother (who everyone else sees as much more competent, with good reason).
Yes, there is a regency in this book, though it's not, as the form of the title suggests, a Regency book. The setting is a mostly generic fantasy world with a late-medieval feel, although also with some random anachronistic features like chocolate bars with gold-coloured foil, an icebox, and someone referred to as being "gun-shy," though we don't see any guns. We also get the word "Muppets" dropped at one point. Unfortunately, given the prevalence of aristocratic characters, the author makes some basic blunders in terminology, referring to the queen as "Her Highness" (the correct title being "Her Majesty") and sometimes having the male lead addressing the princess as "My Lady," inaccurately calling all nobles "royals" (only the monarch and their immediate family are royal), and referring to all noble territories as "kingdoms". Only a territory ruled by a king is a kingdom; one ruled by a prince is a principality, and one ruled by a duke is a duchy, so the so-called "Known Kingdoms" are, in fact, a single kingdom. She also (like a lot of fantasy authors) doesn't seem to know that a league is, by definition, the distance one can travel in an hour, so it's not possible for someone who started out maybe half an hour before you to be several leagues away, no matter how fast he rides.
Sadly, the ignorance doesn't stop there; there are also dozens of mechanical and vocabulary errors. Far too frequently, a sentence will make no grammatical sense at all, because there are whole phrases missing or a verb in completely the wrong tense, or maybe a word that's not even the right part of speech, or the wrong preposition, or a key word that appears to be chosen almost at random and have nothing to do with the intended meaning. For example, at one point a character is told "She has assured me you are quite revenant and I am not to fear from you." Apart from the odd phrasing "not to fear from you," "revenant" is a noun, not an adjective, and refers to a kind of undead creature, which doesn't fit the context whatsoever. Sometimes I can guess which word was intended, but sometimes, as with "revenant," I have no clue. Other random words along this line include "erstwhile" (which few authors use correctly), "fissure," "fop," "fallacy," and "inert," none of which strike me as particularly obscure vocabulary.
And apart from the random vocabulary words, there are a lot of homonym or near-homonym errors, some extremely basic: advanced/advance, definitive/definite, sensibility/good sense, jam/jamb, envelope/envelop, creek/creak, steal/steel, hoard/horde, wrap/rap, sight/site, hearty/hardy, stripped/striped, tact/tack, tuffs/tufts, reigned/reined (and reigns/reins), scrapped/scraped, manor/manner, led/lead (and not the verb, either, which is easily confused; it's the metal), who's/whose, proceed/precede, Robot/Robert, repelling/repealing, check/cheek, laying/lying, legions/leagues, everyone/every one, rammed/crammed, ring/wring, ascent/assent, mele/melee, ascended/descended, outrange/outrage, and it's/its. Some are clearly just typos, but if there is a way to misspell a word, this author will unerringly find it. It makes me wonder whether she mainly reads via audiobook (and never sees words spelled) and/or uses dictation software and doesn't know enough to clean up the homonyms afterwards. I've been keeping a list of homonym errors I've come across in published fiction for about 10 years now, and most of these were not previously on it, suggesting that very few people get them wrong.
I could go on and on about the many, many issues: the misplaced apostrophes when the noun is plural or a proper name ending in S (at one point, we get "Mrs. Banes's, "Mrs. Banes'" and "Mrs. Bane's" all within a couple of pages, of which either of the first two is justifiable - but it should be consistent - and the third is completely wrong), the missing past perfect, every kind of missing or misused punctuation, including mispunctuated dialog, frequently missing or misplaced commas, nearly every error it's possible to commit with a quotation mark, missing question marks when the sentence is a question and a question mark where the sentence isn't a question, capitals for terms of address that aren't titles and for the cardinal directions, and hyphens where they shouldn't be... it's a mess. Simply throwing it into Google Docs, by the way, would go a long way in finding issues like this. I marked about 400 issues, which compares poorly with the usual couple of dozen I find in an average book.
It's not just the editing, either. Plot points are dropped without notice (there's a promise of a noble title - incorrectly described, of course, as a "royal" title - that's never followed up on). There's a Convenient Eavesdrop, my absolute least favourite plot device, though it ends up not being that significant. "Oak seeds" (which the author doesn't seem to know are called acorns) are used in a metaphor that involves them circling in the breeze like dancers; that's not something acorns do. We never get an explanation of why the spell spread to the orphans specifically, or why Xav is Robert's best friend given that they come from widely separated places. Even though the chapters are headed with the name of the point of view character, in one chapter it hops back and forth several times.
But what about the characters? There's a gay couple - same-sex relationships are not an issue in this setting, and apparently political alliance is more important than succession - who we're told are happy together, but what we're shown is that one doesn't understand the other at all, and they're frequently fighting in an immature way; one is described as "kind," though I never saw him do anything kind, and several times saw him do something unkind. But they're not the main couple in the book. The main couple is the awful Princess Kira, whose only positive quality seems to be that she's beautiful, and the unfortunate Sir Robert, to whom I was metaphorically shouting, "Do not engage! I repeat, do not engage!" every time she came near him. I was actively rooting for his childhood friend, the third leg of the rather half-hearted love triangle, even though she had no particular qualities other than not being Kira, and even though I know the childhood friend always loses. Seriously, Kira is the worst. It's true that she had a loveless upbringing, and she is fairly nice to children, but... she's every negative thing I mean when I call someone a princess, and I was deeply sorry for Sir Robert, forced by the plot to be her partner against his better judgement.
A woman whose mother has been persistently not listening to her and is trying to marry her off for political reasons to a drunkard tells her "You're the best mother in the entire world." I worry for the author, I really do.
Fortunately, and to my surprise, Kira does get a character arc, which went some way to redeeming her in my eyes. She still toxically misinterprets what Robert says and leaves him wondering what he's done wrong, so it's still an unhealthy relationship, but at least she sees some of her most egregious flaws and commits to working on them. He's still in for a world of pain, poor sap.
I picked this up (via Netgalley), despite the presence of a princess, because the blurb sounded intriguing. I kept reading past the middle largely to see if I'd correctly guessed the identity of the main antagonist (I had not; ). It wasn't without its positives, notably the character arc of the initially awful female lead (who still has significant issues by the end, but at least is addressing some of them). I considered putting it on the lowest level of my annual recommendation list, which is where I've put books with sound storytelling but bad editing before.
This isn't just badly edited, though. It's inept sometimes to the point of incomprehensibility, and absolutely not ready for publication; it would take, I estimate, a month's solid work by someone skilled to even get close. As always, I feel bound to note that the books I get from Netgalley may, theoretically, receive more editing after I see them and before publication, but this one has so many issues that there's no way it can be fixed in the time, so I'm giving it my "seriously-needs-editing" tag in the confidence that it will still seriously need editing when it's published a couple of weeks from now. Taking that into account, it gets three stars, and lucky to have the third one.
Yes, there is a regency in this book, though it's not, as the form of the title suggests, a Regency book. The setting is a mostly generic fantasy world with a late-medieval feel, although also with some random anachronistic features like chocolate bars with gold-coloured foil, an icebox, and someone referred to as being "gun-shy," though we don't see any guns. We also get the word "Muppets" dropped at one point. Unfortunately, given the prevalence of aristocratic characters, the author makes some basic blunders in terminology, referring to the queen as "Her Highness" (the correct title being "Her Majesty") and sometimes having the male lead addressing the princess as "My Lady," inaccurately calling all nobles "royals" (only the monarch and their immediate family are royal), and referring to all noble territories as "kingdoms". Only a territory ruled by a king is a kingdom; one ruled by a prince is a principality, and one ruled by a duke is a duchy, so the so-called "Known Kingdoms" are, in fact, a single kingdom. She also (like a lot of fantasy authors) doesn't seem to know that a league is, by definition, the distance one can travel in an hour, so it's not possible for someone who started out maybe half an hour before you to be several leagues away, no matter how fast he rides.
Sadly, the ignorance doesn't stop there; there are also dozens of mechanical and vocabulary errors. Far too frequently, a sentence will make no grammatical sense at all, because there are whole phrases missing or a verb in completely the wrong tense, or maybe a word that's not even the right part of speech, or the wrong preposition, or a key word that appears to be chosen almost at random and have nothing to do with the intended meaning. For example, at one point a character is told "She has assured me you are quite revenant and I am not to fear from you." Apart from the odd phrasing "not to fear from you," "revenant" is a noun, not an adjective, and refers to a kind of undead creature, which doesn't fit the context whatsoever. Sometimes I can guess which word was intended, but sometimes, as with "revenant," I have no clue. Other random words along this line include "erstwhile" (which few authors use correctly), "fissure," "fop," "fallacy," and "inert," none of which strike me as particularly obscure vocabulary.
And apart from the random vocabulary words, there are a lot of homonym or near-homonym errors, some extremely basic: advanced/advance, definitive/definite, sensibility/good sense, jam/jamb, envelope/envelop, creek/creak, steal/steel, hoard/horde, wrap/rap, sight/site, hearty/hardy, stripped/striped, tact/tack, tuffs/tufts, reigned/reined (and reigns/reins), scrapped/scraped, manor/manner, led/lead (and not the verb, either, which is easily confused; it's the metal), who's/whose, proceed/precede, Robot/Robert, repelling/repealing, check/cheek, laying/lying, legions/leagues, everyone/every one, rammed/crammed, ring/wring, ascent/assent, mele/melee, ascended/descended, outrange/outrage, and it's/its. Some are clearly just typos, but if there is a way to misspell a word, this author will unerringly find it. It makes me wonder whether she mainly reads via audiobook (and never sees words spelled) and/or uses dictation software and doesn't know enough to clean up the homonyms afterwards. I've been keeping a list of homonym errors I've come across in published fiction for about 10 years now, and most of these were not previously on it, suggesting that very few people get them wrong.
I could go on and on about the many, many issues: the misplaced apostrophes when the noun is plural or a proper name ending in S (at one point, we get "Mrs. Banes's, "Mrs. Banes'" and "Mrs. Bane's" all within a couple of pages, of which either of the first two is justifiable - but it should be consistent - and the third is completely wrong), the missing past perfect, every kind of missing or misused punctuation, including mispunctuated dialog, frequently missing or misplaced commas, nearly every error it's possible to commit with a quotation mark, missing question marks when the sentence is a question and a question mark where the sentence isn't a question, capitals for terms of address that aren't titles and for the cardinal directions, and hyphens where they shouldn't be... it's a mess. Simply throwing it into Google Docs, by the way, would go a long way in finding issues like this. I marked about 400 issues, which compares poorly with the usual couple of dozen I find in an average book.
It's not just the editing, either. Plot points are dropped without notice (there's a promise of a noble title - incorrectly described, of course, as a "royal" title - that's never followed up on). There's a Convenient Eavesdrop, my absolute least favourite plot device, though it ends up not being that significant. "Oak seeds" (which the author doesn't seem to know are called acorns) are used in a metaphor that involves them circling in the breeze like dancers; that's not something acorns do. We never get an explanation of why the spell spread to the orphans specifically, or why Xav is Robert's best friend given that they come from widely separated places. Even though the chapters are headed with the name of the point of view character, in one chapter it hops back and forth several times.
But what about the characters? There's a gay couple - same-sex relationships are not an issue in this setting, and apparently political alliance is more important than succession - who we're told are happy together, but what we're shown is that one doesn't understand the other at all, and they're frequently fighting in an immature way; one is described as "kind," though I never saw him do anything kind, and several times saw him do something unkind. But they're not the main couple in the book. The main couple is the awful Princess Kira, whose only positive quality seems to be that she's beautiful, and the unfortunate Sir Robert, to whom I was metaphorically shouting, "Do not engage! I repeat, do not engage!" every time she came near him. I was actively rooting for his childhood friend, the third leg of the rather half-hearted love triangle, even though she had no particular qualities other than not being Kira, and even though I know the childhood friend always loses. Seriously, Kira is the worst. It's true that she had a loveless upbringing, and she is fairly nice to children, but... she's every negative thing I mean when I call someone a princess, and I was deeply sorry for Sir Robert, forced by the plot to be her partner against his better judgement.
A woman whose mother has been persistently not listening to her and is trying to marry her off for political reasons to a drunkard tells her "You're the best mother in the entire world." I worry for the author, I really do.
Fortunately, and to my surprise, Kira does get a character arc, which went some way to redeeming her in my eyes. She still toxically misinterprets what Robert says and leaves him wondering what he's done wrong, so it's still an unhealthy relationship, but at least she sees some of her most egregious flaws and commits to working on them. He's still in for a world of pain, poor sap.
I picked this up (via Netgalley), despite the presence of a princess, because the blurb sounded intriguing. I kept reading past the middle largely to see if I'd correctly guessed the identity of the main antagonist (I had not; ). It wasn't without its positives, notably the character arc of the initially awful female lead (who still has significant issues by the end, but at least is addressing some of them). I considered putting it on the lowest level of my annual recommendation list, which is where I've put books with sound storytelling but bad editing before.
This isn't just badly edited, though. It's inept sometimes to the point of incomprehensibility, and absolutely not ready for publication; it would take, I estimate, a month's solid work by someone skilled to even get close. As always, I feel bound to note that the books I get from Netgalley may, theoretically, receive more editing after I see them and before publication, but this one has so many issues that there's no way it can be fixed in the time, so I'm giving it my "seriously-needs-editing" tag in the confidence that it will still seriously need editing when it's published a couple of weeks from now. Taking that into account, it gets three stars, and lucky to have the third one.
October 2, 2024
I received a free e-book from Book Sirens in leu of a review. The following are my thoughts, not influenced by Book Sirens, the author or by the publisher.
Every now and then I do something that makes me think I have completely lost my mind. I saw this book up for review, and my mind immediately went 'Perfect! This is exactly what I need!'. And so I requested it, only to look at the date my review had to be up. Three days! I had three days to read it and have a coherent review on Goodreads/Book Sirens and Story Graph. Completely my own fault. So, I reminded myself that the book sounded fantastic, and therefore I could do this.
...I finished it in three hours! I thought I'd be breaking it up between two days, but no... By three hours I swiped that last page, released a long breath and went... How had I not noticed this book being up for review on BookSirens before? This... This is one of those gems that you pray has a sequel. Maybe a trilogy or a very long series! I need to read more of these characters! I need to immerse myself once again in that world.
I need to read more from this author!
I absolutely adored this book (just in case this hasn't been guessed yet). The twist not only of the princess fairy tale, but the usual magic that exists within that world caught me unaware. I've read many different versions of this, because I'm always looking for a new take on the ones I grew up on from Anderson/Grim fairy tales. Due to this, it can get harder and harder for me to find something I lose myself in for hours. I am grateful that I found this author, and maybe even a series (hint hint).
The characters are on par with the wonderful world building. They are real. Plenty of their actions, what that they say will get your back up, but no one in real life is agreeable, kind and makes good decisions. With these characters, they make bad decisions. And not necessarily the best one out of two bad ones. No, they are stubborn and prideful, and in a fit of anger make a stupid choice. And then they have to live with it. The author doesn't shy away that the consequences these characters face are sometimes of their own making.
This isn't even delving into how the characters surprise you. The ones, through their deeds and words have to be evil; there's no other way to describe them turn out... There are reasons. Reasons that make them human. Reasons that make the reader sympathise with them. Nothing is as it seems, and I spent the entire book doubting what I thought I knew of the world; of the people.
I'll be buying the proper e-book of this when it comes out.
4.5 Stars!
Every now and then I do something that makes me think I have completely lost my mind. I saw this book up for review, and my mind immediately went 'Perfect! This is exactly what I need!'. And so I requested it, only to look at the date my review had to be up. Three days! I had three days to read it and have a coherent review on Goodreads/Book Sirens and Story Graph. Completely my own fault. So, I reminded myself that the book sounded fantastic, and therefore I could do this.
...I finished it in three hours! I thought I'd be breaking it up between two days, but no... By three hours I swiped that last page, released a long breath and went... How had I not noticed this book being up for review on BookSirens before? This... This is one of those gems that you pray has a sequel. Maybe a trilogy or a very long series! I need to read more of these characters! I need to immerse myself once again in that world.
I need to read more from this author!
I absolutely adored this book (just in case this hasn't been guessed yet). The twist not only of the princess fairy tale, but the usual magic that exists within that world caught me unaware. I've read many different versions of this, because I'm always looking for a new take on the ones I grew up on from Anderson/Grim fairy tales. Due to this, it can get harder and harder for me to find something I lose myself in for hours. I am grateful that I found this author, and maybe even a series (hint hint).
The characters are on par with the wonderful world building. They are real. Plenty of their actions, what that they say will get your back up, but no one in real life is agreeable, kind and makes good decisions. With these characters, they make bad decisions. And not necessarily the best one out of two bad ones. No, they are stubborn and prideful, and in a fit of anger make a stupid choice. And then they have to live with it. The author doesn't shy away that the consequences these characters face are sometimes of their own making.
This isn't even delving into how the characters surprise you. The ones, through their deeds and words have to be evil; there's no other way to describe them turn out... There are reasons. Reasons that make them human. Reasons that make the reader sympathise with them. Nothing is as it seems, and I spent the entire book doubting what I thought I knew of the world; of the people.
I'll be buying the proper e-book of this when it comes out.
4.5 Stars!
November 26, 2024
Going into this book I was not sure what to expect. I wasn't familiar with the author and honestly the cover does not lead to many assumptions. The description of the book was good but gave away what could have been used as a twist in the story. It began like your average fairytale-esque story with a more strong minded FMC who, it was clear to me an adult reader, did not have a full understanding of the situations going on around her. There was also the MMC who just wanted to be a good knight and do his job right. Together they have to solve a magical mystery about why children at an orphanage are turning into mini versions of a mystical creature. Sounds fun right? It had all the right ingredients for a great story that had a low stakes adventure, some deeper reflections and a fun romance. Unfortunately it just didn't quite come together. There were several side characters that had their own sub plots going on that did not really add to the story. In fact I found myself not paying quite as much attention to their plot lines. It is clear that the next book will be focused on one of these side characters, which made it seem even more pointless to include so much of her story in this book. We could have simply been introduced to her in this book so that we were familiar enought to want to read her book. Instead we got a large chunk of the book following her story, when it could have been focused more on the FMC and MMC of this book. Because of the side stories I didn't feel as invested in the relationship, which means at the end I wasn't strongly effected by the results. The world building could also have used some work. The author created such an interesting world but then did not set it up in a way that made me understand fully. There wasn't much about the different kingdoms and royals and also the Fairy realm? Overall this author had a good premise with their story and I believe that as they continue to write we will see imporvement in the books.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
September 26, 2024
In this twisted fairytale with ties to Beauty and the Beast, Princess Kira, of the Known Kingdoms has a secret, she has been using a magical cloak to transform into the infamous Beast of Barlow and terrorizing travelers. But when her cousin and dearest friend Bertie asks for her help in finding out what has caused a group of orphans to transform into beasts when they go outside, she is going to need help. Enter Sir Robert, aka Shiny Hair, the son of a duke and Kira’s secret crush (not that she would EVER admit that). She plans to let him help her but will keep her secrets and certainly will not fall for him.
I just could not get into this book, the blurb sounds amazing, and the idea of the book is fantastic, but I just didn’t enjoy the execution of the novel. Kira is hard to like, she is selfish, self-centered, bitter and rude. In addition to my dislike of the heroine, this book read like a YA novel and not a New Adult Romantasy. Also, this novel is in desperate need of editing/proofreading, there are a significant number of typos and numerous title errors (Note, this was a review copy and may (hopefully) be corrected prior to publication). In the end, I just didn’t care for this book, but I am sure there are plenty of readers, especially those who prefer YA novels, who would enjoy it.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *
I just could not get into this book, the blurb sounds amazing, and the idea of the book is fantastic, but I just didn’t enjoy the execution of the novel. Kira is hard to like, she is selfish, self-centered, bitter and rude. In addition to my dislike of the heroine, this book read like a YA novel and not a New Adult Romantasy. Also, this novel is in desperate need of editing/proofreading, there are a significant number of typos and numerous title errors (Note, this was a review copy and may (hopefully) be corrected prior to publication). In the end, I just didn’t care for this book, but I am sure there are plenty of readers, especially those who prefer YA novels, who would enjoy it.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *
September 20, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Sun Valley Books for the ARC.
This book is a mismatch of random fairy tale troupes and it is amazing: some Cinderella stepmother action, Beauty & the Beast (but the beauty is the beast) and some Sleeping Beauty action thrown in for good measure. I am so glad the about the author mentions that she is working on more books in this series because I would be devastated is there wasn’t more to read in this world she created.
“When she was queen, all dresses would have pockets”.
Princess Kira is my kind of future queen with rules such as all dresses having pockets and daily chocolate. As the book goes on you learn more of her past and how it has created who she is and why she acts the way she does the more you feel for her as a person. The handsome knight is the perfect love interest because they compliment each other so well.
It is a new adult romantasy and is exactly what you expect from that genre. It is written older than a YA but still has a bit of that growing up of the main character as part of the plot. I would say if you are a parent this would be safe for your older teen to read.
This book is a mismatch of random fairy tale troupes and it is amazing: some Cinderella stepmother action, Beauty & the Beast (but the beauty is the beast) and some Sleeping Beauty action thrown in for good measure. I am so glad the about the author mentions that she is working on more books in this series because I would be devastated is there wasn’t more to read in this world she created.
“When she was queen, all dresses would have pockets”.
Princess Kira is my kind of future queen with rules such as all dresses having pockets and daily chocolate. As the book goes on you learn more of her past and how it has created who she is and why she acts the way she does the more you feel for her as a person. The handsome knight is the perfect love interest because they compliment each other so well.
It is a new adult romantasy and is exactly what you expect from that genre. It is written older than a YA but still has a bit of that growing up of the main character as part of the plot. I would say if you are a parent this would be safe for your older teen to read.
September 30, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to the author and BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own!
This was a refreshing take on the Beauty & the Beast tale with a fun twist, and quite an impressive ensemble of characters. While the switching between so many character POVs could be frustrating, each one was interesting enough to help soothe the initial annoyance of changing plot lines so completely. I'd say this book would be perfect for the YA crowd who are interested in twisted fairy tales and romance, and I'll happily read the second book!
For sensitive readers, this book contains depictions of grief, trauma, parental abuse and neglect, mental illness, body horror, and loss of autonomy.
This was a refreshing take on the Beauty & the Beast tale with a fun twist, and quite an impressive ensemble of characters. While the switching between so many character POVs could be frustrating, each one was interesting enough to help soothe the initial annoyance of changing plot lines so completely. I'd say this book would be perfect for the YA crowd who are interested in twisted fairy tales and romance, and I'll happily read the second book!
For sensitive readers, this book contains depictions of grief, trauma, parental abuse and neglect, mental illness, body horror, and loss of autonomy.
October 6, 2024
Beauty and the Beast is my all-time favorite Disney movie and it holds special memories for me. So, with that being said, I'm usually very careful with reading retellings of this story.
I loved how the author switched the rolls of the Beast and Belle (he has to save her!). I really enjoyed the characters and how the author portrayed them. The author did an amazing job with not only the story telling but the world building.
What we get:
Magic
Slow burn
Grumpy FMC
Multiple POVs
Honorable MMC
If you like cozy, cute fantasies then I'd highly recommend you pick this up! (:
Thank you to BookSirens for the ARC! <3
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I loved how the author switched the rolls of the Beast and Belle (he has to save her!). I really enjoyed the characters and how the author portrayed them. The author did an amazing job with not only the story telling but the world building.
What we get:
Magic
Slow burn
Grumpy FMC
Multiple POVs
Honorable MMC
If you like cozy, cute fantasies then I'd highly recommend you pick this up! (:
Thank you to BookSirens for the ARC! <3
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 30, 2024
The blurb from this book made it sound like a book I would love to read, but I just couldn't get into it. The main character, Kira, struck me as very childish, rude and self centred. Not someone you could get behind. I suppose she might improve as the story unfolds and she grows as a character, but there just wasn't enough to like about her to make me want to see it happen. After the first few chapters my interest was seriously waning and when things didn't improve in the next half dozen I decided to give up. Perhaps a more patient reader will persevere and find some great things in this book, but I'm just not one of them.
I received an ARC and leave an honest review.
I received an ARC and leave an honest review.
February 12, 2025
This book had an interesting premise, blending Regency vibes with some modern twists, but it didn’t fully capture my interest. The characters were engaging enough, but the plot felt a bit predictable and lacked the emotional depth I was hoping for. While it had its charming moments, the pacing was uneven, and it didn’t quite leave a lasting impression. An enjoyable, light read, but not one that stood out.
July 6, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Constantine provides a well-rounded, spiky princess with an unhappy past that has impacted on her attitude to court life – and not in a good way. This frequently amusing and occasionally poignant fairytale retelling starts this series off with a bang and made me very glad that I’ve got the second book to pick up immediately as this wasn’t a world I wanted to leave. 9/10
November 1, 2024
This was a fun read! It starts out slower than most stories, which allows for some world building. Kira is your typical entitled royal, and Robert is adorable. I can't wait to see where their character arcs end up!
October 12, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review. The tropes really got me interested in this book, but there were multiple POVs that confused me DNF
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