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The Twisted Kingdoms #2
Krev a zrada
CESTA OHAŘKY TEMPEST JE ZBROCENÁ KRVÍ, PLNÁ MRTVÝCH TĚL A STŘEPŮ JEJÍHO SRDCE... Tempest se podařilo přelstít krále Destina a získat místo ve válečné radě. Záhy ale pochopí, že za to má zaplatit příliš vysokou cenu. Aniž by Destin tušil, že jeho elitní strážkyně převlékla plášť a stala se dvojitou agentkou, přikáže jí vetřít se na Temný dvůr, do srdce vzbouřených měňavců a rozložit jejich povstání zevnitř… jakýmikoli prostředky.
Dívka se ocitá mezi dvěma mlýnskými kameny – dvěma stranami války, která hrozí roztrhat Heimserii na kusy. Sama má ale plán, jak zemi zbavit krutovládce a zabránit zbytečnému krveprolití. A přestože se jí do cesty plete až příliš mnoho ctitelů, polonahých vládců i nebezpečně přitažlivý vůdce měňavců Pyre, nenechá se jen tak odradit, i kdyby jí to mělo zlomit srdce.
Je totiž načase zjistit, kdo je pravý přítel a před kým by si měla raději krýt záda, protože zrada číhá na každém kroku…
Dívka se ocitá mezi dvěma mlýnskými kameny – dvěma stranami války, která hrozí roztrhat Heimserii na kusy. Sama má ale plán, jak zemi zbavit krutovládce a zabránit zbytečnému krveprolití. A přestože se jí do cesty plete až příliš mnoho ctitelů, polonahých vládců i nebezpečně přitažlivý vůdce měňavců Pyre, nenechá se jen tak odradit, i kdyby jí to mělo zlomit srdce.
Je totiž načase zjistit, kdo je pravý přítel a před kým by si měla raději krýt záda, protože zrada číhá na každém kroku…
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 17, 2020
989 people are currently reading
2825 people want to read
About the author
Frost Kay
36 books1,403 followersUSA Today Bestselling Author Frost Kay is a certified book dragon with an excessive TBR, and a shoe obsession. If you love bewitching fantasy and sci-fi, epic adventures, dark promises, thrilling action, swoon worthy anti heroes, and slow burning romance; her books are for you!
She claims ownership to the bestselling young adult series The Aermian Feuds packed with adventure, secrets, and betrayal.
Fans of Frost Kay love her epic and science fiction teen titles for their "witty banter and exquisitely crafted sentences (that) never leave you bored or wanting," and "find the writing on par with Queen (Sarah J.) Maas and Elise Kova."
You can find her at www.frostkay.net
You can also sign up for a free story here:goo.gl/Z2PkyC
She claims ownership to the bestselling young adult series The Aermian Feuds packed with adventure, secrets, and betrayal.
Fans of Frost Kay love her epic and science fiction teen titles for their "witty banter and exquisitely crafted sentences (that) never leave you bored or wanting," and "find the writing on par with Queen (Sarah J.) Maas and Elise Kova."
You can find her at www.frostkay.net
You can also sign up for a free story here:goo.gl/Z2PkyC
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 321 reviews
August 1, 2024
✅ Good pace / Quick read
✅ Angst / Hate-love
✅ Secondary characters
🆗 Main Character
🆗 Plot
🆗 Action and politics
❌ Spying/double-crossing
3.5 stars
I just need to ignore the cover... their representation of Pyre is weird...
This sequel is good; I have to say that I enjoyed it more the second time I read it. I decided to give The Rook 3.5 stars, but the last 25% is worth 4 stars.
Temp is back at the castle and she has a seat on the king's war council and tries to deal with the king who is still trying to seduce her. He then asks her to go back to the rebels to spy on them, but apparently, no one thought that the rebels might be wary when they see her again. According to the story Temp told, they do not know that she is responsible for killing the Jester, but wouldn’t they be suspicious that she disappeared just after he died, and that she would come back a few weeks later with no logical explanation for her sudden disappearance? She comes back to the castle a few weeks later until she decides to leave again without telling the king to go back to the Jester. She then comes back to the castle without much explanation as to why she left in the first place, and no one asks any questions about her whereabouts and the king does not seem to suspect anything. I don’t know if it’s because some parts were not detailed enough, or if it’s because the king is apparently not as clever as he seems, but I do not understand how he does not suspect Temp. This is the thing that really bothered me. It's as if parts of the story were rushed, without much explanation and much thought to the details and the logical sequence of events...
The characters remain quite the same, there is not much evolution and even the plot does not progress much until the last 50 pages or so. For most of the story, Temp remains an indecisive teenager that can't pick a side even when thrown in the middle of a battle. I am glad that she finally picked a side, and hopefully, the plot will progress more in the next book.
I still enjoyed reading this book. I did enjoy the introduction of Mal and Damien, and I hope that there will be more of Damien in the next book. I also enjoyed the tension and angst between Temp and Pyre (you know me, I do love angst and drama). It is a fast-paced book, easy to read and I will read the third book, hoping that the storyline will be better.
And that final revelation!??!?! Didn't see that one coming! 😱
1. The Hunt ⭐⭐⭐.5
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✅ Angst / Hate-love
✅ Secondary characters
🆗 Main Character
🆗 Plot
🆗 Action and politics
❌ Spying/double-crossing
3.5 stars
I just need to ignore the cover... their representation of Pyre is weird...
This sequel is good; I have to say that I enjoyed it more the second time I read it. I decided to give The Rook 3.5 stars, but the last 25% is worth 4 stars.
Temp is back at the castle and she has a seat on the king's war council and tries to deal with the king who is still trying to seduce her. He then asks her to go back to the rebels to spy on them, but apparently, no one thought that the rebels might be wary when they see her again. According to the story Temp told, they do not know that she is responsible for killing the Jester, but wouldn’t they be suspicious that she disappeared just after he died, and that she would come back a few weeks later with no logical explanation for her sudden disappearance? She comes back to the castle a few weeks later until she decides to leave again without telling the king to go back to the Jester. She then comes back to the castle without much explanation as to why she left in the first place, and no one asks any questions about her whereabouts and the king does not seem to suspect anything. I don’t know if it’s because some parts were not detailed enough, or if it’s because the king is apparently not as clever as he seems, but I do not understand how he does not suspect Temp. This is the thing that really bothered me. It's as if parts of the story were rushed, without much explanation and much thought to the details and the logical sequence of events...
The characters remain quite the same, there is not much evolution and even the plot does not progress much until the last 50 pages or so. For most of the story, Temp remains an indecisive teenager that can't pick a side even when thrown in the middle of a battle. I am glad that she finally picked a side, and hopefully, the plot will progress more in the next book.
I still enjoyed reading this book. I did enjoy the introduction of Mal and Damien, and I hope that there will be more of Damien in the next book. I also enjoyed the tension and angst between Temp and Pyre (you know me, I do love angst and drama). It is a fast-paced book, easy to read and I will read the third book, hoping that the storyline will be better.
And that final revelation!??!?! Didn't see that one coming! 😱
1. The Hunt ⭐⭐⭐.5
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September 26, 2020
This read more like fanfiction than an actual published work. The bones of the plot and characters exist, but I think it needed more tweaking/editing to be good.
CONS
⇢ You could skip this book in the series because there was almost no forward progress in the plot or character development until the last 10% of the book
⇢ Weird romance that moved backwards from book 1
⇢ Annoying main characters that I could not stand by the end of the book. Tempest is an MC that is good at fighting but practically useless at everything else
PROS
⇢ I enjoyed reading about this world and the dynamic between the humans and shifters
⇢ Good side characters
Based off the book blurb, I was expecting an exciting book with lots of romantic tension, action and political intrigue as Tempest played double agent to the king and began working with the rebels. Instead, I got a book about an immature girl that is indecisive so she ended up sitting on her ass and doing nothing for 350 pages.
CONS
⇢ You could skip this book in the series because there was almost no forward progress in the plot or character development until the last 10% of the book
⇢ Weird romance that moved backwards from book 1
⇢ Annoying main characters that I could not stand by the end of the book. Tempest is an MC that is good at fighting but practically useless at everything else
PROS
⇢ I enjoyed reading about this world and the dynamic between the humans and shifters
⇢ Good side characters
Based off the book blurb, I was expecting an exciting book with lots of romantic tension, action and political intrigue as Tempest played double agent to the king and began working with the rebels. Instead, I got a book about an immature girl that is indecisive so she ended up sitting on her ass and doing nothing for 350 pages.
October 19, 2022
When I looked at this entry I literally said "what the fuck I read this?" Out loud. I have zero recollection of anything, ANYTHING at all. I could tell you there were some deals made - maybe? Some double agents - possibly? I suppose this tells you everything you need to know.
August 28, 2020
I received an e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review
The Hunt ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Rook ⭐⭐ and a half
You can find my full review also here :D
It started off so good and then it went downhill...
Tempest felt out of character throughout the whole book so is Pyre. I've found myself searching for tempest many times , the one I've known and fell in love in the first book, being the morally grey committed hound she is and the one she came to side herself with the jester and help the innocent's cause.
In this book she made questionable decisions that had me not connecting to her character , there had been a change in her character and attitude, suddenly she is so interested in attending balls and wearing gowns and being a queen and not only that she stopped trusting the jester and she wants to steal allies from him but right after that, she is again searching for allies for him.
She hates the king's reign and she wants change but she wants to protect him and his sons because she feels obliged to, she wants to be queen but suddenly she isn't ? (couldn't she pick one side and act on it?)
There were unnecessary scenes that didn't add much to the plot or more like weren't well flushed out as I expected them to be :
-The masquerade scene ( it didn't serve any purpose)
-Pyre's other personality (what's the purpose of Mal) I liked him even more as a separate character
-The dragon king's interest in Tempest
There hadn't been enough of female characters which kind of bothered me : where is Juniper?
Princess Ansette showed a lot of potential at first but we didn't see much of her. So it felt like we were in a world where we are following a female protagonist dealing with men only ( king, princes, pyre, briggs,brine, swiftly, dragon king, lion shifter, chesh, her uncles, levka, soldiers and Mal) but when it comes to females we had only Nyx and Ansette which is questionable.
I would have loved it if we got more information about Tempest's father and mother and the shape shifter who burned their cottage and how it'll play in the plot.
I predicted the ending the resemblance was easy to pick on : golden eyes and amber hair,it was easy to see through the resemblance and figure out that the kitsune is the king's bastard son.
I loved the first book and I still have that much love for it, the sequel didn't add much to the series but I'll definitely be checking out the author's future works.
The Hunt ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Rook ⭐⭐ and a half
You can find my full review also here :D
It started off so good and then it went downhill...
Tempest felt out of character throughout the whole book so is Pyre. I've found myself searching for tempest many times , the one I've known and fell in love in the first book, being the morally grey committed hound she is and the one she came to side herself with the jester and help the innocent's cause.
In this book she made questionable decisions that had me not connecting to her character , there had been a change in her character and attitude, suddenly she is so interested in attending balls and wearing gowns and being a queen and not only that she stopped trusting the jester and she wants to steal allies from him but right after that, she is again searching for allies for him.
She hates the king's reign and she wants change but she wants to protect him and his sons because she feels obliged to, she wants to be queen but suddenly she isn't ? (couldn't she pick one side and act on it?)
There were unnecessary scenes that didn't add much to the plot or more like weren't well flushed out as I expected them to be :
-The masquerade scene ( it didn't serve any purpose)
-Pyre's other personality (what's the purpose of Mal) I liked him even more as a separate character
-The dragon king's interest in Tempest
There hadn't been enough of female characters which kind of bothered me : where is Juniper?
Princess Ansette showed a lot of potential at first but we didn't see much of her. So it felt like we were in a world where we are following a female protagonist dealing with men only ( king, princes, pyre, briggs,brine, swiftly, dragon king, lion shifter, chesh, her uncles, levka, soldiers and Mal) but when it comes to females we had only Nyx and Ansette which is questionable.
I would have loved it if we got more information about Tempest's father and mother and the shape shifter who burned their cottage and how it'll play in the plot.
I predicted the ending the resemblance was easy to pick on : golden eyes and amber hair,it was easy to see through the resemblance and figure out that the kitsune is the king's bastard son.
I loved the first book and I still have that much love for it, the sequel didn't add much to the series but I'll definitely be checking out the author's future works.
November 17, 2024
Do horoucích pekel, může mi prosím někdo říct, kdo vymyslel cliffhangery? :D ... Poslední věta této knížky mi málem způsobila infarkt. Nejsem si teď úplně jistá, jestli mi během čtení prvního i toho dílu neunikla nějaká informace, která by mě k tomu navedla. Zůstala jsem jako opařená a teď mám nutkavou potřebu přečíst si další díl, jenže na ten si budu muset nějakou dobu počkat.
Každopádně, tento díl je rozhodně o sto procent lepší než předchozí. Příběh navazuje tam, kde v předchozí knížce skončil a pěkně se rozbíhá hned ze začátku. Čeká nás mnohem víc akce, mnohem víc intrik a mnohem víc napětí. Dočkáme se ne jednoho překvapení a můžeme sledovat, jak se vztahy jednotlivých postav postupně prohlubují. Prostě a jednoduše, opět velmi povedená práce.
Pokud stále váháte pustit se do této série, tak nemusíte. Věřím, že si knížky zamilujete stejně jako já.
Každopádně, tento díl je rozhodně o sto procent lepší než předchozí. Příběh navazuje tam, kde v předchozí knížce skončil a pěkně se rozbíhá hned ze začátku. Čeká nás mnohem víc akce, mnohem víc intrik a mnohem víc napětí. Dočkáme se ne jednoho překvapení a můžeme sledovat, jak se vztahy jednotlivých postav postupně prohlubují. Prostě a jednoduše, opět velmi povedená práce.
Pokud stále váháte pustit se do této série, tak nemusíte. Věřím, že si knížky zamilujete stejně jako já.
August 29, 2020
I've been really enjoying this series. This book is fast paced and has some plot twists that keep it interesting. I'm excited to see how everything comes together. Highly recommend.
September 9, 2020
What a great series book 2 dose not disapoint but it finishes way to quick.
January 11, 2026
Ten poslední odstavec jsem tak trochu nečekala...
September 4, 2020
1 and 1/2
I mean it just feels like ok fan fiction from a 17 yr old. Not a terrible thing but.... like how did this get published at the same time? The writing just got worse from the first book.
In my opinion you can’t have a kick butt assassin girl who constantly wears dresses with corsets and cries at everything. It just doesn’t fit. And the modern day phrases throw me off a lot. It’s clearly supposed to be a renaissance period or medieval times of some sort and you can’t use phrases that are popular in 2020.
The enemy to lovers thing is usually my favorite and it just doesn’t fit. Their relationship is so boring and I’m not even rooting for them to get together. Let her get with the nasty pedo king for all I care she’s just so annoying. In the first book I really liked Pyre and he seemed to take such a step backwards in this book. Such a shame.
If this HAD been written by a 17 ur old I would have thought hey this has some great bones let’s work on this and make it something great! But considering this is written by a grown woman who has had multiple books published at this point it just makes me cringe.
I mean it just feels like ok fan fiction from a 17 yr old. Not a terrible thing but.... like how did this get published at the same time? The writing just got worse from the first book.
In my opinion you can’t have a kick butt assassin girl who constantly wears dresses with corsets and cries at everything. It just doesn’t fit. And the modern day phrases throw me off a lot. It’s clearly supposed to be a renaissance period or medieval times of some sort and you can’t use phrases that are popular in 2020.
The enemy to lovers thing is usually my favorite and it just doesn’t fit. Their relationship is so boring and I’m not even rooting for them to get together. Let her get with the nasty pedo king for all I care she’s just so annoying. In the first book I really liked Pyre and he seemed to take such a step backwards in this book. Such a shame.
If this HAD been written by a 17 ur old I would have thought hey this has some great bones let’s work on this and make it something great! But considering this is written by a grown woman who has had multiple books published at this point it just makes me cringe.
February 19, 2021
Thank you Frost Kay for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Once again, thank you for ripping my heart out and putting it back in. Frost Kay is an indie writer that I'm completely committed to and this book is another example why. These main characters are fun, spicy, irritating and I love them so much. This is the second book in the series and it left me impatiently waiting for the third release. We see Tempest as she plays the role of a double agent and having no clue how to pull it off. We see the dastardly Fox pining for his Hound. This book is awesome if you need a break and a fun read with all the feels.
Please Kay, come out with the third one quickly!
Please Kay, come out with the third one quickly!
March 16, 2021
Ugh I am in love with the dynamics between the people in this novel. It's warm and full of love, but a dash of sarcastic humour. Honestly, I'm sold.
A good sequel. On to book 3!
→ 3.5 stars
A good sequel. On to book 3!
→ 3.5 stars
August 24, 2020
Holy shit is all I have to say about this book. I absolutely loved the first book but I think I loved this book better. I finished it within just hours of receiving it. Honestly if you haven’t picked up this series yet I would 100% recommend it to anyone who loves dark fantasy romance or fantasy in general. I’m going to struggle with saying how much I love it without spoiling everything.
After everything that happened in the first book in the series The Hunt. Tempest is now working for both King Destin and The Jester and things get very interesting to say the least. This series is so good and might manage to make its way to my favorites if it keeps on being this amazing.
I just couldn’t put this book down, with every page had me just wanting to keep on reading. So much happened in so little time that something was constantly going on. Everything I want to say I can’t because of spoilers but I will say that the very last paragraph has me screaming. I cannot believe that’s the ending especially with what happened in the book. It changes so much character dynamics and makes one of Tempest choices in the book more weirded I guess.
I have somehow managed to Pyre even more with this book. I honestly didn’t think it was possible but it was. I just love him as a character and am very curious as to where his character is going to go in the next book. But Tempest and Pyre has my heart racing in anticipation for where they will eventually go. What we were given in this book had me smiling like an idiot and almost screaming with happiness.
Overall this book is just amazing I cannot think of anything I didn’t like.
After everything that happened in the first book in the series The Hunt. Tempest is now working for both King Destin and The Jester and things get very interesting to say the least. This series is so good and might manage to make its way to my favorites if it keeps on being this amazing.
I just couldn’t put this book down, with every page had me just wanting to keep on reading. So much happened in so little time that something was constantly going on. Everything I want to say I can’t because of spoilers but I will say that the very last paragraph has me screaming. I cannot believe that’s the ending especially with what happened in the book. It changes so much character dynamics and makes one of Tempest choices in the book more weirded I guess.
I have somehow managed to Pyre even more with this book. I honestly didn’t think it was possible but it was. I just love him as a character and am very curious as to where his character is going to go in the next book. But Tempest and Pyre has my heart racing in anticipation for where they will eventually go. What we were given in this book had me smiling like an idiot and almost screaming with happiness.
Overall this book is just amazing I cannot think of anything I didn’t like.
August 24, 2020
I have been impatiently waiting to read this book ever since reading The Hunt and I ended up devouring it within a day because it was SO GOOD I couldn’t put it down!!!
This series has so many elements that I love about it and it has definitely made it as one of my all-time favourites.
Tempest is an advocate for the innocent – she is on a mission to stop innocent people from being killed in the crossfire of the conflict between King Destin and the rebellion. Tempest is doing her best to navigate both sides of the incoming war. Tempest knows that the King is up to something and is a cruel and awful ruler. However, despite her confusing attraction to him, she isn’t so sure that the Jester should rule either.
Every interaction between Tempest and Pyre had me on the edge of my seat! Enemies to lovers is my favourite trope of all time and this one is one of the best written ones I’ve ever come across. It was so good to see their relationship develop a little, but I’m glad Temp hasn’t given in to him… yet.
There were so many twists and turns in this book that it had me guessing the entire way through. It was such a fast paced and thrilling book and I am dying to read the next one to find out what happens next!
*I was given an ARC for an honest review*
This series has so many elements that I love about it and it has definitely made it as one of my all-time favourites.
Tempest is an advocate for the innocent – she is on a mission to stop innocent people from being killed in the crossfire of the conflict between King Destin and the rebellion. Tempest is doing her best to navigate both sides of the incoming war. Tempest knows that the King is up to something and is a cruel and awful ruler. However, despite her confusing attraction to him, she isn’t so sure that the Jester should rule either.
Every interaction between Tempest and Pyre had me on the edge of my seat! Enemies to lovers is my favourite trope of all time and this one is one of the best written ones I’ve ever come across. It was so good to see their relationship develop a little, but I’m glad Temp hasn’t given in to him… yet.
There were so many twists and turns in this book that it had me guessing the entire way through. It was such a fast paced and thrilling book and I am dying to read the next one to find out what happens next!
*I was given an ARC for an honest review*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2020
3.5 ⭐️
May 23, 2021
Ok. No. Alright no. Stop. Let's unpack.
Again, like in the first book, there is a pointless chapter at the start which is just the last chapter of the previous book. An unnecessary chapter to be honest. I would have left it out as all series do.
There is blatant sexism. The author often uses the terms "males" and "females" in direct reference to specific characters which dehumanizes them. Granted, there are non-human species in the book, but dude. Better alternatives and diction are always there. Just because the author is always saying that women > men doesn't make it feminist. It really is just sexist and does not inspire me to like any characters who dwell on the gender distinctions. What's worse is these distinctions come out of no where so it feels like a sucker punch when I come across them. Truly, it would be the middle of a battle, people are screaming and dying, and Tempest says "what if a woman were in charge" like girl this is not the time. At all.
On that same vein, there are a lot of battles Tempest picks that are not important and at a bad time. Like when she refuses to dress for an event.. when she is a spy who should be blending in. When she gives an attitude to her guide because he is a "bossy male" though she acknowledges he is right?? Girl. Just stop.
I also realized why I have a hard time with liking the book, apart from the sexism.
There is hypocrisy everywhere. More obviously with Tempest since she is usually the POV we are reading from. But my goodness. I understand the author's desire to make Tempest both soft and strong, fierce but vulnerable, but it needs finesse and balance. The author just does not deliver. Tempest is touted as the "I'm built different" assassin as the only female Hound and killing a lion and all that. She is supposed to be very skilled, yet she cannot, ever, hear anyone creep up to her. She is constantly kidnapped. And she is constantly caught unawares and says herself "that was sloppy". She is said to be an expert tracker, but she gets lost often. We never get to see her be great and actually skilled. She reaches for her daggers a lot but hardly makes good on her threats. She lives on a high-horse, which Pyre refreshingly calls out, and thinks her way is best when she truly has no real world experience and we unfortunately don't get to see her in any real action. I understand that these are the author's characters and she can make them as she likes, but if you want your readers to love the characters as you do, you have to convince them to see the characters as you do. You can't just say this character is strong and then have them always weak.
There are also inconsistencies like when Tempest says she can't read Pyre but later she says "she hates how she can read him"?? Even the Hounds. They got angry over her agreement with the king and her reasoning was she had no choice. Immediately after, the Hounds defend their crimes claiming they did what they did because they had no choice?? Make it make sense.
It boils down to the writing. The inconsistencies, hypocrisy, and unstable character motives really damage the story.
The few POVs from Pyre were actually enjoyable. I don't know if it's because we don't get his POV enough for there to be hypocrisy or inconsistencies. There is a lightness and honesty in his POVs that is refreshing when compared to Tempest's who lies to herself often when it comes to Pyre especially.
I will read the last book because these are relatively short and there was a juicy plot twist in the last sentence. I want to rate it a 2 star but it was better paced than book 1 and the plot seems like it's gonna get good in the next book so 2.5.
Again, like in the first book, there is a pointless chapter at the start which is just the last chapter of the previous book. An unnecessary chapter to be honest. I would have left it out as all series do.
There is blatant sexism. The author often uses the terms "males" and "females" in direct reference to specific characters which dehumanizes them. Granted, there are non-human species in the book, but dude. Better alternatives and diction are always there. Just because the author is always saying that women > men doesn't make it feminist. It really is just sexist and does not inspire me to like any characters who dwell on the gender distinctions. What's worse is these distinctions come out of no where so it feels like a sucker punch when I come across them. Truly, it would be the middle of a battle, people are screaming and dying, and Tempest says "what if a woman were in charge" like girl this is not the time. At all.
On that same vein, there are a lot of battles Tempest picks that are not important and at a bad time. Like when she refuses to dress for an event.. when she is a spy who should be blending in. When she gives an attitude to her guide because he is a "bossy male" though she acknowledges he is right?? Girl. Just stop.
I also realized why I have a hard time with liking the book, apart from the sexism.
There is hypocrisy everywhere. More obviously with Tempest since she is usually the POV we are reading from. But my goodness. I understand the author's desire to make Tempest both soft and strong, fierce but vulnerable, but it needs finesse and balance. The author just does not deliver. Tempest is touted as the "I'm built different" assassin as the only female Hound and killing a lion and all that. She is supposed to be very skilled, yet she cannot, ever, hear anyone creep up to her. She is constantly kidnapped. And she is constantly caught unawares and says herself "that was sloppy". She is said to be an expert tracker, but she gets lost often. We never get to see her be great and actually skilled. She reaches for her daggers a lot but hardly makes good on her threats. She lives on a high-horse, which Pyre refreshingly calls out, and thinks her way is best when she truly has no real world experience and we unfortunately don't get to see her in any real action. I understand that these are the author's characters and she can make them as she likes, but if you want your readers to love the characters as you do, you have to convince them to see the characters as you do. You can't just say this character is strong and then have them always weak.
There are also inconsistencies like when Tempest says she can't read Pyre but later she says "she hates how she can read him"?? Even the Hounds. They got angry over her agreement with the king and her reasoning was she had no choice. Immediately after, the Hounds defend their crimes claiming they did what they did because they had no choice?? Make it make sense.
It boils down to the writing. The inconsistencies, hypocrisy, and unstable character motives really damage the story.
The few POVs from Pyre were actually enjoyable. I don't know if it's because we don't get his POV enough for there to be hypocrisy or inconsistencies. There is a lightness and honesty in his POVs that is refreshing when compared to Tempest's who lies to herself often when it comes to Pyre especially.
I will read the last book because these are relatively short and there was a juicy plot twist in the last sentence. I want to rate it a 2 star but it was better paced than book 1 and the plot seems like it's gonna get good in the next book so 2.5.
September 20, 2022
To break it down into simple terms:
Pace: good
Secondary characters: good
Main character: lack luster, missing depth.
Honestly, the book was an exhausting mess. To sum it up it was an ignorant naive girl playing at being a big girl and screaming or threatening anyone and everyone who came around... oh and we can't forget how drop dead gorgeous she is so that every (and I mean every) man who looks upon her face must have her. (Pleeeassseeee, have so reality here).
All of the male characters were practically the same person. They were crude, obstinate, and just wanted to argue... oh and at first every one of them wanted Tempest and were some sort of sick pig. It was exhausting to read through literally any encounter she had with a male.
Tempest is the worst representation for a "strong-independent" woman I have ever seen. The author gave her power in one way and one way only... fight. There is more to a woman that her stubborn attitude. Strength is not in strife and yet that is all Tempest does. She isn't smart, or she would learn to hold her Tongue, she isn't cunning or devious. All she is is anger and a storm.... and it gets so incredibly tiring. Just reading it makes my eyes roll. "Oh she pulled her daggers again." "Surprise, surprise she slapped him." "Here we go again, she's being a hypocrite and just yelling to yell when she knows nothing. When she could actually LEARN something like she was supposed to."
Which brings me to my next point: she is the worlds worst spy. (See above for why). Book one set up the expectation that she was smart, she learned tactics and studied how to school her features and pretty much be a chameleon... unfortunately, the author failed in ever way here. She never gains any useful intel. Everything she "figures out" is happen stance. She never tries to get information from the other hounds and actually find out what is happening there, she never just asks the Jester anything outright, which he would have actually conversed with her. Nope, she just yells, and screams, and when people point out that she is judging them without any evidence she just yells "How dare you" and then gets sick... or hurt again.
She is so back and forth its infuriating. She has no core standards. She speaks about "being on the side of the innocent" yet she has no idea what that is. One minute she in enraged (because shes always enraged) over the Talagan village being massacred, and then the next moment she is distraught over the Prince who is a demon. Literally in the same battle she killed people who she had looked at before and called alleys literally 2 seconds before.
That brings me to my last point: It was the same thing over and over. She would go to the Jester, not get any information because she was a terrible spy, she would get hurt or sick and he would nurse her back to health. She would then pick a fight that she was in the wrong about, hit or threaten (with pulling her daggers because that's what a highly trained assassin pulls when they're even the least bit uncomfortable) and then she would be back off to the capital to judge the hounds without evidence and pretend she knew anything of what she was actually doing.
I don't think I will be moving on to the next book, I hardly made it through this one. I can't handle the stupid strife that warrants nothing any longer.
Pace: good
Secondary characters: good
Main character: lack luster, missing depth.
Honestly, the book was an exhausting mess. To sum it up it was an ignorant naive girl playing at being a big girl and screaming or threatening anyone and everyone who came around... oh and we can't forget how drop dead gorgeous she is so that every (and I mean every) man who looks upon her face must have her. (Pleeeassseeee, have so reality here).
All of the male characters were practically the same person. They were crude, obstinate, and just wanted to argue... oh and at first every one of them wanted Tempest and were some sort of sick pig. It was exhausting to read through literally any encounter she had with a male.
Tempest is the worst representation for a "strong-independent" woman I have ever seen. The author gave her power in one way and one way only... fight. There is more to a woman that her stubborn attitude. Strength is not in strife and yet that is all Tempest does. She isn't smart, or she would learn to hold her Tongue, she isn't cunning or devious. All she is is anger and a storm.... and it gets so incredibly tiring. Just reading it makes my eyes roll. "Oh she pulled her daggers again." "Surprise, surprise she slapped him." "Here we go again, she's being a hypocrite and just yelling to yell when she knows nothing. When she could actually LEARN something like she was supposed to."
Which brings me to my next point: she is the worlds worst spy. (See above for why). Book one set up the expectation that she was smart, she learned tactics and studied how to school her features and pretty much be a chameleon... unfortunately, the author failed in ever way here. She never gains any useful intel. Everything she "figures out" is happen stance. She never tries to get information from the other hounds and actually find out what is happening there, she never just asks the Jester anything outright, which he would have actually conversed with her. Nope, she just yells, and screams, and when people point out that she is judging them without any evidence she just yells "How dare you" and then gets sick... or hurt again.
She is so back and forth its infuriating. She has no core standards. She speaks about "being on the side of the innocent" yet she has no idea what that is. One minute she in enraged (because shes always enraged) over the Talagan village being massacred, and then the next moment she is distraught over the Prince who is a demon. Literally in the same battle she killed people who she had looked at before and called alleys literally 2 seconds before.
That brings me to my last point: It was the same thing over and over. She would go to the Jester, not get any information because she was a terrible spy, she would get hurt or sick and he would nurse her back to health. She would then pick a fight that she was in the wrong about, hit or threaten (with pulling her daggers because that's what a highly trained assassin pulls when they're even the least bit uncomfortable) and then she would be back off to the capital to judge the hounds without evidence and pretend she knew anything of what she was actually doing.
I don't think I will be moving on to the next book, I hardly made it through this one. I can't handle the stupid strife that warrants nothing any longer.
August 24, 2020
Holy crap this book! So many twists and turns that you do not see coming! So many characters that you just want to die, and then there is a dragon. A DRAGON! He is a great dragon that I hope we get to see more of because I want to know more about him. Tempest is put in a hard spot and she struggles with the position that she is in. I love to see this uncertain side of her. She is such a dynamic character that you really don't know what she is going to do next. Pyre, I alternate between wanting to smack the heck out of him and wanting to snuggle with him. The ending left me shaking my head and praying that I don't have to wait too long for the next book. Frost Kay has done an amazing job with this book and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
May 30, 2021
DNF’ed at 16%. All of the editing mistakes and inconsistent characters from the first book arrive here front and center in this sequel. The threat of rape happens so many times in the first 3 chapters that I couldn’t handle it anymore. The final straw was a scene with the enemy love interest and the “banter” is embarrassingly painful. The MC is so full of herself about how good she is at lying or hiding her emotions or at playing games, and yet the evidence over and over and over again suggests otherwise. And the political plotline is boring, at best.
Again, all of the mistakes from the first book are highlighted here with none of the fun or action.
Again, all of the mistakes from the first book are highlighted here with none of the fun or action.
June 3, 2022
This was a very odd step back from book one. Tempest is probably one of the most infuriating main characters I've read about. The "romance" was excruciating. Everything I liked about book 1 was destroyed in book 2. The last bit of the book was excellent though.
January 2, 2022
Not as good as the first one but still thoroughly enjoyable, packed with brooding shapeshifters, romantic tension, and one bad-ass MC in a world reminiscent of fairy tales but much more thrilling.
The characters are so well done, morally grey, constantly evolving, and complex. I am slightly in love with Damien the Dragon King/Shapeshifter (smirks devilishly). As a reader your own loyalty to the characters gets tested; whose telling the truth? Who can Tempest really trust? Who is plain evil and who has the greater good in focus? Frost certainly knows how to write villains because King Destin is loathsome!
My critique would be that Tempest seemed to wan in this one, I was distracted by how many times she mentions her head hurting or wanting to go to bed (then to not want to be in bed), and the actual plot moved a lot slower. Nonetheless the world and its characters Frost Kay has created are still absorbing and utterly imaginative.
That plot twist at the end certainly heightened the anticipation for the third book. I mean...wow! There are many twists and surprised peppered throughout to keep you constantly on your toes.
The Rook certainly sets up great anticipation and intrigue for the next book. The world of Twisted Kingdoms carves out its own engrossing and heart-pouding path.
The characters are so well done, morally grey, constantly evolving, and complex. I am slightly in love with Damien the Dragon King/Shapeshifter (smirks devilishly). As a reader your own loyalty to the characters gets tested; whose telling the truth? Who can Tempest really trust? Who is plain evil and who has the greater good in focus? Frost certainly knows how to write villains because King Destin is loathsome!
My critique would be that Tempest seemed to wan in this one, I was distracted by how many times she mentions her head hurting or wanting to go to bed (then to not want to be in bed), and the actual plot moved a lot slower. Nonetheless the world and its characters Frost Kay has created are still absorbing and utterly imaginative.
That plot twist at the end certainly heightened the anticipation for the third book. I mean...wow! There are many twists and surprised peppered throughout to keep you constantly on your toes.
The Rook certainly sets up great anticipation and intrigue for the next book. The world of Twisted Kingdoms carves out its own engrossing and heart-pouding path.
January 17, 2021
this book !
one thing to begin with - this cover is fucking ugly! like the worst thing I have ever seen!
but, the story, characters and plot twists make up for it!
i needed the third one yesterDAY!!!!!
one thing to begin with - this cover is fucking ugly! like the worst thing I have ever seen!
but, the story, characters and plot twists make up for it!
i needed the third one yesterDAY!!!!!
December 20, 2020
I really need to stop reading all these series that don’t release the next books until February. 🙄 SO GOOD. What an ending!!
December 16, 2025
Je to rychlý,zabavný, furt se tam něco děje a i přesto,že z toho nejsem uplně uvytržení, se mi to docela libí (až ta ty paličatý výlevy hlavní hrdinky)
June 12, 2022
Holy shit the bombshell at the end Kay. If the next book wasn’t already out, I would be sooo pissed at having to wait to see what happens next.
I absolutely love Tempest, and how she takes no shit from anyone around her. She is the definition of what a strong female character should be.
I saw some of the twists coming but not that last one for sure. I can’t believe Pyre didn’t immediately storm the capital after Tempest though. I can’t wait for him to finally realize how dumb he’s being and go after her. Like is he really going to let Destin win her too? I think not.
Definitely recommend to anyone wanting a series with enemies to friends to enemies to allies to eventual lovers. And the side characters are all on point and well-developed.
I absolutely love Tempest, and how she takes no shit from anyone around her. She is the definition of what a strong female character should be.
I saw some of the twists coming but not that last one for sure. I can’t believe Pyre didn’t immediately storm the capital after Tempest though. I can’t wait for him to finally realize how dumb he’s being and go after her. Like is he really going to let Destin win her too? I think not.
Definitely recommend to anyone wanting a series with enemies to friends to enemies to allies to eventual lovers. And the side characters are all on point and well-developed.
July 22, 2022
Rezension (deutsch)
„The Rook“, von Frost Kay, ist der zweite Band der Twisted Kingdoms – Reihe.
Es gibt eine Menge was ich zu dem Buch sagen möchte. Wirklich eine Menge. Doch fangen wir erst mal mit den positiven Punkten an, bevor ich auf die negativen komme. Der Schreibstil war wieder flüssig, locker und ich kam gut durch die Seiten. Auch die Welt wurde ein wenig weiter umrahmt und es kamen ein paar neue Handlungsorte dazu. Das Buch selbst hingegen, trug nicht wirklich zum Handlungsverlauf der Geschichte dazu. Es kamen kaum neue Informationen hinzu, alles fühlte sich gestreckt und langatmig an, man drehte sich im Kreise und die Geschehnisse, die passierten, waren entweder zu dramatisch gestaltet oder einfach nur belästigend. Und nein, ich meine damit nicht nervig, sondern wirklich belästigend und unpassend. Während mir die Protagonistin im ersten Band sympathisch, verständlich war in ihrer Denk- und Handlungsweise, fiel sie mir hier negativ auf, weil sie in vielen, vielen Dingen vorschnell urteilte und unbedacht handelte. Auch die anderen Protagonisten waren für mich nicht nachvollziehbar und erhielten nicht sonderlich viel Tiefe in Sachen Hintergrund oder Motiven. Der Spannungsbogen war auch ein wenig unausgeglichen und die Kämpfe machten mir keinen Spaß.
Fazit, ich finde es Schade, dass das Buch sich so für mich anfühlte, obwohl es so viel Potenzial hat.
Das Buch hat von mir 2/5🌹 bekommen.
Liebe Grüße rosarium🌹
Review (english)
„The Rook“, from Frost Kay, is the second book of the Twisted Kingdoms – Saga.
I have a lot to say about this book. A lot. But first, we will start with the postive things. I liked the fluid wirtingstyle, with which I raced through the pages and the worldbuilding, which got a little more details and places. The story however was on some points really slow, short on on information and just went around in a circle. Also, some things I found disturbing and harassing. The protagonist, who I found in the first book sympethic, understandble in her way, judged here in some cases to fast, to shallow and did not think most of the time. The other characteres were also not likeable anymore and got on my nerves at the end. The charging was a little off and I did not enjoy the fighting scenes.
So, to sum everthing up, it is sad, that a book with so much potential could not reach it.
I gave the book 2/5🌹.
Lots of Love, rosarium
„The Rook“, von Frost Kay, ist der zweite Band der Twisted Kingdoms – Reihe.
Es gibt eine Menge was ich zu dem Buch sagen möchte. Wirklich eine Menge. Doch fangen wir erst mal mit den positiven Punkten an, bevor ich auf die negativen komme. Der Schreibstil war wieder flüssig, locker und ich kam gut durch die Seiten. Auch die Welt wurde ein wenig weiter umrahmt und es kamen ein paar neue Handlungsorte dazu. Das Buch selbst hingegen, trug nicht wirklich zum Handlungsverlauf der Geschichte dazu. Es kamen kaum neue Informationen hinzu, alles fühlte sich gestreckt und langatmig an, man drehte sich im Kreise und die Geschehnisse, die passierten, waren entweder zu dramatisch gestaltet oder einfach nur belästigend. Und nein, ich meine damit nicht nervig, sondern wirklich belästigend und unpassend. Während mir die Protagonistin im ersten Band sympathisch, verständlich war in ihrer Denk- und Handlungsweise, fiel sie mir hier negativ auf, weil sie in vielen, vielen Dingen vorschnell urteilte und unbedacht handelte. Auch die anderen Protagonisten waren für mich nicht nachvollziehbar und erhielten nicht sonderlich viel Tiefe in Sachen Hintergrund oder Motiven. Der Spannungsbogen war auch ein wenig unausgeglichen und die Kämpfe machten mir keinen Spaß.
Fazit, ich finde es Schade, dass das Buch sich so für mich anfühlte, obwohl es so viel Potenzial hat.
Das Buch hat von mir 2/5🌹 bekommen.
Liebe Grüße rosarium🌹
Review (english)
„The Rook“, from Frost Kay, is the second book of the Twisted Kingdoms – Saga.
I have a lot to say about this book. A lot. But first, we will start with the postive things. I liked the fluid wirtingstyle, with which I raced through the pages and the worldbuilding, which got a little more details and places. The story however was on some points really slow, short on on information and just went around in a circle. Also, some things I found disturbing and harassing. The protagonist, who I found in the first book sympethic, understandble in her way, judged here in some cases to fast, to shallow and did not think most of the time. The other characteres were also not likeable anymore and got on my nerves at the end. The charging was a little off and I did not enjoy the fighting scenes.
So, to sum everthing up, it is sad, that a book with so much potential could not reach it.
I gave the book 2/5🌹.
Lots of Love, rosarium
September 10, 2020
Dear Frost Kay,
You did it again. You made me ignore the world until I finished your book. Then, you left me eager for more. I can’t get enough of this fascinating world you have shared with us or the growing attraction of 2 sworn enemies.
I’m in awe with how badass Tempest is and my heart beats for the tricky Jester. It was a fast paced read that was definitely full of twists and turns. With the ending leaving me with my mouth hanging open and saying, “WTF”!
This led to my frantic research of when the next book comes out. I obviously, wouldn’t make a good detective because that fact is still unknown to me. But I’ll tell you one thing...not soon enough is the right answer!
Sincerely,
A eager reader
If you haven’t started the Twisted Kingdom series yet. I highly recommend you do it now!The first book is The Hunt. And it’s free on K.U.
You did it again. You made me ignore the world until I finished your book. Then, you left me eager for more. I can’t get enough of this fascinating world you have shared with us or the growing attraction of 2 sworn enemies.
I’m in awe with how badass Tempest is and my heart beats for the tricky Jester. It was a fast paced read that was definitely full of twists and turns. With the ending leaving me with my mouth hanging open and saying, “WTF”!
This led to my frantic research of when the next book comes out. I obviously, wouldn’t make a good detective because that fact is still unknown to me. But I’ll tell you one thing...not soon enough is the right answer!
Sincerely,
A eager reader
If you haven’t started the Twisted Kingdom series yet. I highly recommend you do it now!The first book is The Hunt. And it’s free on K.U.
August 25, 2020
Fantastic 💖
This book is so well written that you will read page after page so smoothly and, suddenly, you will be facing that freaking cliffhanger 😲 🤯 😩 😭
The world building is amazing, I can picture in my mind everything and everybody that is described in this book!!! 😍
The unexpected and shocking twists and turns had me on edge, biting my nails, wondering WTH will happen next 😳🤪
The love-hate relationships between Tempest and Pyre had me hyperventilating, heart racing, sometimes wanting to slap him, other times wanting to kiss him 🤗😍😁
Full of action, mysteries, betrayal, new allies and lot of emotions, this second installment is all I was expecting and so much more, can't wait for the next book!!! 😍❤️
This book is so well written that you will read page after page so smoothly and, suddenly, you will be facing that freaking cliffhanger 😲 🤯 😩 😭
The world building is amazing, I can picture in my mind everything and everybody that is described in this book!!! 😍
The unexpected and shocking twists and turns had me on edge, biting my nails, wondering WTH will happen next 😳🤪
The love-hate relationships between Tempest and Pyre had me hyperventilating, heart racing, sometimes wanting to slap him, other times wanting to kiss him 🤗😍😁
Full of action, mysteries, betrayal, new allies and lot of emotions, this second installment is all I was expecting and so much more, can't wait for the next book!!! 😍❤️
December 15, 2021
There are so many good things. I think that's why it's so frustrating.
Don't get me started with all the man hating!!! We get it you hate men.
The main character is all over the place. Can you punish bad people or not?
She is after a murderer since the beginning of the story. She is also trying to stop a murdering king. She has killed in self defense.... then you get mad and throw a fit when people are being punished for trying to kill you?
Stick to a side! If she would get the chip off her shoulder this series could really be great!
Don't get me started with all the man hating!!! We get it you hate men.
The main character is all over the place. Can you punish bad people or not?
She is after a murderer since the beginning of the story. She is also trying to stop a murdering king. She has killed in self defense.... then you get mad and throw a fit when people are being punished for trying to kill you?
Stick to a side! If she would get the chip off her shoulder this series could really be great!
January 30, 2022
This second instalment felt double the size, because of the lagging first half. But the second half hit like adrenaline and I looooved it. Although the plot still meanders (so slowly...) towards the 'war' coming, I loved the character development and the oh-so-slow-burn romance. A tad predictable in some ways though. The twists definitely shocked me, and Temp's growing entanglement in both courts is thrilling. This is the first trilogy in a while where I'm running to the third book, instead of skipping out after the second.
September 3, 2020
I love it! So many lovable characters and a great story line. The last POV from Pyre has me so excited and shocked. I knew their was something between him and the crown that went deep but I didn’t expect this. I can’t wait for the next book!
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