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Cage of Destiny

(Reign of Secrets #3)

Jennifer Anne Davis (Goodreads Author)

4.37 · Rating details · 1,271 ratings · 98 reviews

Destined from birth to be the next empress of Emperion, Allyssa grew up at court weighed down by the expectations of the crown. Kingdom and duty always came first.

Until now.

Having survived the brutal kingdom of Russek, she is given the choice to walk away and live a peaceful, quiet life. But it also means giving up everything she knows and everyone she loves. Before she de ...more

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Published August 21st 2017 by Reign Publishing

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· 1,271 ratings · 98 reviews

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Apr 29, 2018 Katerina rated it really liked it

Shelves: assassins, 2018-reads, fantasy

Binge read (n.):
1) When you get so engrossed in a book that you read it in one sitting.
2) To read a book (usually for school) in the course of a day; most times when you were given a long period of time to read the book in the first place.
3) The impulse to finish Reign of Secrets without giving a darn about sleep, work, food and other nuisances, such as zombie apocalypse, alien invasion etc

So, let me be your ~~Gandalf~~ guide to this world of adventure and swoony romance!

“I don't need to he

...more

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Aug 06, 2017 Elisabeth Wheatley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: assassins, chaste-romance, romaction, arc, action-fix, reviewed, shelf-of-awesome, fantasy, love-stories-i-actually-liked, indies

Though there were things about the previous book in the series that bothered me and awkward dialogue/description combos at the beginning of this one, I’m declaring this the author’s BEST BOOK EVER. I read this in a single day and that hasn’t happened in months. I WAS SO STOKED AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH OH MY GOSH.

The themes of balancing duty and love from the first series have carried over into Reign of Secrets. That’s probably my favorite thing about this series (tied with Kerdan’s existence, of co ...more

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Aug 13, 2017 Paula rated it really liked it

I've been anxiously awaiting book 3 in this series. Book 2, Cage of Darkness was absolutely fantastic. I loved the dark turn it took. Book 3 picks up right where CoD left off. I was on the edge of my seat reading this book. Although it didn't have the darker tone that I love, I enjoyed the twists and turns! I look forward to reading anything Jennifer Anne Davis writes!

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Aug 23, 2017 Zachary Flye rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Review:

Protagonist: I feel like I say this with all final installments, but Allyssa really has come a long way since the first book in this series. Once a girl caged by her responsibility, she now has the choice to live whatever life she chooses, and because of her character development throughout this series, she has everything she needs to make the choice that works best for her. Once a girl against marriage, especially one forced upon her, she wants to do what is best for her country, even if Review:

Protagonist: I feel like I say this with all final installments, but Allyssa really has come a long way since the first book in this series. Once a girl caged by her responsibility, she now has the choice to live whatever life she chooses, and because of her character development throughout this series, she has everything she needs to make the choice that works best for her. Once a girl against marriage, especially one forced upon her, she wants to do what is best for her country, even if that's creating a political match. Allyssa still has a great amount of development in this book, she's haunted by the terrors she went through in Russek at the hands of Soma, she's still heartbroken after Odar severed their marriage contract, and she's not entirely sure what her future holds, but she can't rest until Jana is dealt with and the threat on her life no longer hangs over her head. Allyssa's development in this story is fantastic, some things she learns from other, some is learned through experience and growing up. Every step Allyssa takes feels natural and earned. She isn't perfect, but to be a realistic and believable character she shouldn't be.

Romance: I have to tread carefully here. At the end of the previous installment, Odar made the selfish decision to break off his relationship with Allyssa and Kerdan, the crown prince of Russek, had proposed a strategic marriage between the two. Even though I shipped Odar and Allyssa throughout (most) of Cage of Darkness, he definitely made a HUGE mistake and honestly, I wouldn't have minded Allyssa making a strategic match founded in friendship, especially with Kerdan. That's honestly all I can say with specifics, because how the author handles the romance in this story, and Allyssa's decision is phenomenal, but I'm afraid if I talk more specifics I'll ruin it. I'll just say that my heart swelled so many times throughout this book, and what Allyssa chooses in the end made me cry a little bit... a lot.

World Building: Davis is a master at world building, I swear. While we don't get to really see more kingdoms in this world, we do get to see another side to Russek. We get to learn more about their culture and who they are as people, not just the violent and brutal thugs we saw in the previous story. This book also felt like a bit of a love letter to the fans of the True Reign series, I won't quite say why, because of annoying spoilers, but there was something about this story that brought back a sort of nostalgic feeling for the previous series. Obviously, Nathenek's back and as badass and awesome as ever. His relationship with Allyssa is fantastic and how they bond and grow is very reminiscent of his relationship with Rema. Seriously, I'm trying to figure out more to say that won't be spoilery, but you just have to read this book, everything the author does to develop and flesh out this world, even more than it was, is incredible.

Predictability: So, after finishing the previous installment I thought I knew where the story would go next, I thought we'd get a more politically motivated story, but I was dead wrong. Even after reading the synopsis I thought I knew the outcome of mostly everything, and granted there are some things that I was able to predict, some things hinted at in the previous installment and some things that just felt inevitable. That being said though, there were things I was never 100% sure about with this book. In this book, the author seems to have had a lot of fun subverting tropes and kept me guessing. The way everything unfolds is incredible and the twists and turns in this book are mind blowingly amazing.

Ending: This is another section that I need to tread lightly on. The thing is, at the beginning of this book, before the story even starts there's a disclaimer that this is the third book in a series of an undisclosed number of books, which of course made me curious if the author changed her mind and this wasn't the end. As the final climax drew near, everything is fraught with tension, it's clear that something big is on the horizon, and the final climax of this book is everything I wanted and everything I didn't know I needed. The cooldown though, that's where things get tricky. There are definitely some things left unanswered and while I feel comfortable saying that this ends the arc started in Cage of Deceit, as for whether the author will return to this world, well we'll have to wait and see.

Rating:

It should come as no surprise that I think this book is exceptional. Seriously, though this book is EVERYTHING! I mean it, it's a little typical for people to love either the first or especially last, book in a series the most but here it just can't be beaten. I loved every second of it and I'm hoping it doesn't, but this book probably gave me the biggest book hangover ever. ...more

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Aug 21, 2017 Kelly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017, jennifer-anne-davis

I have really enjoyed this series. I can't really write anything about this book because I didn't really see what was coming until it hit me! I felt stupid that I didn't see it! But, it was perfect! Now, I want more and can't wait to see Savenek's story!

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Aug 02, 2017 Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: got-blessed-early

The author/publisher provided a free copy of the book for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a review copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore do not affect the opinion or content of the review.
I honestly forgot about writing a review for Cage of Destiny after reading it, so I am now fashionably late in the reviewing scheme of things.

My excuse: I've been trying to get both of my co-bloggers into reading this and it has not happened yet. My mission will continue. (Also Anel ...more

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Oct 18, 2017 Megan Olguin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Y'all.
This author!!
This series!!

I am CRAZY frustrated writing this review because I want to gush about it, but I will spoil the things that I am excited about! Everything that was amazing, emotional, and exciting, I have to keep my mouth shut about. AHHH!!
I will say that it's incredible, everything I wanted.... And more ;)

I am so so SOOOO so excited about the ending. When you read it (and you absolutely should.
) You'll understand what I mean!

Someone read this and then call me so we can fangirl ...more

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Dec 15, 2017 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle, favorites, not-yet-on-blog, need-to-review, awesome-romance, book-boyfriend, best-of-2017

best series ever! Review to come

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Jun 05, 2018 Corine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy

Wow. What to even say about this book. It was PERFECTION. It was a coming of age story about Allyssa. She grew so much as a person. She made some decisions that weren't necessarily expected, but showed her maturity as a character. I was utterly impressed. She was strong, brave, compassionate, determined and brilliant.

.."Instead of feeling caged by her future, excitement for the unknown coursed through her."

At the end of book 2, Odar broke Allyssa's heart. He claimed that he loved her too much an Wow. What to even say about this book. It was PERFECTION. It was a coming of age story about Allyssa. She grew so much as a person. She made some decisions that weren't necessarily expected, but showed her maturity as a character. I was utterly impressed. She was strong, brave, compassionate, determined and brilliant.

.."Instead of feeling caged by her future, excitement for the unknown coursed through her."

At the end of book 2, Odar broke Allyssa's heart. He claimed that he loved her too much and the breakup was for her own good and safety. At first I thought I kind of understood his choice.... but as time went on I realized (along with Allyssa) that he was a coward. As Darmik told her "nothing could have kept me away from your mother." Also can we just talk about how much I absolutely loved these male role models watching over Allyssa in this book? I mean, I love them. Their love and affection towards Allyssa. Their mission to protect her no matter what. It was admiring. And I was happy to see Nathanek around again. It made my heart swell with joy. The relationships in this book were perfection. It felt real. I teared up a few times when Rema was talking to Allyssa in the beginning of the book. And a few times throughout the book during her and Darmik's conversations. You can literally feel the love they all have for each other and it was beautiful. And I love the parents that they are. The entire family dynamic was wonderful. It truly made this book.

**This part may contain minor spoilers about the love interests**
Now let's talk about Kerdan and Odar. *wiggles eyebrows" Odar was her first love. He turned out to not be what she thought he was. I loved this because how easy is that to relate to?? How many of us look back at our first love (especially at the age of 16 or 17) and think you know, he really wasn't right for me -even though you know that a part of you will always love him. This was how Allyssa felt with Odar. I loved the way that Jennifer handled it (although at first I was a little crushed- luckily she sent Kerdar to mend that broken heart... ) He didn't deserve her and she came to realize that. He didn't really want her back until he saw her with Kerdan (again, how many of us have been through that??) But Allyssa grew so much as a person that she knew Odar couldn't possibly make her happy. He was not the man she needed him to be. And he would never allow her to be who she wanted to be. Also- good riddance because Fren seemed like a wimpy country with their sexist ways. I loved him as Jarvik and felt the pain for Allyssa going through the break up and realizing the person she loved didn't actually exist. Good for her for realizing it.

Moving on to Kerdan. I wasn't sure how I felt about him, but I ended up loving him and realizing he really was the perfect choice for Allyssa.

“All my mother wanted was for me to find someone like you. I thought she was a dreamer. Then, when she died, the dream died with her. So when you came barreling into my world, you changed everything. You saved me.”

*sigh* I mean... the way that he admired Allyssa, respected her choices and saw her as his strength instead of his weakness... I mean THAT is real. Kerdan made her feel strong, secure, valued, respected... and all of those things were so much more important that the butterflies she felt with Jarvik on the rooftop in that first book. I admire Jennifer for making this love story into something that wasn't "instalove" that was a slow burn of two people who were friends and built their relationship on trust and respect.. (not that there weren't some steamy moments... ;) Two people who saved each other.

I just have so many emotions. I LOVED these books and have the worst book hangover right now. Hopefully jumping into Savenek's story will relieve some of the pain! ...more

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Aug 23, 2017 Pam (YA Escape) rated it liked it

I liked it and it's a satisfying conclusion to Allyssa's story but (view spoiler) ...more

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Aug 21, 2017 Rebecca rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-reads, series-not-complete, favorite-authors, nervous-wreck, high-fantasy, tough-heroines, arcs, girl-crush, men-i-love, good-guys-are-best

Since the explosive ending for Cage of Deceit, I have been eagerly awaiting to see what would happen to Allyssa and her kingdom. I had absolutely no idea how she would resolve her heartache and everything she endured. While this one is not as action packed and intense as the first two books, I found Cage of Destiny to be a worthwhile and fitting ending to Allyssa’s story.

“You can’t live in fear of your future, of what may or may not come to pass.”

I admire how strong and courageous Allyssa has be ...more

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Aug 18, 2017 Jan farnworth rated it it was amazing

This is the final book in this amazing spin off series from Jennifer Anne Davis True Reign series. It does not disappoint yes this series has a darker tone to it overall but it truly needs it. This is the battle for Allyssa future free of being pursured by Queen Jana and determining the future she wants to have weather it one as the Queen or something else.

I really think Jennifer gave us everything we expected to find hidden within the pages of this novel. I was on the edge of my seat as we ...more

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Aug 21, 2017 Megan (BookWifeReviews) rated it it was amazing

I loved this book so much. It was by far my favorite of the series. I love how this story played out. I love the choice Allyssa made for herself and her people. She was such a strong character. She was strong in the first book but she was also naive and young. I am just obsessed with her after this book. And Kerdan is the love of my life. He was perfection.

I loved the tie ins from Jennifer Anne Davis' True Reign series! Darmik is a funny dad.

I received an ecopy of this book from the author.

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Jul 31, 2017 Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids rated it it was amazing

Shelves: e-book, mundie-moms-reviews, 2017-release, 2017-reading-challenge

I absolutely loved this book, and the way Allyssa's story is wrapped up. Cage of Destiny kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I read it. When I finished it, I was tempted to re-read it again. I'm so glad there is much more to come with some of the characters in this book. I'm not ready to say goodbye to them all just yet. I highly recommend picking this book up!

FULL REVIEW https://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/2017/... ...more

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Jul 19, 2017 Carol Edholm rated it it was amazing

Excellent book in this fantasy series. Many twists and turns to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. Can't-put-it-down type of book full of good and bad Royals, kingdoms, heartbreak, love and family. A must read!

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Nov 12, 2018 Dee/ bookworm rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fav-2018

I think this one is one of the best in the series so far! Can't wait to read the next!!

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Jun 05, 2018 Diana Koenig rated it really liked it

I actually enjoyed this series very much. I tend to find most YA books written poorly with a predictable plot, ridiculous main characters, and the main characters fall in love too quickly. This series surprised me. The writing was decent aside from the occasional poorly chosen words ('doing her hair' and the main character's exclamations), and the main character focused on the wrong things at odd times. The main character slowly evolved over time, the plot was fairly action-packed and kept me in ...more

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Oct 17, 2018 Dania Mcclanahan rated it really liked it

loving this series...sorry that Alyssa's story ended and wanted more of her and Kerdan, so hoping it comes together later. some much goes on that this book just keeps you going to find out more. great writing by the author.

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Aug 22, 2017 Nottie rated it it was amazing

Oh no!!! I want more more more. Please let this not be the last book, I want to get to know Kerdan and Savenek.

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Aug 22, 2017 Tinnie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow! This was swoonworthy! I devoured it all over a couple of hours. I'm so glad we didn't need to wait a year after the release of the previous book.

Looking forward to the next part of the series!

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Oct 30, 2017 Leah Alvord rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: high-fantasy, secondary-characters-ftw, inner-demons-rejoice, fun-read, on-hand, fantasy

While I usually always write my own summaries for books I'm reviewing, there's one line from the publisher-provided summary that I absolutely adore:

'She can either embrace her destiny or be caged by it.'

No sentiment could be more perfect for this book.

Summary:

Allyssa is a survivor. After the horrors of Russek and nursing a broken heart, she is at last given a choice: She doesn't have to come home.

The decision to walk away and lead a normal life is a tempting one, though it means leaving behind e ...more

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May 07, 2019 Coralie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The conclusion to the trilogy! Well, there are two more books in the series, but they're not the same story or told from Allyssa's pov, as I understand it. All in all, it was a satisfying conclusion; and although I wouldn't rate either the conclusion or the series as a whole among my a favorites, it was an entertaining read.

The plot was paced slower than the previous two books, but I still found myself engaged in the story. I didn't ever get bored with it, despite the fewer life and death pinche The conclusion to the trilogy! Well, there are two more books in the series, but they're not the same story or told from Allyssa's pov, as I understand it. All in all, it was a satisfying conclusion; and although I wouldn't rate either the conclusion or the series as a whole among my a favorites, it was an entertaining read.

The plot was paced slower than the previous two books, but I still found myself engaged in the story. I didn't ever get bored with it, despite the fewer life and death pinches. There was less tension, less political intrigue, and a lot of focus on completing the vengeance mission. It felt like the whole thing was tying up previous ends, so to speak. On a bit of a random note, I'm still not quite sure how stealing tangerines prepared Allyssa for her "final battle." I mean, I see that she sees how Nathenek's training better prepared her, but I didn't see how it helped. The idea didn't follow through. It was what the author told me, not what I witnessed myself. In that regard, and a few others as we'll talk about, I wish the novel had more depth.

The best part of the book may be the characters. I liked them. I liked seeing how they interacted with each other. Some of them did feel a little one-dimensional at times, though Allyssa didn't. They sort of served their purpose and only their purpose. Darmik, probably my favorite, felt rounder, more complex than most of the others. So did Kerdan. I suppose the MCs felt more real than some of the side characters like Nathenek, Rema, or Omar did. Kerdan respects Allyssa. He allows her to make her own decisions and choices, regardless of how he feels. Odar wasn't a wimp in this one like the last one, but he was pretty pompous. His true colors weren't pretty. He said he loved Allyssa, but his actions clearly said otherwise. Maybe he loved her in the only way he knew how, looking at how he grew up. But he never made an attempt to change that, to learn or grow. Nathenek and Savenek intrigued me to no end. I wanted to know more of their story. I wanted to see more of how Nathenek worked with Allyssa, and I would like to see how Saveneck works with Allyssa in the future. The end alluded to that, but the synopsis of next book doesn't make me think I'll see much of that or of his backstory prior to this trilogy. I liked getting to know Natheneck, well as much as we could, again, he wasn't as deep as I would have liked, though I'm sure there's plenty to tell. I loved Darmik's part in the story and would say his role was my favorite. I loved reading a story with the father-daughter dynamic that this one had. So many stories don't include the parents or write them off as useless, incompetent, or just wrong. This one was different, and I thought that was special. I loved how protective he was of her, how much he loved her, and how he did grow and change the way he showed her that love.

There was a lot of travel in this one, a little bit of a new town, and Nathenek's home, but not much else in way of setting. We saw a little more of Russek, but again, not much else. The setting wasn't too in depth. Even the cultures were not as deep as I would have liked. The author made a point, I think, to show that Allyssa's (and others' I'm sure) fear of and disgust with Russek was largely due to ignorance of their culture. However, though she addressed that idea I, as the reader, never felt like I learned what their culture was. This was something I found slightly disappointing. By the end, Allyssa "understands" the Russek's better, but I don't. The short scene in a bar is like a revelation for Allyssa later on, but I never figured out exactly what was going on or how that was the key to understanding the Russek people. There wasn't enough followthrough with the different cultures, either in Russek or other countries. Kerdan talked about making changes, theorized that the army reflected his father's brutality, but what kind of changes would he make? I wanted Davis to dive deeper here, to expand on the cultures instead of just telling me they were barbaric or not barbaric or feminist or not feminist. There was more potential for the setting, for the world, than was expanded upon, in my opinion.

Speaking of feminism, I thought that kind of soured the ending just a little for me. Well, it kind of soured more than just the ending, but it wasn't as prevalent as it was in the previous book. I've already made my sentiments known in my previous review, but as a quick recap for this one: I felt Allyssa was very blatant in her opinions, and not in a personality kind of way, in a the-author-is-pushing-an-agenda, stiff-jolting-the-reader-out-of-the-story kind of way. Again, it wasn't as in your face and preachy in this one as the last, but it still made me roll my eyes. Otherwise, I thought the ending was pretty well-balanced. It acknowledged the painful past, the changes that the characters had gone through, and yet still made love, family, hope, and the future important. It left off on a good note, and I enjoyed that.

Content: Some say this book wasn't as dark as the previous one, and I'm not sure I wholly agree. Yes, the second book dealt more with captivity and prisoners of war, torture, and such, but this one had some subliminally dark themes that were kind of disturbing to me. The last book led into these themes, but this one really exposed the heart of them. So, book 2 was darker outright perhaps, but this one still held a dark tone, too.

The idea that people can't be forgiven, the theme of revenge and vengeance, and the persistence of murder were all prevalent themes. I don't believe anyone can be unforgivable or that anything is unforgivable, but this novel holds more than one character in that category, which kind of breaks my heart honestly. I hate the idea that anyone would feel so far gone that they cannot be redeemed. It isn't true. Now, some people never choose redemption, that's true, but it doesn't mean that they aren't redeemable at all. Furthermore, though Allyssa struggles with the trauma of book 2, both by the hands of others and by her own, I felt the book had an unhealthy focus on revenge/vengeance. They wouldn't let the idea go, they wouldn't consider anything else (though, admittedly, they had in the past), I still think there would have been ways around blatantly premeditated murder. War is a nasty business; I get that. People die. People are brutally murdered, ruthless, and downright unkind. Not everyone will hold the same values and ideals that I do, but I sort of expected the hero to. The "good guy" should have cared more for life in the end, in my opinion.

Lastly, the violence wasn't extremely graphic, but it wasn't mild either. The book does deal with vengeance, murder, and war, so take that into account. There was no more torture in this one, but there is a character clearly affected by it. Some mild swearing, though mostly infrequent. The romance was well done, nothing more serious than a fiery kiss and a caress, though there is allusion to more. I'd probably say late teens and up for this one. ...more

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Oct 04, 2017 Nadia rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites

Contains spoilers!!
....

This book seriers keep getting better!! Loved how we got to see some of the old characters from True reign in this book! And getting to know Kerdan better, and see him and Allyssa get together, was AMAZING!! Loved that so much! Still having Jarvik watch the whole thing was painfull, and i felt so bad for him over and over again, god he really did deserve better than this, damn you Jennifer!
The way Kerdan opened up doing this book, was amazing, and the ending, god i'm dying ...more

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Jun 10, 2020 Chienyn Chi rated it it was amazing

I read all three of Reign of Secrets so far and they are all incredible. But like everyone says, this is the best one.

At first, I was put off by the cover and thought it would be another one of those twilightesque stories. What do I mean by twilightesque? Stories that use romance/love triangles to lure you in and become unhealthily obsessed. And when you really think about the romance is quite abusive.

However, what was so refreshing was the romance was complex, believable, and not the manipula I read all three of Reign of Secrets so far and they are all incredible. But like everyone says, this is the best one.

At first, I was put off by the cover and thought it would be another one of those twilightesque stories. What do I mean by twilightesque? Stories that use romance/love triangles to lure you in and become unhealthily obsessed. And when you really think about the romance is quite abusive.

However, what was so refreshing was the romance was complex, believable, and not the manipulative kind. Moreover, the main character's romance was informed by so much, politics, independence, identity, culture clash, family, friends, and advisors. And if the romantic interest was slightly toxic, the character had enough wisdom/advice given to her from her community and self-worth produced by character development to firmly say no to it - ya! What a miraculous thing in a YA series for young girls. That was so incredible. Alyssa the main character is a great role model.

Therefore these stories, though addictive, don't leave you with that bad taste in your mouth where you feel like you've been manipulated by romance just to be addicted to it, like so many horrible YA and middlegrade series for girls and women. Does that make sense?

I do think without the cover, boys, young men would then check Reign of Secrets out and actually enjoy them because of how well-written they are. It's so well-written, it shouldn't be marketed to just women. This series was action-packed, incredibly strategic, rich with medieval/feudal political intrigue, and filled with crime-fighting heroic shenanigans. The characters were so complex and I loved the writing style. It wasn't melodramatic or heavy-handed and it had excellent character development.

So why I love this series so much? Love the writing style, deep characters, great character development, great plot, complex romance (not cheap or manipulative romance), addictive and thrilling action.

I do want to say if my review does anything, it is I hope that boys and young men will read this series too. I really think they will enjoy it because of the duals, sparring, wars, espionage and fights. Also the male characters are one of the most well-written in this genre - feudal medieval. If it doesn't do that, I hope the author or the marketing team will change the cover so that the greatness of the series will actually be reflected. And it is great because the series is for everyone, not just the stereotypical women the book market think we are - love-addicted simpletons.

Also, I think this could be a great TV series! And since it is suggested that the main character has darker skin tone (not shown in the book covers though), I hope it will be another great show that has a POC princess! ...more

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Apr 16, 2018 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a great end to Allyssa's story-- though I look forward to reading more from another point of view!

Allyssa is finally home-- sort of. I loved that she was not immediately swept back into the life of the royal heir-- her parents gave her time to recover from her imprisonment and torture, to reflect and decide how to proceed and whether she would like to come back to court at all. It was also nice to see that she didn't just get over all the horrible things that happened to her. She showe ...more

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Jul 09, 2018 Denae Christine rated it did not like it

Shelves: listened-to, 1st-person-narrative, royal-mc, magicless-fantasy

Reader thoughts: Mostly, I was disappointed that the romance fell apart so poorly. And that the fighting and such happened elsewhere. The MC didn't do much, just kept hearing about things happening far away with soldiers or armies.

And she goes and falls into ~~love~~ lust with the other prince. Huh? He's not terrible to the princess, but he's violent and angry at others. His kingdom is in shambles. I got the sense she was trying to think with logic instead of emotion and trying to do what was best f ...more

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Oct 02, 2017 Ivusha (Tenebien) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Ok, this was definitely the best book of the series...
... Even though there were still plot holes and the motivation of the characters was weaaaak. (view spoiler)
I'd also like to point out, that the character of Odar changed so much since the first book... I mean, in the first book he let Alyssa fight a ...more

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Sep 17, 2017 Carmen rated it liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 15, 2018 Limecello rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018

... MISTAKES WERE MADE!!! I don't know how/why but I figured ... (and this is on me) that everything between Alyssa and ... [her guy] would be resolved by this book since book 4 is about Savenek ... but THE ENDING IS STILL OPEN ENDED! *SCREAMS* even with the "if you dare" intro - which to be honest I hate and almost made me not read the books.

This is basically grown up YA IMO ... I like the whole "move on from the unworthy guy" aspect of this subgenre - because fuck him. Also because man HE brok ...more

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Jun 19, 2019 Kevin rated it it was amazing

I enjoyed this book more than the previous one. There's real romance, and lots of action. Allyssa's former fiance Odar has become a real jerk. It's as if he were a completely different person, a fact Allyssa notes.
I'm disappointed to see that the next book in the series will focus on Allyssa's brother. I've gotten to know all the characters, and Allyssa's story is not done. I look forward to hearing more about her.
Typos: the same as in the previous books in the series: diffuse is used a couple ...more

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About Jennifer Anne Davis

Jennifer Anne Davis

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Jennifer Anne Davis graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential. She is currently a full-time writer. Jennifer is the recipient of the San Diego Book Awards Best Published Young Adult Novel (2013), winner of the Kindle Book Awards (2018), a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards (2014), and a finalist in the USA Best Book Awards (2014).

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