The Betrayed

The Betrothed #2

by Kiera Cass

The sequel to THE BETROTHED, a glittering royal romance, from New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series. She gave her heart away. Now she'll fight to get it back. Can you follow your heart when it's already broken? After fleeing the court of Coroa and leaving the memory of her beloved, the assassinated Silas Eastoffe, behind, Hollis is unsteadily adjusting to life with his family. The Eastoffe's affection is a balm on Hollis's weary spirt, though Etan, a surly cousin with a deep distate for Coroans, threatens to upset the uneasy peace that Hollis has found. While tensions at home are mounting, disquiet in the kingdom of Isolte is reaching fever pitch. The Eastoffes may have the power to unseat the tyrannical King Quinten, but only with Hollis's help. Can a girl who's lost it all put the fate of her adopted homeland over the secret longings of her heart?

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Audiobook, Royalty, Dystopia

304 pages, ebook

First published June 29, 2021

About the author

100 Things I Love:

Being married. Cake. The smell of Autumn. Motherhood. Books. Elephants. Back rubs. On demand movies. Actually going out to movies. Faith. Cinnamon rolls. My family. Butterflies. When my kitchen is clean. Crayons. Pink. Tote bags. Dancing. Organizing via color coordination. That my wedding dress was tea length, not floor. Baking. My house. Writing utensils. Paper. India. The sound of water. Making videos. Buttons. The word Episcopalian. Making people laugh. Layering clothes. British accents. Pinterest. Animation. Fireworks. The smell of the Ocean. My wedding rings. Aprons. Reasons to get dressed up. Sex. Pop music. Stars. Taking walks. Daydreaming. Stickers. School Spirit. My friends. Living in a small town. Japan. Singing. Painting my toenails. Pranks/ practical jokes. Painting. Stretch canvas. Costumes. Dipping my fingers in melted wax. Style. Soda. Spending an hour typing at a coffee shop. Musicals. Back to school season. Mopeds. Good hair days. Naps. Not walking up but looking at a beautiful staircase. Driving alone. My ankles. Playlists. Spending entire days in pajamas. Holidays. Telling stories. Spontaneity. Theme parks. Bookshelves. The word copacetic. Boxes. Empty journals. Surprises. Doing things in groups. Doing things alone. Getting real mail. Decorating. Small forks. A good hug. Gift cards. New Years Goals. Going out to dinner. When someone else remembers some great story about me/us that I’ve forgotten. Toy stores. Fireplaces. Breakfast foods. Journaling. Crying for a good reason. Doorbells. Pointless adventures. Voting. My birthday. Reasons to make wishes. Recycling.

Reviews

[spring ~♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

everyone: we are so sad because everybody died in the first book. *sobs*

Hollis: Oh I have an idea!!! Just....don't be sad!

everyone: oh god thanks Hollis! What a brilliant idea! We are not sad anymore. All credit goes to you.

The Eastoffes: What an amazing girl. She cured the deadly disease called sadness with her sunshine smile.

Scarlet: *smiles proudly*

Hollis: thanks for the complements but I'm totally not that special.

Me: praying for my last remaining braincell.

Pre-reading thoughts: I know I'm gonna read this book and then curse myself for reading this after totally hating the first book.

[Breanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

check out my blog @ perusewithcoffee for reviews, discussion posts and more!!

I KNOW!! I am as surprised as you are! I really enjoyed this stupid little book. This was 10x more concise and better written than the first novel in this duology It was romantic and twisty and fun. And finally, I was reminded of the addictive quality that all previous Kiera Cass books (specifically the Selection series) have held.

Firstly, I must talk about the characters! Hollis grew so much in this novel. The shallow girl she was in the previous book completely disappeared and we were introduced to this lighter, funnier, stronger version of this terrible pain in the ass. And as for Etan, I was fully prepared to shit on this dude. I wanting nothing more than to tear him apart in my review because he was a dick in book one however, we witness yet another character turnaround! He is given such a remarkable backstory and a kind family which opens him up and his genuine heart of gold is able to shine through. Of the three men in this duology (yes, there’s three), he is my favorite! The banter him and Hollis have in this novel is so entertaining and we stan, we ship.

Next, I need to discuss the plot because it went through major developments. So, The Betrayed picks up right where The Betrothed ends and where the first book was mainly set up and boring descriptions of eye and hair color, this book actually has an end goal. Ultimately, the characters want to overthrow the king of Isolte and without spoiling too much and while considering that the constant plot twists and convenient advancement opportunities were cheesy as heck, this endeavor was so incredibly easy to not only root for but also understand. The backstory and the set-up and symmetries with book one truly make so much sense now.

I could continue gushing, and honestly maybe bashing, some more but I’m so close to spoiling everything so moving on. My only real qualm with this was the static quality some of the characters had. I finished the book maybe 30 minutes before writing this review and I only remember the names of key players in this book, everyone else in the background (especially guards or friends) were really too much of the same to be memorable. Also, this was just so incredibly corny. Like Hallmark movies corny. Just terribly stupid but I think it was enjoyable enough to become a serious guilty pleasure of mine so if you can overlook some cringeworthy aspects and a rather boring first novel, I think you’ll really like this duology. Strangely, I do recommend this to y’all. Go pick it up and have a fun, light summer reading day!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

she's obviously gonna fall in love with Etan and I'm gonna hate it but we still gonna read it

[human]

i just want to see if this goes from dumpster fire level to the pits of hell, or if it actually makes a half-assed attempt to improve, which doesn't seem likely.

also, the first cover was better.

[Cait Jacobs (Caitsbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

So... I read it.

This book was just meh. The characters had a little more development than the first book, and the romance in this book was more compelling, but the pacing and writing still felt lacking. I predicted all of the major plot points, but I did manage to read the book fairly quickly (all in one sitting) and I enjoyed the banter between our two main characters.

One major issue I had with this book was the fact that it says the g-slur 3 separate times. I discussed this in more detail in my review of The Betrothed, but it shocked me that it was still an issue in this book when that feels like something that could easily be removed. Hopefully it won't make it into the final edition.

In the end, this sequel was better than the first, but it didn't redeem the series for me.

Full Review to Come

Original Predictions:
(Spoilers for The Betrothed) I'm curious to see if Kiera Cass will keep Silas dead or bring him back. Also, Etan is definitely going to be the new love interest and he's gonna take the throne

[tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m changing my name to Hollis and seeing if everything magically works out for me too. I did laugh a few times (including at an incident with a sword), but I don’t think it’s a comedy. Haha. 2.5. Better than it’s predecessor.

Pre-review: Despite the fact that I rated the first book 2 stars, I still oddly want to know what happens.

[Dorine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did I hate the first book?: yes

Am I going to give this book a chance knowing damn well I will regret my decision immediately?: guilty

------------------------------------

Hi there, yes I really did try and this rating tells you how much I despised it.

Unfortunately Kiera Cass did not improve the things that were so so wrong with part 1 and she continued with bland side characters that had no personality or uniqueness other than pleasing the main character (Hollis).
Best said by Hollis herself: "I can't help but notice that so far, everything is of a benefit to me"
Maybe taken out of context (because hey gotta keep it spoiler free), but even still so very true.

The pacing did improve, which made it easier and quicker to read. It did result in something really bad tho: some important plot points were SO rushed that it was borderline ridiculous. Something that was (kinda) build up since book 1 was rushed to a completion within a page or two.

And MY GOD the twists in this book were predictable, ridiculous and so bad they had me longing for death. I won't go into it too much but man........

All in all, don't read it, don't do this to yourself. Just pick up The Selection for another reread and call it a day.

[Elle]

My library has a copy of this book and I might read it....
____________________________

this isn’t even released yet but i already hate it

[Claire ✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

The pretty cover is the only thing to love about a book as contrived as THE BETRAYED.

If ever a book made me throw my ereader in frustration, THE BETRAYED had me send it flying into space.

Some small, tiny vestige inside me hoped, prayed almost, that Kiera Cass, as talented as she is at creating interesting concepts, would have learnt from the mistakes in THE BETROTHED to write something vaguely worth the time and effort it takes to read. Where THE SELECTION was flawed but charming and irresistible, THE BETROTHED was dull, forgettable, and romantically void. The characters were boring, the setting was boring, and the plot was non-existent... yet somehow also managed to be boring.

I saw hints of improvement in THE BETRAYED. I might have protested loudly about the quality of THE BETROTHED, but one cannot make a mountain of a molehill in a day, and so far the book was gladly surpassing my low expectations.

The the book takes a turn into the ridiculous.

After the death of her husband at the hands of a violent group of assassins, Hollis Brite has escaped her home of Coroa to the neighbouring country of Isolte. Under the iron fist rulership of King Quinten, Hollis must work together with her husband's family the Eastoffes – and her obnoxious cousin-in-law Etan Northcott – to save Isolte, and her own country, from peril.

There is marginally – marginally – better characters and character development than in its predecessor. The book opens with Hollis, defeated but determined, trying to carve out a new life for herself in the foreign land of Isolte, who are the natural enemies of Coroa, her home country. We are reintroduced to Scarlet Eastoffe, who has evolved some form of depth, the Eastoffe and Northcott parents, who were... there, and finally, Etan Northcott, the distrustful revolutionary wishing to depose the tyrannical king of Isolte. King Quinten and King Jameson are embarrassing as the villains of this story, more of which I'll get to below, and sadly Valentina, by such low standards my favourite character of THE BETROTHED, melts more into the background for Amazing, Brilliant, Clever Hollis.

Because yes, Hollis is completely and utterly undeserving of all the praise heaped onto her. She could suggest the most basic thing to aid the revolution, and EVERYONE will go up in arms about how clever she is, how smart the idea is, how come they didn't think of that before! She outwits and outmanoeuvres strategists who have been at this game for years. She goes toe-to-toe with Big Mean King Quinten about how to end the border skirmishes by suggesting they simply hand the land over to their enemy, and Quinten agrees! You're telling me this court girl, who has never done anything remotely related to military strategy before, could possibly suggest something that the evil king, who wants to covet land and continue his reign, would actually like???

There's a persistent thread of otherness that Cass decided to explore as well, in that Hollis, a born and bred Coroan, feels like an outsider to the Isoltens. Besides it feeling terribly flat given that by the end, everyone adores Hollis and throws away any natural resistance they had to Coroa because of her, there's nothing to distinguish between her and the Isoltens, except one or two random cultural elements. For one thing Hollis' most prominent trait is her blond hair, which is actually a characteristic mostly found in Isoltens anyway (compared to most Coroan's more brunette colouring). She also complains about the sleeves being airy to Coroan's tight. That's it. The world-building is so poor that it's detriment to Hollis' internal struggle of fitting in. There's hardly anything that would set her apart, and there's certainly no visual reminder. Oh no, she's a white, blonde girl in a world with other white, blonde girls, whatever shall she do! It's almost as if Cass wanted to use the analogy of racism/ xenophobia without actually exploring racism or xenophobia, and as a result it's hollow.

"It's a romance first a foremost," I hear you say. Okay, so, how was the romance? I'm quite pleased that I (and this lovely commenter here) predicted pretty much 90% of the book, so it wasn't unexpected that Hollis and Etan overcome their issues with one another to nurse their forbidden affections. It was better than the Hollis and Silas romance of the first book; Etan has a personality, wants, desires, and hit-and-miss banter with Hollis as well. They have more developed chemistry and their romance together was more grounded, less "you have pretty eyes and that's your only discernible trait". We even get treated to some minor angst in that Hollis feels as though, by falling in love with Etan, she is betraying the husband that lasted for a week.

However, an evergreen reminder that the bar was so low it was in the ground. Bearable doesn't mean good. You're better off reading a more experienced author when it comes to romance.

Unfortunately, my minor grumblings only exacerbate from here. I'm going to talk about a large part of the ending because it is honestly so absurd that I can't not talk about it, and it's honestly so absurd it doesn't even deserve to be called a spoiler. There's no way in heck anyone can predict it.

Hollis and Etan confront Jameson for his evil-doings. Jameson panders to his court and dismisses Hollis' concerns, but Hollis riles him enough that he, in all his unkempt rage, draws his sword and charges towards them.

And then, and I shit you not, he stumbles and falls on his sword, instantly killing himself.


[IMG description: "So no head?" meme; man throws his phone to the ground and stomps on a skateboard, a.k.a. what I wanted to do to this novel when I read this part.]

WHAT????

Of course, by law of convenience, Hollis' horrible parents that died in the first book secretly signed a marriage contract to Jameson in her stead, thereby making Hollis the last relative of the king, THEREBY MAKING HOLLIS THE QUEEN OF COROA.


[IMG description: "Hide the pain Harold" meme, old man who is smiling but is actually crying inside. Like I am reading this painfully shite book.]

And of course, she overturns all the horrible laws, ends the skirmishes with Isolte, and reigns peacefully over her adoring subjects. I swear, I wouldn't be mad if any of this had been earnt, but Hollis has no training, no idea of what it takes to run a country – she understood looking pretty on Jameson's arm but never ruling in and of itself – and I'm forced to believe that Hollis was the perfect queen, the best queen, when she only got the crown because a man accidentally killed himself.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but America Singer becoming queen was more believable than this garbage.

It really rubs salt in the wound that both Quinten and Jameson, the book's antagonists, are so pathetic that they essentially give in at the apex of their stories (Jameson, of course, not by his own choice... but he completely loses his cool, which is why he draws his sword in the first place).

Literally, Jameson in the throne room scene:


[IMG description: screaming white woman gif.]

Quinten gets busted for ordering the murder of several families and he just... shrugs and accepts it. Why did anyone fear this man? His hold over his own people was about as solid as soggy paper. Seriously, it was so bad, that Etan left the palace for one night and came back the next morning with an entire army. I had to laugh at the utter absurdity of all those people just dropping everything in the middle of the night to take part in a coup with some random boy.

Putting aside the terrible story and characters, I'm begging Cass' publishing house to please, get her an editor, because THE BETRAYED reads like a repetitive word-vomit first draft of a juvenile writer, for the amount of smiling (74 instances), nodding (83 instances) and perturbingly swallowing (45 instances) that Hollis and co. do. Seriously, I searched the phrase "I swallowed", and Hollis says this 27 times. It really speaks to how little variation there is to the characters' body language. So much chuckling and laughing (45 instances) too, holy god, do these people not know how else to communicate? With shoulders and eyebrows and hands???

And I touched upon this above, but the world-building is just... awful. Nothing feels real, everything feels forgettable. Laughably there's a map in this book with ten other countries and a flippin' sea. Do we get any information about these other places? I'll let you figure it out.

If Cass took a writing class, or ten, she would have the potential to really dominate the YA fantasy romance market. Like I said, she clearly has talent in drawing people in, but keeping them there? I don't think THE BETRAYED is a book anyone would miss if it suddenly disappeared off the shelves.

WILL I MORE BY THIS AUTHOR? Cass used to be auto-buy. Now... I'll check out reviews first.

eARC received from Harper Collins Children's Books via NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review. This title releases on the 8th July 2021.

LAST REVIEW

1: THE BETROTHED ★★☆☆☆

1: THE SELECTION ★★☆☆☆
2: THE ELITE ★★★☆☆
3: THE ONE ★★☆☆☆
4: THE HEIR ★★★★☆
5: THE CROWN ★★★☆☆

1: A THOUSAND HEARTBEATS

—

EDIT 4th AUGUST 2021: Below is my theory from August 2020.

Spoilers for Book 1, obviously. I suspect Etan Northcutt is going to overthrow Isolte's king, and Hollis is going to fall in love with him. Yes. Etan. I know they had the anti-relationship in the first book, but I think there's potential there, especially knowing they will be together in the next book. He opened Hollis' eyes to her position in court and I think she'll be more than grateful for that.

Also, is Silas really dead? I don't believe that either. No body, no death. I really hope he doesn't come back though, because then they'll be another poorly-written love chevron (love arrow, if we're counting Jameson).

[Tess · Rating 1 out of 5]

*taps mic* hello? Anyone out there?

So I'm uhhhh way late to this but finally! I mustered the determination to read this goddamn book! And oh boy!

So this book is bad, obviously. Not as offensively awful as the first (though the g* slur is used multiple times AGAIN come ON people enough with the racist bs!!) but its still bad.

Let's get into it. Spoilers, obviously.

First: Hollis is terrible no matter how much everyone in this book tries to convince us otherwise. She has zero talent, isn't intelligent or funny as all the characters seem to think, and honestly flounders into situations in this book. There's a point at the beginning where I think Scarlet's aunt says something about her unique talents being as useful to them as a warrior's which, lol. What unique talents???? Anytime she comes up with a """brilliant""" idea it is not brilliant at all and in fact very dumb.

This is all to say not much has changed from book 1.

Next: plot. The plot of this book is super stupid. Silas's family wants to overthrow the king. That's it really. Even though Hollis is brand new to the family they immediately??? Trust her with their plans of treason???? If I were them I would've killed her instead of risking her exposing them. Etan had a point!!

Other part of the plot: the terrible love story! Etan is, as predicted, the Next Terrible Love Interest. At first he hates Hollis but then he DOESN'T. The whole thing is rushed, disjointed, and bad. I was not convinced they even liked each other, much less, you know, fell in love.

Other other part of the plot: the ending. I mean. It was what it was. Mostly stupid, hardly established, read like a first draft. Hollis didn't want to be queen!!!! Remember that part of Book 1 when Hollis says that the queens of Coroa were usually more revered than the kings? Well try not to because this book spends a lot of time pretending there's never been a Coroan king before etc etc etc. An editor should have caught this.

Which brings me to my main beef with these books: this whole thing reads like a first draft. And a bad one at that.

I know how hard it is to write a book. I've done it before. I don't care how famous an author is, they should be expected to put out something polished, at the very least. This book could have been a regular kind of bad, instead of an incompetent kind of bad.

There was one part of the book I liked, which I should mention: when Hollis and Etan (I think) are fighting about how angry she gets when Etan insults Coroa, she says something honestly poignant about how she is allowed to insult Coroa because its hers. I liked that.

Alright thats it I believe. I just don't have a lot to say here. It was so boring. Recommend some good books in the comments bc oh boy do I need a palette cleanser.

-----

Update sometime in july: I am SO SORRY besties I forgot to read The Betrayed so I'm gonna get right on that get excited!!!! I'm not!!!

An incomplete list of what I remember going into the sequel:

•Hollis is on the run and maybe just married
•Everyone is dead
•thats it

Update: 11/12 and we have a cover! And a title! I don't hate the title tbh but the cover is...a choice. Just as a whole it's kinda off. It reminds me of those ugly Girl In Dress covers from the fae court books from the early 2010s. Not that the selection didn't have a Girl In Dress cover, this one is just particularly cheesy.

-Calling it a year in advance, my guess for Next Terrible Love Interest is Etan.

Read my review for The Betrothed here -> https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sophia]

Reluctantly adding this to my to read list because I like to torture myself, I guess.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to HarperTeen and Edelweiss+ for an ARC of The Betrayed by Kiera Cass.

Okay, this will have all the spoilers (plus a fair amount of ranting), so beware.

I am happy to report that The Betrayed wasn't QUITE as bad as The Betrothed. However, it also wasn't good?

We follow Hollis as she runs off to the "safety" of neighboring country Isolte, while "mourning" the death of her insta-love, Silas (who she was married to for one hour...after knowing for about 2 weeks?). Mourns is in quotations, because...ummm...it didn't feel like much mourning to me? It almost felt like Hollis was just being her normal self, and then Cass would be like, "wait, her family and true love all JUST died...let's make her cry a bit."

And who is on this trip with her? That's right, Etan (we all guessed it, but Etan will be her next enduring love). Etan and Hollis banter a lot with sarcastic quips. Again, supposedly Hollis is SO funny, I'm still not buying it.

Of course, Isolte isn't really safe because everyone thinks Isolte's king just had Hollis' and Silas' families killed. But, Hollis is determined to stay with Silas' mother and sister, who she seems to love fiercely (also insta-love in a way?).

Then, miraculously (after a lot of boring hum-drum at court) Etan's family succeeds in overthrowing the naughty king with zero bloodshed and Etan becomes king. CONVENIENT.

Of course, before this he smooches Hollis because he just can't stand her and needs her to shut-up. Okay, supposedly he loves her at this point. But the flip from hate to love is pretty quick, on both their parts. Cass doesn't seem to do slow-burn romance. It's ALL or NOTHING within 1 day. NO TIME TO WASTE. MUST. HAVE. LOVE. NOW.

Also, Hollis says multiple times "I will NEVER come near a crown again" (HAH! Hear me scoff!).

So...Etan is king, and Hollis finds out that Isolte's ex-king didn't actually kill beloved Silas--it was Jameson all along (I don't know why this surprised me, but it actually did, so props to you there, Cass). Apparently Jameson wanted Hollis to come back to him, so instead of putting up a fight so she wouldn't leave him in the first place, he let her go, then killed everyone she cared about? Great wooing techniques there, your majesty.

What is it about Hollis that makes these men go crazy??? She still doesn't seem amazing to me...

Then Hollis goes and confronts Jameson, and he tells her Hollis and him (Jameson) were MARRIED since the day she ran away, because of some document her parents signed. Um, okay? So...why didn't you bring that up to get her to come back? Why resort to killing everyone she loved and making it so she would most DEFINITELY never love you? I question the intelligence of the people in this book....

So, Jameson is angry, picks up a sword...and then TRIPS, the sword falls pointy-end up...and Jameson FALLS ON IT AND DIES. That conveniently takes care of that problem with no effort from the main characters whatsoever!

And because Jameson and Hollis were technically married, Hollis is QUEEN. Forget that she never wanted to go near a crown. That's all out the window. She takes up the mantle and is THE BEST QUEEN EVER. Both lands have SO MUCH PEACE. Because teaching people not to hate is SO EASY. Don't let our world today tell you any different, we have it first hand from Hollis Brite-Eastoff-Queen-Goddess. Changing the world is EASY.

Oh, and of course Hollis and Etan are both like, "we have our own kingdoms, we can't be together, our countries are more important..." yada, yada, yada. (JUST MARRY EACH OTHER AND JOIN THE KINGDOMS you idiots!)...it takes them 3 months to figure that out, but they finally do it. The End.

Wooh. Okay, so this review turned into a bit more of a rant than I expected. I said at the beginning that it was better than The Betrothed, and I still think that's true? I might have to go back and read over my verbal vomit first to see.

Well, after rereading, it does sound pretty bad, but here's why I think The Betrayed was better than The Betrothed. There was at least a LITTLE character development, and the whole cast wasn't RANDOMLY killed off at the end. Not much to go on, but the first book was such a train-wreck, that it doesn't take much to improve upon it.

I'm curious to see what other people will think. How does this book compare to book one? Do you think it was better? Worse? The same?

[Isa Cantos (Crónicas de una Merodeadora) · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Worlds could be changed when we chose not to walk into a room operating as if everyone was our enemy”.

No, no, no y NO. Quiero pensar que esta bilogía de Kiera Cass fue un fallo en la Matrix porque realmente no tiene nada que ver con su saga de La Selección. Y es que, vamos a ver, cuando el 90% de todas las reseñas de una bilogía son negativas, el problema no soy yo, ¿verdad?

Después del absurdo final que tuvo La Prometida, en el que moría un montón de gente, incluyendo el enamorado aparecido de la nada de Hollis, aquel por quien cambió al rey Jameson después de que siempre quiso ser reina, este segundo libro empieza con ella yéndose a vivir a otro reino con la familia de su ex muerto, Silas. Allí no lo pasa muy bien porque es una Coroan y los de Isolte (creo que así se llama el lugar en el que está) los odian. Etan, el primo de Silas, la odia más que nadie… Pero pronto van a tener que trabajar juntos para derrocar al rey tirano de Isolte y descubrir la verdad de lo que pasó en Coroa.

Les juro que la sinopsis que les acabo de escribir es más entretenida que el libro. Toda la historia que continúa aquí es absurda a más no poder. Y, sí, se vienen spoilers porque no puedo quejarme bien sin mencionarlos, jajaja. En primer lugar, Hollis sigue siendo la protagonista más hueca que he leído en la vida. Se suponía que amaba locamente a Silas, aunque lo conoció como por dos segundos, pero de repente empieza a enamorarse de su primo Etan. Nooooormal. Luego resulta que ella es vital para deponer al rey tirano y es que ni en ficción nos lo creemos. Al final nos revelan que Jameson mató a esas personas en el primer libro, que los padres de Hollis habían firmado unos papeles y que ya era esposa del rey y… dioses, es que lo que sigue es absurdo… Jameson quiere pelear con Etan porque ve que quiere a Hollis ¿y el tipo saca una espada y más o menos se cae encima, empalándose y muriéndose? No mames, de verdad… Y, claro, sigue un final feliz con Hollis siendo la reina de Coroa, Etan siendo el rey de Isolte y los dos decidiendo unir los reinos porque no pueden vivir sin el otro.

Que, no me entiendan mal, yo soy fan de los finales felices, PERO CUANDO LA TRAMA QUE LOS LLEVÓ HASTA ALLÍ TUVO SENTIDO. Esto fue un despropósito que, gracias a todos los dioses, solo tuvo dos libros.

Después de esto, sé que le daré una oportunidad al libro de Kiera que sale en diciembre, pero tendré muchísimas reservas y lo leeré sin esperar absolutamente nada. Quizás me sorprenda muchísimo y descubra que esta bilogía fue un glitch. Ojalá.

[Gabs · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 ★★☆☆☆

“People were not their introductions. They were not their lineage or country. They were but themselves. And we had to dig past all the rest to find them.”

I was going to write a long and detailed review that would allow me to bring out all my hater side, but this book was so unmemorable that I will just write what I remember I didn't like and say goodbye to this story forever.

The first book was a torture to read. I couldn't rescue anything because it was completely terrible. The Betrayed, although I don't consider it a good book, improves a lot compared to the previous one. The protagonist finally begins to think about something more than dresses and dances, however, she still doesn't do anything relevant and worries more about a new romance than about her supposed main motive: "to get revenge".

There were a lot of things that I didn't like and I'm going to mention them quickly because I like to make clear the reasons why I don't recommend this book.

1. Like I said, Hollis doesn't really do anything. Everyone applauds her for reaching conclusions that even a six-year-old can do.

2. For most of the book, Ethan and Hollis don't stop acting like children. How old are they supposed to be? Eighteen and twenty years old? It doesn't seem like it for a second since their arguments are over childish things.

3. The kings of Isolte and Coroa want to look like masterminds when in reality all they do is sit on a throne, eat, and wear a crown on their heads. Are they the great threat that the MC have to overthrow? These characters have no depth or real motives behind their "cruelties". At no point did I feel that the lives of the protagonists were threatened by these cartoonish villains.

4. Hollis spreads Valentina's secrets to the four winds and then has the nerve to say that she cares about her. Friendship goals, right?



5. After the unbelievable, awful romance that we read in the first book between Hollis and Silas (which nobody liked), she is supposedly devastated and feels that "half of her heart is gone". Well, let me tell you that her mourning doesn't even last a month because after she was kissed by her husband's cousin, she was madly in love with him 🤡 #TrueLove

6. "That thread was now fully unspooled at the feet of Etan Northcott, and I imagined nothing would tug at my heart ever again."



Girl, you said the same about Silas like two pages ago 🤦‍♀️

7. Reid and Scarlett's mother (I've already forgotten her name) are supposedly the masterminds who will overthrow the King of Isolte (I don't remember his name either, this book is fading from my mind very quickly). I didn't see them doing anything else than talking to people and congratulating Hollis for her "brilliant" ideas. Yep, that was all.

8. I cannot explain the number of times “I swallowed” appears in this book. They do nothing but swallow or did I miss something?

9. Jameson is still as ridiculous as ever. His death was incredibly stupid: He accidentally stabbed himself with his own sword.



Really? Was that the best you could think of, Kiera Cass?

10. The solution to all the problems was to unite two independent countries into one...



Yes, I couldn't believe it either.

Do you know how many political problems that brings? It isn't as if one morning a ruler can just wake up and say "To hell everything, goodbye sovereignty". This was so unrealistic and happened literally in the last two pages of the book, so the author didn't even try to develop that idea.

11. If anyone would kindly explain to me what they find so funny about Hollis I would be very grateful.

12. Delia Grace who?

And so, I could go on and on, but I think that's the main thing. Basically, as you probably already guessed, I didn't like the characters, or the romance and I won't even try to speak about the plot because there was none. However, I gave this sequel two stars because it was quick to read, it was better written than The Betrothed, and at least Valentina and Scarlett were the only characters with any brain cells in this book. The romance between Ethan and Hollis still didn't convince me and I didn't like it, but it was more developed compared to Hollis and Silas.

Wow, I seriously can't believe that's the best I have to say. To be honest, I have a hard time believing that this book was written by the same author of The Selection series (a trilogy that I loved with all my heart).

Anyway, it wasn't the worst I've read, but I don't recommend it unless you really want to read it (for some reason that I'm sure I won't understand 🤣). I only managed to finish it because I listened to the audiobook for the most part.

[B]

25th October 2023: I happen to be ridiculously bored so I'm reading this 2 years later even though I said I wouldn't 👀
.......

Apparently I need to say again that I will not read this as people are saying they want me too 😭

Sorry I am just being rude.

.......................................................

I’m never going to read this book. I am sorry not sorry .

Book 1 for me was an utter disaster .

I rated it 0.5 stars, which is my lowest star rating till date.

My huge review rant for The Betrothed-

MY PROPER DETAILED REVIEW CAN BE FOUND IN PAGE TWO OF MY COMMENTS. as it was veryyyyyyyy long (I mean it) and it didn’t fit.

My summary review (which I wrote at top, and is also long)


The burb for this has major spoilers for The Betrothed btw. Just a note.

~Peace
Bhavya

(Also, I liked the previous cover more)

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tudo irá Mudar


Ele é de Isolte — convencido, arrogante e provocador, só apetece esbofeteá-lo.

Ela é de Coroa — meiga, carente e frágil, só apetece abraçá-la.

Rivalizam porque são de reinos rivais. Porém, por vezes, um pouco de bom senso é quanto basta para galgar a fronteira Amor-Ódio, e… logo que Ele se aperceba que o que fez foi colar uma máscara de raiva sobre o Amor, tudo irá mudar…

Atraiçoada é uma leitura que nos planta um sorriso e nos leva a acreditar (ou duvidar😜) no que a humanidade tem de melhor!
Livros destes agradecem-se e sabem bem!…😉🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Maren Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nobody: What books are you looking forward to reading in 2021?
Me: The Betrayed
Nobody: But didn't you hate The Betrothed? Why are you reading this book?
Me: Because sometimes you just want to read things you'll hate because at least it's funny hatred. I mean The Betrothed made me laugh so hard I cried. I wanted that again.
Nobody: Well, did you get that?
Me: Absolutely. I mean . . . it wasn't quite as wild as the first book, but the scene where a certain villain is removed . . . who the heck signed off on that as an okay way to eliminate a bad guy? It's literally the most convenient, hilarious thing I've read all year. Jameson legit trips, drops his sword, and falls on top of his sword. That's legitimately how they get rid of the bad guy. He. Trips. Onto. His. Own. Sword. On. Accident. At. The. Most. Convenient. Moment.
Nobody: Huh. Well, did Hollis at least improve?
Me: You mean become something besides a Mary Sue with zero personality? Nope. She's exactly the same. Everybody loves her (to very extreme ends btw), and anybody who doesn't love her is evil. If I had to read one more part where Scarlet waxed poetic on the virtues of Hollis, I might've punched myself in the eye. Also every idea she has is the most brilliant thing anybody's ever heard even if it's stupid. Maybe I'm just jealous? I want no flaws and to only have brilliant ideas? Jk 😂
Nobody: Wow. She sounds dumb.
Me: She is. Also everyone is always talking about how funny she is, but she's never intentionally said anything funny. Ever. That smells like PLOT HOLE. She somehow made Jameson laugh all the time? Silas too? And now Etan too? MAKE IT STOP. HOLLIS IS NOT FUNNY.
Nobody: Etan? Wasn't he the cousin who she hated in the last book?
Me: Yeah, he called her an "ornament" and everything. But everyone knew he'd be her one true love because #ofcourse. Yeah . . . you can guess what happened. And you can also guess how quickly Hollis went from hating his guts to saying "my heart beats for Etan." (If you guessed exactly 1 page, you were correct.) Did I also mention I hated the way it happened?
Nobody: No, you didn't. But I assumed.
Me: Well, don't get me started on that.
Nobody: I won't—
Me: Etan did that cursed trope where he decides Hollis needs to shut up (tbh that is a fair thought to have. She does because she has 1 brain cell), but then he decides to solve this problem by kissing her to shut her up. Yep. You didn't read that incorrectly. It's 2021 and that trope still showed up? Hello? I HATE THAT TROPE. I hate Hollis too, yet my hatred for that exceeds my hatred of Hollis.
Nobody: Geez. Isn't it kind of gross she's marrying her dead husband's cousin?
Me: It was only an hour of marriage 😂that's the justification when she wants to make out with Etan but a completely irrelevant point when someone asks her why she's crying all the freaking time. She knew Silas for like four days.
Nobody: I should've guessed. So everything you thought would happen did?
Me: Uh huh. Every plot twist is amazingly predictable. Which is a crying shame because at least The Betrothed absolutely shocked me.
Nobody: Was it worse than The Betrothed then?
Me: Absolutely not. 80% of the characters weren't randomly and violently murdered at the end, so it's definitely better.
Nobody: Huh. I'm not reading these books.
Me: You probably should. They're endlessly entertaining. I love how horribly stupid they are, and that's why I looked forward to this book, and I got exactly what I wanted from it. (except for the removal of that one particular slur that was again used three times)
Nobody: So if I'm ever looking for pure stupid . . . these are the books?
Me: Absolutely. I'll be laughing about these books forever. I mean . . . listen to this line from the book when Hollis asks Etan if she looks alright: "Absolutely radiant. Like the moon. Sure and determined, reflecting light on everyone around you, and so desperately beautiful to those who don't even realize they're in the dark." I both laughed and cried (and maybe also 🤢).
Nobody: . . .
Me: . . . Yeah . . . that's pretty much the book in one line: dumb, funny, and cheesy. Too bad I won't have a third book to anticipate next year. Wanna write me some rubbish about their kids? I'd read it 😂 and give it 1 star.

[♠ TABI⁷ ♠]

I highly doubt this is going to improve past the first book, but I'm curious how close it tries to make it . . . BUT HI I'M IN LOVE WITH THAT COVER

[mads · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was still by no means perfect, it was such an improvement on the first book. The romance was better and there was actually a plot! Everything was resolved extremely conveniently with far too many coincidences to actually take seriously, but it was still a fun time.

Also, I was right with my predictions and I'm proud of myself 😌

[frau.gedankenreich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich weiß nicht genau, woran es liegt, aber es gibt kaum Bücher, bei denen ich mich so entspannen und fallen lassen kann wie bei den Büchern von Kiera Cass. Sie schreibt mit so viel Herzenswärme, dass ich mich jedes Mal ganz beseelt fühle, nachdem ich ein Buch von ihr beendet habe. Zugegeben, ihre Geschichten sind nicht sonderlich komplex und ihre Charaktere sind eher schlichtere Gemüter, ohne viel Ecken und Kanten, aber sie haben ehrliche, gute Herzen und lassen nie aus den Augen, worauf es im Leben wirklich ankommt. Das sind vielleicht keine unbekannten Weisheiten oder unerforschten Abgründe, sondern Werte, die jedem von uns bekannt und wichtig sein sollten und die unbedingt geschützt werden müssen. Und auch wenn ihre Geschichten nicht ohne Dramen auskommen und stellenweise der Logik hinterherhinken, weiß man doch, dass letztlich alles gut ausgehen wird und mit dieser Einfachheit schafft Kiera Cass eine Blase, in der ich mich gerne aufhalte und zu der ich immer wieder gerne zurückkehre. Ich hoffe sehr, dass sie ihren Stil beibehält und sich von negativen Stimmen nicht beeinflussen lässt. Man sollte nicht zwanghaft versuchen, vergangene Erfolge zu wiederholen, das geht oftmals schief. Manchmal ist es das Beste, es gar nicht erst zu versuchen, sondern Vergangenes loszulassen und einfach weiterzumachen. "Promised" ist nicht "Selection" und versucht es auch gar nicht zu sein. Ich liebe Kiera Cass' Art zu schreiben und das wird sich auch so schnell nicht ändern.

[Lamaleluna · Rating 3 out of 5]

No estoy segura de si es un libro 2 estrellas o 3 estrellas.

Qué contarles?
Me gustó más que el primero (menos mal porque odié el primer libro). Sin embargo sigo insistiendo una vez más que los únicos libros de Kiera Cass que valen la pena son los 3 libros de la selección. El resto fue pura decepción, la autora se copia a su misma. En la sirena intentó agregar un factor de fantasía y no le funcionó. En la prometida y la traicionada intentó agregar política y tampoco pudo hacerlo.

Este libro arranca con el desastroso final del libro anterior. Con Hollis huyendo una vez más. Desesperada. Mucho más de la trama no les puedo decir.

Digamos que hay romance, al igual que en todos los libros de la autora. Y que, si bien me gustó más el romance de este libro que en el libro anterior sigue sin ser destacable. El personaje masculino me daba prácticamente igual.

Hollis como personaje mejoró bastante. Esto no quiere decir que me caiga bien. Pero comparada con el libro anterior está mucho más soportable, usa más su cerebro y piensa las cosas dos veces antes de actuar.

El gran problema de este libro para mí fue la política. La autora crea una guerra entre reinos que se ve muy falsa. Muy poco real. Tanto el problema como la solución. Hay un personaje que saca un ejercicio DE LA NADA. No se sabe ni de dónde lo sacó. Hay literalmente una familia de 5 personas intentando derrocar a un gobierno. Una familia con NADA de poder vs UN REINO, que tiene poder política y económico y que sin embargo no hace nada para detener a esta familia. El pueblo no tuvo ni voz. Salían de la nada y hacían lo que a la autora le convenía en el momento. Claramente hubo un gran fallo ahí.

El final me gustó, pero no me gustó cómo se llegó a él. Y siento que las últimas páginas fueron muy de cuento de hadas. Poco creíble.

Hubieron muchas muertes también. Poco creíbles. Me rei con cada una de ellas.

Yo leyendo La traicionada: 😳🤣🤔🙃😬

[Meli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like how easy everything - EVERYTHING - was, but at the same time it was just hilarious.

The king wants you dead because you are important to his enemy? Suggest that he gives the lands to his enemy instead of fighting about it.
Dethrone the king? He surrenders.
Dethrone another king? He falls on his own sword and dies without a fight.

[Anu · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only compliment I can give this book is that it was better than the first book. But to be honest, that's not that impressive, since the first book was such a mess that literally anything could be better than it.

So, spoilers for the last book and this one below.

I don't even know what to say for a book as bad as that one.

So the main problem that our amazing heroine Hollis has now is that her husband is dead (after being married to him for, like, a day??) and now she doesn't know where to go. She goes to the neighboring enemy country or whatever (I forgot the name. But honestly, i blame it on Keira Cass, since the world building in this book -- like the last book -- is literally non existent) with the members of Silas's family who are alive. Oh, and Etan. (if you didn't catch on from the last book that they're going to end up together, then I don't know what to tell you.)

Anyway, the first seventy percent of the book is filled with nonsensical fluff. There are parties, banquets, meals, and a JOUST?? I'm sorry, that whole scene just came out of no where. What even was the point of that?? Moving on, Hollis and Etan have some *moments* together after somehow learning that they shouldn't hate each other, because they need to end up together. But seriously, Keira Cass's books go from 0 to 100 in the span of a few seconds. Hollis and Etan can't even stand to look at each other, and then suddenly they're 'desperately in love' ? I'm getting deja vu from the first book. One thing I have to say, though, is that Etan is a better love interest than Silas. At least him and Hollis have some sort of development, and even though none of it is that meaningful, it's better than in the first book, where Silas and Hollis ultimately knew nothing about each other.

Moving on, there's some more meaningless palace stuff -- Hollis suspects that the king murdered Silas and his 100 brothers, Hollis cries (I SWEAR TO GOD SHE CRIES EVERY FIVE SECONDS IN THIS BOOK), and cries some more, Hollis says that poor people smell, and Hollis is treated like a goddess when all she did is cause more problems.

I'M NOT JOKING. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO ROOT FOR HER???

So then, everyone suddenly decides that they need to dethrone the king or whatever, and then they do so, with ZERO BLOODSHED AND CONSEQUENCE, MAY I ADD, and then Etan is crowned the king.

Also, somewhere in the middle of all this, Hollis realizes that Jameson, the king, actually murdered Silas (and his 100000 brothers), her parents and all. His motivation? Because he wanted to kill everyone Hollis cared about so she'd have no choice but to run back to him and beg for forgiveness. (Can you believe that his thinking might be flawed???) Anyway, this was so confusing, because WHY WOULD JAMESON DO THIS. His character was not like this AT ALL in the first book. He literally did a 180 flip.

So in her *rage* Hollis just grabs a horse from the stable and races across the country? State? City? I don't know, the world building, as I mentioned before, is non existent. Anyway, she races across whatever kingdom, WHILE CRYING, I'D LIKE TO ADD, FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON, and then we get a bunch of random details about scenery and *feelings* and all that.

Anyway, halfway through her little tantrum, Etan finds her and is all like "You'll never be alone," and some other garbage that's supposed to sound romantic, but sounds more creepy than anything. And then he proceeds to follow her (WITH 100 OTHER MEN????) across the land.

So they finally reach the palace, right? And somehow, the 100 men that came with Etan are all forgotten about and it's just Hollis and Etan. Anyway, even if we ignore this, what happens next made me burst out laughing.

So apparently, Hollis and Jameson were already married because of some stupid legal document that her parents signed or something. Which wasn't the most shocking thing, because of the EXTREMELY SUBLTE hints of this scattered throughout the book. (Keira Cass is so not the queen of plot twists, I cannot even begin to tell you.) So anyway, everyone is SHOCKED by this news. And honestly, this whole thing is just so stupid, because if Hollis and Jameson were bound by a contract (and if Hollis left him, that is pretty much breaking the law) then instead of killing everyone she cared about, why couldn't Jameson just BRING HER BACK USING THE STUPID CONTRACT. THIS MAKES ZERO SENSE.

So it gets stupider, if that's possible.

Jameson is, for some reason, upset by seeing Etan there. So he draws his sword, STOMPS ACROSS THE FREAKING TABLE, SLIPS, DROPS HIS SWORD, AND FALLS ON TOP OF IT???

I KID YOU NOT.

WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING.

So that was convenient for everyone, I guess. Except Delia Grace, who is pretty much forgotten about after that one scene (no, but seriously, what even happened to her?? Hollis claims to care so much about her feelings, but she ultimately doesn't care at all).

So, yeah, Jameson's dead. In the most CONVENIENT WAY POSSIBLE, THAT AVOIDS ANY ACTUAL THINKING FOR THE AUTHOR TO DO.

Anyway, now, Hollis is crowned the queen because of the whole marriage thing. You would expect her to refuse, what with her literally saying THE WHOLE BOOK how she's never going near another crown ever again. I literally promise you, her whole personality in this book is I-hate-crowns, or I will never go near a crown. And now that's all forgotten??

She accepts the crown gratefully, and says a tearful goodbye to Etan.

And then, you have to plow through another FIFTEEN PERCENT OF THE BOOK, where Hollis is moping about Etan. IT LITERALLY TAKES THEM THREE MONTHS TO COME AND SAY, "Oh, let's break the border between our kingdoms and make them one! yay! we're so smart. and then we can be together since we've found *true love*"

And that's pretty much where it ends.

I guess it's hard to make a book worse than the first one, but that doesn't mean this one is a masterpiece. The character's annoyed the crap out of me, since all of them were just whiny and annoying. Really, the only reason it was better is because at least there was at least some kind of development through out the book, and oh yeah, HALF THE CAST OF CHARACTERS DIDN'T GET MURDERED AT THE END. This series just honestly should not exist.

Quotes that stood out to me

"Silas left a mark. I don't know if I want someone else to. No matter how much time passes, i don't think I'll ever forget what he did to me, for me. It probably doesn't seem like it right now, but I'll always feel like he rescued me."

Okay, if you feel this way, why are you already falling in love with Etan?? Also, do I need to remind you that you knew him for ONE WEEK. I swear, the way Hollis talks about Silas in this book is unreal. YOU BARELY KNEW HIM.


""If it would please you," I eked out."

I don't think I've EVER read the word 'eked' in fiction before?? Especially in this context. It barely makes sense. But I guess that fits with the theme of the rest of the book.


"He took a bite a rolled his eyes at how delicious it must have tasted."

Last time I checked, rolling your eyes is not a gesture to show appreciation for food. Am I missing something here?


Hollis: "Do the poor live here?"
Etan: "Some." *says other useless garbage no one cares about*
Hollis: "It smells."

Excuse me, Miss Hollis, but WHAT THE HELL. You did not just say that.


Etan's response when Hollis asks how she looks:

""Absolutely radiant. Like the moon...Sure and determined, reflecting light on everyone around you, and so desperately beautiful to those who don't even realize they're in the dark.""

What even is this answer. Nobody is EVER going to say anything like this, I can say for sure. This is the most exaggerated answer ever, and if it's meant to be romantic, it is not at all.

Honestly, I don't even know what else is left to say about this mess. The writing style in this book is especially frustrating, especially since Keira Cass writes like we're already in her head. 90% of the book is dialogue, which is fine, I guess, but we get no backstory, no history, nothing. All the jokes people made fell flat. None of the characters act like normal people, and the whole story is just ridiculous. And the lack of history would have been partially made up for if the dialogue actually made sense and sounded realistic. Which it didn't. Every single thing that came out of character's mouths made me roll my eyes or cringe.

I don't know. The whole story just seemed really juvenile to me?? Like I love some books for younger kids, but really, falling on top of your own sword?? WHILE STOMPING ACROSS A TABLE??? It's just so ridiculous at times.

Especially with pacing, since, like I said before, this book fluctuates violently between literally nothing happening, and everything just falling apart. The first 70%, in my opinion, could be skipped, since half of what happened was of little to no consequence and didn't really impact the plot. I mean, Jameson does request that Hollis returns to him, but the reason she went had NOTHING to do with that. She went because of Silas. I definitely think the plotting could use a lot of work, since I don't get the reason for 90% of the things that occurred in the book. And the moment we get some tension with Jameson, he just dies, in the stupidest way possible. I would've liked it if that scene was drawn out a little more, and maybe if Hollis or Etan (or even Delia grace, maybe??) did something influential, since Jameson dying had NOTHING to do with them.

There's so many other things wrong with this book that I'm not going to get into, because I feel like I'd just be repeating my first review. (For example, how bland everyone sounds.)

Overall, I hate this book and this series. It was a solid hate read though, so read it only for that reason.

Happy reading!!!

[Maira · Rating 1 out of 5]

genuinely think i read stuff i hate faster than stuff I like

[Merle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished the first book, and liked it! I personally loved it! Can not wait until the second one is out!

[fer bañuelos · Rating 4 out of 5]

English/Español

EN:

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

*4.5*

I’ve been a Kiera Cass fan since The Selection days. She kinda became one of my comfort authors. Every single book I read by her makes me feel so good and I enjoy pretty much everything she writes. And this duopoly wasn’t the exception. Actually, The Betrayed might be on of my favorites by her.

This books picks up exactly where the first one ended. We follow Hollis after the events that left her looking for answers and a new way to live, and this books gives us a completely new perspective on the world and characters we learned from in the first book.

Needless to say, I loved this so much. More than I initially thought I would. I didn’t expect to like this series as much as her other one, but I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the story, especially this second book. It has more development to the characters, more depth even, and I couldn’t stop reading as soon as I started it.

Yes, this book, and Kiera Cass’ work overall, has a melodramatic feel to it, sometimes borderlining in ridiculousness, but they are so, so charming. There’s something in the way Kiera Cass writes characters, romance and relationships that makes me fall in love with her stories, even if we can all agree that they aren’t always the best. And The Betrayed did that, so very well.

I loved the dynamic between the two main characters. I would even say they had a hundred times more chemistry than the pairing in the first one, and reading how they interacted with each other throughout the novel made me smile so hard. I ADORED the ending as well. It surprised me; Kiera Cass took everything in this book and took it where I least expected it, and I have to applaud her. She really came through with this sequel.

Overall I had the time of my life reading this book and I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to read an advance copy. I will continue to read everything she publishes, 'cause there’s something in her books that is so addictive, and not many authors have that. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

ESP:

Todo el mundo sabe que soy fan número uno de la selección y de Kiera Cass es general. Ella es como mi autora de confort, y cada libro que lea siempre, SIEMPRE me hace sentir bien, independientemente si sea lo mejor del mundo o una historia simple. Y The Betrayed no fue la excepción. De hecho, me atrevería decir que es de mis favoritos de ella.

Personalmente, La Prometida fue un libro que disfruté bastante, a pesar de que eso es una opinion impopular al parecer. Me gustaron los personajes, la trama y los giros inesperados que se dieron, por lo que esta secuela me tenía muy emocionado, y puedo decir que estoy satisfecho con ella. Muy satisfecho.

Me encantó la dinámica entre los dos personajes principales. Incluso diría que tenían cien veces más química que la pareja del primer libro, y leer cómo interactuaban entre sí a lo largo de la novela me hizo sonreír demasiado. ADORÉ el final también. Me sorprendió; Kiera Cass tomó todo en este libro y lo llevó donde menos lo esperaba, y tengo que aplaudirle que, después de haberme leído todos su libros, sigue logrando sorprenderme. Realmente logró superarse con esta secuela.

En general, viví mi mejor vida leyendo este libro y estoy muy contento de haber tenido la oportunidad de leer una copia anticipada. Seguiré leyendo todo lo que publique, porque hay algo en sus libros que es tan adictivo, y no muchos autores lo tienen. Ya quiero ver con que me sale la Kiera después.

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salazar em Cuba


Não! Salazar não vai a Cuba, não! Porém … imaginem que sim:

Imaginem que numa primavera quente dos anos 50, António de Oliveira Salazar, num ímpeto de espontaneidade surreal, planeia e concretiza umas férias em Havana. E que uma vez por lá… por acaso, coincidência ou ironia do destino, conhece e apaixona-se pela prima favorita de Fidel Castro.

Improvável?!
Impossível?!

Mas Improvável e impossível são apenas dois dos mais populares atributos do Amor, não é assim?!…

Não que neste livro suceda algo próximo ou semelhante. Porém, tratando-se dum Amor em que os envolvidos pertencem a reinos rivais, não resisti à alegoria 😜

Nota: Para os leitores que preferirem uma leitura em português lusitano, existe uma edição, publicada pela Marcador, com o título Atraiçoada

[Sarah]

PleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePlease let Silas come back. Etan is NOT the person is has to be Silas I will cry over this. HE. CAN'T. BE. DEAD.

[elena ✧˖° · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars | ages 12+
⭐️⭐️⭐️➼keeping lines blurry
.
it’s by no means a “good book” but i had to rate it a lot higher than the first one because it was a LOT better than the first one.

hollis is no longer insufferable, and she and the love interest actually have chemistry! it’s still insta-lovey, but i didn’t mind as much because i actually liked etan.

the plot went through a lot of upgrades, and while the predictability factor was still off the charts, i read this in 2 sittings, so i didn’t care that much. i knew what i was getting into by reading this.

it’s a very corny, cheesy, campy book, but it was just enjoyable enough to become some sort of a guilty pleasure.

overall, it’s not a great book by any means, but i did enjoy it, and i think i would read this book again? eventually.

i do wish there had been an epilogue though—like maybe a year later?

.

preread review: this better not disappoint because i heard it’s at least better than the first one. it can’t be that hard—

[Ivka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeeeah, mohla by som hovoriť o všetkom, čo by sa vám mohlo nepáčiť, aké je to naivné, aká je instalove insta alebo ako všetky hrady v tejto sérii strážia dohromady štyri (číslom: 4) stráže...

Ale nechcem byť jeden z tých ľudí, čo vymenuje všetky zápory, dodá, že "bolo to napísané veľmi chytľavo a nemohol som sa od toho odtrhnúť a prečítal som to na jedno sedenie do pol tretej v noci" a potom to zabije dvoma hviezdičkami.

Čím som staršia, tým viac mám pocit, že ak ma kniha bavila, je to dôležitejšie, ako či bola "objektívne dobrá". A táto ma bavila. Jedno sedenie. Do pol tretej v noci. Jednoducho som si to užila - od tej hlúpej instalove až po momenty, keď Hollis obmäkčí srdce nepríjemnej kuchárky svojou snahou odhodlane miesiť chlieb, hoci nevie ako. Napriek všetkému hlúpemu a naivnému ma ten svet plný odvážnych a nesebeckých a osudom skúšaných hrdiniek pohltil tak, až som začala striehnuť na každú nenápadnú vedľajšiu postavu, či v nej náhodou nezbadám spin-off material. Lebo taký únik z reality ako toto, vau, nepamätám.

Takže štyri hviezdičky. Za úprimné potešenie, ktoré som pri čítaní mala. Ak sa vám reálne páčila jednotka, pokračovanie vám dá všetko, po čom ste túžili - a ak sa vám jednotka nepáčila a stále chcete ísť do dvojky, myslím, že je lepšia po všetkých smeroch.

Vyjde v preklade niekedy na jeseň.

[(old.enough.for.fairytales) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one so much more than book one! Hollis gets better and it isn’t as predictable. Really enjoyed it!