Curse of Shadows and Thorns: A Dark Fantasy Romance (The Broken Kingdoms Book 1)

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All in all, this book was not for me (I’m just clarifying in case this super long review did not highlight this point 😂).

The world building I think needs the most help, this is supposed to have Vikings in it and I’m not getting that at all from this.Though I don't know if that's because the same person narrates it and I've just connected the two or because the stories are similar. At the end of the book we find the FMC and the MMC separated but you understand why even though the decisions might not be the best You can understand why they're in place and why they happened. As the niece of the brutal, current king, her purpose is to do whatever is asked to ensure her family keeps the throne for centuries to come. This series will be 9-10 books with four different couples, but characters will be interconnected throughout the entire series.

It’s still a good story and I look forward to reading the rest to see how this story continues and if it’s similar in more ways. I thought the character building was decent, but the book fell really flat for me and I blame the lack of world building and writing for it.

And when someone important dies they do so almost immediately after saying something poignant to the MC.

He may be arrogant and infuriating, but soon Legion incites a blistering, forbidden passion she can’t ignore. There were also a couple repetitive plot points (example: the Agitators rising up and getting quelled, rising up and getting quelled…), and the characters just weren’t deep enough for me to really feel connected to them. Even if she had met up with Mattus at that point she could have been kidnapped or in trouble in the sense with the blood wraith. Where is the author coming from to believe that it is her place to speak on these issues; and furthermore to do it in such a way that suggests an extreme lack of knowledge and tact, if not an outright peddling of alt right ideology.

Author Note* Be prepared, these fairy tale retellings might begin as a slow burn romance, but the series progresses with the spice and steam. As secrets unravel about Legion's vicious past, questions rise over who has the true right to the throne.