I've been a fan of fantasy basically my entire life, but it's been a little while since a good, old-fashioned, medieval, swords-and-magic fantasy has made its way into my life. And to be honest, this was like a slap of nostalgia to the face in the best way possible. Let's jump on into the review, shall we?
The Broken Prince
Author: Kara Linaburg
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Quite a bit of fantasy violence, but none other than that.
Main Characters: Serena, Hunter, and Milosh
Synopsis:
In all the fairy tales the maiden falls in love with the prince...but she has to remember that this isn’t a fairy tale.
Born into a kingdom where those of magical Gifts are rejected, feared, and even killed, Serena has spent her life striving to hide her ability and keep her younger brother safe.
The bastard son of the hated king and father he hardly knows, Prince Milosh is considered an outcast. He never expects to feel anything but contempt for the peasant girl who unexpectedly shows up in his life, forcing him to answer questions he never wished to ask.
When two very different worlds are thrown together under less than desirable circumstances, both hold deep judgment towards the other. But will they learn to see beyond their stations and birth so that they may defeat the coming darkness, or will labels given to them at birth continue to define them?
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What I Thought:
I loved how nostalgic this was for me. This kind of book was my JAM between the ages of 11 and 14. And here was a brand new one perfect for a grown-up me, full of intrigue and swordplay and potential treason. My favorite things. xD
One of the big things I loved about this book is the portrayal of sibling love. Serena goes on this adventure for the main reason of keeping Hunter safe, even though he's perfectly capable of taking care of himself, thank you very much, and I loved it. They genuinely love each other so much and I love them for it. I'm also not going to spoil any names, but the friendship between the characters in general is just great.
Milosh's redemption arc! is so important to me! because I love bad-guys-who-aren't-so-bad and the "I don't want to care about you as much as I do" characters. They're my favorite. Particularly when they realize "oh no i'm head-over-heels in love with this ray of sunshine" it's the BEST dynamic.
And just, overall, the fight scenes were awesome. the soft scenes were awesome. it was just awesome.
My only complaint is that I wish we'd gotten to see Serena use her Gift in a bigger showing of it. It kind of felt under-used. And I didn't super love some of the way the dialogue was written. But when those are my only two complaints, I consider it a win. Oh and also I want a sequel. Now. Please.
I'd recommend it! Especially for fans of Tricia Mingerink's Blades of Acktar series. Milosh gave me a lot of Leith vibes, you know, if Leith were the son of a bloodthirsty king.
Overall Rating: 4 masterfully-told stories out of 5
About the Author:
If you combined Lucy Ricardo, Jo March, and Tonks…you would have Kara. Queen of awkward, writer before she could properly spell, and maker of imaginary humans, she is passionate about creating characters that display beauty in brokenness.
Kara took to blogging as a teenager, words soon becoming one of her greatest passions. When she’s not being a mad scientist in the kitchen or daydreaming about her next adventure, she loves to connect with readers. She lives in West Virginia where country roads always take her home.
Connect with Kara: Her blog ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Twitter
GIVEAWAY of a mini prize package that includes a signed paperback of The Broken Prince! Click here!
Thank you to Kara and her blog tour director, Victoria Lynn, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Will you be picking up this awesome fantasy novella? Did you also love medieval fantasy as a kid? Let me know in a comment below!
~ Abby
Umm your review is perfection. THANK YOU SO MUCH GIRL!
ReplyDeleteAhh, I'm so glad! Thank you!!! I really enjoyed it! :D
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