The Half King - Book Review

 

The Half King (The Half King #1)

by Melissa Landers

What is it about:

The Great Betrayal changed everything for the Allied Realm. Long ago, the kingdom’s noble houses rose up against the goddess... and for their treachery, the firstborn of each noble family was cursed.

One with perilous beauty.

One with destructive knowledge.

One with insatiable bloodlust.

But the royal house Mortara received the worst affliction of all. For while the king exists during the day, he fades into nothingness at night...until his twenty-first birthday, when he will be lost to the shadows forever.

Now an acolyte has arrived at court. Like all the second-born children of the Allied Realm, she’s destined to serve the goddess and become a Seer...only Cerise Solon has no gift of foretelling. In fact, she has no magical gift at all.

Instead, she’s surrounded by courtiers and priests—smiling sycophants whose hearts are filled with secrets and lies. And at the center of it all sits His Majesty Kian Hannibal Mortara, with his haunting eyes, sharp tongue, and an unerring ability to send her pulse skittering at the worst possible moments.

Falling for him is unthinkable. Because the king is the last of his line, and as the specter of his twenty-first birthday—and the full force of his curse—approaches, the kingdom holds its breath.

But there’s only one way to save a dying king... and it lies with the one person who’s hiding the biggest secret of all. Cerise.

What did I think of it:

I've read several of Landers' YA books and really enjoyed those, so I decided to give this (New Adult) Fantasy Romance a try.

And this was a very enjoyable read.

There were some things in the worldbuilding that didn't seem very practical to me, but they were not world breaking, so I decided to go with where the story led me.

I really liked Cerise so I was invested in seeing her thrive and get on top of things. Kian and his best friend were both really fun characters as well. The story itself entertaining with some interesting twists. Landers has a writing voice I really enjoy, so I flew through this book in a day, eager to see if things would turn out how I wanted them to. 

All in all a fun read. I will keep an eye on future releases by Landers for sure.

Why should you read it:

It's a very enjoyable Fantasy Romance