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Book Review: Kingdom of Briars & Roses, by Heather Hildenbrand

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I was recently lucky enough to win a giveaway on Instagram that included a copy of Heather Hildenbrand‘s Kingdom of Briars and Roses.

kingdom of briars and roses cover

I’m caught between two powerful fae princes. One will be my savior. The other will be my death.

I’ve spent years trapped behind these walls—cursed to live among the sleeping for eternity. When trespassers find their way into my castle, it’s both a dream and a nightmare.

Prince Callan is the first outsider I’ve met in years—and the realm’s most arrogant prick. He’s also the only one with the power to break this wretched curse and restore my kingdom.

Unfortunately, Callan’s assistance comes at a price. If I want his help, I’ll have to belong to him.

A sacrifice I’m willing to make for the people I love.

Until I lay eyes on Rydian.

The second fae prince is everything the elder heir is not. Strong, wise—lethal. He is a distraction I can’t afford.

And he hates me on sight.

In a realm where evil disguises itself as friendship, I am forced to rely on two men whose disgust for each other is only outweighed by their obsession with me.

One of them will save me, the other will tear me apart. I just wish I knew which to trust with my life—and my heart.

my review

I’m torn on how to feel about this book. On the one hand, I really liked Aurelia. And I think I’d like Rydian. But he remained little more than a shadow (pun intended) in this book. On the other hand, however, I was eternally frustrated that the solution to the problem (the twist to come, so to speak) was so glaringly apparent that I couldn’t suspend my disbelief far enough to believe none of the characters figured it out.

kingdom of briars and roses photoWhat’s more, this book covers a lot of ground before the real plot finally starts. It makes the pacing inconsistent. I suspect that’s a first-book problem that might not continue in the series. However, I can’t be sure of that.

All in all, I’d call this a middle-of-the-road read. But I’d have bought and read the second book, Prince of Secrets & Shadows, if it were out yet. I’d gambled that the series would improve. So, that’s a sign it wasn’t a complete flop.

Other Reviews:

Book Review of Heather Hildenbrand’s Dirty Blood

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Dirty Blood

I grabbed Heather Hildenbrand‘s Dirty Blood off of the KDP free list. At the time of posting it was still free…or free again. I downloaded it quite a while ago. 

Description from Goodreads:
I killed a girl last night. I did it with my bare hands and an old piece of pipe I found lying next to the dumpster. But that’s not the part that got me. The part that scared me, the part I can’t seem to wrap my head around and still has me reeling, was that when she charged me, her body shifted – and then she was a wolf. All snapping teeth and and extended claws. But by the time I stood over her lifeless body, she was a girl again. That’s about the time I went into shock… And that was the moment he showed up.

Review:
I put off reading this book because, frankly, I haven’t been enjoying many YA read lately. I’m beginning to think I’ve just gotten a little too old to relate to the teenagers involved. That being the case, I was relieved to enjoy this one as much as I did. Yes, I still had to sit through Algebra class (or whatever period it might have been) and all of the adolescent angst, but I have no intention of penalising the book for an expected element of the genre. It’s just that some books play this particular card too heavily for me. That wasn’t the case here. There was enough to remind me that Tara was 17 and Wes 19, but not enough to drown out the rest of the plot.

Tara was a character I could understand. She was strong willed, without being suicidal about it. She very rarely put herself in needless danger just to prove her independence. Plus she was surprisingly observant of the body language of other characters. She gleaned a lot of information from very small things. I appreciated that. Like her, I got a little tired of everyone trying to push her aside for her own protection and I was right behind her when she lashed out about it. You go girl!

I thought that the plot rolled along nicely. There were a few predictable parts, but on the whole the events kept me interested. I also thought that it ended well. I feel like lately half of the books I’ve read end in the middle of a story. As a result I’m becoming a little wary of any first in a series. This one had a real ending, while still being open for the continuation of the series.