DNF @ 30% as I struggled to get into the story and felt the characters fell a little flat.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

And Break the Pretty Kings is a great book for someone... but not for me. I couldn't really get into it, and found myself pretty let down. I wanted to love it and was intrigued by the concept but the writing style and characters just didn't click with me. Coming back to this one felt like a chore. Just overall, not for me.

This book is so much fun and the magic is so interesting. The time switching kept me interested and confused but also in the know all at once. Time jumps are hard to capture, but And Break the Pretty Kings makes it so much fun! I absolutely love that Mirae will stop at nothing to save both her queendom and her brother, she's truly such an incredible character. There's so much love for so many things and so much conflict to keep you on the edge of your seat.

The main themes of this fantasy story are family (siblings in particular), royal destiny, sins of parents, and prophecy. Gender dynamics play an interesting role in this story as well, because Mirae our main character lives in a matriarchal queendom, where men are treated as secondary and only women are allowed to wield magic powers. Mirae’s home country, Seolla, controls the neighbor country, Josan, which is a patriarchal kingdom bent on wresting freedom back from the queendom. This creates a complicated dynamic of gender roles, especially as our main character Mirae is a woman in power on the cusp of inheriting the entire queendom, and all of its political issues.

Mirae herself is a solid lead character, although she is mostly reactive throughout the plot events. She is described as rash and vain by other characters, however I thought all her actions were rational and methodical - she tells herself to calm down, and she does. She decides to steel herself and be brave, and she is. There is not a lot of emotional turmoil within her character, except for her continuous debates over what secrets to keep. About 70% into the book, she becomes more flawed and her choices feel like they hold more weight. I enjoy a flawed character who grows throughout a book, so Mirae’s fairly flat character arc through the first half did not hit for me.

While the Sacred Bone Magic of this series is indeed connected to the four elements, the comparisons to Avatar: The Last Airbender end there. The magic system is structured into three different "types" of magic - Ma-eum Mage magic for illusions, Jade Witch magic for the elements, and mysterious Horomancer time magic. There is a lot of exposition at the beginning of the book, which was partially helpful but mostly overwhelming.

What was particularly compelling to me was Mirae's core magic, Horomancy, related to time and "visions of the future." This magic plays the largest role in Mirae’s journey throughout the story, and Mirae’s struggle to interpret the visions is the core conflict. Furthermore, they’re less “visions” and more like brief moments of time travel! I was particularly fascinated by this story mechanic - and so surprised this compelling detail was sidestepped in the book summary! This is not a spoiler for the story, but more of a clarification on /what/ kind of magic we see in the book. So, I don't think Avatar: The Last Airbender is a fair comp title for And Break the Pretty Kings.

I think the cover design and title for this book are gorgeous, however the title itself doesn’t seem to relate much to the story. “The Pretty Kings” is a nickname one of the characters gives to their ragtag group, although as Mirae points out, none of them are kings (and only two of the four are boys). That scene left me confused and fell flat as a lighthearted comedic moment, which leads me to think the pretty title was picked out beforehand and awkwardly slotted into the story. That’s a small nit-pick for me, but nevertheless something that I kept thinking about.

I appreciated that Mirae had lots of female friends, something that is rare to see in YA fantasy, and the cast of characters was generally solid and diverse. No one in particular stood out to me except for the enigma of Kimoon, and perhaps I was most interested in him because his introduction was shrouded in mystery. The other characters felt vaguely one-note, but the addition of the future visions really brought out a dimension to characters and made me rethink my interpretation.

Overall, I’m glad I read this book. The setup and exposition was a bit too much info-dump for me, but the story really kicked off when the time travel structure was introduced. I adore what that did for the plot, giving so much intrigue and uncertainty to Mirae’s future. About 25% through, I expected this to be a bland read for me, but the “switching” visions really put my enjoyment over the edge.

I wanted to like this one so badly as it's a debut and I love fantasy books a lot. However, it was a very difficult book to finish even with the enchanting worldbuilding and the way it is based on Korean history and myths.

I wanted to love this novel so badly. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and it has a good concept, but the execution wasn't there. I couldn't connect with the characters or writing style. Every time I put the novel down, I had no motivation to pick it back up.

Overall, not for me.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Lena Jeong, and HarperCollins Children's Books for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of And Break the Pretty Kings. This was fantastic, I am a fan of any Chinese retellings of folklore and fiction. This is absolutely on my list.

Very solid read!! The writing style was beautiful and fluid, creating the ability to draw you deeper into the story. The world building was lush and vibrant, solidifying the feel of being swept away. The one obstacle I found myself battling against was that I didn't quite get attached to any of the characters or their relationships, and I am a very character driven reader.

You might like this book if you enjoy:
- High fantasy
- Pretty prose
- Very fast-paced story that focus more on the plot than character
- Korean culture
- Alchemy of Soul (the author uses this K-drama as comp, and I think it’s similar because the magic system sounds cool, but I don’t understand a thing about it.)

Too much time was spent setting things up for book 2, and not enough happened in this one. I also quickly grew tired of side characters being plot devices. I am probably going to give book 2 a try, but this is not a strong start to a series.

4.5 stars

And Break the Pretty Kings begins by throwing you straight into the action, with Mirae, the main character, having a last-minute training session ahead of a trial to prove she is chosen by the gods to lead her queendom. Unfortunately, she's having to take these trials much earlier than usual as her mother has succumbed to an illness that arises from taking the position.

Things go from bad to worse during the trials, and Mirae finds herself on a mission to save a family member instead of taking her position as Queen. 

There's a lot to unpack in And Break the Pretty Kings, but family is an ongoing theme and of the utmost importance throughout the story. Mirae chooses her brothers above all else time and time again. Hongbin is the brother we get to spend the most time with, and he's an extremely lovable character. Mirae is lovable but her most stand out character trait is how persistent and smart she is, regardless of what's happening around her she tries to find the best way out for all. 

The magic system is interesting, I'll forever be a fan of elemental magic and there's a lot at play in And Break the Pretty Kings, alongside some time travel (done in a very genius way) and a dragon, we always love a dragon. 

Mirae ends up on a journey in this first instalment, and along the way she discovers a lot about her homeland and family's history. We meet a couple of villainous characters, but we also find out why they are the way they are, adding depth to them. 

Some parts were a lot more fast paced than others, but on the whole I enjoyed this book and I'm excited to see where the story goes next!

This book just wasn't for me, although I did enjoy the world-building, magic system, and inspiration from Korean history and myths. I'd be interested in future releases by this author.

Mirae descends from a long line of magic-wielding queens who are charged with protecting Seolla from an evil being, the Netherking. Mirae's mom, the current queen, has been suffering from trances and cannot control her magic which means Mirae must undergo the trials to become queen earlier than her predecessors. However, something goes wrong during her trials and she meets the evil being she's supposed to protect her nation from. When Mirae comes out of the trials, she finds out her brother was taken, leading her on a quest to save him and possibly to free the Netherking. They must cross into Josan, their magicless rival neighbor nation, in order to rescue him and along the way Mirae learns there are many sides to one's story. Overall, a fast-paced fantasy novel with many elements of Korean folklore and magic woven in.

This one was a moss for me honestly, I pushed through it but I wasn’t a fan. I think it is a personal taste and think others may love it though

Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF'ed at 20% of the way through.

I was not a fan of the fast-paced worldbuilding and lack of depth to the characters. The magic system was really interesting though--but the writing wasn't enough to keep me going.

I received an e-galley of And Break the Pretty Kings by Lena Jeong from HCC Frenzy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

You cannot help but dive straight into the world that Lena Jeong creates in And Break the Pretty Kings. Right from the start, you are thrown straight into the world, its problems, and its cast of characters. In this story, Mirae is preparing for the trials that will test her before she can become queen. It's happening a lot faster than previous queens as Mirae's mother's sanity is getting worse and worse. In this world, the men in the royal family with magic in their blood gets marked to block their magic. It is the women who reign as it was long foretold that a man will bring chaos. But Mirae's tests do not go well - and before she knows it, her life, her reign, and her family are all in danger. She gains new powers - ones that she needs to figure out - as she sets out to save her brother, and hopefully the rest of the kingdom.

There is a lot going on in this story. The world is filled with magic, dark corners, and a lot of characters with a lot of backstory. While it is very immersing as you read into it, it sometimes also felt a little overwhelming as I was trying to catch up and understand the characters and their motivations behind their stories. I think there is definitely a lot of potential here in this story and I look forward to continue reading Mirae's story.

"Not everyone who spurns you hates you. And when you find someone worth caring about, you should protect them with the greatest power you possess."

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

TW: abuse, blood, body horror, child death, death, death of a loved one, emotional abuse, gore, grief, injury/injury detail, kidnapping, mental illness, mind control, religious abuse, sexual assault, suicide, torture, violence, war.

This is another case of a really cool concept with an execution I just did not connect with.

It was not a terrible book, but it suffered from a lot of technical errors that made a story I was already struggling to pick up even harder to connect with. Despite all of the things the story had going for it, my reading experience felt like a chore and - had this not been an arc - it would have been a dnf.

With that being said, I truly mean it when I say that there were great things about this book. The magic system and world-building was unique, the use of time-travel was actually one of my favorite aspects which is impressive because that’s such a tricky thing to include in a book (or any story for that matter!)

However, beyond those things, I struggled with nearly everything about this book. The writing style was convoluted and repetitive, as was the main character’s arc (which seemed to be a lot of introspection for very little actual growth.)

All in all, I’m grateful for the chance to read an arc of this book and I do think that if you’re someone that’s looking for a story with unique world-building and inclusion of time-travel, this could work for you!
Unfortunately, those good aspects weren’t enough to save this book for me.

What I loved about And Break the Pretty Kings is the family. There's immediately such a sense of love, loyalty, and conflict all at once. The ways she wants to rely on her mother, but the curse which takes her mother away. Or the way she is willing to go to the ends of the Earth for her brother. Its the backbone of And Break the Pretty Kings and it's my favorite element of this series opener. If you also love magical trials combined with time jumps, then you have to check this one out.

And Break the Pretty Kings was a book filled with magic and Korean lore, the story advanced through intense action and a tense tone. The author weaved together familial ties, magic and prophecy to create a complex tale. The narrative was deeply founded in historical social structures but it added a special twist by transforming it into a matriarchal queendom. This book was rife with a cool magic system, political machinations, betrayals, and diplomatic manoeuvres. I liked that the characters had depth and frequently had to choose between opposing desires, which required them to make difficult choices. The character chemistry and interactions made it easy for dialogue and action to flow together, though there was a sense of uncertainty and unpredictability due to the characters' ongoing shifts in trust. Each character's magic echoed their own personalities and aims despite the magic not being specific to the individual which was incredibly fascinating. I was quickly drawn into Mirae's life, intrigued by all of her relationships, concerns and humanity. I thought she was a likeable character as someone who only wanted to follow her moral convictions. It was refreshing to see how she realised she still had a lot to learn because the numerous story twists and shocking revelations indicate that her life and the world aren't as simple as she had been taught. One of the primary principles, which I find particularly appealing, was the idea of creating a balance to embrace both your strengths and the positive aspects of yourself while also accepting your flaws and the negative. Mirae was fundamentally a young girl who was just trying to find her place in the world, while having a destiny that has been predicted for generations. Mirae herself was quite self-aware and tries to think through her actions. She knew her strength and capacity, yet she frequently felt under pressure to live up to the expectations of others around her. This book was overall really engaging, making the reading experience enjoyable.

crown princess. A monster the gods fear. A destiny no one can outrun. Inspired by Korean history and myths, the first book in the Sacred Bone series is a rich and evocative high-stakes fantasy that is perfect for fans of Gallant and Six Crimson Cranes.