3.75⭐, 3🌶️

Book two of the Kingdom of Lies series! More excitement, adventure, and so many characters to keep track of. I liked all the new information and bonds we got for Prisca and Lorian. Their relationship is growing on me more and I love the sass and spice between the two.

I feel like this book was similar to book for me in that I was invested at points, and then I would lose interest, but something would happen to reel m back in, and this kind of repeated again and again. The cliff hanger at the end of the book was startling and I realized it was over that I had to go listen to the last chapter again.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest and unpaid review.

"Risk everything for your kingdom… Or be destroyed by it." What a powerful premise to set the stage for a fantasy romance. This story seems to deliver on its promise, offering readers a compelling narrative filled with weighty decisions and magical elements.

Stark's storytelling prowess shines through in this novel, according to your review. The characters are vividly portrayed, drawing readers into their lives and making them relatable. The magical elements add an enchanting layer to the narrative, enhancing the fantasy aspect of the story.

The plot's pacing and flow are described as perfect, with Stark skillfully guiding readers from the first chapter to the last, keeping them engaged and invested in the outcome. This ability to bring characters and story to life is a hallmark of great storytelling, creating an immersive experience that resonates with readers.

For anyone looking for a fantasy romance that combines engaging characters, magical elements, and a well-crafted plot, this book seems like a standout choice.

I loved the first book in this series SO MUCH, and this book did not disappoint! The romance and twists are SO GOOD, and although a bit predictable, I totally binged these two books! I cannot believe I had to wait for the 3rd one - now I have to read them all again so I can remember all the plot points. Seriously amazing author and GREAT series! I will read again and again!

DNF @ 16%

Ok. I really thought I could do this. I was iffy on the first book, but I chalked it up to the narration. I'm making a note to avoid books read by Meg Sylvan. She makes the female characters sound like little girls most of the time, but then when these women start to talk sexy, well... they sound like little girls trying to seduce someone, and it gave me the ick. The men all sound like raspy frat boys waggling their eyebrows as they gawk. More ick. BUT. When the first book ended, I was intrigued enough to continue on. Unfortunately, the audio for this second book is still terrible, but the writing has gotten worse. It's still repetitive and juvenile. All these characters are doing is hating each other. So far, it's mostly Lorian and Prisca walking around. She glares, scathes, mopes and he manipulates, pines, and complains. And he's always horny. No matter what. I can't stand either of them! This possessive, controlling attitude Lorian has isn't sexy at all. Prisca is supremely annoying. I miss her brothers and the other mercenaries from the first book. They were a good buffer, and hid how annoying Lorian and Prisca are. There's no depth to anyone, no explanation of the world, no reason for anything. I don't even really know/care what we're doing here.

And before I end this review, can I just tell you how much I HATE Lorian's pet name for Prisca? Wildcat. He says it at the end of almost every sentence he says to her, and it's even worse having to listen to it in the female narrator's "male" voice. I downloaded the KU copy just so I could keyword search how many times "wildcat" shows up. 103 times. ONE HUNDRED AND THREE TIMES. That's excessive.

Wow, a great title and great story. This is the second book and it does not disappoint. It's sort of similar to SJM books but not as much romance. I love the series overall and cannot wait for the next one to come out!

The second book, A Kingdom this Cursed and Empty, audio was done well and picks up from where the last book ended. The story flowed well and I was we discovered a lot of new information and some twists. I love the dedication that Lorian has to Prisca and the dedication she has to her people and friends.

And that cliffhanger! I’m eager to finish the series.

Thank you to Netgalley, Stacia Stark and Dreamscape Media for this arc.

This is the second book and the Kingdom of Lies series. This installment is more centered around the politics and relationship building between characters. This books picks up right where we left off in book one and kept me engaged the whole time. I enjoyed the plot, the characters and the world building. Spice seemed minimal for what there was. I can't wait to see where this story goes.

This was a great follow up to the first book. The ending made me gasp. I loved the additional character development for Pryska. And Lorian is amazing. I love him.

A little bummed out, I really liked the first book.

I think this book really suffers from middle-book syndrome. The story just drags, a lot of repetitive internal dialogue, so much unnecessary back and forth.

Not sure why this book had to be 500 pages, author should have tightened it up and been more concise.

Prisca's Internet dialogue and receptive thoughts are mostly why this scored 3/5 for me.

I will continue the series hoping that the 3rd book will pick up and be better

A decent follow-up to A Court This Cruel and Lovely.

It's definitely suffering from second-book syndrome (nowhere near as good as the first), but hasn't affected my desire to finish the series. There wasn't much character development, and the plot was composed of more talking about doing things than there was acrually doing those things, making it slightly boring.

Hopefully the follow-up to this one is more action-packed.

“You can raise all the walls between us that you like. I’ll knock them down one by one. In the end, it will be us, wildcat.”

- NA fantasy
- Book two in the series
- Enemies to lovers… take two!
- Three POV
- Narrated by Meg Sylvan and Tim Paige (available on Hoopla)

This is a very easy-to-follow romantasy series! In this book, you have Prisca coming to terms with the fact that she’s the Hybrid queen while dealing with her complicated feelings for Lorian. His feelings are not complicated – he’s obsessed 😂. We’re treated to more spice in this book than the first, and Lorian has a swoony moment or two.

"In my darkest moments, when I missed her the most—even as she sat right next to me—I listed what I did know. And I wondered if those small details would be enough to carry me through the rest of my life."

We also got the Queen’s POV this time, which was really interesting and has me intrigued about where the story is heading in book three. So far, I’m keeping up with what’s happening (mysterious princes, different realms, hard-to-find artifacts, devious cousins, and alliances included), so let’s hope that continues 😅.

I think it could’ve been a little shorter, but overall, I’m definitely continuing the series!

After reading book 1, I couldn't wait to dive into this one. I did feel like that this one read a little slower than the first one and the danger didn't feel as bad as the first book. I was hooked from the very first page. The world and the magic of the fae and hybrids was explained more in this book which I really enjoyed reading.
I loved the relationship building between Lorien and Priska, it went even deeper this time. Lorien became a fierce protector of Priska as his feelings develop. I kind of disliked Priska a little less in this book because of her constant questioning of herself.
As always I loved all the secondary characters. I also enjoyed the Queen POV, it added a nice little element to the story.
That cliffhanger!! I need the next book right now!!!!

This was a solid second book in the series and picks up from the first. The narrator was ok and the audiobook was well produced. I’m looking forward to the next book.

Very solid read! I wasn’t completely in love with the first (good not great) but this was good. I would like to read the 3rd one as well

Its official. Im obsessed with this series. I just cant get enough of Lorian. Stacia has done it again! Cant wait for the next book!

I really struggled to finish this one. The narration was good for the most part, but I found that the narrator for Lorien isn’t the best pick and it made it difficult to fully buy into the scenes. Especially when those scenes were sexual in nature - it sounded like he was actually reading a script and not acting out the scenes. It ended up just being a touch cringe.

As for the story itself, it’s building into something quite fascinating and I’m really excited to see where it goes in book three.
The characters continue to develop, as does the world.

I think this series is really good for an easy to understand fantasy romance. Really bingeable for lovers of the genre. Great for lovers of spice, FMC’s who are growing into their power and aggressive MMC’s

I was utterly captivated by the second book in this fantasy romance series, finding it even more engaging than the first. Set in a world shadowed by deceit, it follows my journey alongside the "Bloodthirsty Prince," Lorian, as we unite against the manipulative King Sabium and more sinister forces. I admired the book's well-paced narrative, its intricate magic system, and immersive world-building, which vividly brought mythical creatures and landscapes to life. The profound development of both primary and side characters and their evolving relationships and powers was quite good. The romance, a perfectly escalating slow-burn, added depth to the story. As for the audiobook, it was a delightful experience, thanks to the excellent narrators. Ending on a cliffhanger, I eagerly await the next installment despite repetitive elements and occasional slow pacing. This book is a top pick for fantasy romance enthusiasts, especially those who enjoy tropes like enemies to lovers and found family.

I absolutely LOVE the world Stacia has created here…The audio was great and I can’t wait to listen to the next book. Such a bingable easy read…chefs kiss

An epic fantasy with a heroine finding her own strength. Go in with the expectation that this is more fantasy and less romantasy. There are a lot of politics and court intrigue. Sometimes the names are a little hard to follow. Overall though, this is a bingeable, compulsively readable book that leaves you wanting more. Lorian is a perfect MMC - he’s everything you love about an alpha fae hero who is 100% supportive of his female. If you liked the second half of the first book, I really think you will like this. I’m excited for book 3!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.