I enjoyed this Rapunzel retelling - it was fast-paced and very easy to read. However, though the story was intriguing and entertaining, there were a few times that I had to reread as I was getting slightly confused. This wasn't advertised as a prequel, and I think that knowledge would have helped.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book.

I didn't realise it was a prequel, but it can definitely be read as a standalone.

The plot itself was good. And I liked the dual timeline and getting both stories at once.

It was the writing style itself that I wasn't that keen on. It was a bit confusing trying to figure out the relationships between Blanche and... well, everyone else. She couldn't be honest about herself to herself, let alone anyone else, and it was very frustrating.

Would I read more? Yes, but it would probably be near the bottom of my TBR pile.

A Spellbinding Tale of Power, Betrayal, and Hidden Magic!

A richly woven fantasy brimming with intrigue, secret powers, and political machinations. If you’re looking for an FMC who’s not afraid to step into her destiny, and a world where trust is as rare as magic, then this is the book for you.

Blanche, our FMC, is no ordinary princess. As the sister of the king in the Red Kingdom, she holds a secret so powerful it could change the fate of the realm, she’s a mindwalker, the first one in centuries. Her rare gift allows her to wander through the minds of others, uncovering hidden plots and dangerous secrets at her brother’s command. But it’s a power that must be kept hidden, especially from the rival factions circling the throne.

Lilly Inkwood does a great job at weaving layers of tension into every page. As Blanche is sent to seek out Il Condottiere, a notorious mercenary leader, she finds herself caught in a dangerous game of deception and betrayal. What begins as a mission to serve her brother soon becomes a test of her own loyalty and courage.

Blanche’s journey isn’t just one of survival, it’s about self-discovery and empowerment. Her exile to Mora’s Tower is supposed to be a punishment, but it becomes her opportunity to hone her powers, free from the shadows of court. And when war erupts, Blanche steps into her role with a strength and ferocity that’s been building since the first page. Her transformation from a dutiful sister to a force to be reckoned with is thrilling to witness.

Rise of the Fallen Court is a perfect blend of high-stakes political intrigue, magical discovery, and slow-burn romance. Inkwood’s writing is captivating, and she crafts a world where the line between friend and foe is blurred, making every decision Blanche faces fraught with risk. The twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat, and by the end, you’ll be desperate for more.


Thank you to the publisher HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter, the author Lilly Inkwood and Netgalley for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review

Fantasy, romance, fairytale. What's not to love! I absolutely enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more!

When I first started to read this book I was not aware that it was a prequel- part of a series. Fortunately, that really didn’t matter in the scheme of things and I was able to enjoy the story anyway. But she be forewarned if that type of thing bothers you.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters- especially Blanche and I was excited to see how this storyline played out. The book unfolds both in the current time of the novel as well as flashbacks.

I did not know this was a part of a series when I requested it. However its said it can be read as a stand alone yet at the same time I felt confused at times? So I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t read the other book? I should’ve done more research before requesting.

The pacing was okay, I’d say it was fast but the confusion slowed me down a little. The enemies to lovers was okay. Overall the book wasn’t bad but it wasn’t my favorite. It did intrigue me enough to pick up the rest of the series though.

Thank you for opportunity to read Rise of the Fallen Court By Lilly Inkwood.
Though this is a sequel book, it can be read as a stand alone. This is set in the same world as The Kingdom is a Golden Cage.
Unfortunately I didnt love this book as much. It was slow, and not the slow burn type. just slow in story telling.

Blanche has the rare supernatural gift of mind-walking, making her a political pawn in this divided and warring fantasy world. The story unfolds in real-time, and the past and the timelines are complex but titled, so you know where you are. I like the use of the enemies-to-lovers romance trope and the friendships she finds in adversity. The complex world is intriguing and multilayered. The pacing is much better in this second book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

A well written fantasy prequel full of intriguing magic. Blanche has such a rare magic, that her teacher had to look at old scrolls to figure out how to teach her and she is mostly kept away from the other students to keep her magic secret. She is the sister of the king and he is waiting for her to be able to do what he wishes. This book does a good jump of jumping around the last four years to better understand what is happening.

I enjoyed this book and found the story entertaining. It was a bit slow at times but overall I liked it. I enjoyed the characters and the epilogue that really this to the other book.

Rise of the Fallen Court was intriguing, rich in the politics of fantasy and magic, and boldly asked where duty and loyalty should start and end when it's in your power to act.
It started very well, and I really enjoyed the split timelines, but I felt that the cohesive part of the plot slowly rolled downhill until the end. There were just a few too many questions, and I felt it relied a bit on sensationalism to hook readers into overlooking a less compelling plot-- sensationalism that quickly became a bit too much in the indecent direction for me to ever be comfortable recommending.
Some things that were very strong in the current timeline didn't have enough supporting lead-up in the flashbacks, and I felt the current characters came across as very forced. I much preferred the earlier versions of everyone's characters, and felt that their arc declined instead of improved.

Now this may not be my story, but I'm certain it will be someone's favourite, so go ahead and try it out for yourself. The only obstacle would be some rather spicy scenes in there, which I would skip or at least come prepared for.
Altogether, the writing itself was quite good, and the imagery and use of language was fairly decent, so it was mainly enjoyable to meander to end of the book.


[I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review]

Conceptually this is a good book and has some interesting ideas such as mind walking and ghost walking so I definitely have to give kudos for that but overall the book fell a tad bit flat for me. The story goes back and forth between timelines which are clearly stated in each chapter but despite that I had to keep referring back to the chapter page to see where I was in the story. The enemies to lovers was done well and I liked the relationship between the two MC's. I am not sure if I would continue this series without going back and reading the first book just to see if I missed anything but this was good enough to keep me reading until the end just to see what happened.

It wasn’t terrible? I didn’t like the time jump basically every other chapter. Time jumps do better as an interlude between sections of a book. I like a fairy tale retelling but this didn’t quite mesh for me. I saw after reading it it’s a prequel and maybe the book would have worked for me if I’d read the other. Readable but there’s just better options out there.

"But he is, he always will be, that person for me. The person who would make me reach into the deepest parts of myself and bring them to light."

This is a well written high fantasy story that kept my interest till the end! The world building was excellent and the characters were very realistic and relatable.

I liked the fact that the story was about political intrigues and sabotage while there was also romance exactly as it should be, timid at the beginning but very strong and powerful.. The only negative in my opinion was the changes in time periods that could be confusing, especially at the beginning, but in the end the story developed quite understandably.

Overall this is a well written fantasy book and I definitely recommend it!

"I know what I am. And it doesn’t scare me. And you know what you are. But it still frightens you."

Rise Of The Fallen Court, is it is a prequel to the Red Kingdom books by Lilly Inkwood I loved the first book that is set in this kingdom although 40 years before, something I think the author should tell the reader before delving into this novel. This one is based off of Rapunzel and unlike other fairytale adjacent books I’ve read recently you can definitely tell. It Has magic, the Red Kingdom, the Blue Kingdom, a battle between the two, wonderful characters but mostly it has an awesome ending. and once again unlike the mic drop in “The kingdom is a Golden Cage” the book ends with an OMG moment, that is so worth getting too. I think had I known this was a prequel and not an additional story it would’ve been much better but I kept trying to see the similarities or people I knew from the first book until I finally gave up and just read it as the story it was. I loved the first book and really liked this one and am so looking forward to the red kingdom novel. Even though I didn’t love this one as much as the first I still definitely recommend it just go in reading it as a stand alone and you will probably enjoy it as well.#NetGalley, #HarperCollins, #LiliInkwood, #TheRiseOfTheFallenCourt, #TheRedKingdom,

Did I love it or hate? Did I even understand it? I don't know.

Blanche is King Etienne's sister. She has the ability to enter other people's minds while they are sleeping and rummage around their memories. Their society is very misogynistic, men from the Red Kingdom who have magic are taught to use it for attack and defence whilst women are taught to sue their magic for domestic purposes (eg filling wells with water), and women cannot ascend to the throne or hold power. Blanche's magic is very rare, there hasn't been another mind-walker for hundreds of years, and is a closely guarded secret.

But gradually Blanche comes to realise that her brother is using her gift to identify people who oppose his reign and then torture and kill them, so she tries to actively thwart him by both encouraging a distant cousin to build up an army to defeat Etienne and by warning dissidents before she 'informs' on them. For this trespass she is exiled to Mora's Tower in the middle of nowhere and the head of the magic school binds her powers. But deep in the forest, accompanied by other disenfranchised young women who have displeased their families, Blanche begins to ferment revolution.

Initially I thought my confusion with this book was that it was the second book in a series, but having read the blurb for the first book it appears to be nothing to do with this one (albeit it might be set in the same world). Then I thought the confusion was because the book jumps back and forth in time (and I never read the headers of chapters) between now, when Blanche was at court, and various times at Mora's Tower. But now I've finished I suspect that this could have been an epic fantasy (what is going on with the Blue Kingdom and the Green Kingdom) but not all of it made it to the finished book and so there is a whole load of back story/side story that we don't know, and what is that epilogue all about? Ah, I've just read a review by someone who read the first book and apparently this book is set 44 years before the first one - so apparently the epilogue made sense to them.

Fascinating characters, interesting world building, vague similarity to Rapunzel, confusing. I also felt it went on too long (without explaining how the pieces fit together), I was ready to finish reading a good hour or two before it ended. But I am intrigued as to the other book(s) in the series.

So I veered between a two star and a four star, so plumbed for the middle of the road three stars.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

“Rise of the Fallen Court,” by Lilly Inkwood

Blanche has a rare ability that hasn’t been seen in a very long time, Mindwalking. As the sister of the king she uses her powers to help his reign, even though his power is corrupt. When she starts using her powers to help the kingdom and not the king she is locked away in a tower without magic.

I really liked this book. I loved the type of magic she has which is not an everyday type of magic in books so I loved seeing how Lilly Inkwood made her fmc a hero with such a specific type of magic. I loved the slow burn, hate to love type of relationships not just with the male love interest but also her friends, in a court that trust is very hard to believe. This book has tons of politicial intrigue and not just romance. 4 out of 5 stars.

-Imprisoned Princess
-Magic
-Dreamwalker
-Political Intrigue

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

This book was meant to give answers about things in The kingdom is a golden cage, however there is so much going on in a slow pace I felt like "what is happening?" during this whole book.
It gave me even more questions in stead of answering them.
In addition, the pace is very slow and the changing timelines make it hard to follow the storyline making it a bit boring to read.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for this eCopy to review

Rise of the Fallen Court by Lilly is an addictive romantasy that draws inspiration from the fairytale of Rapunzel. Set in the Red Kingdom, the story follows Blanche, a rare mindwalker with the ability to infiltrate the minds of her brother’s enemies.

As the sister of the king, Blanche’s power is both valuable and dangerous. Tasked with spying on Il Condottiere, the leader of a band of mercenaries, she uncovers secrets that threaten not only her life but also the stability of the Red Kingdom.

Full of magic, deceit, and intrigue, not to mention a healthy dose of backstabbing. Blanche’s journey takes unexpected turns, and the plot kept me hooked until the very end.

An enthralling adventure filled with political intrigue, loyalty, and unexpected alliances

I didn't realise this was part of a series until I started reading. I felt like I was missing something, maybe because I didn't read book 1? The world building was good. The pacing was fast. It was an okay read for me. I didn't like the love triangle, which is a topic I tend to avoid. I'm not planning to continue the series.