I really wanted to love this one, but I struggled to stay fully engaged. The premise and magical system are undeniably intriguing—a cursed king slowly losing himself to the shadows, magic and curses bestowed by a goddess who’s both merciful and wrathful, and dark secrets that could upend everything. It’s exactly the kind of story I’m drawn to. However, a few too many plot holes, underdeveloped characters, and uneven pacing kept me from fully connecting with it.

The FMC was a bit hard for me to like. She’s very naive and stubbornly religious, but then suddenly abandons her convictions and believes strangers without much hesitation. This inconsistency made it difficult to get a clear sense of her character. The writing style and pacing didn’t help, as the story skips briskly from scene to scene, leaving little time for characters—or readers—to process major revelations. I would have loved to see more depth and inner conflict as the FMC grappled with her biases and came to terms with her feelings.

That said, the last third of the book really picked up. The fast-paced events in the final chapters were exciting enough to keep me hooked, and the ending left me curious about what’s next. I’m hopeful that book two will build on this momentum and further develop the storyline and characters.

Overall, a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.

Thank you to @entangled_publishing and the author for the #gifted e-book.

I appreciated the premise of this book, but I found the pacing a bit slow for my taste. The quest was intriguing, and I was eager to see how Cerise would ultimately break the curse, but the story didn’t truly engage me until around the 75% mark. The Epilogue, however, was captivating and left me excited for what’s to come in book 2.

The characters had potential, though I believe they could have benefited from deeper development. The magic system was fascinating, yet its complexity was a bit overwhelming for me.

While this book didn't resonate with me personally, I believe it might appeal to others. It is set to be released on November 19.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✅ Forbidden Love
✅ Hidden Powers
✅ Adventure
✅ Found Family
✅ Family Tree Drama
✅ Political Intrigue

Holy Shmoly! 😍 this is a brand new Romantasy that is sure to have bookstagram/booktok in a tizzy!
Y’all this one is 🔥

I enjoyed every second of this book and read it in less than two days because I needed to know what happened next 💜

If you love strong MFCs, magic, curses, lovable animal sidekicks, and adventure, this one is for you!

10/10 recommend!

"An enigmatic young ruler who turns into shadow at sunset."

The way this author writes... Wow! Soft, enchanting and magnetic!

I have no words. The story sucked me in instantly. The first encounter with Cerise grabbed my attention and immediately stole my heart. I clicked with her right away. As the story progressed, I found myself falling in love with her personality!

At first I didn't really know where the story would go, especially with The Half King in the picture. But the more I read, the more I loved everything about this story. Plus, the side characters were so charming.

The storyline has some really nice twists and turns, some of them jaw-dropping.

I highly recommend this book. I, for one, can't wait for more.

The beginning of this story was a bit slow, but it definitely picked. There were twists and turns, some were expected but others not so much. I had many questions while reading and a lot of them got an answer which I love.
To be honest, I wasn't sure about the characters or the world when I first started, it all felt kind of basic. My view point on everything now has definitely changed. Everything definitely improved as the story went on, locations became more descriptive. Without spoilers, things about the characters improved.
There was also some spice, it wasn't overly done.

The gorgeous cover and description drew my attention. The characters and story held it. I do feel as though the world building could've used a bit more development. This would've aided in the story to avoid some small plot holes. The book overall was very good, and I look forward to whatever Melissa has planned next.

The Half King was unfortunately not for me. I went in hoping for a strong female lead story but mainly just felt that our protagonist was wishy washy and immature. The world building could be stronger but I liked the idea of the goddess and her two sides and the war of who to believe. Did the priests manipulate the true version of events and history of what the goddess gave her people when it came to gifts and curses? I just felt like the execution was lacking.
As for the characters - cerise was very immature and her personality kept changing. Daerick and Kian had attempts at humor but fell flat. The love story also had me questioning how we got there. I guess it was suppose to be a gradual thing but it felt instalove and lacking chemistry.

I greatly enjoyed the Half King, much more than I thought I would! Originally I didn't preorder this book (even though it is gorgeous) because I wasn't sure how I felt about the synopsis. But upon receiving an ARC I can confidently say this book kept me hooked from start to finish. The pacing is perfect, with enough happening to keep you hooked, but not too much that you feel like plot is flying at your head. I am also a sucker for an animal companion, so of course Blue is my favorite part of the book.
Overall I will definitely be recommending this book and probably ordering a copy for my shelf!

Rated 4.5 Stars

The Half King was a compelling read. It kept me glued to the pages from start to finish. I truly enjoyed this read even though I wasn't fond of some things that took. I loved this book it kept my attention from start to finish so that I devoured the second half today. It was much an adventure based read with twists and turns, some of which I definitely saw coming but that didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of this story. I'm beyond excited to see what happens next especially with the way things ended. I definitely recommend this read to one and all.

This got a 4.5/5 from me. I really enjoyed this book and thought the premise was great. The friendships and romance in this book were so adorable, and truly this book kept me on my toes to the end. I think the idea with the curses was so fun to read and that every first born could be saved if Cerise can solve the riddles. This did have some spicy scenes in it, but nothing too spicy and more romantic and cute because our girl Cerise is basically a baby to the world so all of her experiences are new. With that being said, I am sure to some people this could feel like a younger audience read with that in mind, but for me since I knew this was like her being a baby to the world, it did not bother me at all. My only con would be there were a few plot holes that did not get filled in through the book, but it wasn't anything that really detracted or mattered all that much in the grand scheme of the book. I cannot wait to see if this book gets a second series or not, and will definitely be pre-ordering the next one and hoping for another ARC!! Melissa Landers, you did some amazing work with the book!!

This book had a great story line but I found it really predictable! Cerise really evolved and came into her own! I loved her journey and that she always stood for what she believed in! Never faltered!

Blue was the underrated star of the book, absolutely loved that companionship! Spice level was probably a 1. I would give this book a 4 star rating!

4.5/5☆
2/5🌶

I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS A DUOLOGY!!! Oh my gosh, I don't want to wait years for the next one because once this grabbed me I couldn't put it down. Also, without spoilers, the last 10% knocked me on my ass and I dont have anyone to scream about this with. I need people to read this when it comes out.

“The goddess achieved perfection when she created women. We want for nothing.”

Read this book if you love a spicy, young adult, fantasy romance that is heavy on the plot, moderate on the world-building, and light on the character development. The characters are 20-21 years old, but because they were raised in a strict, sheltered, and very religious society, their emotional maturity makes them feel like teenagers.

This is one of those stories that captures your interest from the start. Our main character, Cerise, is someone who believes the best in people, loves animals as if they were human, and generally maintains an optimistic outlook on the world (she’s so cute - I love her). Unfortunately, when she is thrust into the world for the first time, she realizes that things don’t work quite like she was taught in her conservative, isolated sanctuary (been there - it sucks).

Don’t worry, there is some fun along the way. Our supporting cast includes:
👑 A handsome young king who likes to banter
👯‍♂️ His witty best friend who is always wearing a smile
🐾 An adorably ugly puppy that might be part goblin
🧓 A grouchy, old priest who might or might not hate her (we’re really not sure)

Overall, I loved the fantasy world and magic system, the supporting characters were incredibly endearing, and the plot twists truly surprised me. The emotional maturity of the characters sometimes made them seem shallow, so I feel like this book is more targeted for adults who love young adult romance (which generally isn’t me). Because of that, I probably will not continue with the series, but don’t let that dissuade you from giving it a chance.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3/5)

Don't start this one late at night unless you're willing to sacrifice sleep.

✨Fantasy Romance
✨Political Intrigue
✨Unique Magic System
✨Religious Undertones
✨Quest To Conquer Curses

I was pulled into this story from start to finish. The author's writing style is engaging and descriptive, it kept me turning pages all night long. She crafted an intriguing world that in my opinion would stand on its own even without the Romance, that was just an added bonus.

I really enjoyed the main characters there were times they gave me a really strong "Found Family" vibe with their playful banter.

My guard was up throughout most of this book unwilling to trust anyone fully because in a story like this a twist is generally lurking where you least expect it and I wasn't wrong because there was definitely a big twist that I didn't see coming.

I'll be recommending this book while anticipating the release of book two. Can't wait to read more from this author in the future!

Thank you Melissa Landers, Net Galley , Entangled Publishing LLC - Red Tower for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

A king by day. A shadow by night. 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.

I’m sorry to say it, but it was the magic system that stole the show in this book and not the romance. There’s a not so delicate line between religion and magic that is done really well - and the history of the curses is really unique.

I loved watching Cerise find her confidence and start to question the world around her. She handles her world being turned upside down and all her beliefs being questioned extremely well - and never loses herself in her growth. But this poor girl go though it at the end and I hope she gets a chance to at vengeance. As unladylike as it is, she deserves it.

But, the romance was very much in the background for me. I wanted tension and pining but most of the love story is simply explained and not experienced by the reader.

Those last few chapters though! 😳 The ending was full of action and twists and turns that had my jaw on the floor. I’ll absolutely be anticipating the next installment and cant wait to see where the rest of the story goes.

The plot of this was very intriguing, love is the center point but the focus is not on the typical romantic love. The magic and world building was unique. I genuinely enjoyed each of the characters and even though this was solely from Cerise's point of view even the side-characters felt as though they were main characters and I was very happy with how much they were on the page. I really want some fan art on what Blue looks like being so ugly he's cute (I pictured him as a shar pei hyena hybrid). The twist at the end (or twists) got me good. My only issue was that the romance between Cerise and Kian felt like it developed out of nowhere. Really looking forward to book two with that ending and am absolutley BEGGING for a lot more Nero!!!!

Thank you Entangled Publishing, their Facebook Insiders team, Melissa Landers, and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

“All of my sunrises belong to you.”

WOW just WOW! I’ll admit the beginning of this book was a little slow for me, but I pushed through and I’m so beyond glad that I did!! Cerise, Kian, Darerick, General Petros, and Neto are all the new standard for found family going forward because there is nothing I didn’t love about their dynamics. From love to betrayal, secrets, heartbreak, and sacrifice this book truly had my heart in pieces and swelling with love all at the same time.

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️

Wow what a story! There is great world building and I knew what was happening and who everyone was. The intrigue kept me guessing who was good and who had bad intentions.

Cerise is pure of love and light and I am not surprised how naturally people like her. Kian being no exception. I loved how Kian was drawn to Cerise before she realized what was happening.

There are so many twists and turns I really thought there would be a cliffie but it does come full circle and what a ride.

One of my favorite fantasy reads this year. I really did not find any issues as I saw in other reviews I felt
It was a well written world of fantasy and I found myself getting lost in it.

#thehalfking #melissalanders
#fantasy #fantasybooks #redtowerbooks #fantasyromance #romantasy #bookworm #booklover #bookboyfriend #entangledpublishing
#NetGalley
@redtowersbooks

This book was incredible!!! I love the themes of women overcoming oppression by men, including within both society and religion. The feminine rage, tempered with religious faith, is so well done. And as someone who grew up in the church and has done a LOT of deconstruction as an adult, I loved how it showed the twisting of religion being used to “keep women in their place” because of how the words of a goddess, in this case, can be altered and how that can be turned upside down when you find the truth. It does a good job of showing how the words of a divine being can and are perverted by man (in order to give someone power) so that what we come to believe isn’t at all what was intended. But also how you can retain your faith and grow in your faith once you learn truth. This book is so well done. I’m so thankful to Entangled for this arc and I’ve already preordered the hardback to have on my shelf because it was that good!

I don’t know if Landers knew how poignant certain passages of this book would be, but wow did they resonate and hit hard. I have so many quotes highlighted from my read. I was engaged from start to finish. I enjoyed how Landers approached the disjointed nature and tension that can evolve from the relationship between religion and the monarchy. I was fascinated by the magic system and curses as well as how religion played a role in the acceptance of certain types of magic. The relationships Cerise made was my absolute favorite part of this book. The friendship that developed between Daerick and Cerise was so heartwarming. I did struggle with the romance in this book. I felt Kian and Cerise had great chemistry and loved their relationship; however, I wanted more lead up in the beginning. With Kian’s curses and limited time, I can see why it was a difficult balance resulting in more tell than show. I also really adored Blue and how protective he was of Cerise. It’s rare that a book can thoroughly surprise me; however, the revelations at the end of this book had me absolutely mind blown. I successfully predicted one reveal but I did not see the rest coming. Overall, I really enjoyed this, and I can’t wait for book 2.