Rise of the Fallen Court

Rise Of The Fallen Court is such a good story. I loved every single second of this book. I rated it 4 stars because I couldn't put it down for a second. Loved it.

Rise of the Fallen Court follows Blanche, a rare mindwalker serving her brother, the king of the Red Kingdom, by infiltrating the minds of his enemies. When tasked with spying on the mercenary leader Il Condottiere, Blanche uncovers secrets that threaten her life and the kingdom’s stability. Exiled to Mora's Tower, she must hone her powers and decide if she can trust a mercenary whose loyalty is for sale.

I only read the first book in The Red Kingdom series, The Kingdom is a Golden Cage, about a month ago, and I was thrilled to see the sequel released so soon after I read the first book. I jumped at the chance to read it on NetGalley, and it did not disappoint!

What I loved most about book 1 was its complexity and originality amidst a sea of fairytale retellings. Book 2 delivered even more in that regard. Initially, I was surprised to find that this book is set 44 years before the events of book 1, but by the end, everything clicked into place. The time shift made me rethink what I thought I knew from book 1, and as soon as I finished reading, I revisited both the character list and the final chapter of The Kingdom is a Golden Cage with a new perspective.

This book featured a dual timeline for Blanche, and my only critique is that occasionally in the later timeline, Blanche lapsed into memories of things that happened in the earlier timeline. It didn't happen very often, but on one or two occasions I did have to skip back a few pages and realise that Blanche was just remembering something we hadn't seen in the earlier timeline and that we were in fact still in the later timeline.

The romance in this book was another highlight, and that final chapter completely threw me! I've definitely accepted the fact that I can predict nothing in this series - and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.

✨Enemies To Lovers
✨Forbidden Romance
✨Fairytale Re-telling
✨Found Family

I love reading fairytale re-tellings so this book was an excellent fit for me. The storyline is unique, interesting and really fast-paced. I binged this book cover to cover in an evening and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.

I'd definitely recommend checking this book out!

Thank you Lilly Inkwood, Net Galley and Harper Collins UK - One Mode Chapter for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This book was very interesting. It would have been a 3.75 if not for the pacing. The pacing makes it a 4-star read for me, this book FLEW by, and I could not put it down. The plot was interesting and so was the magic system, but I felt that some basic world building was needed. I was very unsure whether to read this first or Lilly's other book since apparently this is the second book. The information was unclear from the publisher's email or Goodreads. The plot seemed kind of lackluster and dragged on for so long with going back and forth between the different time periods. I thought the switching back and forth was necessary to further the plot but could have been done better. It felt very choppy and not well thought out. There were some things in there that pertained to modern times, I thought this was a fake world and the use of Greece or modern words did not make much sense to the story. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the forbidden romance aspect and the characters as whole. I felt that Blanche was really great and her friendship that blossoms into love with Robert was the best part. I wish we could have gotten more of them. The ending was super interesting, and I am curious where Lilly will take the next book. I will most definitely continue to read this series as she definitely has me hooked.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.