Review by Ronny
Series Name: The Bridge Kingdom, # 1
The Bridge Kingdom is a thrilling first installment in what is sure to be an exceptional and addictive romantasy series.
Favourite Quote:
“Since the moment I set eyes on you in South-watch, there’s been no one but you. Even if I’m a goddamned fool for it, there will never be anyone but you.”
Book Synopsis:
A warrior princess trained in isolation, Lara is driven by two certainties. The first is that King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom is her enemy. And the second is that she’ll be the one to bring him to his knees.
The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara’s homeland. So when she’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.
Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she’s the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save… and which kingdom she’ll destroy.
Review:
I cannot believe I have not heard of this series until now. I must be slipping because I usually know about most romantasy series out there, but somehow this one slipped past me. I learned about this series when I had finished reading Danielle’s other book, A Fate Inked in Blood, and was thrilled to learn that she has quite an extensive backlist. But what thrilled me even more was to see how popular and dedicated other bookworms are to The Bridge Kingdom series, which meant that I needed to see what all the hype is about. What is interesting about this series is that it is broken down into multiple duologies, each focusing on a different couple. Danielle’s reasoning for structuring her series like this is that she doesn’t want to drag on that high-stakes, emotional tension between the two main characters. For her, two books are the perfect length to torture …cough… sorry, I mean focus, on each couple and getting them to their HEA. I am interested in seeing how this series reads out, and I will let you know what I think about this structure in later reviews.
Overall, I loved this book; it was incredibly well-written and hooked me right from the first chapter. Actually, the first chapter started out with such a bang and dramatic twist that I found myself saying, “holy crap!” and knowing that I would be spending the rest of my weekend reading this book. I will vaguely talk about the plot and setting because I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I like Danielle’s world-building; she perfectly balanced this rich, detailed world-building with some very big political dilemmas. The descriptions are lush and vivid. Everything she is describing just comes to life through her words. I’m not always a fan of fantasies with a big political element, but in this case, I really enjoyed it. Danielle created many kingdoms within this world that are either at war, raiding each other, or having an uneasy alliance formed. There is this sense that you never truly know who your allies and enemies are. I found myself loving that hostile political element; it heightened that sense of danger and raised the stakes in this story.
This book focuses on the uneasy alliance between Ithicana and Maridrina. Both countries distrust each other, and many in Maridrina blame Ithicana for their suffering. Lara finds herself marrying Aren, the Ithicana King, to help seal this agreement between the two kingdoms. However, Lara’s main objective is to spy on Aren and learn how the Maridrina army can conquer Ithicana. Fans of forced marriage and enemies-to-lovers romance will devour the relationship between Lara and Aren. Both distrust each other, but of course, they are drawn to each other in a way that they cannot explain or ignore. I liked the relationship, chemistry, and dialogue between these two. The way that Danielle handled the enemies-to-lovers aspect of their relationship was really smart and very believable. These two just don’t fall in bed with each other; it takes time for them to trust and open up to each other. As the story progresses, Lara begins to realize that her father and his advisors have been lying and manipulating not only herself but also the people of Maridrina, and things are truly not what they appear to be.
Lara is a badass, kickass, and smartass heroine. She is a trained warrior and assassin and is lethal with any sword. We only get to see small glimpses of what she is capable of, but I do hope we get to see her in action in the next book. But setting aside all that badass, fierce warrior stuff, Lara has been through a lot, and the horrors that she had to endure as a child and teenager have left their scars. Getting to see that vulnerable side made her feel more human and, for me, more likable.
The ending of this book was Chef Kiss Perfection. Even though I kind of knew what direction the book was going in, the ending still had me sitting at the edge of my seat. And my god, what a cliffhanger. I am so glad I have the second book because it meant I could dive right into the next installment.
The Bridge Kingdom is a captivating, riveting romantasy that is so hard to put down.
