Queen Merrin might be the least queenly queen in all the realms. After all, queens don’t typically sneak out at night to drink with their guards. When her best friend and neighboring queen, Beau, goes missing, Merrin won’t leave rescue to the knights. She sets out from the civilized world and into the wilds to retrieve her lost friend, but with ancient hexes, stolen power, and a mountain of giants’ bones, Merrin stumbles into something much greater than a simple rescue mission. Get ready for a swoony whirlwind of dark magic and forbidden romance, as Merrin finds strength in the whispers of the forest and comfort in the arms of a guard with tantalizing abilities.
REVIEW: Thank you to Brindi Quinn and TBR and Beyond Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book. I also want to give some extra kudos to the author for sending me an adorable thank you note with some signed bookmarks! First of I know we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but can we talk about this gorgeous cover! The rest of the series has just as beautiful covers as this one too! I really, really, really wanted to love this book. It reads like a royal Gossip Girl with Merrin talking directly to the reader which I wasn't super crazy about. However, the story line was really fascinating and I was surprised at every turn. The different lands they traveled through were places I hope we get to explore these as the story continues. There was a lot of foreshadowing and Easter eggs about the books to come. There were quite a few mysterious characters that we learned some back story on, just enough to leave us all wanting more. The gasping plot twist at the end I truly never saw coming. Solid 3 out of 4 because I am really intrigued to see where this story goes.
Favorite quotes:
"It feels good to hold you at last...my queen."
"I've wondered what you taste like for so damn long. You taste better than I could have imagines...my queen."
"I am in love with you. Maddeningly so. I've been waiting for you to fall in love with me back. Waiting and waiting. It irks me to no avail that you don't see it."
"I want you, and I would give up everything to have you, so...think about that and let me know, linen queen."
My local indie bookstore: Blue Willow Bookshop