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Curse of Shadows and Thorns” is the first novel in the “Broken Kingdoms” series and was released in 2021. A curse with no end, a bargain between enemies, and a love which will bring a kingdom to its knees. Breaking the Curse: As Elara delves into the heart of the curse, she confronts Lilith herself. Through an act of profound empathy and forgiveness, Elara shatters the sorceress’s hold over the curse. Lilith’s remorse triggers a cataclysmic release of the shadows and thorns, revealing the garden’s core of pure light. The curse is broken, and Elysia begins to bloom anew. After a bloody coup upends the kingdom, Elise flees with Legion, but nothing is as it seems. The man she allowed into her heart reveals his own secret plans with the return of magic—and he has every intention of using Elise to see them through. The world LJ has created for The Broken Kingdoms series is also truly taking shape in this book. The questions I had after book one were answered. We were given some delicious plot twists, and although I have to wait a few more hours to get home again, I'm already extremely excited to start the next book in this series. The ending was surprising! I love it when books suprise me like this and have a lot it things that you didn’t see coming.
We have Elise, a princess who doesn’t like to follow the rules, she’s cunning, witty and brave. She’s your typical female lead.
Publication Order of The Broken Kingdoms Books
however, while i loved the story, the writing drove me bonkers. the prose itself isnt terrible, but the structure is just… odd. like missing sentences, random jumps between chapters/events, characters showing up in a scene when its never mentioned that they are present, information presented in a way that assumes the reader is already aware of it, and just inconsistent pacing. She lifted her chin, voice low. “I grow so weary of pretentious kings thinking they have a say in my life. Consider me no longer your burden to bear. My fate is mine.” Have you noticed how every book title nowadays has some kind of Shadow or some kind of Thorn? All that's missing is the Bone. "Curse of Shadows, Thorns, and Bones!!" Tell me someone else has heard that before!? It's getting hard to keep up.
Enduring Legacy: The tale of the Curse of Shadows and Thorns endures as a reminder of the delicate balance between power and humility, light and darkness, and the potential for redemption even in the most malevolent of hearts. It serves as a testament to the power of stories to illuminate the human condition and inspire introspection, while encouraging a pursuit of harmony that transcends the boundaries of the real and the mythical.The plot remains too predictable even for my taste of reading the same tropes over and over, that it almost feels childish how predictable the “twist” was. Characters are fleshed out well! I wanted to hit Mattis over the head a few times. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed Ari. I thought I was going to hate him but I enjoyed his clever mind and witty banter. Halvar is one of my absolute favorite characters!! He's just so funny and endearing! The world building and battle scenes are epic! I saw it, I felt it, I loved it all! I definitely got more Vikings vibes out of this book than the first and I'm here for it! I felt the pacing was really well done in this book and I couldn't put it down! Another book I read all in 1 sitting!! Legion was fantastic! I kinda guessed his twist but the reveal was still very anxiety-inducing though. He's a tortured morally grey hero and I can't wait for him to make me question why I'm still on his side. He's hot okay? That's all you need to know 😅 Curse of Shadows and Thorns definitely gave me vibes of other books that I love. Which is probably why I devoured it so easily. It also doesn't hurt that it was a retelling of beauty and the beast either.
This story is about Elise who is the second daughter of the Kings sister. On the night of her sisters formal engagement to her cousin (the Kings son), the King announces that he is opening up dowry negotiations for Elise. Elise wants nothing more in life than to NOT be married but after the King threatens her deadly-ill father’s treatment she has to accept the negotiations. Due to her fathers health he cannot do the negotiations and the King does not have time to do it either, so he assigns the task to the incredibly gorgeous and mysterious Legion Grey… Legion has secrets (and unknown to her but known to the reader he is cursed) and after events unfold Elise finds herself needing to make an impossible choice that could save Legion but comes with a great sacrifice. Recurring Nightmares or Disturbing Dreams: A common characteristic of curses is the presence of unsettling dreams or nightmares that recur frequently. These dreams may involve shadows, thorns, or other dark and ominous symbols. Since I read The Ever King the other day I was intrigued by the story of Livia’s parents. So I began their trilogy. The plot was very predictable but it didn’t distract from the fact that I was enjoying reading the story. There is a reason I read books with the same tropes constantly, so it’s almost expected on some level I know what is going to happen. This might be a fantasy novel, and alt right imagery in itself does not mean that the author must be alt right, but the themes and issues discussed all have real world connotations and impacts. Normalisation of these tropes in media leads to them being overlooked in real life, which contributes directly to the systemic oppression of people of colour and marginalised communities, regardless of the author’s intent.Again, throughout the book i was asking myself over and over again, why this feels so rushed. Why the author didn’t take the time to write more details or more scenes and chapters about certain things. I don’t really know how to say it, because the pace of the main plot was fine, but some things were too fast, while others were to slow. Some worldbuilding elements were thrown in without much explanations, which already bothered me in book one. I think this would have been even bigger and better with more length and details! Because the idea and the plot are so good! AND THE CHARACTERS! 💛 I feel like this book did a lot of ground work and setting the foundations for the next book but it wasn't boring and an info dump. There were still character and plot developments and the "visions" from Calista both confused me and creeped me out. The book was, again, quite good, I LOVE the characters, seriously, I really like them and their relationships, their development, I am sure i will miss them, after finishing book three. The romance was slow-going at first, but then when it happened it happened rapidly. The emotional impact just wasn’t there for me. There were also a couple repetitive plot points (example: the Agitators rising up and getting quelled, rising up and getting quelled…), and the characters just weren’t deep enough for me to really feel connected to them.
I liked this so much more than the first one and, to be honest, I didn’t expect it, since sequels tend not to live up to the high expectations. But, Court of Ice and Ash delivered on everything i expected and wanted. The Hero’s Journey Enter the protagonist, a young and courageous hero named Elara. Fated to confront the curse and redeem the garden, Elara embarks on a quest fraught with challenges. Her journey takes her through treacherous landscapes, where she encounters characters afflicted by the curse. Each encounter reveals a layer of the curse’s malevolence and sets the stage for redemption. honestly, i love the concept. the way the story progresses kept me very engaged as a reader, which is what i want from this common type of fantasy book. the characters are also pretty good. a little shallow, but interesting enough.
Publication Order of The Djinn Kingdom Books
This book introduces a split POV for both Valen and Elise and while it does help give a little more character development for the two, I often found myself confused by whose internal monologue I was reading. Often the voice of the characters blended together a little two easily or weren’t as distinctly different that I had to think hard or reread sections to remember if this was from Valen or Elise’s POV. The Enduring Legacy The Curse of Shadows and Thorns leaves behind a legacy that transcends its fictional boundaries. It serves as a reminder that darkness can be confronted and conquered through acts of love, courage, and self-discovery. This story encourages introspection, prompting readers to reflect on their own shadows and thorns while striving to nurture their inner light. The main issue I had with this book is the writing. The I am just so glad the rest of the series had already been published because it would be torture to wait, though this one did not really end in an absolute cliffhanger (Unlike other authors I know. *Stares at Kerri Maniscalco*)
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