When her kingdom’s attacked, Charlotte’s parents renegotiate her hand in marriage to a handsome stranger with a sinister plan. With the people Charlotte loves dying around her, and her kingdom’s future at stake, the only person she can turn to is the prince she betrayed. But, should she save her kingdom or her heart?
Alas. The time has come.
My first DNF of 2021.
I bought Kingdom Cold through one of the several discount ebook newsletters I subscribe to. The premise sounded like something I’d enjoy. A prince, a princess, a reluctant arrange marriage, a kingdom at risk – I love all those things.
Unfortunately, Kingdom Cold did not live up to expectations.
The writing is almost all telling and no showing, the characters are flat, the plot is clunky, and the whole thing has this campy style that I don’t care for. The characters come off melodramatic and immature. The plot rushes by with little character development or world building. It just feels…messy. Unpolished. Unfinished. Like a summary rather than a story.
I made it 32% of the way in, and I found myself skimming entire chapters. Then I realized that I just didn’t care about the characters or the forced love triangle thing. I don’t care enough to even skim the remaining 70% to find out what happens.
This book…the writing is what turned me off. I tried to like it. I swear. Kingdom Cold could have been twice as long with more detail and character building and world building and less narration and telling. It read more middle grade than YA – but with really weird and forced sexual tension.
So, because I DNF Kingdom Cold because it wasn’t fun to read. It did not enthrall, entrance, or give me a reason to make it further than 32%.
Beatrice B. Morgan 