Book: Bound to the Broken Crown by Astoria Hope
Reviewed by Weird | weird.reads.books
Rating: 3.5/5
I honestly have to first thank the author for creating a STANDALONE ROMANTASY—a rarity in this genre/subgenre at the moment. This is the first of an interconnected romantasy series, but it’s refreshing to be able to read a book and get a conclusive ending for your main characters.
This is a rags to riches story where Isca (FMC) is forced to spy on the two princes Darreth, or her impoverished family will suffer. The goal? Seduce them, find out their secrets, and become impregnated by one of them in order to carry a powerful and magical child. Before I go further, this is NOT a why-choose—something to clarify since that can be a divisive topic. She slowly becomes to know the princes and kingdom and genuinely comes to love our MMC, Emrys.
Emrys is the broody, brawny, powerful prince with an inner beast curse that hungers for nothing more than pain and violence. He really will tear down the world for Isca, and it’s nice to see the extremes he’ll go. As the story progresses, his pull to Isca is undeniable, but he is so conflicted because he doesn’t want to hurt her. There are major Twilight vibes in some of these parts.
Hope weaves a system of a shadow organization pulling everyone’s strings and a unique magic system. The plot does lull quite a bit in the middle and becomes repetitive with the push and pull between Emrys and Isca.
If you’re looking for a steamy and slightly spicy standalone romantasy, pick up Bound to the Broken Crown .
Thank you to Astoria Hope for the ARC. All opinions are my own.