A king by day. Shadow by night…
Long ago, the kingdom’s noble houses rebelled against the goddess... and for their treachery, the firstborn of each noble family was cursed.
One with perilous beauty.
One with destructive knowledge.
One with insatiable bloodlust.
But the royal house Mortara received the worst affliction of all. For while the king exists during the day, he fades into nothingness at night...until his twenty-first birthday, when he will be lost to the shadows forever.
Now an acolyte has arrived at court. Like all the second-born children, she’s destined to serve the goddess and become a Seer...only Cerise Solon has no gift of foretelling. In fact, she has no magical gift at all.
Instead, she’s surrounded by courtiers and priests – smiling sycophants whose hearts are filled with secrets and lies. And at the centre sits His Majesty Kian Hannibal Mortara, with his haunting eyes, sharp tongue, and an unerring ability to send her pulse skittering.
As the spectre of his twenty-first birthday – and the full force of his curse – approaches, the kingdom holds its breath.
There’s only one way to save a dying king... and it lies with the one person who’s hiding the biggest secret of all. Cerise.
What did I think?
Now that's what I call pure escapism! I am so pleased that I have started to read books in the fantasy genre as The Half King is a a real jewel in fantasy's crown and I absolutely loved it.
It's like a fairy tale for adults with a curse, a handsome king and a big helping of baddies who want to steal the throne for themselves. Cerise isn't a firstborn so she has not been cursed and she is training to be a Seer, however, her gift of sight does not appear so she becomes an emissary to the king. The king is cursed and disappears into shadow form each night, which is why he is referred to as the half king...but perhaps Cerise is his other half?
This is an incredibly entertaining tale that is action-packed and filled with danger and romance. I loved Cerise and her caring nature that is a gift in its own right. Cerise puts herself in danger to save her king and it costs her dearly. I gasped out loud so many times as Melissa Lander's descriptive writing painted vivid scenes in my head.
Entertaining, vividly written and compelling, The Half King is a wonderful story that delighted me from start to finish. I am hoping that this isn't the last we have heard of Cerise and Kian and I would love to read more if this does become a series. Very highly recommended and if you don't usually read books in the fantasy genre then I think The Half King would definitely be a good place to start.
I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
My rating:
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About the author:
Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn't afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public — just ask her embarrassed kids.
She lives in Cincinnati Ohio, where she writes romantic fantasy and science fiction adventures for the young at heart.
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Thanks for the blog tour support x
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