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nazariaag's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
o1asli's review against another edition
4.0
omgg?
i just finished this book and this was beyond my expectations… i should say that i did know nothing about this book but i picked it up from my kindle unlimited recommendations. i had low expectations, i don’t know why BUT WOWWW…
i refused to give this book 5 stars because i didn’t like the beginning. the first 150-200 pages were just not really easy to read and i should say it bored me sometimes. it needed a few chapters till i was really in the story. but the last pages… just wow.
i really liked the plot and the characters. i loved lara very much, i was pleased to read a strong female character. aren was the best and the sweetest king i’ve ever read about. he was willing to do everything for his kingdom but he also wanted more… he wanted peace for everyone and i loved that. i was all in for that. and the protection of his wife at all costs? well that is what we talk about.
lara and aren’s story was the best because enemies-to-lovers? i mean? my favourite trope, it was just delicious. also we had the marriage in convenience trope. sooo what is better than the combination of those tropes?
this book had really everything i want in a romantasy book and that makes me so happy.
the ending was so good, i loved the cliffhanger and it made me so excited for the second book in the series. i think from now on it can just be better and not worse.
i just finished this book and this was beyond my expectations… i should say that i did know nothing about this book but i picked it up from my kindle unlimited recommendations. i had low expectations, i don’t know why BUT WOWWW…
i refused to give this book 5 stars because i didn’t like the beginning. the first 150-200 pages were just not really easy to read and i should say it bored me sometimes. it needed a few chapters till i was really in the story. but the last pages… just wow.
i really liked the plot and the characters. i loved lara very much, i was pleased to read a strong female character. aren was the best and the sweetest king i’ve ever read about. he was willing to do everything for his kingdom but he also wanted more… he wanted peace for everyone and i loved that. i was all in for that. and the protection of his wife at all costs? well that is what we talk about.
lara and aren’s story was the best because enemies-to-lovers? i mean? my favourite trope, it was just delicious. also we had the marriage in convenience trope. sooo what is better than the combination of those tropes?
this book had really everything i want in a romantasy book and that makes me so happy.
the ending was so good, i loved the cliffhanger and it made me so excited for the second book in the series. i think from now on it can just be better and not worse.
lskywalker918's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
After so much disappointment at recent recommendations by Booktok/Bookstagram, I was hesitant to pick up this book. I've heard so many good things about this, but everything (the cover, the title, the blurb) was just so lackluster. Well, I was wrong. This is probably the best romantasy I've ever read in a long time (if not ever!).
Was I disappointed that there was no magic? A little. However, I was hooked from the first page. This was no mere political intrigue. This was a spy thriller starring our badass FMC. There were times I had to stop reading because I could see the catastrophic consequence of our FMC's actions developing. Normally we would call this "too predictable." In this case, it was dramatic irony at its best.
This book was also an example of enemies to lovers done right. There were no fated mates. No instant inexplicable connections. Our FMC's feelings toward our MMC slowly evolved throughout the story as she came to respect his love for his kingdom. Most romance novels focus more on physical attraction and not this kind of emotional attraction, which made this book deliciously better than others.
Don't get me started on the worldbuilding either. There was no awkward infodump. The unfamiliar world just organically opened up to us as we saw Ithacana alongside Lara.
Looks like the series is getting re-released in October. Get this in your collection ASAP! Yes, I already downloaded the next book on Kindle Unlimited.
Spice scale (as defined by Mysterious Galaxy): 🔥🔥🔥 [2 Become 1 – Please refer to the 1996 Spice Girls Hit single for more information]
Was I disappointed that there was no magic? A little. However, I was hooked from the first page. This was no mere political intrigue. This was a spy thriller starring our badass FMC. There were times I had to stop reading because I could see the catastrophic consequence of our FMC's actions developing. Normally we would call this "too predictable." In this case, it was dramatic irony at its best.
This book was also an example of enemies to lovers done right. There were no fated mates. No instant inexplicable connections. Our FMC's feelings toward our MMC slowly evolved throughout the story as she came to respect his love for his kingdom. Most romance novels focus more on physical attraction and not this kind of emotional attraction, which made this book deliciously better than others.
Don't get me started on the worldbuilding either. There was no awkward infodump. The unfamiliar world just organically opened up to us as we saw Ithacana alongside Lara.
Looks like the series is getting re-released in October. Get this in your collection ASAP! Yes, I already downloaded the next book on Kindle Unlimited.
Spice scale (as defined by Mysterious Galaxy): 🔥🔥🔥 [2 Become 1 – Please refer to the 1996 Spice Girls Hit single for more information]
kylie_echard's review against another edition
4.0
This one left a little bit to be desired. Just as the climax appeared, the timeline shifted to future date. Would have enjoyed reading more about the time passed.
But all in all, I can’t wait to continue this series!
But all in all, I can’t wait to continue this series!
caaleros's review
4.0
Lara and her sisters were taken away from their mothers by their father, the King of Maridrina, when they were 5 and trained to be the perfect spies and assassins. But only one daughter would be chosen to fulfill the marriage alliance with their enemy kingdom, Ithicana. As queen she would learn enough about the Ithicana to take over the highly sought after bridge that enables trade.
But as Lara becomes a part of Ithicana in order to destroy it, she's beginning to question everything she believes about the two kingdoms she's connected to. Will she fulfill her mission? Or will her loyalty be to Ithicana and its King?
"The Bridge Kingdom" has great world-building, likeable characters, political schemes, and--you guessed it!--romance.
I listened to the audiobook on the off-chance that I might like it, and I was surprised when I found a gem. Although it's high fantasy, there is no magical element to the story. It's set in a world completely different than ours with its own kingdoms, cultures, and politics. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I've started the second book and I can already tell I'm going to love it even more than the first. I'm excited to have a new fantasy series to explore!
But as Lara becomes a part of Ithicana in order to destroy it, she's beginning to question everything she believes about the two kingdoms she's connected to. Will she fulfill her mission? Or will her loyalty be to Ithicana and its King?
"The Bridge Kingdom" has great world-building, likeable characters, political schemes, and--you guessed it!--romance.
I listened to the audiobook on the off-chance that I might like it, and I was surprised when I found a gem. Although it's high fantasy, there is no magical element to the story. It's set in a world completely different than ours with its own kingdoms, cultures, and politics. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I've started the second book and I can already tell I'm going to love it even more than the first. I'm excited to have a new fantasy series to explore!
elskesbooknook's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The Bridge Kingdom had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. Maybe I've read too many enemies to lovers by this point, but the plot of the Bridge Kingdom was incredibly predictable, the romance between the main characters too hot too sudden and the world-building felt blank.
The start of the Bridge Kingdom was promising though.Lara cold-hearted "killing" her sisters had me immediately intrigued. I would have loved for Danielle L. Jensen to have started this series with Lara's training with her sisters. That's a book I would have finished within the day... Even though the first pages definitely set the tone, it unfortunately turned out that the main plot of the Bridge Kingdom is it's romance. Unfortunately the main plot of the Bridge Kingdom turned out to be it's romance. The harshness of the world, the political intrigue between the kingdoms and the bad-ass skills of Lara were sadly all overshadowed by the thoughts and feelings Lara and Arwen had for each other.
The ending of the Bridge Kingdom, although predictable, had a few aspects that make me hopeful the sequel will be a bit different. So even though I wasn't a big fan of the Bridge Kingdom, I might still give the second book in this series a go one day.
The start of the Bridge Kingdom was promising though.
The ending of the Bridge Kingdom, although predictable, had a few aspects that make me hopeful the sequel will be a bit different. So even though I wasn't a big fan of the Bridge Kingdom, I might still give the second book in this series a go one day.
pixistyxx's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.25
jennhesler's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 ✨ rounded down? (I can’t decide. I wish I could give .5s!) - this was soooo good. Enemies to lovers, warring kingdoms, spies and so much more. I was having trouble visualizing the world but then found a map and it really helped everything click into place. The ending was painful and has me starting the next book right away. The whole series is on KU and audible.