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kaelielily's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee was recommended to me on BookTok, and I ended up reading it in a day after finding it on Kindle Unlimited.
It’s a very fast and easy read, but not particularly noteworthy. The plot follows a fairly standard Romantasy formula and doesn’t progress much—if at all—in this first book. The characters remain rather one-dimensional and lack depth.
The romance is very much insta-lust, and while the spice was okay, it didn’t stand out. Unfortunately, the ending left a sour taste, which dampened the overall experience.
Despite its flaws, the book still managed to keep me engaged enough to consider reading the next one, especially since the short length makes it a relatively low time investment.
jasminehall497's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kosaki19's review
The FMC is a doormat and has not a single backbone in her. MMC is an asshole.
megbrianne's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
emwarrender21's review against another edition
1.5
this was BAD BAD BAD BAD AND BAD
dacre you’re evil and horrible???
i don’t get this book sorry xxx
(7 kindle xx)
dacre you’re evil and horrible???
i don’t get this book sorry xxx
(7 kindle xx)
mumureads's review
1.0
yet another ✨ disappointment ✨
had the premise for a good story but the writing was just not captivating for me. dialogue was stilted and the banter was so cringe i couldn't deal with it.
nyra was insufferable and had no personality apart from being a wannabe aelin and dacre is genuinely the worse mc i have had the displeasure of encountering in a fantasy novel after tamlin because this man is DRY! he literally had no personality and was turned on by nyra within the first few interactions. nyra had NO BACKBONE and was just there for funsies, a few cardio sessions and any chance of dacre hitting (sorry, training) her or snapping at her in front of everyone. for a big bad princess she was giving very much pathetic damsel vibes, but then two chapters later she would be like "naur i am so cool and strong and lost princessy" SHUT UP. PLS.
PLEASE CAN WE FLESH OUT CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS INSTEAD OF SHOVING INSTA LUST INTO FANTASY!
the ending was honestly sickening. i knew dacre was a weirdo from his weird ass possessiveness from day one but the final betrayal is written grossly and it made me feel icky just reading it.
what was the plot? i don't know. 50% of the book was training which i didn't care for, dacre being jealous at anything that breathed near nyra and nyra being quirky and sarcastic. just general waffle and cringe. the worst part was that i could have overlooked the romance if there was a solid engaging plot but there just wasn't. dacre's dad made an appearance or he had a chat with kai and then it was back to nyra.
up to 60% was a mish mash of tropes - forced proximity, one bed, enemies to lovers, training etc - and i feel like the author was relying on them in order to flesh out the relationship which just didn't work because it felt generic and flat. even the whole "who did this to you" trope can HIT if it's written well with the context of a genuine bond between the two people behind it, but it felt so inauthentic and plastic.
genuinely gave myself a headache trying to get through it but i had to skip from 60-80% to get through it.
dacre is so cringe. he is literally tamlin i can't get the image out of my head.
i need to stop trusting tiktok and the first three gr reviews i see it's such a bad habit. will not be continuing with the series. all these high ratings and glowing reviews are confusing me and i low-key felt like i was being gaslit bc... did we read the same book?
and oh my god ABOLISH PET NAMES PLEASE. "little traitor" made me scream every time dacre said it and i genuinely think i threw up in my mouth trying to read it aloud. it is so forced and clearly supposed to be their "thing" but it just doesn't work.
1 star.
had the premise for a good story but the writing was just not captivating for me. dialogue was stilted and the banter was so cringe i couldn't deal with it.
nyra was insufferable and had no personality apart from being a wannabe aelin and dacre is genuinely the worse mc i have had the displeasure of encountering in a fantasy novel after tamlin because this man is DRY! he literally had no personality and was turned on by nyra within the first few interactions. nyra had NO BACKBONE and was just there for funsies, a few cardio sessions and any chance of dacre hitting (sorry, training) her or snapping at her in front of everyone. for a big bad princess she was giving very much pathetic damsel vibes, but then two chapters later she would be like "naur i am so cool and strong and lost princessy" SHUT UP. PLS.
PLEASE CAN WE FLESH OUT CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS INSTEAD OF SHOVING INSTA LUST INTO FANTASY!
the ending was honestly sickening. i knew dacre was a weirdo from his weird ass possessiveness from day one but the final betrayal is written grossly and it made me feel icky just reading it.
what was the plot? i don't know. 50% of the book was training which i didn't care for, dacre being jealous at anything that breathed near nyra and nyra being quirky and sarcastic. just general waffle and cringe. the worst part was that i could have overlooked the romance if there was a solid engaging plot but there just wasn't. dacre's dad made an appearance or he had a chat with kai and then it was back to nyra.
up to 60% was a mish mash of tropes - forced proximity, one bed, enemies to lovers, training etc - and i feel like the author was relying on them in order to flesh out the relationship which just didn't work because it felt generic and flat. even the whole "who did this to you" trope can HIT if it's written well with the context of a genuine bond between the two people behind it, but it felt so inauthentic and plastic.
genuinely gave myself a headache trying to get through it but i had to skip from 60-80% to get through it.
dacre is so cringe. he is literally tamlin i can't get the image out of my head.
i need to stop trusting tiktok and the first three gr reviews i see it's such a bad habit. will not be continuing with the series. all these high ratings and glowing reviews are confusing me and i low-key felt like i was being gaslit bc... did we read the same book?
and oh my god ABOLISH PET NAMES PLEASE. "little traitor" made me scream every time dacre said it and i genuinely think i threw up in my mouth trying to read it aloud. it is so forced and clearly supposed to be their "thing" but it just doesn't work.
1 star.
jjmccune85's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
kennedysco's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book. I thought it was a true enemies to lovers since they were literally enemies the entire time, good side characters/friendships, and good spice. All the tropes were there which was great but sometimes was a little cheesier than I would’ve liked. I loved Dacre a lot and loved the setting of the hidden kingdom especially with the writing being so descriptive. I was transported there instantly which I liked. Overall, for a short read I thought it included all the good things :)