Queen B’s Decree: I’ve sat on this review for a while, unsure what I really wanted to say.
I love the last 20% of the story. It was a wild ride, with twists and turns I never expected, and a super abrupt ending that makes me crave the second in the duology. But it was a hard road to get there.
So much of the story felt…painful is the best word I can think of. Isola and her peers are basically tortured during these ‘trials,’ and the majority of the plot is their suffering. The romance felt less important, with Lucan just basically sticking close to her (despite her initial wishes) and Isola eventually just accepting it.
I will say that the religious aspect (the near cult-like belief in their leader was fascinating) definitely had such a deeper meaning. I found the political machinations nearly more interesting than the dragons, and you know how much I like dragons.
Overall, Dragon Cursed was kind of a book with two faces and by the end I enjoyed myself but it took a while to get there.
Book: Dragon Cursed by Elise Kova
Series: Dragon Cursed #1
Genre: Fantasy
Plot Devices/Tropes: secrets