Cover Image: Kingdom Cold

Kingdom Cold

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Member Reviews

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

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The story was interesting but the writing wasn't my taste. There were a few moments in the bok that felt rushed and could have done with —something more— to draw them out a little bit longer and give them more impact.
Overall, it was a decent read.

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This book was so well written! I loved the different pov’s as it gave me a chance to learn more about the characters. It was action packed and had some great twists. Will be picking up the next in the series.

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I thought this was a standalone, but it's actually a series!

The characters felt too young, and I wish the plot was better paced. I did like the romance and the writing. There's drama and political intrigue, and overall just a fun read! I wonder what the next books hold in store for us!

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1.75 stars.

This was thankfully short and felt like I was reading an amateur fanfiction from around 2010 so imagine my surprise that this was written on 2019. I'm putting 2 stars solely based on me laughing over the characters being so dramatic and trying to pass off as serious. Charlotte literally starts a chapter by saying “Dying wasn’t my intention.” The cause, a hunger strike. How can I not laugh when she says her life is flashing before her eyes when only 12 hours has passed? The human body can lasts days without any food or water.

Moreover, the book is full of cliché and I was shocked to find out that the book is Arthur inspired (not sure if it’s a retelling instead) in the last page. Regardless, the book is romance focused but it is so messy and I didn’t really care for it.

Overall, thankfully the book is short because I don’t think I would have finished it. The characters and situations were overdramatic to the point that it’s funny though I'm sure that wasn’t the intention of the author. It reminds me of those over-the-top Bollywood movies. I'm definitely not picking up anything by the author because their writing style isn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy for an honest review.

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This was such a fun read! I really enjoyed the story and the characters. The writing was solid and you could really see the author improve throughout the story. The characters were very detailed and I loved how diverse they were. Stories that include royalty always hook me and I am a fan of the “arranged marriage” trope if done right. The pacing was a bit off here and there, but overall this is a cute, fun and adventurous YA story.

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I could not finish the book, it seemed too YA if that’s a thing? And same old same old same old, betrothed princess wants love not arrange try’s to get out of it then boom prince is hot and not what he seems falls in love blah blah blah

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The cover of this book immediately caught my eye and I knew I wanted to read it. Sci-fi, YA? Right up my alley. I have been getting into criminal/mystery series as well so double bonus! Long story short, while the author initially captured my attention in the first several chapters, I found it hard to continue reading/to finish, with all the other books out there calling my name. It was a good story, a nice 'beach read' if you will. Not very original, but good nonetheless.

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It was the cover of the book that captured my interest but in all honesty it stopped there. I tried reading this book nd normally im a huge fan of YA fiction but this book just didnt engage me at all nd wasnt prepared to waste time on trying to get into it. If it doesnt capture my attention early on i do tend to give up as far too many good books i could be spending my time with as opposed to reading ones that i put down nd think what a waste of time that was.

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I really did not enjoy this one as much as I hoped I would. Typical YA fantasy with flat characters and average writing. Maybe ya fantasy just... isn’t for me?

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Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. I'm not sure if it was the writing or the characters that bothered me the most. I could very well just be a personal preference. I just couldn't find a way to connect to the story, I kept drifting in and out and would put it down and not pick it back up.

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Apologies for the very late review, I thought I had posted my review but it is only upon checking my netgalley account that I realised it never sent.


I loved everything about this book; the world, the characters and the way it kept me guessing! I look forward to seeing more from Chenelle

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The first few chapters of this book were so promising! Unfortunately, the rest of the book was really lacklustre - shallow characters it was impossible to get into the minds of, and each of them rotated incredibly short viewpoint chapters. These were all written in the first person, but without any real distinction between the voices, so I constantly lost track of who was taking as it changed so often. This also made it hard to keep track of the plot, which definitely got farfetched towards the end. Not one for me - two stars.

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DNF
I just couldn’t get into this book no matter how hard I tried!
I think it’s more to do with me as I’ve heard good things about this book.
Hopefully I’ll try it again in the future and change my mind!

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*SPOILERS*
I quite liked this story! Don’t get me wrong, it was entirely predictable, I mean if a princess who doesn’t want to get married, shoots an arrow at her prince, doesn’t then fall for him, then the fantasy genre is all wrong. It was a nice easy enjoyable read that I finished in one sitting. The characters were well written, the storyline was enticing and the settings were great. It had ruling kingdoms, sword fighting, handsome princes’ all fighting for the love of one princess, what else could you want in a fantasy romance?

I’m really glad the story is told from various perspectives, mainly Young and Charlotte which really helped bring their character to light, although I felt the author could have spent a bit more time with them, they had enough emotion to bring purpose, but I wanted a bit more, particularly from Charlotte. She started off as a very emotional teenager who simply just wanted to be a teenager and explore outside the walls of her castle, instead she is forced into a marriage to help her kingdom ally in the war against the Drethen. It’s easy to see why she is the way she is, but when she is forced into the war outside her castle, her character becomes emotionally detached. It’s unclear where she stands and who she truly feels anything for which is off putting. She’s killed people, become separated from her family not knowing whether they are dead or alive, pushes through her once uncontrollable emotions to keep a level head around Emmett and who knows what she really thinks/ feels when it comes to Young and his brother Minseo. Even when she finally gets what she wants, you still feel like the passion and determination has gone, leaving her to just fill her role in her position within the kingdom.

‘The moment I saw Young, all the power I’d felt moments ago melted away. I was a blood-splattered princess standing amidst a murder scene, one I’d starred in. My gaze met his, and I searched for the horror I felt, in his dark eyes, but couldn’t find it. He exhaled relief and I felt the sudden pull of my body towards him as I breathed it in. I couldn’t discern how he could look upon me with such reprieve. He was my cage, my captor, the death of my freedom, but in one kind glance, in my darkest hour, he granted me a modicum of comfort.’

Young was interesting, I really liked the build up with his character. You knew where he stood with his loyalties and even his emotions being a closed off character. The way he watched Charlotte without constraint and felt a need to protect her, even when he was replaced. I really liked the way he reacted around his brother, the only person who seemed to really see Young for who he was. He was determined and strong in just the right way, whilst also being refreshing and trustworthy which made him easy to love. He’s a simple character in that he knew what he wanted and followed his intuition, even when looking death in the face.

The additional characters were a great aspect to the story, Milly, Charlotte’s servant, brought out unexpected emotions and purpose to the main characters, friendship, jealousy and betrayal. Minseo, Young’s brother was great, his carefree, relaxed disposition brought a new dynamic to the pair although you don’t get chance to see more of his character develop in that sense. Minseo is determined to make sure Young was set up in his new kingdom, even when the war started, he stuck with his brother every step of the way, that is, until he started developing feelings for Charlotte. My own feelings for Minseo died then and I lost interest which is a shame because he had so much potential.

Overall I thought the story was quick paced and a good story for a young adult audience which I’m sure will be able to appreciate the simplicity.

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As with most books on NetGalley, this book is a great read. Captivating and intriguing. Thematically beautiful. Gorgeous writing.

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An very entertaining read. I had fun reading it but I wanted something more to make this a 5 star read. Sill, I enjoyed it and I think fans of the genre will too.

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Actual Rating: 2.5/5

This had so much untapped potential. The premise got me to read it, so that's something.

We have Princess Charlotte of Besmium, who is 16 and having a major teen tantrum over being married off to Prince Young of Vires, aged 17/18. Young is from the far East Kingdoms, where Besmium is (assumed) from a European Kingdom.

A product of this tantrum, is that Charlotte tries to kill Young on his arrival to her castle. Not very polite, nope. (And not a spoiler, it's in the synopsis.) Che also goes on to continue to act foolishly in hopes that Young will not want to marry her, and he will turn and go back to Vires.

Alas, the morning they are to be wed, the kingdom and castle is attacked by a neighbouring kingdom they have been at war with for a while. Young takes Charlotte and her Lady's Maid - Milly, on a few days journey to the kingdom's southern castle. To what they believe, is safety. That would be a big nope.

Enter Prince Emmett. Is he friend or foe?

Young is about the only character I truly liked throughout the whole of the story. I did start liking Charlotte more towards the end when she really grows into her own, and the weight of the reality of her world comes crashing down on her.

I found the writing to be somewhat simplistic and a tad juvenile. There were some great descriptive moments in there, and some witty banter. I do very much encourage Brittni to continue writing.

Though I am rating this low, I may continue with the series (if the chance presents itself), as I do find a small curiosity as to what happens next, and to see how Brittni's writing improves over the course of her second novel.

Potential Trigger/Content Warning:
Loss of a loved one, and grief, are dealt with. War. Treachery. Possible Sexual misconduct.

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This was a very enjoyable fantasy read!

Kingdom Cold was a novel I finished in less than a day. It was fast paced, and despite being quite short, there was a lot of character development from beginning to end.

Despite being primarily a romance novel, there was a lot of character deaths, which is something I did not expect.

I absolutely loved the characters dynamic and shipped all the couples that got together. Ultimately, my favorite part was how there wasn't a love triangle, despite it being heavily hinted.

While I loved the plot, I was a little put off by how the characters spoke in a contemporary style despite this being a fantasy novel. Besides the writing style, I truly enjoyed reading this novel!

Ps. The ending absolutely crushed me and I did NOT see that coming!

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Loved this one. Loved the characters and the way their feelings towards each other kept growing right until the end. Charlotte was such a strong female lead which is always great to see. Had lots of action and had me hooked from the start. Looking forward to the next one.

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