Crowned a traitor follows our main character Klara, the daughter of lucifer who wants to escape her duties and yearns for freedom.

Things I liked-
First of all the cover grabbed my attention I think it’s gorgeous!
The book was set in a highly imaginative fantasy world which had many different varieties of weird and wonderful creatures that were all described well.
I also liked the way the author wrote her characters. Klara, who despite her upbringing still had kindness in her soul and showed incredible strength, even the three evil queens each had their own unique personalities.

The way the magical abilities our MC has was really well explained and again I think some of the ideas were fantastic.

The only thing that bothered me slightly were the text quotations in the middle of sentences it made it confusing to know who was talking sometimes. A few times the book switched between present and past tense.

Overall this was a fast paced, fun fantasy read with a heroine you want to route for and really imaginative world building. A few small issues with some of the format in writing but I still enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this title! The premise sounded promising and unique, if not a little whimsical. But I didn’t realize until I started reading that this novel was going to be so overtly threaded with references to fairytales, modern technology, and Biblical (?) figures.

From the first page, there is an onslaught of information—and it’s all over the place. What is the actual setting of this realm? I got a strong Shrek-universe vibe, and it really threw me.

I don’t want to be overly negative, but I admit this book was not what I was expecting. At all. It would make more sense as a middle grade chapter book than a YA twisted tale (which is what I was hoping for).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

I was just never able to get into this book. The “mortal” items always clashed with me and the fantasy aspects. I never seem to like books with modern day mixed with a lot of fantasy. And there was a lot. So many different types of creatures and places. It’s was neat but often too much. Almost as if everything was just clashes together. Another thing I didn’t like was the format. Perhaps it was just in the e-version or because of the arc, but it always disrupted my flow. There would be dialogue, followed by a sentence, followed by lore dialogue. Back to back in the same paragraph. But the dialogue would be from different characters. It wasn’t clear al the time and often left me lost. Overall, this book just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Crowned A Traitor is a supernatural whirlwind that sweeps you up from the first page, introduces you to some unique, diverse and multi-layered characters. Before spitting you out on the last page, breathless and wanting to read the whole thing again.

Crowned A Traitor is such a great new YA book. It is about a girl Klara who is the daughter of Lucifer. She gets into a bit of trouble and everything starts falling apart, saying much more may ruin it for you, so I won’t. I admit the very beginning did not work for me and I almost did not read past the first few pages. Boy, am I glad I stuck with it! The story is really different from most of the other YA fantasy books flooding the market. It really stands out. The characters are well written, the plotline interesting, and Hell makes for a great setting. I hope this is a series because I can’t wait to go back to Hell and check in on the gang.

Crowned A Traitor follows Klara, a daughter of Lucifer. Klara has no wish to rule over Hell, but she’ll need to fight for her freedom. Three scheming queens, souls of the dead, and hellhounds stand in her way. The introduction of this book really hooked me, but the pacing faltered a bit after the strong start. That said, there were many great moments and I really enjoyed my time in this world. With the number of supporting characters, it was hard to feel invested in anyone else since the spotlight is firmly on Klara. Klara is an incredibly strong and determined character, who is very fun to watch. The world-building is imaginative and unique, though at times it felt hastily explained. Filled with plot twists and narrow escapes, Crowned A Traitor will absolutely keep you guessing. If you like fantasy with strong-willed heroines who know what they want and will stop at nothing to get it- check this out! Crowned A Traitor is out now! Thank you to Kate Callaghan and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/4 Stars.
Crowned A Traitor is a book that has a lot going for it. Klara is the heiress to Hell and the land of Malum, being Lucifer's daughter, but she is a hesitant one at that, as she takes no desire to take hold of the darkness her father revels in. Guarded and trained by 3 brutal High Queens, Klara resists taking her place as heiress and leaves Malum the first chance she gets. However, when she does so, all hell breaks loose (pun 100% intended). To survive a vicious High Queen who wants her dead, Klara must make the journey to the Fae lands, and the only way to do so is to trust those who seek to help her. Her journey reveals secrets about her father's power and her own identity that could shake all worlds to its core.
What I liked: Klara was a very interesting, multilayered protagonist. She was so fierce but still a vulnerable character, which made me like her even more. I also thought the world-building here was pretty interesting. Almost every supernatural creature we know and many we don't know are present in this book. I also really loved the twist at the end of the book regarding Klara's connection to the Fae and how it impacts the ending. It was really a clever plot twist, as was the big one at the end of this book. Aflush with multi-faceted characters, brutal court intrigue, action, and struggles for survival, Crowned a Traitor is a story about the lines we are willing to cross to ensure our legacy and do our duty, and the ones we aren't.
What I didn't love: The same world-building that made Crowned a Traitor interesting also made it kind of hard to read in places. There is just so much detail about the creatures and the world they inhabit that it makes the middle stretch of the novel really drag on sometimes. It threw the pacing off a bit at times. Also, I would have loved to understand more about the magic system in this novel.

4.25 stars.
I was very pleasantly surprised with this book. I sort of went into it liking the premise but I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did! One of the better ARCS I have read in a long time.

What did I like?
- The writing was well done. I think Kate clearly has a knack for storytelling and the plotting and pacing was good. I didn’t think the book was at all bogged down by filler chapters.
- The world building was decent. I would have liked some more explanations of certain things, but overall the world building was clear and I wasn’t confused by the politics of everything.
- I really liked Klara. She was witty and smart and had a mind of her own and I liked that she wasn’t afraid to speak it. I thought our side characters were interesting too! I liked all the scenes with Wolfgang and Lottie.

I think the one thing I struggled with in this book was the ending. It was good enough that I wanted more but I felt like it was wrapped up quite abruptly and I felt like I was expecting something major to happen and it never did. However, this isn’t big enough to take away the thrill I got from reading this.

I would definitely recommend for fantasy readers!
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book, it has everything you need if you love fantasy books; fae, demons, hell hounds, leprechauns, ogres, giants, lycaons, queens and a rather charming Lucifer! If you enjoyed Holly Black’s Cruel Prince trilogy, you’ll love this. The world building is great, the characters are fantastic, the writing very easy to read and paced, and the story, full of battle and love and loyalty, is one hell (no pun) of an adventure.
Klara Lucifer is the heir to Hell and the Dark Forest of Malum but just wants freedom. When her guardians, the Queens, turn on her, she escapes to find her way to the fae kingdom of Kalos, but freedom has a price!
Klara is a fantastic character, kind hearted but fiery and stubborn like the best of us, she is prepared to fight for her independence and her confidence never comes across as arrogance. Frendall, her childhood friend and currently Lucifer’s right hand man and commander in hell, is ‘a little bit’ sexy and the queens are deliciously devious ( Lilith I heart you). The introduction of the all the different creatures makes for colourful world building and you will never get bored. A lot happens in this book! I can’t find a fault at all!

Completely unique dark fairy tale about Klara, the young heir to hell, who has no interest in a life with constant threat to her life or taking over a ruler of hell, and is doing her best to escape. A lengthy amount of time is spent introducing the setting and all the characters, making it clear we are in for an epic series.
Perfect for fans of the TV show Supernatural.

The world of Klara, Lucifer's Heir, constitutes of Malum and Hell. But instead of ruling, she dreams of escaping to peace beyond the borders. She would have willingly taken the journey in her own time had not the uprising against Lucifer forced her on her path. With no resources, she must rely on her company of Lycaons and deceptive warlocks to aid her escape. She gains new allies and new friends while losing old ones.

The plot is beautifully laid out with the lead's stubborn stance and teenage hormonal behaviour. I absolutely love the story and its many revelations. The role played by each character added to the layers in the plot. The only let down for me was the end of the novel.

There were moments when the prose did not match the pace of the story but it did not jump out until the very end. The climax was climatic, the face-off delivered well, the people who needed to turn up did so but in the end, when it was time to tie the end together, the whole affair seemed like a frenzied family room chat.