This is perfect for lovers of retellings! What a fun twist! It took me a little bit to get into certain parts of the book but those picked up quickly.

I liked this book soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much, I cannot wait to the others to come out finally, this is everything I have been waited for this year to read

“Crowned A Traitor” promised great story about female protagonist Klara, Heir to Hell who has been called to take her place as High Queen, which is of course the last thing she desires and her only option is escape to land ruled by Fae.

Well, it sounded like a perfect book for me so I had pretty high expectation.

At first the worldbuilding was really good described, but it could be done quicker.
What I really liked was the combination of biblical figures with Greek mythology.

Characters were well written and I loved their diversity. There are also a lot of well written villains.

I enjoyed the journey Klara goes on and especially her interaction with other characters. The plot has such a intrigue with betrayals, suprised and shocks. But still the first half of book was little bit slow and boring for me that’s why I’m giving 3 stars.

Rating: 3,5

Getting to read „Crowned A Traitor“ was a bit of a lucky accident for me; I stumbled upon the call for reviewers on twitter and the synopsis of the book sounded intriguing, so I thought – why not? Glad I did use this opportunity as the book turned out to be a lot of fun, even if it took me a while to sit down and read it.

The story follows Klara, a daughter of the King of Hell, as she tries to figure out a way to escape her guardians and her position as an heiress. A simple slip up leads her to losing her heart, forcing Klara to make a detour to Hell before leaving the life she despises behind her. However, this journey of hers is about to get a lot more difficult with old secrets coming out in the open...

The beginning of the story felt a bit heavy on the information dumping, but around 40-ish pages I found myself fully immersed in the story and flying through it. In world-building and characters we get to see a mix of the stories everyone knows and authors own ideas become one. Elements from folklore and literature as well as mentions of historical figures blend together in „Crowned A Traitor“. The overall the pacing was good and simple writing style fit the story well.

What I did find rather confusing (which took away from the whole reading experience) was the unusual paragraph structuring. A lot of the time it was difficult to understand which character was saying what, having to or more of them talk in the same paragraph without enough description cues to signal the reader about change of the speaker/s. There were quite a lot of other small grammar and formatting mistakes, but since author is planing on re-releasing the book, I have hopes these will be fixed in the finished book.

All in all, even though there were problems with how the story was presented, it was a short and fun read, and I find myself rather looking forward to the sequel.

The plot sounded like dark fantasy, and the main character is Lucifer's daughter, so my expectations were high. However, it started off pretty slowly and I felt like it was really boring because not much happens during the first half of the book (that's why I put it aside for a while).
But there is a moment when the plot gets a little more interesting and all the construction of the world makes more sense, but at the end a lot of things happen in such a short time… in a few chapters there is a lot of action, as if the author I would like to finish it quickly after lengthening everything.
Also, there is a romantic subplot that I think was underdeveloped (and at the same time not necessary).
Honestly, the only thing I really liked about this book was the conspiracy theories I was making up throughout the plot and the unexpected plot twist at the end.

This is such a promising series. I have read many fantasy/folklore/fairytale novels but this book manages to be different... in a good way. Klara is the main character who is actually Lucifer's daughter who is being groomed to take over as the ruler of Hell when Lucifier retires. The problem is Klara doesn't want to rule Hell.
As someone else mentioned, Klara is such a badass. I honestly cannot find a better word to describe her. She is also not what you would expect Lucifer's spawn to be like. She might be quick to anger but she has a good heart (pun intended). Others who have read the novel will know what I mean. Klara has a conscience and cares about others. I really enjoyed how the author incorporated mythical creatures into the book. Ghouls, demons, bad fae, and warlocks galore. I would love to see dark elves/light elves pop up somewhere in the story as the series continues.
The storyline is original and I was intrigued enough to want to continue to read to the end. Yes, there are grammatical and spelling errors but the author has already addressed this and is editing it but to be honest, I do not base my rating on that. I usually try to let the author/publisher know privately. I am really looking forward to continuing this series.

The cover totally misdirected me, I thought this book would have been a darker and more adult story so I was a little bit disappointed. Can‘t really fault the book, I‘m just saying I was expecting something different so I was not very satisfied. The story is fine and sometimes it gives the reader some funny moments.
Overall a nice read but I don‘t think I‘m going to continue with the series.

This book is a Hell of a story. I was pulled in by the description and the blurb given to me by NetGalley. I enjoyed the cover, but believe it could be reformatted to attract a larger audience.

First and foremost, as addressed by Kate, this book needed a formatter and an editor. I found the dialogue didn’t follow traditional standards, so at times it was hard to follow. In addition, an editor could have made things a bit more clear. At one point, Lokey was revealed to be the Leprechaun assisting Klara in her escape. However, I found this scene to be hard to follow because it was u clear whether Lokey and the Leprechaun were two different people.

The plot takes it slow on this one as well. I didn’t really start to get into the novel until I was 52% in. If this wasn’t a book given to me by NetGalley and I wasn’t scored on feedback, I’m not sure I would have finished it.

I think this also makes a common mistake for most self-published, first time authors: writing/using ineffective characters. The Queens didn’t make sense at times, the plot was rushed, and characters were often introduced and let go of without true connection from the reader.

I think this book has great potential and I would love to address it again more formally on my review website after its been formatted. For now, I’m intrigued to see why Kate has to bring us after further editing.

Mix dark fantasy with some horror and you’ve written the perfect book in my eyes.

Klara is the strong willed, confident female you can’t help but root for, who just happens to be the heir to hell.

But she doesn’t want to be. Deception and deceit, lies and punishment - there’s a very good and valid reason for why she doesn’t! If you’ve watched CAOS, you’ll find Klara to feel similar to Sabrina and that’s an aspect I greatly enjoyed.

This book is dark and deeply descriptive. In Malum not a second goes by where we aren’t assaulted by the screams and cries of the damned, tricked by demons and thrown off guard by a cute and fluffy bunny.

In order to escape, Klara meets many characters and runaways that give this book an element of a DnD campaign. A smuggling leprechaun, lycaon siblings and a surly romance, you hear so much of each that you can’t help but feel invested for them and their story.

There are so many represented fae and reading this book, I was able to vividly imagine the world in my head and I greedily kept turning the page. And the plot twists! There was definitely a time or two when I gasped and flicked back to make sure I was understanding a new revelation and it was fun to be kept on my toes like that. Damn, those demons and their deception.

The only element that takes me down from an easy 5 stars is that some parts towards the ending felt rushed. There’s so much to tell and it’s all so captivating, but in order to draw the story to a close it all gets fumbled together and becomes less impactful. I believe this will continue as a series and I’m thrilled! I just wish this meant Crowned a Traitor could have paced itself more, am I wishing for a cliffhanger?

Kate you are such a fabulously descriptive and enchanting writer! I deeply, deeply, feel so excited to read the next in the series and my soul is now attached to your words (and Lottie!).

I tought the book was a bit rushed. Trying to fit this much into less than 300 pages is doing the page not the full potential. Sadly, a lot of the times the dialogues were mashed together and I couldn 't really make up who was saying something so I had to re-read certain parts.

I did enjoy the story, it was an interesting one. I loved the references to Mythology, the fantasy elements and I was really intrigued by the characters from Hell, especially Lucifer.
We also got to see a different side of Fae, which was fantastic.

The story itself was fun, intriguing and I wanted to read it, which is what brings me back for more. I wanted more detail and I hoped for a deeper understanding of the magic system, relationships and Klara's plans.

The author shows great promise with her storytelling and imagination, I would absolutely read a sequel to this or other works by her.

This book was great! The ending was definitely rushed and a downer in terms of all the action and drama that went on in the earlier parts of the book. It seemed like the author wanted to end on a happily ever after vibe, which did not mesh with the earlier events in the book.
Basically, this book follows Klara who is the daughter of Lucifer and the Heir to his throne. Klara does not want her legacy and is looking to escape. Klara was trained and is under the watch of the Three Queens of Hell. Klara likes to scheme and the book starts in the middle of her scheming to leave. The book follows Klara as she attempts to flee her legacy of being the heir to Hell because she wants a better life. Unfortunately for Klara, everything is not as it seems and she is in for an adventure of a lifetime.
I like Klara, I found her likable and her actions realistic for someone who is the heir of Hell. I thought you could see her growth the more the book went on. Another character I liked was Frendall, he gathered my attention from his introduction and I think he would be a great match for Klara. I also liked the introduction of the Lycaons especially little Lottie. There are other characters I want to mention, but that would spoil the story.
I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars because I thought it was done spectacularly and it really captured my attention! The author kept you second-guessing if you could trust characters and really let you understand the paranoia Klara was feeling in her attempt to flee. I think this was a creative idea and the author did a fabulous job at presenting the story the way they wanted. The only thing I was disappointed about is that the ending was wrapped up so quickly and that it was done in a fairytale-like manner. I do want to read the sequel and see where the author takes it!

I received a copy of Crowned A Traitor from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am giving this title 4 stars! I loved almost everything about this book! The characters were fun and the plot was intriguing! I recommended this title to my friend as soon as I finished! The grammar could have been better but I'm not going to hold that against the author! I am excited to read more of Kate Callaghan's works!
If you like Holly Black, I think you'll really enjoy this book!

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review! I made it to 46% but ultimately, I had to DNF this one. First let’s start off with the good!

The concept and world behind this book is awesome and drew me in. The author did a pretty great job with the world-building and the characters and I could see her vision for this book. Klara, the MC, is likeable, and I loved that her hair changes color with her emotions.

Unfortunately, the execution is where it got a little tripped up. I think this may be the author’s first book and it shows. The dialogue was choppy and a little discordant. It seemed like the author couldn’t land on what kind of style of language she wanted (for example not using contractions and sounding very formal with “I will not” and fantasy world dress/ruling systems/magic followed by the casual use of contractions and modern-day cursing and phrases like “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. The two just don’t really go together and it was a little jarring to read. Also, and I actually want to blame the editor for this (and it might get fixed in the actual book since I read an arc), the formatting was really bad. Dialogue would be all jumbled into a paragraph and it wasn’t clear who was saying what. I think the author and editor need to work together to tighten up the dialogue and give it a cohesive feel that matches the vibe the author is trying to create.

The last thing was the world-building. The way the author presented the world and gave information was extremely well done albeit in small doses. The problem was flowing from a tidbit about the world to the next piece of information. A lot of times it just didn’t work, and the author would pivot from one thing to a next in a way that didn’t feel natural or make sense and wasn’t conducive to a seamless well-thought-out reading experience.

With that said, these two things I imagine will get better with more practice/over time and with a good editor and so I will definitely be keeping an eye on this author and future books by her!

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me a copy to review 💜

This is a great four star read that I would be reviewing properly after I get some sleep 😴 (It’s a little past 2 in the morning in this side of the globe, you see 😅)


EDIT: Nov 17, 2020

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me a copy. This, in no way affected my opinion of the book and my enjoyment.

This has been a great 4-star read. The story was about Klara and her desire to run away from her destiny as the Heir of Hell. I was really curious about the premise of the story because it involves a dark forest, a fae queen, an heir of Lucifer and tons more.

It started off normally, or as normal as anything fantasy can be. And then came the gruesomeness of being the Morning Star’s progeny 😂 Klara, though, is something else. She feels compassion, and she desires to be something that is not entirely possible. She’s been denying her legacy, and she’s a reluctant to embrace herself as the next ruler of the Underworld because of the pressure and the death threats sent her way.

I loved the world building! It was pretty solid and provided me with a really believable dimension. It was not slow as to bore me, but paced just enough that I was hanging on to the edge of my seat! I did feel a bit disconnected in the middle. I felt like a lot of things were going on at the same time, and they were not properly highlighted.

The story did recover immediately, and gave us a climax so worth the star rating! But I was really, really to read the next part because that ending was quite not what I expected. It left me wanting more and eager for Klara’s next adventures 🤩

Honestly, it was so much fun! I really enjoyed the mythological references and the intriguing world surrounding hell. There were many interesting features of the tale such as the well developed characters and the Dark Forrest. It was a good read and it was so nice to find a fantasy novel that's not a thousand pages long. I definitely can’t wait for more parts to this series.

This book is about the daughter of Lucifer, Klara. She is supposed to take over the throne, but that is not something she is interested it. She wants to escape her lands and live somewhere else. She comes across many barriers and struggles with who she can trust.

This book was very unique and fun to read. I really loved Klara as a character. She is strong and stubborn and I really appreciate that she can handle herself. The only thing that I had a problem with was the romance. I didn't really find myself shipping them together, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book.

I thought the characters were likeable and that is very important to me when I'm reading a book. The villain was well done and very believable.

I do think things were wrapped up too easily. It felt too easy and there weren't many consequences. I would have liked it to end on a cliffhanger of some sort because it's supposed to be a series and I'm not sure what could happen in the next book. I am interested to see what the next one is about though.

Overall it was very engaging and interesting and I had a lot of fun reading it!

Kate Callaghan builds a well developed world within the pages of Crowned A Traitor. Main character Klara will remind readers of Netflix's Sabrina but stand on her own in the fantasy world of Malum.

The book started of great, it was dark and compelling, but I found the pacing to be off and our main character Klara felt very flighty and flaky. The romance was okay, and I found the ending to be meh. I think the world building could have been explained better. Overall, Crowned a Traitor was a typical young adult fantasy with not very interesting characters or magic system.

Thanks for the ARC, I really appreciated the opportunity.

However, no matter how I tried with this book I just couldn't into it before I was utterly bored. Interesting premise I just did not enjoy the writing style, it felt a bit too simple and predictable (which I do not usually mind but was not a fan on this occasion).

Overall, it was a nice story. It is more on the simple side, making it easy to read even for people who don’t read fantasy every day but maybe want to start doing so. The atmosphere makes it easy to imagine where parts of the story take place. That, plus the added Christian and other religion/folklore elements, give the world just a bit more. However, it did feel flat on the edges, partly due the fact not much was explained. The parts that had an explanation, felt more info-dump like.

Klara has an interesting personality that is definitely more in the unlikeable character side. During some parts, this worked out, during other parts it didn’t. I don’t know quit why, it might be my preference, but her cruelty towards others vs her wanting to not rule Hell didn’t quit work well together. Besides her, many character felt evil just for the sake of being evil instead of given a reason that made it possible for the reader to see where they were coming from. Other times, characters felt flat, they were either a friend or enemy of Klara, and so I had a hard time caring much for them.

The ending, yeah, that wasn’t really satisfying. Lets just say that if you want to add plot twists, it is important to give the readers some clues beforehand, so it feels less of a wtf just happened moment and more of a yeah that actually makes sense moment. This definitely could have been done during many places, instead of glancing over it and adding all those twits in the last 30 or so pages.