The Unbroken Queen is a promising romantasy about an arranged marriage between two POVs: Tressya, an illegitimate princess with a vibrant personality, and Tamas, a tribe leader fighting to reclaim his homeland. The world-building is rich with mythology, though at times confusing.

The plot offers plenty of political intrigue, but the writing didn’t fully click for me. The dialogue feels a bit unnatural, and the first part drags with too much info-dumping. Despite the action and personal struggles, the pacing feels uneven. The romance also felt rushed and lacked real chemistry; I wanted more tension to believe in it!

This book is on my Top 5 best reads in 2025! Tressya is not as pretty as her sister but she sure is stronger and more disciplined. Could this be why she was betrothed to the crown prince of the House of Tannard? The prince is such a jerk, a very unlikable character. On her way to the House of Tannard, her ship gets attacked by a shapeshifter named Tamas, who ends up sparing her life, but why didn't he kill her?

So many mysteries, a world-building beyond my wildest expectations, an enemies-to-lovers romance that deserves an award, all characters are so distinguishable from one another, the politics are cutthroat, and I want MORE!!! I am so buying book #2, wanting to find out what is going to happen to Tressya, Tamas, Andriet, and what the future holds for the Bone Throne. This book is so underrated, I don't understand why not more people rave about it. I wish I could give it a 6-star rating <3

Like many other fantasy books, The Unbroken Queen throws you right into the story and lets you catch up as you read. If you are new to fantasy books, this may be a hard read for you at first, but push on!! Everything that is important will be mentioned multiple times throughout the book.

This is a dual POV book, so we follow both our FMC and MMC. I really enjoyed this, I think it really helps us understand the politics of the world as well as the overall geography.

Our FMC, Tressya, is such a strong and smart woman and I loved seeing her personal growth throughout the book. I adored that she could handle herself and seemed, for a fantasy book, “normal”.

Our MMC, Tamas, the Head of one of the Northern Clans, I really enjoyed. I loved watching their interactions and seeing how the chemistry and tension intertwined into some STEAMY moments.

While I did enjoy the book, it seemed quite slow and hard to get through at times. As someone who reads a lot of fantasy books, I found the magic systems, world-building, and fantasy aspects easy to follow.

If you like a good enemies to lovers, slow burns, royalty and what comes with it, and magic, you are gonna looove this!

I tried to make this a little vague to avoid any spoilers, just read it!!

This is great for someone who loves fantasy books with heavy world building. The pacing at times felt a little slow which at 550 pages made me feel like it could have been executed a little better. This was an enemies to lovers, slow burn, he falls first, dual POV. The FMC is a character who can take care of themselves, which I love in my fantasy books, that ends on quite a cliffhanger!

ARC Review: The Unbroken Queen
The Unbroken Queen” had a strong premise and some intriguing moments, but overall it didn’t quite land for me. I struggled to stay engaged with the world and characters, and the pacing felt a bit slow. While there were glimpses of potential, the story didn’t fully come together the way I hoped.

Name: The Unbroken Queen
Author: Terina Adams
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Overall Rating: 4/5
Spice: 2/5
Content Warnings: Violence and War
Source: ARC: I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Representation: LGBTQ+ and BIPOC
World Building:
Vibes: Shape shifters, Strong Heroine, Enemy to Lovers, Slow Burn, Forbidden Love, Magic, He Falls First, Found Family
Pros:
Cons:
PoV: Tressya and Tamas
Synopsis: Tressya is an illegitimate Princess, secretly trained as an assassin by the Sistern of Silence. She is strategically betrothed to the House of Tannard and shipped off across the realms to Tarrragona. According to the Sistern, she has one goal, protect the House of Tannard by bearing an heir. However, it’s not as easy as it seems with the Northerns to hungry take down the House of Tannard and regain their power over the realms.
Thoughts: The book starts off with a lot of slow world building, which is to be expected with this being the first book in the series. I sometimes struggled to follow along with all the new characters, history being provided and world building happening throughout the start of the book. Once you get past this part, the book takes off while still doing an excellent job of developing the characters. Chaos ensues from the moment Tressya leaves her home to the last page of the book. Each of the main chanters struggle with their own demons while trying to figure out what is the “right” thing to do. I noticed myself switching from side to side while they tried to decide between duty and honor or following their hearts. There is a ton of action, especially in the last quarter of the book. It will keep you captivated right until the end.
Would recommend: Yes, can’t wait to start the 2nd book.

The Unbroken Queen by Terina Adams is a thrilling enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance with strong characters and plenty of tension. The world-building is immersive, and the slow-burn romance adds just the right amount of intensity. The pacing is mostly well-balanced, though a few moments felt a bit drawn out. The chemistry between the leads is undeniable, making their journey both emotional and exciting. A solid 4.25 stars captivating, romantic, and full of intrigue.

The blurb caught my attention, but it didn't meet all my expectations. I don’t regret reading it; it wasn’t bad, but it fell flat in some places for me.

A lot happens. we jump straight in, getting to know our protagonist. She’s a bit on the wild side, yet isn’t a stranger to violence. Tons of world building going on. He falls first extremely HARD, I really need to listen to this Audiobook for the dual POV.

The Unbroken Queen by Terina Adams is a captivating and action-packed fantasy that blends political intrigue, forbidden magic, and complex character dynamics. The story follows an illegitimate princess-turned-assassin who is betrothed to a prince, only to discover her true purpose involves much darker forces. As war looms and hidden powers within her awaken, she must navigate treacherous alliances, including with an enigmatic enemy leader. Adams skillfully builds a rich world of intrigue and danger, with a strong-willed protagonist who faces both external and internal battles. Fans of high-stakes fantasy with a blend of romance and moral complexity will find this novel gripping and immersive.

Review is shared on Goodreads so far (linked below), Instagram post is scheduled but link is also below for when it does go up on January 20th! Amazon review is getting posted tomorrow, and Blog review will be up on same day as Instagram post!


Review on Goodreads: ''Absolutely 5 stars! I had to stay up late to keep turning the pages, I literally could not put it down without itching to come back to where I had left off

A wonderful fantasy world and high stakes, but the romance was my absolute favorite part of this book. Literally one of the best slow burn enemies to lovers books I've ever read, and those are my favorite ones hehe!
I LOVED the banter between Tressya and Tamas and just how much of a whirlwind they were to each other it made me giggle multiple times.

Can't wait to snatch up the next book!!''

The Unbroken Queen is a gripping fantasy that filled with political intrigue, great world - building and a slow-born romance. Tressya is a trained assassin and illegitimate princess and she has to navigate deadly alliances and forbidden love. All this makes the story thrilling and keeps you hooked right till the end. Perfect read for fans of strong FMC. Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read thid story.

If you’re a fan of romantasy, The Unbroken Queen is for you!! It has romance, adventure, and heavy world-building that will leave you racing to the end. I truly enjoyed the read and am so excited for book 2!

This book took my by suprise!
I saw it on netgalley and knew I just had to read it based on the blurb.

Do you love fantasy?
A good romance?
A story where the characters feel alive?
Good world building?

Look no further and pick up the unbroken queen!
This book got me out of my reading slump and I just bought the physical edition :)

Thanks to netgalley for a review copy!

I liked this and I definitely need more. I need to know what's going on with the world and characters. I was hooked instantly

The Unbroken Queen by Terina Adams leans into several classic fantasy tropes while giving them a sharp, emotional edge. You’ll find:
• The Betrayed Heroine: The protagonist suffers deeply but rises stronger, making her transformation from victim to queen incredibly satisfying.
• Revenge Arc: Her quest for justice and vengeance drives much of the tension, creating high stakes and emotional payoffs.
• Political Intrigue: Scheming nobles, shifting alliances, and a fight for power keep the plot unpredictable.
• Found Family: Amid betrayal, she builds relationships with unlikely allies, adding heart to the darker themes.
• The Chosen One: While subtle, the story hints at destiny and the heroine’s unique role in shaping her world.

These tropes are handled with depth and grit, making them feel fresh and engaging. Perfect for fans of dark fantasy with a strong, determined lead!

This sounded really cool to begin with I was quickly hooked during chapter one. Then the mmcs first chapter I struggling from there. It was just a massive massive info dump which I think was an effort to quickly do like world building but it ended up reading much like a history textbook and it kind of continued throughout. There was a lot of different creatures and mixed creatures and everything like that that it just got so hard to read. The story was very slow progressing because of this and when it looked like things were going to happen it fizzled off or the chapter would end and it just lost all momentum. I liked the mcs but there was so much about them that just wasn’t explained that they kind of became lack lustre. I wasn’t connected with them or their connection. I’m not saying it was a bad book or anything like that but it just wasn’t for me.

✨Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me this arc ✨

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

3.5* Solid read I have to say. I do like main character. Story is good. One of two things could be left for readers imagination, but on the other hand some could feel something is missing, so I think it's depend from individual reader.
Overall good start of the series.

Thank you for this ARC NetGalley! I will say this book was definitely heavy on the world building. The plot was different and something I haven’t often read. Enemies to lovers is my jam and so I did love that but the plot was so twisted. The names were a bit far fetched and at times it was hard to follow however it was worth it to stick it out. I am excited for book two of this series!