
Member Reviews

A spellbinding mix of romance, intrigue, and curses, *The Half King* enchants from the first page. Kian’s tragic fate and Cerise’s hidden secrets create electric tension, weaving a tale of longing and destiny. Landers crafts a lush, immersive world filled with courtly scheming, divine retribution, and perilous love. The slow-burn romance crackles with forbidden attraction, while the looming curse adds high stakes and heartache. Fans of romantasy will adore the poetic prose, morally gray characters, and magical intrigue. With a gripping plot and breathtaking atmosphere, this book will leave you desperate for the next installment. An unforgettable, hauntingly beautiful read!

Adventure-check, epic quest-check, cutest ugly dog not dog ever-check, romance-check. This was a wild ride. There were twists I never saw coming. Challenges that tested the body mind and soul. And the love was perfect. The way this crazy bunch of misfits became a family was so precious. Seeing the angry general show a softer side here and there was fantastic. He and blue made me melt a couple times. But the love of the half king was the best. He looked at her like she was the sun. I loved them.

This book is a slow burn fantasy romance (heavy on the fantasy). It’s a fast read with good world building, it does have minimal character development, but it doesn’t take away from the storyline. Overall, I was still able to enjoy it and truly thought this was just going to be a standalone until the last few pages! I can’t wait to see what happens next!

This book was such a fun adventure to dive into! Cerise’s growth throughout the book was steady and exciting. Her relationship with Kian developed quickly which I feel was fun for those who enjoy a fast love. Super excited for book two!

Cerise Solon grew up in a temple to train as a seer as is the tradition for every second-born child. She is close to the day when her powers will either reveal themselves or she'll be proven useless to the order and forced to do menial labor in the temple. However, the High Priestess has a vision that sends Cerise to the castle in service of the Half King in hopes of breaking the curse that has plagued the kingdom’s noble houses ever since they betrayed their goddess. Will Cerise be able to break the curse? And can she do it while resisting the charms of the cursed Half King?
It's a solidly crafted story in which Landers does an excellent job of introducing you to the world, its magic system, and all the intricacies that make it feel real in a simple and straightforward way. There is no doubt about the power structures or how things work from the very beginning, leaving the story free to be all about the characters.
And all the characters are interesting, from Cerise and her optimistic innocence to the Half King hiding his vulnerability by brooding and even the character who ultimately turns out to be the villain. Every character that gets page time has a reason to be there and is crafted to feel as real as real as possible. There are reasons for their actions and you empathize with them.
The plot is believable and moves at a great pace to keep things interesting without feeling overly rushed. The end could have done with more breathing room, but I get that the rushed feeling of battle needs to be translated into words.
That said, this is one of those good books that suffer from so much hype that I was expecting it to be better. I can't even tell you what I would change about it; I just turned the last page and thought, "Is that all?"
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Entangled: Red Tower Books for the magical read!

Kept me interested from start to finish. Overall really well written, loved the characters and I hope there is more soon.

Kingdom fantasy mixed with romance and hidden historical truths. Mortara is a kingdom of secrets, more and more of which get revealed the further into the story we go. Some of which are held by those that didn’t even realize they had a secret to hide.
In each of the four lands, firstborns of every family inherit the same curse based on the betrayal by their ancestral rulers toward the goddess:
Solon=deadly beauty/allure
Calatris=cursed with more knowledge than the mortal mind could bear; delirium
Petros=bloodlust
Mortara=sunset to dawn spent as shadow
For three, the firstborn curse kicks in at age 20. For the fourth, the curse activates at their birth and their life ends after their 20th year. Truly intriguing stuff especially given one of the main quests for our FMC is to tackle breaking said curse upon the royal lines. No pressure.
A main female character whose future is the only one that cannot be truly Seen by the Seers throughout the realm. Believer, sheltered, animal-lover, kind-hearted, sunshine. Secrets hidden in her blood, unknown even to her.
MMC who is the last of his line and slowly slipping away from life due to his bloodline curse of an existence of shadow. A half life for the one they call the Half King. Grumpy, cynical, angry, mysterious, grieving a life he’ll never get to live, scared to hope.
The argument of man-made religion over true belief. This was a BIG topic tackled throughout the story which I know can be hit or miss for some. I found it fascinating for this read, especially with the FMC having been raised from birth in a temple like all second born nobles of the kingdoms.
Add in a freaking adorably ugly half-breed pupper gifted by the king. Who grows into deadly, giant adorably ugly pupper bonded to sweetheart Cerise. I mean, who doesn’t love an animal companion in a fantasy novel, am I right?
There were some moments where the puzzle pieces of the story didn’t seem to fit in my mind. Like knowing Kian is king and picturing him as older despite knowing that he’s under 21 years of age. The vibe for Father Padron was difficult to nail down as well, but perhaps that was intentional. Kian and Cerise’s chemistry was an odd fit at times as well. But, to be fair, it also came across rather sweet. Almost like the vibes of a YA fantasy romance with young love which fits Cerise approaching the age of 19 rather than the NA fantasy category it was promoted for. The world-building and myth is were entirely fascinating to me, but the romance just wasn’t hitting what I’d hope it to do. Could be typical first-book-of-a-new-fantasy syndrome or the real world bringing me down, but I can’t quite put a finger on why I couldn’t fully get attached to the story.
That revelation near the end, I truly did not see coming. I suspected part of it, but to read the full reveal?? Stunned. But the signs were all there the more I thought about it. And then that epilogue??? I had to read it TWICE to understand what was going on because wow what a point to end the first book on. Plot-wise, The Half King had so much going for it.
Even with my disconnect toward the romance, I would still recommend this to readers that enjoy a semi-spicy romantasy filled with worldview-reorienting quests, court politics, found family, and a fascinating mythos.

Thank you Entangled for the e-arc! I bought a physical copy for my shelf. The cover is amazing and I cant wait for book 2. Would love to read more from this author

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read The Half King, which is available now!
This is the first Red Tower release that has fallen flat for me. The way it was written, I had a hard time picturing it all in my head and I’m someone who usually sees glimpses to full on stories visually when it’s done well.
Cerise to me wasn’t very memorable nor was the king. I never really felt the dynamic between them, or of themselves individually. Perhaps it’s because Cerise especially just seemed so submissive.
I was excited to read this book, but it just didn’t do it for me.

There was drama, action and adventure, a case of hidden/secret/mistaken identity, (spicy) romance, and a fluffy sidekick. Honestly what more could a girl want from a book. Overall I loved it. I thought the pacing was good, it never got too slow. Lots of great, well-developed characters to root for (and against). Definitely ready for book 2…how long do I have to wait? 🤪

The Half King is fascinating story of a guy that simply doesn't seem to exist from sundown to sunup due to a curse. The idea of curses affecting the ruling families and magic being restricted to only the males intrigues me. It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I got into it, I was invested.
I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next because the twists and turns the story takes at the end left me going 'what the heck did I just read?' and 'did that really just happen?' Gasping, screaming, making me think, staying up way too late trying to track that last 100 pages, and the epilogue meaning.
Highly recommend.

This was a fun book! I loved the playful banter of the main characters. We also can’t help but rethink many truths about our world as we read. Is there more truth than what we have been told? The main character encounters this and through the story, comes to accept that she must place her trust in her goddess and her intuition instead of those around her.

Absolutely captivating story. The characters are witty and fun to follow. Cercise is amazing and naive but not in a sense that it's annoying. The structure of the kingdom is interesting and the curses are unique and interesting. The adventure they go on is fast paced to the point I don't want to put down. the relationship and friendship between Daerick, Kain and Cerise is very well made. Absolutely would recommend to those who love romantasy.
Thank you Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC..

I was really looking forward to reading this but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. A king lost to shadows and a seer who must help him without any powers-such an amazing premise. This seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately, romance was a big reason why this missed the mark. In their first interaction, the king is horrible to Cerise but yet after one conversation he’s suddenly in love with her?? How? It was way too instalove for my liking. I also hoped the magic and politics would be explored more. The beginning of the book makes it seem like Kian is a king who doesn’t care about his people, yet at the end there are suddenly a bunch of supporters? And the twist at the end seemed to come out of nowhere. How old is everyone?
There are some really great side characters and story moved quickly. The ending is intriguing and I may pick up the next book. I just wish there was more development of the romance and world.
Thank you Entangled for the advanced copy.

Talk about a fantasy that's easy to get swept up in! The world building was very well done! I almost didn't even realize it was happening cause it flowed so well with the plot! The characters are introduced so well and are easy to love! Blue might be my favorite, though 😉 I thought for sure this was going to be a standalone right up until those last few sentences. Can't wait to see what happens next!

Shadow Daddy? Yes, please! I’m here for it! I could not put this one down. I got wrapped up in this story and flew through it. I love that it wrapped up nicely, but still was left open for another book. I’ve got my fingers crossed for more. I need more love, passion, betrayal and adventure. The magic and curses are great too. If you like fantasy, check this one out.
Thank you Red Tower and NetGalley for the ARC.

I need more right away! So many elements of this book are why I love Red Tower and the books that they bring to the table: betrayal, romance, adventure, magic. I was taken away on an adventure in my head and didn't want to come back to reality. I hate having to wait for more and knowing what comes next for Kian and Cerise, but I know the wait will be worth it.

I want to say thank you so much for giving me this amazing opportunity to have received this arc.
It such an amazing book.
It has actions
Betrayal
Romance
Adventure
Magic
Beauty
Spice
Animal appreciation
The thing that has captivated me is that the way it has described that you’re so scared on breaking the rules because they told you that’s how it supposed to be. But breaking them, you can have relief and sometimes we don’t need to take so literal on what’s written.
I was able to relate to this a lot, and be able to find who you truly are.

This book follows Kian and Cerise on their journey to break the lifelong curses of noble families in their realm. As a whole, I thought this book was good but I didn’t think it was anything to write home about. I found some timing issues in it taking until ~50% to really get the plot going. With that being said these characters are so lovable which is a major redeeming factor.

Thank youuuuu Entangled for arcing me a copy of this book. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve ready anything by Melissa but the concept was quite an interesting one.