The Mad King and the False Queen

I received this ARC book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.
Oh. My. Days. I had been just saying to a friend the other day that I wanted a book that sucked me in and didn't want to let me go. That is exactly what I got with this book! It started off a little rocky and it took me a few chapters to get my head around who the characters were and what way the world worked, not to mention that the 3rd person POV threw me because a lot of the books I have been reading lately have been in 1st person. I'd also like to point out that I'm a sucker for dual POV's.
Two young women, one assassin and one princess, who end up swapping places after tragedy strikes. This story was so well written and the authors have this talent of ending chapters on mini-cliffhangers, leaving me bleary eyed but totally invigorated. The story unfolds so organically, nothing is forced and answers don't come easily. There are plenty of twists and turns, not to mention betrayals that you see coming and ones that you don't. This book exceeded my expectations and I loved it. Sometimes the writing made me cringe a little but those moments were few and far between. I was so frustrated that my life was getting in the way of reading.
Dagmara - the assassin with responsibilities outside of the crown. Her character is true and doesn't suddenly become uber powerful. She works within the confines of her physical state (that's all I'm willing to say on that subject), knows how to gain an advantage and isn't afraid to use it.
Magdalena - the princess who finds out that her families magic isn't her magic. She wants to travel to talk to other royals in other regions in order to understand what is going on. She is on the hunt for answers and ends up in a whole heap of trouble. She is loyal and loving and these qualities get her into a few scrapes. But she's a likable character all the same and she becomes more likable as the story progresses and she starts to find answers to her questions.
The Mad King Claude - well he is so much more than he seems. His character just keeps getting deeper and more complex as the book continues. He did come across a little bit sappy at one point but his madness is enough to balance that out.
Ravi - the violinist that comes to Magdalena's rescue a few times. Was it all a little convenient? Can he be trusted? Well, you will have to read to find out.
Sabien - Claude's Captain and right hand man. There's a little tension between him and Dagmara and it keeps things very interesting.
The plot twists (and did I mention betrayals and potential betrayals?) kept me at the edge of my seat and sucked me into the world the way I wanted to be. I CANNOT wait until the next book is out!

This has to be one of the best YA Romantasy books I have read in a while! I am hooked and desperately need book two... Like, right now!

✨Dual POV
✨Princess and Assassin swap
✨Hidden Identities
✨Chronic Illness rep
✨Marriage of Convenience
✨Elemental Magic
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Furry Best Friend🥹

This story has it all and the world building was done brilliantly. The dual POV for the FMC's was written so well, two completely polar opposite characters with one of them who has a chronic illness which she doesn't let define her. There are so many secrets and mysteries which get uncovered. By then end of the book there is so so so much more still to be discovered.

I think my heart broke a little bit, all I want to do is wrap Claude up in a blanket and give him a big cuddle. 🥺

Seriously you will not be disappointed with this book!

Thanks Abrom Sisters & NetGalley for the ARC and giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review!

Holy s*it did this exceed all of my expectations! I was SO into the story right off the bat. Throughout the entire book, I kept thinking I knew what was going to happen, but guess what, ya girl was SO wrong! So many twists, turns, and swoon-worthy moments kept me so invested in the storyline that I found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t reading. Dagmara and Magdelena were fantastic main characters, I love a strong female lead obvs, but the side characters also brought so much to the table. Highly recommend this book, be prepared for it to consume you. Truly can’t wait for the next one! 🙂

I was lucky enough to be accepted as an ARC reviewer for this book and golly gosh it did not disappoint! The Mad King and the False Queen has an elemental magic system, hidden identities, royalty, assassins, politics is oozing with forbidden romance. To say I devoured this book would be an understatement, I listened to it in the e-book ‘read aloud’ function in n every spare moment. I often find that in novels that are co-written you can pick moments where each author has their own flavour, but this story flowed seamlessly. The book is fast paced with lots of twists and turns and characters that you can’t help but fall in love with. It gave me a little bit of ‘princess and the pauper’ vibes… if the pauper was an assassin and both characters were on perilous adventures finding romance where they shouldn’t. This is an easy 5 stars for me and I will be very eagerly waiting to get my hands on a copy of the sequel after that cliffhanger! #themadkingandthefalsequeen #netgalley #odieforpresident

“It was so easy to encourage someone else and not take the advice for herself.”

“The Mad King and the False Queen,” by Hope Abrom and Amanda Abrom

Princess Magdalena is about to get her magic but finds out her magic isn’t what it is supposed to be. When that happens, the kingdom is thrown into chaos when the king and prince were assassinated. Magdalena has very little options, so she “agrees” to marry the Mad King from a neighboring kingdom, but she decides to trade places with the royal assassin Dagmara. Dagmara will pretend to be the princess while Magdalena is searching for evidence about who killed her family.

This book was so good. It has so many different tropes; disabled FMC, tons of political intrigue, arranged marriage/ marriage of convenience, royalty, fake princess, magic, poisons, and so much drama. I wish the romances were a little bit more romantic but im sure it will do that more in the next book with this book having a heavier world building feel to it. I loved the characters. The multi POV story was a little confusing because the people call them the opposite name, but it was still really good. The ending was so freaking good OMG. I can’t wait for the next book. 5 out of 5 stars.

-Disabled FMC
-Multi POV
-Arranged Marriage/ Marriage of Convenience
-Fake Princess
-Assassin
-Magic

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.