Captive Traitor KingMy Review
Brigid Kemmerer has done it again. Over the past year, I've devoured five of her books, and Captive Traitor King wasn't any different. In fact, I read the entire thing in 24 hours. Her books are like magical, glittery candy and once you start eating it, you can't stop until the box is empty.
The three main characters of Warrior Princess Assassin are back for the second book in the Braided Fates series, and I honestly didn't realize how much I missed them until I started reading. All three are messy in different ways. We have Jory, the princess of a kingdom her evil brother rules, and then there's Asher, the assassin who has a terrible and traumatic past, and finally, there's Maddox, the king of a rival land who also happens to have fire powers. All three characters are navigating their growing feelings for each other while also trying to figure out their own powers, duties to their people, and who is behind the recent attacks on both them and Maddox's soldiers.
I think my favorite part of the story is whenever the three are together in one scene, whether they're arguing, trying to figure things out, or doing other, more explicit things. They're just so cute and sweet together. And sexy too. Despite knowing this was an adult romantasy with spicy times, I was somehow still surprised with Brigid Kemmerer going there. Maybe that's because I read one of her YA books recently and was still in that mindset. Now, I can't say the trio didn't frustrate me. Jory was impulsive, Maddox was too focused on what his soldiers think of him, and Asher... Well, Asher can do no wrong. He's innocent and my favorite. He deserves a comfy blanket, sweet treats, and a pile of kittens to cuddle with. Stat!
As for the plot of the story, I did find this one a bit more relaxed compared to book one. It took place in one city, mostly in just one castle setting, so there wasn't as much to explore compared to Warrior Princess Assassin when the characters traveled between countries. There were only two major action scenes that happened in this installment. The rest of the story mostly focused around the romantic relationship, which I'm totally fine with, and discussions between characters. There also weren't enough answers, in my opinion, but we'll likely get those in the next book, I just have to be patient. Sigh.
All in all, I really loved this book. Brigid Kemmerer's fantasy stories are so easy to read. They're perfect for getting me out of a slump. For anyone who's putting off reading this series, don't! You won't regret picking it up if you love typical romantasy tropes. I also think fans of books like Jennifer L. Armentrout's From Blood and Ash, Danielle L. Jensen's The Bridge Kingdom, or Melissa K. Roehrich's Rain of Shadows and Endings will enjoy the Braided Fates world.
