`✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ 3 stars 🌟 3 spice 🌶

arc review 📖

જ⁀➴ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬

⚜️ thief fmc to fated queen
🖤 brooding mmc with a massive 🍆
⚜️ fated prophecy
🖤 spice
⚜️ slow burn
🖤 banter

I was expecting a typical "fated mates" romantasy with some prophecy but I got a trope-loaded type-set in a magical realm that was empty at times, and a romance that felt sexually forced/focused.

I honestly didn't mind it that much. It felt like a similar start up to Quicksilver where the fmc gets suddenly pulled into another realm, but turns out she is meant to be there and finds her mate etc.

Wasn't overly exciting but wasn't the worst.

⚘ Anyone who likes a staple romantasy with spice will enjoy this.

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⋆˙⟡ 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑈𝐾 & 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑐

Pretty good. I really liked the beginning and end, but I was a little bored in the middle. I didn't see the twist coming, I also thought that was pretty cool. the pov changes threw me off a bit at the start, though. Even though I liked the ending, it felt a little rushed, flipping between them hating each other and caring for each other. I was also pretty confused at parts.

The Promised Queen
by Kate Johnson

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Setting: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Themes: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Emotional: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Two Chapters)
Enjoyment: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Promised Queen starts in a magic kingdom whose magic is dwindling. The story kicks off fast when Ember, a thief doing what she must to care for her dad and brothers, accidentally ends up in a world she doesn’t belong to. After saving a woman’s life she ends up stabbed, stolen from her life, and told she’s a prophesied queen to be. No pressure!

I absolutely loved both main characters. Ember is tough, clever, and carrying the weight of her family’s survival. The male lead, Rhaell, is the guarded, loyal, quietly brooding type, and their dynamic is fantastic. He’s a man scarred by isolation and duty, while she’s someone who has only ever known how to protect others. The slow-burn connection between them simmers as they face deadly trials together, risking everything to gather magical gems and heal a tree that might just get her home.

The setting is immersive and vivid with enchanted places. The stakes were clear, and while the plot had familiar tropes (forced marriage, portal quest, enemies-to-lovers vibes), it still kept me turning pages.

There are two very spicy scenes late in the book (one is literally a whole chapter), but they can easily be skipped if that’s not your thing, they don’t impact the plot much.

Overall: If you’re into reluctant heroines, slow-burn tension, enemies-turned-allies, and a touch of magic, this is one worth reading. I enjoyed the adventure the most, it kept me hooked!

A scrappy girl accidentally gets sent to another world where she is made to be the wife of the "monstrous" prince to save the realm. Along the way she meets a guard and together they try a different way to save the realm. I honestly really enjoyed this book, even after realizing it had way more spice than I am used to. But the plot is not overtaken by the spice and it moves along at a great pace and it kept me intrigued the whole way through. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants spice, but doesn't want it to overtake the plot and wants a great story.

Did not finish. The book was oversaturated with tropes and spent no time developing the plot or the characters. Maybe a guilty pleasure read but not for me.

Ember is a thief and she is pushed towards a political marriage after being thrown into another realm after a theft and she is thought to be the chosen one.
She just wants to go home not marry a horrible prince.
With the help of Rhaell the Captain of the Guard she tries to restore magic to a sacred tree this will let her return to her own realm if she is successful.
This is a fast paced story and Ember is a sparky strong heroine. .
Rhaell is a good match for her. There is also something you won't expect.
Really enjoyed this magical story.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

So this one starts off with a bang, literally. Girl gets stabbed, crashes into a whole new realm, and suddenly she’s being told she’s the chosen one and future baby mama to some mystery prince? Yeah… wild. I was into the chaos at first. Ember, the main character, is pretty entertaining. Her snarky comebacks and inner monologues gave me a few solid laughs, even if sometimes it felt like the humor tried a little too hard. She’s got the “modern girl dumped into fantasy mess” energy, which works… until the plot starts spinning in circles. The romance? It’s fine. The guard dude (Rhaell) checks all the expected boxes, dark past, moody stare, loyal to a fault. If you’ve read a romantasy before, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting. Not mad about it, but also not swooning either. Where it kind of lost me was the world itself. The setting felt super vague, like it was missing details that would’ve made it feel real or grounded. There were moments I had no idea what the rules were, who was fighting who, or why something important was happening. And when the quest part kicked in, it kinda dragged. That said, it’s still a quick read, and the slow-burn tension does hit. If you’re mostly in it for the angsty romance and don’t mind a bit of hand-wavy world logic, this could still scratch the itch.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an e-ark via Netgalley in return for an honest review. This book centres on female protagonist, Ember. A thief who turns out to be destined to save the downfall of magic in another realm. Promised to the grotesque grandson of the King to produce heirs and fix the problem with their declining magic!

I have not read anything by this author before. I sadly found myself pushing through to finish this title, it did not keep me enthralled like some other titles, and the 2nd half was a bit of a slog for me, It had its lighthearted and funny aspects but I found Ember’s occasional dialect a bit annoying, but that’s just me, However the ending does leave some intrigue for what will happen next, I am however unsure if I would pick up the next book unfortunately. If you liked “Dragonhart” you may like this - albeit a bit lighter on the steam but a touch more eventful in terms of exploring multiple settings.

I think the story had a lot of potential and I did really like the characters.

To me, the cover does not represent the description of Ember, who was described as being particularly curvy, with a round face and short hair.

Thanks again for providing this e-ark

I really enjoyed The Promised Queen!
It was fast-paced right from the start, which made it super easy to get into. The story kept moving without dragging, and I couldn't put it down.

The second half of the book was definitely my favorite—the big twist that I should have seen coming, but didn't, was well written.

I loved Ember and Rhaell together. There are some smut scenes which fit well into the story and I would say a 1-2/5 on the smut scale.

The creatures in the book where written well and all had a role to play in the story and not just added in for effect.
And there's dragons! (briefly).

If you’re into fantasy with a bit of romance, political drama, and strong characters, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a go.

It's also set up for a follow on book so I'll be keeping an eye out for that.

Sometimes you just need a fun romantasy to lose yourself in, and this book did the job. The characters were so intriguing, specifically our main character, Ember. I loved the chemistry between our two main character,s and the plot was really well done!

This was such a fun romantasy! I loved Ember’s sass and how she handled being thrown into a completely wild situation—prophesied queen, forced royal marriage, magical quest, all of it. The banter and slow-burn between her and Rhaell had me hooked, and while the worldbuilding wasn’t super deep, the vibes totally made up for it. It’s got adventure, romance, tension, and some laugh-out-loud moments. Definitely one I’d recommend to fans of fast-paced fantasy with a strong female lead and a broody love interest. Can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!

This was a fun and fast-paced fantasy romance! It kind of had similar vibes to Quicksilver - falling out of the sky/a portal and into another world - and I was very intrigued in the beginning. The FMC, Ember, finds herself transported to a new, unfamiliar, and slightly deadly realm. She arrives after having just been stabbed and subsequently finds out she's their prophesized queen and will be forced to marry the beast of a prince and birth his offspring (likely killing her in the process). Talk about a warm welcome! This poor girl.

One thing that carried me through the book was the humor and sharp wittedness of Ember; her inner dialogue (and the dialogue in general) was quite funny at times, occasionally veering towards being immature. I think where this book fell short with me was the lack of world building, which made a lot of the book hard to follow and become fully immersed in. The central quest in the story began to drag on at times and I found myself mostly invested in the romance, which is a slow-burn between Ember and Rhaell, the captain of the king's guard. Rhaell is basically a cookie-cutter romantasy love interest that I found to be a little too cliche and an amalgamation of every typical romantasy archetype: brooding, growly, scarred, etc. But nevertheless I am a sucker for slow-burns with great buildup and lots of tension, which this book definitely delivered despite the somewhat lackluster / confusing magic and world building.

Thank you so much to Harper Collins and NetGalley for this ARC!

I thought that I was going to ADORE this book. It was very nearly a DNF for me - just as it wasn’t for me. I started itas an ebook (thank you for my netgalley copy!), but couldn’t get into it. I tried again as an audiobook, and I got there.

I like the worldbuilding and most of the plot, I just don’t think I loved the relationship between the love interests. 3.5 stars.

From beginning to end this book had me sitting on the edge of my couch. I even forgot to change metros when I was traveling, because I was so captivated by the story.

In The Promised Queen we meet Ember. Ember is a master in thieving. While she’s out hunting for valuables one night, the unthinkable happens. After trying to steal a pretty jewel, she wakes up in a magical realm where everyone speaks about the so-called “Promised One”. And the people hard-willingly believe it’s her!
We follow Ember in her mission to reclaim her freedom and return to home. But that is easier said than done..

Even though I knew at some point where the story was going, I didn’t mind!
I enjoyed every minute of reading this book . I was sad when I noticed that I had read the last page.
10/10 would recommend reading this book if you like reading a romantasy novel with a bit of humour, lots of yearningggg, quite a bit of adventurous missions and a magical plot!

The Promised Queen is a fun, fast-paced read with sharp humor and a meaningful romance. It’s a solid pick if you want a quest-centric plot alongside an emotionally healing romance. However, the world building was minimal, which prevented me from being fully absorbed into the book as I struggled to create a mental image of the characters environment. Character development also felt rushed and was most crammed into the last section of the story, in addition to dialogue also feeling slightly childish at times, especially in moments of intimacy. The balance between fantasy and romance felt inconsistent, with the tone wavering throughout and never quite feeling settled. In contrast, this book also had an array of appealing characteristics that make it an enjoyable read provided you can look past the aforementioned flaws. Ember is on the whole a lively and fun character, whose witty remarks and persona create an FMC whose sassy nature is enjoyable to read. That being said, if you’re looking for love that is heartfelt and fuelled with emotion, then look no further than Ember and Rhaell. The progression of their relationship allows for the perfect slow-burn romance, which pairs well with their engaging and action-packed journey to gather magical shards, the plot twists leaving you reeling. Overall I would say this is definitely a must-try for romantasy fans, though perhaps not a deep-dive epic. 3.5/5

I am quite pleasantly surprised by this book. There were some minor issues, and it definitely needs some trigger warnings, especially related to crude language relating to women by minor characters, but on the whole this was a very unique story, and I really liked it. The world building itself felt familiar but also quite unique, with the mix of fantasy and vaguely modern and magical worlds.

It kept me engaged in the story the whole time with how fast paced it was (but not so overly fast paced that it feels like there’s no plot), had a great twist (even though I’d guessed it early on), and left an open ending, but not a terrible cliffhanger. I’d absolutely read the next one in the series whenever it comes around.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Such a good Romantasy!!! Loved the pacing in this book and the plot!!!!! Had me absolutely hooked start to finish and the writing in general was just so captivating and beautiful! Adored this book & will want more from this author!

This was a whirlwind of a story and so much fun.

Ember finds herself in a strange, parallel world where her arrival has been prophesied and she is expected to marry the beastly prince. Her plight sees her fall in with Rhaell, the captain of the guard, and embark on a wild plan to restore magic to the realm, escape her fate and return home.

The characters, wall to wall action and twisty plot had me tearing through this book. Ember's character and voice, and the fact she was the pursuer and more experienced of the two when it comes to relationships gave it a fresh, unconventional feel. She is sassy and cynical, foul mouthed and street smart but clueless about the strange world she has literally fallen into. Rhaell is a perfect romantasy hero - dark and broody, fierce but vulnerable, tortured and misunderstood. Though they are pitted against each other, they are exactly what the other needs, and they steal the show with their banter and yearning. It's superhot. It's all vibes and adventure. And it's absolutely going to be one of my top picks for the year.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Johnson, and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read The Promised Queen in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

The Promised Queen is a clever and heartfelt romantasy that mixes sharp wit, slow-building romance, and a richly imagined magical world. Ember Hart, a savvy thief from a magicless world, is suddenly thrust into a dangerous realm where she’s declared the prophesied savior and expected to marry the brooding, beastlike Prince Rhaell. But Ember is anything but a typical damsel, and the two of them navigate political intrigue, hidden dangers, and their growing connection with plenty of sparks and grit.

Kate Johnson’s storytelling shines in Ember’s voice: snarky, resilient, and full of fire and the slow burn between Ember and Rhaell feels earned and real. While the pace is a bit measured in the beginning, it allows space for the world and characters to develop fully. Once the magical quest kicks in, the stakes rise, and so does the tension, blending emotional depth with engaging action and surprising twists.

The romance isn’t just heat and chemistry, it’s built on mutual respect and vulnerability, which makes their connection all the more satisfying. Though newcomers might find the world’s layers a little dense at first, the payoff is worth it, especially as the story sets up exciting possibilities for future books.

Overall, The Promised Queen offers a balanced mix of adventure, magic, and emotional growth, perfect for readers who love a heroine who’s sharp and fierce, and a romance that simmers and soars.

This book was so fun! Classical romantssy with a twist!

Rhaell and Ember are cute together and I enjoyed their relationship at the start. The world building is mediocre but it’s definitely a fun easy romantssy read to follow!
It will be interesting to see a book 2 and where the story goes!