I found this book very enjoyable. I feel like it would be pretty easy to go at this book for not being the most developed with the most amazing prose, but I honestly enjoyed reading it. It had a fast, action-packed plot and is a great introduction to anyone looking to get into political fantasy. It has love pentagons (or political arrangement pentagons lol), passion, murder and more, all wrapped in a short, less than 300 page, package. It's easy and fun to read. This book would also make a great guilty pleasure or just an easy read to get you out of a reading slump.

I say this is a good introductory book because first off, it is short and a fast read. It's like this because it doesn't go into crazy amounts of depth into political deception and plays. There's a surface level simplicity to it which makes this such an easy book to read. It covers a lot of political schemes in a short amount of time. It doesn't feel that underdeveloped either, which is nice, because the story takes place in a pretty short time frame and there is a lot going on. Also, there's a not a huge magi system or belief system to get accustomed too.

A few things did seem odd, like how unaware other kingdoms were of what was going on and how easily some kingdoms were mobilizing their armies. I did, at time, find myself craving a map and a deep look into the military and political mindset of the various kings, queen, princes, servants, and princess who were playing a role in the story. I wanted to know the marching conditions and how in was enabled/troubled by the land and how the kings worked out alliances and etc, but then I was quickly shocked by the next plot twist and made to keep reading more. This book kept me on my toes and I liked that.

I don't have much to say on the romance for once. Lots of it was political arrangement, which meant that politics were a bit more at play than emotion in the beginning, but it eventually became an emotional play. There was more of a point-to-point development, some of which could have used more expanding and development, but nothing seemed random or out of the blue.

It also has a great ending. I actually really liked it. I can't wait for the next book. It'll be on my radar for sure.

This cover is absolutely gorgeous. And that's what attracted me to the book at first.

Although the main character wasn't as lovable as i would have wanted it, she did bring a certain element and dept to the story.
The story is a bit all over the place at sometimes, but still very easy to read. It has some typical young adult elements in it which isn't a real surprise anymore
But still was a nice read and I would recommend the book.

I started off really enjoying the quick pace. The author has a talent for keeping things moving, so you don't want to stop reading. Her style is engaging and entertaining. In a few instances, the pace became a bit too quick for me -- I think as a reader I just wanted to dive deeper and experience some of the events that were only mentioned quickly.

I also found the multiple POVs to be a bit distracting. I would have liked to have only 2 POVs of the main couple. I really think we could have witnessed almost everything else by them observing the behavior of those around them, like MIllie, Emmett etc.

That being said, I enjoyed the very final reveal in the last chapter and liked that the book also reads as a standalone, so you are not left with any cliffhangers. Major points for that!

Read this if you like stories about royalty and medieval ya romance. No magic, though, just bear that in mind and enjoy!

The characters blended together. The POVs were very confusing and I couldn't tell who the speaker was. I think if the book were fleshed out a little it could be great.

I'm always game for anything Arthurian. It is one of my dearest loves....I enjoyed this book its a light YA genre novel it goes back and forth between MCs but I liked the execution. Also I adore the book cover.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Kingdom Cold is an easy and fast-paced YA fantasy novel set against an Arthurian back-drop. Brittni Chenelle has a nice writing style that flows easily, and allows the reader to fly through the book pretty quickly.

However, I felt like this novel could have done with some heavier editing. There was one too many POVs in Kingdom Cold and, with none of the character’s voices feeling particularly distinctive, it sometimes became a little confusing if I forgot to check whose chapter it was when reading — especially when a fair portion of the first part of book was dual-perspective, and then suddenly three more perspectives were added out of the blue. The pacing was also an issue for me, with the timing making little sense (like how fast journeys were made), and many of the scene changes feeling clunky and abrupt.

Lastly, Kingdom Cold suffered heavily from insta-love, which I really can’t stand when reading novels. Plenty of YA authors have managed to write realistic, fleshed-out romances without resorting to this awful trope, and I wish more would take note. I also found it difficult to connect with the characters, and that made their adoration for each other all the less believable.

Overall, I think Kingdom Cold had the potential to be a decent YA fantasy novel but, in the end, fell short and failed to bring anything new to the table.

I liked that this book included characters from different ethnicities but the execution just didn't do it for me. After reading the description, I was excited to read this book because I'd never read a book with such a premise before. Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to the hype. The main character was a little too childish for me and the tension between her and her mother seemed manufactured to me. I wanted to like this book but it wasn't done in a way I would have liked.

I received a digital ARC of Shadow Frost from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The language seemed far more appropriate for a stereotypical high schooler in present day than a YA fantasy book and seemed juvenile at times. The character development left a lot to be desired and the POVs for side characters seemed unnecessary most of the time.

A lot of parts seemed rushed or barely fleshed out, leaving me to feel lost or like I missed something.

Kingdom Cold does a decent job for a self-published YA novel – interesting premise, fast-paced narrative, and an overall light read. However, it could have benefitted from the discerning eye of an editor, especially for pacing and reining in the number of POVs.
The blurb promises a romance amidst turmoil within a kingdom – “should she save her kingdom or her heart?” The actual story, though, suffers from a bit too much middle school “romance” where characters declare love for another - even going so far as to forsake their god or challenge a loved one to a dual - with little interaction or explanation to justify such grand emotions. It reads as juvenile instead of intended for a youthful audience.
Pacing of the story from a time-passing perspective did not ring true. How could whole armies move across regions in Arthurian times in a matter of a week? Plot pacing overall needed the aid of additional beta readers if not a true editor – the book read as an outline only partially fleshed out with key scenes. POVs seemed to be used as a crutch to explain plot elements faster but not necessarily effectively.
Overall, a mediocre read. It will help pass the time and contains a good basis for an entertaining story. It needs more work and the aid of an editor who can guide author Brittni Chenelle to achieving that fully entertaining end. Two stars for the attempt.
*Digital ARC from NetGalley provided for an honest review.

This was a quick fast paced novel which shows real promise for this writer. I personally prefer older young adult novels but found this quite enjoyable.

I am very grateful for getting a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. However, I didn’t not like this book and I found it boring. The main characters were very bland and I did not like the romance.
I did, however, like the style of writing and the worldbuilding

I had to DNF this because all the characters were starting to blend in together with all of their whininess and instalove going on. The cover is gorgeous, and I wanted to read it for the cover alone. Although I loved how there are different representations for the characters and the settings, I could not finish the book because the characters were starting to feel like the equivalency of pulling teeth.
The best part of the book is when Charlotte shot the arrow at the prince, and he thought it was an ambush. I laughed so hard when I discovered it was only her...

2 out of 5 stars

for full review check out my blog at https://bookgirlreviewsbooks.blogspot.com

This book was very entertaining and engaging and I ended up finishing it in a night because I could hardly put it down. The characters are intriguing and not everybody is who they seem. Charlotte, the main character, definitely sees some character development, as well as most of the other characters. This is always a plus since static characters are boring and typically lead to an undeveloped story. This story developed quite nicely though and held my interest throughout.

I was surprised by the ending and the story as a whole was a lot darker than I originally suspected. There is a lot of death and grief for the characters. However, it is still YA appropriate, with no graphic violence scenes.

A few things I did not love:

The tone of the voice was very 21st century. The timeline is obviously much, much earlier than the present but the way many of the characters talked and their arrangement of words was not true to the time period.

While entertaining, it wasn't very descriptive and some more background on the characters would have been nice before plunging head into the action. The writing itself was good, just a bit too concise for a YA. It felt a bit rushed. I honestly would have liked many parts to last longer. The end especially was extremely quick, which left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

The ending. As I said before, my biggest issue was how quick and disconnected it felt. However, it was also darker than I was expecting or wanting. There was an epilogue of sorts that I suspect was supposed to make it a bit happier but it actually made me more depressed to be honest. I had to read another book before going to bed because I really didn't want to go to bed feeling that miserable. Being able to move the reader to feel particular feelings while reading is a very good thing, it just wasn't what I was wanting to feel. She set it up for more books and has said she plans on continuing the series but I just have a hard time seeing this being able to go to a happier place, but I am anxious to see what happens next.

Despite what I didn't like about the book, it was written well and fits well with trending genres. I feel it will be enjoyed by most who read it!

The cover design is absolutely stunning. The plot was interesting and, at times, contained exciting plot twists. There was potential to be a page turner; however, the character development of Prince Young and Princess Charlotte felt rushed and I struggled to develop a connection with them from the beginning. The inner dialogue and character development of Prince Young felt more natural; whereas, Princess Charlotte was over the top emotional then extremely rational..it was an uncomfortable roller coaster ride within the first few chapters. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect enough to finish this one.

DNF at 45%, skimmed the rest.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are 100% my own.

I feel like this book was just not made for me. It was just a little too cheesy and cliche for my tastes. I just couldn’t make myself get into it no matter how hard I tried. I wasn’t invested in the characters or the story. There were certain parts that made me just super confused while reading it. There was a scene towards the beginning where she just shot an arrow Prince Young and then proceeded to get super drunk at the dinner in their honor. Then their castle gets invaded. All of this happened in such I short period of time that I was left confused and baffled at the turn of events.

A beautiful story but very cliched. Everything you would expect in this type of story happens and there were no surprises. I desperately wanted to adore this but sadly I did not.

Kingdom Cold was an amazing ride. I loved the cover art one of the reasons why I decided to request the book in the first place. The plot line was very promising and it did deliver which is always a good thing.

3.5 stars!

I did some digging and found out Brittni is self-published, which I really respect as it takes a lot of work to get a book out there.

This was a quick read, the pace made sure I read it almost in one sitting. The pacing felt right and I wasn't wandering. World building was great.

I wasn't too sure about some of the characters, it didn't feel like they fit in this story. I've been trying to put my finger on it. Maybe it's their age.

But overall, the plot was really engaging and I'd recommend!

Recommended: sure!
For those who enjoy the fight-for-your-crown plot line, and unexpectedly realistic characters in this otherwise unrelatable setting for modern-day people (unless you're modern-day royalty, I suppose!)

Summary:
When the fighting of her country's endless war spills into Princess Charlotte's her own courtyard, she's delighted to call off her arranged marriage with Prince Young. After fleeing with her stoic betrothed, they finally escape one battle and immediately find themselves in another. A sleazy new suitor is suddenly scheming for her hand --- and her kingdom --- and suddenly Young doesn't look so bad as an ally, if not a husband. Trying to save the kingdom Besmium from being overrun with enemies begins with figuring out who among their own they can really trust.

A very bold ending that I deeply applaud. I'm hoping Kingdom Soul delivers just as much in the sequel!

Overall, I quite enjoyed the story! The characters had distinct and developed personalities that consistently carry through in their actions, and have the miraculous ability to actually talk to each other (instead of that thing where the conflict would be resolved by a short chat). We got a few chapters from the perspectives of the not-quite-main characters, which actually worked really well to add depth all around and tangle you up by making you feel a bit sympathetic even for the villains.

The places I stumbled were the grammatical errors, particularly issues with missing commas. Those really stand out to me, and it took me out of the story at best, and at worst made me actually not understand what was happening. There were also a few times when actions were inconsistent (such as Charlotte saying she sat up to talk to her mother, then when her father entered the room "it was almost enough to make her sit up". I'm like, girl you're already sitting up??).

These are small issues that can easily be solved with a second pair of eyes taking a look at the text, though, and the driving force of characters and story was solid!

This was such a light read, I flew through this book and the next thing I know I finished it.

When I read the synopsis I was so intrigued by what this book could offer. I'm a sucker for stories that include royalties, betrayal and the right amount of fighting in them, so naturally this seemed like the right book for me.
However, the story wasn't exactly what I expected; it wasn't bad by any means, if anything it was really well written, but it didn't deliver enough? Maybe my expectations were too high? Idk.

The general idea of the plot was very interesting, but it was a bit rushed. I feel like if this book was 100 pages longer with more details given to every major event throughout it, it would've been far better. I would've loved to see more details in many an occasion.

As for the characters, well to be quite frank, I wasn't their biggest fan. They were quite childish, somewhat shallow and annoying *glares at Charlotte* and they lacked depth.
I do realize that those characters are between 16 and 18, but still.

All in all, this was a fun standalone and I did enjoy going through it despite everything.