2.5 stars
I had such high hopes for Crown of Crowns, yes the noblewoman falling for a commoner is anything but knew but who doesn’t love a cliché? Unfortunately, the plot and character just did not ring with me. Our heroine (Kaelyn) could be so annoying at times I can understand when she is 15 but the plot jumps in time and has her as a young woman but I found she was just as irritating, where was the growth that time gives us. The worldbuilding needed more explanation it honestly felt like a hodge podge of a book, maybe if the book was longer to afford the explanations we need when creating a whole new world. Overall Crown of Crowns has the potential to be a good fantasy read I found t needed a bit more polish to be a great one.

Crown of Crowns by Clara Loveman
Publication Date: August 11, 2020
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Description from NetGalley...
“By law, Kaelyn and Roki shouldn’t have anything in common. They shouldn’t even be friends. And whatever they do, they can never, ever fall in love.

Kaelyn, a young noblewoman, feels smothered under the harsh constraints of the Decens-Lenitas, the legal and moral code that governs the people of the Geniverd Kingdom. When she meets Roki, a handsome young man from the city with knowledge and aspirations beyond his status, Kaelyn realizes she’s not the only person trapped. She starts to question everything she thought she knew, including about the Gurnots, a group of anarchist rebels set on overthrowing the laws—people who the nobles have labelled as terrorists.

With the lives of all free people at stake, Kaelyn must uncover the truth—even if she risks her heart at every turn.”
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Thank you to @NetGalley @lovemanauthor for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.
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Thank you to @litpr2012 for inviting me to be a part of the book blog tour and for the copy of the book in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
This is a debut novel for Clara Loveman. The book is a mixture of dystopian, sci-fi and fantasy. This was impressive as the story was complex and intricately packed in a relatively quick-read book. That was one of the things I liked about the story: it moved right along and did not dwell too much on certain themes. Because of that, the mind’s eye was exercised as the world begins to form on the pages. Like any debut novel that was intended for a series, this first book provided a quick glimpse of the world and characters. I want to learn more about the world and seeing the characters developed further. The world Loveman created was so interesting. I am looking forward to the next book.

I was provided with an ARC by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

This book just wasn’t for me and I felt sad about that.
The writing felt clunky, and the world guiding was confusing and rushed. Other times there as little to no world building and it was hard to understand what was happening in the world.

The main thing that really put me off was that I was walking into a slightly established relationship and it felt confusing. They’d only known each other for two weeks and yet she’s willing to give up everything for him? I was unclear on how old any of them were too and it just felt very forced that she’d be so obsessed with someone after two weeks. I know we’ve all been teenagers but it seemed w little extreme.

I didn’t end up finishing the book in the end unfortunately as it was hard to want to read it. I read a good 30% before giving up.

The premise is interesting but I think the first few chapters needed better fleshing out and world building.

I DNF'd this book at 40%. Unfortunately, this book was not for me and I'll make use of this opportunity to give some constructive criticism. This is just my opinion, and it will differ from other opinions.

Let's talk about the characters first. I think this book could have benefitted from a first-person POV. It would have given us more insight into the main character, Kaelyn, and it could have helped with some additional world-building. The dialogue between characters is extremely stilted. Characters say things that are meant to be shown to us. For example, Roki said, "I am a very caring person." He's not supposed to say it, his actions should show us.

The other thing that really bothered me was the insta-love. Kaelyn spends four hours with the prince and decides she loves him and will marry him? I was willing to forgive her infatuation with Roki because she was 15. Her voice also didn't age up, as she goes from 15 to 19 in the first 40%, but she still reads like a 15-year-old.

Another thing that bothered me was the writing. Loveman uses essentially "big" words in her sentences, as is common for fantasy books. But then she also uses words like "yeah" and "okay". Those words knock me out of the world because they don't fit in.

The world-building could have been explained and incorporated better. Sentences or paragraphs from the moral code would have been awesome at the start of chapters and could have aided in understanding the world better. The writing certainly had potential, it just needed some more work.

This was truly disappointing read, because I just couldn't attached emotionally to characters.
When I read the synopsis it sounded soo good, but in the end this book didn't work for me.
1.5 stars.

Unfortunately there’s not much to recommend Crown of Crowns. I did not enjoy this book for a number of reasons - the characters were unlikeable, the world building frustratingly inadequate and the plot increasingly ridiculous.

Our high born heroine (if we can call her that; she never actually does much that’s heroic) Kaelyn starts out as an immature noble-born brat rebelling against her gilded cage. She then grows to become a “morally good” person after the murder of her mother. She’s still a thoroughly boring and irritating character though, and I felt no empathy for her during the story. As I couldn’t bring myself to cheer for her, or any main character, the book became quite onerous by the end.

At one point I realised I was more than a quarter into the book and still didn’t have a clear idea of how the world worked. This didn’t change much as I read on. The people of this world live by a code called The Decens-Lenitas. As other reviewers have noted, the author declines to explain anything further, leaving us all at sea as to what the code actually says and how it governs the people’s lives. Similarly, we are introduced to a Meghan Markle-esque character named Lordin, who is apparently very famous for being “good” at practising this code but exactly how or why is never really explained. I was also annoyed at the discussions of “old-fashioned” societal structures like medieval feudalism, when the MC fails to realise she is essentially part of an actual feudal system of monarchs, nobles and peasants.

Lastly; the plot and writing were both of a low standard. By the time the supernatural elements were introduced I was ready to throw the book out the window. The author’s inconsistent treatment of how the Crown of Crowns actually governed and directed the world was incredibly frustrating, as was the many characteristics of the Min thrown into the dialogue as an afterthought, seemingly in service of the plot. This meant that the whole book had a very unplanned, fan fiction feel to it, as if the author wrote it all in one go and fixed any problems with the narrative by simply making stuff up on the fly to achieve their story goals. They also devote pages and pages to things that aren’t important; in particular the warrior’s journey near the end. The book ends abruptly with only one of the story’s problems being solved; the others facing the characters left, it seems, to be solved in a sequel. I will not however, be reading it.

I received an ARC of CROWN OF CROWNS by Clara Loveman thanks to the publisher through NetGalley.

So so much happened in this story. The beginning was front-loaded with world descriptions, but not done well. It was very much a “talking to the reader” type of book. The characters were lackluster and I really didn’t care about them. Yet so much happened to the main character I felt like there were three books worth of events crammed into one (and one on the shorter side at that).

Honestly the first third of the book was unnecessary and did not add to the story. I would much rather have a slow-burn romance than the punch you in your face insta-love shown.

Kaelyn was very immature throughout an really only had one contribution to the plot and that was near the very end. The two ‘love interests’ were in a similar position although one had more going on behind the scenes than this story showed. I think if this was rewritten as a dual POV between Kaelyn and Roki it would be captivating. Although Kaelyn needs to step up her game big time.

Overall, book was meh. I was able to finish it but considered stopping a few times early on.

The cover and the synopsis of Crown of Crowns completely drew me in and promised so much potential. While the overall premise of the story and the plot is original, unfortunately I had real issues with the execution and we didn’t quite see eye to eye.

The writing style feels stilted and immature and the sentences are badly constructed. The author has endeavoured to pack as many fantasy elements as possible into one book and it all felt a bit messy and the plot rushed. There is very little world building, the world isn’t explained in enough depth and a lot of aspects of this world remain unexplained. The characters felt flat and I didn’t feel connected to any one of them and the romance is sadly lacking in chemistry.

I’m disappointing as this book showed so much promise. I’m really struggling to say anything positive because I would dearly love to end on a more positive note. It is clear the author has spent time and effort formulating the world and the plot, sadly it needs a lot more work in terms of character development, world building and attention to detail. The concept is certainly unique and I haven’t read anything like it before. As an adult who enjoys YA fantasy I’m quite critical because I have read a lot of books in this genre and most are beautifully written. It may be that my younger self would have enjoyed it so much more, and therefore it is quite likely to appeal to younger YA readers in need of a quick and easy read.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book.

I was really intrigued by the summary and really looking forward to reading this book. However, I could not finish and it ended up in my DNF pile.

I could not get a feel of all the characters and pretty much disliked all of them. I didn’t feel the romance felt real at all and it made no sense.

I made it to approximately the 25% mark in the book before stopping. I was unable to finish this book for a variety of reasons. First the dialogue is incredibly stilted with characters saying the quiet part out loud. For example, a character might explain to another that they are using humor to deflect stress. This is something that should be made clear through a characters’ actions without needing to be explicitly spelled out. No one goes around talking like this. Second I found the world building confusing at best and entirely logical at worst. It is a highly technologically advanced society that uses robots for most things and leaves the general population to wallow in boredom and inactivity. This does not make any sense. There is a moral code that governs the entire fabric of the society that is not properly explained and makes little sense. If their code revolves around community engagement and selflessness why does the general population suffer from large amounts of violence and poverty? I also found the make-up of the upper tiers of society illogical. The crown of crowns ceremony makes no sense as it is a magical way of choosing a ruler for a society that does not appear to otherwise engage with magic. My final issue with the novel and the reason I had to stop reading was the romance. The main character’s infatuation with Roki does not make sense or feel real. No one stays in love so violently with someone they have not seen since they were 15 and they are now 19 years old that is a ridiculously long time to hold on to a teenage fling. The moment when our main character sees her love interest again is absurd. She immediately falls into his arms and forgives him for ignoring her for years after her mother’s death and professes love. I do not buy a single second of this. Honestly this novel should have started around the point I stopped reading. The first quarter of the novel is background set up that should have been done faster or in flashbacks. The true meat of the novel appears to really begin after Kaelyn is crowned queen. Everything else is not important to the true story being told. I cannot say whether the novel gets better or worse or worse I do not buy a single second of this. Honestly this novel should have started around the point I stopped reading. The first quarter of the novel is background set up that should have been done faster or in flashbacks. The true meat of the novel appears to really begin after Kaelyn is crowned queen. Everything else is not important to the true story being told. I cannot say whether the novel gets better or worse, but it was quite simply not for me. The writing issues and plot issues were too great for me to stomach continuing. I hate to be so harsh on a new author and cannot say there is no possibility her later books to be better. However, this novel does not give me enough indication of her writing style and its potential to wish to read more from her.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

(This review is NOT spoiler-free)

In the first pages, we were thrown into the midst of Kaelyn and Roki's getaway in the city and they were described as madly in love with each other. This was one of the things that irked me the most about Crown of Crowns, though it might be just a personal preference problem because I loved reading the buildup of a relationship instead of an established one like what happened in this book. Their first meeting was briefly mentioned, but that's it. There was no further explanation about how their relationship progressed, even though both of them seemed smitten with each other (to the point that Kaelyn was willing to throw away all her highborn upbringing for Roki, whom she just met not long ago). As someone who disliked instalove, their relationship was not believable enough for me and I simply couldn't be invested in them.

Another big issue was the worldbuilding, or rather, the lack thereof. There was no set up whatsoever about the kingdom and the all-important moral code of Decens-Lenitas. It was a vital part of the society and it was brought up a lot of times throughout the book, but it was never fully explained.

I also couldn't feel emotionally attached to the main character, or any other characters to be honest. Kaelyn felt like a Mary Sue, and while her naivety in the first few chapters could be excused because she was only fifteen years old, it didn't get better as she grew up. The relationships (both platonic and romantic) between the characters also felt flat because there wasn't any buildup at all. I really couldn't care less about any of them.

All in all, Crown of Crows was a disappointing read for me. It's too bad because at first I was quite intrigued by the synopsis.

Firstly.. I need to say WOW. I'm still recovering from reading this incredible story.

Crown of Crowns by Clara Loveman is set in a dystopian world although unlike many Dystopian novels? This world doesn't immediately feel like it is and you could simply be reading about a world set in the future. The Worldbuilding that the author creates to me, is one of the most important aspects for a reader and Crown of Crowns doesn't disappoint in this regard.

The world is intriguing and relatively easy to imagine. Loveman has created different areas and they’re described so well that one can visualise each one. Whether it be what separates the wealthy areas from the poor, and the cities versus the still very natural almost from the descriptions; jungle-like.

I was drawn into the story quickly and utterly intrigued by the characters and world as a whole. I had been intrigued by the book when reading the initial description and had hoped to be lost between the pages, but I can honestly say Crown of Crowns was so much more than I could have hoped.

We are initially introduced to Kaelyn and Roki, best friends and lovers as Roki shows her a world that is long gone but re-enacted to remind the citizens (or more accurately the less wealthy and elite) of a world that is more relatable to what we know as normal now. The image of women mimicking being pregnant as they walk together in a park was a scene I found especially haunting as was that of machines made to represent pets.

This romance goes against what Kaelyn’s family want for her as she's a member of a noble family and thus, Roki being a common man is not a suitable partner. From the moment Kaelyn stands up to her Mother over who she loves and his influence upon her; the world Kaelyn has known implodes and her place within it seems endangered.

I don't want to spoil Crown of Crowns for others so I will refrain from telling you more about the story itself.

I wished there had been more interaction and background given to the friends Kaelyn has around her as they have along with Roki helped shape the intuitive woman she has become. It is so apparent that it is down to them that Kaelyn doesn't want to live a quiet life and longs to make life more equal to everyone and bring back many of the things such as Market Day, that have been stopped for a more regimented way of living.

Perhaps that will come in book two, as there is so much we don't know. They are all so very different than one another and I really wanted to know more about them. I theorised that Kaelyn is still somewhat entitled when it comes to her relationship with her friends due to her place within the nobility. It shows both her age and the life she has always known even if she sees faults within it.

This book kept me continuously surprised and I didn't see half the plot twists coming which was a pleasant surprise and I was left with a thousand questions and utter shock at what happens. Crown of Crowns is a truly unique novel and I cannot wait to read the sequel when it comes to hopeful answer half the questions and to no doubt be left captivated again by the wonderful world Clara Loveman has created.

This just wasn’t the book for me.

Reading the synopsis, I was intrigued by the idea of Kaelyn and Roki. Once I read the book, I honestly disliked every character, except for maybe Zawne. I tried to like Kaelyn, but the way she acted because of boys.. it was a no-go for me. I didn’t like how the story started. I even checked back to make sure I didn’t miss anything. She was already a lovesick girl and we didn’t see that buildup and it just didn’t sit well with me. Then the story continues but she still is with the same stuff?? Though she had a good reason for what she does in the end, she definitely had an ulterior motive and it wasn’t compelling to me. Also, she wasn’t the nicest or the most supportive character to the loyal the side characters. It felt like it was all Kaelyn’s show and I really couldn’t support her.

As a whole, I feel like the world building wasn’t there. The world is multifaceted and there’s a lot going on that is interesting.. just barely explained. The plot of the story was interesting and refreshing, and with more world building and character development, could’ve been a lot better. It was just missing a lot for me. It felt like it dragged and then the end was tied up quickly. However, if you like dystopian-esque books, this might be the one for you.

* I received this ARC from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

•I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest opinion and review• This disappointed me a little. The cover is gorgeous, and the premise sounds super cool. It just doesn’t deliver. The spirit type beings are very cool, but everything is so confusing, I honestly had no idea what was going on. The premise and the plot don’t actually match up... the characters act naively, their speech patterns and what they say is quite juvenile, and everything moves way to fast; the whole story happens in a very rushed manner, and it was overall super confusing. However, I feel as though perhaps I was simply not the recommended age group for this read.

The story follows Kaelyn, one of the heirs from a noble family, met Roki, a commoner, from a party in honor of her parents. Through Roki, Kaelyn was able to see what life is outside Nordhaven. How some people still would like to follow old traditions like natural births. How human beings used to do manual works instead of Protectors (robots) doing their jobs. With Roki’s knowledge of the outside world, beyond Decens-Lenitas, Kaelyn started to question everything that was thought to her.

Kaelyn is so in love with Roki that she is willing to defy her parent’s orders of not seeing him again. She believes that anyone should love who they want and do whatever they want. She decided to stay at home during her brother’s homecoming ceremony. The sudden news of death devastated her family with Roki suddenly disappearing from her life.

She decided to build a charity foundation for the “normal” people. There she met Tissa and Nnati. The three of them become the best of friends.

The coronation of a new king and queen happens every forty years where the Crown of Crowns swoops down from the sky and puts the crown on the head of the chosen one. Every heir should be married before the said coronation event.

Due to the present uprising of the Gurnots, a group of rebels who want to overthrow the present system, news of violence and burning activities are spreading across Geniverd Kingdom.

Due to Roki’s absence for over a year and with the reports of unrest happening in the kingdom, Kaelyn decided to date Zawne, one of the princes of the kingdom.

I love how Kaelyn has developed from a naive girl to a strong and selfless ruler. She’s smart, passionate, independent, and kindhearted.

This novel is fast-paced, thrilling, and very engaging. I love the world-building, the backstory of the main characters and the plot is well-developed.

Some questions were left unanswered for me like do Lordin’s evil plans took place and if the Gurnots were able to achieve their goals. I hope that the author can shed some light on this matter.

Overall, I enjoyed reading it and it’s one of those novels that made me glued on until I finish the last page.

If you love romance, sci-fi, mystery, and dystopia themed novel, I would recommend this book to you.

I’m grateful to the publisher and to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this debut novel. I’ll surely check out the future works of Clara Loveman!

I would like to thank #IngramSpark for providing me with an #arc of #CrownofCrowns by #ClaraLoveman via #NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.


Crown of Crowns by Clara Loveman is the first book in her Crown of Crowns series, which is about Kaelyn, a young woman of noble birth, who has hopes of one day being picked by the "Crown of Crowns" to be Queen, and change some of the rules set forth by her kingdoms moral code, for the betterment of the people.


Honesty time. I didn't like this book. High Fantasy books are incredibly difficult to write. I have a vast background in reading both "low" fantasy and "high" fantasy. So I was really hoping Crown of Crowns would be one of the good ones. The description and the cover drew me in initially, but I was left disappointed in the story. There are kernels of a good story here, but it's very erratic. There are a couple time jumps, made unclear to the reader until you get to a sentence mentioning her age, or how long an event you just read about happened. A lot of things went unexplained. Specifically, with Decens-Lenitas, and the kingdom in general. There was virtually no set up, which is ESSENTIAL in a high fantasy book. What are all the specifics of the laws and morals of this kingdom? We know how it affects the people, but without knowing the cause to what is going on, how can the reader be empathetic?


I was hoping to at least connect with the characters in this story, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I found myself more annoyed with the main character than anything. Her young and naive thought processes at the first of the book, at 15 years old, seemed believable, but as she got older, her thought process was still very much like her fifteen year old self. Her bonds with those around her felt non-existent. There was no building up of these characters. Nothing to tie them together. Not even with her main love interest!


Crown of Crowns was a bit of a disappoint for me. The story and characters fell flat, in my opinion. Points are given for a very original, unique plot, but that's about it. If you would like to give it a shot, Preorder links are below, and it comes out August 11th, 2020.

Crown of Crowns
Clara Loveman
Pub Date Aug 11 2020
Romance

Kaelyn is a young woman who in love with roki only that she knows it must not happen she going two become queen one day and her mum and dad forbid the romance they say roki is a lowborn and she must marry into the high clan two protect the people of geniverd The kingdom country is owned by protecters they guard the house she lives in. Roki takes her two the market reenactment day her parents permit the market the people of geniverd set up markets of goods such has fruit vegetables fish stalls clothes home deco kaelyn loved it here she felt alive her roki was full of surprises he knew allot of everything she loved it. she knew it was time for roki two take her back home that night she argued with her mother over roki and her mother wanted her two go two her brother ceremony he passed two become a warrior he done his training kaelyn didn't want two go two the ceremony she wanted two be with roki and she told her mother no her mother said you chose romance over your brother ceremony who going two be annoyed. Kaeyln made her mind up she wasn't going she invited roki round two the house as soon as they all left she was a nice dress for him dressed up well and they'd walk into the garden for hours unto the fish pond they talked about coming king and queen them selves and what it would be liked they'd talked for hours then kaelyn walked him into the bedroom and they kissed she loved that she wanted more of him but then her brother was coming up the stairs panicking in is voice they mother been killed kaelyn fainted couldn't believe what was happening that month was the worst of her life she spent allot of time greeting the people with flowers and cards they left the city was in deeply sorrow she spent that month working on her charity that lording left her before she died she was going two marry zawne but someone killed her now she takes her the charity of helping others. Then her brother get married and it was a beautiful wedding she spent allot of time with her brother after her mother died he wanted her two marry zawne and she except the offer they got engaged and just before the wedding the three weeks she went two shoil were she discovered another universe the crown of crown they granted her queen and king only if zawne expected the offer she was ordered two tell him and he did they both went two shiol most night uphill the wedding. The wedding was amazing then she moved into the place the place was something two die for the only problem she was tired after going two shoil overnight she had two by the crown of crown order. She had two run the city how they wanted it two run in shiol she saw roki and lording there they were min she learnt everything about becoming a min she kew that she ha two die two become a min and she learnt that roki was a sprit and she could see him she was shocked she learnt that a min could take over a human body any time and do talk for them they dount know anything about it.
One night the pope of tori was starting fires and a war would be going ahead they were fighting causing fires in the city and town they weren't happy over the marriage of her and zawne she could wait zawne he was in shiol
The next Moment a disease like a virus flu was sweeping across Geniverd she fought only she could stop the virus she phoned her brother Reid told him the lab wouldn't produced the cure he said I sort it he got hold of the lab but they were no good.She went two the crown of crown for help but they were useless they said maybe lording is behind it she knew the only way she find out was two become a min she knew she had two die and she tole every one she loved then and she was strangled and shot and she was a min she went two lordin she knew she was behind it she wanted power over love she wanted two become queen but wanted the power of it instead she brought on the virus that was killing people she had two tell Reid her brother that lording was behind it he arrested the lab and demanded they gave the cure two them they did and people were saved she felt hero after he know she was a min she new now that her and roki could be together. She apologised two him and fought they could be together and in the end he showed her his kingdom and life he made underwater of geniverd and the crown of crown was retiring and asked them both if they were up for the task of crown of crown kaelyn knew she loved roki and that was that.She loved the fought of being with him for the ext hundreds of years and in charge together. Kaelyn is free now even know she knows the truth about her kingdom of the gurnots and min and shill.

The writing was atmospheric and beautiful and I was drawn in for almost the whole story ! I had a smidge of a hard time settling into the world and the writing but once I was drawn in I was there to stay !

Crown of crowns did something great to me, that doesn't happen all the time : it COMPLETELY drew me in, and had me reading at the speed of sound, leading me to finish it in a little over a day. I had expected to enjoy this book, but not that much !

Sure, some things aren't perfect. I didn't like the way the characters are all so overly in love with their SO ; I was disappointed to see Kaelyn's friend are basically tools, with a tiny bit of a personnality, but honestly, those little things didn't matter much to me in the end.

The first thing that I liked in the book is how it kind of is a dystopia, without really showing it too much. I love dystopias, and when they're well written like this, it's even better.
The world-building is crucial in a book, and here I got a great world, a great environment, divided in several parts.

The story follows Kaelyn, daughter of a noble family, who never really fit in the lifestyle that was imposed to her. She dates Roki, common man, until her parents force her to stop seeing him. From then on, everything goes downhill for Kaelyn. Death follows, Roki disappears, and a rebellion is brewing among the people.

I loved reading about Kaelyn developping herself, following her instincts instead of accepting the dogma of nobility. She tries to do what's best for everyone, while remaining utterly obsessed with Roki even though he has been gone for years. The only thing I thought was a shame about her is the way she treats her friends ! She calls them at all hours of the day, asks them for something, and that's it. She NEVER is a supportive friend for Nnatti and Tissa, no matter that they just keep on giving and giving to her. Poor friends ! I would have loved to see a more healthy relationship between them.

Still, the pace of the book and all the events unraveling through it got me all excited and fascinated me enought to keep me glued to the pages. I also enjoyed the fact that I didn't see half the plot twists coming. I like being surprised like this when I read, and Crown of Crowns delivered. It's a debut book, but I have a feeling it's definitely not the last we'll hear from Clara Loveman.

The story is told about Kaelyn, a princess who didn't know anything of her kingdom. Also introduced into the story is Roki, a guy who isn't supposed to be with a girl like Kalyn. Against her parent's Kaelyn sneaks out with Roki and explores the kingdom. The romance is kept light in this book, even if the beginning seemed to imply more, but it was a very fascinating tale and an enjoyable read.