A warrior princess trained in isolation, Lara is driven by two certainties. The first is that King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom is her enemy. And the second is that she’ll be the one to bring him to his knees.
The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara’s homeland. So when she’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.
Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she’s the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save… and which kingdom she’ll destroy.
Passionate and violent, The Bridge Kingdom is a seductive fantasy perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.
“Ithicana would pay for its crimes against her people, and by the time she was through with its king, he’d do more than bend. He’d bleed.“
– The Bridge Kingdom, Pg. 17
Holy heck! That was freaken fantastic. It is absolutely treacherous. So many twists, turns, and even though you think you know what’s coming, it is still heart wrenching. The Bridge Kingdom starts out ruthless and cold. Then, reaching Ithicana, it broke to more lightness but not without a lot of hardship.
“This man might be a hunter. But he was mistaken if he believed she was prey.“
– The Bridge Kingdom, Pg. 42
Lara is basically a wolf in hiding for most of the story. She is so fierce and when we finally get to see her use her full potential it is glorious. Besides her, I adored Aren’s character arc as well. Going into the story I expected some cold unweilding brute, however he really surprised me. I appreciated that he did not immediately hate Lara and gave her the benefit of the doubt. Also, that their relationship was like a slow burn and not some instant fiery crash. Plus, Aren is so gosh darn book boyfriend worthy… just UNF. I’ll take ten of him, thank you!
Danielle L. Jensen also did a fantastic job of weaving both alternating viewpoints seamlessly. Some times alternating view points can take away from the story line, but Aren and Lara’s wove perfectly together. More so, the world building is something else. Seeing the different kingdoms and the rough seas made my life. What a tough life to constantly have to defend where you live and travel by boat every turn of the season.
Absolutely tremendous opening to what I’m sure will be a fantastic series. I cannot wait to dive into The Traitor Queen.
Jotted by Jena 