Review of: Night of Masks and Knives (Broken Kingdoms book 4) by L.J. Andrews

 Night of Masks and Knives (Broken Kingdoms book 4) by L.J. Andrews

Blurb

Wicked men stole the boy she loved. But when she found him again, he'd become more wicked than them all.

Malin Strom has been searching for Kase, her childhood sweetheart, since he was lost at the annual masquerade years ago.

With her gift for stealing memories, Malin crosses more than one dangerous line to take secrets from those who know what goes on behind the curtain of the wicked festival.

But when her brother is traded into the masquerade as punishment for using magic to hide Malin’s gift, her only chance to save him is to enlist the services of a brutal crook—the Nightrender—and he bears a striking resemblance to a face from the past.

No longer the boy she knew, her lost love, Kase, now rules as the amoral leader of brutal thieves. Pulled into his world of tricks and schemes, tantalizing attraction returns, but so do the secrets behind Kase’s disappearance, and the masquerade.

When their plan to save Malin’s brother takes them back to the dangers of the festival, painful betrayal forces Malin to face a cruel choice: save her brother’s life? Or give up the thief who has always held her heart.

Filled with luscious world building, spicy romance, and epic battles, this first book in the Eastern Kingdom is part Viking, part fairy tale retelling.

Rating and Review

Overall Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Review:

(keep in mind, this was written around May 29th)

Background:

I liked the first three books in this series, so I was really hoping to like the next three books as well. I liked the idea of putting a spin on Cinderella. Suffice to say, I think I had my expectations a little too high... I liked this book. I just thought this book was going to be much like the first three books, if not better.

What I Didn't Like:

• This book was boring compared to the first three books.
• I had to skip a lot of paragraphs and/or pages because the writing was really boring.
• All of a sudden, Kase switched his feelings. That came out of nowhere.
• There was a reveal towards the end. That reveal made some of the earlier parts not make much sense.
• The constant talk of cheating 😭 What was that for???
• The writing was kind of mid/boring, which was strange. I enjoyed the writing in the first three books, if I remember correctly.
• Towards the end, we learn of another Alver, whose powers are the opposite of Kase's. That character uses hope to their advantage, similar to how Kase uses fear. I found this repetitive because in the last three books, Valen and his brother Sol were the same way—they were opposites with opposite powers.

What I Liked:

As always, there are always a few things I still liked.

• I finished this book quickly.
• The different powers each Alver has. Some are medics; others can taste lies. Malin and Kase are unique Alvers.
• The reveal at the end. Instead of sending Malin to the palace dungeons, Kase sent himself.

Final Thoughts:

It wasn’t an awful story, and I’m definitely going to read the next book. But I will say that some things didn’t make much sense to me. There were a lot of mentions of cheating that were unnecessary and not funny. And the writing was boring. I skipped lots of paragraphs and/or pages. But, like I said, I will definitely be continuing the series! I hope the next books are better. 🤞🏾

Thank you for Reading!

Thank you for reading my review! I love you so much, and I hope you stick around for future posts about the other books I've read and will read.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments! Also, let me know of any romance novels or fantasy romance novels you think I should read! I'd love to review them.

Link to Night of Masks and Knives by L.J. Andrews on Amazon: Night of Masks and Knives: Andrews, Lj: 9798989893652: Amazon.com: Books

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