The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: The Betrothed

Series: The Betrothed #1

Author: Kiera Cass

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review:

When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled. After all, she’s grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king’s attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true.

But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine. – summary from Goodreads

The ending saved this book.

I completely slogged through this book, cringing and frustrated with just about everything. Then the last fifty pages really packed a punch. They were emotional and hard hitting, really making me more invested with the story.

The main character, Hollis, fell flat for the majority of the book. She is engaged to King Jameson, and I really can’t figure out why. She wasn’t being completely forced by her parents, and it didn’t seem like she wanted to marry Jameson to do anything great or make a big difference. She really just seemed excited to become queen and get jewels and new rooms.

She didn’t really have a relationship with Jameson or anyone else. I will say that as the story went on, I liked Jameson less and less. I think Kiera tried to develop a complex relationship between Hollis and Delia Grace, but it felt a little flat to me.

The Eastoffes’ are a whole other ballgame. I was really intrigued by them, especially during the last fifty or so pages. They are a tight knit group, and are nobles that have left their country, seeking a home in the neighboring kingdom. I wish the book had focused a little bit more on these characters.

Silas and Hollis’ relationship didn’t spark any feelings, except for maybe disdain, for me. I mean they barely knew each other before they fell in love. I mean come on. I can understand attraction and curiosity at first sight but not love. The Siren did love at first sight nicely, but this book did not. They barely interacted with each other before proclaiming love and (spoiler) running away together. Because of this I couldn’t really support them. I’m sure I would have, if they had been developed more.

I love political drama in books, especially if it’s royalty. This book had a little political drama, but I think it could have been done much better. I did enjoy Valentina and liked the parallels between her and Hollis.

I know Etan is an important character in the next book, so I will talk about him really quickly. He wasn’t in this book too much, but I did like him. He was abrasive and surly, maybe a little blunt and mean to Hollis, but I still liked him.

Again, the ending was really good. It totally saved this book in my eyes. There was more emotion, and I felt drawn in. I also felt more connected to the characters and more concerned with what was happening to them. I will warn you that it was sad.

The Betrothed had a slow start, with an unrealistic romance and an unappealing main character. All of the characters showed potential, and the ending of the book makes you excited for more.

Quotes:

“I just needed you to know that, even though I don’t feel you, I’m going to remember you. And if I one day find the will to love again, I will only know if it’s love… because you taught me what that was. Before you, every glimpse I’d seen of it was a lie. And I didn’t know that until you came into that room, holding a golden sword, silent and proud.

“You took me without a single word. I don’t know if I ever told you. I was yours from the very start. From the second our eyes met, I was lost for you. And you promised to love me without condition, and you did. Thank you so much, Silas. Thank you.”