Splintered Kingdom by. Gretchen Powell Fox | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Splintered Kingdom (Shattered Crown, #2)

Author: Gretchen Powell Fox

Pages: 556

Format: ebook

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series

Publisher: Hopewell Media

Thank you to Hopewell Media for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Tame her wild. Fan his flame.

A Burgeoning Peace

Two realms sit on the edge—not only of the physical chasms that divide them, but of the fragile truce forged between Arcanians and humans in the wake of the Arcane Crucible.

A Shadow Unleashed

Elyria Lightbreaker may have survived the Celestial Sanctum, but she remains haunted by all that occurred, all that she did, within. Determined to reclaim the Crown of Concord and unmask the dark sorcerer behind its theft, she must master her own inner darkness if she’s to survive the journey ahead—and untangle the dangerous feelings pulling her toward Cedric.

A Victor Unmoored

Cedric Thorne sacrificed everything to conquer the trials. Now, burdened by a power he cannot control and truths he refuses to face, he finds himself in a kingdom splintering beneath the surface—and bound to Elyria by something he cannot, will not, sever. But some secrets are meant to stay buried, and uncovering them could be the key to lasting peace . . . or the spark that ends it.

A Bond Reforged

As twin victors of the Crucible, Elyria and Cedric soon learn there are many roles they must play in the pursuit of a new Arcanis. With enemies lurking in plain sight, they will have to fight with a whole new array of weapons, all the while trying to understand the bond that thrums between them: reforged, rekindled, renewed.

Now the real game begins.

Content Warning: violence

+ Okay I enjoyed book one Smoke & Scar, and I requested book three, not having book two yet so I picked it up this weekend and could not put it down.

+ The trials are over and Elyria and Cedric are co-victors and in the spotlight. Cedric is back home but he cannot get Elyria out of his mind. Elyria and her delegation heads to the human kingdom to ask for help so she can hunt down an evil sorcerer and find the other half of the crown. So when their paths cross, it’s a challenge for them to keep their hands off each other but it’s hard because of the bond between them. This story is mostly set in the human kingdom and I liked learning about it. We also get to know Cedric’s background and the people he cares about. And I love Elyria and her group too.

+ My favorite thing about this story is the romance which gets so much time to develop! Cedric is such a bleeding heart and he’s so good and honorable – I love when Elyria gets under her skin and it’s so cute when she teases him. There are challenges between them like her wanting to run away from her feelings and him not knowing how to express his feelings correctly but I absolutely love them together! They have an epic romance!

+~ I love how this story had humor, suspense, found family, yearning and romance. There was a point at the end where I did think it was getting too long because though I love the romance, it was a big focus and I think the hunt for Melchior got pushed to the back burner which was a silly delay due to the human king and his advisor. But then the action kicked in and a twist in the story which got me into it again.

Final Thoughts:

This was an amazing sequel and I am in love with Cedric and Elyria. I love the found family, the romance and yearning! I’m excited to see what happens next.

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