The Curse of Shadows and Thorns is a symbolic representation of a malevolent curse. While this specific term may not be widely recognized, the idea is universal. Curses, hexes, and enchantments have existed in cultures worldwide, often embodying the darker side of human belief in the supernatural.

In addition to the strange fascination with war, Elise is portrayed as being somehow better than her fellow Timorans for believing that Ettans should be equal. I ADORE this sequel as much as I loved Curse of Shadows and Thorns!! This time around we get a dual POV and I loved how it's done here. This way we get a little bit into what's going on in Valen and Elise's minds and why they're acting the way they are. This way I didn't feel angry or annoyed at either one for making dumb decisions. I got to see the why behind their decision making. They're both trying to deal with all the craziness that is the end of book 1! I loved how authentic both their points of views felt while dealing with everything. Superb writing! Ohh and the steam level went up a little in this book and it was fabulous and so well done!!! The plot was very predictable but it didn’t distract from the fact that I was enjoying reading the story. There is a reason I read books with the same tropes constantly, so it’s almost expected on some level I know what is going to happen. I wonder what my boss would do knowing that I had my phone propped up against my water bottle, hiding beneath my computer screens, just so I could finish this book during work hours before I made myself go insane because I was far too eager to know the ending. Mucho tiempo atrás, los antepasados de Elise le arrebataron la corona al rey de las hadas; ahora, ella, como sobrina del actual rey, debe asegurar que su familia mantenga el trono, lo que significa casarse con quien le indiquen, mientras que ella prefiere escaparse a garitos de juego con los criados. Sin embargo, debe ceder si quiere salvar a su padre moribundo, así que se pone en manos del atractivo Legion Grey, su negociador matrimonial, por el que no puede evitar sentirse atraída. Pronto, se dará cuenta de que todo está a punto de cambiar, de que Legion esconde secretos que desconoce él mismo, y que los ponen a todos en peligro...This wasn’t a bad read. I’m in no way upset that I took the time to read this. This was very basic, nothing grandiose and there’s nothing wrong with that. The ways in which the alt right do this are not bound by historical accuracy by any means, but designed to push an agenda. This also seems to be the case in this novel. Vikings would definitely have slaves, but historically these slaves would more than likely have been from the British Isles or from Finland, or other neighbouring countries. Ettans, on the other hand, are described explicitly as dark skinned. As secrets of Castle Ravenspire come to light, Elise and Valen discover their enemies hold more power than they ever imagined.

The soft attempt of a Love Triangle was almost there and as much as I don’t really like Love Triangles it would have added a little more angst to an already drawn out plot that might have given it that little extra thing it needed to not feel boring. l absolutely loved reading this book! It's full of plot twists and cliff hangers that left me unable to put the book down once I got to the halfway point. The characters are generally witty, intriguing and their dialogue and interactions with eachother were generally very captivating. The plot was a little bit predictable but I was caught off guard a few times as well. The world building was very unique and interesting and the author did a very good job of describing the scenes in the story in a way that was completely immersive and left me able to invision the setting as though I was there with the MC. The love story between the FMC and her love interest was everything I look for in a fantasy romance. Morally grey mysterious love interest meets stubborn rebellious and undeniably good love interest. Forced proximity. Enemies to Lovers. Forbidden love. High stakes romance. *chef's kiss*Fulfilling a dangerous request from Valen’s imprisoned brother. Destroying a prophecy of fate kept in the hands of Elise's brutal sister. And an unwilling alliance with a shadowed thief from a neighboring kingdom that might end in victory or more death. Since I read The Ever King the other day I was intrigued by the story of Livia’s parents. So I began their trilogy. The ending was surprising! I love it when books suprise me like this and have a lot it things that you didn’t see coming.

But for Elise and Valen this fight could be their hard-fought salvation…or a vicious end to everything they love. When her uncle holds the life of her deathly ill father over her head, reluctantly, Elise puts her fate into the hands of Legion Grey, the handsome and mysterious dowry negotiator. He may be arrogant and infuriating, but soon Legion incites a blistering, forbidden passion she can’t ignore. His hair was paler like Timorans, my people. But his skin and eyes glimmered with the unique dark shade of Ettans, the people mine enslaved during the raids.” Trapped By Her Sense Of Duty, Elise Is Given To The Charge Of Legion Grey, The Handsome And Mysterious Dowry Negotiator. But Legion Holds More Than Her Future In His Hands. He Incites Her Anger And A Forbidden Passion.The H Is A Bit Naive At Times, But The Author Wrote Her True To Her Age Of About 20. Too Often Authors Write Young Characters That Are Extremely Competent In The Aspects Of There Journey. This Time You Can See The Struggle Of Her Daily Life, And The Burdens Of The Princess Title. She Slowly Grows Into Her Own Voice. Well this book got me out of my book slump. It is so well written and the characters are just perfection. I will say that the FMC does make some really dumb decisions BUT She does them in a way that you can relate to As a younger coming of age adult. Characters are fleshed out well! I wanted to hit Mattis over the head a few times. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed Ari. I thought I was going to hate him but I enjoyed his clever mind and witty banter. Halvar is one of my absolute favorite characters!! He's just so funny and endearing! The world building and battle scenes are epic! I saw it, I felt it, I loved it all! I definitely got more Vikings vibes out of this book than the first and I'm here for it! I felt the pacing was really well done in this book and I couldn't put it down! Another book I read all in 1 sitting!! The plot remains too predictable even for my taste of reading the same tropes over and over, that it almost feels childish how predictable the “twist” was. And while this story is interesting (and the audio good enough), I’m not yet sold on this series nor the author’s talent of storytelling. It was a bit slow going tbh. Of course, with me having read the spin-off first, the big plot twist came as no surprise to me but I tried to not let it influence my judgement.

I did read the descriptions of some later books in the series after reading this first book. If you're hesitanting to start reading because you're intimidated by 9 books, it looks like books 4-6 and 7-9 follow their own storylines that are just connected to the kingdom in books 1-3. So, different main characters in those ones. Trapped by her sense of duty, Elise is given to the charge of Legion Grey, the handsome and mysterious dowry negotiator. But Legion holds more than her future in his hands. He incites her anger and a forbidden passion. The world LJ has created for The Broken Kingdoms series is also truly taking shape in this book. The questions I had after book one were answered. We were given some delicious plot twists, and although I have to wait a few more hours to get home again, I'm already extremely excited to start the next book in this series.The book was, again, quite good, I LOVE the characters, seriously, I really like them and their relationships, their development, I am sure i will miss them, after finishing book three. The notion of a curse can be a psychological burden, leading individuals to attribute their difficulties to external, supernatural forces. This belief can be detrimental, as it may lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the fear of being cursed influences one’s actions and choices, potentially creating a cycle of negativity. Understanding Psychological Factors: Before attributing misfortunes to a curse, it is crucial to consider psychological and environmental factors that might contribute to the challenges one is facing. Stress, anxiety, and negative thought patterns can create a perception of being cursed. When A Coup Upends The Kingdom, Elise Flees With Legion, Only To Discover He Holds More Secrets Than Anyone. Unknowingly, Elise Sets In Motion A Beastly Curse Legion Has Endured As Long As He Can Remember.