A King so Cold (Royals, #1) (2024)

📚 "𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭." 📚

Whenever I read a fantasy book, there are two options – either I really don't like it, or it's a one I can't forget. 💥
And this book? Heck, it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING - fantasy at its best! 🎉❤👏

Ella Fields is truly a talented author, and this book is another proof of that! 👑
She managed to create such a realistic world that I felt in every word that every part was written with lots of thought and planning - so it's no wonder it took her so long to finish writing this book... 🔥

📚 “𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.” 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞. “𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐝.” 📚

Princess Audra of the Moon kingdom was promised to wed Raiden, the Sun kingdom's Prince to unite their kingdoms... but what started as a marriage of convenience, became so much more... until she experienced a painful betrayal. Ans so, the rebellious princess became a ruthless cold queen and the treacherous prince was sent to exile as punishment. ❄🔥

After the king's death, Princess Audra is ruling the kingdom by herself, until she finds out that her treacherous husband is about to marry another woman... and she goes out for revenge. 💥💥💥

In a world of fairies, witches, magic and mythical creatures - Audra goes to seek revenge and faces a war - not only within her heart, but also within her kingdom - and remembers that she's not completely alone... and that once upon a time, she had a heart, that wasn't so cold. ❄
This is a story about love, loss, lies, heartbreak, redemption, sacrifice and... romance.
SO MUCH ROMANCE, DAMN IT! ❤😭

📚 “𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.” 📚

I knew from the first page that this book was going to be different from Ella's previous books. It was hard to believe that this is her first fantasy book - but she nailed it, big time! 💪
I got lost in a magical world that I didn't want to leave... ❤

So if you love fantasy, get ready for a crazy ride!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT!!! ❄🔥

*** 𝕀 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕖𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕟 𝔸ℝℂ 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕒𝕟 𝕙𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 ***

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📖 ᖴOᒪᒪOᗯ ᗰE Oᑎ IᑎᔕTᗩGᖇᗩᗰ: https://www.instagram.com/the_romanti...

📖 ᐯIᔕIT ᗰY ᗷᒪOG ᖴOᖇ ᗰOᖇE ᖇEᐯIEᗯᔕ: https://books-romance.com/

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💕 לקריאת הסקירה בעברית, כנסו לבלוג:
https://books-romance.com/ 💕

ALL the spoilers below! (And quick safety at the very bottom)

Okay, well I honestly don't think I have ever been so confused on my feelings for a book before. On one hand there was amazing world building, and I loved the Maleficent vibes the heroine brought to it. I also couldn't stop reading no matter how many times I wanted to throw my kindle when these characters would do stupid stuff.

On the other hand, these characters did A LOT of stupid things, and it was OP drama galore. I knew there would be OW/OM drama because Ella loves that in her books, but then I also didn't know it was a love triangle, so we had double the amount of OW drama. And for people looking for safety, I probably wouldn't say this is safe, it has a lot of grey areas a lot of people will not be comfortable with. So this will be a long AF review with major spoilers for mainly the OP drama and love triangle because those are what bothered me most and I just need to rant it out. Also, hopefully I'm making sense at least half the time lol.

First off, the first 30% of this book is super slow. I definitely had to keep pushing myself to read, but after the start and getting all the information overload out of the way, it actually got pretty good, and I thought this book would for sure be a 4 star for me, minus the one for starting really slow. I loved how the hero and her were already technically in a relationship together and I was really liking their dynamic, it was my favorite part of the book.

I loved the heroine, or anti-heroine, for start. She was amazing about 80% of the book. She wasn't afraid to show her dark side or get revenge, and she didn't have that soft of a heart, due to her father and her messed up childhood, so you had to sympathize with her, but I loved how she used it all to her advantage. What really brought on the Maleficent vibes was how she was this badass female that had been wronged by someone she loved which was her husband, Raiden, in this case. I love how much thought she put into her style, or how she would mock people with that laugh like Maleficent is so known for, and I was living for it. People knew not to mess with her because she wasn't afraid to fight back or use her powers on the people who do even the smallest wrong to her. She was honestly becoming one of my favorite heroines until about 80% which I will get into later.

So the book starts with her in a kind of fck buddy relationship with Zadicus, who is this closed off lord dude who has a dead wife. He's more like a consort to her and has always been there for her even when she didn't know it, and I loved him for it. He also brought out the dark or "Queen" side of her, which was the best. But then she finds out her husband is getting married, when he should be in exile with no memories due to betraying her on her wedding day. She goes and captures him and his betrothed and puts them in her prison instead of killing them, which brings a damper on her and Zad's relationship because you can tell she still loves her husband. She tells her husband, Raiden, highlights of how they met and how they fell in love so he could remember and truly find out why he betrayed her, and these were all told in flashback form so there was quite a lot of them and maybe too many. But they were actually quite a bit sad knowing how betrayed the heroine felt when you can tell she truly loved him, and how he was the first person to really love her.

So now I'm in love with Zadicus and Raiden, but I also still wanted her to be more with Zad because of how he has always been there for her and I totally felt the unrequited love thing. He had linked her when she was only 14 and he was supposed to marry her but was still way older than her, then Raiden came into the picture and she never noticed Zad ever, so he had to sit back and watch his soul mate, pretty much fall in love and get married.

I'm going to skip some of the middle which was my favorite part, but it was pretty emotional with all the flashbacks and the revelation of what had actually happened with the betrayal (nothing with cheating) between her husband and her. Then there is more of her growing closer to Zadicus, finally, because all he wanted was her and he was just simply amazing.

The last quarter of the book is where it started going downhill for me, and I automatically took a star off because of the nonstop OW drama, and none of the characters were loyal. So we find out her husband wasn't actually getting married, but him and his "fiance", which surprise surprise ends up being Zadicus' dead wife who is back from the dead. The marriage was a scam to get the heroine to capture them and bring them out of exile so they both could get back to their spouses. So pretty much the whole time Raiden was saying a lot of horrible stuff to the heroine pretending he doesn't remember her, he had already gotten his memories back, so he was "acting", although what he said to her was pretty messed up. And then, when he gets home after escaping, we find out he has a harem there and one of the women there he was supposed to get married to and rule the kingdom with after he betrays the heroine and the king. Though we find out he later changed his mind and just wanted to kill the king because he fell in love with the heroine, but the point was he still had every intention of betraying and killing her and marrying someone else before, which that woman causes some drama, and he never truly broke it off with her even though he was with the heroine. The husband has actually been celibate since meeting the heroine, but pretty quickly starts making out with the OW, then doing stuff with her later on.

So meanwhile Zad and the heroine are together pretty much, but then the wife comes back. Well his wife is actually a life long friend of his and his other friends, so pretty much they all hate the heroine and love the heroine's misery, except Zadicus, though he never really defends her. Then the wife says the heroine tortured her, which she barely did, even though Zadicus wanted her dead before he knew it was his wife. So he pretty much turns on the heroine, telling her she needs to leave and avoids her, even though his wife had left him and he's linked to the heroine. So here I am getting pretty pissed because I had loved him and he picked his wife that he has been separated from for like 16 years, over the heroine that he loved.

The heroine goes home, after having been betrayed the SECOND time, after it took her so long to open her heart again, and I felt super bad for her. On the way home, her husband tells her he kidnapped her witch so she has to go get her, which he does because he "misses" her and wants to work on their marriage. But instead of groveling or anything, she has the OW thrown in her face nonstop while Raiden barely does anything. Then to "punish" the heroine and the OW, he whips the OW, she gets off on pain, under the room right beneath the heroine, and makes her come several times, that the heroine has the pleasure of hearing. Like WTF is this book turning into? But it's all fine because he never actually has sex with her, barf. And at this point I'm even more pissed because I'm hating BOTH of the heros. Then she is thrown into this sex party that Raiden and his OW always throws, and then right after she tries to have sex with him, I think he may have went down on her or something, I can't remember, but she stops because she remembers how she feels about Zad. Her friend ends up getting raped and beaten when Raiden was supposed to be taking care of her, and she's pissed so they go home.

At home, Zad goes back to her, and I feel like she shut down a bit because of everything, but she still loves Zad and has sex with him. They get into a bit of an argument and makes the decision for him that he needs to go back to his wife and she needs to work on her relationship with Raiden, because they need peace between the Kingdoms. So around 80%ish Raiden comes, who I hate now, and they try to work on their marriage a bit, and they just start having sex, he penetrates her, but then she realizes she can't go any further. Me, over here, getting more mad, because though I didn't mind the first time, you're freaking linked to Zad, who still wanted to be with her, and you still have sex with Raiden, who has nonstop betrayed you? Even though I'm mad at Zad, he is still way better. Anyways, they try to work on their relationship for the public and peace. They throw a ball, Zad is there with his wife, even though he asked for a divorce, but he finds out they had sex and calls her rotten then leaves her. Then Raiden finds out Zad and her are linked, and she finds him having sex with the OW in the hallway in her home.

Later, she finds out Zad is getting a divorce, and she tries apologizing but he's done with her because she keeps choosing her husband over him. Then some more stuff happens with the storyline, they eventually get back together, and then the real kicker comes in the epilogue. So Zad and the heroine stay together as a couple, but that's it, because dun dun dun, the heroine and Raiden STAY MARRIED. They only act like a couple on the outside to their kingdom, though Raiden still tries for more. But now her and Zad are officially together, though he can only have the title as her lover because she's still married. I HATED this. I understand maybe they have to stay married only for awhile and then a divorce, but there is no mention they have any intention to do that. Like WHY? What about when they need a heir?? Which they will!

Ugh, this book annoyed me so much. I don't understand why Ella made this book so good the first 65% just to go and screw it up and make every character unlikeable with the nonstop OTT OP drama. Zad thankfully wasn't a manwhor*, but then we get him choosing his wife over his soulmate, then freaking Raiden turns out to be a douche, and the heroine had her head up her ass the last quarter of the book. She was such a great heroine, but she so easily let them all betray her in the end and forgave them too fast, and I felt like she had to take so much crap because of who her father was, and never got to come out on top. At the end, I just wanted her to kill both the guys or make them suffer and rule the kingdom herself without any man. Like why have this awesome heroine most of the book who has no problem getting revenge, to just roll over and submit when she knows she won't be happy. When did she become so weak? Why did she stop fighting for herself? She knew these people have only lied and betrayed her, and she does nothing to them.

We had this fantastic love story between them all at first, and then OW drama and the disloyalty ruined it for me. What happened with the love between any of the characters? Why did we get so many flashbacks of Raiden and how sweet they were, just for him to turn out the way he did and became oh so terribly selfish in the end? And even though I would rather her be with Zad, I still never fully forgave him for picking his wife over her. Ugh this book made me so mad.

Anyways, I will just stop here because i can probably go on and on. So overall, I enjoyed most of the story, but the last 30% sucked and made me mad, but it was still a page turner for me so I won't go any lower than 2 Stars. I will probably read the next book, just to see any mentions of whatever happens between these three in the future, so hopefully it's not terrible.

Quick safety overview: heroine and husband never cheat on each other before the betrayal, but they both have sex with other people after, and are still married. Hero wasn't a manwhor*, and no mentions of him with OW or with wife when separated from heroine. Heroine does technically cheat on the Hero twice, around 70% and 80%, though the first time was fine with me🤷

4.5

Ella Fields + Fantasy = A MUST f*ckING READ!

I read everything Ella puts out without fail, because she can bring emotions out of me like no other! Before I go into one of her books, I brace myself for impact. I'm not saying her books just make me cry. No! Her books make me feel every emotion imaginable! I'll be outraged, devastated, happy, laughing, and turned on sometimes in the same chapter. She has the ability to rip out my heart, stomp on my soul, and make me feel like I need to thank her for the abuse. Writing like that is something that should not be missed, so I make sure I never do!

A King So Cold is a completely different subgenre than we usually get from this unicorn. It's fantasy romance, and since fantasy is one of my favorite genres, I couldn't have been more excited to hear the news! If you want to know if I enjoyed this book as much as everything else I've read by this author, the answer is YES!

The storyline is surprising and intriguing. The characters are complex and interesting. The romance is angsty, complicated, and beautiful, and the writing is exquisite. I love everything about this book!

I won't be discussing the plot, because there is A LOT that could easily be spoiled if I do. I recommend going into this one blind. Just know that everything you love about Ella Fields is still present in this novel. Her writing shines in the same way it always does. The story f*cks with your head and your heart, and the hero and the heroine make you want to kiss them and beat them in the head with a shovel depending on what point in the story you've reached. It's unlike any other fantasy romance I've read, and I can't recommend it enough!

It's also one of the only books I've been able to get through since quarantine began. If that isn't a compliment, I don't know what is! Fantasy romance fans, this one's for you!

I have so many feelings right now, but the thing that stands front and center is THIS IS EVERYTHING I WANT IN A BOOK. It's passionate, it's wicked, it's wild, it's sexy, it's intense, it's fast-paced, and heart-stopping and magical and creative and just DOWN RIGHT ADDICTING. I read this in one day. I don't know how many pages it is (it's long), but I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. It held me captive, stole my heart, and I have the BIGGEST book hangover. I honestly feel like I lived a life inside this book. I lost track of time, of the world, of everything, it was that immersive, and now I'm back in the real world and ALL I want to do is DIVE back inside A King So Cold with Audra, Zad, and Raiden.

It's such an intoxicating read, the first book in a new fantasy series from Ella Fields, and pure perfection. Queen Audra is a complicated character but she embraces her challenges, her wickedness, her brokenness. She uses it to seek retribution for the betrayal she endured at the hands of her husband--The King--and she is one of the most captivating heroines I have ever read. An anti-heroine, Audra is full of fierce assertiveness and strength, and you can't help but feel and understand and connect with her.

I absolutely loved the way Ella Fields wove this story together. It's vivid and visceral. Audra's dynamic with Lord Zad and King Raiden comes to life in a twisty, dark, compelling, and complex way! These are some of the most enchanting and extraordinary characters I've read in a long time. They're flawed, very very very flawed, and frustrating, yet so wholly lovable. Their story is FULL of twists and turns, of magic and sex, of betrayal and lies, of loss and love, and it is EVERYTHING.

I completely lost myself in their chaos, in their heartbreak, in their darkness. It's an angsty read, there's a scene or two that's tough for sensitive readers, but it is one of the most UNFORGETTABLE, most UNPUTDOWNABLE reads of the year. It's pure MAGIC and PASSION, and I SIX STAR loved every moment. I cannot wait for more in this series. I AM SO READY FOR IT.

PS: If you loved From Blood and Ash from Jennifer Armentrout, you will LOVE A King So Cold. These books are two completely different reads, but they give those same all consuming, I-am-living-and-loving-this, reading-the-BEST-BOOK-ever, FEELS!!! Two of my most FAVORITE reads this year.

REVIEW: 1 HEARTBROKEN STARS
"You are a beautiful fool, my queen."

VERY Unpopular opinion and apparently, not a smart one to have. It pains me to even write this review, but for a story that I should have loved, I just didn't.

Let me preface this entire review with this disclaimer: Ella Fields is in my TOP 5 FAVORITE AUTHORS. I love her angst. Her world building. Her triangles. Her men. Her descriptions. Everything about the way she tells me a story and leads me on a path of discovery and a journey for an epic love is well within her wheelhouse. She works for me on all levels and I have never ever walked away from a book without a smile on my face and the excitement of screaming about the book and gifting out copies. Ella's writing is always so detailed and always inspires a mental image that I can grab ahold of and "see" the story as it plays out.

Well, that was until this one. I am heartbroken and completely upset at how this whole thing played out. I tried to DNF three times but I was promised it would get better. I was told I would stop being confused as I got farther in, that I would be able to settle in. That I would love the story. I heard it all. This had all the makings for an amazing read, but it just didn't turn out that way.

I feel like I was thrown into the middle of a movie without context, growth, commitment, or understanding. Literally, MID-SCENE into the story. Immediately upon opening the book, mind you - I was completely lost. There wasn't any background to hold onto so I felt like I was grasping for information from the get go to catch up with each scene that presented itself. No set up. No lead in. No info dump. Nothing but me being lost in the middle of nowhere without a map. It was so frustrating and didn't provide a good start or a good experience for me.

"Love is nothing but a drug that will trick your heart for access to your soul."

To set myself straight, I went to one of my best book friends who is always reading fantasy. My first question was to find out if perhaps I was mistaken. Maybe it was supposed to be a new world full of intrigue and mystique. Oh, it was? Great!! Because that is exactly what I assumed and I got that in spades. But then as I started to explain why I was so confused and couldn't get my feet under me, there was a better understanding of what was missing. There was a massive lack of any knowledge to hold onto. So much so that it didn't make sense for the first maybe 45% of the book. Again, I'm not claiming I'm the fantasy reading expert, because we all know I'm not - I have only read two, counting this one. But one thing I did know for certain was that there was supposed to be an introduction to this world. A background and a set up, an explanation and a bit of a word growth. I didn't get any of that. Now, that's not to say that I didn't catch on, because I did eventually catch on. But I shouldn't have had to "catch on" without context from the get-go, so I think the execution of this one didn't work for me.

On one hand, this was so long and so wordy, I kept tripping on the sentences. On the other, I needed to find out what was happening and how it was going to finish out. True testament to her abilities to suck me in to a story... but why did I struggle so much? That’s what has me baffled. I had to work to stay engaged, which is most definitely not the norm with her books for me. It was also not the quality I'm used to, and the style in which this was told was distracting in and of itself.

I had to stop and think and remind myself that this was her first fantasy book. I saw what she was trying to tell me. I got the story. I

"Rumors are but false ribbons of truth braided into patterns to suit the weaver."

The title was one the biggest head shakes for me. I love figuring out what her titles mean and how they work their way into a story - again, she is brilliant with the use of her words. This wasn't HIS story, this was HER story and so I feel like the original title of A Queen So Cruel would have fit so much better. We didn't get to really see the "cold" side of Raiden, so the title made absolutely zero sense to me. Like, not one bit of sense. This was all her. All cold and bitter Queen Audra.

Needless to say, it might just be me. Ella's so good with her characterizations and she has this ability to masterfully create a world and existence and tell a story with such vivid words - but for some reason, I struggled to even stay engaged and connected with this one. Granted, this is only my second fantasy book I’ve ever read, so I don’t have a lot to work with, but I struggled immensely with this one. Even with it being a different genre, the basic building blocks of a book's foundation shouldn't be that different. I will say this much though, she had some amazing quotable lines in this story.

I can’t say I wasn’t thoroughly confused with the word dancing she did, but I can’t say that I understood everything either. I read and reread passages because they made no sense. I think I enjoyed approximately 20% of this book. It would pick up, falter.... get confusing, give me a smile, and then back to ‘WTF’ moments. She led into things without context - only leading to more confusion. Confusion eventually gave way to a story unfurling - no doubt she’s a prowess with her words, obviously. I can't deny her mastery of words. This time, her writing just.....wasn't for me. Her word placement left me wondering more than discovering, but in the end I found myself putting the puzzle pieces together. I just didn't like being confused for that long in a story. I'm not an idiot. I'm not a surface reader. I am not dumb. I read heavy. I read deep. I soak in every story I read so I know everything that is going on. I think this is why I am so mad about this one....

This was a highly anticipated book for me; one of my most anticipated - nothing like one of your favorite authors writing a genre you want to get into. I feel very let down and ultimately confused. I'm sure I missed so many clues and so many references in this book because I was too busy trying to figure out context and the value of one clue versus what she gave me in other paragraphs. It shouldn’t have been that hard to understand and enjoy. This just didn’t work for me at all and I am heartbroken and baffled as to what happened. In the end, it was utterly ridiculous. I didn't even understand WHY Zadicus was treated the way he was. I am upset at how it all transpired, and I am upset that his position ended where it did. No thank you. Not only did the title not make any sense for this story - because it had nothing to do with the King, but the next book is basically the next chapter of this story and one I am not sure I will attempt to read. I will patiently await her next angsty romance....one I know she will blow me away with. She’s brilliant at what she does and I look forward to more.

Zadicus was the BEST part of the book....until the end.

"Of all the lies I've ever heard, yours are by far the sweetest."
~BEE

Personally purchased book. No giveaway for this one.

A King So Cold is an Adult Romantic Fantasy that is not amazing on the Fantasy side of things, and I'm not sure how great on the Romance either. BUT, I'm not mad about it. Because it was atmospheric and addictive. It just had that spark, that makes you keep reading, you know? It is definitely very different from what Ella Fields usually writes, except for the angst, which remains strong in this one.

So, breaking it down: for a Fantasy, this lacked world-building, we're thrown in this world that has the Sun Kingdon, and Moon Kingdon (which is Allureldin?), and Beldin wich is this forbidden fae land thing? But things are a bit scattered. We also have royals (humans with power), humans, Fae, Mermaids, half-bloods, etc. There's a lot going on, but it feels like we only get a surface-level explanation. However, because it borrows from classic Fantasy tropes, it's easy enough to just go with it, and ignore the missing pieces.

The romance is more lust than love. The story revolves around Raiden, the king that was exiled after he betrayed the throne. He was in a brief arranged marriage with Audra (our badass main character) that was meant to bring peace to the realm, but after he becomes a traitor the queen makes sure his memories are erased before sending him away. When Audra learns that Raiden is now to be married to a commoner, she kidnaps him and is intent on restoring his memories before he is sentenced to death. In the meantime, she has been having an affair with Zad, the lord of the east, and war is on the horizon. Audra, who just turned 21, needs to find the strength to protect her land and also her heart. So basically, a love-triangle sort of ensues.

But, again, I enjoyed this. I loved Audra's character, I would probably describe her as chaotic neutral. And although the world wasn't too explained, I was ok with it. Also, the love-triangle was refreshing. It's boring when you know from the start who the character will end up with, and A King So Cold had me guessing until the very end. And hey, maybe even now I'm not 100% sure. This will continue as a series, and who knows what is going to happen.

And, this book was super sexy. Like, yeah, very very sexy. Again, not mad about it.

In a nutshell, do I want a lot more context? Yes! Do really want to continue reading about these characters? Also, yes.

This was ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.

**4.5 Stars**

Is there a genre Ella Fields doesn’t excel at? After reading A King So Cold I would have to say no. She truly is a gifted and talented author. The world building in this book is mind blowing. Flawlessly crafted and executed to perfection. This story captivated me. Not only the characters but also the world itself. The Moon kingdom and Sun kingdom. I was utterly fascinated and I also formed a crush on a certain character. The way he smoked that pipe;)

A King So Cold is a thrilling and entertaining fantasy but most importantly it’s a romance. The romance is ever so present in these spellbinding pages. It’s the heart and soul of A King So Cold. Add in all the elements of the fantasy genre and I was hypnotized and transported to another world.

All I can say is just go in blind and hold on. A King So Cold is a riveting ride that while I was reading I was hoping for more. More of this universe and of these characters. I might just get my wish.

4.5 Find Me In The Darkness Stars

*I received an ARC*

4.5 “Eternally My Queen” stars!
(ARC provided by author)

-“If there is beauty in breaking, I’ve yet to find it.”

As Allureldin's princess, Audra had become a product of her upbringing as the daughter of a tyrant. She'd lived her entire life in a castle across the Gray Sea, and had lived with magic flowing through her veins for as long as she could remember. She was the most beautiful creature in all the land, but capable of great destruction. Now 21, and the queen of the Moon Kingdom, her majesty had a reputation as the wicked, cruel, winter queen. She acted upon feelings and instinct, and was powerful and ruthless. She served the crown, and ruled with confidence even though some would like nothing more than to see her pay for her father's mistakes. She was raised surrounded by games and deceit, and learned early on to bury her emotions. Then she's betrayed in the most unforgivable of ways and it hardens and breaks her black heart beyond repair. Rage becomes the only thing holding the pieces of her tattered heart together.

The young queen is forced to make decisions that steal every ounce of color from her world, and guarantee her hearts demise. She can't show vulnerability, but when she hears of her traitorous husband's upcoming nuptials, she is out for justice. He's without a memory, and she decides to recount their past so he would remember every way he'd wronged her before she would make him pay. She hated how much he still deeply affected her. The primal magnetic pull she felt when he was near still couldn't erase all the ways he conspired to destroy her. But revenge must wait with the resistance growing and it becoming more difficult to keep order. A war is brewing whether she likes it or not. Danger is around every corner, and she doesn't know who she can truly trust. In a world where everyone leaves will one man convince her to risk her heart for love?



A King So Cold by Ella Fields is a thrilling, sinfully delicious, magical, arranged marriage, royal dark fantasy romance about vengeance, betrayal, loyalty, broken promises, secrets, lies, deception, and love. It's an addictive, intense story full of angst and excitement that will completely consume you!

-“I am still in love with you, and I fail to see a future where that will change.”

-Beautiful. In the way he looked, yes, he was unrivaled, but it was in the way he loved that truly ruined. He was the most beautiful creature I’d ever know.

***NOW AVAILABLE***
https://amzn.to/2YD09iV

I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I signed for this one. There wasn't even a blurb yet, not that the blurb is giving anything away...but still. Just knowing this was written by Ella Fields was good enough for me.

That said, I am gonna be honest and say that I got confused on more than one occasion when reading this one. I am not a huge fantasy reader, and one of the reasons I am not is because English is not my native language, and fantasy novels tend to get a bit wordy...therefor leaving me a bit confused. Of course, this is not the author's fault, this is just a personal flaw of mine :P

I could have done with a bit worldbuilding though..

Putting aside the fact that I got a bit confused at times, I still really enjoyed reading this one. If there is one thing this author is very good at, it is building up the tension. Things get revealed one piece at a time, making the reader hunger for more information.

I absolutely loved queen Audra, she really reminded me of a young version of Snowwhite's queen from the series "Once Upon a Time". Such a kickass lady ;)

Now for the shocker...this is a "love-triangle" story and we all know I am not a fan of that particular trope. Surprisingly though, I didn't mind in this setting. Maybe it had to do with the fact that this wasn't like any other fantasy book I have ever read and it certainly wasn't what I expected. Which is very refreshing for a change I must say.

I do advise everyone to jump into this one blind....don't read too many spoilers ;)

An ARC was provided to

in exchange for an honest review

What I really freaking loved about this book was I never knew exactly where it was going.

Based on the synopsis, I expected the entire book to be about the queen restoring the king’s memories. I was so unbelievably wrong and I AM SO PLEASED ABOUT IT. It took me on this journey where I couldn’t decide if I was going to board any ships, then wondered how my 40% Slytherin nature was ever going to get past certain issues, then questioned if I had accidentally stumbled upon my first ever reverse harem, then googled “reverse harem” and realized I’m an idiot because lol no, then only got four hours of sleep three days in a row because idgaf if I’m working long hours with zero time to read—I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

I’m a sucker for any book that involves the existence of mating bonds/mating bond equivalent. You learn early on that those exist in this fantasy world, so I went ahead and parked my giddy self on the couch with tea and popcorn.

I’m also a sucker for cold-hearted, merciless characters, so honestly, this book should just be engraved on my tombstone. And my tombstone will be necessary soon if we don’t get a sequel.

I finished my beta read of A King So Cold at almost 5am. Zero regrets for the 2 hours sleep I've had to function on today. This book is f*ckING EPIC!!!!

I tried to send her some notes and thoughts today but I am still so caught up in this story I couldn't. Every time I went to make notes I got re-lost in the story & found myself reading over chapters again and again.

This is fantasy storytelling at its very best. I was completely immersed in this one, very clear images running through my mind & it's definitely Ella's strongest writing to date.

The world she created
The characters and their interwoven relationships
The gut wrenching emotions
The betrayals and subterfuge

Every single thing made it one of the BEST books I've EVER read. It truly blew my mind!!!!

It's hard to fathom this is her first foray into fantasy - I for one hope she stays a while & writes us many more of these extraordinary tales...

Absolute perfection!

Beta read

It has a good story building, great s*x but it is too much dark. (I can't see after... 😊).

"You will find the punishments for breaking any law during my reign harsh. You will also find archaic and barbaric laws crushed over the following months as we revise and amend them, and new ones are put in place."

"You will soon find there is a difference between good and evil"

"That difference is me."

Imagine if you have a leader that said that, are you going to follow and abide the laws? Or are you willing to go on your way?

Life is harsh, no matter where we were. But it is harder when no one is around to lift you up.

It took me several days to get through this and it wasn't because of RL or the fact that it's a lengthy book. Nope! It was due to the confusing beginning. The wordiness. The first half of the book dragged. I had the hardest time continuing. I was bored.

The last 30% of the book is when it finally picked up for me and when I started feeling Ella Fields writing style I've loved from her previous books (I've read all her books).

I love dark romance. I've read fantasy/historical books and enjoyed them.... Yet
This one did not work for me.

Not every book we read is a winner and that's a fact!

In my humble opinion this was NOT a HEA... there's no way you can do what she did to the "Love of her life" and think it's ok. Naaaaah! That just doesn't sit well with me.

The one positive thing about this story was Zadicus ❤ I love him soo much. He's the reason I kept reading.

DNF at 20%. Not feeling it at all! Its dragging for me, and I don’t really like the h.

Second book I am DNF’ing in a row. Please don’t let this be a book slump!

I had the honour of reading this book early...and then weeks later when ARCs went out, I read it again.

This is a fantasy romance unlike any I have ever read.

Even if you aren't a fan of fantasy usually, Ella brings her signature angst and beauty to this world of anti-heroes and high stakes royal scheming. The love triangle between the three MCs is intense, heartbreaking, steamy AF, and one I could and WILL read again and again.

PS. Zadicus is mine.

✨Review A King So Cold by Ella Fields✨
•

“𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙥, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣—𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙. 𝘽𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙄 𝙨𝙤 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙.”
•
WOW. This was my first time reading a Fantasy/Romance novel and I was completely and utterly consumed. I am wrecked. This book was everything and so much more. 𝙀𝙡𝙡𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. I am completely blown away once again with her astonishing story telling, beautifully poetic words, and love scenes that are beyond mesmerizing. 𝘼 𝙏𝙤𝙥 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 2020 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣. Ella is so phenomenal that I was seriously crying buy the end of this novel and I pray to god that there will be more to this book because I will not be over it for awhile. If you’re worried about the Fantasy aspect of this novel have no fear Ella writes it in a way that is truly phenomenal you will be begging for more.
•
After the death of princess Audra’s Parents she is now officially Queen Audra. Set to rule her kingdom by herself as her husband is a traitor and terribly wronged her and has vanished. While trying to keep the kingdom under control and ruling with a cold heart Audra learns of her husbands upcoming marriage to women who is not her.. set out to find him and seek retribution she plans to keep him locked in her dungeon until he comes to terms with all he’s done to her. And while seeking retribution Audra digs deep into a past where she remembers she once did have a heart that wasn’t completely cold.
•
On the cusp of war Audra has many new struggles to face especially now that her husband is back, will Audra face these new found problems alone? And will Audras heart remain cold and alone forever? Get ready for a roller coaster ride of love, heartbreak, redemption, loyalty and sacrifice.
•
5 Captivating, Sinfully Delicious Stars⭐️
•
ARC Received in exchange for an honest review.
Releasing May 6th!

Ok, ok, I don't gush about a lot of books but I really enjoyed this one! The characters, the magic system, the plot twists, the angst and emotion, the Pride and Prejudice vibes as well as the English/French monarchy political vibes.

To me, this is an underrated story of love, deceit and treason.

The action takes place on the continent of Rosinthe, a place filled with creatures with different levels of magic: Fae (most powerful but oppressed and almost extinct), royals (half human, half Fae, powerful and almost immortal, the ruling families), half- royals (half human, half royals, with some powers, forced to work for the royals), humans, witches, vanishers, mermaids, magical animals.

The main characters, Audra, Raiden and Zadicus are all royals.
🌗Audra is the young queen of the Moon Kingdom, a place set in a cold (almost arctic) region. She can control wind, rain and air. She is cruel and brutal, not above torture or murder and highly intimidating. She is also caring, devoted to her friends, confident, brave and fierce. And I loved this character, her duality and how wicked she was, a true product of a broken childhood at the hands of a mad and cruel father who forced her to watch him commit rape, torture and murder as a way to harden her.

🐺 Zadicus is a high lord at Audra's court and her lover. He gave me Mr Darcy vibes from the very beginning. He is the quiet, strong type, highly respected and loved by his people. He is very loyal to Audra and can control death. His intentions are unclear in the beginning but become more clear as the story moves forward. His scenes with Audra are always filled with emotion and passion.

🌤Raiden is the king of the Sun Kingdom, a place set in a dessert region. He can control heat. He is cunning, deceitful but also very charming and stubborn. He and Audra married for political purposes. He was her first love but he turned out to be a traitor. As she couldn't bring herself to kill him, his memory was wiped and he was exiled to a prison like region.

The story is mainly told by Audra, but a few chapters are from Raiden and Zadicus' perspectives. As Audra is the main storyteller and she is a very young queen who still lacks a lot of knowledge, the world building is slow and intertwined with the plot twists.

The story kicks off with Audra finding out that exiled Raiden is to marry a commoner. Broken hearted after his betrayal 2 years back, Audra decides to restore his memories in order to get some answers about his deceit before killing him. In the same time, the Moon Kingdom is on the brink of war with the Sun Kingdom because of Raiden's exile.

This book is steamy, full of action, twists and crucial reveals, not a boring moment in sight for these characters. When you think you have a grasp on where the story is going, something happens to change everything.

The love triangle between the three MCs is delicious and it's not until the very end that it's clear who Audra gets to be with. In a way, both guys were a good match for her but I have to say I rooted for the guy she picked from the very start and I was so happy she ended up with him.

Safety: no cheating, quite a few steamy scenes but not overly detailed, a orgy scene but again, not very detailed.

TWs: rape, torture, murder

Ella Fields's books have become my latest obsession. I read her book for the first time in March of 2019 and I've been hooked ever since. Her books are full of angst and boy do they pack a punch of emotions.⁣
When I found out that she was venturing out into the world of fantasy, I was beyond curious.⁣
⁣
A King So Cold by Ella Fields is so good!⁣
I think the best part of this book was that it's very unconventional.
The female protagonist isn't the cookie cutter sweet girl. She's actually really wicked and cruel and honestly..I was wondering whether I would like her but I ended up liking her a lot. She is almost real. Like hello! No one who is suppose to be a queen is going to be all innocent and sweet...
Audra is a cruel contradiction at its finest.... ⁣

A King So Cold is unlike any adult fantasy romance I have ever read and it was absolutely wonderful!

Trust Ella Fields to write a dang good book. I highly recommend this book.

This is everything I’m forever searching for in a romance (I’m convinced she wrote this story just for me LOL). The world-building, the angst, the cruelty, the polished writing, the undying, soul-bleeding love, with a cutthroat, badass heroine and a side of horror… Gah! It’s so hard to find ADULT fantasy books like this with the right balance of spice and plot. Ella Fields writes magical perfection, and I’m addicted.

4/5 Stars 🌟

▪▪"find me in the darkness"▪▪

A King So Cold is a fantasy romance that revolves around a love triangle which are 2 things I generally don't read but the blurb and cover sucked me in and I thoroughly enjoyed this crazy and magical ride. This review will be brief as this is definitely the type of story that is best gone into blindly to truly get the full experience.

Ella has created a beautiful, mythical and magical world that left me wanting more books set like this. The main story revolves around Princess/Queen Audra who reminds me of a badass version of Elsa from frozen but a lot more cold, distant, guarded, selfless, naive, strong, bratty at times but so much fun to read about. The two main Male characters are Prince/King Raiden and Lord Zadicus. Both so different from each other and both characters that you will love at times and hate the next. From quite early on I did prefer one couple pairing over the other and was rooting for them throughout the book and safe to say I connected with the right guy 😊😏

The love triangle aspect did make it harder for me to fully connect with the romance especially when there seemed to be alot of OW/OM drama and monogamy issues but in a fantasy setting it kind of works. I did end up really enjoying how it ended even though it wasn't perfect it still seemed realistic and I would gladly read any follow up books set in this world.

《book aesthetic made by me. I do not own the pictures, all found via pinterest》

Fantasy.......from the setting to the characters to the language, it’s all such a complex genre. The author’s imagination has no limits and can tell a tale that is wildly creative.

A King so Cold is set in an adult fantasy genre with angst, suspense, magic, betrayal, brutality and romance. It is set in a faraway Kingdom with a Queen, an exiled King and an ever present Lord that are involved in twists and turns where love and loyalty are questioned.

The story started slow for me and then I became invested in the middle but then towards the end, I found that the story lost me somewhat. The visuality of the story was elaborate and mystical but I found it hard to stay with the story because it was too much in my mind. I loved Games of Thrones but I think I would be lost if reading instead of watching and I think this is what happened here. And I also must add that there was an important piece of the plot that I felt never was really explored and I couldn’t figure out why, especially when examining the actions of the Queen to her King. I won’t spoil for anyone by discussing my thoughts.

Like I said, the story was intricate with multiple storylines with deeply rooted emotions that kept the story like a beguiling labyrinth. Fantasy is not a genre I read but when written by authors I love, I am willing to try. Just because I had some issues with the story doesn’t mean that those willing to try something new won’t love.

*advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Decided to round down this time due to persisting niggles, but still enjoyed this. Looking forward to the sequel!

Original review:

4.5 Stars

King Raiden, banished to exile for treason, is kidnapped and imprisoned by Queen Audra on discovery of his impending marriage, despite being still vowed to the queen. As part of his previous punishment, his memories were suppressed by a spell caster at Audra’s instruction. After a year of separation, and still reeling from utter betrayal, she undertakes to reverse the suppressing in order to gain closure, before she executes him for good. For the first part of the book, the past is woven with the present, where we are also introduced to Lord Zadicus Allblood, Audra’s current lover 😍

At first, it’s hard to warm to Audra, a spoiled brat with a blackened soul; she’s the product of her cruel upbringing and despite her coldness, she has a heart, though few witness it and she cares for her kingdom’s denizens and for those few around her that have shown unwavering loyalty. You can’t help be affected by events from her past. With respect to her romantic interests - both men were swoonworthy and displayed immense prowess 😍. Given the kingdom is promiscuous in nature and considering how free with the love everyone was, I was rooting for a threesome #Why choose? 😂

I had a few niggles but can’t go into without revealing spoilers and there are a few triggers. I could accept that with one in particular, not everything was black and white.

Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Lose yourself In this fantastical tale so beautifully woven with a wicked queen and her deceitful king. I was completely immersed in this fantasy world the author so talentedly created with royals, faeries, witches and magic. This story will consume you and it’s in my Top Reads for 2020!

She was a princess who was promised to a prince in another kingdom. It was a strategic opportunity to unite their kingdoms with an arranged marriage. She would do as expected, but nothing more than a marriage of convenience. in name only.

Prince Raiden courted Princess Audra and what started out as nothing more than an obligation, became an attraction and fondness shared between them...or so she thought.

On the most special day of her life, she was betrayed in the worst possible way. The rebellious princess became a ruthless queen and her newlywed husband was exiled.

If only King Raiden stayed gone, but the Queen was not through with her revenge. She is about to summon a ghost and I’m not sure she is ready for the aftermath.

This is not the story you expect. It is so much more than I imagined. I was torn between forgiveness or just moving forward and leaving the past behind. I wavered in my allegiance until I was clear to whol the Queen belonged.

The Queen is a ruler of her kingdom, so her decisions must be steadfast and her people must respect her. She is seen as heartless and at times cruel, but she is so much more. She is a protector and she takes care of those in her inner circle. She has much responsibility and takes her role seriously. She is brave and fights beside her people.

This is an amazing tale of love and loss, betrayal and forgiveness. It is a wonderful escape into a magical world that I did not want to leave. The author continues to captivate me with every story she writes. This was exceptional.

Ella Fields continues to ensure her readers are blessed with memorable and distinctive romances; she’s unable to create a narrative that isn’t worth devouring in some capacity. A King So Cold is testament to this—an irresistible enemies to lovers and second chance romance, infused with some delicious love triangle features within a fantasy setting, a genre this author hasn’t delved into before. I’m enthralled with this author’s brilliant abilities, beautifully poetic sentences and the love scenes that are both wicked and romantic.

Love made fools out of all of us. It lulled you into a false sense of security, and then it left you to burn.

With a romance constructed on lies, fortified with deceit and littered with half-truths, A King So Cold follows a Queen’s unavoidable pursuit of retribution against a husband, a King, who deceives in cunning manners. Within different kingdoms, there’s an aura of unrest and politics to entice the reader to fall into an unknown but exciting environment of magic, revenge and intrigue.

More thoughts to come with time.

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DNF at 18% I couldn't get into it

I think I'm the cold one because I didn't feel this, I got bored and lost interest

A King so Cold by Ella Fields was so so GOOD! From the world, to the characters, to the plot A King so Cold gripped me from the very first page and didn't let me go to the very end!

I need to give a huge shoutout to Audra one of the most badass heroines I've read about in a really long while! I loved that Fields had the guts to make a heroine that was dark and twisty and actually stick to her guns. Audra can be cruel, she has her moments of overreaction yet over the course of the book she changes slowly for the better.

That love triangle!

I usually do not like love triangles however, A King so Cold did such a great job with both men. I don't want to give too much away but I will say don't let the triangle stop you from picking up this book because it was handled very well.

Any downsides to this freaking awesome book? I wanted a little more explanation of the world as a whole but I believe that since this was the first book that Fields will be able to expand more in future installments. So this is a hint hint wink wink that she totally should write more stories set in this world ;)

If you're a fan of a well crafted fantasy romance then I highly highly recommend A King so Cold. Once you pick it up you will not be able to put it down.

Disclaimer: This is my first time reading an Ella Fields novel, so any opinion formed here is based on my experience with the Fantasy genre and the writing style that is needed and meshing of Fantasy and Romance and what is usually required from both the genres.

Please keep in mind that this is my own opinion. It is quite a long review as I've tried to highlight my main issues and then break them down as to why they didn't work.

With a cover and a blurb that drew me in from the get-go, A King So Cold had everything to be my next favourite Adult Fantasy Romance but even with all the elements that I love in this genre, it failed to not only impress but also not hold my interest for a longer period. It was bland, confusing and underdeveloped.

The one thing I've noted in my experience is that every time I pick a Fantasy is that it takes me at least up to 3 chapters to be fully pulled into the story. With this book, even after Chapter 4, I was still having a hard time getting into the story. (No pressure. It happens sometimes. It's Fantasy and some of them do take a while to settle and find that rhythm.)

It was around the 35% mark that I finally got interested and let me tell you it was good. But as I already mentioned, even though it did have parts that were good and worked well, there were just a few of them when comparing them to what didn't work.

Let me explain it this way — Think of fantasies as a tangled yarn that untangle slowly as you progress. You'll encounter knots, some easily solved and some requiring more patience and time, but in the end, they will untangle and the result will be one perfect ball of yarn.
Sometimes, to untangle a knot, you will have to cut that part and leave it aside because it no longer fits and now you have two balls of yarn, different sizes but they are the same colour and fabric but if used together they make perfect sense. (Is it making sense?)

I have broken my issues down to six main points for better understanding:-

▶ Problem No. 1 — The Narrative

When I started the reading my first thought was "Did I miss something?"

From the beginning, it had seemed like I had started reading the story from the middle. It was like I was thrust into the world without a proper introduction to the story, setting, characters or what had been going on in the opening.

There was a mention of a fable about two Goddesses across the story and how the two Kingdoms came to be, but it was never explained properly for me to grasp the concept. I would have preferred to have a Prologue that started with this fable. It could have been properly fleshed out so that we could get the first level of the foundation for the story to build on and maybe I wouldn't have been so confused during the majority of the book.

▶ Problem No. 2 — The Background/Development

There was a severely lacking in the development aspect. There was no proper background or context given about anything.

One of the most important aspects of a Fantasy is to have a solid foundation and if you have failed in laying a proper base then I'm sorry but the story is always going to fall short.

As I mentioned in the first point, there are two Kingdoms — The Sun Kingdom which is in a desert and it is hot all around the year and The Moon Kingdom which all cobblestones and it is cold all year round. Both the Kingdoms come with their specific setting, colour scheme and powers.

The problem with this? There was no adequate description of any of the places and what we did get was not enough.

The castles and the powers introduced were grandeur and it could whisk the reader away but the lack of specification of situations, setting and the powers that were manifested by the three main characters just didn't create that awe-worthy atmosphere.

▶ Problem No. 3 — The Visualization

Of course, if there is no evocation then the reader is bound to have a problem in visualizing anything that is happening in the story.

The castles, the powers, the rich clothes, the contrast in the Kingdoms, the huge-ass bird that Queen Audra would fly upon to travel swiftly — these are some of the multiple instances where I would have loved in-depth descriptions.
I couldn't picture the bird, I had a next to impossible time trying to visualize the clothes or the castles.

How can I enjoy and tell about something when I am not even able to paint half a picture of what the author is describing?

▶ Problem No. 4 — The Dialogue

The story was long, wordy and distracting.

Did I get what the author was trying to convey or tell us? I did, but it took me a while to catch on and even then it felt like what I knew was incomplete, and this is just the thing. I shouldn't have to catch up or feel like I'm feeling left out.

The words used in the dialogues were a mix of your everyday language (minus the slang) and the rich language you would expect the royals to use and it just didn't seem in sync. The switching from one speaking style to the next and the mixing of both the styles deviated me from concentrating on what was happening.

▶ Problem No. 5 — The Romance

This was one of the major issues for me because it just wasn't convincing enough. Who did the author want me to root for? Am I rooting for the right couple? Is there anything solid? I am confused by the relationships.

A quick background — Raiden, the Prince of the Sun Kingdom and Audra, the Princess of the Moon Kingdom had to be married out of convenience but it quickly turned into love before they were married to unite both the Kingdoms.
It was on the day of their wedding, after all the celebrations, Audra's father was accompanying the newlyweds to a cottage when Raiden's betrayal was brought to light. Raiden's guards along with his parents not only killed the King but also tried to kill Audra. In revenge, Audra exiled Raiden to The Edges with no memory of who he was and what they once meant to each other.

Zaddicus is introduced as Audra's bed mate. Her consort, if you will. He tries to guide her when it comes to handling the Kingdom and her powers since she is much younger than him and doesn't possess the patience or the experience. (He fails in both. Oh, also, they are immortals.)

Part 1 of the story initially focused on Zad and Audra and their very physical relationship and I had faith that I would come to love their relationship.

Enter Raiden. Audra brings him out of The Edges, wanting to know what happened before she killed him. It was when Raiden was brought to the castle and kept in the dungeons that we got the flashbacks and finally, little by little, we read about what went that night.

And now started my issue — Raiden and Audra or Zaddicus and Audra?

In the beginning, I was rooting for Zad and Audra's relationship to take shape and bloom because they had that chemistry that could have grown and had that spark as well as have that deep-rooted respect, power and oodles of fire.

When Raiden was introduced and I got to read their past, I found that these two had more chemistry, spark and a dash of recklessness that just made them more appealing.

I know this might be a highly unpopular opinion, (since I'm already on this train why not go all out?) but I found Raiden and Audra to have had a far better relationship build-up, progression and pull towards each other that was far more convincing and believable.

Zaddicus was a great character, and if the end game was for Audra to have him, I'm sorry to say but it failed and tragically, might I add. Honestly, Zad deserved so much better than what he ended up with.

Hell, all the three characters deserved better than what they ended up with.

▶ Problem No. 6 — The Characterization

Be it Audra, Raiden or Zaddicus, neither of the characters had depth. They were too one-track and single-minded for them to have room to grow and become well-rounded characters that one usually expects from characters set in the Fantasy domain.

▶ Problem No. 7 — The Title

I've learned that the original title was 'A Queen So Cruel' and I honestly have no idea why the decision to change was made. This is a far more fitting title than what we have now because this is Audra's story.

We do have Raiden and Zaddicus' point of views and not for a second did either of the Kings come off as cold. For all their faults both of them weren't cruel.

This story was all Audra. The cruel, cold and bitter Queen of the Moon Kingdom.

There have been just so much confusion and inconsistencies for me in this book. I've had to re-read paragraphs to connect the dots and paint a picture which was not easy. And since you can't picture anything, it leads to confusion.

The story would pick up, then it would slow down once again and go off somewhere else to come back and I was sitting and trying to piece this puzzle and make some sense.

A King So Cold had so much potential to not only become a great story but give the readers a vivid visual image of what was playing out on the paper and a great set of characters.

There might be a second book, or that is what Ms Fields hinted at the last page of the book, and if that is the case then I hope she tries to bring in more depth to her plotline and give us well-rounded characters with proper arcs.

2 Stars!

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Ella's best work to date!!

Love made fools out of all of us. It lulled you into a false sense of security, and then it left you to burn.

5 "Find me in the dark." stars

Ella Fields made me fall in love with a story that is from a genre I never ever read. And she did it with expert flourish. A King So Cold proves how brilliant Ella Fields is. Because it shows her amazing diversity, depth of writing and power of words. It's a dark fantasy romance where all your wicked fantasies will come true.

Audra was throned as the queen of the Moon Kingdom after her father's death. And her husband Raiden, king of the Sun Kingdom is someone she holds guilty. On the other hand, Lord Zadicus of the East has always been by her side but everybody wants something from her. She is feared by all. Everyone knows her as this cruel, merciless, heartless and evil queen. But is she really that devious? Or has life left her no choices? As she stands at the crossroads facing a war, she has to make a decision for herself and her kingdom.

I cannot believe this is the first fantasy romance Ella has written. The plot is super complicated and intriguing to the maximum. Fantasies can be hard if there are plot mismatch and facts are not straight. But she did a fantastic job with it. All the different types of creatures and species. All the different kingdoms with distinct personalities. Yet it's a dark ,angsty, heartbreaking and mindblowing romance to the very core. The battles happen in deep forests and stormy desserts and cold seas. But they also happen in hearts. Audra, Zadicus and Raiden are all very intricate characters. Deeply flawed and twisted yet so perfect for me! They have too many shades to count for me. Audra is a true queen with her power, her confidence and also her heart that actually holds the power of love. The men are arrogant, dominating, possessive and alpha just like I love them. But again they are very different. Raiden is more towards the cunning and plotting side. Whereas Zadicus is steel and softness combined. He stole my heart with his loyalty, devotion and honesty. But Raiden's darkness calls to a different part of my heart.

The story sucked me inside the tornado of drama, emotion and tension. And I am totally destroyed. The royal conspiracies. The magic and spells. The intense passion. The devastating heartaches. The swoonworthy emotions capturing my heart and then ripping it out of my chest. A captivating story line with puzzle pieces keeping me under a breathtaking spell. I am still dizzy and breathless. The shocking twists were priceless and even the ending left me craving for more.

A King So Cold by Ella Fields is twisted, heartbreaking, sensual and exceptionally well written. I am rendered speechless by this deviant, violent, complex and soul deep fantasy romance. Another outstanding and extraordinary creation by Ella FIelds.

Received ARC for honest review