Book Review: Promise of Darkness(Dark Court Rising #1) by Bec McMaster

Book Title: Promise of Darkness

(Dark Court Rising #1)

Author: Bec McMaster

Published Date: September 17th 2019

Number of Pages: 430

Book Rating: 4 stars

Book Description:

Princess. Tribute. Sacrifice. Is she the one prophesied to unite two warring Fae courts? Or the one bound to destroy them?

In a realm ruled by magic, the ruthless Queen of Thorns is determined to destroy her nemesis, the cursed Prince of Evernight.

With war brewing between the bitter enemies, the prince forces Queen Adaia to uphold an ancient treaty: she will send one of her daughters to his court as a political hostage for three months.

The queen insists it’s the perfect opportunity for Princess Iskvien to end the war before it begins. But one look into Thiago’s smoldering eyes and Vi knows she’s no assassin.

The more secrets she uncovers about the prince and his court, the more she begins to question her mother’s motives.

Who is the true enemy? The dark prince who threatens her heart? Or the ruthless queen who will stop at nothing to destroy him?

And when the curse threatens to shatter both courts, is her heart strong enough to break it?

A fairytale twist inspired by the Hades and Persephone myth.

Review:

I have posted quite a few of lower star rated reviews lately so happy I can finally post about a book I really liked!!

I wasn't sure what to expect when jumping into this. What I got was a high fantasy retelling of Persephone and Hades that I thoroughly enjoyed. It also incorporated some fairy and Greek mythology which was fun!

The beginning starts like most fantasy books. There is a lot of world building and unanswered questions. The more the book progressed the more things were revealed and the more complex the world became.

I got some Sarah J Maas, a court and thorns and roses vibes even though the story is completely different.

I think there is many layers left to explore and the romance I think can also really take off in the next book. I also think because of the events of this book hopefully some solid friendships will also develop. I love a good romance and strong friendships, and while this book hinted (in some cases more than hinted) at both I want to actually see those things develop. I understand why it couldn't be in this book (won't say that reason because spoilers) so I am not too upset it wasn't very present. Saying that, in the next book I feel like a lot can be done with the relationships between the characters.

Another pro in this book is the politics! I think it was really well done and we, as the reader, have a very clear picture of alliances, the world, who is good, who is bad, and what the large gray areas when it comes to morals or alliances are.

One thing which was a con in this book is some of the decisions of the MC. Some of the seemed rash and made too quickly. They weren't thought through. Some big decisions she makes I think could have been avoided or approached with a much safer approach yet it's not. The two major risky and rash decisions made by the MC in the book will no doubt be the focus of the next book(s) but both could have been avoided!

Because of some of these event I can kind of see/predict where the story might be going and I think it will include two of my pet peeves.

Pet Peeve #1) The MC keeps a secret from the love interest and it causes stupid tension and eventually a big disruption in the world and in their relationship. All which could have been avoided if she had been honest from the start.

Pet Peeve #2) I think the MC was naive when she made a deal with a certain someone and I think the deal I am mentioning will lead into another trope I dislike but will not mention as I don't want to spoil anything.

To end with another pro, the characters were not as developed as I would like, but they were believable and had depth. They were more than stereotypes and I think have potential for me as a reader to get attached to them as I keep reading.

I would recommend this book and I am planning to pick up the second book when I have a moment!

That's it for this review. Thank you for reading and I hope you have a great day!