A Hellish Fairytale, Book 1
Synopsis:
Heir to Hell and the Dark Forest of Malum, Klara has been called upon to take her place as High Queen of Malum. Though Klara has no intention of ever being crowned, her guardians want her head on a spike. Klara’s only option – escape to Kalos, Fae ruled lands free from Dark Magic. To survive the perilous journey, she needs help…
A Leprechaun with a talent for smuggling.
A mischievous Demon with swaying loyalties.
The soul of a greying Warlock.
Lycaon siblings with a talent for deception.
Destiny has an awful habit of catching up with those who run.
Edition:
E-ARC
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary e-ARC of Crowned a Traitor from Net Galley in exchange for a review. This does not at all impact the contents of the review.
A quick personal note:
As my TBR grows, so too does my TRP (To Review Pile). Turns out I’m terrible at whittling down either of those piles. And when you add in e-books, it gets so, so much worse. This is the biggest reason why I’ve taken a huge step back from Net Galley, Book Siren, and e-book review requests. It just becomes such a monumental task trying to keep up with remembering to review books that aren’t there to physically remind me of my own inadequacy. I’m trying to work out a system that will help me stay more on top of both piles simultaneously, but I’m not there yet. And if you’re wondering why I haven’t written up any movies lately, it’s the same reason. I’m overwhelmed with books. I’m drowning in them. What a problem to have, I know. 😂
My Thoughts:
By the time you read this, it will have been nearly 4 months since I finished reading Crowned a Traitor. Luckily I take notes when I read!
My feelings on this book are actually a bit conflicted. I liked the story well enough, but I did feel like it was overly simplified. There were a few spots throughout the story where the resolution of an issue/plot point/whatever felt like it was more convenient than believable. I won’t go into specifics because I don’t want to spoil important story points in case you decide to give this a go, but I imagine you’ll be able to pick them out.
With that being said though, I did enjoy Klara. Klara is fun. She’s the daughter of Lucifer, but she’s not quite as…evil…as he is. Although he’s not canonically all that evil, really. Just frustrated, maybe a little prideful. But you know, that’s just, like, my opinion, man. Aaanyway, Klara is a demonspawn (angelspawn? How does that work?) with a heart of gold. Okay, not a heart of gold. Maybe gold-plated. And technically no heart, but also she does kind of have a heart, it’s just not…hers. Omg I’m gonna stop now.
Seriously though.
Klara is a morally grey-leaning-toward-good character. She doesn’t want power, she doesn’t want riches, she just wants to live her life the way that she sees fit. But alas, that is never to be for these children of Power. At least not in YA fantasies. Nope, sorry babe, not gonna happen. She does come off as a bit all over the place, but I think that was intentional. She’s written as a youngish type. At least mentally/emotionally. She’s only ever been an heir -she’s never had responsibilities beyond learning and towing the family line. The other characters for me were overwhelmingly meh. Like, I don’t really recall anything spectacular about them. Although I did enjoy the undead warlock. He was fun. And I’m always into these sorts of stories where they mix myth and fantasy together.
The pacing of the story did seem a little bit wonky too. The first few chapters were really slow. I know that’s not all that unusual, since we’re character and world building, but there were slow spots throughout the story as well. Like, chapters that could have been cut and/or combined.
The one other thing that really bugged me about Crowned a Traitor though was the dialogue. It was incredibly clunky at times. I wish that it had just been refined a little bit. Like, nobody spouts endless exposition, you know? Also worth noting: Klara’s government name is Klara Lucifer. Does that mean her father is Lucifer Lucifer? Please? If we’re going Lucifer, shouldn’t her name have been Klara Morningstar? I mean, that’s kinda his last name, right? Or at least his second name, which is close enough to satisfy me.
About the Author:
Kate Callaghan is an Irish fantasy writer with a passion for fairytales and mythology.
Her debut novel, Crowned A Traitor was released on the 25th March ’21. The sequel, Where Traitors Fall will be released on the 22nd September 2021. Sign up for current and future ARCS on www.callaghanwriter.com
Rating:
It was fine. Although Crowned a Traitor was not really my speed, but maybe you’ll like it? The concept is definitely entertaining.
Crowned a Traitor A Hellish Fairytale #1 By Kate Callaghan CallaghanWriter Published: March 4, 2021 Originally Published: July 4, 2020 ISBN: 9781527277519 Format: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book, Audiobook 334 Pages Author's Website
