All Things Halloween Review - The Kingdom Cold

Kingdom Cold (Kingdom Cold, # 1)

By: Brittni Chenelle

Publication: January 25, 2021 by Brittni Chenelle

276 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: YouTube Audiobooks

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Attempted murder , that's how sixteen-year-old Princess Charlotte's engagement starts.

It seems like the only thing she has in common with Prince Young of Vires is their mutual discontent.

When her kingdom's attacked, Charlotte's parents renegotiate her hand in marriage to a handsome stranger with a sinister plan. With the people Charlotte loves dying around her, and her kingdom's future at stake, the only person she can turn to is the prince she betrayed. But, should she save her kingdom or her heart? One must fall. Diverse Fantasy, YA Fantasy Romance, Enemies-To-Lovers, Multi-POV

BRITTNI CHENELLE is a USA Today Bestselling Author who specializes in angsty multicultural fantasy romances. She loves the enemies-to-lovers trope and her favorite genres to read and write are Young Adult Fantasy Romance, New Adult Urban Fantasy, Fairytale Retellings , Steamy Paranormal Romance, and African American Paranormal Romance with plenty of Black Girl Magic. She's very passionate about equal representation and makes a point to include characters from different backgrounds and cultures in her fantasy stories.

I listened to Kingdom Cold on audiobook through YouTube Audiobooks for free. I find that books I might find long or frustrating in print aren't as difficult for me in audio for some reason. I think a large part of this is the ability to multitask while listening to the book. I can wash the dishes, cook dinner, clean the house, fold clothes--all tasks I would have to do anyway--while listening to a book. And since I'm not using "valuable reading time" to do so I find that I don't get as annoyed if a book is slower to hook my attention or overall not one that might qualify for that coveted reading time. So I say all that to say that I think listening to this book helped me enjoy it more. There are three narrators: Lessa Lamb, Matthew H. Longoria, & Jake McAskill. These three did a good job narrating, and I appreciated being able to easily detect which character POV I was listening to.

Princess Charlotte is sixteen years old. Her parents inform her that it is time for her to marry. She thinks she's too young and wants to wait a few more years, but their country is nearing war and a political marriage will be a stabilizing factor. Charlotte begins quite selfishly. All she can think about is herself. She's not opposed to marriage, but she doesn't want to marry now. She also has never wanted to rule her country. When Prince Young arrives, she shoots an arrow at him. Thankfully, she misses, but it doesn't start things off on the right foot. It doesn't help that when she gets her first close-up she mistakes Prince Young for his older brother Prince Minseo. She showed obvious attraction to Prince Minseo in that first meeting. And I was secondhand embarrassed while listening to this scene.

Prince Young remembers meeting Charlotte previously and he was intrigued by her then--granted intrigued by her appearance alone it seemed. But at least he was somewhat hopeful going into this political marriage. I don't think he expected Charlotte to be thrilled with marrying a stranger, but he didn't expect the level of animosity or direct opposition he would receive from her. 

The kingdom of Besmium (I'm unsure about the spelling since I listened to the audiobook) was attacked on what was supposed to be Charlotte and Young's wedding day. Young helps Charlotte and her maid/friend Millie escape and that helps to tip him into the ally category. Charlotte and Young have many twists and turns to endure through this book. And I can understand if the book faces criticism due to there being too many. Characters are thought to be dead yet repeatedly aren't. Characters you think are good are actually bad, oh wait, just kidding they're still good. Characters that are supposed to be morally upright, represent faith, and believe in things bigger than themselves (like fate or God) end up being the weakest moral characters in the book. I think Emmett was supposed to be a narcissist. And if so, I thought that was decently done even though he is a despicable character. There's betrayal from those who are loved most. There are political alliances some gone wrong, and others not. This book just tried to squeeze a little too much in. Mostly, I see these things in hindsight, in the analysis of the book, and not as much while I was listening to it.

At this point, I do think I'll check out book 2 on audio as well. If I were reading this in print I probably wouldn't dedicate the time to finishing the series. But audiobooks are not as serious for me as print versions. I think Prince Young was the best thing about this book, and I did enjoy Charlotte's transformation from spoiled princess to well...I'll leave that for you to find out if you decide to read (or listen to) this book. Have you read (or listened to) Kingdom Cold? I'm giving it 3.5 Stars. What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

All Things Halloween Review - Nymph Totem

Nymph Totem

By: Brittni Chenelle

Expected Publication: March 26, 2024 by Brittni Chenelle

282 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--They should've known when they damned me... Hell makes monsters of us all.

Nova has lived all her life in The Garden, an island that floats above Earth, undetected. Her secret friendship with the Prince changed to something more and all that stands in the way of the life she’s been dreaming of is her Totem Ceremony–an age-old rite that assigns one of four elements she'll spend her life protecting.

When Nova's ceremony goes horribly wrong, she's placed in a fifth Totem located in the Underworld. Humiliated and cast out, her only hope is to convince her true love’s arrogant, moody brother that there’s been some kind of terrible mistake. But the longer she spends in the darkness battling the salacious urges brought on by the Underworld’s ruler, the closer she comes to unleashing her true nature and making the world that betrayed her burn.

Nova has had feelings for her friend, Lan, who is a prince of The Garden. Turns out that he likes her as well. They finally act on their feelings the night before Nova has to dance for her Totem. (I'll discuss the world more later.) When Lan gets home, his father tells him that he's ready to pass the crown to Lan and that Lan needs to choose a wife. Because he's just shown his feelings to Nova she is his obvious choice but marriage is a big jump from just friends a few days before. 

Lan's father seems willing to allow his chosen bride. But for some reason that was never explained, the Queen opposes Nova. I thought she might have some knowledge the others don't know. But that was never shared.

I should probably stop to introduce Prince Castor, Philando's brother. The same day that Lan is told he'll become the new King, Castor is assigned a new position as well. He will become the king of the underworld. The underworld had previously been left alone. But it's become chaotic and needs someone to take it in hand. Castor isn't thrilled with his new post, but he has always been a supportive brother. And he will do as he's told. 

Nova dances at the Totem ceremony and is assigned a totem no one has ever heard of. The Nymph Totem, which belongs to the Underworld. People freak out because the unknown weirds everyone out and even Nova's mother rejects her. Castor knows how it feels to be sentenced to the underworld so he takes Nova under his wing. Meanwhile, Lan is doing everything he can to get Nova's assignment changed. 

Perhaps here is a good place to discuss the world. Apparently, The Garden is an island above Earth. But the people who live there can travel to Earth. They have dragons--ride dragons. But yet the dragons are just accessories and don't serve any actual purpose to enhance the plot. They just exist. Missed opportunity if you ask me. There are totems (I can't remember how many) that are guardians or something. The ones most mentioned had to do with the water, the sky/stars, and the forest. Aside from the underworld of course. 

When Castor and Nova arrive in the Underworld they are greeted by a goblin essentially. He's basically the only creature around. And the entire underworld is dark because souls are needed to power everything and no one has been reaping souls. Nova is so excited about reaping souls which makes no sense. So much is undefined or illogical. Who are the souls? Are they good or evil? Or do all souls need to be reaped despite being good or bad? And is it a good thing that they're reaped and then used to power the Underworld? Why is no one asking these questions? And the reaping gone wrong that results in a sidekick of sorts. Makes no sense. 

The Totems almost seem like diety for the story. They are sentient of some sort and choose who to go to which Totem. Indication is present that the Totems choose based on who people really are inside. But yet Nova began to change after she was assigned the Nymph Totem. So was that who she really was inside all along or did the Totem change her once she was assigned a specific one? The story wasn't clear and an argument could be made for both sides.

Nymph Totem includes a love triangle. The description tells you about it and because I've discussed so few characters you can probably guess who between. I don't want to discuss this in too much detail. I don't mind triangles too much when the main character is transitioning from one person to someone who fits them better. But the back and forth of this triangle and how the characters handled things was not as enjoyable as one could hope. 

Nymph Totem gets 3 Stars which is a decent rating considering all the pieces of this book that weren't explored or explained. It felt like weak writing to not have even considered--and explained--some of the questions one might ask. I will say that the story felt like a guilty pleasure book to me. One where the substance isn't going to win any awards but you can't seem to stop reading it. Have you read Nymph Totem ? What did you think? Let me know! 

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.