Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Fantasy Romance
Release Date: 05.05.2020
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Paperback Copy via Publisher
My Rating: 1/5 stars
SYNOPSIS: ” When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled. After all, she’s grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king’s attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true.
But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine.”
I wanted to enjoy this book so badly… but to say the least, trust the reviews on this one.
I have seen an endless amount of reviews for The Betrothed that have been overwhelmingly negative. I’ve seen a few positive reviews sprinkled around, but mostly, it seems like that’s the minority here. With all of these reviews in mind, I read this book with extremely low expectations. I think that this alone was the only reason I was able to finish the story.
The Betrothed lacks in many categories. The plot is weak, the main character has a limited personality, and all side characters are one dimensional and only exist within the story around the main character. None of the characters were realistic or relatable, and they all could be identified by one or two traits, but no personality. On top of that, the reader was repetitively reminded of these characteristics, more often then they were displayed. Hollis was referred to as lovely and kind a hundred more times than she ever did something worth that praise (and unfortunately this is only one example).
I’m sad to say that the romance was also bland and disappointing. There was no chemistry and no reason to cheer for this couple. The love interest was flat and lacked a personality, along with all the other side characters. While I hate to compare this story to The Selection trilogy, this guy had NOTHING on Maxon. After seeing the ability Kiera Cass has to create a fun, fluffy, and romantic royal story in her other books, it goes even further to show how disappointing The Betrothed is.
At this point, I’m completely unsure if I’ll be picking up the sequel. I already have a copy on hand, which I was gifted from the publisher (Thank you so much HarperCollins and Storygram Tours). However, after being disappointed by the first book I’m unsure about going into the second.
NOTE: I received a paperback copy of The Betrothed in exchange for an upcoming promotional Instagram post in partnership with Storygram Tours. I was under no obligation to read/review this book, but wanted to be transparent about receiving a free copy.
Have you read The Betrothed? What did you think? Let’s chat!
Stephanie
Maybe I just run in a different circle, but I hadn’t even heard about this book at all until this post! Oof! I guess I’m not missing out, that’s for sure. It sounds like quite the letdown. Isn’t it so sad when that happens? You have high hopes and then CRASH! They all come tumbling down haha. Maaaybe the sequel will be better? I kind of hope you give it a try just to see!
Alexis Gauthier
I’m honestly so surprised that you hadn’t heard of it! I think it was the most popular on bookish social media when it initially released last year… but otherwise I can’t remember the last time I saw someone post about it haha. I really wanted to love this book, and I’m so sad about it! I’m really considering the sequel, especially since I have it on hand. If I read it, I’ll let you know if the story improves!
K.J. Haakenson
I don’t know about you, but I love to read negative reviews about books xD Reading reviewers opinions on books is so fun and man, this sounds like a bad one! LOL Thank you for suffering through this book to share your thoughts! I’ve never read a Kiera Cass book but if I do, I’ll stay away from The Betrothed and stick to The Selection 😉
Alexis Gauthier
Oh my gosh, I do too! I find them very interesting and entertaining. Part of what I love the most about online bookish friends is being able to seeing so many different opinions on different books! If you decide to read anything from Kiera Cass, I’d highly suggest The Selection trilogy, above the others. It’s fun, quick, and romantic….and I prefer it over The Betrothed (needless to say haha).