Blog Tour : Kiss of the Royal Review

★★★★★

Kiss of the Royal
by Lindsey Duga
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: July 3rd 2018
Entangled Teen

Summary:

In the war against the Forces of Darkness, the Royals are losing. Princess Ivy is determined to end this centuries-long conflict once and for all, so her new battle partner must succeed where the others failed. Prince Zach’s unparalleled skill with a sword, enhanced by Ivy’s magic Kiss, should make them an unstoppable pair—but try convincing Zach of that.

Prince Zach has spent his life preparing for battle, but he would rather be branded a heretic than use his lips as nothing more than a way to transfer magic. A kiss is a symbol of love, and love is the most powerful weapon they have—but try convincing Ivy of that.

With the fate of their world on the line, the battlefield has become a testing ground, and only one of them can be right. Falling for each other wasn’t part of the plan—but try convincing their hearts of that.  

I want to thank Entangled Teen for sending me this e-copy, this hadn’t influenced my review, nor my rating in any way. This blog tour was organized by YA Bound Book Tours. 

This was the first book I read after coming back from my hiatus and let me tell you what a great choice it was! When I first read the premise, I was a bit skeptical about whether I would like it or not – kissing is used in this book to enhance someone’s fighting skills, strength or heal someone and romantic kissing is seen as a taboo, something rather unnecessary. Their society is pretty much rooted in rational thoughts, lots of fighting against the dark forces (dwarves, dragons, witches and so on), even breeding is strategical to create very powerful individuals.

In my opinion, this premise could either go excellently or horrible. Fortunately, this book was really good and  the plot was executed very well and in a creative manner, also things made a lot of sense.

I thought the world building could have been a little more complex, but really I didn’t mind it all that much because my entire focus was on Ivy and Zach, The romance between them was really good, it was a slow-burn, it was somewhat hate-to-love, it was full of tension and I was screaming for them to get together already at some point and I’m very patient person when it comes to those things. I loved their personalities and together they were super funny and entertaining, I was grinning for a good part of the book because of their banter and their apparent “dislike for each other”.

I really liked how their story progressed and how Ivy started to slowly understand and see things from Zach’s perspective as well and he was very patient even though he didn’t share her beliefs. I adored his personality so much because he was confident, but not cocky or an over-the-top alpha male. He was pretty swoon-worthy, truth be told. He only crossed me once when a certain incident happen, but I can see him clumsy enough to be that distracted, my silly son. (I’m not getting too much into details because it’s a spoiler and I don’t want to spoil any of you, go read the boooook)

I also appreciated how despite romantic love playing a huge role in the story, there was also mentioned that familial love can be just as important and meaningful. Props to the author for not playing the ‘romantic-love-is-the-only-love-that-matters’ card.

Another favourite part of mine was the backstory of the magic system, I didn’t see most of those things coming, they were pretty difficult to predict and I enjoyed this a lot. Also, Ivy’s character arc was incredible, I loved watching her go through different stages when she found out that her reality might not be as she knows it. It was very well written and credible, it didn’t feel rushed at any parts and I’m glad that her character arc didn’t have to suffer for the romance. Again, claps for that!!

All in all, I really loved this book, I would absolutely recommend it for people who are looking for a slow-burn romance, original plot and well developed characters.

 

About the Author

Lindsey Duga developed a deep love for courageous heroes, dastardly villains, and enchanting worlds from the cartoon shows, books, and graphic novels she read as a kid. Drawing inspiration from these fantastical works of fiction, she wrote her first novel in college while she was getting her bachelor’s in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University. By day, Lindsey is an account manager at a digital marketing agency based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. By night, and the wee hours of the morning, she writes both middle grade and young adult. She has a weakness for magic, anything classical, all kinds of mythology, and falls in love with tragic heroes. Other than writing and cuddling with her morkie puppy, Delphi, Lindsey loves catching up on the latest superhero TV show, practicing yoga, and listening (and belting) to her favorite music artists and show tunes. KISS OF THE ROYAL is her YA debut novel. 

Author Links:

Website: https://lindseyduga.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindseyduga

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linzduga/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lduga

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15853318.Lindsey_Duga

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lindsey-Duga/e/B07BJNMRHX/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1524077289&sr=1-1

 

Giveaway

You can enter the giveaway here.