THE BETROTHED
by
Kiera Cass
Hollis has grown up at Keresken Castle among the other daughters of nobility who hoped beyond hope that they’d catch the king’s eye. So when King Jameson declares his love for her, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled.
But she soon realizes that along with the extravagant presents and fawning attention, this new life brings outsized expectations—expectations that make her wonder if she’s really cut out for life as a royal.
With a visit from the king of Isolte on the horizon, Hollis sees a chance to prove to Jameson—and herself—that she has what it takes to be queen. But when she meets an Isolten stranger with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she wants is one she never dared to dream of. (2021, Goodreads.com)
***Possible Spoiler***
Not sure if you'd consider this a spoiler since you can guess what’s going to happen after reading the synopsis. 😏
The first half of this story was really about Hollis and King Jameson and their courtship. You don’t get introduced to Silas until almost halfway through the book. So, for a romance it’s off to a slow start. Unfortunately, Hollis and Silas don’t spend too much time together after they meet before they already let each other know their feelings. It wasn’t ista-love per say, but they really didn’t spend enough time together for Hollis to throw away her opportunity to be the queen. This is something any girl in the kingdom would love to be, especially since King Jameson is not an evil king. He was very sweet to Hollis and basically made her feel like she hung the moon. However, once Hollis finds out any children she has with the king will probably be used for political marriages, she totally changes her feelings about becoming queen and King Jameson. All of a sudden, she realizes that she doesn’t want to be the queen because she won’t have control over her children and all the politics that goes along with being royalty.
Unfortunately, Hollis as a character was just not that likable and she “giggled” way too much. It started to become more annoying than endearing. Her personality was too nice and perfect. It’s hard to understand, other than it being insta-love, why Hollis would even choose Silas. He was nice and a good craftsman, but there wasn’t really anything about him that made him a better choice than King Jameson. The only thing was that Hollis’ children wouldn’t be given in political marriages. This seemed to be the deal breaker for her. Silas was also a bland character. There wasn't anything about him that would make a girl choose exile over being a queen. Again, the King was overly sweet with Hollis and treated her very well. I could see her changing her mind if the King started to become mean or abusive, but that never happened.
The book itself really didn’t become interesting until after Hollis decides to run away with Silas, and that was the last ⅔ of the story. There is an interesting plot twist at the very end, which will make you wonder what happens in book two. I really wanted to love The Betrothed, since I did enjoy The Selection series. I definitely recommend that series! 👍 As for this story, I give it 3 hearts because although the writing was good, I didn't find myself caring about the characters and I wasn't left feeling the need to read the next book.
Book 2: The Betrayed
RATING:
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