Review--A Court This Cruel & Lovely by Stacia Stark

 

For years, when I fell asleep, I dreamed of a man with blazing green eyes and a cruel smile.

The day I meet him, the ruthless mercenary leaves me for dead.

Just hours after humans are born, the gods take what little power we have. In return, they protect our borders from the vicious, merciless fae.

The humans who manage to keep their power are known as the corrupt.
And they are burned.

When my forbidden power is discovered, I’m forced to flee my tiny village and the life I adore.

To survive, I make a desperate bargain with the mercenary who abandoned me at my weakest.

Our deal is simple: I’ll help him and his mysterious friends sneak into the city. And he’ll help me learn to wield the strange, dark power I’ve always kept hidden. The power that may just be the key to my survival.

But the ruthless mercenary is hiding secrets of his own. Secrets that threaten the safety of everyone I love. Secrets that could tear this kingdom—and perhaps even this world—apart.

Stacia Stark’s A Court This Cruel & Lovely is the first book in the Kingdom of Lies series and starts off with a bang! If you’re looking for an action packed fantasy read filled with secrets’ lies, mystery, and a bit of heated romance then look no further.

Prisca has magic, dangerous magic. She can freeze time for short moments but when you live in a world where you aren’t “allowed” to have magic until your 25th year, she has had to keep it secret or risk death. Stark builds up a very unique world where humans are to give their magic over to the gods upon their birth. Anyone found to have magic before they’re twenty-five are set to die. There was also a war with the fae that led to more chaos and destruction but things have been better since their banishment. 

When Prisca uses her magic to save someone she ends up having to go on the run which is when she encounters Lorian and his band of mercenaries. While one rescues her from the river, Lorian orders them to leave her behind while they continue their mission. Prisca is trying to get herself to safety and the start of a new life where she won’t be killed for having magic. 

When she crosses paths with Lorian again they come to an agreement. She will help them get into the next kingdom undetected, using her powers and they will help her get to a ship and freedom. So naturally, Prisca spends time with these guys and the romantic tension between her and Lorian is intense! There’s definitely heat between these two but they butt heads more than anything else!

Soon Prisca finds herself forgoing safety and working with rebels to displace the king who has been up to shady business and causing terror. Ultimate danger ensues and nothing will ever be the same again for her.

This book was truly amazing! I loved Prisca as a heroine. She was strong, fierce, and never afraid to speak her mind which was often seen as uncouth for a lady. Then there’s Lorian who is your typical brute of mystery. He acts like a d with an ick but is still fiercely protective of his friends and is fighting his own mission which takes awhile to become clear. 

The pacing to this one had its ups and downs. It moved fast at times when we knew Prisca’s direction but then when the course was altered things became foggy and that’s when we would hit some slower points. There was still plenty of intrigue to keep me going, and there were several times I was shouting “why would you do that” at the characters! And it was sometimes little things that just defied common sense on a covert operation! Lol.

When we finally got to the epic ending, I felt like it was a little rushed. We were building to this huge climax and then it was done and over. Yes, there’s a bit of a cliffhanger and there’s still plenty more to come—clearly—but it just felt like we hit fast forward to get to the end when everything else was drawn out.

Despite a few minor hang-ups I did greatly enjoy this one! The characters are what kept me going even with a few poor decisions that were made. Lol. The story was deeply intriguing as well and I cannot wait to see what will happen next!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars