Sarah M. Cradit

The Kingless Crown

Ashlee

Wow. I did not anticipate this book ending up as one of my favorites, but it really sunk its claws into me. 

The Kingless Crown is an epic fantasy, and I was blown away by the world building and scope of the story. It is definitely darker in tone, and I will add content warnings to the end of this review, for you consideration, but nonetheless, I definitely recommend.

This heart of this story is that of youth enduring the faults and choices of their elders, and let me tell you, they made me SWEAT. Sarah M. Cradit knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat and there were definitely moments I was left reeling at the end of chapters. 

This is one of those stories that has multiple POVs that seem to be following their own stories or plotlines at the beginning of the book, but as a reader you can see all of the near misses or know when characters are about to meet before they actually do. This is one of my FAVORITE types of storytelling and I feel as though Sarah M. Cradit handled it all really well.

I love that there is a little bit of everything in this book, too. There is the vile, heartless tyrant, there is friendship and family, there is immense suffering and grief, there is sweet first love and decades old love, there is magic and heroism, there are various factions with their own goals, family feuds that span generations, and there are some really incredible secrets and mysteries for you to uncover as you read. 

This is also a story in which the most heroic characters aren’t necessarily the ones you’d expect, and Sarah M. Cradit certainly isn’t afraid to put her characters in situations where every choice comes with heartache. But there are also sweet and lighthearted moments that left me laughing or smiling! It’s so epic in its scope, you can definitely expect to feel all the emotions!

This is perfect for fans of high fantasy in the vein of George R.R. Martin and I cannot recommend it enough. Even better, the trilogy is complete! I’m looking forward to continuing it and seeing where it goes!

Content warnings: Please note, that I would label this as adult dark (epic) fantasy, I’ve seen some people label it as YA fantasy, and I believe that is a misrepresentation. There is rape, sexual assault, incest, breastfeeding (for sexual gratification), torture, imprisonment, starvation, assassination, kidnapping, ableism. 

Thank you to Sarah M. Cradit and Book of Matches Media for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The Kingless Crown

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