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The Cursed Crown

Darker Woods, Book 1

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The Cursed Crown

By: May Sage, Alexi Blake
Narrated by: Xe Sands
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Summary

No one was ever born less suited to ruling than Rissa, the thorn of the seelie realm - a half-fae so wild she's spent the better part of a hundred years in the woods.

For all her flaws, she's the last of the high court bloodline, and the southern king seems to think that's reason enough to slap a crown on her feathered head. He needs her to unify the seelie forces. She needs him to forget about that nonsense.

In an effort to aid her people without condemning herself to a lifetime of misery, she sets off on a journey to find the one person with a stronger claim to the throne than hers: the cursed prince.

Sealed in the mountains of the Wilderness, under many spells, the heir of the first seelie queen is the only royal strong enough to protect the fae lands from their immortal invaders.

Surviving the untamed tribes and awakening a thousand-year-old prince seem a lot easier than ruling an entire kingdom where everyone hates her very nature.

And her choices won't come without consequences.

©2021 Twisted Mirth Publishing (P)2021 Tantor Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Royalty
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This was an easy book to slip into from the start. The writing flows well, the premise is clear, and there’s enough happening early on to make it a smooth, accessible read. A wild half-fae heroine being pushed toward a throne she doesn’t want, paired with a quest to find a cursed prince, is the kind of setup that promises adventure, tension, and plenty of fantasy intrigue.
Where it lost momentum for me was in keeping that initial interest alive. A lot of the story felt familiar, and the characters didn’t always have the depth or intensity needed to make the plot stand out. Most of the cast came across as fairly one-dimensional, and even the male lead never really inspired much investment. The female main character was stronger in comparison, and I did like her overall, but I wanted more development beyond the backstory we were given. At times, some of her reactions also felt a little over the top.
The world-building and overall plot had real potential, which is what made the execution a little disappointing. There were interesting ideas here, but they never fully came to life in a way that made me want to drop everything and keep reading. It wasn’t a bad book by any means—it was perfectly okay—but not especially memorable. Unfortunately, it falls into that category of stories that fade pretty quickly once finished.

3.4 stars. A reluctant Queen story line

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