Item: King Elijah
Rating: 5.00
Author: bamxo

by D.L. Blade

A magical king. An Elven assassin. And a quest that brought fated enemies to question where their loyalties really lie.

Janelle, a young Elven assassin, sets out on a dangerous mission given to her by the sorcerer she serves. She must kill King Elijah, or she and her brother will suffer a fate worse than death.

Though the king and the assassin loathe each other at first, they soon realize they have an enemy in common. One that could destroy everything they hold dear.

Hoping to save their world from the Newick coven’s sinister plans, they journey to Myloria to save Janelle’s brother and protect their home from the growing shadow that threatens all of magic.

Amidst their quest, Elijah and Janelle find their hatred for each other is not meant to last. An unexpected connection grows between the two, and a magical force brings them together, despite their struggle to deny it. Their destinies are bound by the gods.

Danger awaits around every corner—A ruthless coven leader, a monster that feeds on magic, and a treacherous journey through Whitestone Mountain.

Lives are at stake, and the fate of Zemira rests on their shoulders.

***

For readers who enjoy a slow-build enemies-to-lovers trope with a morally gray king with a fast-paced adventure and steamy scenes. Other tropes in book two are one bed, close proximity, and lots of banter.

Received this as an ARC from Booksprout.

This book was a sequel to the fantastic Sea of Zemira, which I absolutely adored.
Instead of embarking on swashbuckling journeys with our beloved pirate crew this book, we follow up with one of our prior bad boys. King Elijah. The villain turned hero. His journey finding his fated mate, his battle to keep her safe, save his friends, his people, was just delicious.

We do encounter our pirates throughout the book, so have no fear m' heartys. ☠️

I found this book a lot more focused in terms of its plot, despite its multiple POV, it still all progressed towards the same end, it was just a nice change here to just have one conclusive plot and one timeline to stick with.

I LOVEEEEEEE the new characters, they made a pleasant addition to the story, the book would have lost something if it had been limited to just King Elijahs life himself, although he's pretty special. I am so happy that we kept our magic and portal jumping elements. Along with the Magic folk themselves. Slightly disappointed at the lack of sirens this time, I think maybe I like the prospect of man eating mermaids too much

King Elijah (The Zemiran Chronicles, #2)

by D.L. Blade

Reviewed by bamxo on May 19, 2024

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