Hello Everyone!

Today’s my stop on the Blog Tour hosted by the wonderful The Write Reads for The Hidden King by E.G. Radcliff! Thank you for providing me with a copy of this book for the blog tour. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Title: The Hidden King

Author: E.G. Radcliff

Publisher: Mythic Prairie Books

Publication Date: July 12, 2019

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Length: 318 Pages

From Goodreads: Hidden truths. Hidden power. Hidden destiny.

On the shores of a rusty sea, in the streets of a starving city, a young man named Áed scraps to build a life for himself and the makeshift family he loves. Scarred by a trauma he cannot remember, and haunted by the brutal damage it left behind, he has no idea of the courage his future will demand.

When tragedy strikes, a desperate Áed risks a treacherous, life-changing journey in his last chance to save the only family he has left – but an ancient legacy smoldering within him is about to turn deadly. Neither he – nor a kingdom – will ever be the same.

The Hidden King is an excellent start to The Coming of Áed trilogy. It’s full of adventure, moments that will leave you at the edge of your seat, and some truly wonderful and memorable characters.

The Hidden King starts off in a way that immediately draws you into the story. I liked seeing the Maze and how brutal and grey living there is. I also liked how emotional some of the scenes near the beginning of the book were, and I liked that these scenes made me want to root for the main character. Throughout the book, there’s quite a bit of adventure, and a decent amount of danger, but also lots of moments where you can see how big of a heart the main character has.

As far as the characters go, I liked Áed. I enjoyed learning more about him and discovering his backstory at the same time he did. I liked that he could be both apprehensive and confident at the same time. I also loved how Ronan was his priority and how determined he was to give Ronan a better life. I liked Ronan a lot. I liked that he still had a child-like sense of wonder, even though he grew up in the Maze, where surviving is difficult. I also liked the side characters, and I especially liked Boudicca.

One thing that threw me off a bit was the pacing in this book. There were some scenes that seemed to go by far too quickly and other scenes that dragged out a bit too much. Overall, this was a quick read, and the pacing didn’t bother me too much. A few scenes also made me very uncomfortable, including a torture scene that made me almost give up on the book. That being said, I don’t handle violence very well.

I liked how descriptive this book was. I liked the world-building and how the descriptions pulled me into the world. I would love to know more about this world, and I’m sure there is more to learn in the second and third books in the trilogy. I also liked that grief played a role in this book and some of the descriptions of the grief that the main character was feeling.

I enjoyed the plot of this book, though the title did make it easy to figure out what was coming. However, even though I could figure out the twist, I enjoyed the journey to getting there.

I also liked that the book ended in a way that leaves a ton of possibilities for what could happen in the rest of the trilogy, and it made me want to read more.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and quick read. I liked the characters and the world-building, and I’m curious about what happens to Áed as the series continues.

Rating: 3.5 Stars!

E.G. Radcliff IS A PART-TIME pooka and native of the Unseelie Court. She collects acorns, glass beads, and pretty rocks, and the crows outside her house know her as She Who Has Bread.

Her Coming of Áed fantasy series was crafted in the dead of night after offering sacrifices of almonds and red wine to the writing-block deities.

You can reach her by scrying bowl, carrier pigeon, or @egradcliff on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Amazon Author Page).

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