Gena Showalter
Montlake
1 September 2025
363
eBook - PDF
Romantasy
ARC via NetGalley
Twenty-year-old Arden Roosa knows only Ourland. Two worlds split and stitched together, with broken pieces from each, statues of fallen gods, and heavenly artifacts that are worshipped…or feared.
But nothing is more fearsome than the night.
A strange madness haunts the darkest hours, turning innocents into gleeful killers. Arden does her best to stay safe—until she reads a portion of her own story—The Book of Arden. And everything changes.
Forced to join Fort Bala Royal Academy, Arden is paired with the ruthless High Prince Cyrus Dolion. But while he trains her for combat against a mystical adversary, she can’t deny the sparks burning between them.
If her panic attacks and war games aren’t enough, Arden is also tapped to join the Tome Society, rumored guardians of an invisible library with books that foretell the future. But the more she learns about the society, the less she understands about Ourland, the gods…and the person she’s destined to be.
Kingdom of Tomorrow had an intriguing-sounding premise, which is what drew me to request it for review. Unfortunately, for me, it didn't live up to that initial promise. It's an adult fantasy but read more like juvenile YA. Some of the dialogue and prose left me cringing. The world building was not well handled; I had so many questions about how the two worlds worked that were never answered. The worst part for me, though, was the romance element: there was no chemistry between Arden and Cyrus and the whole thing felt forced and embarrassing. The opening had promise: underdog/unlikely soldier attends a military academy and seeks to expose the government's secret agenda. However, this quickly evaporated and I had to force myself through each page to get to the end. I do have book two for review as well, and I will read it, since the publisher was kind enough to gift it to me. I hope the second half may redeem the story, but I will take a break to read one or two other books first before I tackle it. As for this opening volume, I am giving it 2.5 stars, that I will round up to a three only for the intriguing idea before the story.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment