Astoria Hope
Self-Published
27 January 2026
441
eBook - EPUB
Romantasy
ARC via NetGalley
A prince cursed to destroy everything he touched. Until he touched her.
Isca never dreamed her gift for sensing emotions would draw the eyes of princes—let alone the Assembly of Mages. Brought to court under the guise of diplomacy, she quickly learns her secret task: soothe the beast raging under Prince Emrys’ skin and deliver his heir back to the Assembly to forge into a weapon. Refusal means her family’s ruin.
But Emrys is not the monster she expected. Yes, he’s volatile. Yes, he’s destructive and dangerous. Beneath the curse, she glimpses the man—giving, fiercely protective, and unbearably lonely.
To the Assembly, Isca is a tool. To Emrys, she’s a temptation he cannot afford. He pushes her away to protect her, even as his eyes betray the truth: she is the only thing keeping him from drowning.
He could break her with a touch. She could bind him with a heartbeat. While their enemies scheme to use them as pawns, desire threatens to undo every wall they’ve built.
Together, she and Emrys could shatter the Assembly’s chains. But that would mean laying bare her betrayal—the one thing with the power to destroy both the man and the monster.
Bound to the Broken Crown was a romantasy that ticked off many of the tropes fans of the genre have come to expect. We have a heroine thrust into close proximity with a dark and brooding hero with a secret. While I wouldn't say it's enemies to lovers, there was certainly tension between them at the start. The fantasy world building was generally well handled, as was the pacing of the action. Where it fell down a little for me was the romance, as it felt somewhat forced and I didn't really buy into the relationship, especially when she was being romanced by every man who appeared on the scene -- something which seemed more a vehicle to make Emrys constantly jealous. While the realm and magics were well explained, there was a distinct lack of clarity regarding Emrys' curse. Had this been the first book in a series, I would assume those details would come out in the next volume, but this book seems to be a standalone, with future books set in the same world but featuring different lead characters. In fact, a note on the NetGalley page says 'some questions are not answered at the end of this book'. I wouldn't mind that if it was a question of HFN rather than HEA or something similar. However, with the whole thrust of the story being centered on his curse, it did bother me a little that we never found out the whys and wherefores of it, and that did spoil my enjoyment of the story. As such I am giving this one 4 stars. It will certainly please fans of trope-laden romantasy, but I think there was room for improvement in a couple of areas.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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