The Betrothed by Kiera Cass

The Betrothed by Kiera Cass
Release Date - May 5, 2020

Publisher Website - Harper Collins Canada
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy

Pages - 400 pages
My Rating - 2.5/5
**arc received from the publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled. After all, she’s grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king’s attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true.

But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine.

I eagerly added The Betrothed to my reading list. I felt that The Selection series was a fun enough read and I loved the idea of Kiera Cass exploring a more Tudoresque setting. Sadly, I did not end up enjoying it the way I thought I would.

I predict that many readers will be disappointed to discover that this is not the frothy, steamy book that it appears to be. There isn't even really a love triangle in the way that you might be expecting. This book tries to be that and something more but ends up not succeeding at either. I am not judging the book for what it is not and would have been happily surprised if the execution had been stronger.

Kiera Cass' writing is addictive in the way her previous novels have been. It is a straightforward, clean style of writing that makes for an easy, quick read. I did not struggle to make it through this one the way I might have with a different writing style.

A lot of this book feels like it was told to me as a reader instead of shown to me. The characters are barely fleshed out more than caricatures and flat box checking. The world building is fairly light. As a result, I did not connect with anyone of them. There are moments where a reaction is almost felt making that loss all the more palpable. The only character I found interesting was Valentina. Her story is one I would want to read and follow. She is, sadly, not given enough page time.

The romance itself felt like it was on fast forward. Hollis and Silas barely interact before they are proclaiming their love. It is another instance of being told something instead of shown. I didn't believe in the connection between them because I wasn't shown it. I was told they were in love and ws barely given time to register it.

The last bit of the story is where the plot kicks into overdrive with everything happening at once. It highlights the pacing issues with the story. The beginning is slower with not a whole lot of plot progression and the major plot points are crammed together in a way that feels disjointed. The pacing, at times, felt so off to me that certain parts of this story feel like a part of a completely different story. The other pacing issue, previously mentioned in regards to the romance, is made all the more glaring by these other pacing issues. It sometimes felt like the author had specific scenes that they wanted to include but did not take the time to stitch them together properly.

The ending, for me, sets up the more interesting story. It opens the door for a much more interesting sequel and is really what I had hoped the rest if the novel had been. I predict the latter half may end up being the least favourite part for some readers but I think it was the most compelling section of the story.

I will still urge everyone who is interested to check out The Betrothed. The elements that that did not work for me may end up being what others love about the book. It, sadly, never come together for me. It, ultimately, is a read that felt too disconnected and one in which I struggled to find any emotional pull.