A review by monetp
Crowned A Traitor by Kate Callaghan

2.0

This is a NetGalley ARC book review.


"The centre of the Beanstalk had been gutted and reshaped with wood from an ancient oak to build a dining hall for all Dark Creatures alike. Many feared Klara's ability to see through glamoured appearances." ~ Crowned a Traitor


This is a novel where the concept is more engaging than the plot. I loved the synopsis - a girl becomes a Dark Queen, but before she takes the throne she goes on a crazy, unexpected adventure. However, the story was too fast-paced for my liking and the plot felt too empty. Klara was an interesting main character, but not one I bonded with. It felt like her only goal was to be her father's heir and that's it. Her character development felt flat and I didn't even get the feeling that her father wanted an heir to begin with...Overall I struggled to finish this book and I was shocked to see that it was under 300 pages! There is so much worldbuilding going on in every chapter that it overtook the plot completely. Even just a hundred more pages would've been better. There wasn't enough time for me to learn the names of all the characters, remember their goals, and understand the mythology.