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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Book Review: The King (Black Dagger Brotherhood #12) by J.R. Ward

The King (Black Dagger Brotherhood #12)
by J.R. Ward
ebook, 592 pages
Published April 1st 2014 by Penguin Group (USA)
J.R. Ward's # 1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood continues as a royal bloodline is compromised by a grave threat to the throne.

Long live the King…

After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath, son of Wrath, finally assumed his father’s mantle--with the help of his beloved mate. But the crown sets heavily on his head. As the war with the Lessening Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything--and everyone--at risk.

Beth Randall thought she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure blooded vampire on the planet: An easy ride was not it. But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response--or the distance it creates between them.

The question is, will true love win out... or tortured legacy take over?


Oh where to begin…I won’t give away any spoilers for The King, but there is no way to talk about the book without mentioning spoilers from previous books. If you are still somewhere in books 1-11 you can be excused from this review….shoo!

Oh, where to begin! Everything started with Wrath in Dark Lover (Book one) and I fell fast and hard for these warrior vampires. They were larger than life and oh so alpha. No one writes pain and angst like JR Ward and she ups her game with The King. Over the last 11 books Wrath has had a lot of shit hit the fan and he is on the verge of cracking under the pressure. He has to come to terms with his blindness, what it truly means to be king and a good husband. Ward makes it as hard and emotionally draining as possible. There are also sections of flashbacks about Wrath’s mother and father and we learn Wrath is very much his father’s son. I thought Ward wrapped Wrath and Beth’s story up well. They will of course be in future books, but Ward has been transitioning in a new cast to take the helm.

While Wrath’s story is the main focus of the book there are multiple major storylines going on. One of my favorite is Assail and Sola. I am a sucker for forbidden love (in this case vampire/human) and anti-heroes. She has no idea vampires exist and I can’t wait to see how she takes it. Assail lives a violent lifestyle and falling in love with a human would be a weakness he can’t afford to have.

Xcor and Layla’s story had very little page time, but their story affects a lot of characters: Qhuin/Blay and Throe. Throe isn’t happy with Xcor’s change of heart in their cause and I think he might be heading for the dark side.

We learn a bit more about Shadows iAm and Tez and they world they come from. I haven’t connected to these characters for some reason. Maybe because their storyline felt rushed so Ward could set up the next book which will be called The Shadows. Not as excited about this one, but it will be filled with other storylines I do care about.

I really hurt for Saxton in Lover At Last. He gets very little page time in The King, but we learn more about his family life, and it isn’t good. I just want to give him a big hug and tell him he will get a HEA one day.

I wanted Wrath and Beth’s story and Ward delivered (see what I did there? <G>). Throw in Assail and Sola’s story and her sassy grandma and I was glued to the book cheering and crying all the way.

5 baby lambs





SharonS


5 comments:

  1. I loved it too :)
    Although, somehow I always forget about Ward's 'fade to black when things get, good-soap opera chapters', and it annoys the hell out of me. Every. Damn. Book. GRRR
    One of these days I'm hoping someone will put together a chapter guide to save my sanity.
    i.e.:
    If you'd like to read continuously about Wrath and Beth read chapters 1,2,5,8....
    If you liked to read Assail and Sola's storyline read chapters 4,7,9..."

    :)

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  2. I really enjoyed too, I wasn't bother by some of the things I heard a lot peeps bother by. I think she hasn't been focusing in just the main couple for a while, so it should come as no surprise that we got the same here. I'm with you, I hope Saxton get his happy ending too.

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  3. Great review Sharon, I look forward to reading the book when it is in paperback.

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