The Wraith King by Juliette Cross

A brutal, bloody war against the ruthless Wraith King has cost the light fae more than innocent lives. Una Hartstone, Princess of Issos, learns the price the Wraith King demands to end the war once and for all. Her. In exchange for the safety of her people, she agrees to give her life—and her body—to her greatest enemy. Gollaya Verbane is determined to fulfill his destiny and his god’s prophecy. When his seer points to the Princess of Issos as the key to the rise of the dark fae, he demands her submission. But when she finally yields, he realizes Una is much more to him than a priceless weapon. A mystery that has haunted Una for years awakens when she is abducted and dragged back to Näkt Mir. The palace hides many dark secrets…and at least one traitor. A traitor determined to take King Goll’s throne—and all he possesses. What he doesn’t know is that Una’s magick is more powerful than he can imagine, and that Goll will burn the whole world to save her.

The Wraith King by Juliette Cross gripped me from the first chapters.  I love meeting characters on their worst day; surely it couldn’t get worse.  You quickly learn about the ongoing war between the light and dark fae and the centuries-old hate between them.  When presented with an option to save her people from the war, at great expense to herself, Una doesn’t hesitate to accept the offer.  The reader is then taken on a journey, that includes adventure, romance, world-building, mysteries, and dragons!

 

 

I loved Una, the feisty FMC.  She was strong, brave, and witty, just how I like my FMCs.  Even in awful circumstances, she didn’t lose her courage or desire to help her people.  While the reader doesn’t learn more about the mystery she is trying to solve until later in the book, looking back you can see how it motivates everything she’s doing.

 

Goll, while a hot, feral, grumpy demon-like fae, lacked defining character.  I normally love the “he falls first” trope, but in this, it felt forced.  However, his banter with Una and unwavering need to protect her, ultimately made me love them as a couple.

 

The twist was slightly predictable, though, Cross had me second-guessing myself.  I could have done without the twist, but it didn’t take away from my love of the story.