The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen – Book Review

Hello lovelies!

I asked for audiobooks recommendations a week ago and someone requested I try The Bridge Kingdom! Here’s my review of the book!

Title: The Bridge Kingdom

Author: Danielle L. Jensen

What if you fell in love with the one person you’d sworn to destroy?

Lara has only one thought for her husband on their wedding day: I will bring your kingdom to its knees. A princess trained from childhood to be a lethal spy, Lara knows that the Bridge Kingdom represents both legendary evil – and legendary promise. The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom controls all trade and travel between lands, allowing its ruler to enrich himself and deprive his enemies, including Lara’s homeland. So when she is sent as a bride under the guise of fulfilling a treaty of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture the defenses of the impenetrable Bridge Kingdom.

But as she infiltrates her new home – a lush paradise surrounded by tempest seas – and comes to know her new husband, Aren, Lara begins to question where the true evil resides. Around her, she sees a kingdom fighting for survival, and in Aren, a man fiercely protective of his people. As her mission drives her to deeper understanding of the fight to possess the bridge, Lara finds the simmering attraction between her and Aren impossible to ignore. Her goal nearly within reach, Lara will have to decide her own fate: Will she be the destroyer of a king or the savior of her people?

4 stars: Aphrodite – Goddess of love and beauty. That means that I really liked the book, whether it was the writing style, plot or characters. It means it was an amazing book that I would completely recommend for the beautiful piece of art it is. However the book is not a Persephone because something keeps it from making it one of my favourite book ever.

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First let me say that the audiobook format for this book was fantastic! I loved the voices for the main characters and it really brought the story to life! I just had a little problem with the places, I couldn’t visualize the bridge and I don’t know if there’s a map in the physical copy but I wish I had one just to see how crucial the bridge was to tying all the lands and seeing its importance. That’s a minor problem and nothing a little digging on the internet won’t fix (fan art, I’m coming for you.).

Other than that I absolutely loved the plot of this book! It was simple enough: Laura, a spy, is tasked to marry Aren, the king of Ithicana (I’m not sure about the spelling) and discover the secret of the Bridge Kingdom so her father can conquer it. The author carried it out wonderfully. I loved the attention to detail and the way the author painted the land and customs so vividly; I could see it in my mind. The pace was perfect and the story kept me entertained throughout the whole book. I was constantly thinking “what’s next??” and the author managed to alternate between calm,quiet moments as well as action-packed and suspense-filled ones.

Now, I love romance more than anything and oh how I loved this one.

I knew the romance aspect would be tricky because Laura was a spy and her role was to deceive. She had been told things about Aren and didn’t trust him and Aren himself was weary of his new seemingly naive wife. I was curious to see how both managed to work above the lies and the author delivered. It was wonderful to read about Aren and Laura slowly opening themselves up to each other and truly seeing the other for who they were. Nothing I love more than the fake marriage trope! Also they had unbelievable chemistry and I was blushing at so ma,y things they said about each other. I’m still smiling about them.

There were also a lot of secrets and intrigues and I liked how everything was tied together and made sense. It was so well-carried out here. All of the characters were interesting and brought something to the story. I’m dying to know more about Laura’s sisters and their training, I also loved the people in Aren’s “court’. They were caring and willing to sacrifice everything for their loved ones. *sighs*.

The story had many twists and turns and I had to take a break multiple times because my heart was hurting. I immediately picked up the second book (it’s a duology) and I’m enjoying it too! Can’t wait to see how it all ends.

Have you heard of this? What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

Karla xx