The illusion of choice.The burden of the crown.If Prince Fallon is to succeed, he cannot do it alone.Novi Navarro’s life hangs in the balance after being sentenced to serve in the Temple of the Chimera. The Prioress in charge seems intent on breaking not only her spirit, but the spirit of every living thing within those impenetrable walls. When a chance encounter leads to an unexpected friendship … walls. When a chance encounter leads to an unexpected friendship with one of the sacred creatures inside, she discovers a new reason to go on.
Betrayed by his own blood, Prince Fallon has given up on his family, but he hasn’t given up on his dreams of a better world–preferably one with Novi by his side. When he presents her with three different choices of how her fate will unfold, Novi must decide which path to take…
…and there will be no turning back.
You’ll enjoy this edgy & dark blend of New Adult Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance if you’re a fan of Laurell K. Hamilton, Amelia Hutchins, Lily Archer, Kresley Cole, Donna Grant, Jaymin Eve, Jane Washington, Sarah Piper, Kelly St Clare, Raye Wagner, Leia Stone, Laura Thalassa, Karpov Kinrade, Karen Marie Moning, Jeanine Frost, J.R. Ward, Sarah J. Maas, and Lynsay Sands.
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In the second book in the Novi Navarro Chronicles, Novi is still imprisoned in the Temple of the Chimera. Although everything seems to be against her, she develops a friendship with the chimera Kai, whose egg was stolen in the previous book. Kai and Novi bond, becoming close friends and helping Novi keep sane.
In the meantime, Prince Fallon is trying to get Novi free but also working on creating a more inclusive world for those who are not dark elves (the rulers of the kingdom). His family continues to frustrate him, and now his father has returned to lucidity after one hundred years.
In the Annika Brisby series, there are comments about the dark elves so although this series stands on it own, I really enjoyed getting to know the dark elves’ world. I love these books by Emigh Cannaday, the care she takes building worlds, the politics, the traditions, the history and the interpersonal relationships; there is so much detail.
There were some totally unexpected twists at the end of the book, which leads into the next book and more closely ties these two series together.
What I liked in this book: The love Prince Fallon has for Novi, a never-ending love no matter what the obstacles; Novi’s intelligence, independence, and strength of character. And Kai, I really want to see more of this adorable chimera.
What I didn’t like: the epilogue jumped ahead while I wanted to know more about some of the pressing issues that were brought up. Maybe the next book will answer some of the questions I have.
If you enjoyed the first book of Novo and Fallon then you will want to continue with this second. This is deep with no quick easy solutions. Choices are much harder when you don’t have the option to be selfish and must think of a kingdom first.
Though being a story of paranormal world, it undoubtedly reflects our own world: from the political plots to the insecurities that withhold everyone. New characters are introduced being the chimera names Kai, the turning point. This narrative also shows us how we long for equality and respect, how love could help restoring them. This is a Serie to be read more than once. Thanks Emigh for it.
INCREDIBLE!!!! loved every bit of it!!! The author is an ARTIST with words!! I felt like I was part of the story!!!
I rarely give 5-star reviews to 2nd books in the series. In my experience, these books are fillers. There is no real plot progression—the characters flounder. But, in Crown of Contempt, none of this happened. I was happy to have my expectations blown away by this book.
I hated seeing Novi broken. She wasn’t the same person that she was before going into the temple. She still had a sharp tongue and a more intelligent mind. But her humor, which is what made me love her, wasn’t there.
I felt bad for Fallon. The stress that he was under came off the pages. He was trying to install a new government, save Novi, and fend off his mother. I was surprised that he didn’t snap sooner.
I felt bad for Callie, too. The things she was forced to do and see. The abuse she put up with. My heart broke for her every single time she appeared in the book.
I want to see more Kai!! I thought his character was adorable. He had unconditional love for Novi and protected her the best he could.
If I didn’t think that Fallon’s family was dysfunctional in Prince of Persuasion, I think it now. That family makes me shake my head. The mind games that are played between parents and children sicken me. No wonder Tristan turned out the way he did.
I wasn’t surprised by what was revealed about Queen Laena. I was expecting something like that. I also wasn’t surprised at how cruel she was to Callie. Nothing about that woman surprised me. I am curious to see what will happen in the next book. I wonder how everything will work out for her.
Tristan bothered me in the book. I was prepared not to like him. I mean, he did shoot Novi with an arrow. But, there was another side to him that was shown in the book. He was the same abusive jerk to Callie and Novi. But, there were scenes where he acted like a hurt child. I am wondering what he will be like in the next book.
There is dual main plotline in Crown of Contempt. The first plotline centers around Novi. It shows what she has overcome and what she has to overcome. I did feel that the decree the king threw down was unfair. The second storyline centered around Fallon and his work to make the country equal. I found it fascinating.
The end of Crown of Contempt was satisfying. I am not going to say much. But I will say that I was right about the character from The Darkest of Dreams. I did a fist pump when it was revealed. It is going to make the next book enjoyable.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author to give a voluntary honest review. This review contains only my own thoughts and opinions of this book. First and foremost, thank you Emigh Cannaday for the opportunity and generosity.
I do not like admitting this because it makes me feel kind of stupid, but reading Crown of Contempt made me feel a bit lost. It felt like there was a second book before this that I missed or something. I don’t mean that this book followed Prince of Persuasion poorly or anything, but the characters feelings, reactions, actions and just some general information in the book didn’t fully make sense to me. It constantly felt like I had missed something big and had to go back to make sure I hadn’t accidentally skipped a chapter.
It’s hard to explain what made me feel this way. I think the biggest issue was the jumps in time though. It didn’t leave a lot of room to the necessary details and development to take place and help me follow the story. From the moment Novi and Fallon was reunited it jumped from month to month recapping a lot. Suddenly they went from into each other, but reluctant to admit it, to heads over heels in love with each other. Then there was suddenly distance between them again and then, happiness and suddenly there is heartbreak and separation. I make it sound much sloppier than it was now, but my point is that since it jumped and recapped a lot, the bigger moments felt sudden and a bit out of place.
That’s not to say that the book was undeveloped or rushed. It developed a lot of things very well, like Navi’s miserable time at the temple of The chimeras, her relationship with Kai and also the intriguing yet mysterious characters that was Leana, the Prioress and even Tristan and Callie. I don’t believe the development or progress of the story was the main problem, but rather the focus on where the development should be. A lot of detail went into some important things but also smaller things, while the most exciting and compelling moments where brushed by. The entirety of Novi’s and Fallon’s relationship is beautiful and heartwarming, yet the impactful and intense moments were short and far between, if not missing, because of how much it jumped in time. What was a year for them was at most a month for me because of that and it was a bit out of nowhere when suddenly their deadline passed and they had to separate.
What made me even more confused was that Fallon did not keep to his promise to send her somewhere safe and that promise was not mentioned at all then, like it was completely forgotten. While I did enjoy the depth of despair and sorrow it brought out of them and made the later reunion the more sweeter, it also made me doubt his love for her since he let her go back to that miserable place when there was another option.
I am also a bit annoyed that I didn’t get to see the moment Novi and Fallon reunited after her “big change”. Considering how that was a big worry they both had since book one it was sure to be a really beautiful and toe curling moment. Instead the infamous jump in time made me miss it. Still, I can’t help but enjoy following their relationship and characters. They have their own unique charms and intrigue and I absolutely loved the last chapter so I am very much excited for the next book, whether it is Annika Brisby or Novi Navarro next.