The Dark Court is no place for a lady. After tricking the king, Tempest has finally won her long sought-after prize – a place on the king’s council – but it comes with a steep price. The king wishes for her to once again infiltrate the Jester’s Dark Court and crush the remaining rebellion.Stuck between her duty to her kingdom and her duty to what is right, she throws herself into the assignment, … into the assignment, determined to discover her true enemies. Slipping into her role as the Jester’s fiery plaything and personal assassin comes with an ease that terrifies her.
The charming and dangerous shapeshifter makes it too easy to forget her purpose and tempts her to join his world of depravity and eternal night. But Tempest is no man’s pawn. Her destiny was never to sit back passively.
She makes her own path. Even if it’s painted with blood, strewn with bodies, and scattered with the pieces of her broken heart.
Enter the world of the Twisted Kingdoms at your own risk where monsters wear pretty masks, good and evil are at war, and fairy tales don’t exist. If you love fiery heroines, sexy villains, enemies-to-lovers romance, pulse-pounding action, mafia undertones, and dark fairy tale retellings, you need to discover the new series readers are comparing to books by Holly Black, Leigh Bardugo, Meagan Spooner, Emma Hamm, Brandon Sanderson, Melanie Cellier, and Audrey Grey.
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Tempest has been tasked with getting close to the rebels and reporting back to the King. Her pull towards Pirer gets stronger by the day but can she hide her feelings for him and can she get away from the sleaze bag King
The Rook by Frost Kay is the 2nd book in the Twisted Kingdoms series and it just keeps getting better!
Picking up where The Hunt left off, Tempest is finding herself more tangled than ever and it seems she can trust no one but herself! This is one of those stories that stays with you!! Definitely a must read!
The audio narration does an amazing job bringing the characters and story to life.
Oh. My. Dear. Lord. How to actually review
Frost Kay’s The Rook (The Twisted Kingdoms Book 2)? Ok, so yes it’s totally superb, and the series is a loosely based Snow White retelling (though emphasize the “loosely” here as you may not spot it). In reality it’s a story of court intrigue, action, adventure, thrills, twists a s turns, magic, shifters, excitement and so much more, with an ideally casted heroine in Tempest and a totally addictive plot. Total fun-blast. And easy to highly recommend.
Frost Kay is devilishly devious. This series is my first by her, and I absolutely love it. If you like a splash of violence with your intrigue, this next section in the series is worth it! You meet new enemies? And see new friends? It’s up to you to decide who’s who and what’s what =D
And I love Frost’s descriptions of a certain piece of evening wear <3
The Rook was amazing! It was action-packed and unpredictable. It was a great follow-up to The Hunt!
ONE ENTRANCING JOURNEY
Unparalleled! Frost has outdone herself once again with this untouchable little number, spinning this heart pounding pulse racing adrenaline pumping block busting thrill ride, keeping you riveted and frozen to your seat, thrusting this kickass treat to life brilliantly. Observing the formidable trials and arduous tribulations, unveiling deadly twists and suspicious turns, restrictions are amplified and exposed, baring the daunting facts, ruthless deals and dubious escapades, clutching a fierce perseverance with such intensity and vigor, propelling this bad boy to life spectacularly. Balancing atop a double edge blade through hostile territory, riding a thin line of daring drama, damning secrets, perilous intrigue, escalating danger, spiraling suspense, along with intense situations, traversing the cunning manipulations of duplicitous deeds and dubious acts, catapulting this jewel to staggering heights. The characters, banter, interactions and charged atmosphere are realistic, complex and genuine with traits and qualities, add depth and diversity, blending into charismatic personalities. The scenes are abundantly descriptive with colorful details that blend and flow, creating one gruesome backdrop that’s so rich and lively it feels as though you were transported to ground zero with them. Remarkable job Frost, thanks for sharing this thrilling treat with us.
Thrilling right to the very end!
”When you dance with the devil, you risk becoming the devil yourself.”
WOW! What an absolutely amazing, thrilling and suspenseful story! Book 2 in this fantastic series is absolutely outstanding! It is filled with so many twists and turns that I wasn’t sure what would happen next. The story kept me riveted to my seat, utterly captivated and very entertained right to the very shocking ending.
Tempest is fierce, strong and kickass but she is being pulled in so many different directions that has her not trusting herself and others. I love that she is very loyal but that no man can own her. She is not a possession and Tempest lets all the men in her life know this.
I loved everything about book 2. The plot is thickening and secrets are being revealed. War is coming and hopefully Tempest manages to fight for the right side and stop it from destroying everything.
I can’t wait to read the next book in this amazing series.
Note: I received this book from the author and I voluntarily give this review, it is my honest opinion.
The Rook is the second book in the Twisted Kingdoms series and it was epic. I loved this book so hard, it was everything I could have wanted in a fantasy.
The story was amazingly full of twists and turns, suspense, and action. The flow was pretty good and kept my interest and held it from the very beginning. The story doesn’t shy away from how women are looked upon but it also proves how strong Tempest is even among supernaturals. The whole story is centered on Tempest who doesn’t really fit in, she doesn’t fit with the all-male hounds and she is the human among supernaturals but she doesn’t let her differences define her, she knows she is enough and that is a fantastic message. Tempest is a badass who gets shit done, she works at it and doesn’t let someone tell her she isn’t capable and that is my favorite thing about her. That and she doesn’t let her anger control her actions, she may get pissed but she clams herself and thinks things through.
While the story was fantastic it’s the interactions between everyone that really make the book. Tempest love and loyalty to her uncles is sweet, she doesn’t want to think ill of them but she also refuses to be clouded by them. Then it’s her interactions with the king that cause me to shiver because through his point of view I just realized how crazy that man actually is and I think both the king and Tempest underestimate .each other and that is a deadly thing to do in this stage of the game. However my favorite interaction is between Pyre and Tempest, with a few chapters from Pyre’s point of view, I get a better sense of who he is and how he truly feels about Tempest and these two are gonna kill me. I think they are great together, he keeps her on her toes, she drives him crazy and they can work really well if they can get out of their own heads.
The Rook was amazeballs, I mean the storyline is fantastic with courtly intrigue, rebels fights, a psychopath for a king, betrayal, a warrior girl, balls, steamy kisses, and an ending that made my jaw drop. The rebellion is getting stronger and I can’t wait to see what happens next, one thing I know is that war is upon them.
SPOILERS AHEAD
This was a great sequel to The Hunt. The development of certain characters was really entertaining. Also the world building continues to be interesting and engaging.
The only complaint I have is that there seemed to be a few major plot points that resolved with very little fan fair. For instance, what was the drug? At the end of book 1 we have no indications as to it’s chemical origins. At the beginning of book 2 it is taken for granted that the drug is a distilled version of mimkia. This is treated as common knowledge. I couldn’t find anywhere where that was explained. Also, throughout the series so far, the king has 2 sons. Both younger than Tempest. By the end, the Crown Prince is mentioned as being a year older than Tempest and the second son has disappeared. They both were sent off to be ambassadors to the giants but when they were attacked on their return trip, the second son is no where to be found and is never mentioned again.
These continuity errors, though annoying, didn’t completely take away from the overall story.
The Rook is Book 2 in the Twisted Kingdoms series by Frost Kay. King Destin wants Tempest to do whatever it takes to infiltrate the Dark Court, even use her womanly wiles. Tempest is a fighter, though, and not a courtesan. She likes doing things contrary to what is expected of her as a female.
Tempest finds herself trapped by the evil king’s wishes and struggles with her feelings for the Jester who has more faces than she can trust. There is a lot of intrigue between the King, the Jester, and Tempest. Who is playing whom? Can Tempest rise up as one lone female and change the course of the upcoming war?
The second book is a page-turner with a few new characters added in. Most of the questions that I had in Book 1 remain a mystery in Book 2. I found that frustrating. However, a key element gets revealed at the end of Book 2 that will leave you hanging! I can’t wait for Book 3!
I received an ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Holy shifters this book was good! I became so entrenched in this story I read it from start to finish with no pauses. I. Could. Not. Put it Down. Book 2 starts right after Book 1 ends and oh the intrigue it weaves from the 1st pages. Who is truly the good guy or are they evil on both sides? Tempest is lied to and manipulated continually so it begs the question she asks herself time and time again – can she trust anyone at all? Tempest is naive is some ways. While she learned some hard truths about the actual state of the kingdom in the last book this installment sees her growing as a person. However, Tempest has dug in her heels as far as her moral compass goes and I have to applaud her for it. She’s a warrior not a blind assassin.
Then there’s Pyre who’s spun so many webs he forgets to be a person and lives in denial about Tempest. Their back and forth is something else. Pyre is forced to admit what everyone else sees though by the end of the book. Tempest too learns some hard truths towards the end and is forced to face the hardest truth of all – she is a pawn in the middle of a war that she has been dragged into. But Tempest is smart and is learning to play they game. She has made allies with strong people and could be the pivotal difference in the war. Then the ending lines of the book will leave you with your jaw dropped….
This story is such a great read. An enemies to lovers/fated mates trope full of intrigue, betrayals and danger. A heroine who is fierce and bows to no one. A love interest who would put a spy master to shame. So many secrets remain, so many unknowns to unravel. This story is epic and worth reading if you enjoy any of the above.
Strong female characters, action-caked scenes, evil monarchs who view breaking the spirit and will of others as pleasurable, and alliances among the unlikely, add these all up and it equals a novel that never lets go of your attention. Be forewarned, this is no feel good tale! All my reviews are always voluntarily written.
Fantastic
This book is so well written that you will read page after page so smoothly and, suddenly, you will be facing that freaking cliffhanger
The world building is amazing, I can picture in my mind everything and everybody that is described in this book!!!
The unexpected and shocking twists and turns had me on edge, biting my nails, wondering WTH will happen next
The love-hate relationships between Tempest and Pyre had me hyperventilating, heart racing, sometimes wanting to slap him, other times wanting to kiss him
Full of action, mysteries, betrayal, new allies and lot of emotions, this second installment is all I was expecting and so much more, can’t wait for the next book!!!