The aspect that told me that I'll have a fine time reading TKoD was actually its first line. Shattering dreams and forging new ones is my guilty pleasure and when a girl manages to accomplish that by fleeing on her wedding day, to say that I'm completely enraptured would be an understatement.

This is the kind of story I love—a heart-pounding tale of magic and murder, betrayal and romance set in a richly imagined fantasy landscape.” —Cindy Williams Chima, New York Times–bestselling author of the Seven Realms and the Heir Chronicles The Prince: *steps aside for a monologue* She is lovely! Such spirit! I have never seen the likes of it! Whoever thought she could be so special, so different! This is the girl I had hoped never to marry?! I'm in love! I'm driven mad with hunger! This is the kind of story I love – a heart-pounding tale of magic and murder, betrayal and romance set in a richly imagined fantasy landscape’Cindy Williams Chima, New York Times bestselling author of the Seven RealmsKaden fights by Lia's side in The Battle for Morrighan, risking his life to preserve Lia's vision for Venda. He finds happiness with Pauline, finally coming to realize the vision he was convinced showed that he and Lia would have a child together was really of Pauline's baby that both he and Lia help care for. Relationships [ ] Family [ ] Cateryn, mother (†) [ ] Lord Roche, father [ ] Andre, half-brother (†) [ ] The majority of the story is told from Lia's perspective, even though she's not the narrator. Every now and then, though, the author throws in a chapter told from either the prince or the assassin's point of view. I don't think it always works well when you switch viewpoints, but I really enjoyed it this time around. He had jumped to his feet too. He grabbed my hand so I had to look at him. “You wanted to kiss me.” I also thought it was pretty fun to try to guess the real identity of the prince and the assassin. I was combing through the details every time we had a POV change to guess who was who. Speaking of the different POVs, I really enjoyed that the chapters changed between Lia, Kaden, and Rafe because it helped me understand each character's personality, fears, and motivations more. On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two strangers arrive. She is unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her.

What I'm given is a bunch of random terms shoved in my face. Of which I remember approximately zero. Because there's no context at all, just names. One might have thought a fantasy novel needed a world... We have Pauline, Lia's maid, who throws away her perfectly comfortable life with a perfectly kind man to run away with some teenager who has no idea what she's doing. And then she has the nerve to say that this man "will know where she is no matter where she goes," because he "knows her like no other." Excuse me?

The second half of this book is WAY stronger than the first. Lia starts to really figure out who she wants to be and how she wants people to see her. There is a grave digging scene in this book and it's really what put me on team Lia. It is beautiful and probably my favorite part of the whole story. Now you're probably thinking "wtf? why is she digging a grave?!" THE SUSPENSE!!! And is it tradition to lose your gift too? Those unsaid words hung razor sharp between us, but even I couldn't wound my mother with them. My father hadn't consulted with her on matters of state since early in their marriage, but I had heard the stories of before, when her gift was strong and what she said mattered. That is, if any of it was even true. I wasn't sure anymore. Actually, the only thing killer about this assassin is his smirk. But really he's just a boy who can't do his job. He has hundreds of opportunities to assassinate Lia but he doesn't because he's too busy going googly-eyed and thinking about kissing her. Yes, there is a love triangle, which for me, was light. It didn't bother me greatly. I wasn't too invested in it anyway. I definitely like Rafe way more than Kaden; both as separate character and as a love interest. I don't really care for Kaden. I put off reading this book for ages for two reasons, 1) hype and b) its Fantasy. If there is one thing to know about me, is that Fantasy and I just don’t always get along. That isn’t to say I don’t like, or even love the genre; I do. But we have a weird relationship, one that I am frequently taking a break from.

A deeply satisfying, intricately plotted fantasy where no one— no one—is quite what they seem. . . . A thoroughly engrossing read— I couldn't put it down!” —Robin LaFevers, New York Times–bestselling author of Grave Mercy and Dark TriumphLia's a feisty little princess who doesn't want to marry the son of a crusty old king. Best guess ( since she's never actually met her fiance) is that he's only half as old and crusty as his father. Which would still make him pretty darn old...and crusty. Kaden is described as having light blonde hair with movements that are quiet and deliberate like those of a hunter. His brown eyes hide turbulence beneath the surface and are described by Lia as "warm and smokey". My stomach lurched, and I shifted my gaze closer to the bottom of the hill, where wagons lumbered on the road far below the citadelle, heading toward the town square, perhaps laden with fruit, or flowers, or kegs of wine from the Morrighan vineyards. Fine carriages pulled by matching ribboned steeds dotted the lane as well.