Book Review: The Veiled Kingdom Series

ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ: Caught between a tyrant king and a rebellion, Nyra flees the palace and hides her identity, but when she’s captured by Dacre, the son of the ruthless rebellion commander, she’s forced to choose a side.

ᴍʏ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴇɴᴛs: Obsessed does not even begin to cover it! I devoured this book! The fast-paced story hooked me from page one. It had all the best elements of Fourth Wing despite a completely different storyline. Nyra and Dacre gave me major Violet-Xaden vibes, and the world-building was seamless—no slow, heavy exposition, just an immersive, gripping read.

ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ: Verena is on the run from both the rebels and the king’s men, each competing to capture her.

ᴍʏ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴇɴᴛs: The second book was the perfect bridge between book one and book three, with a few twists. It picked up directly following Verena as she fled through the forest, trying to make her way to the southern sea.

She is on the run for the entirety of the novel and this one could have easily felt like filler, but at about 200 pages, the pacing remained sharp,

Verena’s journey was full of tension, and the deeper look into Dacre’s loyalty made their romance even more compelling.

I actually appreciated this book even more on my second read!

ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ: Captured by the king, Verena begins to discover where her powers lie and what she must do to be free.

ᴍʏ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴇɴᴛs: This book was longer than the first two (382 pages), and while the first half was fast-paced, the middle slowed down with extra world-building.

While Verena may represent the war and the savior they must defend, Dacre is completely and unwaveringly devoted to her from page one. He is the villain-turned-hero that all enemies-to-lovers romances can aspire to, and it did not disappoint.

I enjoyed the backstory detailing ancient Gods and the prophecy that ruled Verena's life, but it would have made the story much stronger if it had been introduced from the first book. It was a little out of left-field, in my opinion, since we hadn't heard of any of these things in the first two novels and it turns out they were central to the entire plot.

Still, the final arc delivered a satisfying conclusion, and Dacre was absolutely *chef's kiss*.

Despite minor pacing issues in The Rivaled Crown, I adore this series. Holly Renee’s engaging storytelling and dynamic characters make it an instant favorite. As soon as I finished The Veiled Kingdom, I joined Holly’s content team—yes, I’m that obsessed!

A huge thank you to Holly Renee's team and Valentine PR for letting me be an ARC reader for all three books in this incredible series.

I’m officially in my Holly Renee binge era, currently devouring The Clermont Boys series on audio.