The Half King (Bk. 1, Deluxe Limited Edition)
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Overview
A Good Morning America Book Club Pick, The Half King is a mythic romantasy of cursed royalty, buried secrets, and a connection that could save a kingdom — or destroy it.
The Allied Realm has never recovered from the Great Betrayal. Long ago, the noble houses rose up against their goddess, and for that treachery, every firstborn child of each noble family was cursed. One curse bestows perilous beauty. Another, destructive knowledge. Another, insatiable bloodlust. But the royal house Mortara drew the darkest fate of all.
King Kian Hannibal Mortara exists only by day. At night, he fades into nothingness — and on his twenty-first birthday, he will vanish into the shadows forever.
Cerise Solon arrives at court as an acolyte, one of the second-born children of the realm destined to serve the goddess and become a Seer. There's just one problem: she has no gift of foretelling. In fact, she has no magical gift at all. What she does have is a sharp eye for the smiling courtiers and priests whose hearts are full of secrets and lies.
And then there is the king himself — haunting eyes, a sharper tongue, and an unerring talent for sending her pulse skittering at the worst possible moments. Falling for him would be unthinkable. He is the last of his line, and the clock on his curse is running out.
But Cerise is hiding something. Something bigger than the curse, bigger than the court, bigger than anything she has yet to understand about herself. And it may be the only thing standing between the king and the shadows that are coming to claim him.
"Landers brings a mythic fairy tale aesthetic to this new adult romantasy, crafting a complex world and vivid characters." — Publishers Weekly
Series Information
Series Name: The Half King Series
Series Reading Order
This series is best read in publication order.
Book 1 - The Half King
Book 2 - The Half King Book 2
Reviews and Author Praise
"An engaging adventure and a promising beginning to a new fantasy series."
— Kirkus Reviews
"Landers (Starfall) brings a mythic fairy tale aesthetic to this new adult romantasy, crafting a complex world and vivid characters."
— Publishers Weekly
Topics and Key Themes
Narrative Tropes
Enemies to Lovers
Grumpy/Sunshine
Slow Burn
Forbidden Love
Chosen One with a Secret
Key Themes
A curse with a countdown — the king's fate dissolves at twenty-one, making every day feel borrowed
Hidden power in plain sight — a girl with no gift may be the realm's only real magic
Court of smiling liars — Cerise reads hearts others can't, and the truth is never flattering
Divine punishment reshaping royalty — a goddess's old curse twists noble bloodlines from within
Secrets heavier than prophecy — what Cerise conceals could break the curse or seal the darkness
Who is this book for?
Primary Genre: New Adult Romantasy
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5: Spicy
Open-door romance with balance. You’ll find some on-page intimacy with moderate detail, woven into the story. A sweet spot for readers who enjoy both emotional depth and a bit of steam.
Fans of Danielle L. Jensen's Stolen Songbird will enjoy the lush fairy tale world-building, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers tension, and a cursed king whose fate rests in the hands of a heroine hiding a powerful secret.
About the Author
Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn't afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public--just ask her embarrassed kids. She lives in Cincinnati Ohio, where she writes romantic fantasy and science fiction adventures for the young at heart.
Similar Authors
Sarah J. Maas, Danielle L. Jensen, Nisha J. Tuli
Reader FAQs
The balance leans toward romance, with the enemies-to-lovers dynamic and emotional tension driving the story. The fantasy world-building — cursed noble houses, a goddess mythology, and court intrigue — is substantial but serves the central relationship rather than overwhelming it.
Both feature enemies-to-lovers tension and a richly built fantasy court, but The Half King carries a stronger fairy tale mythic tone and is described by Publishers Weekly as new adult romantasy. The world-building is complex yet more contained than Maas's sprawling multi-book kingdoms.
It is classified as new adult romantasy, placing it squarely for readers aged 18 and up. The romance carries a spice level of 3 out of 5, meaning mature content is present but not the primary focus of the narrative.
The romance is slow burn. Cerise and King Mortara begin in opposition, and the tension between them builds gradually across the story. Readers who prefer emotional buildup over immediate attraction will find the pacing suits that preference.
It is a reasonable entry point for romance readers exploring fantasy. The world has rules and mythology to learn, but the court setting is familiar and the emotional core is character-driven. Kirkus Reviews describes it as an engaging adventure rather than a dense world-building exercise.
Info
ISBN: 9781649374103
Published Date: November 19, 2024
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Language: English
Page Count: 381
Size: 9.25" l x 6.50" w x 1.25" h
Category
Fiction