The Inadequate Heir

I just have to applaud Danielle L. Jensen for how incredibly layered her storytelling is in The Bridge Kingdom series. The amount of detail she keeps track of, the political intrigue woven so seamlessly with the romance, and the way all of it comes together is honestly phenomenal.

Having read book one, book two, and now finishing The Inadequate Heir, I’m just so impressed by how much thought and depth has gone into this world. I’ve never been so invested in political themes in a fantasy series before, but this series makes it impossible not to be. There are so many layers, so many moving parts, and it keeps you fully engaged the entire time.

The bulk of book three runs alongside the events of The Traitor Queen, but this time we’re show more seeing everything from Keris and Zarrah’s points of view. And honestly, I can’t even say whether I loved their story more than Lara and Aren’s, because both romances are just so well done in their own ways.

Keris completely stole my heart. I love a good blond MMC, and while he starts out a bit of a rake, watching him fall completely head over heels for Zarrah was everything. The way he simps for her, the lengths he’s willing to go to protect her, and how deeply tender his love becomes made me love him more and more as the story went on. You can really feel how much he loves her.

At the same time, Zarrah’s love for Keris is just as strong, but it’s complicated by her sense of honor and loyalty to her people. She’s constantly torn between love and duty, and that inner conflict added so much emotional weight to the story.

And that ending… the cliffhanger was intense. I’m absolutely running to my bookshelf to pick up book four because I cannot stop now.

Completely in love with this book. Completely would recommend it. show less

I liked seeing the other character points of view in this book. We also got so much more background story to Lara's family, which I liked. I knew there was much more going on with Zarrah and Keris and I loved learning their story. I also want to continue finding out more about the siblings. My only complaint is that I felt the end just skipped details. I am looking forward to the next one though since it will be new content.

The book follows the story of Keris and Zarrah (heirs of Maridrina and Valcotta, respectively) and overlaps most of the events of the Traitor Queen. Because of this, I’ve found some parts a bit slow and repetitive as we are seeing the same dialogues happening, interspaced with new ones. This issue might be more evident to me as I just fineshed readind the previous books.

Despite this, I liked Keris and Zarrah a lot, much more than Aren and Lara, and I am excited for the next instalment in the series.

WE'RE GOING BACK TO ARANHAL!!!!

Regretting ever stopping this series before but also glad I don't have to wait between some of the books. I am v scared about where Keri's' arc is heading and I hope that he holds onto his kindness. I'm also worried about what version of Zarrah they will find when they rescue her.

this trash romantasy series has bewitched me, body and soul