*gulp* I’m 100% sure I would not survive Ithicana. Most of the story is set in Ithicana and it wasn’t at all difficult to picture the lush jungle terrain, the frothing waters of an angry sea, and (my worst nightmares) plenty of deadly snakes and shark-infested waters. Although there’s a peace agreement between the two, their peoples loathe each other for all they’ve suffered as a result of the cruel actions of the opposing monarchs (of course, there’s more to the story than meets the eye)! When the book kicks off, the stakes are already high and there’s plenty of scheming and subterfuge as the story progresses. I enjoyed reading about the different nations and how they differed in climate and cultures but it mostly focused on Maridrina and Ithicana, where our two main characters are from. The world-building was vivid, the characters were compelling, the romance was a swoony slow-burn, the plot was full of tense political manoeuvring, deception, and there was plenty of action to go around! These are nations that have long been at war with each other and many have formed a tenuous peace with each other for trade purposes, especially with Ithicana as they control the bridge. The Bridge Kingdom had me hooked from the very first chapter. I’d recommend this if you enjoy romantasy, but more specifically: vivid fantasy worlds, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, a plot full of deception and heart-pounding action, and a romantasy couple that will have your heart swooning with happiness and weeping with angst.

This was an extremely binge-able read that I had a really hard time putting down. TL DR: There’s a lot of hype around this book and it’s definitely for good reason. I buddy read this with Julie One Book More and I’m so glad because I really needed someone to wail to when shit hit the fan and hit the fan shit really did! 🥺 We loved this first book so much and were so shook by that ending we immediately started the second book!

The bridge kingdom book