*ARC* Crowned a Traitor - Review

Crowned a Traitor (A Hellish Fairytale #1)

By: Kate Callaghan

Published: July 4th, 2020 by Callaghan Writer

220 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: Netgalley ARC

(Goodreads / Amazon)

Summary:

Heir to Hell and the Dark Forest of Malum, Klara has been called upon to take her place as High Queen of Malum. Though Klara has no intention of ruling, her guardians want her head on a spike. Klara’s only option - escape to Kalos, Fae ruled lands free from Dark Magic. To survive the perilous journey, she needs help...

A Leprechaun with a talent for smuggling.
A mischievous Demon with swaying loyalties.
The soul of a greying Warlock.
Lycaon siblings with a talent for deception.

Destiny has an awful habit of catching up with those who run.

MY REVIEW:

The main character, Klara, is the daughter of Lucifer. Yes, THE Lucifer, as in Ruler of Hell. She was sent to be raised by the 3 queens, The High Queen and mother of demons, Abadan; Adam's wife, Eve; and the First Woman and first wife of Adam, Lilith. Klara was mistreated her whole life, beaten and broken for the purpose of making her tough, strong, and ready to one day take over as the Heir of Hell.

There are witches and warlocks, lycaon (as in werewolves), vampires are mentioned though we don't actually meet any in the story, demons, ghouls, centaurs, ogres, giants and a number of other beings that all take residence in the vast lands that make up the realm of the dead that are all ruled by Lucifer. 

Klara has strange abilities which are always considered to be part of her bloodline back to Lucifer. Her guardians all seem to hate her mostly due to her being the next Heir to the throne of Hell - and she them for their cruelty. 

She seems to have had a childhood bestfriend named Frendall, who she has been separated from for a very long time as she was raised by the three queens, and he was raised by Lucifer to be a Commander of his army. Seeing as they are both grown now, there appears to be deep feelings between them even though those feelings are never fully fleshed out. Then there are the beginnings of a connection between her and a lycaon named Wolfgang but again, never fully fleshed out - though to be fair, they are running for their lives at the time he is introduced. 

There is deception and glamours and twists, all to be expected as demonic beings and fallen angels surely can't fully be trusted. Or can they?

Overall, I liked this story. It was interesting and I kept wanting to read more. I enjoyed being back in a paranormal sort of universe. There wasn't near enough of a romantic storyline for my personal liking though. The ending felt rushed and wrapped up too neatly. I much prefer some major cliffhanger combined with some sort of smaller resolution in the plot for a series. I am intrigued enough to want to read what happens next in the series depending on what the description of the next book is.

Favorite Quotes:
"The world doesn't exist to fit into your plans", Wolfgang snapped.

"Act like a leader and not an upset child."

Language Rating: 1.5 (light to medium)
Mature Content Rating: 1 (light)
Final Rating: 3.5 stars