The Shattered King by Charlie N. Holmberg – a Review

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Description:
The kingdom of Cansere is on the brink of war. Young men are conscripted from their homes, and a royal decree from the queen has made healing the only legal form of craftlock. Nym, a healer and beekeeper, is the sole provider for her family of seven now that her younger brother has been sent to the warfront. But when a letter comes from the queen, summoning Nym to the palace to heal Prince Renn, the kingdom’s ailing shut-in, Nym finds herself making the tumultuous journey from her family’s apiary to the capital city. Nym is determined to fail the queen’s mission and return to her younger siblings as soon as she can.

But escaping the castle’s hold isn’t as easy as failing a simple test. Prince Renn is cold and distant, and his illness is nothing like Nym has ever seen before, nothing she could ever imagine treating. In a moment of connection with Prince Renn, Nym manages to remedy the faintest symptom of his ailment―only to discover that no healer before has made such progress. Forced to become the prince’s official healer and a ward of the castle, and with her only hope of returning to her family hinging on the prince’s recovery, Nym must navigate the castle’s cruel and twisted court and uncover the haunting truth behind Prince Renn’s illness―even as she finds herself irrevocably drawn to him.

Review:

The Shattered King by Charlie N. Holmberg is the first book in her duology. Nym, our heroine, is a healer and beekeeper, as the sole provider of her family of seven; her brother, Brian was sent off to war. But quickly, Nym is summoned to treat a mysterious illness plaguing Prince Renn. Since healers have not been able to help the Prince, Nym figures she will fail and go back home; but she unexpectedly makes some progress and is forced to care for Prince Renn.

The Queen forces Nym to spend grueling hours in healing the prince; who early on is distant and occasionally cruel. Nym slowly begins to heal him, with her magical healing; as Renn opens up and becomes tender and gently with her.  

Renn suffered for many years, with his mother (the Queen) always getting all healers to help him.  It wasn’t until Nym and her ability that slowly began to heal him, as Nym spend long hours working on him.  Nym’s healing process was craft, which fixed Renn’s inner space. Nym manages to remedy the faintest of his ailment, learning that no healer before has made such progress. Nym’s no-nonsense attitude, the mystery of the illness, and Renn who slowly starts to crack open.

Over time, Renn began to have feelings for Nym, as she slowly began to have the same feelings.  As Renn began to heal, he was smart, considerate and kind; as he shared her stories of her home life and finally got her to visit her family for a few days.  I really did care about both of them, as they were great together.  Renn wasn’t afraid to express his love for her.   Nym still needed to help Renn, when he had some setbacks.   

The Shattered King was a unique story, with magic, healing, unique and a great fantasy. I loved Nym, who was relatable and sassy.  Renn was a terrific transformation that I really enjoyed.  The end of the book was a cliffhanger, as the Kingdom of Cansere was attacked, with deaths along the way; and many surprises.  The Shattered King was so very well written by Charlie N. Holmberg.  I can’t wait for the next book. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher