The Betrothed by Kiera Cass Book Review

“Not only was he handsome and rich, not only would he make you a queen . . . he would make you a legend.”

(pg. 12)

About

Author: Kiera Cass

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Series: The Betrothed Series book 1

Other books by Kiera Cass: The Selection Series and The Siren

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Synopsis

When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled. After all, she’s grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king’s attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true.

But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine.

Review

Spoilers Contained Below

Dear Princess and Princes,

I swear Kiera Cass’s books are sooooooooo WHAT-THE-HECK that you just have to keep reading it to see if it gets better 😂.

Not that that is a bad thing . . . but golly did this book just make me thoroughly unsatisfied, confused, and frustrated.

Now now, before you come attack me with what I said, I just want to say I LOVE Kiera Cats. She is such a bright, loving, fun person, she loves One Direction, I love One Direction and I LOVE, ADORED the Selection series. The Selection series is one of my top favorite series of all time because I read it within the span of five days because it was sooooo good, I had to keep reading. So I like Kiera Cass’s writing because it is easy to fall into and read. And who doesn’t love a princess-prince romance story (and if you don’t that’s okay too). But the Betrothed? Yea, it wasn’t it for me 😅.

And I wanted to like it . . . it’s not like people read books to not like the book, but you know some books are not your favorite and that’s fine. Nothing against Kiera Case at all!

So where do I even start?

First, let me talk about that sexist, dog-talking, commanding, F-boy playing King Jameson. Great introduction by me if I must say 😂. He treated Hollis like a dog and a shining new toy all in one and it was demeaning, embarrassing, rude, and disrespectful. I’m sorry, if you want to talk to someone like a dog—-telling them to sit, what to wear, how to act—-please go do us all a favor and actually get a dog. But honestly at the same time don’t because poor dog!

Also, he treated her like a laughing stock jester of his amusement. I swear literally everything Hollis did, said, or breathed was funny to him. He’s a grown man, if he wants a good laugh, go look in the mirror or actually pay a jester to laugh at because last I heard, women were not your laughing stock or your amusement. I also wasn’t sure if he was laughing at her because he thought she was funny for all the “poor” or “feminine” thoughts she had—-like Hollis was below her and to him that was HILARIOUS.

Suffice to say, Jameson sucked.

And Hollis felt like she had to make him laugh. I’m sorry, but Hollis, that is not your job to make him laugh.

There was a quote I read about how women are not rehabilitation centers to broken men 😅 and I mean, yea you got that right. Women are not your amusement, we are not your pleasure, and we are definitely not your beaches* if you know what I mean.

Second, this whole thing of Hollis trying to be the queen was a whole no from me. Hollis, you can do better than a man-boy, selfish, laughing prick of a King and I don’t care how big his crown or his wallet or gems are because that ain’t worth it and I felt like Hollis had more self-respect than that. And I don’t care how big of a crown or how many gowns he also gave her, that also ain’t worth the years of living under his power just to be rich and have status. Self-respect ladies and gents, don’t lose it and don’t let anyone take it away from you.

“He laughed and laughed, and I couldn’t tell if he enjoyed seeing me under pressure or if I was just very good at fooling him.”

(pg. 95)

Honey, in your eyes, you are the fool 😣.

And he always belittled Hollis in her opinion or voice because somehow a woman’s voice does not equate to a man’s 🙄.

“If you don’t know what’s happening along your own border, what’s happening to your own people. I can only conduce that you, my lady, are exactly the same: decoration for your king.”

(pg. 118)

Which isn’t wrong. I mean, I feel like in a lot of princess and prince movies back then, women were just the pretty decoration to the man, and that degrades a woman’s power to make it seem like women should stay silent—-that they are just there for decorum. But women are people and gosh knows they are smart, compassionate, and intelligent beings and it’s wrong to put them in a corner like some Christmas tree, only to be watered once in a while.

Absolutely not.

So I didn’t appreciate the very old mindset of men and women’s roles and I would have really liked to see a more progressive version.

But I liked how Hollis took the initiative to learn more about Cora’s history and people because it showed she wanted to be more than just an ornament to King Jameson. And we love an educated woman who wants to better herself. Do not sit her down!

Don’t even get me STARTED on King Quinten because I am no fool and he seemed to be ABUSIVE as heck—mentally and physically 😡. And let’s talk about that toxic masculinity with the guy being the provider and the strong person and women as the eye candy who stays at home and cleans, cooks, looks pretty, and listens to the man. LIKE, I’m sorry, I don’t care what day and age this story takes place, but toxic masculinity is not okay. ABUSIVE toxic masculinity is not okay. Valentina, is first of all WAYYYYY younger than that beast of a King and, second of all I could tell something was up because Valentina seemed very reserved, quiet, and silenced. And that doesn’t come naturally, but because someone makes a person feel that way. And I GUARANTEE you it was King Quinten who made her feel silenced because 1) he was verbally abusive and 2) he was VERBALLY abusive and pu there in her place to make her feel silenced and like whatever she did or said made her walk on eggshells. We never got any confirmation that that was what was happening, but I could tell something was wrong.

Valentina would seem like such a nice person if she wasn’t under the influence of such a bad man. Because deep down there was a real, young girl underneath and I felt bad that she got roped into marrying this King’s butt just for his toxic satisfaction. And I could tell Valentina wanted to leave him and find true love with someone. Honestly, I loved the conversations that Hollis would have with Valentina because it showed that Valentina was a human and it also highlighted how Valentina wanted Hollis not to make the same mistake she did into marrying the wrong man—-marrying into the crown.

“I was charmed by the idea of a crown, by the image of a man in full regalia, and when my parents were made an incredibly generous offer for my hand, I was flattered . . . I was chosen, not for my wit or my singing pedigree. I am a healthy young woman, and I ought to provide a child.”

(pg. 172-3)

Can someone vomit with me I AM DISGUSTED 🤮.

Because he was also SEXUALLY abusive. I think he was, he gave me that vibe. I don’t know. I think it’s just wrong to use someone to have kids so you can have an heir to your throne. That’s DISGUSTING and wrong.

I just wanted to hug Valentina because she deserved better than some man who just wanted her for her offspring. But now here she was trapped into this life with a guy who doesn’t really love or care for her. Then there was the fact that Valentina said she was in danger of something and that she was afraid. I mean, honey, sis! If you are in danger or are afraid, you best be packing up a luggage and getting the heck out of there! Heck, just take a horse and pull a Mulan and LEAVE! It ain’t worth it.

Honestly, my slogan of this review is 😂

It Ain’t Worth It!!!!!

It truly wasn’t .

And King Jameson also treated Hollis like some horse breeder, talking about having a child with her like they should and will and like that’s not her body or her choice. DISGUSTED. And then they had the AUDACITY to talk about giving away Hollis’s first born baby to King Quinten without actually talking to Hollis about getting married, having kids, and yet he promised King Quieten he can have their first born? Yea, that’s a no from me and a serious red flag. And when he said they weren’t Hollis’s children, but his?!!!

Someone hold me back! 👏🏼😡

I’m sorry, if you do not carry a baby around for nine months and literally push it out your vagina, then it is NOT YOUR CHILD. I don’t know who he was in thinking that that their kids are his kids, and yes, if a man and woman have kids together, the kids are both of their children, but this dude was straight up saying to Hollis that they were his kids. And that is not okay.

“Any children we make are arrows in my quiver, and I will aim them wherever I must for the sake of Coroa.”

(pg. 195)

And the fact that he was already talking about making his kids pawns in his little kingdom flex, was DISGUSTING. And I knew he wouldn’t make a good dad.

“We ladies in our gilded cage, we had to make the best of it.”

(pg. 162)

Yea, I don’t think so.

Also, let me just say that Hollis had SHIZ friends. I mean, her “friends”–her back-stabbing, selfish, self-interested, disloyal people—-not friends because they didn’t seem like friends. I truly did not like Delia Grace. She sucked 😂.

I didn’t like the way she always talked down to Hollis because I knew that came from a place of jealousy. Then I didn’t like the way Delia Grace was only friends with Hollis for her own self-interest to renew her status as a better person because she was shunned by the kingdom because divorce is very taboo. I felt bad for Delia Grace and maybe her selfishness and back-stabbyness came from the way people treated her, which I understand, but it is no excuse to be a bad person. I mean, Hollis has such a genuine heart and she literally took Delia Grace under her wing and befriended her despite what other people said. And Hollis never asked or used Delia Grace—-she was always there for her. Hollis just strikes me as the person people think it’s okay to take advantage of because Hollis doesn’t know she is being taken advantage of, but GOLLY, is that wrong.

“You are going to have to find a way to deal with it. You’ve got it better than so many others. Your marriage isn’t arranged to some stranger, your parents aren’t sending you to a different country, you’re not twelve for crying out loud!”

(pg. 199)

Honestly, Delia Grace needed to CALM THE FREAK DOWN! I mean, stop yelling at your friend, sure, she got the better end of the stick with life, but do not take your anger out on her. And I just did not feel sorry for Delia Grace because her ugly was showing and I don’t like using that word because no one is ugly, but gosh was Delia Grace’s personality UGLY.

And the NERVE of Delia Grace to date and go after King Jameson after Hollis and him called it over. WHAT A USER! And the fact that Hollis felt GUILTY for messing up their friendship made me want to hysterically laugh. Hollis, honey, you have NOTHING to be sorry or guilty about because. you just lost a friend that didn’t deserve you. Let that beach walk out of your life because you do not need her! 👏🏼. THANK YOU NEXT.

“I was still sorting out my feelings when it came to Delia Grace. Sad because I missed her so much, hopeful that she might miss me. Guilty over the way things had played out in the end, and happy for her success.”

(pg 290)

Hollis is too good for this world.

I would have celebrated Delia Grace getting out of my life.

You know who also sucked butthole?

Hollis’s parents.

They were rude, prudish, and irritating.

Honestly, I just disliked the majority of the characters in this book, but you know what that’s okay, it makes for a passionate review 😂.

Hollis parent’s always wanted a son because the son could provide more to the family—-heritage, status, power, wealth. It’s kind of like how back then people really wanted sons instead of daughters for the same reasons listed above. Because men were seen as power and women were not, so I felt Hollis felt like an overall disappointment to her family because she wasn’t a boy, so she did not feel loved. That disappointment is such a heavy burden to carry. Also to not feel loved by the very people who should love you, hurt my heart for Hollis. It made sense to me why she easily wanted to please everyone or why she was quick to be with Jameson and make him happy because she wanted someone to love her. She also wanted to do something to make her parents proud or happy of her. But honestly, if parents don’t love you from the get-go because they have this set idea of who you should be or what you should do, most likely, they aren’t going to like you even if you try so hard to change because you will never be good enough in their eyes. It’s something I had to learn because I changed for people and when I did that I was never happy with who I was, and they still weren’t happy with who they wanted me to be. So at the end of the day, remember you have nothing to prove to anyone and you have nothing to change to make someone else happy because that’s more on them than it is on you. So be you, do you, and be happy and if someone doesn’t like that, that’s not your fault. And sometimes you can positively change your parents view on who you are, and that’s such a beautiful thing—-it might have take long for them come around, but sometimes they do.

I also felt Hollis’s love, trust, and kindness came from the hurt she felt from her parents. You know how they say the kindest people are the most hurt people and they mask it well. Because no way do I think Hollis was as good of a person as she was because of suck suck parents. She was good because of them.

I also admired Hollis for knowing she did not want this life anymore—the royal life. Because It was a lot of pressure and no woman should feel like that, and I didn’t like how Delia Grace always told her to suck it up like Hollis was ungrateful or she was a baby. But again Delia Grace is the prime example of hurt people hurt people.

Obviously Delia Grace always had an agenda 🙄.

Can someone say user?

“In the end, we made enemies with our heads, but we unmade them with our hearts.”

(pg 168)

I have to give it to Holland because in her head she was very intimidated by Valentina because of all these things said about her or not really known about her, but when she got to know Valentina and see that she was a real person who was just scared, it made her less of an enemy and more of an ally. They were both going through this similar process together and they understood each other, so it was nice that Hollis had a friend in her.

Truly, Valentina seemed more like a true friend to Hollis than Delia Grace ever did. I also liked how when Valentina went back to her court, she and Hollis would always message each other in secret of how they were feeling. Valentina was very open about wanting to leave King Jameson, which honey, you truly should have,

For the love story, honestly it was ridiculous 😂. I did not like King Jameson from the start. He’s a -1,000,000 in my book from the get go 🤪. It honestly never seemed like Hollis liked him for him, but she liked him for his crown and the pride her parents might feel with her marrying royalty. But it never seemed like she liked him, but the idea of him. So there was that.

Then we all knew something was going on with the Eastoffe boy, Silas. I thought the whole vibe of Isolte was interesting, it gave me Arendale vibes from Frozen. She kept giving Silas looks and he kept looking at her, and there was this general attraction. And Silas . . . wasn’t bad. I didn’t love him, nor did I feel the love between Hollis and Silas, but at least he didn’t treat Hollis like a horse, and actually complimented her and acknowledged her for her strengths as a woman 👏🏼. He also saw her as more than a pretty face and I liked that because he didn’t seem like he wanted more from her, but just for her to be happy and follow her heart. He was a kind boy and I respected that. So I liked that. There was also, honestly, more chemistry there than between Hollis and Jameson because Hollis and Jameson’s relationship felt like a brick wall and a builder—-Hollis building him up. But that was not her job.

Also, Silas just seemed . . .off. Kiera Case would always highlight his very pale blue eyes, and I swear, if an author sheds light to that kind of detail multiple times, there has to be a reason. I also felt like whenever Hollis looked into his eyes, something would happen. So I kept thinking, was this guy magic? Was his eyes magical? Were they hypnotic and made people feel calm or in love with him if they stared at him? I don’t know. He just didn’t seem real.

Honestly, I’m freaking proud she followed her heart and left Jameson. Her family was probably ashamed of her even more, but who cares? They probably would have been ashamed of her no matter what she did, which was sad. But Hollis had to do what Hollis had to do best for her.

“This was someone removing my shoes and taking the pebble out; I would walk steadier from here on out.”

(pg. 211)

So Hollis ran away with Silas in the end because they were also running away from the Darkest Knights, which gave me Ghost Riders vibes from that one Teen Wolf season 😂. If you know, you know. But I thought this was just kind of a random, weird thing to include how the Eastoffe’s were being hunted by these Darkest Knights and how the Eastoffe’s are actually royalty and a threat to Quinten’s rule because they had successors and if Quienten’s son passed, the Eastoffe’s would take power, so the Darkest Knights were hunting them down and killing their boy offspring so the power does not go to them.

Eventually Hollis and Silas get married, quite quickly I might add—impulsive too—because gosh knows they didn’t seem to know each other well enough to get married 😅. Then they left with the whole Eastoffe family and everything, and then they got raided by the Darkest Knights and gosh it pained me with everything going on how everyone was in the Eastoffe house and Silas’s Mom told Hollis not to go help because it will only make it worse. But when they went to the house again, everyone was slaughtered in cold blood. And this just THREW ME THE FREAK OFF.

I mean, first Hollis is engaged to a self-absorbed, deprecating prick, she has a sucky, back-stabbing friend, then she falls in love with a guy with some magical eyes and they get married too fast and think they’re going to live happily ever after, and THEN the guy she wants to be with gets slaughtered in the end 😂. I’M SORRY, WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK IS THIS PLOT?!!! 🥴I’m sooooo sorry, I just don’t understand where this book was going because I was like, yea, okay, Hollis, good for you for following your heart and getting out of that sucky relationship. And good for you for dropping your friends. It can only get better from here. And I was like, oh, okay, marry Silas, go live happily ever after.

NOPE.

Because he gets slaughtered?!

What even?

Where is this going and why does she have one love interest to another and when we think she’s going to be happy, everything gets taken from her?

I don’t know.

Honestly, it was more funny and frustrating.

I mean, Etan, the brother, seems nice and I think that’s where we’re going with this series, but I don’t know. Who knows what’s going to happen in the next book. And honestly, I’m going to read the next book to find out more of this insane madness because WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON? 😆

Also, her parents got slaughtered in the ambush thing, and that has to hurt. Hollis might not be close to her parents and they always shunned her, but they’re her parents. Hollis basically doesn’t have anyone at this point in the book besides her in-laws, but that hurts 😢. I just wanted to hug her. I’m curious how all these losses will affect her in the future.

The ending was kind of dull where Lady Eastoff and the rest of the family survive and are traveling to find safe haven. I think we’re going to see more of Valentina in the future and what her relationship with Hollis will look like. I also feel like we’ll see Delia Grace married to King Jameson and maybe her and Hollis make-up or don’t. Honestly, I prefer the latter. But I really don’t know what the plot was and it was not my favorite. But it was interesting enough to keep me reading in frustration and confusion so there was that 😂. Again, I don’t dislike Kiera Cass, and I really wanted to like this book, I mean the cover was STUNNING, but gosh I did not know 😂.

“I may be poor in many other skills, but I’ve become exceedingly talented in hoping.”

(pg 276)

I’m hoping for a more progressive arc with Hollis and this world where Hollis or other women are not treated like horses and where their voices and power matter. I don’t really know about the love story, but, yea, I want more female empowerment if anything. So let’s hope for that.

Anyway, what was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? If you were Hollis would you have left Jameson? Anything I mentioned that you want to discuss more about?  Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕

I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.

And as always, with love,

Rating

3.23 Full Bloom Flowers

Characters: Didn’t like King Jameson, didn’t like Delia Grace, didn’t really like Silas, and Hollis was okay.

Plot: I had no idea where this book was going most of the time, but I had to see where

Writing: LOVE Kiera Case and she makes reading both enjoyable, and interesting for sure

Romance: Did not know what romance there was because one was a prick and the other . . . well, he you know 😢