Review - The King by JR Ward

[HannahGibson]

The King:
A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood
by J.R. Ward

At first, I was not sure what to expect of this book. After all, a previous novel in the Black Dagger Brotherhood had already been written about Beth and Wrath, and that novel was perfectly satisfying. It wasn’t until I finished the novel, wholeheartedly satisfied and with a happy-tummy feeling in my gut, that I realized I had loved it and it was integral to the continuation of the Black Dagger Brotherhood storyline.

Without giving too much away, this novel will satisfy lovers of action, romance, suspense, and science fiction. Although my tastes do not generally run towards the ‘creature romance’ genre, this novel has an appeal that was wholly unexpected and delightful. It is obvious that J.R. Ward is deeply invested in developing this fictional world, with character development and literary setting attaining new depth with each chapter, including attention to detail, gnarly new enemies to face, and a political power struggle—which, in my opinion, is a recipe for a very entertaining novel.
It is an especially entertaining novel in the sense that it forces the reader to pick sides between familial loyalty-- concerning Wrath and the brotherhood-- versus Wrath’s mate and true love, Beth.

In true J.R. Ward fashion, the choice of the ties of loyalty both pleases and keeps fans in suspense, while at the same time remaining true to the traditional enemies of the Brotherhood (as well as introducing some new ones), resulting in an ending that was actually my favorite of the series so far. This novel is actually surprising in the sense that it includes two love stories (really, the beginning of a new one, most likely to be continued in book 13, due out in April 2015) between another Brotherhood member and a Chosen. While a hard novel to read at times, especially during the harder emotional moments between Beth and Wrath, the plot lines continued to be resolved in a manner that both wrung out my heart as well as filled it, happening anew during each twist. However, it was well worth the worry and anxiety, with each chapter presenting a surprisingly new amount of material to distract the reader from the particularly hard plot points, until reminded when the developments were integral to the story.

Containing steamy romance, brutal battles, hard choices, and two love stories, this jam-packed novel not only delivered, but also raised my expectations for the next book in the series—eager both to read about the newest romance, and also how the ending will impact the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood in the long run. Well done, J.R. Ward.

[Sauroke]

Very nice review! I have never had the pleasure of experiencing this series, your review paints a picture of a complex situation involving two factions and a romantic tale between characters without giving up the suspenseful details of the story. Great job!