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What: The King of Koraha (Archives of the Invisible Sword #3) by Maria V. Snyder

Who: HQ Young Adult AU

When: December 1st 2021

How: A copy of this novel was provided by Harlequin Australia for review.

Hard on the heels of trouble in Zirdai city, Shyla Sun-Kissed and Rendor are ordered to report to the King of Koraha – a summons that is deadly to ignore. The King holds the key to Koraha’s existence, but a formidable new enemy threatens Koraha’s very survival and the King desperately needs Shyla and Rendor’s help.

Wielding a terrifying and unknown magical power that can convert opponents into devoted soldiers, the mysterious army is hellbent on usurping the crown. Shyla and Rendor are tasked with discovering who in the seven hells these insurgents are. And what their real endgame is.

Trekking through the punishing conditions across the searing surface of Koraha, and facing numerous unseen foes and untold danger, they must follow the clues to uncover the truth before it’s too late. The fate of the King and all the citizens of Koraha rests in their hands…

At the end of The City of Zirdai Shyla and the Invisible Swords overthrew the corrupt Water Prince and Heliacal Priestess, and even though there were hard losses, everything turned out for the better. And then Shyla received a mysterious summons from the king and the book ended.

The King of Koraha feels less like the third book in a trilogy, and more like an extra book on top of a duology. Everything is different in this book: the setting, the problems, the stakes, and the characters. There’s definitely nothing wrong with that, but I must say I did miss the characters that I’d come to know and love in the previous two books, and would have loved to see how Zirdai was settling in under the new figureheads.

But Shyla is whisked away to the capital city to meet with the king. She’s not entirely sure how the meeting will go, and whether he wants to punish her for basically overthrowing Zirdai. But in the end the king wants Shyla’s help because all the taxes have been stolen. Which means there’s no money left for the staff, protective forces, or the people. What starts out as a seemingly simple theft unfurls into a more sinister plot to overthrow the king and take control of all of Koraha.

Poor Shyla has the absolute worst luck! The girl had only just finished helping Zirdai overthrow their corrupt leaders, and then all of a sudden she’s basically in charge of saving all of Koraha. But at least she has Rendor through it all, who would have to be one of the most loyal and steadfast love interests I’ve read about. He believes in Shyla even when she doesn’t believe in herself, but the beautiful thing is that it goes both ways. Shyla believes in Rendor, even when he thinks the worst of himself. Their relationship is so lovely and healthy, and I’m glad readers get to see such a couple on page.

Speaking of worst luck, Shyla goes through many trials throughout The King of Koraha, both mentally and physically. I feel like she really needs a rest because her body has been battered and bruised more times than I can count, and in The King of Koraha her mind is used against her and the people she cares about as well. I wish there’d been a tiny bit more exploration of how she felt about all of this, but I suppose the time crunch in saving Koraha meant that would come later. Maybe we should get an epilogue, Maria? *praying emoji*

All in all, Maria V. Snyder has done it again. She has given us a strong heroine, a swoon-worthy love interest, and a story that grips you from start to finish. It’s no wonder she’s my number one auto-buy author!

© 2022, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

trigger warning

drowning imagery, attempted murder, loss of mind and body autonomy, multiple near death experiences, reference to torture, reference to murder, reference to death of friends, false imprisonment, physical fights

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Posted on: January 18, 2022 • By: Chiara

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