Cursed King: Ringdweller Series #2

So I finished this book a few days ago and I have a few impressions. First off, as a sequel this blew Scorned Prince out of the water. Everything that was intriguing or well done in SP was so much better in CK.

The worldbuilding in CK was excellent. Hunsaker delivers an interesting setting revolving around a planet that has stopped spinning so only a small area is hospitable. This isn't the first time I've seen this, but Hunsaker puts his own “spin” on it, creating the unique world of Malahem.

The magic system was a bit ambiguous in the first book, but is more fleshed out in the sequel. There are still questions about how the magic works in Malahem, but we are given more information, contributing the feeling of progress that I assume will be consummate in the third book.

The romance aspect left more to be desired, not necessarily in terms of spice, or slow burn, but that there wasn't much conflict in this story to make it interesting (more in spoilers below)

Before getting into spoiler territory, Cursed King is a great follow-up to Scorned Prince; if you enjoyed the first book you'll love the second. If you haven't read SP but you enjoy romance or fantasy, give this series a try. It promises to be heading towards an exciting conclusion.

Rating: 7/10

[[ S•P•O•I•L•E•R•S ]]

There are just a few spoiler-related things I wanted to discuss. In the first book, the “conflict” between Migo and Katsi was the fact that she was a Shaman and he was a shaman hunter. In CK, that conflict/tension is gone. It's more of a “they will never let us be together” tale until they reach the capital that honestly doesn't work for me because Migo is so confident that it won't be an issue. I thought when the emperor was introduced that he would create a love triangle between the three, but based on the ending that doesn't appear to be the case.

Speaking of endings, well done on the twist at the end! I didn't see the whole emperor being a shaman and maintaining control by declaring a war on other shamans piece coming at all. The last chapter or so got me very excited for book three.

Honestly, the stale romance in book two is not an issue for me because I lean much more into the fantasy part of Hunsaker's “romantasy” genre, but I hope it's a little more convicting in the third book.

Overall, a solid book - would recommend to anyone interested in a quick, enjoyable fantasy read.