by Victoria McCombs
publisher’s synopsis
You’ve been warned many times, you cannot trust the kings . . .
The old queen is dead, a new queen is in play, and the realm has descended into darkness. For the first time in history, a queen has rejected the game. Eliza will start her reign with no alliances while Althea must fight to save her tenuous bond with the king who cannot love. Her relationship threatens to break, but Althea’s attention becomes divided after receiving a few harrowing clues connecting her past and the game at hand.
Before she can find answers, a mysterious fae appears promising the power of the seventh king to whoever can solve a series of riddles, leaving the fae realm in shambles as they race to come out on top. Althea has one year left. New alliances are forged. Old stories come to life. She must make her move, or the fate of the queens will consume her.
Thea has one year left as the Mortal Queen of the fae, but she’s determined to live–and save the life of every Mortal Queen after her.
The introduction of the Gamemaster was a fun twist, though I did expect more game elements than were actually in the novel. A fair amount of the plot is Thea trying to unravel the past of the Mortal Queens to figure out how to save them, but don’t assume that that will be boring. As with the previous book, McCombs weaves in plenty of twists.
The same characters appear in Lethal Kings, though they hold plenty of secrets for the book to reveal. I do wish a little more page time had been devoted to Thea and Bash’s relationship, particularly in working through their trust issues. It felt like it was brushed aside a little too quickly. I did really appreciate the strong familial ties underscoring the novel. That’s not often found in YA, so it was nice to read.
I don’t want to say much else at risk of spoilers. Overall, Lethal Kings is a satisfying conclusion to The Fae Dynasty by Victoria McCombs.
Cautions: eight kisses; moderate romance; brief, non-graphic violence
(I received an eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
Hailey Huntington 
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