Review | Crowned A Traitor by Kate Callaghan

Crowned A Traitor by Kate Callaghan ★★★★

“The Crimson Guard are in the Castle. I’m screwed, Abadan must be planning something.”

This dark fantasy debut from hell is astounding (in a good way)

I received this e-book from NetGalley. This does not affect my review or opinion. All thoughts are my own and I’m being 100 percent honest. Thank you to NetGalley, Independent Book Publishers Association and Kate Callahan for providing me this e-book for reviewing purposes.

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Crowned A Traitor really surprised me. The synopsis sounded like something I would like but I didn’t expect to like it as much as I do. The plot was fun to follow, but I was more interested in all the different creatures in this novel. The beginning is a bit slow so if you’re interested in the book I’d suggest pushing through. The pace does get faster after a while.

Synopsis
Heir to Hell and the Dark Forest of Malum, Klara has been called upon to take her place as High Queen of Malum. Though Klara has no intention of ruling, her guardians want her head on a spike. Klara’s only option – escape to Kalos, Fae ruled lands free from Dark Magic. To survive the perilous journey, she needs help…

A Leprechaun with a talent for smuggling.
A mischievous Demon with swaying loyalties.
The soul of a greying Warlock.
Lycaon siblings with a talent for deception.

Destiny has an awful habit of catching up with those who run.

I like this cover! It is quite simple and I maybe would’ve liked a crown or some wings on it but overall it is not a bad cover.

The plot of Crowned A Traitor isn’t groundbreaking, but what makes this book special are the characters. I think we can all name some books where the heir doesn’t want to take the throne. In this novel however, the girl who has to take the throne is Lucifer’s heir.

These characters are so fun! I really enjoyed reading about Klara. I think she is such a badass. I already had an interest in stories about the devil and hell but Callaghan really came through with this one. I loved reading about these biblical characters like Eve, Lilith, and Lucifer.

The romance in Crowned A Traitor was cute but felt a bit rushed at times. It didn’t bother me that much, because I didn’t read the book for the romance but I would’ve loved for the relationship to go a bit slower. It may have felt a bit rushed because the book is quite short. The book is around 220 pages I think (which I really liked! I feel like YA books try to be 700 pages long these days, so I enjoyed a shorter book) so that may be why it felt rushed.

“Ah, shit, I’m going to have to ask Father for a new heart.”

I do have to say that the beginning was a bit too slow for me. Callaghan starts off with a strong action-packed scene. She grabs the reader’s attention but then for a couple of chapters the story is just pretty slow. I’d say the first 25% of the book is a bit slow and the rest is fast-paced and action-packed. So I’d suggest pushing through the first few chapters because it is worth it.

Callaghan’s writing style is excellent. It is very descriptive which I like. I could picture every room and forest clearly. This is a good debut. If you’re into dark fantasy, you should take a look at Crowned A Traitor. I am curious to see what the second book in this series will bring.

Would I recommend it?
Yes. It’s a good book!

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Trigger warnings
Death, blood, death of a loved one, demons
Representation
Lesbian side character, side characters of color
Genre
Young adult, fantasy
Publication date
July 4, 2020
Publisher
Self-published
About the author
Kate Callaghan is an Irish fantasy writer with a passion for fairytales and mythology.
Her debut novel, Crowned A Traitor is available on 4th July 2020.
She has previously published two short fairytale retellings with plans to release more in the future.

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