This month I wanted to review THE SCORNED PRINCE by Brady Hunsaker, a new author who just broke into the indie world this year.

But first, here is a reminder of how I rate my books (All of these will be on a scale of 1-10, 1 being low, 10 being high) Then I will give the star ratings (1-5):

• Plot Structure: How well the story was put together.
• Character Development: Level of growth a character achieves and how well the author makes them feel “real.”
• Language: Level of swearing, innuendos, verbal abuse, and other triggers.
• Violence: Level of fight scenes and gore.
• Sexual Content: Level of physical intimacy.

Ready? Let’s dive in.

THE SCORNED PRINCE

Here’s how this book scored:

• Plot Structure: 7/10 There were several holes that bothered me on why a character acted the way they did. Actions seemed abrupt at times, and the ending didn’t have enough emotional by-in from the reader for the prince to start declaring his love. There was also a great deal of exposition.
• The world-building, however was great. Having a world that didn’t turn and it was torn between frigid ice and blazing heat was intriguing.
• Character Development: 7/10 The main characters could have been better developed. At times they felt a little 2-D, but there was a decent amount of growth for each one.
• Language: 2/10 There were in-world swear words, but even these were mild.
• Violence: 5/10 We witness a beheading performed by the prince. Luckily the author doesn’t go into too many details on the gore.
• Sexual Content: 2/10 Katsi takes care of Migo in a cave while he heals from battle and the author mentions of his exposed torso.

My Review:

This was a fun read. I really enjoyed the intrigue and the struggles Migo and Katsi dealt with. The major tropes you can find in this book are enemies to friends, overcoming limiting beliefs, succession, and self-discovery.

However, here are some of the reasons I couldn’t give this book 5 stars:

1) There was a lot of exposition throughout the text. I wanted the characters to give me their thoughts on what they were experiencing, not telling me the backstory on it.

THIS IS A SPOILER
2) I felt like Katsi’s need to help Migo both before the big battle was forced and too quick. For me, there wasn’t enough build up for her to suddenly decide that because Migo put Damani in prison, she would help Migo avoid fighting her tribe after she learns of their plans to attack the kingdom. I could get on board with her helping him A LITTLE bit more post big battle because of her need to help Damani, but even then it felt hollow to me.

3) I would have liked to see Migo interact with Damani and let us see that Damani was leaking information to the captain before the big fallout that landed Damani in prison. With only one instance, it didn’t feel set up well enough for the consequences that followed.

This lack of set ups and payoffs made what could have been an awesome read into only a good read.

Despite these things, Hunsaker tied things together fairly well and I do plan to read the following books in this series.

I gave this book 4-stars.

If you’re interested in checking this book out you can find it here on Amazon. This series will be complete in December 2023.

Also, if you enjoyed this review, please like this post or leave a comment below.

Thanks!