Throne of Secrets Review (Prince of Sin, #2)

Hello, all!

If you're looking for a steamy read to warm up the winter season, look no further than Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco.

Pub Date: 10-29-24
Adult - Romantasy

As the Prince of Gluttony, Gabriel Axton is notorious for overindulgence. From lavish parties to decadent food to beautiful women, Gabriel seeks his fill wherever he can, but his favorite way to feed his sin is with the thrill of hunting the ice dragons that roam the Northern parts of his land. When one hunting trip turns deadly, Gabriel realizes there's something wrong with his court, and he has no choice but to turn to the infuriating journalist who has tormented him for the last decade.

Adriana Saint Lucent has spent years waiting for her big break. She's paid her journalistic dues writing gossip columns and scandal sheets, and while picking the rakish prince Gabriel apart with her words is the highlight of her job, she wants more. When she catches wind of the ice dragons growing restless, Adriana knows this is the story she's been waiting for. Unfortunately for her, that means working with her nemesis. Gabriel and Adriana have been at each other's throats for years, but if they hope to stop the threat to their people, they must work together. In doing so, they discover parts of their past together were rewritten, and it's the key to saving them all.

Do you know that viral TikTok sound that goes, "I hope you're hungry...for nothing"? That perfectly describes this book. It's just over 500 pages, and I swear nothing happened for about 300 of them. The plot (which is thinner than a pizzeria napkin) doesn't start kicking off until around the 70% mark. I thought we would see the pair working together, but it's mostly Gabriel and his brothers doing most of the brunt work and Adriana coming in at the end. The premise was cool, and I liked the idea of the ice dragons, but it was so boring. The romance between Adriana and Gabriel was meh. There's a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding surrounding their supposed feud, and when you learn why, it was kind of like, "That's it?" I feel like Maniscalco's writing and storytelling have gone a bit downhill ever since she started leaning more towards the romantasy genre, which disappoints me because I'm such a fan of her work. I'll still read her books, but it'll probably be through the library now.

Rating: 2/5