Queen of Myth and Monsters by Scarlett St. Clair – Review

Published: December 20, 2022

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Series: Adrian X Isolde #2

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Pages: 432 (eBook)

My Rating: 2.0/5.0

Synopsis:
The next book in the epic fantasy series by USA Today bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair.

Isolde, newly coronated queen, has finally found a king worthy of her in the vampire Adrian. But their love for each other has cost Isolde her father and her homeland. With two opposing goddesses playing mortals and vampires like chess pieces against one another, Isolde is uncertain who her allies are in the vampire stronghold of Revekka.

Now, as politics in the Red Palace grow more underhanded and a deadly blood mist threatens all of Cordova, Isolde must trust in the bond she’s formed with Adrian, even as she learns troubling information about his complicated past.

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Excuse me while I go weep for what could have been. King of Battle and Blood was a great combination of plot, characterization, and romance, so naturally I couldn’t wait until the sequel came out. Well, I picked this up on the day it was released and soon realized Queen of Myth and Monsters was not the book I expected from this author.

The characters that I loved from the first book were twisted. Isolde, who I praised for not being an idiot, became that very thing. Since the end of the first book where she found out she was a reincarnated witch, she began making poor decisions and keeping secrets. Adrian turned into a raging, overbearing asshole. The whole relationship, which wasn’t perfect to begin with but seemed to be going in an okay direction, became a toxic cesspool. They fight, have sex, and then go right back to fighting as if that fixes any of the multitude problems they and the kingdom of Revekka are experiencing. 

I think what disappointed me the most were actually some of the plot elements. Isolde has been struggling with the fact that she’s a reincarnated witch, but can’t really use magic so she obviously feels a bit helpless especially when she’s surrounded by near immortal beings. Of course she endangers herself “for the good of the people” as soon as Adrian leaves on a mission, gets bitten by a wolf-like monster called an aufhocker, and then turns into one. Now she’s a werewolf and then, to top that off, she nearly dies and Adrian turns her into a vampire too. For god’s sake, I rolled my eyes so hard they nearly lodged in my brain. I would typically be all for one such change because it would give her the power she wanted and some agency. BUT NO, she went from nothing to full on Mary Sue mode almost immediately. There were so many other elements that just irritated me and the secondary characters, which were great in the first book, were just so poorly utilized. They became babysitters to Isolde or were used for shock value. I was in awe that a series that began so well could take such a drastic turn for the worse.

Overall, I was tremendously disappointed in this book and, judging by the reviews on Goodreads, I wasn’t the only fan that was let down. I can see myself picking up the next book because I really do want to see how the story turns out, but it’s definitely going to be a hate read.