Healer to the Ash King

Dark Rulers, Book 5

De: Rebecca F. Kenney

Narrado por: Vivienne Page

A young healer with water powers is conscripted to serve in the Capital during the "Calling of the Favored," a competition during which the King will choose his bride. Her sympathies—and her friends—are with the Undoing, a band of anarchists intent on overthrowing the monarchy. When she meets the fire-wielding Ash King, all she can think about is removing him from power, by any means necessary . . . until his unexpected attraction to her complicates everything.

This enemies-to-lovers, hate-to-love romance is basically The Hunger Games (Collins) crossed with The Selection (Cass). Fans of C. N. Crawford, Sarah J. Maas, Nisha J. Tuli, and Jennifer L. Armentrout will enjoy this book!

Contains mature themes. Trigger and content warnings are available on the author's website.

©2022 Rebecca F. Kenney (P)2022 Tantor Media

RFK Fan

I’m a huge fan of Rebecca F Kenney and have read almost all of her series at this point. This book is part of her Dark Rulers series; which admittedly isn’t my personal favorite of her worlds, but that’s mostly due to the subject matter. This series leans heavily into morally gray characters and darker themes that can absolutely push some readers’ buttons. And to be clear: the trigger warnings for this book are there for a reason. If morally gray, villainous characters in dark romance aren’t your thing, this may not be the book for you. I saw a number of reviews from readers who said they couldn’t finish it, but many of those complaints seemed to stem more from the subject matter than the quality of the writing itself. Rebecca’s writing style is excellent. Her stories have grit. They aren’t just one spicy scene after another. There’s real plot development and well-developed characters throughout.

This story centers around Caitlin, a powerful magical healer who also commands the element of water. Because of her abilities, she is summoned to serve as the court healer to the Ash King, Parrish. And let’s just be honest- Parrish is an @sshole. There’s no delicate way to put it. He’s a king who grew up with every whim catered to, surrounded by people who constantly flatter him simply because of his title. Caitlin, however, refuses to play that game. She treats him with a blunt honesty that he rarely experiences from anyone around him. Parrish wields the element of fire and is very much a hothead- literally and figuratively. His emotions often fuel his magic, and he struggles to control both. He’s feared throughout the realm due to an incident years ago in which he incinerated an entire population… though the truth behind that event remains shrouded in mystery.

As you might imagine, Caitlin and Parrish clash constantly (like fire and water. HAHA) They are complete opposites:
Caitlin is a compassionate, selfless healer, while Parrish is a ruthless, narcissistic ruler. Some readers took issue with this dynamic, arguing that Caitlin comes across as weak or overly driven by attraction. Personally, I saw it differently. To me, it’s simply an entertaining story about two wildly opposing personalities colliding. At the end of the day, dark romance isn’t meant to be comfortable. If the trigger warnings give you pause, trust that instinct and skip it. But if morally gray characters and messy, intense dynamics are something you enjoy, then you’ll likely appreciate the ride.

Glorifying toxic relationships and a weak FMC

DNFing after over 50%. I'm tired of the MMC not changing and continuing to be a giant dumpster fire. The "punishment" was unjustified and made me hate both the FMC and MMC. There were excuses for his other cruelties but that was too unforgivable and the FMC just took it and never stands up for herself and immediately let's him come onto her again. I honestly hope he dies and she grows some courage. I've gotten this far in the series and I'm just over the awful role models and desensitization of toxic relationships.