Review: Fallen Royal by Rachel Van Dyken
SYNOPSIS:
“The truth may hurt for a little while, but a lie hurts forever.”—Ryan Bigge
I grew up knowing it would happen one day.
Believing that I would fall into my father’s footsteps and become a monster of my own making.
So I fought it.
I lived.
I loved.
I teased.
And then one day… I destroyed.
And realized I loved the pain.
Obsessed over the feeling.
So I cut again and again and again.
She saw my rage, my madness, and tried to stop me from destroying myself, and I hated her for it, pushing her away past the point of no return.
Izzy Abandonato was supposed to be mine.
But there are some things people can never come back from. I hurt her, she hurt me, and now I’m living a lie. Telling the ones I love that I’m on one side when for years I’ve been forced to play both.
I’m not the hero.
I’m the villain.
And I may single-handedly bring down the Cosa Nostra—by default.
I, Maksim Sinacore, will have my vengeance.
I will win her back.
Even if it means I have to kill everyone in my path.
The pain masks the betrayal.
I never realized that one day—I’d be the very rat that I hated. That I was sent to kill. But once you’re deep in a lie—you’ll do anything to hide the truth.
She fell for the bad one.
She fell for the sinner.
So why does that make me smile?
REVIEW:
*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
This book was completely unexpected and I find myself pleasantly surprised as I finished the story. I was definitely looking forward to Maksim and Izzy’s story and the twists and turns of their journey were shocking. And while the story is advertised as a stand-alone, I highly suggest you read the previous books prior to diving into this story.
Maksim and Izzy are the nerdy couple and people in the group. They cling to their numbers and knowledge and this is where their strengths lie. Yet this is the mafia and they know that they can’t stay in this bubble of science and math forever. I really like how this book was less about the characters acting like bad-*sses and more about Maksim’s descent into madness. The psychological plot line was something unique and refreshing from both Rachel and general mafia narratives. But based on who Maksim’s parents are, his struggles weren’t completely out of the box.
Izzy was a surprisingly steady character form me. Mostly she remains soft throughout the story and I liked that. She only had one moment where she seemed out of character but overall, I thought she complimented Maksim well. There are plenty of steamy moments and for the most part, this story was an excellent balance between the parents generation (Eagle Elite) and the kids (Mafia Royals). The ending felt left a little open, like I didn’t fully get closure on Maksim, but his and Izzy’s relationship seems to be strong. And in all honesty, I am hyped for King’s book, he has been my favorite character since we first met him.
I think my only negative critique is there were two scenes in which descriptions weren’t fluid. Meaning one page, Izzy’s hands were tied up and the next, she was free. Yet since this was an early copy, they hopefully fixed these moments in the final draft since they took me out of the story each time they happened.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
