I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Serpent King is the most eligible bachelor in the land: a monster with dark and terrible magic and the ruler of the last free kingdom. Riches and power await his future bride—but so does a life forever trapped in the games of court.

That fate is eighteen-year-old Saphira's worst nightmare. Ever since the Empire made her an orphan, she’s found freedom in being invisible. So despite her rare gift for harnessing the magic in gemstones, she lets an unscrupulous jewelsmith take credit for her increasingly sought-after work.

But when the king sends his most clever huntsman to find the best jewelsmith of all, the spotlight lands on Saphira. Faced with choosing between falling into the Empire’s grasp or marrying a monster, she chooses the latter — even if it means getting increasingly caught between her cold, serpentine husband and his cunning, handsome huntsman.

Short and Sweet Review

The Serpent King is one of the most eligible bachelors but he’s also known as being a cold monster. Saphira is an orphan and she likes being invisible to most, the only thing is Saphira is a skilled jewel smith, but to keep her presence on the down low she lets someone else take credit for her work. When the Serpent King enlists his huntsmen to find the most skilled jewel smith they find Saphira and she has the choice to fall into the Empires grasp or marry the Serpent King and she chooses the Serpent King.

One word I would use to describe this book would be captivating. It’s beautifully written and will have you hooked and engaged the whole time. Saphira is an orphan and she likes to stay invisible so that the empire won’t find her and she makes her days go by as a jewel smith. Saphira works for someone else as their apprentice and usually doesn’t get the credit for her work. When the huntsmen find Saphira she ends up accepting a deal to marry the Serpent King. One of the huntsmen Saphira meets is Rane and they end up hitting it off and I thought their blooming relationship was cute. The Serpent King comes across as cold and distant but he does want to make sure his people and kingdom are safe. The further we get in the book we see why and who the King needs to keep his kingdom safe from and we also see why Saphira was needed. Saphira’s magic was interesting to read about and so was the Serpent King’s. I liked learning more about these characters and the book has a great pacing. There was something that was revealed halfway through and I wasn’t expecting the twist but I ended up loving it and was so happy. The characters have a lot to offer in this book and they’re all unique in their owns ways and the romance was cute and left you rooting for the characters. I thought the climax was well written and everything made sense.

Overall, this book was amazing and one I’ll be thinking about for a while. I loved every minute of this magical romance. Definitely a book I would recommend!