Review: Court of Midnight & Deception by K. M. Shea

I just finished reading this trilogy by K. M. Shea. It is an offshoot trilogy from the Hall of Blood and Mercy set. The main character is half human and half fae. She lives in a city with a lot of magical creatures, but wants nothing to do with the fae, or more specifically, the Night Realm, which she has genetic ties to. She’s happy living her human life.

But of course, situations beyond her control work against her and before she knows what’s happened, she’s the new queen of the Night Realm: A crumbling fae kingdom.

I read the first two books when they came out and I confess that I found them… disappointing. The main character was hard to like. I found her behaviour a bit alarming as she seemed angry all the time. She had moments where she kind of cared about her kingdom, but mostly her actions and attitude suggested resentment towards her kingdom, her people and culture. The books also took on a dark and almost depressing feel (not typical for this author), and the second book’s ending was more like a cliff hanger than a proper ending. Usually, if a book ends with a cliff hanger, I don’t get the next book.

But I’ve read enough of K. M. Shea and I trust her not to disappoint her readers, so I pre-ordered book number three and had a hard time putting it down! The author fully redeemed herself and the character in the third book. In typical K. M. Shea style, she brought everything together and made sense out of it all. The main character’s struggles and attitude softened and I really liked her by the end. She gained my sympathy and I found myself immersed with empathy in her journey. The story finished and all the loose ends wrapped up in a very satisfying fashion. The relationship and character developments were enjoyable and once the story ended, it really felt like K. M. Shea had pushed herself to a new level with her writing and character development. It’s nice when an accomplished author can do this. Well done!

Now, I want to start the journey all over again with a fresh perspective. I’m confident I’ll enjoy it even more a second time round.