Review: The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen kept coming up for fantasy romance recommendations, so it was only a matter of time before I picked it up. One of these days I might look into the popularity of and my specific interest in the fantasy romance genre, but that is not this day. Today I bring you my review of the first book in The Bridge Kingdom series!

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Blurb

A warrior princess trained in isolation, Lara is driven by two certainties. The first is that King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom is her enemy. And the second is that she’ll be the one to bring him to his knees.

The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara’s homeland. So when she’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.

Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she’s the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save . . . and which kingdom she’ll destroy.

Review of The Bridge Kingdom

• Format: physical copy
• Pacing: medium
• Plot or character-driven: both
• Multiple POVs: yes, dual POV
• Representation: N/A

Danielle L. Jensen kicks her story off to an exciting start with the main character, Lara, scheming her way into an arranged marriage and leaving her sisters behind, opening the reader’s imagination to all of the possible plotlines that could arise from Lara’s actions. There’s so much tension surrounding her initial journey to Ithicana that I found myself immediately drawn into the story. I already had so many theories about why Lara’s father’s true intentions for her and her sisters and what Lara would face once she married the mysterious kind of the Bridge Kingdom.

As expected for romance, much of the plot was predictable, but there were still a few unexpected turns. I was somewhat disappointed at how Lara’s personality developed later in this book. I really wanted her to be as ruthless as her first impression, but she ended up being much more morally straightforward. The story still had plenty of internal conflict for Lara to overcome, but I was disappointed by my initial expectations. That being said, with how book one concluded, I think there will be a lot of space in the rest of the series for high stakes, emotional conflict.

I enjoyed what I learned about the side characters in book one and am hoping we get to see more action from them as the series continues. Ahna was my favorite side character so far despite her fighting in a different region than our main characters for the majority of the book. I found her personality funny, and she seemed to be one of the most clever characters in the story. I hope to see more of Ahna’s dynamic with Lara as there is a lot of unexplored tension in their relationship with their conflicting goals.

One thing about this story that I found rather interesting is that despite it being categorized as fantasy, there are actually no magical elements to The Bridge Kingdom? The book is set in an alternate world, but although it includes common fantasy clichés there are no mythical creatures or magic. I think this raises an interesting question of what qualifies a book as fantasy? Either way, I can’t think of anything I would categorize The Bridge Kingdom as other than fantasy romance. It’s clearly set in a alternate world, even if that world follows the same rules as ours.

However, I’m not going to dismiss the idea that fantasy elements could be added later in the series. The construction of the infamous bridge that connects two continents has not been revealed. I wouldn’t be surprised if magic was used to create and maintain the structure.

Overall, the story focused mainly on the conflict and budding relationship between Lara and her love interest. I think the story will expand in future books, but I wouldn’t recommend this series to those specifically looking for a fantasy book as romance is a major focus of the story. I think The Bridge Kingdom would be a great read for fans of fantasy romance, especially those that like political intrigue.

 I’m looking forward to picking up book 2 and seeing what Lara does next!

You’ll Like This Book if You Enjoy…

• Enemies to lovers romance
• Kind main characters who have been through a lot
• Political conflict centering around trade relations

Where to find The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

Have you read The Bridge Kingdom? Let’s chat in the comments!