Twisted Kingdom (Royal Elite #3)

The last books in trilogies are always tricky for me; it’s like I’m watching my children leave the nest. The story is all grown up, and now I feel so fulfilled and still somewhat empty at the same time.

The ultimate ending of Aiden and Elsa’s story ticked off all of my boxes, except for some backstory questions with which I’ve been struggling. How did Ethan know to show up at the Meet-Up at that moment? What is the actual heart condition Elsa suffers? I know how it started, but what is it she is at risk for developing–because at first, I thought it was some genetic thing, and then we find out ‘oh-no worse.’ But I don’t understand resulting complications–then again I believe that is by far the last thing I should be cross-examining.

But HOW DID ETHAN KNOW TO GO TO THE MEET-UP THAT DAY?

So right, that is where Steel Princess left off, and Rina doesn’t disappoint with the story continuation. I am attributing my Team Aiden campaign to the POV alternating in SP. But I’m not talking about which Horsemen team, but instead Team Aiden vs. Team Elsa. Twisted Kingdom opened up Aiden King’s black heart, and I felt he had a wealth of character depth–but it served to prove to me that Elsa is a fickle and fairweather girlfriend who I couldn’t support.

The majority of highlighting I’ve used for this reading was things Elsa did that pee’d me off, and by the time she got on board, it was too late for me. Deviant King, I was itchy on things like her willful ignorance of other people despite this rally point of strategy, chess, and Sun Tzu. Elsa is supposedly this master of the playfield — she was crap at it then. She is crap at it now.

So by the time I came to the end of Twisted Kingdom, I had hoped that her growth would increase exponentially. Elsa isn’t someone I like as a character, and as Kim, Silver, and Teal begin to form, she is even less impressive entirely.

There is a treasure trove of reveals in this last book. It delivers on a lot of promises made in the previous books. And some surprising POVs pop up in this that deepen the plot further.

I enjoyed the last part of this trilogy.

I do have one criticism, and that is that Rina Kent does some heavy-handed hinting that I don’t feel it was necessary to plant to readers. It’s unnecessary to tell your reader that there is more to a character than they know. If you write a compelling character, you don’t need to justify that character for sympathy. She does this a few times with Silver, who she has received a great deal of grief over on her reader groups. I feel like it cheapened Silver’s character to have Elsa tell us that we shouldn’t judge her and that we should give her the benefit of curiosity.

Meh.

Oh, also, meh on Knox. He feels like Ronan-lite. I don’t need a diet-Ronan. I have one entirely sinful and enjoyable Ronan. Knox is fluff.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advance copy of this book.

While this book series was very well written, it was really dark. I had a hard time relaxing into the story line and several times almost stopped reading it completely. I am not foolish enough not to know that everyone has their own taste in the partner they choose and what “intimacy” means to them. But to me Aiden forced himself on her over and over again. His aggressiveness with her turned her on even when it scared her and this is how she rationalizes it. But many times all I could think was that he was raping or molesting her. I could accept that they enjoyed a rough sexual relationship, but the forcing of it by manipulation and threats was difficult to swallow. I definitely would not recommend this book to anyone who has been assaulted before.
All that said, the story line was interesting. There was character growth. The story ended well enough even though there are loose ends with other characters that I’m sure the author will dedicate a book to tie up. There are some grammatical errors here and there. Overall, if you can get past the intensity, it’s a good series. By the end I kind of understood why Elsa was the way she was with Aiden. However, I could never be a doormat for a man to manipulate no matter what our history was. I personally felt that Elsa was weak and Aiden was a monster. But since that’s probably the authors objective, then the mission was accomplished!

So I really loved the ending of Aiden and Elsa’s story. It was a wild ride, and the third book was my favorite. All the pieces are finally at the forefront, you understand why Aiden is the way he is, why he was the way he was with her, and how Elsa made him a better person…well at least with her. We finally got to see his vulnerability, rather than the coldness he presents to the world, yet to Elsa and his friends know that he is loyal- because that is how Rina Kent intended us to see it. I also appreciated the literature references, as well as her knowledge of psychology. I just finished her new book, Black Knight, and I am convinced she has a degree in psych.

I did read some of the reviews that are low, and I don’t get it. Yes, Aiden was a major jerk, but if you really read it and not skim it, you will totally understand the why, and if you understand psychology, she nails the WHY he acts the way he does. She must have done research on traumatic experiences. Great writing, edited well, you can’t go wrong.

“For the rest of our lives, I want to be the only one who witnesses her breaking and support her through the storm. I want to be the one who soothes her ache when she needs soothing. The one who wipes her tears when they need wiping. The one who lifts her up when she needs lifting.”

I was pretty sad going into this book because I knew Aiden And Elsa’s story would come to an end (which totally surprised me because they were soooo f’ed up). I was addicted to their crazy story and I devoured each mystery and shocking revelation. This book was the perfect ending to their arc. They each really grew as individuals and (finally) as a ‘real’ couple. This time around, they are on the same page about their relationship.

I felt that, although Steel Princess also alternated with Aiden’s POV, readers can learn a lot more about him in this book. His past, his motivations, how he sees Elsa, why he is the way he is… He also seemed to realize that to have a real relationship with Elsa, he needed to do things the right way. He doesn’t really want something he has to force and I think he sees that a bit more now. He does a good grovel too, which was great.

In the previous two books, I really wanted Elsa to catch on and understand how to play the game. Aiden was winning because she played strong and never smart. This book she changed her strategy. She finally got it and I was so proud! She had more power than she realized. No longer a pawn, Elsa steps into the shoes of a Queen and makes her own decisions.

The final book of this trilogy was amazing. Aiden & Elsa have come to the end of their journey. They uncovered the plotting, cover ups and lies surrounding their early years. They found each other again.
I know I shall read and re-read. After reading each book and waiting impatiently for the next one, I’ve read them back-to-back twice for the full impact and it was just like reading for the first time. I’m really going to miss them.
Really looking forward to Xander & Kim’s story.

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