Book Review – The Ever King

The Ever King (The Ever Seas, #1) by L.J. Andrews
Narrator: Lucy Rivers, Will Thorne
Series: The Ever Seas #1
Published by Podium Audio on March 5, 2024
Length: 13 hours 13 minutes
Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy
Pages: 408
Format: Audiobook
Goodreads

They stole his crown. So, he stole their daughter…
For years, Erik, the scarred king of the Ever Kingdom, has thought of nothing but vengeance against the man who killed his father and trapped him beneath the waves, making him a prisoner in his own realm.
Until his enemy's daughter unintentionally breaks the chains on the Ever, and Erik makes her the unwitting pawn in his vicious game of revenge.
She's innocent. He's vicious. He will take back what he lost, no matter the price. Unless she steals his heart first.
Welcome to the passionate world of the Ever Kingdom, where pirates, sirens, and fae collide with Vikings in a dark fantasy romance between a villain and the innocent princess who holds his heart.
This book ends on a cliffhanger. This series is set in the same world as the bestselling Broken Kingdoms series but can be listened to independently.

Julie’s Review:

When you’re in the mood for a pirate fae adventure, The Ever King is a fun choice.

Adventure Plot: While not a super unique storyline (“I think I’ve seen this film before”), it was fun and entertaining. Pirate steals princess for revenge purposes, princess ends up being special, they fall hard for each other, then all hell breaks loose. Prepare for a cliffhanger ending, but happily this is a duology and the conclusion is already published. Must read that next. They spend a lot of time on a super cool fae pirate ship. I like when ships have some magic abilities. There’s magic of different fae types – she’s an earth fae and he’s a water fae.

Romantasy: I loved that they were childhood friends-ish and had that connection linger. And I very much loved how they were both equally as obsessed with each other. While the princess was a virgin, she was not virginal. She thirsted for him HARD and was very open about her desire for him. Their connection drove the plot along. And the spice. Well, there was plenty of it! And he was so careful with her! Possessive, but caring.

FMC: The princess is a pretty soft thing, but she has some internal viciousness that she uses when cornered. She’s young and growing up quick with her kidnapping slash new chosen life path. She embodies something the king of the Ever has been seeking, and it was fun to see what she is able to do as she discovers her own abilities and grows into her fury.

MMC: He’s a ruthless king (he has to be), but inside he hides some softness and a lot of pain. He’s really quite a sweet gentleman when it comes to her. He gets her paints so she can do her beloved hobby! I mean, come on! Swoon. Plus the throne declaration was pretty epic (won’t spoil it for you, but the second book title already does). Definitely a touch her and I will cut off your hands kind of pirate king.

“You were never supposed to matter, but you do. You ruined everything, and I don’t care. Ruin me. Destroy me. As long as I have you.”

Pacing:  It felt both slow and appropriate at times. Big things happening and then some lingering slowness. It’s not a super lengthy book (13 hour audio) so I suppose it was fine.

Audio: I wasn’t super fond of the narration. It was dual narration with alternating POV chapters. But I did not like the male narrator’s voice for female characters, and he has the type of voice I struggle to focus on. IDK it was alright but not stunning. The female narrator did a great job. Both have an accent, which kind of fits a pirate world.

Overall, I found it enjoyable. I liked the romance more than the plot, but still a good read.

---

Lynn’s Review:

Argh, mateys. We have pirates, sirens, mer-folk, a captured woman, and a really cool ship. The ship grows spikes with each new king!

Narration: Dual narration to go with the dual pov. No complaints with the female narrator. I did need to slow down my listening speed, though, for the male narrator. His deep and gravelly voice sounds like he has a very sore throat the entire time. 

Story\Writing: It’s not slow, per se. But I found both main characters bothersome. Livia is vapid and content to not use her magic (it’s too emotional). We don’t get much of a picture of her life before Erik appears in the story. But she has had a tepid life, without much adventure, to be sure. We do see more of her personality as the story progresses, including her biting temper. By the end, she’s certainly come into her own. Erik fits the morally grey MMC mold. He’s after revenge while also protecting his people. That scene towards the end in the throne room is Erik’s turning point. And maybe the Ever’s turning point as well. It will be interesting to see how Livia’s worldview impacts that of the Ever going forward. I’d also like to see more of the other characters. We are introduced to them, but the majority of the story focuses on Erik and Livia. The last 3ish hours had me on the edge of my seat. Erik and Livia get their acts together, and the plot picks up. Then there is a humdinger of a cliffhanger ending. 😲

Romance: Fated mates, maybe? The two are certainly drawn to each other. But they are like gas and fire. They certainly feel like that couple who fights loudly and makes up even more loudly. The banter between them is well done. The spicy scenes are also caliente. 

My overall conclusion – If you are looking for a mysterious MMC, Shield of Sparrows does that better. But this one does get better by the end. We’ll call it 3 1/2 stars, rounded up to 4.