Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Curse of Queens by Amanda Bouchet Series: Kingmaker Chronicles #5
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on May 27, 2025
Genres: Fantasy Romance
Pages: 528
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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eparated from everyone they know and love, sworn warriors (and warring allies) Bellanca and Carver are on a gods-given travel to the famed realm of Atlantis, fight through every danger that awaits them, and find the Shard of Olympus in order to end Atlantis's generations-long magical punishment—all in Zeus's name.
Zeus needs an army if he has any hope of stopping Olympus's bloody coup, and headstrong fire Magoi Bellanca knows it's her duty to deliver one no matter the cost…to herself, to her own growing magic, or to the man she's come to desire with all the flames in her heart.
He left everything behind in order to guard her back as she faces down her destiny, and Carver swears that together, they can overcome any obstacle. But finding the shard is no easy task, and it's not long before Bellanca and Carver are dragged into the center of a deadly game of gods…one not even their combined hearts may be strong enough to survive.
I read the trilogy which started the Kingmaker Chronicles series. Cat and Griffin were the main characters there. Now we are getting stories from the rest of Team Alpha. I enjoyed the mythology, gods and creatures. I wanted to see what happened with the characters. In the novella, Of Fate & Fire, we learn about what happens with Piers, and in A Curse of Queens, we get the story of Jocasta and Flynn.
Beneath the Burning Sea takes us along with Carver and Bellanca to Atlantis. I think I remember them whisked off at the end of another book. They try to fit in to learn more for their mission. Bellanca works in a pub and makes friends with some co-workers. The society is very misogynistic so Carver has to come to pick up her and her wages and walk her home. Carver is working in the military guard.
They try to look around on their days off but aren’t getting very far. Carver needs to get into the palace unit so he can gather information on the King Eyrx and hear any prophecies from his oracle Cleito. Instead, he tries to protect from a beating and that doesn’t go well. They do get leads from the whole debacle.
Bellanca is there to take down the King and bring magic back to Atlantis ending the Punishment. Someone is against Zeus and getting in her way. They eventually figure it out. Along with this plot, is the growing romance of Carver and Bellanca. They “fake” being a married couple which eventually becomes real. They both have serious traumas in their pasts to work through. But they always support each other in the mission.
I found everything kind of slow developing for the first half. After both the information and the romance picked up, the pace felt better. There is a lot of Greek mythology here and the book includes a glossary of sorts at the end but I didn’t know it was available until I got to the end. The gods have a lot of involvement with the rest of the books in the series, also. It’s a very long book but everything settles in the end with glimpses back at the characters from the other books.
I wonder if there will be more in the series. I think Kira is the only family member still unmatched into a relationship but she is still young. But maybe other members of families or Teams will match up. I hope the gods are done destroying lives for fun but that seems unlikely.
About Amanda Bouchet
Amanda Bouchet grew up in New England where she spent much of her time tromping around in the woods and making up grand adventures in her head. It was inevitable that one day she would start writing them down. Drawing on her Greek heritage for the setting and on her love of all things daring and romantic for the rest, her debut trilogy, The Kingmaker Chronicles, took form. She writes what she loves to read: epic exploits, steamy romance, and characters that make you laugh and cry.
A French master’s graduate and former English teacher, Amanda lives in Paris, France. She met her husband while studying abroad, and the family now includes two bilingual children who will soon be correcting her French.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Glad it got moving by the second half for you. I like the idea of the Greek mythology included.
There’s a series plot in the fights between the gods.
Oh, I remember when the original trilogy came out – I even had lunch with the author at Coastal Magic. But I don’t think I ever started it. Hmmm…
yes I’ve read them all. I met Amanda Bouchet at RT 2017.
Love that this is couched in Greek mythology. Too bad about not seeing the glossary before the end. It sounds exciting. Great review, Anne💜
Thanks Jonetta. I think it’s been a couple years since the last book so the glossary might have provided an additional refresher to the world, although some characters were newer to this book.
I think I got an ARC of the first book in this series, but never got around to reading, so gave it away. Glad you are enjoying it though. Great review!
The Greek Mythology and the romances are interesting.
I’m glad you stuck it through and the 2nd half was better for you.
Thanks Carole Rae, it was good but could have been just a little shorter.
I like this series a lot, I’m just not sure how I feel about the heavy god involvement.
yes I completely agree. It felt a little pointless with the gods interfering no matter what they did.