The Half-Hearted Queen by Charlie N. Holmberg
The Shattered King #2
Fantasy Romance
March 3, 2026 by 47North
ARC

Review by Angela

While the first book in the series, The Shattered King, took a while to really get going, The Half-Hearted Queen starts off with all the tension and angst that was hinted at in the cliffhanger of the first book. Nym is now a prisoner of King Nicosia, separated from all that she loves, on her way into enemy territory, and desperate to keep her mind protected. If King Nicosia learns just how she repaired Renn’s lumis, then he would realize how much of a liability she is to the new king.

This book is brutal. Readers should be aware that there are scenes of torture, starvation, off-page sexual assault, and death. Nym definitely goes through the worst of it when she is captured and refuses to give up her secrets. Renn’s sister Eden is also taken prisoner and forced into a political marriage and Nicosia’s bed. These two women will spend the remainder of the book battling PTSD and leaning on each other for comfort.

Renn has indeed made a transformation from broken prince to god-like king now that his lumis is repaired. His new powers are fulfilling a prophecy that just might take down Nicosia and his armies. As his backstory unfolds and Nym pieces together Renn’s parentage and learns of the prophecy, the truth slowly spills out, and it tells a frightening story.

I read this book quicker than its predecessor, mainly because it was much faster paced and I was in a race to find out how Renn and Nym would overcome all the obstacles in their way. There wasn’t just an enemy, and his armies, to overcome but finding a way to keep the kingdom of Cansere safe, while negotiating a plan to avoid a political marriage. Nym goes through more strife, even after being rescued after her escape, when rumors start to spread about her real relationship with Renn. There is so much going on in this book, and I honestly was wondering how this author would find a way through to the other side and an HEA.

But there is an HEA, and it’s a good one. I was extremely thankful for the epilogue, and seeing familiar faces in a settled and happy place.

Grade- B