Persephone has been a slave for as long as she can remember, and doesn’t know a life outside of servitude. But that all changes one day when handsome Azriel knocks upon her master’s door. Sold to him for a small sum of gold, Persephone finally leaves her master’s house and gets to explore the world outside. But she’s none too pleased about being traded from one master to another, so she concocts a plan to run away from Azriel.

But things don’t exactly go her way when she stumbles upon a hidden Gypsy camp and a secret plot to look for the lost Gypsy King. Before she knows it, Persephone is knee deep in a quest to help find this Gypsy King, along with Azriel by her side.

Parading as a noble woman, her quest leads her straight to the heart of the kingdom and into the castle, and straight into the hands of Regent Mordecai, a sick and twisted man. Can Persephone discover who the Gypsy King is before she’s found out?

So it’s been awhile since I’ve written a book review! It isn’t going to be an easy book to review either, since my feelings are pretty lukewarm about it. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either, which makes it tricky to pinpoint what went wrong. Let’s start with the good stuff first though.

The world that Gypsy King took place in was enjoyable to read about. The plot that Fergus created surrounding the monarchy and the kingdom had the right level of mystery to it, so that we’re constantly reminded that things aren’t exactly as they seem here.

Persephone, our heroine, is a girl with gumption, I have to say! When ‘rescued’ by Azriel, she doesn’t fall over herself being attracted to him, but still tries to do what’s best for her in order to gain her freedom. When faced with the responsibility of other people’s lives, she doesn’t crumple under the weight of it all, but plays her role the best she can so that an innocent child can be freed.

I also appreciated the fact that Azriel wasn’t a typical YA hero, all brooding and snobby. He’s over six feet tall, a gypsy, handsome, and a big baby! I loved this comic element that Fergus added to Azriel’s character so that he started pouting whenever he got hurt, since it made him more human and likeable. It was very refreshing in a male YA love interest.

The romance though is where this book lost points for me. It read a bit too much like a regency novel, especially since every time Azriel was in a scene he always seemed to be shirtless, all Persephone can do is describe his magnificent body, his hulking frame, and gorgeous face. These cheesy descriptions really took away my enjoyment of the novel, since the passion between them seemed rather forced. Of course, this is my personal preference, and I imagine that people who enjoy regency romance novels might enjoy this. It just wasn’t for me.

With that being said, there isn’t anything else that I can think of that lessened my enjoyment of this book. It’s got an interesting plot, a decent cast of characters, a semi-interesting villain, and a shocking cliffhanger. But there just wasn’t anything new or different about it. A week after reading it, I can’t remember too much, so obviously it didn’t really make an impression on me.

So for that: 2.5/5.

Thanks for reading,

Ikhlas