Review: King by T.M. Frazier

This book had been sitting on my TBR shelf for quite some time, and I finally thought it’s time to give it a try. And honestly? I really shouldn’t have.

I even considered DNF-ing it midway, but for some reason I pushed through (we’ve all been there), hoping it might redeem itself. It didn’t. And to make things worse, it ends on a cliffhanger, and I absolutely do not have it in me to pick up the second book.

What exactly went wrong?

For starters, the characterisation felt very off. The FMC, Doe, who is supposed to be 18, often comes across as much younger, yet at times speaks and behaves like someone far older.

The MMC, “King,” is written as this dark, powerful, morally grey character, which is usually something I love. But here, he just didn’t land for me. His actions often felt inconsistent, and instead of coming across as intense or layered, he felt more confusing than compelling. I couldn’t connect with him, and that made it really hard to invest in the romance.

Then there are plot elements that simply don’t add up. The police are unable to identify the heroine, but the hero manages to figure it out with a quick Google search?

Another major issue for me was how certain heavy topics were handled. The heroine goes through something extremely traumatic, but there’s barely any emotional depth or trauma.

Also… the nickname “Pup”? I just couldn’t take it seriously. It felt more distracting than endearing.

And just when I thought I had processed everything, the cliffhanger reveal comes. Finding out the heroine has a child at 18 felt abrupt and added more shock value than substance.

Overall, this book just didn’t work for me, all in terms of plot, character development, and emotional depth.

1 star out of 5.

With love and lots of stories,
The Reading Lane

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