The Hidden Crown: The Return of Magic: Book I

By: K.E. Blair

Narrated by: Danni Deguire

Trapped in her life as a servant in a magicless kingdom, Anslee yearns for the freedom she felt roaming the woods as a child. Convinced marrying a nobleman is her only way out, she should be ecstatic when she catches the eye of new-in-town Lord Avery Varrock. But this lord has brought more than riches to town - and his revelations will turn Anslee's life upside down.

When she finds the kingdom’s hidden crown – one with a hefty reward for returning it – the crown calls to her with magic that she swore didn’t exist. Anslee must find the courage to face the truth she has uncovered – or return to her hidden life.

Facing dangerous shadow beasts, lies and half-truths, set amidst dazzling palace balls, moody woods and woefully banal corridors, Anslee’s world becomes one where shadows are best left untouched and crowns should remain hidden.

©2023 K.E. Blair (P)2024 K.E. Blair

Enjoyable Fairytale

Overall I enjoyed this story. It wasn’t overly complex and pretty easy to follow the storyline. The twists you definitely see coming because there is a generous amount of foreshadowing or hints about what is really going on. I do plan on reading the next book to see what happens next! The narrator was good but at times I wish she exhibited a little more emotion to match how our MC was feeling.

Entertaining YA fantasy

The Hidden Crown is an entertaining listen, reminiscent of classic ya fantasy authors like Robin McKinley and Tamora Pierce. The narration perfectly captures the essence of the main character, a naive, young girl who discovers she might be more than just a maid. The story is engaging, with plot twists, hints of magic and romance.

A great debut

The Hidden Crown is a short, fast-paced fantasy novel with a fairytale element. It follows the story of Anslee, a servant in a kingdom without magic. One day, Anslee discovers the kingdom's hidden crown, which has a significant price for its return. The crown's magic calls to her, and she must decide whether to uncover the truth or return to her quiet life.

The world-building in this book is exceptional, keeping the reader engaged and wondering what Anslee will discover.

The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life, making it an enjoyable and immersive experience.

Although the book is young adult, I think it's perfect for anyone who loves a good fantasy novel. I rated The Hidden Crown 4 out of 5 stars because I felt that there were areas where the author could expand on the storyline and make the book a bit longer. Nonetheless, it was an excellent debut novel.

I highly recommend The Hidden Crown to anyone looking for a fast-paced, engaging, and magical read.

Excellent YA debut novel!

The Hidden Crown was a great first novel by K.E. Blair! The story captures you so easily and the character development has you feeling like you know them. Audiobooks are not always my favorite as I am VERY picky on the voice of the narrator. However, this narrator did an amazing job and was so easy to listen to. Very much followed how I read in my head which I love! Can't wait to see what is next to come from this author!

Enjoyable story

I enjoyed this book. I listened to the audiobook and while I didn’t love the narrator or the style of narration, I still enjoyed the book itself. I think I would have enjoyed it more reading it for myself than the audiobook, but that’s just personal preference from other audiobooks I’ve listened to.

While Anslee got on my nerves a little at first coming off as just a rich husband hunter, her character does grow more during the progression of the story. She is tricked, betrayed, and has a hidden past even she doesn’t know about. As events unravel, she’s going to be faced with confusion and her trust in others will be tested.

The book ends on a decent cliff hanger to make you want to read the next book to find out what happens next.

I look forward to reading the next book to see what the future holds for Anslee.

Character Development and Fantasy Fun

A fantastic first book and I can’t wait for the rest of the series to come out. Anslee, the main character, has some great growth throughout the novel and you can see her thoughts and actions changing throughout the novel with her new experiences. Author K. E. Blair uses excellent foreshadowing, but there are still plenty of twists - full of YA fun and can’t wait to see what comes next for Anslee.

Amazing

This book caught my attention almost immediately. I flew through this in just a little over a day and I already want to reread it. There is so much good I could say about this book. It hit so many things I like.
✔️fantasy
✔️romance
✔️love triangle
✔️forgotten/hidden past
✔️rags to riches (kind of)
✔️magic (soooo much to this one)
I could go on. This was such a fun and fast read! It is a series and ends on a cliffhanger, AH! I have a love/hate relationship with cliffhangers 😂 I need to read book 2 asap but I don’t think it’s out yet. This book is an absolute must!

Forgotten princess

Cute first book in the series. Forgotten Princess, Awakening magic and dark lords, old friends and betrayal.

Great start to a YA romantasy

I was lucky enough to get this gem as an audio arc. I'm late with my review as I finished it last month though 🙃 So here it goes.

This book caught my attention from the beginning. The world building wasn't so much that I got bored but was slow enough that I could picture where we were. It was actually a pretty fast-paced fantasy read and left a pretty big cliff hanger at the end.

I'm definitely going to have to read the 2nd one, and I'm excited to see where this story goes. Also, I think we might have a friends to lovers romance going on, too 🤔

If you like YA or want to dip your toes into fantasy and the world of fae, this is a good starting point. Lots of potential for a new YA romantasy

Great YA Fantasy!

Great YA fantasy! I enjoyed listening to the story line and character developing. Looking forward to the next book in the series. I sometimes struggle with the narrator for audio books, but thought that this one was great!