When a book is promoted as a love letter to readers, I have to have a copy in my hands. To the surprise of no one, I have not one, but three copies of Throne of Nightmares by Kerri Maniscalco and I fear these won’t be the only ones that will end up on my shelf.
Prince Sloth was the one I’d been waiting for a story on, having been teased a few times about a prince with a library…and this book delivered everything that I was hoping for. I was obsessed with Lore and her sunny disposition and Sloth’s intense outlook on life. Moreover, A LIBRARIAN?! My own librarian heart was bursting at the seams with delight and watching their story unfold made me want to hop into my own book to seek adventures of my own, and gave me some inspiration to lift my own pen to paper. At its crux, this story is truly a writer’s love letter to readers, and an inspiration to pursue your dreams, because you never know where they will lead next.
This book is all about Prince Sloth and his quest to find the Book of Nightmares before it unleashes a game that could break worlds and unleash the Goddess of Night. Enter Lore Brimstone, the librarian who’s been seeking an adventure of her own. What she didn’t count on was being magically transported within a story itself, where Sloth and Lore must trust each other to navigate as dark magic threatens to break loose. Lore will have to channel the main character residing within her in order to survive, and perhaps lose her heart to a certain prince along the way.
From the moment I started reading this book, I was transported into a tale of betrayal and danger. It was action-packed from the beginning, giving an Indiana Jones or The Librarians sort of vibe. Grumpy/sunshine trope to boot? I was honestly in heaven. Lore Brimstone masks her insecurities with humour, but when adventure is within her grasp, she doesn’t hesitate. When I thought about it after finishing the book, I realised that what I loved most is how authentic she was. From her reaction to being transported into a book, to the realisation she has about her role in everything, it’s almost fun to see what Lore might say next. The banter between her and Sloth had me in ribbons as well.
Let us talk about Sloth. He was grumpy, stern, and a scholar above everything else. He’s not looking for love, or to lose his heart—exactly the type of kinky nerd I want to be trapped in a book with. Am I a little upset that this book took place within a book and not in Hell? Perhaps. However, the nuggets of information we learn about Sloth and his enchanted library along the way are phenomenal bits of storytelling woven into everything else going on. Compared to the previous two books, Sloth was the change of pace that I think readers needed.
Now, I am someone ridiculously biased when it comes to authors I love, so sometimes I take a few days to think about what I read and how I feel about the characters. Personally, I enjoyed the book, but I want to recognise that this one is different than the rest. Some of the storylines Lore and Sloth end up in are a bit cringey, but albeit fun over time. I mentioned it before, it doesn’t take place in Hell, and the only characters we as readers are engaging with are Sloth and Lore. I wish we’d gotten to know more of Lore’s family, especially Fable and her friends. We don’t get to develop any relationships with side characters like we have in previous books, and that was something I felt I was missing. Lastly, I would have loved a bit more worldbuilding in regards to the Book of Nightmares and the Goddess of Night—this is a book I would have loved a second part to because there is so much to explore.
Overall, I loved this book as it’s fast paced and fun, but I could have used a bit more to the story to truly be swept into this story within a story. I think my favourite is still Gluttony, but I loved Sloth’s story. I cannot wait to see which prince is next, I have my guess, but only Maniscalco will confirm those suspicions when she announces her next book!
Throne of Nightmares is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Throne of Nightmares? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis
In this action-packed standalone fantasy romance from New York Times bestselling sensation Kerri Maniscalco, a book of dangerous magic draws two readers into a perilous quest to find it—and their own happy ending.
“Beware of waking the gods, their dreams are often our nightmares …”
A prince who prefers games of the head to those of the heart.
Prince Sloth hates leaving his enchanted library, but when a forgotten deity threatens the very fabric of the Underworld, he’s thrust into a race against time. He must find the Book of Nightmares—an ancient artifact that has the power to break worlds—before it unleashes a deadly game to free its master, the Goddess of Night. When a betrayal leaves him marked, and desperate, his path collides with a young woman who possesses the legendary Phoenix Tear—a portal stone unlike any other.
A librarian who is all sweet sunshine … until she burns.
Lore Brimstone has always loved getting lost in a book—but she never meant literally. Yet, after visiting a traveling caravan, she quickly finds herself transported to a terrifying but oddly familiar world—with the worst, twisted prince at her side. Realizing they are living out her favorite novels one by one, they face off against an increasingly dark magic as they try to survive the story.
A twisted tale that means they can’t trust themselves—or their hearts.
As Lore and Sloth navigate the pages of her beloved novels gone wrong, she must channel her inner main character to defeat the Book of Nightmares before the wall between the gods and mortals comes crashing down, dooming them all.
