Book Review: Broken Hearted by Leia Stone and Julie Hall

The Winter Court princess Isolde must find the next piece of the puzzle to end the curse ravaging her lands.

My world is dying, and only I can save it.

When the princesses of Summer and Fall disappeared in Ethereum, the burden of stopping the curse that’s tearing Faerie apart fell to me. My mission is clear: kill an Ethereum lord and return with his magical black heart to save our land.

But I know a secret no one else does―Dawn and Aribella are alive, and everything I’ve been told about the Ethereum lords is a lie. Not only that, but there may be another way to break the curse once and for all.

At least, that’s what they claim.

I want to believe them, because when I gaze into the captivating teal eyes of the Southern Ethereum lord, the thought of driving a dagger through his heart becomes impossible to imagine. But trusting them could cost me everything.

Now, I’m torn between loyalty and truth, with no idea who to trust. The clock is ticking, and the fate of Faerie rests in my hands.

*****

The curse that is destroying the kingdom of Faerie is getting worse and Queen Lilianna now hopes that Isolde, the princess of the Winter Kingdom, can do what the Summer (Dawn) and Fall (Aribella) princesses could not – go through the portal into Ethereum, cut out the heart of a lord and bring it back.
Isolde hopes to help without having to resort to murder. She also finds herself fighting her feelings for Adrien, an Ethereum Lord who, when she arrives, is engaged to someone else.

Can Isolde reunite with Dawn and Aribella and save their kingdom?

This book was my introduction to the Cursed Fae series. I am really sad I’d not discovered it sooner. It took no time at all for me to get completely immersed into Isolde’s story.

The book itself was beautiful – the cover and the page illustrations are stunning.

Isolde is a character who is strong. However, when it comes to her emotions, she gets in her own way. If I were in trouble though, I’d want her on my side. I am not sure how much I can say about the other characters without giving too much away. Adrien is a mystery, at least to begin with. Zane is wonderful, as is Dawn and Aribella. There is also an enemy that did their job very well.

Leia Stone and Julia Hall expertly weave a wonderful tale that is full of suspense, tension and surprising twist and turns. The plot moves incredibly well and, I know I say this a lot, but I couldn’t put it down and I didn’t want it to end. I’ve not read a lot in this genre but the cursed fae series has certainly made a new fan out of me.

Broken Hearted is a spellbinding fantasy tale with characters that get under your skin and go on an exhilirating adventure to save their kingdoms. I can’t wait for book four and books one (Cold Hearted), and two (Faint Hearted) are going on my TBR pile.

About Leia Stone: 

Leia Stone is the USA Today bestselling author of multiple bestselling series including Matefinder, Wolf Girl, Fallen Academy and Kings of Avalier.

She’s sold over three million books and her Fallen Academy series has been optioned for film. Her novels have been translated into five languages and she even dabbles in script writing.

Leia writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance with sassy kick-butt heroines and irresistible love interests. She lives in Spokane, WA with her husband and two children.

Connect with Leia via her website, Instagram, Bookbub and Goodreads. Click here to sign up to Leia’s newsletter. 

About Julie Hall: 

Julie Hall is a USA Today bestselling, multiple award-winning author.

She writes YA paranormal / fantasy novels, loves doodles, and drinks Red Bull, but not necessarily in that order.

Julie’s daughter says that her super power is sleeping all day and writing all night… and well, she wouldn’t be wrong. Julie currently lives in Colorado with her four favorite people – her husband, daughter, and two fur babies.

Connect with Julie via her website, Bookbub, Instagram and her fan club. Click here to sign up to her newsletter. 

Broken Hearted is due to be released by HQ on 24th April 2025. It’s book three in the Cursed Fae series. Click to buy on Amazon UK, Waterstones, Amazon US and Barnes and Noble.

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.