Playing Through Every Choices Book, In Order (Part 70: The Royal Masquerade)

Hey! Today we go from a lowly scribe at the library to a lady navigating political turmoil and treachery, all in medieval Cordonia!

Next time, we head to modern Cordonia after a chance meeting with the Prince's bachelor party at our waitressing job in NYC.

Link to previous reviews: https://www.reddit.com/user/stresseatingdog/comments/sj3s3m/all_choices_reviews_megapost/

The Royal Masquerade

M/C: Daphne Everhart

Final LI: Kayden

Favorite Chapter: Chapter 16

Favorite Character(s): Hunter, Kayden, Annalisa, Percival, Lord Pompadour

Least Favorite Character(s): Cyrus, Renza

Overall Rating: 8/10

Review:

I’m not sure what I was expecting from this book, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be. I was expecting a more cliche take on the “poor girl turns rich after falling in love with prince” trope, a la Cinderella, but this book was so much more than that. The main thing I enjoyed was the comedy, which is a huge part of the book overall. There are so many small jokes that make the book so fun to read, and really helps diffuse the more heavy plot related stuff. The two LIs, Hunter and Kayden, are both absolutely wonderful. I like that you can romance both of them up until a certain point, where you then have to choose just one. They both have their own charms, though I slightly prefer Kayden because he’s just that little bit more dynamic. The rest of the cast of characters is absolutely wonderful as well! Even the two antagonists, Cyrus and Renza, aren’t so detestable because they’re both pretty funny, although they do have their aggravating moments. I like how the book sort of lends itself to the modern day Cordonia, just like The Crown and The Flame did. For example, Percival is clearly Maxwell and Bertrand’s ancestor. The magical jewels were a neat idea, and I liked seeing them used throughout the book. I do have a few complaints about this book though. First, the genderlock. Now, it does make some sense, but I still think with a little tweaking, this book could have easily been ungenderlocked. I mean, Cyrus is engaged to that annoying guy for a large part of the book, right? Clearly, same-sex relations are allowed, so what’s the issue? Another issue I had was the ending. I like that you get to choose whether or not to become Queen, but I thought the twist with M/C’s aunt and her son and him becoming the new king was really rushed. Also, Renza and her father are taken down rather quickly and strangely, and I would have preferred a better takedown for the two of them. All in all, I thought this book was a charming, funny look at Cordonia in its medieval age.