Book Review: The Hidden King by E.G. Radcliff

Genre(s): Fantasy

Content warning: This book contains scenes of violence/torture.

Áed grew up in the Maze, a dangerous city rife with poverty and violence. Most of its denizens struggle to survive, and Áed is no exception. He gets by with collecting scraps to sell or by gambling – something he’s unusually good at. His life is hard, but he isn’t unhappy; his partner makes money in street fights and they have a young boy (Ronan) they’ve taken in to form a family. But when his partner is injured too badly during a fight and doesn’t survive, Áed makes the decision to flee.

Above the Maze sits the White City. He believes he can provide a better life for Ronan there if they can find the way into the White City. Along the journey, Áed discovers he harbors a strange and terrifying power: he can summon fire. Though he tries to keep the secret to himself, it lands him in trouble more often than not.

I liked the premise of this book, and the story started off strong. There were several twists and turns in the plot, and I liked that it wasn’t very predictable. As a reader, I like to be surprised, so that part was well done. I also liked the family dynamic, and Ronan’s character was very endearing. It was a fast paced and entertaining read.

The only issue I had with the story was the ending felt very rushed. I would have liked to see it drawn out a bit more, with maybe more development on the politics from Elisedd’s end, or perhaps some more about Óengus’ attempt to hide what he did. There was some tension buildup, especially where Elisedd was concerned, and then it was over in a couple pages. That every conflict was resolved so rapidly at the end was a bit of a letdown.

But before the end, I really enjoyed the book. Overall, it was a good story and worth the read.

Author website: egradcliff.com

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