Book Review :: The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
ISBN: 0593975189
Series: The Bridge Kingdom #1
Also in this series: The Traitor Queen
on 16 October 2018
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
Goodreads

A warrior princess trained in isolation, Lara is driven by two certainties. The first is that King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom is her enemy. And the second is that she’ll be the one to bring him to his knees.

The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara's homeland. So when she’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.

Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she’s the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save… and which kingdom she’ll destroy.

Last updated on 10 March 2025

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What is The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen about?

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jenson is about Lara, who has spent her entire life training in secret for one mission: to take down King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom. She knows two things for certain – he’s her enemy, and she’s the one who’s going to bring him to his knees.

The Bridge Kingdom controls the only passable route through a brutal, storm-ravaged world, hoarding its wealth while Lara’s homeland struggles. So when she’s sent as Aren’s bride in the name of peace, she knows it’s just a cover. Her real mission? To find the kingdom’s weaknesses and tear them apart from the inside, starting with its king.

“This man might be a hunter. But he was mistaken if he believed she was prey.”

But as she settles into her new life, things don’t add up. The more she learns, the less certain she is about who the real villain is. And the more time she spends with Aren, the harder it gets to ignore the pull between them. Now, Lara is faced with an impossible choice: betray the man she was sent to destroy or turn her back on the home she’s sworn to protect.

My thoughts on The Bridge Kingdom

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was hooked in from the very first chapter (have you read it?! That first chapter, amiright?!), and if I hadn’t had ‘important’ adult things to do like … work, then I would have finished this in just a few reading sittings, I reckon.

The plot clipped along a reasonable pace, always something going on or happening, barely any sitting around, which was good. There were parts which I definitely skim-read a few pages of, mostly because I just don’t like reading battle scenes or scenes where they’re like … tackling a storm on a boat, you know? I get it, they’re on a wooden ship, and they’re getting battered by wind and rain and things are breaking and they’re wet and tired. Next!

But on the whole, it was a good storyline, and the ending was definitely one where I want to pick up the next in the series, The Traior Queen.

“Ithicana would pay for its crimes against her people, and by the time she was through with its king, he’d do more than bend. He’d bleed.”

Character-wise, it was interesting to read Lara changing over the course of the book. She’s all fire and brimstone in the beginning, with her mission to go to Ithicana and wreak havoc on behalf of her father. And then, when she meets King Aren and the other people around him, she begins to soften just a little bit. It’s not all the way, of course, but just subtly over the course of the book. I think it was really well-written, actually.

Aren was also a great character, and I enjoyed how we got some of his perspective in the story, too. I wouldn’t say it was 50/50, but there was definitely a decent about of Aren Chapters that meant we got things from his side, too.

Absolutely hated his grandmother, though. 🙈

Overall, 4.5 stars from me! I really enjoyed this enemies-to-lovers fantasy and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series when I can get my hands on it.

Have you read The Bridge Kingdom? What did you think? 

PS Also look at that cover! This wasn’t actually the cover I had, as I was reading the eBook version, but I love this cover a lot!