DNF at 45% · Fantasy Romance · Spotlight Review
Spotlight Review
Between Two Kings — Heather D. Aube
Review Status: DNF at 45%
Series Context: Follow-up to Kiss of the Basilisk
Genre: Fantasy Romance / Why Choose-adjacent
Context (Without Spoilers)
There’s no clean way to talk about how this book ends without spoiling it — and that’s part of why it’s so difficult to review publicly.
Rather than perform vagueness or pretend neutrality, this review focuses on why I stopped reading, not on the mechanics of the ending (besides saying I fucking hate it).
If you’re looking for a spoiler-free emotional assessment: this is one.
Why I Stopped Reading
How do you go from an angsty, hella spicy love triangle (that had a plot in there somewhere) to flat-out annoying with absolutely no warning?
That tonal shift is the core failure here.
The Problems, Ranked
Here is a complete list of why I quit this book:
- Tem
- Leo
- Evelyn
- Apollo
- Whatever the fuck the villagers are doing
Not on that list: the cum fountain. I’m actually okay with that.
Character-Specific Grievances
Tem
Immature, indecisive, relentlessly self-sacrificing, and a martyr for no worthy cause. Oblivious to the man doing everything for her. Painfully codependent.
Leo
Where did he go?
This is not the Leo from Kiss of the Basilisk. This version is a spineless twat, tail tucked between his legs — and for Evelyn? Could you have given her any redemptive qualities to justify this?
It maketh no senseth.
Evelyn
A narrative vacuum. No justification for the gravitational pull she seems to have on everyone else.
Apollo
Sleazy, greasy cousin vibes.
Never once had a conversation of any substance with Tem that would warrant attraction, let alone emotional investment.
Repeating Scenes That Broke Me
The dinners.
Every time one appeared, I had to put the book down. I could write an entire dissertation on why this section of the story is so structurally and emotionally bad.
What Still Worked
Caspen.
The only consistent presence from the first book. The only character whose emotional continuity made sense. He will remain in my heart exactly as he appeared in Kiss of the Basilisk.
Final Reader Guidance
This book is not Kiss of the Basilisk, where the chemistry overshadows the plot holes.
Here, the only chemistry I felt was between me and Caspen.
My professional advice:
- Read Kiss of the Basilisk
- Skip Between Two Kings
- Move on with your life
If needed, reread the bonus chapter and let your nervous system recover.
This review originally appeared as a Spotlight feature and will be archived as part of the Very Little Context reviews collection.