The Laughing Listener
Format: ARC ebook
I was graciously given a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Overall Rating: 4 Stars

This was so friggin’ cute!! The perfect summer weekend read. Even though I was intrigued enough by the synopsis to request a copy of The Royal Kiss, I admit to being completely skeptical of this one. I love me a good classic fairytale, but was worried this would fall prey to the trope trap. Even though there are aspects of this that are a little predictable, the fantastic world building, fun cast of characters, and great story overshadowed everything else. In a good way!

When I first started reading, I was immediately intrigued by structure of this society and that’s really what kept me going in the beginning. In this world, kisses are the trigger for magic and only those with royal blood can practice it. If a prince or princess think of a spell before touching their lips to the skin of another royal, they can do almost anything—heal wounds, increase speed, add protection, etc. Is the idea of this a little odd?? Ummm yeah. I mean, royals are just running around kissing each other all over the place.



But it somehow completely worked???? In the context of the story, it didn’t feel awkward to me at all and I was actually really fascinated by the repercussions of all this magic kissing. I mean, when you have to kiss people all the time on a regular basis, you can’t afford to have feelings. Love isn’t something that exists in this world with marriage and courtship being ancient “heretic” ideas. People choose their partners for battle purposes, only considering those who would bring the most power. Logic rules above all else. It’s official, I must be a total nerd because I found this idea really interesting.



And I really enjoyed Ivy’s character! Despite the fantastical world she lived in, I found her completely relatable. She’s smart and strong with a great need to protect her people, a quality that I admired. And her familial relationship with Bromley was so cute!! I’m so happy that Ivy’s discovery of friendship was just as central to the plot as her discovery of love because friendships in YA are the beeeeeeeest! Of course, I also loved Zach the romantic and watching his blossoming relationship with Ivy was so cute. It was really nice seeing a guy as the sensitive one for a change.

Plus, I was completely surprised by the ending????? I was not expecting that twist at all and I loved it!!

FINAL WORD

An adorably light, fun summer read that was completely engrossing! In a world full of book series, it was so nice reading a great standalone YA romance for a change. Two thumbs up!!