The Undying King

I ENJOYED THE BOOK, SHE DESCRIBED THE CHARACTERS AND PLACES WELL. I MUST ADMIT SKIMMING THROUGH SEVERAL PLACES BECAUSE OF REPETION, WHICH IS A WASTE OF MY TIME. I DO NOT REGRET PURCHASING AND READING THE BOOK.

Great imagination. The cast of characters is very short--just two primary characters, two supporting characters, and a few others.

How would immortality change the way a person interacts with the world? What would be their impact from a position of power, such as a kingship? Would the people nearby fear or favor the person who never ages? How and when might they demand a change of scenery? Grace Draven gives us a readable tale that puts light on these questions. Her answers are the story.

There were several spots of tangled purple prose in the first two chapters but then the story opened up nicely. It was a fun read.

I enjoyed this addition to my Grace Draven collection. Ms. Draven pours such emotion and details into her creations the reader can't help but be enthralled. This short story has huge potential to be hundreds of pages longer and I have to say I'm disappointed in the abrupt ending. I hope Ms. Draven expands this storyline in the future. Please note that this is a stand alone story and isn't part of her Wraith Kings series.

Nearly perfect. I agree with the previous post. How is it that this book has no reviews? There is so much badly written crap out there, I feel I have found a wonderful gem. This was a nearly perfect romantic fantasy for grown ups. Now I need to find every thing else by this exceptional writer.

DISCLAIMER: The following review was originally posted on my book blog The Book Challengers (link in bio).
DISCLAIMER #2: The following review may contain some slight spoilers about the ending. They're vague and nothing specific will be revealed, but you've been warned.

How does Grace Draven do it??? Her stories are not that long and yet she manages to captivate me in a way few others can.

I loved this story about the undying/immortal Butcher King Cededa and the Death's handmaiden Imogen. I loved it and to be frank, I have no idea how to express my feelings without giving away any of the plot points for this novella. I may try, but honestly, I believe that my words will never do Draven's work real justice as she's a real wordsmith and her work pulls me into it.

These 146 pages simply flew by... I had the misfortune of having a quick glance at the progress a couple times and really, the book simply flew by! When I first glanced at my progress, I was somewhere around 10% and I was like... wait, what? I just started this and there's no way that Draven manages to put Cededa and Imogen together in a believable way. And then, all of a sudden, I'm somewhere around 50% and I'm like... You go girl! This is the best thing!!! ... and then, I'm really into these more intimate scenes (Draven really knows how to write those!! O_O) and all of a sudden everything changes and I'm at 87% and anxious about how things could end... and then Imogen pulls on her big girl socks Mariana Zapata-way and saves herself because it's a tiny bit impossible for Cedada because of his curse. And in the end you get a happily ever after and big loony smile on your face and a really good feeling inside.

You see what I meant by saying that I have no idea how to express my feelings and thoughts in an intelligent way? But really, spend these couple of bucks on this magnificent story! Totally worth it.

Grace Draven crafts an unlikely but exceptional love story between a King that cannot die and an angel of Death. They are pariahs or worse to everyone but each other in this latest story “The Undying King”, a story filled with emotion and regret that will have you enthralled right to the end.

As usual with her stories there are stories within stories in this one, things that seem clear become muddied as more truth is revealed in this tale. The romance is pure 5 Star. There are places the mood that was set reminded me a bit of Elric of Melnibone while reading this in the emotions it invoked rather than an actual clear association.

I have to point out that while I always enjoy the romantic parts of such stories I am never really happy when odious characters get to walk away with no judgement or punishment (being a confirmed "revenge junkie" I am not unbiased).

Other than my thirst for justice (revenge) not being quenched, I did love this story. Maybe she will kill a certain
evil scum in another book :) There is so much to this story hopefully we may see a novel length sequel down the line someplace I hope.

Great imagination. The cast of characters is very short--just two primary characters, two supporting characters, and a few others.

How would immortality change the way a person interacts with the world? What would be their impact from a position of power, such as a kingship? Would the people nearby fear or favor the person who never ages? How and when might they demand a change of scenery? Grace Draven gives us a readable tale that puts light on these questions. Her answers are the story.

There were several spots of tangled purple prose in the first two chapters but then the story opened up nicely. It was a fun read.