Book Review: The Half-Hearted Queen by Charlie N. Holmberg
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The Half-Hearted Queen by Charlie N. Holmberg
ARC Review: Thank you to NetGalley and 47North for the early copy!
Published: March 3, 2026
Series: The Shattered King #2
Genres: Adult // Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️ (Behind Closed Doors)
Quick Thoughts: The Half-Hearted Queen was the perfect conclusion to this duology. Where the first book focused on building relationships between the characters, this one dove straight into the action, picking up right where the last one left off. Overall, if you're looking for a series with well-rounded, mature characters, a beautiful love story with real emotional stakes, and a creative magic system, definitely check out this duology!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org
Learn more about my rating & spice scales here.
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Graphic torture
Death and violence
War
Emotional abuse
Panic attacks
Grief
PTSD
Rape
Kidnapping
Descriptions of confinement
Mentions of miscarriage or pregnancy
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Royalty/Commoner romances
Caretaking scenes
Reluctant hero MMCs
Competent FMCs
Creative magic systems, specifically healing
Prophecies
Main characters who can feel each other’s emotions
What is The Half-Hearted Queen about?
In this spellbinding dark fantasy from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg that concludes the Shattered King duology, Nym must escape the clutches of her captors and find her way back to Renn even as forbidden love, magic, and secrets collide with the weight of the crown and the war between kingdoms.
Nym never told Prince Renn she loved him. And now, as a captive and political pawn to the ruthless King Nicosia, Nym finds herself guarding more than her forbidden feelings for Renn as the kingdoms of Cansere and Sesta clash and the bloodshed of war rages. Nym’s connection to Renn is more than just romantic—it’s magical, and King Nicosia will stop at nothing to find Renn’s weakness and claim the kingdoms as his.
Now Nym must find a way to escape the cruel and twisted fate of imprisonment as she faces the unimaginable horrors and dangerous secrets hidden within King Nicosia’s palace walls. With the succession of kings on the line and a dangerous prophecy unfolding, Prince Renn faces his own impossible choice. The future of the throne hinges on a political alliance that means forsaking his love for Nym. If he can’t fulfill his destiny and unite the kingdoms, King Nicosia will destroy them all.
The Half-Hearted Queen Review
Note: This is the second book in the The Shattered King duology, so this review may contain spoilers for the first book in the series, The Shattered King. If you’re new to this series start with my review of the first book here.
There are some books that I intentionally take longer to finish because I want to savor every moment. The Half-Hearted Queen was one of them. This was a perfect conclusion to the duology. Where the first book focused on building relationships between the characters, this one dove straight into the action, picking up right where the last one left off.
Pacing & Storytelling
This book, and the entire duology, frankly, was a masterclass in efficient storytelling and perfect pacing. Just like the first book, I don't think we lingered on any scenes for too long and we didn't get lost in flowery descriptions, but I still feel like I could picture everything going on. Both books combined are around 700 pages and I don't think a single page was wasted. If you thought The Shattered King was too slow, still give this one a chance because the plot also really picks up the pace here.
Characters
The shorter page count doesn't mean a lack of action or character development though. The plot put the characters through the wringer emotionally. Admittedly, it got darker than I was anticipating, so definitely check trigger warnings. There's plenty of trauma, fear, and loss, but there's also hope, compassion, and survival woven throughout the entire story, even during the toughest moments.
Nym's growth shines through during these times especially. She's been through so much, and somehow that's only made her stronger, more empathetic, and kinder. Her overcoming her trauma to let herself love and be loved was perhaps the most moving part of this story. And I said this in my review of the first book and stand by it: Renn is still one of my favorite MMCs in a long, long time. His arc complements Nym's really well as he learns to navigate being a king. He's loyal, thoughtful, and not driven by ego or the need for power.
Renn & Nym’s Emotional Bond
My favorite part of the book was Nym and Renn's literal emotional bond caused by Nym's cure at the end of The Shattered King. It just worked on so many levels for me. For one, it upped the emotional stakes significantly because if Renn had to forsake Nym and their love, they'd both feel that loss indefinitely. I found myself getting so anxious about whether they were going to figure things out or not. Renn and Nym are also separated for a good portion of this book and I found that authors often default to turning the story into dual-POV in these cases, so readers know how the other character is faring. My issue is that the second POV rarely adds anything that's actually important to the story. With the bond, we still got a clear sense of how Renn is surviving and processing everything without needing his POV directly. And as an added bonus, their bond also eliminates the possibility of the miscommunication trope popping up throughout the book, which I really appreciated as a person who strongly dislikes that trope.
So, should you read The Half-Hearted Queen?
Overall, if you're looking for a series with well-rounded, mature characters, a beautiful love story, and a creative magic system, definitely check out this duology!
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
The Half-Hearted Queen FAQs
Some of the answers may be spoilers if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution!
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Yes! The Half-Hearted Queen is the second book in a duology by Charlie N. Holmberg.
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The Half-Hearted Queen is 2 🌶️ or behind closed doors. That means there are spice scenes in the book but they are not on page or described at all.