Book Review: Vicious Princess by Karolina Wilde
Vicious Princess by Karolina Wilde
ARC Review: Thank you to NetGalley, Xpresso Book Tours, and Karolina Wilde for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Date of Publishing: August 26, 2025
Series: Trials of Death and Honor #1
Genres: Adult // Romance, Fantasy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Explicit open door)
Quick Thoughts: Vicious Princess single-handedly got me out of a reading slump with its quick-moving plot. This fast-paced, romance-heavy read is set in a military academy with forbidden romance and a superior/subordinate relationship. Although not necessarily groundbreaking, it hit all the right spots for me!
Amazon (Available on Kindle Unlimited)
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Death of family
Grief
Violence and Blood
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Forbidden Romance
Superior/Subordinate Romance
Military Training Setting
Straightforward plot/setting with not many details to keep track of
What is Vicious Princess about?
There are only three rules at Ezkai Academy: Always obey your instructor. Never leave the Castle Grounds without permission. Don’t ever screw your instructor.
I break one before orientation even begins. Can you guess which one?
When I arrive at the unforgiving fae city with the snowy mountains looming over it, I have two goals:
1. Join the legendary Order of ancient soldiers.
2. Climb the ranks and gain the power I need to avenge my family’s murder.
But before I can join the Order, I must survive six months of ruthless training. Failure means exile… or death.
That, I can handle despite being the only human among the brutal, beautiful fae who would love to see me bleed. I’ve survived worse–my body is riddled with a thousand scars that serve as a reminder.
What I didn’t expect?
The hot, mysterious soldier I spent one passionate night with… is now my instructor.
When he offers to mentor me—recognizing the ambition burning inside me—I know I should say no. It’s too risky.
But I want what he’s offering. I want to rise to the top. And maybe… I want him, too.
Initial Take
I’ve been craving more romances based in a military training academy since reading Silver Elite. When I read the synopsis of Vicious Princess, I just knew it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for.
Vicious Princess Review
I'd like to thank Vicious Princess for single-handedly getting me out of a reading slump! I was in the mood for a quick-moving plot with a fast, steamy romance and this definitely delivered.
Our human FMC Phoenix moves to a fae world to join an elite fae order (the Ezkai) with the intent to avenge her family's murder. Before she joins the six month training, she has a one night stand with a fae in a closet at a bar, who she later finds out is one of her instructors.
I know, I know, a tale as old as time in the fantasy romance genre, but there's something about the military setting paired with forbidden romance and the superior/subordinate dynamic that hits every single time for me!
In my opinion, this book is overwhelmingly focused on the romance and it moved very fast. I didn’t have the patience for a slow-burn, so the instant connection was welcome here and there were still had tender moments that I made my heart melt.
We also really don't get much interaction with side characters other than Phoenix's one friend Roman (who I adored 😍), so if you're looking for a fantasy-heavy plot or a bunch of fun side characters, this probably won't scratch that itch.
So the vibes all around were great but there were a few things that left me with questions that I hope will get resolved later in the series.
It's not really clear how parts of the plot and setting are connected to each other. For instance, Phoenix's family was killed in the human land and it's not clear how joining the protector unit in the fae land helps her avenge their murder. There were also a few other plot points that seemed like a big deal but then were never brought up again. I'm really hoping we pick all those loose threads back up in the next book.
While the ending gave us a glimpse into the future, I don't think it was the best way to bridge us to the next book. It jumps from Phoenix's POV to the POV of a person we haven't met for the last three chapters. It felt disconnected and a little confusing. I think the ending might have worked better for me if it had ended with the last chapter from Phoenix's perspective followed by the new person's chapters condensed into a 3-5 page epilogue.
All in all, I had fun reading this book and I'm definitely going to keep my eyes out for the next one in the series!
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
Vicious Princess FAQs
Some of the answers may be spoilers if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution!
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No, Vicious Princess is the first in a series. The next book in the series will be named Blood Queen but the release date has not been announced.
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This book is a 4🌶️, which is explicit open door. That means spice scenes are detailed and plentiful.
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Vicious Princess has chapters that are spicy. There are also a few scenes that contain no spice, but are a steamy (kissing only). Those steamy chapters are marked with a green pepper.
Chapter 1
Chapter 7
Chapter 33 🫑
Chapter 37
Chapter 53