Warlock’s Pawn by Tara Quan
ASIN B00BW7BYLY 
Story Rating: 2.5 out of 5 paddles
Sting Factor (kink): 2.5 out of 5
Review:
When exiled fey princess Alia saves the formidable warrior and warlock Duncan from her cruel sister Anora, she knows he will return and conquer the kingdom. She pledges herself to him, knowing his rule will be kinder than Anora’s, and when he returns to the city as victor, she agrees to be his bride. Duncan will marry Alia, their magic cementing the alliance, but he will keep Anora as a concubine, unaware that her own magic will sow the seeds of rebellion in his new kingdom. To keep her power, Anora must eliminate her sister. To keep her life, Alia must submit herself to a seemingly rough and uncaring husband-to-be, and survive her sister’s machinations.
The story of two sisters in opposition, one wanting a powerful man’s heart, and the other wanting only his power, should have entertained me more than it did.
The writing and plotting were lackluster, the setting poorly-realized, and the characters were neither well-drawn nor particularly likeable. Duncan came across as petty and pushy, rather than powerful and commanding. Anora was evil and yet never seemed competent enough to present a real threat. Alia was sweet and innocent and pure, which, along with a backstory that had her raised hidden away in a temple, left her with very little depth, but she was the only major character who seemed to care about anyone or anything besides herself or her belongings. The world building was vague and not really believable; it’s a fantasy setting with, supposedly, an Arabian Nights-type flair, but it read like standard Euro-centric barbarians and fairies fare that had been hastily transplanted to a fantasy world with a lot of sand and loose-fitting clothes. The setting wasn’t bound up in the story. The way magic worked was really interesting, but not explored enough to make the way the story hinged on it hold up.
