Deklyn Delonir , Captain of the Order of the Redemptor and Knight of the Hawkeron Kingdom, has spent his entire life serving his goddess and realm to earn redemption for his past sins. Everything he does is in service to his King and the people under his protection and leadership. For his entire life, Deklyn pushed away the deepest desires of his heart, burying them and praying that they never come to the surface. When his King calls on him for the most important job of his career, one that would put an end to a war against an unknown enemy simply called The Corrupted, Deklyn doesn’t think twice before readily accepting it. Once the job is completed, the war will end and the people Deklyn swore an oath to serve will be safe and the bloodshed will end.
Crown Prince Kai of Hawkeron has never known what freedom feels like. Everything has been lain before him before he was born. Swayed by the whims of a fate outside of his control and duty that is inescapable, Kai doesn’t know who he is. Kai is a political entity, used for his father’s gain. When his father calls on him to fulfill his duty as the Crown Prince, Kai knows he is defeated. He will be sent to a neighboring kingdom to marry its princess to create an alliance that will provide his father’s military with the resources needed to put an end to the war they waged against The Corrupted. Knowing that his failure to complete his duty would lead to the deaths of many people and the annihilation of the Hawkeron Empire, Kai resigns himself to his fate.
"A knight’s oath isn’t something that should be given lightly". Taylor Hubbard's A Corruption of Souls is a standalone romantasy with minimal worldbuilding and a pretty straightforward plot. We have an older honor-bound paladin, a young prince with a duty, and more than half of the book is spent on the journey to get to the kingdom where the prince is going to get married to secure an alliance. To add to the cast there's a second knight escorting the young prince, friend to the paladin and often the voice of reason as the feelings between the prince and the paladin grow into something that cannot be ignored.
The plot truly is minimal. There's an attempt at a twist that could be seen since the first pages, but at least the execution doesn't stumble. The ending is abrupt and doesn't seem to resolve the bigger problems - namely, this kid is going to have to have heirs. His father's treatment of him isn't analysed past a few remarks. The fealty trope, on the other hand, was well-executed, but the age difference made some things uncomfortable. This book is certainly heavier on the romance part than on any kind of worldbuilding, although there were some interesting things with the figure of the paladin's goddess patron.
A Corruption of Souls is a solid romance that could work better with a bit more focus on the fantasy aspect.
✨ 3 stars
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for: fealty, guard/royal romance
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