The Night Prince by Lauren Palphreyman – The Best Book in the Series So Far

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“I have tasted freedom here, in the Northlands. But my dreams make me wonder if I still feel trapped – caught in a game between alphas I have little control over.”

Goodreads / Storygraph

Summary

In the sequel to The Wolf King, Aurora and Callum find themselves forced to form an alliance with one of the most feared wolves in the kingdom, Blake. 

Despite being their enemy, he has entangled his life with Aurora’s and so neither can harm him without also harming Aurora. 

As Aurora works to break their connection, she begins to think there is more than Blake is letting on. Not just about their connection, but also the dark power that is rising in the north. 

The threat is bigger than anyone can imagine, and it threatens both the Kingdom of Wolves and the Kingdom of Men. 

With enemies closing in, relationships tested, and even bigger secrets revealed, Aurora must finally uncover who she can trust, where she and her heart belong, and if she can survive it all. 

What I Loved

Remember how I mentioned I loved Blake right off the bat in The Wolf King? 

Well, my obsession with him has become far more insufferable. 

I did enjoy this one far more than the second one. I quite enjoyed the pacing of this one, and while some bits felt a bit dragged out, I don’t have too many complaints. 

Also, I absolutely LOVED that Blake got his own narrator for this book. I cannot tell you how much I loved that. 

(Also, the narrator of Blake is also the narrator of Rhys from ACOTAR??!!!)

The tension was fantastic, the love triangle didn’t entirely irritate me, and it was easy to see where the story was heading. 

There were a lot of twists and turns along the way, not all of them making sense, but I really like this series so I can look past that. 

What Wasn’t My Favorite

Like I said, quite a few things in this book don’t make the most sense. 

The introduction of some new characters felt a bit pointless, but I am guessing that is more set up for book 3. 

I also found myself tired of the same old song and dance from Callum and Aurora. 

While Callum’s anger is justified, I found Aurora quite wishy washy and frustrating. She is still trying to find her place in the world, and she is digging deep to discover who she wants to be. 

But she goes about it in the most annoying way.

The dream sequences were a bit repetitive too and started to feel like a crutch. Using them as a way to reveal things when they could have been revealed in other ways. 

The ending of this book was even crazier than the first, and between the reveals and everything that’s been stuffed into the plot, it left my head spinning. 

Vibe Check

• Genre: Paranormal Romance & Fantasy
• Mood: Moody, romantic, filled with tension
• Read if you love: werewolves, love triangles (done well!), sorta enemies to lovers, political unrest, forbidden attraction
• My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Spice Meter: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

(Honestly, not that different from The Wolf King but with the tension turned all the way up.)

Would I Recommend It? 

Yes! Especially if you enjoyed the first book. 

While I would not dive right into this one without reading The Wolf King first, I would still recommend it. 

Overall Thoughts

Listen, this book has its issues. I think the author tried to stuff a lot of tropes and themes into one storyline, and it’s gotten kinda…messy. 

But I really like these characters and this story, regardless. 

While Aurora does irritate me, I am really hoping she gets it together a bit more in the next book. 

There isn’t much out there online about the third book, but I am guessing this series will be a trilogy with the next book wrapping everything up nicely. 

It looks like it should be published in 2026, so I shall be twiddling my thumbs away while I (im)patiently wait. 

Otherwise, she is gonna be up there with Diem from Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole. 

This one gets 4.25 out of 5 stars. Those .25 stars are primarily because of Blake getting his own narrator. 

Check out my thoughts on The Wolf King if you haven’t yet!