Once I Knew by Victoria Lynn

Once I Knew

Victoria Lynn

YA, Medieval, Kingdom Fantasy, Romance

Violet lives her quiet life in her sleepy village, trying to remain as dead to the politics that are threatening their world as possible. She follows the rules, stays out of trouble and does her best to remain out of sight from the dreaded and overbearing Kingsmen.

With the new regent on the throne till the prince comes of age, the country has been thrown into a turmoil. Unlike the kindly king before him, the new ruler is overbearing, frightening and tyrannical in his rule. Taxes are bleeding the people dry and without the money or goods to pay, they have been forced into penal servitude and imprisonment by the Kingsmen, who show no mercy. The despair and fear that has taken over their lives has ruled out any level of hope.

When Violet stumbles upon an unconscious and injured Kingsman in the woods, despite the consequences, she is compelled to take care of the injured man. When he wakes and has no memory of his identity or past, she takes the only precaution that will keep her and her grandmother safe; she destroys the evidence of his past life.

If Violet’s lowly Kingsman regains his memory, will she survive the consequences? And will the Kingsman be able to live with his past life? Who will fight to free Elira?

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Please excuse me while I fangirl with reckless abandon. I seriously read this in two days. *Blinks* I am not sorry, I regret nothing. I loved the characters, and the relationships and the TWISTS! 🥴 I still am not sure how I didn't see that coming. But, enough of me squealing in delight, behold! Zee review:

Plot:

I have always been intrigued by stories that involve amnesia, and unknown pasts. (I think I've read two.) And I think Victoria did an incredible job making the amnesia medieval-ey accurate! I loved her attention to detail and everything she poured into this story.

“You are a woman who has shown me what it means to be called by destiny at the hand of God and walk in it.” ~Obed

Characters:

-Violet-

One of my favorite female protagonists in a really long time! I loved her standards, and she made no exceptions when it came to her beliefs. She made mistakes, she messed up, but she was just trusting God through it all. I loved that.

-Obed-

As much as I love Violet... I might just like Obed more. He is the sweetest character. (*SPOILER And even though he has a bit of a muddled past, he's trying so hard to redeem himself from his past life *END SPOILER*). I just love him to death.

-Granny-

I felt so bad for Granny. But she was super sweet and really kind to Obed and Violet. Even through all the hardships, she has remained faithful to Him and believes He knows best.

-Marcus-

Okay, but Marcus is just the sweetest! He cares so much for Violet and just wants what's best for her. He is always looking out for her and trying to keep her safe. I just love his dedication. And he's an apothecary's apprentice. I have no idea why, but I love those characters 😉)

-Everard-

If I thought Marcus was sweet, Everard is even more sweet. He is the village blacksmith and has always been there for Violet. He was definitely like her father-figure, which I think she really needed.

-Enguerrand-

Okay, this guy... ARG! I seriously hate this dude's guts. He was written as such a good villain. Is there a waiting list to throttle this guy? 😂

Doing the right thing did not always mean it was done without fear. ~Once I Knew

Romance:

There was something between (*SPOILER* Violet and Obed, especially towards the end *END SPOILER*) two characters. (*SPOILER* Violet *END SPOILER*) heats/flushes when she's near (*SPOILER* Obed *END SPOILER*). Violet thinks that (*SPOILER* if Obed wanted to kiss her, she'd let him *END SPOILER*).

Content Warnings:

Twice, a Kingsman (*SPOILER* tries to kiss Violet *END SPOILER*), and there mentions of the Kingsman beating people, not described. A Kingsman (*SPOILER* sets fire to Violet's home; hits Violet; knocks Obed unconscious *END SPOILER*). A character uses the expression, "Speak of the devil". There are several mentions of hangings and the Kingsman being brutal. There is a flashback where (*SPOILER* Obed gets flashes of his past life; there is a party *END SPOILER*) There is a scene where a knife is held to someone's throat. Someone (*SPOILER* tried to kill Obed and make it look like an accident*END SPOILER*). At the end, a Kingsman (*TRIGGER WARNING* kills a little boy's kitten just because *END TRIGGER WARNING*)

NOTE: Even if it seems like a lot of content, but please try to keep in mind that I have to say it as is, even if the author handled everything in a very tasteful and classy way <3

Age Range:

Y/A

My Thoughts:

I thought this book was incredible. I read it, then went and bought the hardcover, special-edition from Victoria's website. I cannot wait for This Life of Mine (Chronicles of Elira #2) to come out!! I am so reading it.

I loved Victoria's writing style, and her descriptions were amazing. I could relate so much with the characters (which is something I wish would happen more often in books).

Add it to your Goodreads here -> Once I Knew <-

Get it from Amazon -> Once I Knew <-

And if you want to learn more about Victoria, you can go to her website -> Victoria Lynn | Inspired Writer and Seamstress <-

I hope you enjoyed the review, folks! See you next time!