SCORCHED Book Review

Scorched (book 1 in series) by Kaylyn Pak, eBook, 334 pages

Synopsis from Amazon: A girl with hidden memories. A kingdom built on lies. A prisoner who knows the truth.

Scorch remembers only the last three years of her life, years spent serving as the king’s executioner. In a kingdom built on power and secrecy, her past has been erased and no one will tell her why. When the ruler of a rival kingdom is captured, she’s ordered to interrogate him. But the closer she gets to the dangerous prisoner, the more fragments of her past begin to surface. And in those memories, he is not her enemy… but something far more dangerous.

As the truth begins to unravel, Scorch is forced to question everything she thought she knew: her loyalty, her past, and the kingdom she serves. If someone erased her memories, what were they trying to hide? The truth could change everything.

Perfect for fans of romantasy, fantasy romance, enemies to lovers, and stories filled with hidden pasts, dangerous secrets, and a slow burn romance.

BOOK REVIEW: Oh boy did I take notes. Not that I can share anything with you without giving anything away but this is an amazing debut novel by this author! In case you didn't know, I do a lot of my Kindle reading at night so I generally don't make notes but I'm trying to get better and it took me until Chapter 17 to start making notes. Little things that I want to remember but not necessarily add into my reviews. So I started trying to connect dots. I do this in my head anyway but now I want to try and keep track of when I start having these thoughts so I can see how early I'm wrong or right. Does that make sense?

I don't know if I can pick a favorite part. The author is setting up her world so we have several ways the storyline can go from here. If I did have to pick a scene though, I think Scorch in The Pit was the best. Scorch is a bad ass female main character so watching her evolve some throughout this first book was wonderful. One thing that I hope we get in the future is a map of the world she has created. That would be fun to see!

This is a 5 star read for me. I love the beginning world building the author has done. She has given us some wonderful characters that I can't wait to see how she expands on them. We have several parts of the story that we get to look forward to reading in the coming book(s). The only downside is waiting but she seriously has built up so much tension it's hard to believe this is her debut novel. This eBook is available to pre-order on Amazon and will be out on June 1, 2026. The author is an Indie author so this is the best way to support her. You can also find her on social media to help support her.

5/5 Stars

2026 Reading Challenge: 25/55 complete