Rating: 4.5 🌈
Well, that was brutal. And ultimately satisfying.
It’s been a while, from the beginning of the year, since the first book of this two story series was released . So it took me a while to mentally catch up on the events that Fool Me Twice opens up on.
That the cliffhanger that Fool Me Once ends on and this novel opens up with. Our three characters , Lark, Arin, and Draven, fighting for their lives in a sandstorm.
But first a note about the triggers and the fact this is dark, dark, fiction. The author states that the reader should go to her website for all warnings pertaining to the subject and books but there’s only one for the first book and imo, the second warrants far more serious warnings.
From Ariana Nash’s website:
Potentially triggering content for Fool Me Once includes but is not limited to: attempted suicide (main character), incest (non-consensual, off-page, not between main characters), dubious consent (main characters).
Assume triggers are on-page, unless off-page is specified above.
However, in Fool Me Twice , there’s on page rape, rape of a corpse, torture, dismembering, murder . Make no mistake, this is extremely disturbing reading at times.
The person who’s the main villain here is Razak, the head of the Court of Pain. It’s a role he’s embraced, and embedded deeply within himself.
There’s so many storylines to keep track of within this universe. Each court in the Shatterlands have their own internal politics and affairs that are affecting the overall outcome of the game Razak is playing for total domination and the power of a god.
There’s the Court of Love, Justice, War, and Pain. Trying to remember who and what has happened to all the various groups and characters can be narratively burdensome.
But when Nash narrows her story line down to the traumatic events and harrowing relationships between the prince of Pain, physically and emotionally damaged Lark, brother to Razak, Prince Arin of the Court of Love, and Draven, warlord of the Court of War, as they navigate the treacherous landscape of their lives.
This is a story full of people who can’t or won’t communicate, people believing in the power of lies over truth, manipulation over trust, and fear over hope. It’s a compelling, tough and brutal journey Nash takes the reader on, twisting these men’s perceptions of life around. To do this, the author puts them and the reader through some truly dark, horrific situations and terrifying moments, which make such changes believable and raw.
Finally, after a hellish epic climatic battle , are the characters able to say they survived and won out when even they thought everything was over.
Bloody, done in, exhausted, and almost dead.
Oddly satisfying and the reader feels just as exhausted.
Not sure I would want to read it again. But it’s so well written I’m glad I read it once.
Who should I recommend this to? Those that love really dark LGBTQIA fantasy romance. Take those trigger warnings seriously and realize that Fool Me Twice is twice as dark.
If you’re seeking a light fantasy fiction, this isn’t for you.
They must be read in the order that they were written to understand the storylines and character development.
Court of Pain – 2 book series
✓ Fool Me Once #1
✓ Fool Me Twice #2
Buy Link:
Fool Me Twice (Court of Pain Book 2)
Description:
The epic, heart-wrenching conclusion to the Court of Pain duology. Spanning four courts, devious and doomed royals, and the most unlikely of loves between a prince and his fool.
They say in the darkest of times, the brightest star has no choice but to shine.
I’m no star, nor am I a hero. But I could be the villain. To protect Arin from Razak’s scheming, I’ll have to be.
He’s my shaft of sunlight through the storm, my hope in the darkest of times, but Prince Arin is also my weakness. And Razak knows it.
The shatterlands are under threat, the crowns are missing, and as the pieces of Razak’s puzzle begin to fall into place, its picture becomes clear.
It was never about the crowns, or the courts.
It was never about vengeance, or spite.
It was always about love.
And Razak will not stop until he’s destroyed mine, and all the shatterlands with it.
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Court of Pain is a dual point of view, dark MM fantasy duology brimming with courtly spice, morally ambiguous characters, and the fool who plays them all.
This is a dark world with potentially distressing content. For more information on content warnings, please visit the author’s website.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 