Category: Dark Fantasy

Review:  Mother of Death and Dawn  (The War of Lost Hearts, #3) by Carissa Broadbent

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Mother of Death and Dawn is the final story of Carissa Broadbent’s fantastic dark fantasy series, The War of Lost Hearts. 

Broadbent’s epic series has crossed oceans, venturing into various worlds and reaching beyond into many magical realms. She’s created a multitude of cultures, mythologies, and monsters who both have helped,hindered, and destroyed the many paths that the main characters Tisaanah, Max, and Aefe are on to the final tumultuous battle. 

There’s no question that the author has done a superlative job in this book.  The sheer number of storylines and characters that have been created throughout in the series, then had their roles and personalities developed fully for greater purpose, is astounding. It comes to a fruition here as plot lines are gathered in, explanations given, actions held accountable, and the characters are all there , as needed, for that final memorable battles and emotional drama.

There are some characters I never could throughly understand. Ones who I felt never really got the consequences of their actions, as heinous as they were. Nor were the characters who were sorely affected and damaged over time as deeply explored as I had hoped. Aefe is such a unique character that I would have liked to have a different arc for her. 

That finale and those battles were rich in detail and magically dark. Fantastic action sequences!

I loved how the story ended and this series is one that I am highly recommending for fantasy readers and great characters. 

The War of Lost Hearts:

Daughter of No Worlds #1

Children of Fallen Gods #2

Mother of Death and Dawn #3

Buy link

        Mother of Death and Dawn (The War of Lost Hearts Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Tell me, little butterfly, what would you do for love?

In the wake of a crushing defeat, Tisaanah and Maxatarius have been ripped apart. Tisaanah is desperate to rescue Max from his imprisonment, even as her people’s fight for freedom grows more treacherous. But within the walls of Ilyzath, Max’s mind is a shadow of what it once was… leaving his past a mystery and his future at the mercy of Ara’s new, ruthless queen.

Meanwhile, in the Fey lands, Aefe has been dragged back into this world by a king who vows to destroy civilizations in her name. But even as her past returns to claim her, her former self is a stranger.

Tisaanah, Max, and Aefe are thrust into the center of a cataclysm between the human and Fey worlds. The unique magic they share is key to either winning the war, or ending it.

But that power demands sacrifice. Tisaanah may be forced to choose between love and duty. Max cannot forge his future without confronting his past. And Aefe must decide between reclaiming who she was, or embracing who she has become.

The choices they make will either reshape this world forever…or end it..

In the harrowing finale of the War of Lost Hearts trilogy, a tale of romance, magic, vengeance, and redemption comes to a close — perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Raven Kennedy.

Review:  Zodiac Academy: The Awakening by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

Rating: 4.5⭐️

“Here is your campus map. 

Note to all students: Vampire bites, loss of limbs or getting lost in the wailing wood will not count as a valid excuse for being late to class.”

— Zodiac Academy: The Awakening by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

This series has been out for a while now but it’s only recently that I’ve been made aware of the multiple series universe and the authors behind it.

Zodiac Academy turned out to be a fantastic read. A darker urban fantasy series that tilts towards the type of storytelling of magical schools and mythological creatures and enormously powerful barriers to overcome for the main characters. In this case female twin sisters and the school, Zodiac Academy, is far more brutal, abusive , and deeply damaging than Hogwarts could have imagined. 

Multiple points of view, primarily Darcy and Tory Vega, the Gemini twins, yanked from one world into another. I found these two voices so compelling, different from each other and yet they are still so similar in their foundational core. At least for now.

Because as a reader, you’re getting a glimpse that this Academy is going to  pull each one apart almost to their cellular level and rebuild them before the end. It’s that brutal. And they are that unprepared. 

The Academy is magical, is separated in factions and the basics. The map helps to reinforce the magical system and the power structure in place.  It’s also overlaid with the typical clique behavior and favoritism found in any school district anywhere, only hopped up to the inth degree by power and control. Never a good thing. 

The young women are determined, resilient, and as strong as their background has made them. I immediately connected with Darcy and Tory, impulsively raging or fighting or whatever they were doing. 

This ends on a bit of a challenge for them and I can’t wait to read Ruthless Fae to see what happens next.

Highly recommended for lovers of dark urban fantasy and strong women characters. 

Zodiac Academy (12 book series):

The Awakening #1

Ruthless Fae #2

The Reckoning #3

Shadow Princess #4

Cursed Fates #5

Fated Throne #6

Heartless Sky #7

Sorrow and Starlight #8

Beyond the Veil #9

Restless Stars #10

The Awakening As Told By The Boys #11

Live and Let Lionel #12

Buy link

        Zodiac Academy: The Awakening

    

Blurb 

Amazon.com and Wall Street Journal #1 bestselling dark fantasy romance series from authors Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti – a Booktok sensation!

I’m a Gemini. Impulsive. Curious. Headstrong. A twin. Heir to a throne I know nothing about. And it turns out, I’m Fae.

But of course there’s a catch – all I have to do to claim my birth right is prove that I’m the most powerful supernatural in the whole of Solaria. And sure, technically that’s true as I’m the daughter of the Savage King. But the bit they didn’t put in the brochure was that every single Fae in this Kingdom would claim my throne if they could.

The school they’ve sent me to is both dangerous as sh*t and one helluva party. Vampires bite weaker students in the corridors, the Werewolf pack has orgies in the Wailing Wood at every full moon and don’t even get me started on the dark and twisted ways the Sirens use their powers on people’s emotions, or how my sinfully tempting Cardinal Magic teacher hosts detentions that leave people needing therapy.

Classes are totally interesting if you manage to live through them. And that Gemini star sign I mentioned? It now determines my elemental magic and affects my destiny, so learning astrology is essential if I’m going to beat down my classmates – which is actively encouraged by the way.

My biggest problem is the drool worthy Dragon shifter who has his eyes on my throne. He and his three psycho friends are determined to make my time here hell.

All I’ve got to do is survive. But fate might have other ideas.

Dammit, why couldn’t I have gotten a letter to Hogwarts?

***This is a enemies to lovers romantasy – don’t go expecting a sweet school for magic with friends around every corner. Fae fight for everything they own and Zodiac Academy is a cutthroat school for students aged 18+ where only the strongest prevail. There’s no Dumbledore here to save anyone’s ass and Lionel Acrux will give Voldemort a run for his money in the evil dictator category. So hold onto your stardust (broomsticks not required) and get ready for a bumpy ride***

  • Publisher: King’s Hollow (August 2, 2019)
  • Publication date: August 2, 2019
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 420 pages

Review:  The Shadows Beyond: An MM Urban Fantasy Romance (Shadow and Light Duology Book 1) by TJ Rose

Rating:  3.5🌈

This was a very hard book for me to rate because while I really delighted in this author’s world building and the diversity of the otherworldly creatures and elements of the story, the characters were the issues here.

One, Cinnamon ‘Cinn’ Saunders is  a character who shows depths of personality and layers related to his background as the story develops. Cinnamon,  definitely a doormat/enabler to a seriously addicted friend, is constantly surrendering his own future and safety to saving him again and again. How you view the author’s writing a character purposely so obtuse about another person’s character will determine whether you connect with Cinn.  Because he’s constantly forgiving people for their awful actions against him.

That goes for the other main character, Julien, a son of a wealthy French businessman , who is now part of the hidden government institution in Switzerland that houses and teaches those with special magical abilities, “the moteblessed”. Julien is the most problematic of characters for me.  While both have tragic histories, the author uses Julien’s  to excuse selfish, egocentric, and frankly, oafish behavior.  He has a goal that his other two friends, Elliot and Darcy, are aware of and are helping him to achieve. But it’s extremely dangerous and potentially fatal.

How he achieves it, who he uses, even though his friends warn him against certain actions, doesn’t matter or matter much. That’s a common refrain with Julien. He does what he wants. Others warn him of potential consequences. He thinks about it and does it anyway. And he’s forgiven over and over.  Because he has charisma. And a sad background. 

Yet he’s supposed to be a fantastic relatable main character and not a person with flags stuck all over his storyline. SMH

What is fantastic here is the system of magic, that “other dark world “ that’s so eerily similar to theirs but not. The fractured moon that hangs above a 1995 London writhing with sentient beings so dark and mysterious, and horrifying.  The motes, another intriguing creation, makes this book. Sentient? Just don’t know.

If I continue with the duology, it will be due to the magical realm and the dark realm that pulls me forward. Not the human characters. So probably not.

Book cover design by @the.ravens.touch with artwork by Olga Panfilova

Shadow and Light Duology:

The Shadows Beyond #1 

The Light Within #2

Buy link:

        The Shadows Beyond: An MM Urban Fantasy Romance (Shadow and Light Duology Book 1)

    

Blurb 

An action-packed MM romance duology featuring magic, mayhem, and two broken boys finding love. 

Cinnamon ‘Cinn’ Saunders thought he’d learnt to control his little ghost problem. 

That is, until the moment he brings back a malevolent spirit from the shadowrealm, and quickly finds himself unjustly arrested for the murder of four people.

After breaking free of foster care and a stint in juvie, all Cinn wanted to do was keep his head down and work his way up to become a professional chef. Now he’s forced to make a choice: life in jail, or allow a stranger to whisk him away to a mysterious institute in rural Switzerland with the promise of learning how to control his terrifying supernatural abilities.

Julien, the French charismatic charmer who is charged with warding over Cinn, also has a problem: the murder of his sister is still unsolved.

He needs help. Help that only Cinn can provide. He’ll do anything to get it, including making Cinn an offer that he can’t refuse. What Julien doesn’t expect out of the bargain is their undeniable connection, which only serves to complicate matters as they navigate uncharted territories together.

Between battling an uprising of deadly creatures that not only threaten the moteblessed community, but the entire planet, and fighting their ever-growing attraction, can this opposites-attract pair overcome their demons to save the world, and each other?

The Shadows Beyond is part 1 of an MM urban fantasy romance duology, and contains explicit content. Full content warnings can be found within the book and on the author’s website. The overarching plot continues into book 2, with the end of book 1 offering a ‘happy-for-now’ for the main characters.

  • ASIN: B0D1GW41WP
  • Publisher: (July 12, 2024)
  • Publication date: July 12, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 397 pages

Review:  Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1) by Callie Hart

Rating:  4.5 ⭐️

The world building by Callie Hart in Quicksilver is truly astonishing. Incredibly detailed and rich in imagery, Hart’s worlds, yes multiple connected ones, so well crafted that each feels absolutely unique. Fundamentally different from their species of beings, mythological perspectives, life spans even their suns in the sky . 

 Hart’s female main character is a stunning figure.  Saeris Fane is a thief, a fierce fighter, a resourceful woman. She’s had to do what it takes to survive and protect herself and her irresponsible younger brother in a walled off section of the City where the worst of their kingdom is concentrated by authority of the Queen. 

Saeris’  sad history and that of dangerous diseased slum , The Third Ward, of Zilvaren City, are heavily intertwined. How will be slowly revealed throughout this story with great impact. It’s enough that we see how living in such conditions has formed her, including the fact she’s able to work a forge. And it introduces other great characters that have been important figures in her life. 

How dramatically the Fae and the figure of The Kingfisher is brought into this narrative is something I’ll leave to the story but it’s a fantastic one.  So is the creation of the element of quicksilver and all the unusual aspects of this magical material.  It’s one astounding revelation after another, and I absolutely loved it because it was so unexpected. 

The relationship between Saeris and Fisher is complex and uneasy.  I liked the way there’s a fated mate storyline but it’s not automatically acceptable. Given the circumstances and, a lack of communication, it shouldn’t be.

Main characters who don’t communicate are an issue for me but here the rationale and the foundation laid for any such actions are part of the beautifully crafted storytelling.  

There’s passion, mythology, battles, magical horrifying creatures, and a cliffhanger. 

Did I have a quibble? Yes. Fisher calls Saeris “Little Osha”, a shorter version of the name of a short lived butterfly.  He uses that instead of Saeris for most of the story.  Why he does this is explained in the story, however, I’m generally, and certainly not here,  a fan of male characters calling female characters “little” anything. It’s intentionally dismissive (as it is here) and turning it into some kind of weird cute nickname doesn’t work. 

The ending is stunning and unexpected. It’s a cliffhanger that leaves a reader wondering how the next book will go forward from these events.  I can’t wait.

Highly recommended. And what a gorgeous cover.

Fae & Alchemy:

Quicksilver #1

Brimstone #2 – Nov 18, 2025

Buy link

        Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy Book 1)

    

Blurb 

An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!

The global phenomenon by Callie Hart–a highly addicting enemies-to-lovers Romantasy with razor-sharp banter, heart-stopping action, and blistering hot romance. 

Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen’s reservoirs for as long as she can remember. In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn’t much a girl wouldn’t do for a glass of water. But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares…but it turns out they’re real, and Saeris has landed right in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist’s magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him… or her. Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he’s the only way Saeris is going to make it home.

Be careful of the deals you make, dear child. The devil is in the details…

Review:  Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King Book 2) by Rachel Gillig

Rating: 5⭐️

“The girl, the King… and the monster they became.”

That whispered haunting refrain still has a hold on me. So does that ending and Gillig’s memorable cast of characters. 

Two Twisted Crowns brings Rachel Gillig’s  dark fantasy duology, The Shepherd King,  to a heartbreaking emotional (in certain ways), and fabulously dramatic conclusion.  Gillig began creating her compelling dark gothic immersive world in One Dark Window, with Elspeth Spindle and her Nightmare , the dark magical being that’s sharing her mind, Rayvn Yew who’s out to save his infected brother from being sacrificed , as well as a internal conflict between royals against the evil King .  Gillig ‘s then gave us an ending that left everyone emotionally shattered, including the reader. Sobbing.  And wondering how Two Twisted Crowns could possibly make things right. 

Two Twisted Crowns is everything I want in a sequel and finale.  It’s darker, it’s richly textured in scope as when the author is developing her storytelling, and the magic is more complex, more powerful than previously understood.  And the back stories coming to light far more tragic.  

Gillig adds another powerful story, that of Ione and Elm, each one a complex character with intimate connections to Elspeth and Ravyn. The multiple POV’s are skillfully executed, depicting the evolution of relationships and developments in events in the story as to enhance the forward dramatic moments and our emotional connection to all of them and the horrors that’s happening.

Gillig’s writing is poetic, the imagery haunting, and her storytelling so strong and compelling that this duology made me go buy hardcover copies for my already groaning bookshelves. These novels are must reads.

I’ll save my last words for the Nightmare. How I love him. 

ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴛᴏᴏ ʟᴏɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ. ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴀᴍ sᴏʀʀʏ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ᴛᴏᴏ. ғᴏʀ ɪ ᴅʀᴀɢɢᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ

Don’t miss out on him and this beautifully written series, The Shepherd King.  

A new auto recommend and thrilled to have found another auto buy author.

Love these covers.

Cover design by Lisa Marie Pompilio.

The Shepherd King Duology-complete:

🔹One Dark Window #1

🔹Two Twisted Crowns #2

Buy link:

        Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King Book 2)

    

Blurb 

In the New York Times bestselling sequel to One Dark Window, Elspeth must confront the weight of her actions as she and Ravyn embark on a perilous quest to save the kingdom—perfect for readers of Hannah Whitten’s For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson’s The Year of the Witching.

Gripped by a tyrant king and in the thrall of dark magic, the kingdom is in peril. Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last—and most important—one remains to be found: the Twin Alders. If they’re going to find the card before Solstice and set free the kingdom, they will need to journey through the dangerous mist-cloaked forest. The only one who can lead them through is the monster that shares Elspeth’s head: the Nightmare.

And he’s not eager to share any longer.

Praise for One Dark Window:

“Enthralling from beginning to shocking end.” —Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

“Pulse pounding, darkly whimsical, and aglow with treacherous magic.” —Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic

The Shepherd King 

One Dark Window 

Two Twisted Crowns

  • Publication date: October 17, 2023
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 458 pages

Dark fantasy, sword and sorcery, dark gothic, Gothic horror, dark fantasy fiction,

Review:  One Dark Window (The Shepherd King Book 1) by Rachel Gillig

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Another new author, another absolutely amazing novel.  This one actually had me sobbing, shattered at the end, even though the author’s story and characters said it was coming. 

I’m was and am so immersed in this dark world that Rachel Gillig has created, full of mystical elements, mythical beings, and sheer terror lurking in the shadows.  Literally a magical vindictive mist that’s slowly enveloping all the woods around the town and its people , able to infect them with an  sickness that turns their blood black with a magic that will eventually kill them. By immediate discovery by the cruel King’ magic hunters or by a slow disintegration by the magic itself.

Our main protagonist is young Elspeth Spindle. Infected and hidden from the hunters by her ex hunter Father himself in his brother’s house and raised with her uncle’s family, Elspeth immediately grabs our minds and hearts. One of my favorite characters of late. 

She’s got plenty of secrets, reason to keep them and herself hidden and emotionally isolated, resourceful and, naturally mistrusting.  In Elspeth, Gilleg has crafted a stunning character. She’s quietly brilliant in her unexpected qualities, so vastly multi dimensional in the depths of her needs , that an accompanying darkness feels even more terrifying. And shattering. 

The highly complex and imaginative use of a magical Deck of Cards as a base element in the series arc and storyline is so satisfying and powerful. There’s a number of interesting aspects to this facet of the series and it’s beautifully written. 

So is the many “historical poems “ or repeated quotes from the important texts that appear throughout this book and, I imagine the next.  They contain the clues to the story and the characters dramatic moments and quests. 

That said, it in no way lessens the impact of each scene and moment as it occurs.

These are fantastic characters and impactful storylines. They are filled with pain, horror, tragedy, and death.  While Gillig has included some very funny bits of conversation and humorous moments to lighten the tone, the main themes and plots are consistently dark and gothic.

The names the author has chosen are intriguing and greatly tied into the story. I always wonder what the author is thinking when creating the characters names and towns like Blunder. The main character of Ravyn Yew, a layered well defined character and great balance for Elspeth, is one who has a meaningful name that makes sense the more the story unfolds. I love this aspect of this book. 

There’s multiple points of view but it’s absolutely necessary and well written.  Three main ones to be exact.  Instead of being distracting, it becomes an integral component of the characters and their journey. 

I absolutely adore this cover and would have been drawn to it even if I didn’t love the description already. 

I love One Dark Window (The Shepherd King Book 1) by Rachel Gillig even if it left me sobbing at the end of the book. Now I’m on to see how this aspect of the story is handled in Two Twisted Crowns, the finale. 

Highly recommended and thrilled to have found this author. 

Cover design by Lisa Marie Pompilio.

The Shepherd King Duology-complete:

🔹One Dark Window #1

🔹Two Twisted Crowns #2

Buy link:

        One Dark Window (The Shepherd King Book 1)

    

Blurb 

For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom—but the monster in her head isn’t the only threat lurking.

Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.

Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom she calls home—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. 

But nothing comes for free, especially magic. 

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it. Except the highwayman just so happens to be the King’s own nephew, Captain of the Destriers…and guilty of high treason. 

He and Elspeth have until Solstice to gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

  • Publication date: September 27, 2022
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 423 pages