Book Synopsis
No war can be fought with clean hands. Not even the ones waged for the right reasons. Not even the ones you win.
Tisaanah bargained away her own freedom to save those she left behind in slavery. Now, bound by her blood pact, she must fight the Orders’ war — and Max is determined to protect her at all costs.
But when a betrayal tears apart Ara, Max and Tisaanah are pushed into an even bloodier conflict. Tisaanah must gamble with Reshaye’s power to claim an impossible victory. And Max, forced into leadership, must confront everything he hoped to forget: his past, and his own mysterious magic.
All the while, darker forces loom — far darker, even, than the Orders’ secrets.
As Tisaanah and Max are ensnared in a web of ancient magic and twisted secrets, one question remains: what are they willing to sacrifice for victory? For power? For love?
Becky –
Actual rating: 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️~ “We are the children of fallen gods and lost empires. We are the memories of bones in the plains. And we are more than they ever thought we would be.” ~Ascended above, what a sequel! Broadbent did not come to play. This book has some serious twists and developments that I did not seeing coming. I desperately need Mother of Death and Dawn, but I’m so terribly sad that these dear characters are reaching the end of their tale. Though it better be a good ending after everything that just happened here!!??Overall, this was an impressive sequel that really didn’t struggle with middle-book syndrome. It stands well on its own with the developments that come about and with the new characters that were introduced. I particularly liked Aefe, and while it took a little bit to get into her perspective, I actually ended up loving her side of the story a lot and I can’t wait to see where things are headed next. I also love Max and Tisaanah so much! Carissa could seriously write a book about them going grocery shopping or something equally mundane and I’d still pay to read it and rave about it. So much heart has gone into creating these characters and I’m here for it. They feel like real people with such fragile hopes and dreams and desires. Likewise, even the side characters have depth and motivations outside of the MCs goals and I love it. Broadbent is particularly good at writing morally-gray characters that you can understand and dare I say root for, so if that’s your thing, read this series now! You’re welcome!?Now, drawing away from the author’s strength of character development, I also feel like the plot and pacing were even better here. Some complained that book 1 was a bit slow (I personally found the pacing perfect) but I can assure you, this one is really well paced and the story grows so much. There’s plenty of magic-filled battles, romance, and twists to please readers. This book really kept my attention from start to finish and I loved every second of it. So, if that was a concern for you with this monster book of 624 pages, believe me, it’s epic and painful and so worth the read. Truly, I didn’t want to leave this world!??Aside from all that I loved, I did knock off the half star, but only for a few things that don’t take away a whole lot and can be expanded upon. So onto that: I really would have liked a map for this series, it would have given a bit more insight and made the world that much more immersive. I also feel like we need a pronunciation guide! Some of the names are difficult and I kept trying to look them up for pronunciations or meanings. Just pulled me from the story occasionally, so I think a guide would’ve been super helpful. I also feel that some of the history of the world could’ve been clearer so we could better understand when things were happening and how long it’s been since certain events. There were a couple times I had to retrace the timeline or review what had already been said, so a little refresh on all of that would’ve been helpful. Still, nothing that really makes me love this series any less. It’s amazing and deserves much more love!So, to finish off my review and hit main points aside from enthusiastic fangirling, I’d recommend this series if you like:•Epic battles and soft magic systems•flawed and lovable characters that you can root for•sweet romance that doesn’t overwhelm the plot and *actually* adds to the character development•strong female leads and realistic, fleshed male leads•morally-gray characters•Fey, Fey kingdoms/royalty•Evolving plots that keep you guessing•Awesome independent authors that put out quality reads.?Carissa Broadbent is incredibly talented and I’m so glad I gave this series a chance. I can’t wait to read Mother of Death and Dawn and can’t wait to see what she writes next! She’s a magnificent writer and easily deserves to be listed among the YA/NA greats. I’m excited to have discovered this author early on and I have no doubt her following is going to continue to grow! So, do yourself a favor and read this series. You won’t regret it!
Brooke –
4 Stars Overall- the chapters with the main characters are worth 5/5 stars but I subtracted 1 because of the alternative storyline and introduction of Fey. I would rate the first book in the series as 5/5 starsThe Good:- This is a fantasy romance done right, I absolutely love the relationship between Max and Tisaanah. Their relationship is so healthy and supportive. It is a pleasant change from how romance is usually depicted. Also, I love that the romance is only a part of the plot, if you take it away you still have a great story! Apart, both of them are wonderfully whole characters with strengths and flaws.- Tisaanah continues to be an awesome protagonist. She is strong and competent, but she’s never written as being special because “she’s not like other girls” (which is another huge literary pet peeve of mine).- The first half of the book is a great continuation of book 1. I would have loved to see the plot continue focus on the war for the entire book.- The side characters of the main plot are well developed and very interesting. Zeryth Aldris continues to be a fascinatingly unlikeable character and I loved his interactions with both Max and Tisaanah. Nura is one of my favorite characters, I love how cold, yet complex she is. Sammerin continues to be a wonderful friend and Moth is so likable and realistic.The Bad- I did not like the introduction of Aefe’s storyline. It did not add anything to the plot and took away time from the characters I cared about. I skimmed her first few chapters and skipped the rest. Honestly I didn’t feel like I missed anything important even when the two storylines began to come together. I didn’t care about Aefe and company- Along with that, I was very disappointed with the introduction of the Fey aspect. Fey novels are a dime a dozen (or, I suppose, $9.99/month a dozen of you have Kindle Unlimited) and this series simply didn’t need it. I felt like it shifted the tone entirely away from the groundwork built by book one. The author had created a great world and the Fey just seem out of place and took away from it.- Reshaye: in book 1 and the first half of book 2, Reshaye was one of my favorite characters. I was fascinated by it and really wanted it and Tisaanah to become an epic duo. But I did not like where the author went with it after that. I was also disappointed by the lack of screen-time (page time?) Reshaye got in the second half and the reason for it. And finally, I really dislike it’s origin story. I would have rather it remained a mystery for the entire series. Knowing it’s background took away from the intrigue and made it into a character I didn’t care about.Overall it was still a good book, but I am nervous about what the next book will be like. But as long as we continue to see Max and Tisaanah, I will definitely read it.
Ashley Walker –
Loved it!
This book had me mouth-gaping at multiple points! The emotional investment and Rollercoaster are so worth it. Has become one of my favorite series!
Karyme –
Llegó Perfecto, me encanta
Gran libro, me encanta, me llegó súper bien y rápido.
Stephanie –
Thoroughly enjoyed this book
I really loved this book. I’ve read more of Carissa’s books and love her style of writing!It’s easy and I really enjoyed the romantic build up in this book.The way the 2 main characters get to know each other and really get to appreciate one another on a deeper level. I really enjoyed that.I recommend this book if you love a good fantasy story and romance as well!