A Legacy of Poison and Lies

A Legacy of Storms and Starlight #2

by Victoria J. Price

Murderer. Monster. Curse.
Six months after fleeing Virian, Zylah Renfall is scraping by as a travelling apothecary, still reeling from the events that forced her to leave in the middle of the night and never look back. But freedom always comes with a price, and for Zylah, it's the sickness spreading through her body like wildfire and the crushing guilt of the life she left behind.
When an old friend brings news of a growing army of monsters, and of Marcus-the Fae responsible for her life as a fugitive-Zylah will stop at nothing for the chance to seek retribution for those caught up in the new king's conflict, a vow that could very well cost her everything.
Together they must find allies to stand against Marcus as Zylah battles with her declining health, her emotions, and the monsters and magic besieging them at every turn.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Fae, Magic, Fantasy Romance, Fiction

461 pages, Paperback

Published April 13, 2023

About the author

Victoria lives on England’s breathtaking south coast. She loves fairy tales, myths and legends, and grew up creating stories both in words and pictures. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her exploring with her husband and their two dogs, swimming in the English Channel and trying her hardest not to unalive her out of control collection of house plants.

Reviews

[Leonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars

"You almost died."
"I´d die a hundred times for you."

This is a one POV book, told by the POV of Zylah.

I loved Zylah´s character development and how she is slowly turning into a sword swinging badass as well as being the intelligent and efficiant healer she already was in book one. I also love how training and fighting is giving her more confidence and how she is standing up for herself more as well as defending others. Holt is just the perfect book boyfriend and he will definitely be going on my Top 10 book boyfriends list without a question. There are so many swoonworthy things in this book that he says, not only the quote above but also when he tells her that he didn´t have anything to lose until he met her >>> Also those touch her and I´ll kill you vibes? Immaculate!

I really liked Rin and Kaj, I feel like they were kind of the comedic relief of this book, especially Kaj. I really enjoyed their background story but I have to say I´m invested in their shapeshifter power and I´d love to know more.

Plotwise this book definitely feels like the stakes were upped even more. There are many good fight scenes, the book is action filled while also having some great character development. The slowburn romance is amazing and like already mentioned, Holt is bae. I loved that we got to see more cities and hear about other courts and how the plot started to feel even more complex. The pacing was good, I have to say some parts felt a teeny bit slow to me, that is where I deduct half a star. Also WTF was that ending..... If you are somebody who is not good with cliffhangers, I wouldn´t recommend reading this series until the third book is released because this one left off in a major one!

Overall it was an amazing read and I can´t wait until book 3 will be released.

trigger warnings: domestic abuse (mentioned), grief/loss, enslavement

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Lovebookstours.

A Legacy of Poison and Lies is the spellbinding and breathtaking sequel to A Legacy of Storms and Starlight, and this book just made the series go off with a bang!
Zylah has been living alone in hiding when Holt finds her again. Struggling to fight the pain from the vanquicite lodged in her spine, they travel to find her a healer amongst the fae and form alliances against their common enemy. Zylah is still healing emotionally and fighting inner turmoil for the events that happened in book one, and my heart went out to her. I loved how her character grew and evolved in this book, and the ending completely shook me! What a cliff hanger to end on! I'm praying book 3 isn't too far off completion as I need to know what happens next ASAP! I loved the host of new characters in this book and learning not only more about the fae and where and how they live (in hiding) but the magic and power-play happening throughout. There's also some spice in here but tastefully written in and not overpowering within the story, which I liked.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves fantasy, fae, slow burn, vampires, and magic. You can thank me later!

[Courtney Vickers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am officially addicted to this series. Victoria J. Price has got me bound, gagged, and screaming for the next instalment because what I currently have is. Not. Enough. I need more, gosh dang it!

A Legacy of Storms and Starlight was a great introduction to this exciting new world, but A Legacy of Poison and Lies is what turned this series into a new obsession for me. If you’ve read the first book, you’re aware of the relationship our fmc, Zylah, was in. I knew this would never be her OTP because we’d already met him, and this book delivers on that. The communication, growth and healing that happens not only for Zylah in her grief, but between the other characters were beautifully written and delicious in terms of Holt.

We got to see more of Astaria in this book, more of the other humans and Fae on the continent, their magic, and the leaders and power players. And while a lot of this book was steeped in darkness from Zylah’s grief and emotional trauma, and that devastating cliff hanger, it was still an excellent read.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend the Legacy of Storms and Starlight series. It's full of plot twists, character development, fantastic world-building, magic and sexy times. What else could you want?

[Maite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Victoria J Price for the opportunity to be an ARC reader

Like the previous book, this was a 3.5⭐ for me. This is a solid fae fantasy romance, especially if the focus for you to read these stories is the romance and not so much the fantasy aspect.
The good: the first 50% of this book. I devoured this in less than a day. It gave me all the heartbreaking romance we're used to in a fae fantasy romance story. It had the grief, the angst, the self-loathing (maybe at times a bit too heavy-handed), and the obvious (to us) yearning and longing. It was delicious, and the times in which we glimpsed the mmc protectiveness left me squealing. I also truly liked the mmc.
The (maybe?) not so good: this is the quintessential fae fantasy romance with all its tropes. There is not a lot of reinventing the wheel in that sense. Depending on where you're at in your fae fantasy reading journey this may burn you out and feel stale, or it may give you a warm hug and comfort you in its familiarity.
The bad: the fantasy. The main storyline felt messy and rushed at times, and confusing most of the time. This can be bc I didn't reread the first book so I may have forgotten some of the world-building. But I feel like plot lines that were central to the story and to the characters' arc were mishandled. Quests the characters need to go on are not truly discussed but merely mentioned in passing for the characters to then risk their lives in them. Politics wanted to be important in this book but were discussed with the deft of a child. The world and fantasy foreshadowing wanted to be sneaky, but it ended up being nonsensical and it left me feeling ungrounded in the story. The turns and twist that are meant to be the *aha* moments left me hanging in *what?* moments: either too convenient or not very well set up, in my opinion.

Read this series if you want some more fae romance in your life, but I don't think you should read this if the expectation is to find a high-fantasy story.

[Kinsey Bullock | bookemkinzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: NA Fantasy Romance
Spice: 3/5
Rating: 4.5/5
KU: No

This book. GUYS, THIS BOOK. If you're sleeping on this series, it's time to wake up. Book two picks up several months after the events of book one. We find the fmc in a low point, struggling to make ends meet and making every effort to keep her identity a secret. The first chunk of this story is a pretty heavy. She fights, both physically and emotionally, to overcome the trauma of her past and does a lot of growing as the book continues.

I was so excited to find that Holt has more page time here! I would perhaps sell my left arm for dual pov with him. As he begins to put things in motion to defeat their powerful enemies, he and Zylah must travel from court to court to build up forces and secure fighters. Listen. I read a lot of fae books, I'm not gonna lie. This one is one of the more unique ones. There's fae and humans, but the vampires and the lore behind them were a twist! I'm excited to see how this all plays out.

AND THE ENDING CLIFFHANGER?! ILLEGAL. STRAIGHT TO JAIL. FOUL ON THE PLAY. The tour group this review is a part of has a group chat for each tour and the reactions were all similar. Brutal, brutal cliffhanger warning... You're definitely not gonna see it coming!

How many sleeps until book three? I need answers!

Tropes inside:
🦉 revenge plot
🦉 friends to lovers
🦉 one bed/one horse
🦉 emotional damage
🦉 animal sidekick
🦉 healing and forgiveness

Thank you to victoria j price and equality book tours for the eARC!

[Gee Rothvoss · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the events that took place at the very end of ALOSAS, Zylah Reinfall is once again on the run, alone, and bearing the weight of a crushing guilt. But there's something else, something that looms over her every day: the illness spreading through her body, and threatening to take her one day. Despite this, when she hears the news about a growing army of monsters led by the infamous Marcus, Zylah vows to help the rebellion put an end to the reign of terror that's coming to them at any cost.

This sequel was as good as the first installment in the series, and I had so much fun reading it! VJP definitely knows her way around complex emotions, poignant scenes, and intriguing plots, and you can tell from the way she weaves everything together - making it look easy! - that she's spent so much time, love, and effort in this series. Our main character, Zylah Reinfall, is sweet and caring, which is never depicted as a weakness or a vulnerability, and the co-main character, Holt, is legit the book boyfriend of your wildest dreams. As the book progresses and the plot thickens, we get to know more about this fantasy world, and it's all too easy to never want to go back to the real world.

If I'm being honest, this series has been one of my biggest discoveries of the year, and I'll patiently (but also impatiently, IYKWIM) wait for the next installment!

[Linds (honeyy.fae) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do y’all remember the feelings you had when you read ACOTAR vs. ACOMAF? This second book in Victoria’s series gave me ALL of those feels. I LOVED her first book. I didn’t think it was physically possible to love her second one as big as the first one - BUT I WAS A FOOL! 🤣 This book was SO GOOD!! If I could give it more than 5 stars, I freaking WOULD.

🌲 TROPES & THEMES 🌲
✔️ Fated Mates
✔️ Touch her and 💀
✔️ Grief journey and healing
✔️ Hidden Powers
✔️ Slow burn + PAYOFF
✔️ Revenge
✔️ Fae, Vampires, Witches & Humans
✔️ Easy to follow world building
✔️ Another core rattling plot twisty ending

After the wtf ending of the last, this one picks up a few months after that one ended. We aren’t shown what Zylah went through to get from one town to the next, but it’s talked about. Her grief journey is heavy and traumatizing and so beautifully written, I felt like I had experienced all these feelings with her.

Victoria writes in more world building, more character growth, and they both intertwine so well and you aren’t confused and lost like most fantasy series can be. Her story is paced perfectly that as someone who tends to space out when reading, I was hooked and invested the entire time.

We learn more about each character, their history. If you were left wondering about the love interest(s) in the last book and just assumed you were crazy - let me just say without spoiling - you aren’t, boo. Trust the process. 😌

This book has everything you could ever want in a NA romantic fantasy series. I’m so glad my friend recommended this series to me. I love it so much, and even though I cried a River over that ending - I trust Victoria to carry us through to the other side with tissues, canna cakes *sob* and bandaids as we touch the HEA. 🤣🖤

If you’re looking for a new fantasy series to dive into, this is IT!!!

Thank you so much Victoria for blessing me with this arc!! As always, these are my honest thoughts and feels!!

[Rachel Elyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

*this book broke me 😭*

5 heartbreaking ✨(stealing from Pia because ACCURATE 😭)
2.5 🌶️

First I’d like to thank the author for the eARC opportunity, with that said this review is completely voluntary and honest.

Victoria you have caused me severe emotional damage 😭 but the book was so, so good. I couldn’t put it down.

So I know there’s this thing with second books being called like a book two slump or something but this book (and another book I’ve recently read/reviewed) have what I’m just going to loosely call a book two stunner. The first books are good and make me want to continue since it’s really just setting up the world. Book two though? Has made me just fall in love with the characters and their story. I’m dying to get my hands on book three.

Zylah has gone through so much in such a short time. And while it initially weighs heavily on her, we get to see her learn to accept it and become stronger because of it. I loved seeing her growth from start to end.

This review again really just needs to be about Holt 🙈 I still love him. I love that we got so much of him in this book. It was also great to see his more playful/flirty side that we really only had tiny glimpses of since when he and Zylah first met. While we don’t read from his POV, I feel we still can feel the weight of his troubles and pain. His relationship and friendship with Zylah is just so sweet and precious. I absolutely adore him 🥹. I’m not normally one to absolutely adore friends to lovers but this one is top tier 🙌🏼

The ending ripped out my heart and I THINK I’m still in shock. But I still 100% recommend this book.

[⚡eli⚡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A witch, a Fae, a deceit breaker and a dazzling bae walk into an abandoned tomb... it sounds like either the start of a joke or a cautionary tale.''

Actual rating: 3.5 ⭐

After the painful ending of book 1, 6 months later we are back with Zylah. Despite the depressing vibe for the first part of the book, words being repetitive and pace being quite slow for me, I still enjoyed the second installment. Plot was moving, some mysteries were unraveled, communication was better and explanation about bonds was nicely done. There were couple of things that came true when I read the first book, so I was not entirely surprised when they were revealed here.

I would say that this book was more character driven - their healing and acceptance journey. I really liked the side characters. They were not bland or 'just there'. And one particular dynamic due gave us some much needed comic relief :) And Holt is finally back - yay! I'm glad that we finally learned more about him - his past and his feelings. I am still salty about Raif...

Also, Kopi is the best :)

Thank you to Victoria J. Price, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

[R.V. Wilbur · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨?…𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

“𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐮𝐬, 𝐙𝐲𝐥𝐚𝐡.”

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫.

“𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐲. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮…𝐒𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬: 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐭. 𝐎𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞.”

“𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐲. 𝐈𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞…𝐁𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐬.”

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝,” 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝.
“𝐈’𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

_______________________

I hate comparing books. I don’t like comparing series. And I never compare authors. HOWEVER, when I tell you that I felt emotions reading this book that I haven’t felt since reading ACOMAF for the first time I mean it with my whole heart. Reading A Legacy of Storms and Starlight it stayed with me unlike any other book I read last year and now I know why, because A Legacy of Poison and Lies officially solidified this series’ place as one of my favorites of all time!!

Picking up a few months after we left Zylah at the end of ALOSAS, she is exactly how we imagined she would be: broken. But to boot also succumbing to her physical ailments which we discovered at the end of book one as well. These are the threads we carry throughout most of the book as she reunites with Holt and begins the race against time to rally as much support as they can muster to face Marcus and the impending threat to all of Astaria.

I don’t want to give much detail because trust me, you don’t want me to spoil a moment of this journey, but this book delivers on absolutely every front while still keeping pace with the high stakes plot set at the conclusion of book one.

Zylah’s grief, her emotions in this book, absolutely ripped my heart out. So many times I just wanted to sit with her, so many times I just wanted to hug her, but even with the incredible new characters put in her path to help her heal and process through everything she had been through, she still needed time to heal and forgive herself and at the end of the day it was a difficult but beautiful process.

We get to know SO much more about Holt in this book and my Team Holt heart was so grateful!! Obviously coming out of book one we know there is a lot that he is hiding, both by omission and by compulsion, but I don’t think I was ready for the full extent of that. The chemistry and dynamic between he and Zylah would be too cheapened if I referred to it as a slow burn. It was so much more and honestly far more akin to a friends to lovers or even a second chance romance. It was tender, it was intense, and it was so much deeper than anything you see in your average romantasy novel and the payoff between them was uncontrollable fire in the BEST ways!!

True to the nature of this series the twists and turns, betrayals, shocks of your life (one in particular sent me REELING), and the final reveal of the forces pulling the strings behind the scenes was satisfying and addictive and left me wanting so much more. It amazed me how, by the end, the things I had wanted to see happen ended up being the things I begged not to happen and vice versa. And let me tell you, if you thought the end of book one was bad, you ain’t seen NOTHING yet!!

This series is Fae romantasy at its absolute finest and I mean it when I say that if you aren’t reading these books you are MISSING OUT!!

Thank you so much to the author for sending me a copy of this book to review. That ending was mean, but I still love you and can’t WAIT to see where you take us next!!

[Stress Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

⚠️ Spoilers for Book 1 (A Legacy of Storms and Starlight, ALOSAS) below ⚠️

"For anyone fighting their own monsters." - Victoria J. Price

We start this book 6 months after book 1 ends, with Zylah (FMC) still reeling from the events in ALOSAS, making ends meet as a traveling apothecary while also being crushed by the guilt she feels. Then an old friend tells Zylah they've heard gossip related to a growing army of monsters and a tip about the Fae responsible for Zylah now being a fugitive - nothing could stop her from seeking retribution With monsters and magic constantly interfering, plus a sickness Zylah is struggling with and her internal war with her emotions, how does she even attempt to find allies to join her in the battle? Will she find a way to heal, internally and externally, and truly allow herself to live? To love?

I thought the plot was strong. I really enjoyed the twists and turns Price eloquently throws at you. You'll experience the full gamut of feelings, with laughs (likely courtesy of the shifter twins 😆) sprinkled in.
The stakes are high, there's plenty of action, and the romance is a delicious slow burn.

The prose is strong, and the dialogue is great. Both read smoothly, and the dialogue feels natural.

While the bulk of the general world building is in book 1, Price expanded the world in this book and continued to build upon the world, specifically the new parts. Price does a great job with this, and I loved experiencing more of Astaria. The magic system is interesting, well developed, and explained.

Characters are well developed and grow throughout this installment. The MMC (no name because I don't want to spoil) is so patient and kind - love him!

I found the pace to be pretty good overall. It hooked me pretty immediately, and I read the majority of it in a day.

It does have spice, and I felt like it was well placed/timed and well done.

I love that Price weaves themes like acceptance and forgiving yourself into the plot, and the way she does it is really good. I love the growth the characters have and the romance, the delicious slow burn romance. 😍 It does affect my rating, but I love the covers for this series.

I felt like the plot got a bit messy, and the pacing felt rushed in the latter half of the book. Politics were handled in a way that I didn't love but also didn't hate.

I feel like this series, so far, leans a bit more on the romance side than the fantasy side. Not a pro or a con, for me, at least. If you're looking for an epic/high fantasy series, this may not be it for you. But if you're looking for a fantasy romance/romantasy series, give this one a shot!

This book hit me on a deeply personal level. I was adopted from foster care as a teen and have struggled with survivor's guilt. I'm saying this in my review because I acknowledge that it could play a role in my rating. I think it's a great book, regardless, and anyone reading it will feel all the emotions. Just maybe not quite as strongly as I did. I'm not sure that's the case, but I'm also not sure it isn't, so for transparency, I'm throwing it out there. 😊

I'm so glad I finished this only a few days before book 3, A Legacy of Wrath and Awakening (ALOWAA), releases because whoa, that ending! Talk about cliffhangers!
ALOWAA comes out August 17, 2024

Book 2 of A Legacy of Storms and Starlight series

Thank you to @victoriajprice for the eARC. This is my unbiased review.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀✨
📖: A Legacy of Poison and Lies
(A Legacy of Storms and Starlight, Book 2)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫

Zylah is grappling with the aftermath of events from the first book. We find her alone, making ends meet, and punishing herself for her perceived faults. Shrouded in grief, will she learn to forgive herself and truly allow herself to live and love before it’s too late?

In this installment, we uncover more secrets, visit new lands, and learn of the enemy’s plans. To address the common threat against them, Zylah once again partners with the Fae who saved her.

Tropes:
⚔️ St@bby FMC
🫂 Forced proximity
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Found family
🏰 Intrigue
💫 Magic & training
🫥 Hidden identities
🦉 Animal companion
🚫 Touch her & 💀
🔥 Slow burn
🌶️: mild to moderate

“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦, 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺.”

Without a home, Zylah feels untethered and lost. Victoria skillfully draws out the reader’s emotions as Zylah processes her grief, guilt, and begins to strengthen her resolve. The connection with the MMC continues to build slowly and the romance is so tender and passionate. Welcome to the fae bae book boyfriend club, sir 🤝🪪

We follow their journey as they face an uncertain fate, shocking betrayals, and embrace an epic romance. If you enjoy reading about fierce st@bby FMCs, touch her & 💀 tortured MMCs, and action-packed stories, you will devour this slow burn fantasy romance!

The ending had me REELING and I am so excited to dive into the final installment, A Legacy of Wrath and Reckoning, releasing August 17!

[🧸🎀Tiff (honeydukesbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I’m… speechless. I’ve literally devoured these first two in this three book, completed series because they both had me in a complete chokehold! Just wow. That cliffy was… INSANE. I’m so freaking glad I have book 3 already to dive straight into because if I didn’t, that would be brutal lol.

⬇️SPOILERS BELOW⬇️

I love Holt so freaking much, he’s going on my all time fav book boyfriend list. And I love Zylah. I’m enjoying slowly reading and watching her become who she’s meant to be. Them together? Perfection. The bombshell about Raif being alive was def unexpected. I really tried to do this without spoilers, but I just can’t because I feel all kinds of conflicted. Something tells me Raif isn’t the evil spawn he acts like, and that maybe he’ll help Holt rescue Zylah. Aurelia is actually in-fucking-sane, and I’m glad Marcus is dead. And Jesper. Very very anxious to see the finale of this series but also don’t want it to end!

[sophie cotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

it required patience to get a whole bunch of answers from the first book and the sequel did not disappoint!! I loved this book far more than the first and the romance made me incredibly happy :)) however goodness gracious I keep running into the issue of accidentally starting series that aren’t complete yet and being stuck impatiently waiting… so I’ll be looking forward to the third book in 2024😭

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was kindly given a copy by the author.

A Legacy Of Poison And Lies is the sequel to A Legacy Of Storms And Starlight and I absolutely adored it! A huge part of this one is Zylah learning to cope with grief and having to heal following the events of the first book. It was portrayed so well and I loved seeing her growth. Alongside this, there was a developing romance that was the perfect slow burn, with both people helping the other forgive themselves and work through their guilt.

New characters were introduced in this one, including my new favourite shapeshifters! This book is all about trying to gather allies so we get to see more of the world and the different Fae who live there, including witches and vampires! The story flowed well and I flew through it, so many twists surprised me! It all built up really well to the ending which was one of the most shocking things I've read. I immediately want the next book because I am so invested in these characters and need to know what will happen! I definitely recommend this series for fans of fantasy romances that will make you feel every emotion there is!

[Callen Leahy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, coming off the first one I got even more addicted. Like harassing Savannah over the phone to spoil stuff because I couldn’t wait!!!
LOVED THIS ONE no other comments at this time

[Gabrielle (belle.bookcorner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out this series if these tropes are to your liking;
• Friends to lovers
• Forced Proximity
• Who did this to you
• Touch her you die
• Hidden identity
• Revenge
• Slow Burn Romance

This book started 6 months after the ending of book 1, Zylah is on the run and then she was reunited with her best friend again (he’s my favorite character here!).
It's good to be back to see Kopi, Zylah and Holt again - this trio are the best!

I have to say the pacing is slower compare to the first book, it might happen since this one is more of a character-driven type of book. We follow the FMC – Zylah, where she’s trying to come to terms with all the emotions she’s feeling – the guilt, the grief and the pain.

Not only that, I really like the growing relationship of Holt and Zylah in this journey. It’s exactly what I was hoping for since the first book and it really pays off seeing them over here.
Holt is just a very sweet and caring character, he supported Zylah when she needed someone the most.

I would highly suggest re-reading the first book if you forgot what happens there. Otherwise, you might find it a bit confusing at first cause that’s what happens to me. Fortunately, it only happen at the beginning then as the plot progress the memories started coming back with a bit of explanations in this book so I can follow it easier.

Overall, it’s a good sequel to the series. There’s a lot of explanations and background story given throughout this story.
That HUGE CLIFF-HANGER at the end was really unexpected, just when things were going smoothly it blows everything away. I wish I have book 3 with me right now so I can continue but until then I will patiently wait for it to be released

[thecalligraphyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness! What a sequel! Victoria J. Price is a master of immersing the reader right in the middle of the action, bringing you closer to the characters you love, and bringing you to the edge of your seat with uncovered secrets, plot twists, and the long-awaited slow burn romance of the most perfect characters! And that ending???!!!

“A Legacy of Poison and Lies” starts right back where we left off in the first book. After a span of about 6 months, we meet back up with Zylah, now in Varda working as a travelling apothecary with Kopi. Marcus and Jesper are now an even more serious threat after the death of King Arnir. When Holt and Zylah are finally reunited, Zylah learns of the plans to raise up a Fae army to fight against Marcus. Through their journey, there are surprising twists and turns, new (and old) friends and foes, and the hinting of and eventually beautiful payoff of fated mates (honestly had me tearing up at this mate’s love for Zylah! 🥲🥲🥲).

What I love about Victoria J. Price’s writing is that you can’t stop falling in love with her characters. Her writing makes you forget you’re reading, and it stays with you even after you’ve closed the book, just waiting for you to jump right back in.

I’m so thankful to have been a part of the ARC team for this new release! If you haven’t already, go read Book 1: “A Legacy of Storms and Starlight.” Zylah is such a strong protagonist, even with all the odds against her. If you pick up this sequel, be prepared to laugh, tear up, and have squeals of happiness. Cannot wait to continue Zylah’s story!

Thank you, Victoria J. Price!

[Cathryn Melani (cat.inspired) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smashed through this. So caught up in the world and just had to see what happened next.

Having loved book one in this series, ALOSAS, I was so excited to have the chance to read an ARC of ALOPAL.

Having fled for her life Zylah finds herself alone and in danger yet again.

Not wanting to give too much away, this book is a brilliant mix of romance, danger, Fae fantasy, magic and revenge.

Ok, firstly, that ending of ALOPAL! OMG please say there is a third book! (Wait while I have a reader meltdown knowing book 2 still needs to release)

This is that fae fantasy series you read, get totally captivated by, love / hate the characters, then scream broken at the ending and go on to recommend to all your friends.

I spent a good part of the series hoping for something to happen in particular (you'll know what when you read it) and am so glad it did. Even when it looked like it wasnt going to. No spoilers here, but let's just say I love these two together. You do need to read ALOSAS first.

I loved literally EVERYTHING about this series.
Zylah - Her strength, resilience and courage as she struggles to come to terms with her new found Fae abilities on the run.

Holt, may very possibly be the best book boyfriend material EVER! I love his patience and kindness.

And honestly how cute is Kopi.

Highly recommend this series. And now totally need this series on my bookshelves.

[Hanbbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly Molly! What a book! This book destroyed me!

In the beginning I felt like there was not much happening in this book. And I was afraid that this book would turn into a fill up book for the trilogy, but I have been wrong!

This book held a lot of emotions, it was the main part of this book. It was also a lot darker then the first book. Zylah struggled so much with her guilt and her own feelings I loved how she slowly healed while also fighting for her life. I loved how it all turned out and I loved to get to know these characters more and to get to know new characters.

While there were many things I had seen coming, I didn't see the ending coming and I still am recovering from it! I need the next book asap cause I can't live without answers!

This book was just amazing, it held so many amazing tropes: Fated mates, one horse, touch her and die, Fae, witches, vampires

Last but not least I want to thank the author for providing me with an earc

[Lianne Scheepers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! I’m so happy I got to read the second book in the series, I was really looking forward to this release. The plot twists are back, the banter, the danger, and sooo much more I was hoping for.

Still on the run and hiding her features, Zylah is scraping by as a travelling apothecary. Stricken wilt guilt and getting sicker by the day, she is going to need to find a remedy if she is to survive.

War is brewing, and when Holt shows up with news about a dangerous army being formed, Zylah immediately jumps at the chance to join Holt in battle once again, even if it might be the last thing she will ever do. Together they must find more allies if they are ever going to stop the evil plans of their enemies.

I just knew this series would turn out to be a great one, I am feeling all the feels and I’m definitely hooked now!

[belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Victoria J. Price for providing me with an ARC of this!

Well im shocked. Just shocked.

That ending alone is worth giving 3.5🌟s itself. I liked many aspects of the book, particularly between Zylah and Holt.

I just felt like for a second book it started off a little too slow.

But otherwise the way Zylah's grief was portrayed was sooo good. And while i did see certain twists that came in the end, i still enjoyed it!

let's see where book 3 takes us!

[Sage Pauli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I in love with these books! I was so was so excited when I got the eARC and promptly finished this book in 2 days. I love all the side characters and their fun personalities. I am so happy Holt and Zylah finally got together. I am excited for book 3 to come out because that cliff hanger has me begging for more!

[Kimberly || apairofreaders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series. This series. This series. I am still reeling from the twists and I cannot wait for the next book! Zylah has been through it and I adore seeing her journey!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victoria please. I need the next book. My life depends on it.

[Haron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly I don't know why this series isn't more popular🤔

ARC review (spoiler free) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This series is amazing, I highly recommend it if you love romantasy!

First off I want to thank the awesome Victoria J Price for sending me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for a honest review💚

This book was way heavier on character development, but it was brought perfectly, after the first book and all the events that happened Zylah is obviously upset and blames herself for all the things that happened and she feels like everything bad that happens to her she deserves. She thinks she is a monster of the worst kind. And I love that in a very realistic way you can just see her dealing with this and the path she has to go.

Holt is the MMC and I love the developments in the relationship with him and the FMC and to see how he changes throughout the book, I was waiting for this throughout the first book (sorry Raif I really liked you but I was definitely rooting for Holt🙈)

The whole mystery of who Zylahs biological family is, what she is and is capable of intrigued me a lot and I really like this aspect of the book because I love a bit of mystery!😁

Once again Zylahs knowledge and love for plants plays a big role in this book and I love it!🌱🌿💚 it reawakened my love for plants and its just so neat!

The side characters are super loveable and the found family trope definitely helps with this. Also I would love to have a companion as Kopi and I'm a little jealous of Zylah🙈😉

For all of you who hate to have to wait, lucky you this book releases TOMORROW🥳 so that's super exciting and I really feel like I need a physical copy so I can buy some of the super cute Kopi signed bookplates from Victoria J Price her Etsy shop😍

If this NA book series sounds like your cup of tea then I'd definitely recommend and feel free to dm me if you do pick it up💚

[Selena-Marie books_cats_andchemistry_tt · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG my heart. I can't. This book was so good. I'm still trying to figure out my words to write this review.

In this book Zylah deals with something some of us are too familiar with, self-hate.
After Raif's death in book 1, she's seriously messed up and kept blaming herself for the death of Raif and others. She spends most of it processing her grief and feeling guilty for being happy or enjoying something when the person is no longer there to enjoy it.

This book has some serious twists which I guess I should have seen coming. 1. Her nightmare, I should have known that on repeat meant something and 2. The constant pull (actually I did figure this one out).

Holt, finally walls were broken down we got to see the true vulnerability of him. And I loved every second of it.

Like look at this:

"I lied to you..... When I agreed with you. When you said hearts cannot be owned. It's always been yours."

"I'd die a hundred times for you. "

Besides, dealing with her grief Zylah grew so much stronger in this book. I guess in a way that grief made her stronger but I totally understand that shock at the end I mean it will never happen in real life but shocking.

This friends to lovers dance was just perfection and the side characters, Rin and Kej were so fun. I loved them


I need book 3 like now but now I have to wait until 2024 😭😭.

Go read this series.

[brii | brii (three months behind...) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right off the bat, I have many thoughts that come straight to my mind.

After the plot twist at the end of book one, I was worried. I’m not really into vampires. I don’t love a vampire story, unless it’s perfectly executed as a HORROR. I’ve pretty much never loved a Vampire fantasy book, but this one worked for me. The real emphasis still being on completely other races made it so the Vampires and the Thralls being the villains, just fit into the storyline and it was really, really well done, in my opinion.

Without spoiling anything here, I think the plot twist that popped up in this one was already done. It really fell flat for me because, well, quite frankly, we already did it. Again.. .without spoiling anything… yay!, but why…

Large parts of this book really stretched out and left me quite bored. Other aspects of the book were repeated over and over again and began to get cumbersome to the plot, and for a while there everything really stalled for me and I found my interest in picking up the book dwindling. This is really what I based my rating on. While I absolutely love the rebellion plot, and I understand that collecting allies is an important aspect of that, there was too much time where really nothing was happening to move the plot forward.

[Ashley Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: A Legacy of Poison and Lies
Author: Victoria J. Price
Series: A Legacy of Storm and Starlight #2
Rating: ☆☆☆☆

I really have enjoyed this series so far. I really enjoyed A Legacy of Storm and Starlight as an introduction to the series, but A Legacy of Poison and Lies was absolutely amazing. I loved how much more in depth world building it had as well as the character development and plot twists.

A Legacy of Poison and Lies was kinda dark due to a lot of emotional distress and trauma that the fmc, Zylah was trying to work through. I liked that we as readers were able to experience her healing journey as well. I absolutely loved that in this book we get to know more about Astaria, more about the fae and the humans, their abilities and the people in charge. I also really enjoyed the other characters, especially Holt, which I'm really glad that we get to know more about his past.

This series has been a really great read. While I did think this book was a little depressing in the beginning, I'm glad I read it and I recommend this series. It has everything you would want in a fae fantasy romance; the tension, the grief, and the longing.

[Reads_Must · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Legacy of Poison and Lies
A Legacy of Storms and Starlight #2
Fantasy
Victoria J. Price
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It's been a little while since I read the first book so I did have to read my previous review to remember what had happened. I would've liked a little summary at the begining of this book but there are slight recaps here and there along the way which helped.

I loved returning to this world and reading about Zylah and her owl sidekick, Kopi.

The pacing was slower than the previous book but the world building was interesting. I liked finding out more about Astaria, the fae and the magic.

Victoria J. Price has a great writing style. I found certain parts emotional and I wanted to shout at the characters at times 😂.

After reading the first book, I did have some predictions for this one and I'm glad to say one or two of them came true! The plot twists were done well, too.

The ending was a huge cliff hanger and now I can't wait to read the 3rd book in this series.

*Thank you to @Lovebookstours and Victoria J. Price for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*