A Realm of Shattered Lies

Severed Realms #5

by T.A. Lawrence

Silly servant girl, no one cares about saving the villain.

A Realm of Shattered Lies is the second in a two-part finale to The Severed Realms series. Blaise wasn’t supposed to be the villain, but now Nox is gone, and Blaise will stop at nothing to get him back. Even if that means betraying everyone she holds dear. Meanwhile, Asha can’t help but shake the feeling that Az is closing in on her. After all, he’s been two steps ahead of her and Kiran from the beginning. All she can do is hope he stays too focused on opening the Rip to learn the Az is the true heir to the throne. Between her nightmares, Ellie’s secret, and the news that Piper has been taken captive by Queen Abra, Asha isn’t sure she can handle much else. Especially not an enemy in their midst. Realms collide and stories converge in this epic finale to The Severed Realms series.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fae, Fiction, Fantasy Romance, Young Adult, Romantasy

815 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 12, 2023

Reviews

[amelie (government barbie’s version)ྀིྀིྀིྀིྀི · Rating 3 out of 5]

idk, the ending kinda fell flat, like i expected more, also am i in a vampire phase now? istg when he said mate i got the literal ick, never say mate again, but i also kinda want more out of this series, like there are so many loose ends to be tied up. idk, im rambling

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to lie silently in a dark room for several hours just to process this book emotionally. That being said, it was for sure a 10/10 would recommend.

[Jazmine Molano · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Kyliegh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like my brain is malfunctioning…I am struggling to form any coherent thoughts. This book was everything I hoped it would be. It was the perfect ending to this series. The character development was superb. The redemption arcs were done perfectly. Lawrence had me rooting for characters that I previously hated. They still aren’t my favorite characters, but I’m glad they got their happy endings too.

I loved seeing all the previous characters come together to save their world. I loved the multiple POVs and knowing what everyone was thinking/feeling. There was so much packed into this book! There wasn’t a dull moment to be found. The romance was kicked up a few notches in this book compared to the others, and I am here for it.

I am so sad that this series is complete, but excited that we’ll get to see some of these characters again in other books.

(This book contains not descriptive kissing and insinuates sex between married couples)

** I was sent a complimentary eARC from the author, all thoughts are my own.

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

3.5

I have several points I need to make here because, as a whole, I have enjoyed this series and the way all of the different stories finally came together.

However, whoever Blaise was, she is not anymore. While I really liked her character in the past, that is no longer the case. I despise who she has become. For most of this book I didn’t even want Nox to forgive her.

It also felt like now that everyone's individual stories have all been told the characters really lost their dimension and became quite bland and somewhat boring. There wasn’t much development character nor relationship wise and it felt stagnant.

Except Zora and Farin. Love them.

I will say, though, that considering where we started with this series, the plot definitely exploded into way more than I was expecting; way more than just a series of fairy tale retellings. So, major points for that. But.. then negative points because, honestly, there were so many pov’s and separate story lines in this installation that it got pretty chaotic at times and the story didn’t flow as well as it should have.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 Stars

Had been considering reading A Word so Fitly Spoken for some time & finally decided to take the plunge & see how good it truly was and then when I found out it was a series I was over the moon x
That was until I realised that the books were about different characters haha I just really feel in love with Asha & wanted to know what would happen next haha x

A Word so Fitly Spoken was definitely not what I thought the story was going to be about so I loved being kept at the edge of my seat reading what was to come x I loved how Asha - a beautiful soul who ended up with a severe scar down the right side of her face causing her to lose an eye - sacrificing herself believing that her sister would be the chosen one to become Kiran's wife only to die the following day truly shows how we will literally move mountains for the people we love x The fact that The Old Magic keeps Kiran enthralled in the beginning just made the story that more intriguing x there was so many twists and parts where I thought I knew what was coming only to be happily sidetracked x

A Tune to Make them Follow were we get to met Pipar is another part of the series I loved getting to know how she was left to die as a child due to her musical gifts from Gigi just tugged at my heat strings and then everything she goes through and come out the other end 10x stronger with an amazing husband and genius adopted daughter all at the age of 19/20 just shows how life can throw us curveballs but if we stay true to ourselves we can always get past the difficult times x

A Bone of Broken Glass allowed us to met Ellie and Evander x at the beginning when I was reading this story I will admit I wanted to give up because of the whole Cinderella vibes but then I liked how the author turned this into a reality type event because of course there is going to be more than one person that the shoe will fit and for Evander to place a fea bargain into the shoe was totally disastrous but really allowed for myself as the reader to come to not only like Evander but root for him x

A Throne of Blood and Ice was where I felt the story fell a bit flat for me but I think that was mostly due to me wanting to throttle Blaise for betraying her friends and feeling like she couldn't ask for help from the people that loved even thou they had never given her reason to feel that way x I was a little put off with Nox at the beginning as well again I felt like he was your typical fell in love with the prey vampire & it would end horribly when unfortunately it does x

A Realm of Shattered Lies took me the longest to read out of any book I have ever read and I think this was simply because of the back and forth or the chapters jumping between all the different characters and that's why I could give them book any more than 3 and a half stars x I will admit I love how the story concluded as well as the twists this book provides and the emotions it made me go through but in some ways I feel maybe this could have been decided into a 2 parter x

I really liked how the author also done a little prequel - A Face to Slay them All - allowing readers to understand Lydia as well as seeing the heartwrenching experience she went through all because of her sadistic father getting a daughter who in his time was classed as unfit to be the heir x

Overall thoroughly enjoyed this series getting to met all the characters and how they all come together in the end x Beautiful concepts for the story provided by the author to allow the reader to get the full scoop of everything helped to really complete the characters backstories x if I was asked to provide a raging out of 5 for this series as a whole then it would definitely be 5 stars 100% xxxxx

[Kacy A · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the whole gang goes on different missions to save their loved ones and their kingdoms, they all experience loss and betrayal. The 3 villains are all on different trajectories across different realms. The gang takes out one villain, one turns away from the cause, and the other takes over a kingdom. Loved ones are divided across kingdoms and realms. Blaise and Asha make plans and leave the rest to figure out the mess behind them. Honestly they give me huge Aelin vibes and I love it! The last battle comes down to a parasite and a girl and her flute. The gang has to put everything they have into getting their kingdoms back an saving everyone. But in the end, they are just shy of being able to completely outsmart the usurper and things take a drastic turn.

This book was a fantastic ending to the series. I'm really glad I read all of the other character's stories before reading this one. It gave a much seeping context to everything that happens. I love all of the main characters and especially that this book wasn't all sunshine and daisies. It was messy and felt real. I love that there was not only a series recap but a character glossary at the beginning of the book! Even though I binged all the books, it was nice to have a recap! TA Lawrence has quickly become one of my favorite authors!

[Veronique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic finale 🔥👏

I love that we see all the characters come together and how the book is broken down into sections following each one on their journey and own battles.

This book had all the emotions and I could not put it down. There were some deep topics as well and some of the quotes were beautiful.

I was transported into another world and I didn't expect to love the characters so much. I like that even the side characters play an important role, Tavi for instance 🥹

One scene that broke my heart was the death of a character... That scene was sad but monumental 💔

- Nox and Blaise
I was rooting for them so hard!
Not happy with how Blaise betrayed people who cared about her, when maybe they could have helped had she trusted them...but then there would be no story to tell 😅

Nox making his way back to Blaise.. the realisation that his feeling might have been taken away but in the end it all comes back to the source of his love 😍

- Kiran and Asha
Love their story, how Kiran saw Asha beyond her looks and love her scars.
Kiran's true love for Asha even though tempted to make her immortal will not go through with it and how he would rather let her die and remember her sacrifice instead of making her live a life without sun 💖😭


- Piper and Blaise and Amity
I don't think we've read much about them in this book.
Piper was ready to do the right thing even though it meant letting Marcus die 😱 but also hoping that Amity would find a cure to save him because she has faith in her.
The fact that Marcus also knew that Piper would in no way open the rip 🥹

Amity is so witty and funny. She made me laugh a few times with her comments

I think the talk between Piper and Blaise is an important scene because it shows the contrast in their view of love and what they both would do for their loved ones 🥹

- Ellie and Evander
Aaah Andy... always making rash promises! Both characters love to no end and have so much empathy and compassion with each other and also when it comes to Blaise.
I love how strong Ellie is, how Evander looks up to her.

That scene in the woods when Evander told Blaise off.... He's been feeling guilty for not seeing what Blaise went through but he has enough and she needed a wake up call but that was heartbreaking nonetheless coming from him 🥹

Taylor has an amazing mind. I loved the plot and the twists, the POV of each character, the character depth and growth.

I'm so glad that we have a novella about Olwen and right on time for Christmas!

I'm not ready to leave this world yet and hope to read more about the other side characters

[Hailie Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are very few books I have read in my life that render me speechless… but this is one of them.

This beautiful, heartbreaking, powerful story had me at the edge of my seat from the very beginning and there were many times it pushed me off my seat and into the floor, then it stomped on my heart repeatedly before picking me back up and kindly sitting me in my chair again. However, I honestly expected nothing less from T.A. Lawrence. Watching the characters from each of T.A. Lawrences ‘Severed Realms’ books come together in this epic finale was the highlight of my year. The multiple POV’s found within this book tie each character’s storyline up in a perfect bow.

T.A. has always had a way with words in each of her books, but there were phrases and quotes in this one in particular that hit me right in my soul. This book is phenomenal and I am thankful to have read it and to have been apart of the journey of each character in this book.

Thank you T.A. Lawrence for taking characters that were not my favorite and quickly making me root for them, I mean..

“Are you really the villain if you’re just trying to save the people you love?”

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this wasn’t my favorite series, I’ll likely be pondering this one a lot. How far can someone go before their story is irredeemable? Honestly, I think I prefer stories where the bad guys are bad guys and you just know how to categorize them.

But the bad guys who change and are redeemed…is it possible to actually forgive those actions? Can someone go super evil and can you find a redeeming characteristic and see them change for good?

In my head I would say yes, of course. No action is irredeemable. But this story pushed the limit for me a lot in that course of action and it has my head swirling a bit so I know I’ll be thinking of that for a long time.

I love love love Marcus and Piper, as well as Evander and Ellie. Asha and Kiran are okay. I really do not like Blaise and Nox, even at the end. And I think that’s partially because I’m just not a fan of the vampire genre. No appeal for me.

It’s definitely an interesting series. One side of me says I’d never read it again because it’s rather dark. But the other side of me says it’s made me think so much that maybe I just will read it again. Time will tell.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

My hearts was shattered, repared just to be shattered again

What I loved: Hach where should I start? I read the whole night and felt shock, anxiety, laughter, love and happiness all in a big rollercoaster ride. Just like the time I read the first book of the series. I loved how you always knew which POV you were reading, usually authors tend to mess this up and you forget which character´s view you are currently reading, especially with sooo many characters, but it was brilliantly done and easy to follow! It had such good twists and decisions to be made that just killed you reading it. The character development is top-notch and how all the stories from the other books come together, is just beautifully written. I can only recommend it to whose who read the first books of the series, it will not disappoint!

What I didn´t like : It sometimes felt a little long-winded for me regarding the train of thought of some characters.

All in all: I loved this series and can´t wait for the side-stories to come out!!!

[Garima Dhanawat ^♡^ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This behemoth of a book was the epic finale that I hoped for and also didn’t think would happen...

I cried, laughed, shouted, sat stunned, felt anxious...phew...it was a roller-coaster of emotions and plot twists...

Taylor wrote all the POVs so beautifully and smoothly, it is amazing how she managed it. The way she wove this story, she could have been the old magic enchanting us in a tale. The character development and the path to redemption and freedom and happiness is otherworldly. This book gives us hope. Hope that you can make it out alive and that no matter how bad you messes up, you can get a second chance, and then a third chance to redeem yourself, to make everything right.

The way she gave closure and a perfect ending to the couples (might be 1 exception) is perfect.

This is a fantasy-romance book with zero smut and excellent plot and storyline and heart racing climax.

Even though this series is concluded and this was the finale...Taylor being Taylor, wicked as she is, has left us on a cliffhanger again. Can't wait to get the new series with all our fav couples.

[Le Durecka · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good ending to the series, but I thought the pacing of the story was not as strong in this book. There are times that things seem to drag on, and too much attention to details are given. Then at other times, there's a lot of information, a lot of plot information, and it's kind of thrown into a short few paragraphs.

For the most part, I liked most of the character's story arcs. Some of them, though, seem to have endings that are unexpected (like unexpectedly happy). I found Farin's story, for example, was....way too positive. I mean, he's unlikely to actually end up how he did, given everything we've been told about him as a character from the beginning of the series. But I'm not the author and this is her ending as she wanted it.

All in all excellent series! I'm glad I read it!

[Morgan V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing end to the series. Loved every single second of it. Loved the conclusion to all of these stories that so heavily became engraved in to my heart. I’m going to miss every second of the time spent in this world.
I was so happy with how the story ended up for everyone, even if my heart was racing for 75% of the story. I was so so eager to see everything in the world right itself and the way the story is told leads to phenomenal tension in the best way.
I love this series so much and I’m happy to be leaving it on such a beautiful note.
There’s so much content jam packed in this book, and every single minute is full of surprises. Loved loved loved it

[Bethany Tolliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a marvelous ending to a jam packed series. Getting to see ALL of the severed realms characters interact throughout this book was such a treat and Lawerence wraps everything up so nicely. We even get some new POVs and I am here for it. It has got to be so hard to write from all these different POVS and keep everything straight but Lawerence does it flawlessly and gives you just enough of each to leave you satisfied. Seeing all of the different POVs come together is so interesting in how they intertwine to call back to the other books in the series. 10/10!

[Morgan Chamberlain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this whole series and this book is maybe my favorite (Only to be rivaled with #4). I feel like you can’t see the authors writing grow through this series and I love it. I think parts of the end happened quickly. There was a good build up and I’m not mad about the end but I felt like there could have been just a bit more to resolve everything that took so long to build, ya know? I’d maybe give this a 4.5 because of that. This is definitely a series that I will come back and read again. And have definitely been recommending already.

[Jacque Engen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful finale that I really give 4.5 ⭐️ | I really loved how this book truly tied in all of the events from previous books but I still found myself drawn most to Blaise and Nox and their story. The only reason it is not a 5 for me is that I felt some of the story could be shortened to move the pace along. However, the end was so satisfying for me and I can’t wait to see what else this author puts out!

[India c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the ending to this series! The book is fast paced and keeps you on your feet as it goes between all our favorite characters view points. It does a nice job of tying up most all the loose ends and sounds like there is potential for a few other books with some of our characters. The character development is amazing and I go through a world of emotions and hurt over each character. I highly recommend even though it’s a long book, it doesn’t feel long!

[Kara Fairchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

My rating system:
5 stars - Absolutely loved it! I would definitely read again anytime!
4 stars - Really liked it! Will most likely read again sometime.
3 stars - Liked it. Glad I read it but probably won't read again.
2 stars - Didn't like it. Glad I'm done with the book and I'll never read it again.
1 star - Very rare rating. Absolutely hated the book. Will never read again and I'll probably burn any copies I come across.

[Susan Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

This is only my 2nd fantasy book but the first fantasy series I read. I loved it!! It's been a while since a story gripped me so hard that I had trouble putting it down. I am looking forward to more stories in this world from the other couples who still need their stories told.

[Tiana Goretzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful series based on popular fairy tales. I loved how although there were elements that were familiar, each character's story was unique and interesting in its own right. This last book was very long and took me awhile to get used to the so many different points of view but the author did an amazing job of wrapping up the series and still leaving us hanging.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, loved the whole series. Loved the ending, loved that everyone got their HEA. Caught myself so many times gasping, holding my breath, and just unable to put it down. Such a good series!!

[Hope Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

meh

I really liked this series but the last book was missing something. It almost felt too rushed but also too long at the same time. Overall it’s a good series and I rated most of the books 5 stars except this one. Highly recommend!

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This final book was LONG. The end wrapped up nicely while the ride to it was a roller coaster. There were story lines I loved and story lines that ended in ways that left me wanting. Over all this was a great series.

[Melanie Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book pulled all the characters together from the previous 4 books and gave most of them the HEAs that they deserved. It was a long process to the end, and the character POVs ensured the reader was driven a little crazy to find out what happens to each.

[Melissa Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to give it 5 stars, but my struggle was with the constantly changing POVs. With so many character stories to wrap up, it was starting to get a little jumbled in my head as to who was talking now, and many times I had to go back and recheck the beginning of the chapter to make sure.

[Shantra Winger · Rating 4 out of 5]

It could just be me, but in those multiple POV stories, there’s always that one view you just don’t want to read? Well, Blaise is that view for me. I’m glad for her redemption arc, but I still found myself trying to get through her POVs quickly.

[Millie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this would have been a good book, but I just couldn’t get into it. I DNF it because it felt really slow but the books before that were amazing. I’m sad to say that I couldn’t finish the series.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last two were so hard to get through. The 4th book was entirely unnecessary. You could have cut the last two in half and combined them. For a series that started so well these last two drug. I think I was 60% into this one before it started moving.

I did enjoy the ending.

[Alyssa]

I love this series so much! This book is so good— heartbreaking and so emotionally charged, and so many characters to love! I’m going to have to reread and leave a more comprehensive review later.