Garden of Serpents

The Demon Queen Trials #3

by C.N. Crawford, Katharina Stegen (translator)

Einst waren Orion und ich ein Liebespaar. Dann brach der wunderschöne Dämonenkönig mein Herz. Er warf mich aus der City of Thorns und verbannte mich in die Welt der Sterblichen.

Also werde ich mich an ihm rächen – und nebenbei die Welt retten. Orion will die Sterblichen für die Vergehen ihrer Vorfahren büßen lassen. Wenn ich ihm die Krone wegnehme, kann ich das Blutvergießen stoppen. Ich muss ihn nur in einer Reihe von Prüfungen besiegen und beweisen, dass die Götter mich zur Königin gewählt haben.

Aber Orion scheint entschlossen, mich mit Entschuldigungen und Versprechungen zu verführen. Und es ist schwer, ihm zu widerstehen ...
In der City of Thorns ist nichts so, wie es scheint. Aber herauszufinden, wem man vertrauen kann, ist die wichtigste Prüfung von allen. Denn wenn ich mich irre, wird das Blut von Tausenden an meinen Händen kleben.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Enemies To Lovers, Fantasy Romance, Romantasy, Demons

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 13, 2022

About the author

To get sneak peaks at the next book, sales, and news about releases, Sign up here.
To join C.N. Crawford's fan group and chat to the authors, Click here.
To stalk on instagram, Click here.
For a free standalone novel, Sign up here.

C.N. Crawford are Wall Street Journal bestselling authors of romantasy books, including books with fae, demons, and magical academies.

We write fantasy romance, urban fantasy, and portal romance. Our books often include trials, banter, and enemies to lovers stories.

CN Crawford’s books are perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, K.F. Breene, and Laura Thalassa.

Note: We are actually two people--a former biologist (Nick) and a former school psychologist (Christine).

Reviews

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a fine conclusion to the series. it started off so strong with the first book but, after a filler of a sequel, it just never quite regained its momentum. still, this book is entertaining enough.

i think the biggest reward of this is seeing the resolution between rowan and orions relationship. they have been through it, so it was a real treat to see them actively work through their issues. theyre probably reason enough to read this because everything else is a little weak.

i definitely think if some new characters from this final installment were introduced in previous book, their significance would have had a greater impact and some of the final events wouldnt have felt as rushed.

so even if there are things i would have changed, this is still an apt and enjoyable conclusion to the story.

↠ 3.5 stars

[Rayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m so confused. I don’t know how this book is from the same series as the first book. I loved that book but this one was just disappointing. Everything was pointless, rushed, and left more questions than answers. The entire book was focused on the trial that I think we all could agree was pointless because they were going to rule together at the end anyways. They were also very boring tasks that were just frustrating to read. Then, what could have been the most interesting part of the book happened while Rowan was asleep and Orion just basically said, “Hey I’m glad you’re awake, don’t worry I fixed everything while you were out,” and then they moved on. I think it would have been much better if they cut some filler from the second book, included the trial in that book and focused on the issues they had to deal with from the mortals and even how the demons reacted to them now ruling in this book. It just didn’t give what I wanted and now I’m just disappointed.

[SHOMPA · Rating 2 out of 5]

The series' final installment was a little anticlimactic. In comparison to the other two books, this one is quite lifeless and very poorly executed. Even though the author made some much-needed improvements, I still felt that the book could have been more robust. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I found the storytelling style to be rather mediocre, lacking the excitement and flair that I was hoping for.

[Kat valentine ( Katsbookcornerreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garden of Serpents was fabulous!!!! I loved everything about this last book in this series. Their was sexy chemistry and the whole push and pull of wanting to fight or fuck and I loved it!! This couple will go down as one of my favorite of all time! I loved both characters so much! Orion knows his effect on Rowan and it pisses her off. After kicking her out of the city of thorns she's on the war path and more determined to beat Orion in the demon trails and with the help of her bestie Shai a witch and two new powerful friends Legion and Kas she just might have a chance. Once back in the city Rowan has to fight her attraction to Orion, between his touch and whispered words of ruling together its got her in knots. And when someone who looked like Orion tries to kill her in her sleep it looks like his words were all lies. Rowan knows Orion is keeping something from her but no matter what her heart says her brain knows if she doesn't win the demon trails he will extract his revenge by killing all humans and she can't let that happen. When Rowan finds out the secret that Orion has hidden for so long will it bring them together? Can Rowan ever fully trust Orion and be his queen? This last book is full of action and a couple of twists thrown in! Just about the time you think you know where its headed it changes again and the line between friendship and betrayal is a very thin line. C.N. Crawford wrapped this series up very well and her storytelling was amazing as always.until next time Luv's💗💋

[aly ☆彡 (on vacation) · Rating 2 out of 5]

idk, its not giving :/

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had more

The way the trilogy wrapped up was good, but I wanted more…

This takes off where book 2 ends, being betrayed by Orion 😑 and discovering a book thanks to Mr. Esposito that might become invaluable in the future 👀. Not only did Orion take what Rowan was trying to accomplish at the end of book 2, but she’s exiled out of the City of Thorns now, making it more difficult to do anything 😐. She’s not gonna let that stop her from dethroning him- since his goal is to kill humans in order to free demons and, obviously, that doesn’t sit right with her. She’s being challenged to a series of trials, and she plans to pass them and keep Orion from completing his bloodthirsty goal.

She just needs to make sure she doesn’t get seduced by his incubi charms 😅 good thing she has her best friend Shai (and others) helping her…

Because Orion’s a tall drink of water…
And Rowan’s INCREDIBLY thirsty 👀…

What I liked/loved: possible spoilers
—so. Much. Tension 👀. I feel like the entire series is full of it 😅. We only get two complete 🔥 scenes in the trilogy (and a teaser ish in book 1), which means it’s tension-filled 👀. It makes sense since these two “hate” each other, so it raises it even more. They don’t kiss until almost 1/3 of the way in and their next make out session isn’t until last 70% 😅. That leads to …

—the one 🔥 scene 😅 but it was so 🥵. Lordt. The amount of tasting on both ends was 😮‍💨💦. It was hawt 🔥. It lasts multiple chapters, so it was worth the wait 😉. And wait it is- it finally happens at about 80%… so it’s a slooooow burn 😅. Worth it though🤷🏻‍♀️

—twin stars 🫶❤️

—the twists 😱. There’s twists that happen throughout, and it definitely kept me engaged. Some were obvious, but some had me bug-eyes 👀😳

—the comeuppance 👏🏻. Some people deserved what they had coming 🤷🏻‍♀️. Don’t be messing with Orion or Rowan, or else 💅

—the fighting 👀. This one had a lot more action than the previous two books. Makes sense since so much was happening

—the trials 😅. They weren’t as intense as other books/series, but I was kept interested. I especially liked when Rowan was the one doing better than Orion 🤣. Serves him right 😑 bahahaha

—the relationship 🫶. Even though they’re battling each other, they can’t help but gravitate towards each other 👀 it made their tense-filled scenes even more scrumptious 😉

—the side characters ❤️. Besides Shai, I loved that we had others in Rowan’s POV

—the epilogue 😭. I’m such a sucka for a good one. It definitely added points for me ❤️

—their pasts 🫶. I got emotional a few times ☹️

—the angst 👀. I felt the betrayal 😅

What I wanted more of:
—🔥… 😐… 😒. Sigh. COME ON! She’s a succubus and he’s an incubus 🤦🏻‍♀️ why don’t we see more??? 🤨 makes no sense to me! 😐 sigh. This really irritated me… especially because it takes about 80% to FINALLY get some relief 😑. This made me drop my rating 🤷🏻‍♀️

—soooo many things happened and I felt like some got wrapped up way too quickly 😏

—I had some questions by the time I finished… as in, I wanted more info/longer resolutions

Overall, I really enjoyed this series 🫶. Plus. The graphic audiobook is amazing (EXCEPT that book 3’s graphic audio makes the 🔥 scene FTB 😐😑😒)

⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd/omd
-the H is jealous of males around the h but nothing ever happens with anyone
-parental death recounted
-family members deaths recounted
-violence/bloodshed/death/torture
-no condoms (it’s fantasy lol)
-HEA/epilogue/13 years later

[❤️Court - Villains Do It Better❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Solid 3 Star Trilogy

Was an easy and pretty quick read. Nothing too complicated.

I liked the hero most of the time. He was loyal, possessive, and could be really sweet at times. I wish he lived up to his reputation as this big, scary, demon dude, but he was definitely not that. Realistic though seeing as he was in a prison for years.

I also liked the heroine, maybe like half the time. She wasn't whiney, she went with the flow, and just overall a decent heroine. But on the flip side, nothing too special that made me want to root for her or anything. She was just a little too perfect for me maybe. I feel like her character development just went too smoothly and it was unbelievable how she was just so okay with everything such as finding out she was a demon. I needed some tension or dilemmas. She was also WAY too trustworthy and forgiving- no, thank you.

The storyline is what was super disappointing. I liked the romance decently. But I hate how this book was like starting from scratch again in the romance aspect. The plot was pretty boring though. One thing that annoyed TF outta me was how Mortana was written off so easily when she was a prominent figure in book 1. After they find out what happened to her, the suspense just died and everything became predictable and I low-key just wanted to start skimming. Same thing with her mom. They find out what happens and then is hardly ever mentioned again.

Everything was also pretty shallow. We hardly get any whys, just the whats, such as this happened but nobody would even think to ponder on why it happened or why they did that. They never really looked into stuff and a lot was just told to the reader and then glossed over and never to be mentioned again. So, nothing too intricate and pretty straightforward, but a lot of things I feel like were just put in the books for no reason at all as they didn't really do anything for the plot.


Overall though, a decent enough read with an antiimactic ending.



Safety:


No virgins/manhoes

Both are either incubus or succubus but neither have much experience. Heroine had only had sex like once before, hero had been trapped in a prison most of his life and was with only a few ow to "feed"

No ow/om drama

No cheating/sharing

[Ketharini · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The only feeling that I felt after reading the book was: underwhelmed. Was this the last book in the series? There are so many questions left to be answered! Why does Rowan look like Mortana? What is going to happen between the Magic and the mortal world? Have the City of Thorn citizens really accepted Orion and Rowan as their King and Queen that easily?

In my review of the 2nd book, I mentioned that it was sad to see Orion and Rowan pulled apart at the end and I couldn't wait for them to be together. But the incessant pining and "I would lay the world at your feet" moments from Orion felt so rushed and slightly off-putting. The trials were so fake, was there no one who would referee the choice of the trials? How do the contestants choose the trial AND decide how they win? It sounds very loophole-y to me.

Anyway, I think this book has many plotholes and feels very incomplete. I hope this was not the last book in the series. If yes, then I leave this series feeling disappointed. It could have been sooo mucchh better!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This trilogy was so bingable and entertaining it didn't make a whole lot of sense at times. The chemistry & banta/ sexual chemistry was soo good.
1. City Of Thorns - 4⭐
2. Lord Of Embers - 3.5⭐
3. Garden Of Serpents - 4⭐
This probably could have been a duet or standalone tbh.

[Thais • tata.lifepages • · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhhhh I love Orion and Rowan so much 😩❤️

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I really thrashed a book, but the time has come. Garden of Serpents was a huge disappointment. Clearly this was originally meant to go longer than 3 novels, but somebody stupidly talked the author into shortening the series. The result is that she tried and failed to squeeze all character developments, loose strings and arcs into a single novel.

Suddenly we have insta-love! When we last left Orion and Rowan, he exiled her from the city and a huge wedge stood between them. This book opens - OPENS - with Orion being glad to see her sneak into the city because he missed her. He doesn't even try to be cool about it. wtaf?

That's just one example; I couldn't possibly list all the ways this series let me down. What the hell, I'll give it a go!

• Mr. Esposito = the Lilu Sabazios, with very little explanation, background, etc. Why did he continue to hide his secret after Rowan discovered who she really was?

• Legion and Shai - where the hell did this relationship come from? Who is Legion exactly, and why does he get involved in this mess?

• Shai may or may not be a traitor. At times, she's a no-show during Rowan's training or is mysteriously sick (Rowan doesn't check on her) - none of this is fully explained.

• Kas - this core character comes out of absolutely nowhere. Where's he been this whole time? Also, his motivations are flimsy.

• Orion's big, giant, guilty secret is that he lied about his mom because they tortured his 5yo self with snakes. Really, this is the best the author could come up with to explain his snake tattoo?

• This series is called The Demon Queen Trials, but the only novel featuring any is this one, and we had only two boring trials. *yawn*

• Jasper, "Orion's most loyal guardsman" (whom we've never met before this novel) is killed by Orion with little regret - even after we learn it was all a big misunderstanding, lol! Surely Orion could have subdued him instead??

• What was Tammuz's goal in preparing Rowan to destroy Orion, warning that he was irredeemable and could never be trusted? Nothing came of that whatsoever. We also never see Tammuz again.

• Orion claims he knew Rowan was the one for him after the Puritans hanged her in the last novel, which is why he expresses his undying love now. But in that same novel, he saw her after she came back to life and still treated her like crap and exiled her.

Oh wait, there's one more - the epilogue was weird, overlong and unnecessary. 'kay, I'm done.

About the only thing this finale did right was resolve Ashur's story, the other Lilu who was imprisoned with Orion for centuries. That's the only positive I can say about this complete and utter letdown.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series! Rowan and Orion are amazing and perfect. This final book was the perfect ending to a very twisty turn of events for Rowan that we were able see from book 1. It had the perfect amount of tension, action, and spice that flowed with the story line.

[Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This is your king, Orion," I shouted. "And I am your queen!"

What a fitting end to a fabulous storyline! I stayed up until 2 am to finish reading this gem. Am I sad it's over? Abso—fucking—lutely. But this book was well worth the wait! Rowan and Orion were made for each other. They truly were twin stars! Even when they were competing against one another, they somehow managed to make their love work? I liked that. I also liked the character growth both Rowan and Orion displayed—including the twist at the end! Talk about being on the edge of your seat!

This was a fast, engaging storyline filled with romance and angst. But I have to say, I LOVED the epilogue! The domestic little scene with Rowan and Orion and their cute little family was so precious. I am guessing one day (fingers crossed!) there might be a spin-off when their little fella is grown up? Either way, I look forward to reading more from this writing duo! 5 stars.

[Aleesha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it REALLY difficult to care about anything happening in this book. I didn't believe in the world, the characters, the magic or the relationship. Nothing was fleshed out enough or put together in a logical way to inspire love or fear or... well anything except apathy tinged with mild irritation.

I'm sorry, ya'll. This series had potential. But by the halfway point in book 2 I knew I was going to leave this disappointed. The "love story"... isn't. There's absolutely zero groundwork sewn to make these two characters likeable compatible. All they do is lie to each other, manipulate each other, insult and ridicule each other... and then secretly pine for each other. But the pining? It doesn't make up for the fact that there's no love or trust or ... well any positive emotion between them. UNTIL about 70% of the way through the book. THEN some sort of switch flips, and we have the couple we should have been seeing glimpses of since book 1. For me, it was entirely too little, too late.

The magic system... what fucking magic system? It was arbitrary, at best. Shit just got made up whenever it was convenient to the plot.

The characters--there's no consistency. We only know that 1 (potentially 2, if you count the nightmare-inducing demons in Purgatory that we never see hide nor hair of) types of Demons named... yet we meet like 600 different demonic characters. Okay, so what are they? What characteristics make their demonic species unique compared to the Lilu?

Hell, because Orion is Tammuz's son (sorry, spoiler? I don't care), he's able to do shit that seemingly is outside the Lilu repertoire.

Is there any rhyme or reason to these gifts? Fuck no.

And what about the 'gods' that everyone talks about? Who the fuck are they? Where did they come from? Where are they now? We're presented with a modern-day Puritan pseudo Christianity in the human (and Purgatorian??) realm, so I'm assuming THEY believe in GOD... but the demons appear to have a multitude... SOMEBODY EXPLAIN. These two worlds just don't fucking go together.

The world building... We learn the most idiotic shit about the world, but are given no real substance when it comes to the hierarchies and politics--either in the human world OR in the demonic one. You expect me to believe that as soon as Orion takes over the kingship everyone's just hunky dory with his rule? That he doesn't have dissidents among his army? That he suddenly knows everything a king is supposed to know even though we're never told how he figured that shit out? And what happened to taking revenge on the asshats that sat by and let the Lilu get murdered? He's all "I have to protect my people" in this book, when in the past he's been the psychotic anti-hero willing to burn the world to the ground in the name of vengeance. Talk about going soft.

And what about the other demon cities? Where are they? How were they created (since it seems the City of Thorns revolves around a war that took place in the Puritan era, and let's face it, the whole world wasn't doing that shit at the time)? Are they governed by a different king or is the King/Queen of the CoT THE ruler? If the demons were to escape the CoT, would all the other cities be set free too, or nah?

I'll take shit that's never explained for $1000, Alex.

I gave the first 2 books the benefit of the doubt, because it's really down to the last one to tie things up in a nice neat bow, right? And to be honest, the ease of reading was what pushed me though them more than the plot points.

But coming out of this third one, I'm tired. This whole series felt like a great idea was had, but then an inbred, heroin addicted chimpanzee was tasked with putting it together. Sorry, not sorry.

Reader's Notes, if anyone cares:

Chapter 3: No one had seen me yet, lurking in the shadows. Unseen, I reached into the bag at my hip . . .

Come on now, somebody saw that, read it, and thought that was okay.

Chapter 5: These demons don't sound especially like demons.

". . . None of us ever imagined some of [the Lilu] survived. We never spoke of them. We all felt guilty. We had no clue Orion was still down there. We had no idea that someone was locked up by himself in a dungeon after all that--there was no way he could be sane."

Kas ran a hand through his messy hair. "Honestly, the thought of someone enduring that is unbearable."

This is honestly the least demonic thing I've ever heard.

Like I get why Rowan may have human emotions like empathy and guilt and shame, she's been living as a human for all her life up until this point, NOW it seems like she's the only one trying NOT to feel these very human emotions... are these creatures demonic or not?

Hang on, I thought Rowan had her magic BOUND by some kind of spell? Now it's just trauma that kept her from exploding into a firey winged ball of death?

CONSISTENCY IS A REAL STRUGGLE, ISN'T IT, MS. CRAWFORD?

Chapter 6: One: I need way more information and structure around these 'trials' that are supposed to be taking place. It's all been vague up to this point.

Two: If the two Luciferian lightbringing people or whatever are supposed to free the City of Thorns... what about all the other demon cities that supposedly exist? You know, like the one Orion was supposedly from in book 1? Who's gonna free them? Or does this royal line rule ALL the cities?

Why hasn't any of this shit been made clearer by now?

Chapter 7: Orion says Rowan has his heart in her hands, except we haven't really seen them be truly romantical to one another, ever. All they've done is be snarky assholes to each other. Insult and hurt one another (physically, mentally, and emotionally). Even when they had sex, they were insulting each other the whole time and Rowan repeatedly blamed it on the magic of the forest/Orion's Incubus voodoo or whatever. And even if the reader knows neither of them really meant the horrible shit they said to each other, THEY didn't know it.

Other than Orion waxing poetical about Rowan in his own mind in the few chapters we've gotten from him and her feeling horny for him which she's written off time and again as his Incubus magic, there's nothing to convince me that these two are actually a couple and will ever become a couple.

So like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

I had one other secret: I would love Rowan until I died.

Mmn. Then why don't we ever get to see him falling? Why don't we ever get to see them be sweet to each other? Why don't we get those moments where we know that feelings are shifting and the hurt that was done starts to be undone?

It feels like we're missing such a HUGE chunk of their story because this relationship is so fucking underdeveloped!

Chapter 11: "I sometimes wonder what it would be like if we just voted for a leader instead of leaving it up to trinkets and the whims of the gods."

This is the second time Kas has said this. Why do we need this said twice? It's literally verbatim. Was this book edited at all?

Also, hello story villain. Could you be more obvious?

Chapter 12: So this ceremony, is it to honor ALL dead demons or just the Lilu? We're led to believe that they're honoring all the slaughtered Lilu... but the whole city's participating... WHY? Aren't Lilu hated and feared? Is it on compulsion of the king, or? Again, nothing is fucking explained, we're just expected to go with it because it supposedly gives the "lovers" a chance to be close.

Chapter 15: It feels like too little too late between these two. We're getting to see Orion be vulnerable, but in the same breath, he's pushing her away, admitting he's got some terrible secret still that will surely keep her from loving him. Why wasn't this the focus of the story for the past 2 books? Instead we've been all over the place and he's consistently been an absolute shithead to her.

I don't blame Rowan for being fucking confused and distrustful.

Chapter 16: Oh good. The Council is still a thing. But where the fuck are they? We've seen neither hide nor hair of anyone but Legion since book 1.

Chapter 17: Ugh. Orion's just good at everything because magic comes naturally to him. Really? Let's not bother adding depth to the character, let's just make him naturally powerful even though he's had ZERO training to control this insane godlike power while at the same time turning the woman into the infantile fuckup who can't ever get shit right because she's just naturally a weirdo klutz who fails at life.

Brilliant.

Oh, and how bizarre that they're supposedly in competition for the throne, but now he's teaching her about her own goddamned power??????? Why would anyone teach their enemy how to use the shit that they're supposed to defeat them with???????

Oh riiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Cause LURVE.

Except outside of their private bemoanings, neither of them have shown the other an ounce of anything romantic. Sexual, yes. Romantic, no.

"Some emotions are hot and full of energy. Anger, passion, love. Even fear. Others are dark and cold, like sorrow and loss. And it's the cold emotions that temper it."

We're taking EMOTIONAL lessons from the emotionally stunted, poorly socialized ex-prisoner??

This whole series, he talks about how he can only feel anger and hate and vengeance. That he's never experienced anything before Rowan showed up and "made him feel alive". So, shouldn't he be just as fucking new at this shit as she is????? Someone with that much trauma shouldn't have such masterful control over their emotions.

Chapter 18: If Kas can "burn to ash" and recover, then what the fuck is the giant pit of fire for from the first book? We were sold that it would destroy Mortana if the Council decided they didn't want her in their midst anymore... so apparently burning to death in a pit of fire is now a lie? Because as long as the heart's not fucked with they can't die?

WHAT ARE RULES ANYMORE?!

Chapter 19: How does Orion KNOW about what'll happen to Rowan's magic? Has he experienced this particular problem himself? If so, who brought him back? How is it possible that he knows about this when he's had zero training himself and has been locked away, alone, for centuries? If he had some sort of formal training as a kid, or even with Mortana, who was also a Lightbringer, I'd be fine with this...but we've not seen any evidence that anyone's helped him with his own magic... so how does he understand it enough to know what's happening to someone else?

I can let a lot of things slide, I can be okay with hazy world-building, with plot over character development... but I have my limits... there has to be SOME structure. I can't be expected to just gobble up everything that's thrown at me no questions asked when nothing makes any coherent sense and the rules are arbitrary and keep changing.

Also I KNOW we're not engaging in bondage when this chick's on the brink of death and can't consent... I KNOW that's not what's happening right now. I don't care if she's a succubus and needs lust to heal. There's no safeword, no verbal consent that this is okay. Nothing.

Oh, but it's okay cause he can FEEL HER BODY RESPONDING TO HIM.

Bitch. I will fight you.

And I'd promised not to kiss her until she trusted me. I hated breaking promises, and she and no way to tell me she trusted me in the state she was in.

WHEN exactly did he make this promise to her? Because the last thing I remember was him tongue fucking her pie hole up against her bedpost. Didn't exactly seem like he was making any promises then. Also thanks for confirming you're aware she can't consent to the shit you're doing to her, buddy.

Chapter 21: Again. How is it that Orion knows what to do or how to do it? He's had NO practice or formal education. And we haven't even seen or heard about him reading books on the witch summoning topic. So we're just supposed to assume that he's incredible at everything without any proof or justification as to why?

Chapter 23: Of fucking course no one remembers what happens if the trial is a draw BECAUSE NONE OF IT HAS BEEN EXPLAINED TO ANY OF US.

Chapter 24: Here's something I've just thought of... where the fuck did Orion get his British accent from? We know from the reading thus far that he's never left the city and only pretended to be from another one to hide the fact that he was in prison. So where's the accent from?

Also! He knows Legion and Kas from before he went into the prison... you mean to tell me they didn't recognize him when he showed up pretending to be a British duke? I know he was a boy, but surely the silver hair gave things away? And then when they learned who he was... they didn't seem at all surprised????

This has nothing to do with this chapter, but shit just keeps popping up that doesn't gel with the story.

Chapters 29-30: Crawford does so much better when she's writing high stakes dangerous fight sequences. The break in to the Hunters mansion and the stuff described within was, so far, the best part of this book. We're learning things, putting things together--the characters are actually even starting to grow on me in this environment.

I want to like these 2, honestly I do. But I'm worried it's too little too late.

Chapter 31: Okay, lady, you're overusing the word miasma now. This is like the 13th time in this book, and I'm starting to feel like this an episode of Sesame Street.

See this is the shit we should have been seeing from book 2 on honestly... They should have come together this way waaaaay sooner. Now we're getting to see 2 people work in tandem, we're getting to see this bond that so far was only described as a figment of Orion's imagination. We're also getting to see Rowan BE the demon she's supposed to be. No more of the goofy awkward dweeb, but a full on vengeance-filled succubus coming for her mate.

Chapter 32: How exactly does Jack of all people know so much about Orion? The fratboy barely knew his own name in book one, and now he's an expert on Demonic history?

I have doubts.

Chapter 34: So they got ALL the demon hunters, huh? Every last one? In just a week? Okay. This happens a lot in this book--we're told important things happened but never shown how or when or where or by whom. It's only added to the general feel of half-assery that's been permeating this book/series.

And if all this carnage supposedly happened...how the hell did the demons destroy a shedload of demon hunters--some of which were very public figures (ie the congressman and his son) and the mortal world isn't up in arms? How is it the mortal police/American government are not dropping nukes on the City of Thorns by now?

Also where did these Lilu come from? I thought they'd all been massacred? Why, if the Demon Hunters knew where they all were, were they not hunted down and eradicated over the centuries? That seems like a pretty huge oversight for an order of pious uppity violent humans with a chip on their shoulders... They were hell-bent to get into the City of thorns... but yet they had a LIST of defenseless demons wandering around in human society... mingling with their people... and didn't do anything about it?

You see what I mean about shit not making any sense?!

Also whatever happened to Lydia? You know, the chick who wanted to marry Cambriel? Where the fuck did she go? What about all the demons who wanted the Lilu dead because they could mind-control them? All of a sudden that's not a problem anymore?

Chapter 38: Good god, this sex scene is really taking like 4 whole chapters.

Also, these visions Rowan keeps having... there's never been an explanation behind them. Is she a seer? A psychic? Is it to do with their bond? The world may never know.

Chapter 39: Frantically, I searched the crowd. Was anyone else baffled by this sharp change of personality?

Yes, girl. But if I had to guess, it's not him. It's Kas, pretending. Because apparently Ms. Crawford doesn't know how the inverted check mark story arc is supposed to go.

Chapter 40: Kas stood and rested his large hands on my shoulders. "It's okay if you love him, Rowan. But we always knew he wasn't coming back from what happened to him."

Okay, 1: No one knew what happened to Orion. No one knew he was down in the dungeons at all until this book series started. 2: If they DID know he was fucked in the head... why the hell didn't they tell anybody?

Legion and Kas knew Orion was Ashur...and didn't bother to tell Rowan that he went by a new name? That it was clear his psyche had fractured somehow? Why? This feels like a gigantic, gaping plot hole.

I thought Lilu had mind-control abilities and that's why everyone wanted them dead? Why not have Rowan just voodoo her way into this idiot police guard's head so she can get to the people she needs to speak with?

Why give a race of beings power and then never use it when it'd be natural and convenient to do so?

Chapter 41: So the mortal police arrested a demon because... it... rained? But they're not at all concerned that like 40 mortal demon hunters were burned to a crisp? Including a congressman and his son? This story is so half-baked it's not even funny.

Chapter 43: How would Kas, who didn't even know Orion was down in the dungeons all that time, know which cell Orion had been kept in?

Chapter 47: These people are the most wishy-washy people I have ever heard of. They're chanting Orion's and Rowan's names the night before, then they're in a frenzy after Kas promised them freedom, and now they're back to cheering Orion and Rowan, all in under 24 hours.

Chapter 48: Eugh. Children. Eugh. Pregnancy. I didn't need this.

Oh, NOW Lydia is back. After all the hell is over with and the Council just fucking evaporated into thin air with the exception of Legion... NOW we bring back courtly politics.

And since when does the Underworld have an oracle? That would have been fucking useful like 2 books ago, wouldn't it? Why are we on the last 7 pages of this book and Crawford's just making shit up out of thin air for no fucking reason?

[Alyson Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite a ride! I found the third in this series to be a little hectic, to be honest? Again, the plot wasn't too difficult to grasp early on in the novel, but this didn't distract me from my enjoyment. The biggest gain from this novel was the resolution to Rowan and Orions' relationship, which reached a great end. A happy ending, to be honest.

[(old.enough.for.fairytales) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much.

The characters, the world, the premise…it’s all so unique and so cool.

In this volume specifically, I loved learning more about their families and other demons they have relationships with. I also really loved seeing the different trials they competed in this book.

The love story and angst in this volume was just so good 😭😭 ugh. I need more Orion and Rowan!

Also that epilogue….I loved EVERYTHING about it. I’m so so glad that Crawford included it. Except now, I want another book! 😂

[gaby · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book was just the "they wrap you up and take care of you when you're sick" trope repeated four million times, and like i get it, i'm a sucker for it too but this book was so repetitive and genuinely had no plot.

rowan was annoying as ever, so orion's chapters were the only silver lining but unfortunately for me, they were far less frequent.

mediocre end to a mediocre series.

[Wonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

All that build up, and not only was it predictable, but it was just blah...I did very much enjoy the premise and the world, but the characters are just like ALL the characters in YA novels. This trilogy followed that formula 100%! A shame, really!!

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so boring, it was a chore to finish it.

[Pasquaspages · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing end to this series. This book pulled me in right away and had me guessing the ending entire time!

The third and final book was filled with action and suspense. I loved that the story was filled with tension between Orion and Rowan and still had the banter and spice C.N. Crawford is so great at.

I was provided with an ARC and I cannot recommend this series enough. If you enjoy paranormal romance with mistaken identity, fake relationships, demons, hidden powers, slow burn romance, and action, then this series is a must read!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Do not mistake me for a hero. I’d destroy the entire world to save the person I loved the most.”

This was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy! I enjoyed reading about Rowan and Orion's journey. Orion's back and forth emotions came across as a bit unclear what his real motivations were, and left me feeling a bit confused. The characters definitely have great chemistry, but the plot was a bit messy which took away from my experience. Overall, I liked the trilogy, but the first book is a definite stand out amongst the three.

[Chamudi · Rating 2 out of 5]

that epilogue had so much more potential 😫

[Evan Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Literally wtf

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 Stars

I liked it but I didn't love it. I guess it just didn't wow me as much as I thought it would. The story and conclusion to the series were entertaining enough but didn't really pack a punch. The characters were just as amazing as they were in the first two books. I liked their character growth. I kind of wish that the new characters in this book had been introduced in earlier books in the series. It would have made their involvement in the story more gratifying. The romance was probably the most rewarding part of this conclusion. While the story felt lacking in some areas, the romance didn't really suffer the same way. Orion and Rowan have always had amazing chemistry and I loved seeing their resolution. Overall, this was a satisfactory conclusion to a unique series. This is a fun series with originality that kept my interest and left me wanting more from this author.


BLOG FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM GOODREADS TIKTOK TWITTER BOOKBUB AMAZON PINTEREST

[Alexandra II the nine lives of my library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked reading this series. It was simple, enjoyable and fun. I knew the moment one person appeared that he was going to be the big bad but I read hundreds of books yearly, there aren’t many suprises for me.

[Yas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good finale for the series, but it felt rushed, and I expected more.

I was excited for this book because the cliffhanger in book 2 promised some epic story, but interesting parts were not mentioned and only brushed over quickly. I also couldn’t really pinpoint what the actual conflict was supposed to be, and the cliffy was resolved way too quickly.

But I liked seeing Rowan grow even more into her powers, and her hate/ love relationship with Orion is one of the main reasons why I loved this series.
Sadly, there wasn’t a lot of spice (I don’t always need it in my books, but these two are a particular kind of demon species, where it would’ve actually made sense to have spicy scenes)

Overall, this was an easy and quick read, and I liked the series, but the finale could’ve been done better.

→ 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 ← (potential spoilers book 1&2)
- Enemies/ Rivals to Lovers
- Second-Chance
- “I hate you, but I want to f*ck you”
- Demon x Demon
- Hurt/ comfort
- Suspense
- Post-war world
- Rivals for the throne & trials
- HEA

🎧 Audiobook: Dual 1st Person, but narrated by only one female narrator

[spring ~♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kinda cringey?
I thought the first book was okay. I really enjoyed the second book. But this one had those unnecessary cringey moments I wish I could forget.
The characters, the dialogues, the epilogue all...🤮
I mean, it had it's great moments I suppose. Orion was great as always. He almost saved the book. almost. But still, I saw the twists coming from miles away and they weren’t even good plot twists.
What a waste to something that could have been a good series. Anyways, onto the next.

[Isabel · Rating 1 out of 5]

the story had so much potential. the first book was honestly amazing, yet book 2 i can barely remember, and this was mostly skimmed. the writing got super fan-fictiony throughout and that's just not what we're here for.

[Aleksandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Now I'm just tired... I loved the first book from this series. So from now on I'll pretend that was a standalone...

[Stephrewritten · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing end to a thrilling, captivating and enjoyable trilogy! I fell even harder for Orion if that is even possible! Truly such an enjoying read and would highly recommend!