A Petal in the Crown

Magic of the Wildflowers Trilogy #3

by Megan Shade

A broken vow. A blood-soaked sacrifice. A bitter end.

Details to be released.

Genres: Romantasy, Fantasy, Fae, Magic, Fantasy Romance, Audiobook, Gods

443 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2024

About the author

Megan Shade is a romance and fantasy romance author from Tennessee. Megan is a mother of four, including toddler triplets, and a voracious reader of fantasy, romance, and thrillers. In her writing, Megan enjoys writing flawed characters who grow throughout their stories, strong friendships and found family, and anything with a bit of magic in it.

Connect with her on socials @meganshadeauthor on tiktok and instagram.

Reviews

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟 for some reason I just wasn’t as gripped by this one as I was the first two earlier this year 😭 I was bored until about the 80% mark. To me, a lot of the book just felt like a game of cat and mouse and felt repetitive. I also realized how little I retained from the first two books, so maybe I would’ve enjoyed this more had I read all three books back to back.
The last 20% of this was really good though! I feel like that’s when all the action and plot twists happened. Overall, I do still think this was a really solid romantasy trilogy!

[All_About_Them_Audiobooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead***

Possible triggers: Anxiety, Assault, Attempted Murder, Death, Dead Bodies, Gore, Grief, Illness, Knife, Sword and Axe Violence, Mental Health, Murder, Physical Abuse, Poisoning, PTSD, Scares, Suicide, Torture, Violence, War

Overall star rating (out of 5⭐️): 3

Spice level (out of 5🌶️): Some explicit contents and scenes, open door.

Content review: Book 1 was a 5 star read for me, book 2 was still very great, but unfortunately this last instalment was not my cup of tea. It’s boring and has so many filler side stories. Unfortunately, all the side characters do not add to the story and it’s just a bit bland.

Narrator review: Samantha Cook did a fantastic job reading all characters including the male ones! 4 out of 5

Reading Format: Single (female)

Tags: curse, death in person, demons, fae, fantasy, ghosts, gods, happy ending, magic, portals, paranormal, prophecy, resurrection, revenge plot, romantasy, undead, witches

Tropes: touch her and die

❤️ Love interest: Grey x Lea

[Lauren Ashton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so nervous to fond out how this story would go with the cliffhanger from book 2. I was extremely satisfied with the ventures of Lea, Grey, Erik, Janelle, Emma, and Thomas! The story wrapped up lovely and gave our beloved characters a beautiful ending.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great ending to a wonderful series. Will be sad to see it go. Page turning to the very end.

[Jennifer Justice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love this series. I do think that the ending, like the other books, was unpredictable in some way. Which I find you don’t get enough these days. It’s refreshing.
I thought the book was a little busy though with too many POVs. I honestly wish she took the opportunity to make them into a spin off series of the secondary characters’ stories. But nonetheless, I did enjoy the writing and the story of it all.
I’d love to go back and reread them all over again. I truly appreciated the brief summary of the previous book at the beginning of this one to remind me of where everyone was when we left off.
I can’t wait to see what else Megan writes in the future :)

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me the longest to finish this book. The ending is satisfying but it does have an unexpected sad death in the main characters. 3 stars because it Dragged on Forever…. Lots of dead chapters that don’t move the story forward. It was getting really boring trying to get to the end. Thank goodness this is the end.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotionally charged, fast-paced conclusion that left me feeling EVERYTHING!!!!! Absolute chef’s kiss finale.

[Erin Upton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful end to the series!

This book was so well written….I really loved it. You saw and felt everything! It was beautiful. Wonderful end to a wonderful series.

[Tamara Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!!! What a great trilogy!!!! My blood pressure was high the whole time!!!! Well written!!

[Jenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Take a shot every time you read the word “destroy” but don’t actually because you’ll get alcohol poisoning 😍

TLDR: Anticlimactic, plot was weak at best, characters were flat & boring. Save your time & money.

This book was genuinely SO BAD. I enjoyed the first one (even if it wasn’t the best either) then the second one happened (it was bad) & now this… just wow.

There was zero sense of urgency & I was sick of reading about Lea suffering with her power especially since nothing actually happened with it. If you’re going to give a character near uncontrollable evil power LET THEM BE EVIL FOR A MOMENT!!!!

The sex scenes… so out of place & honestly annoying.

All. Of. The. Characters. Were. FLAT!!!! I legitimately stopped caring for them on page one actually. And if I’m honest, the plot was flat as well, and that really started to show in the second book.

Overall, this book was extremely forgettable and I should’ve DNF’d.

I think the author has a lot of potential and room to grow, but I most likely won’t be tuning into her next stories.

[Noelle Pierce · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 83%. I just realized I didn't really care what happened to the heroine anymore. I still love Gray, but Lea has made some really questionable choices, making me wonder if her growth was in a positive direction. I also don't love the trope of dying and coming back, so that's been an issue all book long. Emma became so reserved since book 1 and I'm not sure why we needed hers or Thomas' POV. As much as I liked Janelle and Erik's POVs, they weren't really needed, either. Bottom line, I just stopped caring about 99% of them.

[Sammy Dooris · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing end to my favourite book series!

I was itching to read book 3 after the massive cliffhanger in book 2 and wow, I was anything but disappointed!

It had all the passion, action and adventure of the other books, and some. I absolutely love how Lea and Grays' story ended . I couldn't have wished for a better finale for the wildflower series.

This is and will continue to be, my favourite book series

[Ihsan Baca Buku · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s something satisfying about watching a character grow across a series, and Lea’s development really shines in this one. She’s no longer the uncertain, soft-spoken girl we met in Book 1. Her arc feels earned, and I appreciated how much more agency she carries now.

That said, I do wish Gray had remained as compelling. Even with chapters from his POV, he felt somewhat sidelined in this book. His emotional depth and intensity, which I loved in the earlier books, seemed to fade here. His emotion seems to be reduced to "must protect Lea from any and all danger". Bit boring, tbh.

The plot is mostly focused on chasing Alaric, the now-established Big Bad, which gives the story a sense of urgency, but also left less room for the emotional stuff. The tone of this book feels quite different from the first. It’s darker, heavier... and while that reflects how much the characters have changed, I did find myself missing some of the earlier softness.

The ending was bittersweet. I liked where it landed, but I do wish we got to see more of what came after. Especially with Lea - how she steps into her power, what she builds. Instead, the final moments leaned heavily into the mate bond again, and that part felt a bit overdone for me (you'll see why once you read it).

Still, this was a strong close to the trilogy. Not perfect, but emotionally resonant in its own way.

[Erin Benci · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know, I just kind of got the ick from everyone. Every relationship was... Too much and felt smother-y. They all felt pretty insta-lust - they meet a person, and within a matter of moments, they're in love. Gray was like a lovesick teenage girl. Thomas had me constantly cringing. I counted 22 times when someone's face was being cupped.

Lea's character arc just didn't do it for me. It was not believable - she didn't really have any characteristics she had from book one. I find it hard to believe someone who was borderline weak and timid went to being someone who was respected as a powerful queen within such a short time.

And I felt as though there were too many perspectives. We didn't need both Erick and Janelle's, or Emma and Thomas'. One or the other from either couple would have sufficed. Because of this, a lot of it felt repetitive.

Maybe it was just me, and I wasn't into this kind of read at the time because it feels like every romantasy has been falling flat for me recently.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so in love with this trilogy

I was hesitant to read this series. Not exactly sure why but I passed it over, then passed it over again. OMG am I glad I finally read it. It now sits in my top 10!!! Amazing story telling by Megan Shade. It was original, extremely well written. I felt like I was in this story will I read it. I felt the sorrow and heart break the fmc went through. I felt her determination and resilience. My poor heart craves the kind of love Lea and Gray have. I'm good with morally gray heels who will destroy the world and the GODS for the one he loves!!!! Felt this story in the very depths of my soul and it will be there whispering to me for all eternity!!!

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Book Ever

I can’t explain it, but I will try…this is literally the best book series that I’ve ever read in my entire life. The storytelling was captivating, heartbreaking, restoring, maddening and I just can’t think of any amount of words that could be able to describe the amount of love that was shared between the characters in this book. The story was bigger than Lea and Gray… it extended far beyond to the secondary characters who brought the images of this tail to life. The author is inexplicably, talented, gifted, and amazing. I actually got a recommendation to read it from a Reddit post. Please do not think twice read this entire series that you will not regret it. My only wish is that the story did not end.

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing end to one of my favourite book series!

I was super excited to read book 3 after the massive cliffhanger in book 2 and wow, I was anything but disappointed!

It had all the passion, action and adventure of the other books, and some. I couldn't predict how the story was going to play out, especially with the MC's. I absolutely love how Lea and Grays' story ended . I couldn't have wished for a better finale for the wildflower series, however if I could in fact wish, it would be to see an extra epilogue that projected into the future!

This is and will continue to be, one of my favourite book series so thank you Megan 😊 I really look forward to your future work.

[in my reading era · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️ spice

What an excellent finale to the series! We jump right back in after that wild cliffhanger from book two, and the ride does not slow down.

There’s plenty of cat-and-mouse tension while chasing down the villain, which drives strong character growth and lets the consequences of poor bargains and impossible demands finally unfold. Gray is still the broody, bossy fae we know, but far less unhinged than in book one. I especially loved the bigger focus on the side characters—their friendships and relationships added so much depth and heart.

The magic, the world-building, and the overall arc of the series came together beautifully. A satisfying and exciting conclusion!

[Tiffany Vogt · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨Multiple POV✨ Spice✨ Magic✨Plot Twists✨

The finale we’ve all been waiting for! I haven’t fallen in love with a series and characters this much since ACOTAR. I’m so happy book 3 is here, but also so so sad it’s the end of the series!

APITC is the perfect conclusion to the Magic of the Wildflowers trilogy. It’s fast paced, you feel ALLLLL the emotions, plus the ending is everything you could want and more for the beloved characters.

If you haven’t yet read this series, do yourself a favor and read it now!

[Kaitlyn Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an ending!!!!
This book had me up down and all around.
And the ending!!! There were definitely ugly tears.

I knew it was gonna be rough. IM JUST GLAD LEA AND GRAY GET THEIR HAPPY ENDING BECAUSE I WOULD'VE RIOTED.

The plot and the tension and the emotions in this one really held up.
The spice was good. There definitely wasn't as much but it honestly would've felt out of place here.
But the love between Lea and Gray was shown in other ways.
Even between the other characters. The sweet moments within all the choas really kept pace.

I also liked getting a few different POVs in this one. It helped create a much larger view of everything.

But honestly this Trilogy is hands down one of my favorites. I highly recommend reading it if you love enemies to lovers with spice and tension and lots of high energy.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Can I just say, it’s so nice when authors don’t drag out a trilogy into 6 books and turn it to crap. I’m not really a fan of so many POV’s or third person, so that detracts for me personally.

The other ehhhhh I have is that romantasy has overdone the killing of the MC and then them coming back to life somehow.

But, I really loved Lea’s and Gray’s relationship building through the series, and all the subplots of the lonely death, and betrayals.

[Sydney Sedivec · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this series blind. I saw a TikTok recommended for it as it was a completed series. Man did I devour this series.

The plot twists! The spice! The story line, the character building. This series hooked me.

The first 2 books ended on cliff hangers, but the 3rd book wrapped everything up perfectly. There were no loose ends.

I would highly recommend this book/ series but we warned once you start you can’t stop!

[Mikala Godwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing conclusion to a stellar series.
One of the things I love about this series is that these charters keep growing but stay so true to their roots and boy did that hold true in book 3!
Be prepared to fall in love with the characters all over again. Love, heartbreak, disgust, pride- you’ll feel it all in book 3. ❤️✨

[Lauren Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a conclusion to this fabulous saga! The cliff hanger after book 2 left me reeling! This wrapped up everything and left me feeling all the FEELS! I couldn’t imagine loving characters as much as I did with these. The plot twists Megan was able to still pack in amongst finding the perfect conclusion to their epic adventure.

[Wendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

good but rushed

Considering this was a trilogy, I was disappointed in the ending because it felt rushed. So much buildup for such a quick resolution and plastic happy ending. I enjoyed the characters but again a lot of the love stories at the end just didn’t have the conclusions that felt satisfying for how they started.

[Debbie Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Characters you can’t help but love (or hate), relationship dynamics that make you tear up in the best way, twists and turns to keep you guessing right up until the end. The ending was exactly what the series deserved. Can’t wait to reread this series from the beginning!

[Kimmy Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books will have you on a rollercoaster of emotions. You finally receive answers for where we left off in book 3. I couldn’t put it down! A Petal in the Crown has everything you could want in a fantasy book! A must read!

[Abeer Ishtiaq · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured the book. The first two books dragged a bit but this one was quick paced with the right amount of suspense and action and a bittersweet ending. My brain is still processing and will be for a while.

[Maryna Scism · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a perfect ending to the amazing trilogy! I had been impatiently waiting to read the final story after the cliffhanger in book 2 and Megan did not disappoint! The build up was definitely worth it as the ending was just amazing! Truly a wonderful ending to this series, just perfection.

[Jo Fouracre · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a finale

Well that book had me spell bound. I couldn’t put it down from the beginning to the end it’s gripped me. With so much love and devastation. I can’t give it enough ⭐️ !!