Winds of Chaos

Ledgers of a Dark Mage #5

by N.K. Leem

Haskia is coming.

Itothia prepares to defend its borders as the ruthless regent of Haskia marches on Vahn’alem. In the chaotic aftermath of the king’s death and the attack on Varle, the noble houses are divided and the country is ill-prepared to face the oncoming battle. Defeat seems inevitable.

Thaleon and Dawyn travel to Vahn’alem, hoping to save Itothia by using a terrifying spell devised by the most hated and feared valekyn in history. Their journey won’t be easy, and they will have to face more than Haskia’s fearsome army at its end—Rielaron Vold, the regent of Itothia and Thaleon’s former close friend, is leading the war efforts at Vahn’alem, and she will likely kill them on sight.

As the brothers confront old friendships and the unpleasant truths of Itothia’s dark past, the price of their decision may prove higher than they could have imagined.

Genres: Fantasy

482 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 28, 2024

About the author

You can often find me in the corner with a laptop, lost in my own world adventuring with the people inside my head. Sometimes, those daydreams turn into books!

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Reviews

[Alena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winds of Chaos is the fifth book in Ledgers of a Dark Mage, a series that follows Thaleon and Dawyn brothers who were separated in previous books. They are finally reunited, but it will not be a peaceful meeting and to relax, they will soon embark on a dangerous journey.

I love N.K.'s style. Leem, it is very vivid, you imagine everything that is happening, and the descriptions of the setting, hook you quickly, something is always happening, even when there are slow scenes, those scenes are usually emotional and/or funny, I love the interaction of the brothers between themselves and that they have with their partners.

When the action scenes arrive you don't want to stop reading, you need to know what is happening, there is a war that is approaching, Thaleon and Dawyn want to avoid it and save Itothia using magic, they will travel by sea and will be more dangerous than they expected, they will be attacked and when they finally reach land, they will not be at peace, instead, they find a city that is walling itself, preparing for war. They will try to reason with the regent, but they are not listened to and if that were not enough, an old friend is the one who leads the attack.

It is a fantasy saga with little of everything, an interesting magic system, dangerous magical creatures, forbidden magic, unconditional love of brothers, politics, and war, slow-burn friends to lovers romance, adventure, and action.

It has a good rhythm, between the lovely slow scenes between Thaleon and Dawyn, despite not having seen each other in years, their bond as brothers is unbreakable, they listen to each other and support each other, and they do not judge each other for their past. And the pack action scenes, you won't stop reading

This is the penultimate book, the ending leaves you wanting to read the conclusion ASAP and wishing the brothers can finally have peace.

Read it if you want:
• Siblings as a protagonist
• Found family trope
• Fast pacing and engaging fantasy
• Indie Author

[Nadja Petković · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly fantastic read - and I seriously think it's the best book N. K. Leem wrote so far!

First things first, the descriptions. Oh my god, the descriptions! All the places, magic, and characters in Winds of Chaos are described so beautifully and thoroughly. If I could describe N. K. Leem's writing in this book in one word, it would be "lush". It's so rich, and allowed me to dive deep, deep into this journey and forget about the reality. It was like I, myself, was transported right onto the Red Lily (the ship), travelling across the deadly seas with all the characters.

Characters who, by the way, have my whole heart.

Thaleon and Dawyn are united again, and they're doing their best to work on their own relationship and all the things that were left unsaid between them. I love their strong love and care for each other so, so much. They go for it at their own pace, of course, and that's what makes their relationship so believable and genuine. Nothing beats the brotherly love.

Well, maybe my heart would beg to differ for just one exception - the love between Fanvi and Dawyn. They're my favorite babies, and I would give my everything if I could just keep them safe!

Ever since the beginning of their relationship, I just knew this pair will be my fave. I just knew it. Fanvi is a whole mood, he's the vibe, he's the real queen - and his attitude is everything. His sassiness and his true, passionate, and caring love for Dawyn set him as my favorite character ever since he was first introduced.

I love keeping my reviews spoiler-free, so I won't be going much into the plot - but I will warn you. You need to keep in mind that this series is still a dark fantasy. Not all pages are about love, resolving personal things left unsaid, cuddling and caressing, kissing and having deep, emotional conversations about freeing the country and having a warm, loving home.

To earn that freedom and warmth, you have to win a war. And wars are never, ever pretty.

There is lots of angst, dread and distress, especially in the last third of the book. There's always this cloud of lingering fear and tension flying above Thaleon, Dawyn, Fanvi, Laurits, and Lyris. Not only them, but captain Vikron, Nief (this boy is so precious, I swear), the rest of the crew, the rest of the mages and all the people in these lands, too. The war is coming, and it's coming fast.

And if they don't find a way to save their country and its people, then who will?

It's a truly beautiful tale of love, loss, and hope. Because there is always hope, even for the dark mages, even when they're hunted and killed just for simply existing. Yes, there is hope to put a stop to it all, but at what cost?

You will have to read this book and see for yourself.

This is also a book for all sea lovers. I just adore how N. K. Leem always sets her books in different landscapes - this one being mostly a journey through the vast ocean. And yes, if you're wandering about monsters - you will find them here. Ohh yes. Many different kinds of monsters lurk beneath the dark waters. But what can a mage do, when their magic won't work on sea serpents and thick, heavy darkness they must go through?

They must find a way to beat the sea at its own game.

I just can't recommend this series enough ~ not to mention that the author is a wonderful soul who has poured her whole heart into creating this world, these characters, the magic system, the conflicts, the story - everything.

I simply can't wait for the final book!

[Eszter K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to read this book because the lovely N. K. Leem was kind enough to send me an ARC and I'm eternally thankful for it. What a ride!

It's not my favorite book in the series but I still enjoyed it very much, especially the second part.

We met Thaleon again where we left him the last time we saw him. On a ship. Now, usually I don't like ships and traveling by sea in my reads so I can't say I was entirely happy about our situation but the truth is the characters saved the day. Now that they're all together, the dream team if I can call them that, we got some really interesting new dynamics I really loved and I can't wait to read more about. We also got old pairings back which was also nice and the mood was just amazing. I loved reading about these people we knew finally all being together and getting to know each other and I guess this atmosphere saved the book for me.

Because...

I'm a bit torn. Even though I adored this book, the first half of it felt like a side quest. Which is not necessarily a problem but I felt the main plot too distant and it was bothering me constantly. I couldn't imagine how will we ever get back to the main plotline in time to get a satisfying ending in the next book. There was so many questions and things to do for our characters that I could not not worry.

I guess I did it for nothing since the author led us back to where we were supposed to end up anyway but I can't banish the feeling we wasted that time. It's not the author's problem, it's personal but it affected my experience with the book greatly. This part also felt like the silence before the storm. A dangerous journey to bring our characters together before thay all march to their deaths. A bit too pink to be real but at the end of the day I think our team needed it. Some happines.

Thankfully we're set for the grand finale which I can't wait for. We met some really interesting new characters in this book as well and after the sea adventure we got back to the mainland. To be honest, this was the point when I felt like "yes, we're home". I couldn't be thankful enough.

After this point I couldn't put the book down. It was intersting, filled with action, new settings, intrigue. Everything I live for and what I love this series for. There's also the constant pressure on Thaleon of course which I'm obsessed with. It pushes him into interesting, dangerous directions. I wonder what will he do next when we see him.

I can't wait for the last book.
And again, I can't be thankful enough for the author for this ARC copy.

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ledgers of a Dark Mage have become a mainstay on my shelf. We waited a long time for book 5 to come out and it did not disappoint. New adventures and challenges continue in each chapter. It’s become common to be emotionally distressed, wondering if a character is going to die because there are too many close calls in their adventures. But that’s the fun of reading a fantasy novel. The world that NK Leem has created has become more vivid, wild, and vast in my mind. It’s become a place I’m so familiar with, yet always getting to know more since there are always new creatures and lands to explore. The characters are growing older and more into themselves as they face these challenges. They’re becoming stronger, more determined, and relationships are strengthening. It’s hard to give a book a good review without giving any spoilers. I’ve spent hours in the Ledgers of a Dark Mage series. It makes me want to jump into this world sometimes and see all the characters in real life, even the scary ones. I’m sad but excited that the next book will be the last in the series. This one ends on a cliffhanger but it leaves you with the feeling that something really really big is waiting for us in the last book.

[Beth O’Halloran · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the fifth book in its series, it is a tricky one to review. If you have not already, I urge you to go back to the beginning and give this series a chance. It is a highly imaginative and original indie fantasy saga. It is somehow both incredibly dark and incredibly fun. N.K. Leem's skills as a writer and storyteller continue to improve with each instalment.

With its sea-faring setting, the undertone of this offering is pure adventure, albeit not without the moments of danger and violence that are on-brand for the series. It is delightful to see the two separate story lines that we have followed through most of the previous books truly combined and all the players interacting - this is a crew I'd want to join! More so than even the previous entries, this book focuses on the found family dynamic between the characters, with the bonds of brotherhood at its centre. Here, the characters and their relationships shine.

The ending left me desperate to have the next (and final) book in my hands as soon as possible, yet at the same time it will be difficult to say goodbye to these characters and their story.

[Cookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

#cookiereads Winds of Chaos by N. K. Leen 🔥
First off I would like to thank N.K. Leem for providing an ARC! Super awesome!! Now now to the book review….
Thaleon is public enemy number 1 in Ithotia; he is a valekyn (dark mage) and he just killed the king Danre. Riel his former friend,(and Danre betrothed)and now regent to Ithotia is out to get Thaleon and company for betraying her and killing her betrothed. Thaleon has a plan if he could summon a spell then the war can be won but the problem is he has to convince Riel…. Also our heroes have a very dangerous journey ahead of them on a ship with danger waters and creature…..Oh my!! How will they survive???? 🔥
Furiends what an amazing read!! You get right to the meat and potatoes of the book. This book is packed with adventures and it keeps you on your toes. I wish there was a map though….More Vikron and Lauritis please!!!
3.5 out of four paws #nkleem #ledgersofadarkmage #darkfantasybooks #lgbtqbooks #bookstagram #bookaddict #booklover #corgination #corgilife❤️ #corgiofinstagram #corgiofinsta #corgiofigs #corgireads #dogreadsbook

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Spoiler Free*

“There’s a master in Helfirim who studies languages.” Fanvi turned to him with a grin. “She has a habit of cursing in different languages when she’s angry. I used to try to irritate her just so I could hear her curse. That was one of her favorite Haskian phrases.”

Welcome to book 5 where everything and every character is thrown into mass chaos. The beginning of the book was a struggle (but N.K. Leem knows why I feel that way). The rest of the book was pure chaos and I did not expect anything less. There really isn’t a whole lot I can say as this is book 5 of the series. It I did there would be spoilers.

One of my favorite things about Winds of Chaos is that it gives off massive Pirates of the Caribbean vibes. Literally all I could think about while reading a lot of the chapters.

I have one more book to go once it is released. I’m expecting great things and as always mass chaos.

[Milena Ognjanovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in the Ledgers of a Dark Mage series. It was so easy to dive back into this world even though I read the previous book quite a while ago. The world and the characters are so interesting and well written that I have no trouble remembering them. It's hard to write a lot about this particular book since it's the fifth book in a series. This sequel is directly continues after the events of the previous book (and the last book was quite intense). We follow Thaleon and Dawn on a new dangerous journey. I was biting my nails throughout the book. It was very interesting and fast paced. The characters are my favorite part of this series. I just love them and don't want anything bad happening to them. I cannot wait for the next and final book in this amazing series

[Kay M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ack - I love these characters so darn much.

CAWPILE rating: 10.00