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Daindreth's Assassin #5
Daindreth's Empress
An empire can have only one ruler. Amira Brindonu Fanduillion has been crowned alongside her husband, the rightful heir to the Erymayan Empire. They have survived assassination attempts and schemes within the palace to retake the throne and begin their reign. It appears to be their moment of victory, until reports of a rampaging demon horde reach them from the countryside. Vesha, Daindreth's mother and the former empress, has made a deal with a fallen goddess for the empire's protection. But no one wins a deal with demons and as the cythraul spiral out of Vesha's control, she grows more desperate by the day. She hopes that by freeing the fallen goddess, order will be restored—but at what cost?Alongside, Thadred and their Istovari allies, Amira and Daindreth set out to stop Vesha and her demon horde, hoping they will be able to reach her in time. The stakes have never been higher and more than just the throne could be lost.As the very gods vie for control of the continent, Amira and Daindreth's work to bring peace might be over before it has begun.Daindreth's Empress is the thrilling conclusion to the Fantasy Romance Daindreth's Assassin series.
301 pages, Paperback
First published January 30, 2024
About the author
Elisabeth Wheatley
34 books5,124 followersElisabeth Wheatley is a fantasy author because warrior princess wasn’t an option. She loves tea and asking questions.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
February 25, 2024
So, let get the negative out of the way first. I think I figured out why Vesha's point of view bothers me so much besides the way it breaks up the pacing of the book. It's because it her storyline more pathetic than tragic. Vesha was already a sympathetic villain. The reader understands why she made the decisions she did, even if she was wrong, and she very clearly had good intentions. Her point of view in this book and the last one clearly shows that she knows that she's made a mistake but is lying to herself to justify her actions. Vesha's end was always going to be tragic, but that's been lessened as I spend a lot of the during her point of view yelling at her in my head for being so foolish. To give her credit, in the end she did start making better decisions. But that's really a personal nitpick, and didn't detract from the story too much in the end.
However, this book does do a really good job capturing the shifting realities the characters are facing. Amira and Daindreth are now both figuring out how to rule and run the empire as well as dealing with the threat that Vesha and cythual pose. Daindreth is coming to terms with the fact that he may have to order his mother's death as well as some of the other hard decisions that the leader of a country has to make. Thadred and Sair continue to be fantastic additions to the story, and it is hinted that the author might not be done with them yet at the end of the book. Amira and Daindreth have come a long way from the first book, and I found seeing them earn their happy ending really satisfying. I do think that the fourth and fifth books are the weakest in this series, but this book did bring the entire story to a satisfying end, and it was definitely well worth the read. All in all, this was a fun series though, and I would definitely recommend it to fantasy fans. Four out of five stars.
However, this book does do a really good job capturing the shifting realities the characters are facing. Amira and Daindreth are now both figuring out how to rule and run the empire as well as dealing with the threat that Vesha and cythual pose. Daindreth is coming to terms with the fact that he may have to order his mother's death as well as some of the other hard decisions that the leader of a country has to make. Thadred and Sair continue to be fantastic additions to the story, and it is hinted that the author might not be done with them yet at the end of the book. Amira and Daindreth have come a long way from the first book, and I found seeing them earn their happy ending really satisfying. I do think that the fourth and fifth books are the weakest in this series, but this book did bring the entire story to a satisfying end, and it was definitely well worth the read. All in all, this was a fun series though, and I would definitely recommend it to fantasy fans. Four out of five stars.
March 10, 2024
Well.... That got graphically violent and disturbing rather quickly. I ended up skipping over a major chunk of this book. As far as it goes for the story it is masterfully done. I am just disturbed and haunted also which is not what I'm looking for in a book. It was too spicy for me as well. Still love the the characters and nothing that was written didn't serve the story. Just went farther than my tastes like. I do not enjoy cannibalization of babies and descriptive love making.
August 18, 2024
⭐ What I Liked
*Vesha's character arc. It feels realistic to me. I like that in every instance in which she lost time, it shook her to her core. I like that she felt justified, but also didn't actually understand the consequences of her actions until she SAW them. It was very human.
*Odette was interesting on a metaphorical level.
*Thadred and Sair. I wish they'd had more screen time!
*There were several instances of poetic prose.
*I like how it feels like a myth or legend come alive. The idea that this world is starting to realize that there are far more demigods/children of the gods among them than they initially realized is neat.
*I like that the story doesn't end neatly. It dawns on the characters that they'll have much more to contend with. (However, I must digress, as I wish this was shown throughout the book. Not maid and butlered in. Things like earthquakes happen, but we're only briefly told about it. The "boom in the other room" is problematic.)
📝 Critical Feedback
*I've said it before, but I believe it would serve the author well to simply use the word 'said' after someone speaks. The word 'clipped' is used far too much. It is distracting.
*I would like to suggest to the author that she try to include much more dialogue in her future books. Also, I would suggest NOT making a comment after everyone talks. It is not the place of the 3rd person omniscient narrator to do so. Which brings me to my next point...
*So often there is a small bit of dialogue, and then some expositional prose, and THEN a comment from the narrator. I strongly feel the author should trust her audience more and allow them to INFER meaning, or interpret events for themselves. When reading this series, it feels like someone is over your shoulder making moralistic comments while you're trying to imagine what's going on. It interrupts the mind's eye.
*The use of Deus Ex Rex ought to be reconsidered.
*It doesn't make sense to have this many explicit sex scenes. They haven't bathed, slept, used a bathroom, or ate. The fate of the world is on them. When my husband and I are in a time of stress (we don't have a kingdom, but we do have children, heh), sex doesn't always happen. Sleep and self/joint care are a priority.
*The violence is inconsistent throughout the whole series. Again, the author ought to try having more dialogue (perhaps through messengers and the like), and more open prose so we can infer things on our own. It was a bit jarring to read about detailed attacks on babies.
Before I had children I didn't like this kind of thing, but now that I'm a mother I realize that it is imperative that we treat these kinds of topics with more gravitas and thoughtfulness. It felt like the kind of heavy handed stuff that desensitizes people to violence. Which is probably not the kind of emotion the author was trying to evoke.
Overall, I recommend this series. Wheatley has potential to get even better.
*Vesha's character arc. It feels realistic to me. I like that in every instance in which she lost time, it shook her to her core. I like that she felt justified, but also didn't actually understand the consequences of her actions until she SAW them. It was very human.
*Odette was interesting on a metaphorical level.
*Thadred and Sair. I wish they'd had more screen time!
*There were several instances of poetic prose.
*I like how it feels like a myth or legend come alive. The idea that this world is starting to realize that there are far more demigods/children of the gods among them than they initially realized is neat.
*I like that the story doesn't end neatly. It dawns on the characters that they'll have much more to contend with. (However, I must digress, as I wish this was shown throughout the book. Not maid and butlered in. Things like earthquakes happen, but we're only briefly told about it. The "boom in the other room" is problematic.)
📝 Critical Feedback
*I've said it before, but I believe it would serve the author well to simply use the word 'said' after someone speaks. The word 'clipped' is used far too much. It is distracting.
*I would like to suggest to the author that she try to include much more dialogue in her future books. Also, I would suggest NOT making a comment after everyone talks. It is not the place of the 3rd person omniscient narrator to do so. Which brings me to my next point...
*So often there is a small bit of dialogue, and then some expositional prose, and THEN a comment from the narrator. I strongly feel the author should trust her audience more and allow them to INFER meaning, or interpret events for themselves. When reading this series, it feels like someone is over your shoulder making moralistic comments while you're trying to imagine what's going on. It interrupts the mind's eye.
*The use of Deus Ex Rex ought to be reconsidered.
*It doesn't make sense to have this many explicit sex scenes. They haven't bathed, slept, used a bathroom, or ate. The fate of the world is on them. When my husband and I are in a time of stress (we don't have a kingdom, but we do have children, heh), sex doesn't always happen. Sleep and self/joint care are a priority.
*The violence is inconsistent throughout the whole series. Again, the author ought to try having more dialogue (perhaps through messengers and the like), and more open prose so we can infer things on our own. It was a bit jarring to read about detailed attacks on babies.
Before I had children I didn't like this kind of thing, but now that I'm a mother I realize that it is imperative that we treat these kinds of topics with more gravitas and thoughtfulness. It felt like the kind of heavy handed stuff that desensitizes people to violence. Which is probably not the kind of emotion the author was trying to evoke.
Overall, I recommend this series. Wheatley has potential to get even better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2025
Damn, what a great ending for this part of the universe. I don't know when I'm going to get a chance to read Bastard's Honor but wow, what a series.
Was I able to pronounce all of the names? No. Did I love that fact? Yes.
This series gets better with each book. The slowburn is well worth the wait for Amira, Dain, Thadred and Sair. I appreciate how gritty the series let's itself be. It's crazy that it all takes place over 6 months but It didn't feel rushed despite the timeline of everything happening.
Was I able to pronounce all of the names? No. Did I love that fact? Yes.
This series gets better with each book. The slowburn is well worth the wait for Amira, Dain, Thadred and Sair. I appreciate how gritty the series let's itself be. It's crazy that it all takes place over 6 months but It didn't feel rushed despite the timeline of everything happening.
January 24, 2024
Pre-ordered. Sweet ending, dull book.
The book starts with Amira being bored. Relevant? Sure. Worthy of a POV chapter? Nope. It could have been an offhand "I'm almost glad Vesha showed up, I haven't had a minute to exercise in months" remark. The rest of the book is in the same vein. Yes, even Harry Potter 7 had Ron complain about the drudgery, but we can do so much more if we flex our creative muscles. There was a story here. It was just sidelined by the day-to-day of it all. There was a story to be told. It was just waiting on the sidelines.
Glad it's over, and it's a good thing Deus Ex Machina only works once. This book was mostly slow and dull, apart from the end. Obvious twist.
I get the feeling that the author was so pumped at the cool ending that all her characters ended up killing time until that could happen.
Liked that I could get this off of the author's website because Amazon is awful.
The book starts with Amira being bored. Relevant? Sure. Worthy of a POV chapter? Nope. It could have been an offhand "I'm almost glad Vesha showed up, I haven't had a minute to exercise in months" remark. The rest of the book is in the same vein. Yes, even Harry Potter 7 had Ron complain about the drudgery, but we can do so much more if we flex our creative muscles. There was a story here. It was just sidelined by the day-to-day of it all. There was a story to be told. It was just waiting on the sidelines.
Glad it's over, and it's a good thing Deus Ex Machina only works once. This book was mostly slow and dull, apart from the end. Obvious twist.
I get the feeling that the author was so pumped at the cool ending that all her characters ended up killing time until that could happen.
Liked that I could get this off of the author's website because Amazon is awful.
January 12, 2025
I think the author did a nice job wrapping up this series for the most part. The resolution felt a little deus ex machina but it wasn't totally out of the blue. I'm definitely ready to go read about Thadrid's story after the story and let Dain and Amira live happily ever after.
June 12, 2024
3.5 - This series was enjoyable. The writing was pretty solid. This was much more of a plot driven book than a character driven book in my opinion, which is unusual for a fantasy romance. TBH I was a little board of Amira and Dain by the end. But Thadrid and Seir! Can’t wait for their spinoff! The ending was really satisfying and unexpected. I still think that these books could have been combined into a 3 book series instead of 5. I also discovered far too late that the books are cheaper on her website than on Amazon. Edit - I knocked off half a star for the descriptions of mutilated bodies. I was so happy about the ending that I forgot about how over the top gory this book got at some points. Mostly describing dead bodies.
November 27, 2025
What a strong conclusion to the series!
No spoilers, but I love what happened in the end with Vesha and Daindreth. I think there will be those who argue with me that Vesha got better than she deserved, but it's probably the same people who think everyone deserves to get punished and grace is scarce in the world. Well then, why don't we make more grace for people around us--and most of us in this position could probably start by giving grace to themselves.
I love Daindreth & Amira's very healthy relationship with each other--great communication, great connection, great love.
No spoilers, but I love what happened in the end with Vesha and Daindreth. I think there will be those who argue with me that Vesha got better than she deserved, but it's probably the same people who think everyone deserves to get punished and grace is scarce in the world. Well then, why don't we make more grace for people around us--and most of us in this position could probably start by giving grace to themselves.
I love Daindreth & Amira's very healthy relationship with each other--great communication, great connection, great love.
March 26, 2025
Satisfying ending to the series. I especially liked how the author treated demons as actual demons instead of just glazing over them as 'bad humans' like so many authors tend to do.
There was a little deus ex machina, but it made sense within the world of the story, which I suppose is all that matters. When you're talking about gods, a little deus ex machina is expected.
There was a little deus ex machina, but it made sense within the world of the story, which I suppose is all that matters. When you're talking about gods, a little deus ex machina is expected.
December 26, 2024
I did enjoy this series, and the fantasy is well written, but there were a handful of "spicy" scenes written throughout the 5 books and I am not of fan of that and I had to skip those parts. For that reason I'm not surr if I would recommend them to others or not.
September 16, 2024
Une super conclusion à la série! C'est mon livre préféré de la série avec le 3ème!
March 3, 2025
Whole series is fade to black but story line is good.
April 29, 2025
je to skvělá série? jo
mohlo být méně knížek? jo😅
mohlo být méně knížek? jo😅
January 22, 2026
My favorite book in this series. Great pacing and plot turns. This series is one I will read again and again.
June 15, 2024
I Love the characters and the series was great. Can't wait to read Bastard's Honor.
December 30, 2024
Amira and Daindreth are back to trying to stop Vesha from taking over the realm with and evil goddess and her cythraul.
The Romance is light but the action and the stakes are high. Reading the parts about Vesha read like a medieval painting of hell. Vesha's downfall was tragic.
It is as good to see Dain loose it a few times and having Amira being the level headed one. They make an endearing a realistic pair with their dynamic I enjoyed.
This is a fantasy series I won't forget anytime soon.
The Romance is light but the action and the stakes are high. Reading the parts about Vesha read like a medieval painting of hell. Vesha's downfall was tragic.
It is as good to see Dain loose it a few times and having Amira being the level headed one. They make an endearing a realistic pair with their dynamic I enjoyed.
This is a fantasy series I won't forget anytime soon.
June 5, 2024
What a great series! The characters, the story flow, and the energy of the books is amazing!
March 11, 2026
One of those books where it just kept getting worse. I read this book for completeness' sake because I'd read the rest of the series and wanted to see how it would all end. Sadly, nothing was a surprise or interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2026
This was the perfect ending to the saga. I enjoyed the unconventional climax to the narrative and thought it was fitting for all of the characters. This is a rich world with a lot of depth and emotional nuance. I certainly recommend this series for anyone who likes dark, character-driven epics.
December 22, 2024
A mostly enjoyable conclusion to the series.
Most of the characters have shown growth, and courage. The world has been interesting, and we've explored the breadth of the Empire, as well as seen a fair bit of its destruction.
The gods and goddesses have finally shown themselves, after 3 books displaying a more subtle influence.
It was generally satisfying, and I would have given it 4 stars, but for the fate of Vesha.
The author is far more forgiving of the woman than I could be. Anyone who wilfully allows so much death and despair at the claws of evil incarnate, did not deserve Vesha's 'redemption.'
I even understand the fate of Daindreth's father, Drystan - and a God of Regrets is a very interesting creation.
But, the book loses a star for its ending. Vesha 'getting off' so to speak - after 2 books of her trying to get a demon to completely possess her son, and giving it (and it's evil Mother/Goddess) rule of the Empire; and another 2 books watching her unleash hoards of demons upon innocent civilians, to possess, murder, devour, defile?
I suppose it depends on whether the reader ever had any compassion/sympathy for Vesha's character? I did for what she endured over 20 years ago. But that didn't excuse ANY of her later crimes. Maybe it's an 'age' thing, perhaps a younger reader might be more forgiving.
She did not earn, nor deserve her 'happily ever after.' The author's forgiveness seems to make those atrocities worse somehow.
Maybe Vesha the woman had deserved mercy, but Vesha the terrible, cruel mother, Empress, Witch, business partner of demons, and cause of death for thousands (or tens of thousands) of innocent children, women and men? No. She did not deserve mercy.
And that undeserved redemption soured the book, and therefore the series, for me.
Most of the characters have shown growth, and courage. The world has been interesting, and we've explored the breadth of the Empire, as well as seen a fair bit of its destruction.
The gods and goddesses have finally shown themselves, after 3 books displaying a more subtle influence.
It was generally satisfying, and I would have given it 4 stars, but for the fate of Vesha.
The author is far more forgiving of the woman than I could be. Anyone who wilfully allows so much death and despair at the claws of evil incarnate, did not deserve Vesha's 'redemption.'
I even understand the fate of Daindreth's father, Drystan - and a God of Regrets is a very interesting creation.
But, the book loses a star for its ending. Vesha 'getting off' so to speak - after 2 books of her trying to get a demon to completely possess her son, and giving it (and it's evil Mother/Goddess) rule of the Empire; and another 2 books watching her unleash hoards of demons upon innocent civilians, to possess, murder, devour, defile?
I suppose it depends on whether the reader ever had any compassion/sympathy for Vesha's character? I did for what she endured over 20 years ago. But that didn't excuse ANY of her later crimes. Maybe it's an 'age' thing, perhaps a younger reader might be more forgiving.
She did not earn, nor deserve her 'happily ever after.' The author's forgiveness seems to make those atrocities worse somehow.
Maybe Vesha the woman had deserved mercy, but Vesha the terrible, cruel mother, Empress, Witch, business partner of demons, and cause of death for thousands (or tens of thousands) of innocent children, women and men? No. She did not deserve mercy.
And that undeserved redemption soured the book, and therefore the series, for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2026
My least favorite book of the series in large parts because so much of it was "preparation" for the final showdown. Plus I know it's war and wars are brutal and ugly but I struggled with some of the content described and it was too much at times.
As for the actual final showdown - it was all well and good until that one plot twist in the dread marches. Vesha caused so much chaos, pain, and destruction on people who had nothing to do with her power trip. She should have born the consequences of her actions fully, instead she got a slap into wrist and a ticket to the equivalent of heaven/good place.
I did enjoy the court intrigue portions, though. The assassination attempt especially. Wish we could have seen more of Fonra.
As for the actual final showdown - it was all well and good until that one plot twist in the dread marches. Vesha caused so much chaos, pain, and destruction on people who had nothing to do with her power trip. She should have born the consequences of her actions fully, instead she got a slap into wrist and a ticket to the equivalent of heaven/good place.
I did enjoy the court intrigue portions, though. The assassination attempt especially. Wish we could have seen more of Fonra.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2025
Ultimately what dragged this book down for me was that the author clearly wanted me to sympathize more with Vesha. A lot of this book was spent in her pov witnessing the horrors and suffering that she unleashed. I think this is trying to get at the idea that every villain is the hero of their own story, but I think most of us would be disabused of any ideas of heroism after the 2nd wholesale slaughter we had to witness. It really did more to make me question Vesha's intelligence that she was shocked that unleashing a demon army was infact a bad idea. Her actions directly led to the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of people. Im the end she doesn't do much to really redeeme herself either. Maybe if she sacrificed something in the end and died knowing she would never be reunited with her family in death there would have been some redemption for her character. While the ending is sweet, there is no catharsis for the reader. After causing the death of so many people she gets to live for eternity as the consort to a God and her true love. The authors obviously sympathy for Vesha honestly also started to make me hate Daindreth. I know he's supposed to be the one with morals in the relationship but his hesitance to condemn Vesha once he learns what she's been doing made me really question how good of a person he actually was. I'm sorry but even if Vesha loved and protected him growing up and thinks she was doing the right thing she also decided that there was an acceptable number of people to die to achieve her "everlasting peace"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2024
The POV of Vesha didn't add anything to this book. I find her annoying and very, very dumb. She's so pathetic. They literally tell her what's gonna happen to her and she's like "that can't be true, I need rest" and just goes on seeing literally the opposite happen to the empire than what she wanted & still be okay with handing it over to the very creatures doing that to the empire (sidenote: everything was disgusting and taken way too far and that poor Odette deserved so much better. Also, please stop with all the rape, it was horrible enough without it). And then Vesha just... gets a happy ever after? After all that??
The love between Daindreth and Amira has turned into nauseating and I wish Amira had enough self-worth to not describe herself as an extension of Daindreth. She's always "his assassin" or "his sorceress". She's an assassin and a sorceress regardless of her relationship to Daindreth, but she really took it far in this book.
I wasn't blown away by the whole series thus far but this was the most disappointing book.
The love between Daindreth and Amira has turned into nauseating and I wish Amira had enough self-worth to not describe herself as an extension of Daindreth. She's always "his assassin" or "his sorceress". She's an assassin and a sorceress regardless of her relationship to Daindreth, but she really took it far in this book.
I wasn't blown away by the whole series thus far but this was the most disappointing book.
February 4, 2024
The series concludes
Perhaps the two most significant elements are that at first the two not only hate each other but in combat try to kill each other and that their marriage is not the end of story. Going from extreme enemies to married lovers fighting for their own survival but also the survival of the empire creates a story worth reading.
This is a world of humans, demons, and gods. The demons are bound by their agreements. While the demons do not act in good faith and exert horrible pressure to get humans to make agreements, once a demon makes an agreement he will abide by the agreement. This creates an interesting dynamic.
My only serious quibble is with the final conflict. As I will not spoil the story by giving it away, you will just have to read the book.
Perhaps the two most significant elements are that at first the two not only hate each other but in combat try to kill each other and that their marriage is not the end of story. Going from extreme enemies to married lovers fighting for their own survival but also the survival of the empire creates a story worth reading.
This is a world of humans, demons, and gods. The demons are bound by their agreements. While the demons do not act in good faith and exert horrible pressure to get humans to make agreements, once a demon makes an agreement he will abide by the agreement. This creates an interesting dynamic.
My only serious quibble is with the final conflict. As I will not spoil the story by giving it away, you will just have to read the book.
September 26, 2024
This book has engaging characters and impressive world-building, showcasing the author's unique vision. The plot is interesting, particularly how Amira and Daindreth grapple with their responsibilities in ruling the empire while facing the threats from Vesha and the Cythual. I really appreciated the transformation of Vesha from a powerful empress to a vulnerable figure seeking redemption, and the twist at the end was both surprising and fitting. However, the writing could use some tightening up; there were moments that dragged on with unnecessary details. Overall, Daindreth's Empress wraps things up nicely and this series is definitely worth reading.
June 7, 2024
Final book in a 5 book series. It was 300 pages and it could have been 150 and still gotten everything across. The POV swaps were much better in this book, really helped tell the story and didn't feel choppy like in the others. You could read book 1 and book 5 and be happy. I did like the ending, overall wrapped up the series very well and opened up for the next series she is starting with two of the side characters. I won't be reading it however.
July 28, 2025
Satisfying ending to the series, some unexpected twists and some predictable turns. Could have done without the child violence though.
Also stop calling poor Lleuad "little horse". Other overused device: "Something didn't feel right."
3.5/5
Also stop calling poor Lleuad "little horse". Other overused device: "Something didn't feel right."
3.5/5
January 13, 2026
I did not expect that ending
Can't wait to start Bastard's Honor
Can't wait to start Bastard's Honor
October 27, 2025
Daindreth's Assassin: 4⭐⭐⭐⭐
Daindreth's Outlaw: 3⭐⭐⭐
Daindreth's Traitor: 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daindreth's Sorceress: 3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daindreth's Empress: 4⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really enjoyed this series, I like the world-building and would continue reading any spin-offs just to know how they rebuild. Overall, would recommend that there are many good characters. However, I will say Amira and Dain's love story is meh at best. This review will be mainly on the series as a whole, with a few book-specific opinions.
Amira
There is something about her that I just didn't love. I felt like she lacked depth as a character, I wish the author would of shown more emotional vulnerability. I felt like we saw no character growth throughout the series, I would of loved to see different sides of her in each book. I hated how after she met Dain everything she did revolved around him. I hate that whole idea of her losing herself as a person. She never got to figure out who she was outside of her father's Kadrahn. It felt like she was still being used, first by her father but also by Dain. Even if it was under the guise that she chose to do those things for him. I hated how Amira used her magic a lot more in the first few books and in each book, it was less. When the Istovari were attacked she saved Rhis using magic. Why didn't she explore that more and use it in future battles? It was like her identity as a sorceress was second to her nature of being an assassin. I would have loved for him to grow into her magical abilities and use them more.
Dain
I disliked him and wouldn't have cared if he died to be honest. He was just of a lukewarm character, for half the book he did nothing, let others decide his life, and didn't even fight for himself. He lacked a spine, stood for nothing, couldn't make hard decisions, was naïve, and so many more things I can say. Just because he can administrarively be the emperor doesn't mean he has the other requirements. He can't make hard choices, he has others do his dirty work, and keeps his hands clean of all the unsavory things needed to maintain the crown. For that, I hate him as a character. We saw no growth at all during the books. The only time he was passionate about anything was when they almost killed Amira.
Thadred
He was the best character of the whole series and I honestly think he carried it. When I was bored with Amira and Dain I just looked forward to what he was up to. I really wanted to see more of him throughout the series. I love the glimpses we got when he rescued Amira and Dain, it's like we got a preview of what he could become. We saw him organize the Istovari, I could see him as a great trainer. I love how much we saw character growth from book to book. I hope he gets a spin-off with a trilogy.
Vesha
I feel like after she started dealing with the cythraul she started losing parts of herself until she couldn't stop. I am not excusing what she did. However in my opinion after years of having them advising her, her own judgement was compromised. I know she was stalling to Dain to reach her and in her heart, she realized things had escalated and crossed lines. However, I hated how she just got away with no punishment for all the lives she caused to die a horrible death in the hands of the cythraul.
Fonra
I feel like the author didn't utilize her as much as she could, she was a very one-dimensional character. I really hope in the future to see what became of her. I hope her time at court will harden her a bit and make her see the reality of wearing the crown. I hope she goes back to Hylendale and becomes an amazing Queen.
Overall
Don't read this for the love story, read it for the world-building and plot. I can't wait to read what else happens in Erymaya. There are so many things I want to know like which sister did Cromwell's son end up marrying? Who did Fonra take as a husband? How did the Istovari rebuild? Did any sorceress come out of hiding? They have lost much power after creating the cursed wood, will they get it back? Did Amira and her father rebuild their relationship? Did Amira and Thadred continue their studies? Did they actually create a magic school? So many more questions, I hope the author gives us some answers down the line.
Daindreth's Outlaw: 3⭐⭐⭐
Daindreth's Traitor: 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daindreth's Sorceress: 3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daindreth's Empress: 4⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really enjoyed this series, I like the world-building and would continue reading any spin-offs just to know how they rebuild. Overall, would recommend that there are many good characters. However, I will say Amira and Dain's love story is meh at best. This review will be mainly on the series as a whole, with a few book-specific opinions.
Amira
There is something about her that I just didn't love. I felt like she lacked depth as a character, I wish the author would of shown more emotional vulnerability. I felt like we saw no character growth throughout the series, I would of loved to see different sides of her in each book. I hated how after she met Dain everything she did revolved around him. I hate that whole idea of her losing herself as a person. She never got to figure out who she was outside of her father's Kadrahn. It felt like she was still being used, first by her father but also by Dain. Even if it was under the guise that she chose to do those things for him. I hated how Amira used her magic a lot more in the first few books and in each book, it was less. When the Istovari were attacked she saved Rhis using magic. Why didn't she explore that more and use it in future battles? It was like her identity as a sorceress was second to her nature of being an assassin. I would have loved for him to grow into her magical abilities and use them more.
Dain
I disliked him and wouldn't have cared if he died to be honest. He was just of a lukewarm character, for half the book he did nothing, let others decide his life, and didn't even fight for himself. He lacked a spine, stood for nothing, couldn't make hard decisions, was naïve, and so many more things I can say. Just because he can administrarively be the emperor doesn't mean he has the other requirements. He can't make hard choices, he has others do his dirty work, and keeps his hands clean of all the unsavory things needed to maintain the crown. For that, I hate him as a character. We saw no growth at all during the books. The only time he was passionate about anything was when they almost killed Amira.
Thadred
He was the best character of the whole series and I honestly think he carried it. When I was bored with Amira and Dain I just looked forward to what he was up to. I really wanted to see more of him throughout the series. I love the glimpses we got when he rescued Amira and Dain, it's like we got a preview of what he could become. We saw him organize the Istovari, I could see him as a great trainer. I love how much we saw character growth from book to book. I hope he gets a spin-off with a trilogy.
Vesha
I feel like after she started dealing with the cythraul she started losing parts of herself until she couldn't stop. I am not excusing what she did. However in my opinion after years of having them advising her, her own judgement was compromised. I know she was stalling to Dain to reach her and in her heart, she realized things had escalated and crossed lines. However, I hated how she just got away with no punishment for all the lives she caused to die a horrible death in the hands of the cythraul.
Fonra
I feel like the author didn't utilize her as much as she could, she was a very one-dimensional character. I really hope in the future to see what became of her. I hope her time at court will harden her a bit and make her see the reality of wearing the crown. I hope she goes back to Hylendale and becomes an amazing Queen.
Overall
Don't read this for the love story, read it for the world-building and plot. I can't wait to read what else happens in Erymaya. There are so many things I want to know like which sister did Cromwell's son end up marrying? Who did Fonra take as a husband? How did the Istovari rebuild? Did any sorceress come out of hiding? They have lost much power after creating the cursed wood, will they get it back? Did Amira and her father rebuild their relationship? Did Amira and Thadred continue their studies? Did they actually create a magic school? So many more questions, I hope the author gives us some answers down the line.
September 22, 2024
The YouTube advertising worked, I will admit. After enjoying Wheatley's shorts for a few months, I eventually gave in and bought the whole series.
As a series, the books honestly don't feel like separate plots strung together into one major plot. I felt as though I was reading volumes of a story instead: one mega-book. The only one that truly stands apart is the first book.
As for the finale, I enjoyed it. It was a quick, easy read, but Wheatley's style is mature and enjoyable. I didn't feel like I was reading trash for fun; I felt like I was reading someone's passion project, one that a lot of time, love, and research had gone into.
The ending was a little saccharine for a book full of actually horrible events. It's a very neat conclusion where all the characters get happy endings... even some of the villains. And it worked on me, I'll admit it. I kind of just shrugged and said, "sure. I buy that."
This review might seem a little meh, but I really did enjoy this series. I see a lot of room for improvement in pacing, but I really appreciated how balanced the romance and plot were.
I'm excited for Bastard's Honor!
Edit: I'm genuinely surprised by how many reviews I see complaining about the gore in this story. Have you not all read the rest of the books? Subjects such as sexual assault, torture, slavery, and further violence have been here since book one. When the main enemy of a story are demons, the forces of hell, I expect there to be no boundaries. I expect the demons to boil babies and rape women and kill indiscriminately.
I would say that my problem is not that these events are present but how they are treated within the story. There are only two characters who I feel actually have reactions: Vesha and Daindreth. These events are described... and then very quickly accepted by the rest of the cast. There's no time dedicated to truly deal with these sorts of horrors.
And I think that's Wheatley's most prevalent weakness. She has these very mature ideas and intriguing ones at that that don't receive the exploration they deserve. I am not suggesting and do not want her to write GoT explicit levels of evil. That is gratuitous and unnecessary. But there needs to be something more than hearing a report and going, "We need to kill Vesha more now, Dain!"
As a series, the books honestly don't feel like separate plots strung together into one major plot. I felt as though I was reading volumes of a story instead: one mega-book. The only one that truly stands apart is the first book.
As for the finale, I enjoyed it. It was a quick, easy read, but Wheatley's style is mature and enjoyable. I didn't feel like I was reading trash for fun; I felt like I was reading someone's passion project, one that a lot of time, love, and research had gone into.
The ending was a little saccharine for a book full of actually horrible events. It's a very neat conclusion where all the characters get happy endings... even some of the villains. And it worked on me, I'll admit it. I kind of just shrugged and said, "sure. I buy that."
This review might seem a little meh, but I really did enjoy this series. I see a lot of room for improvement in pacing, but I really appreciated how balanced the romance and plot were.
I'm excited for Bastard's Honor!
Edit: I'm genuinely surprised by how many reviews I see complaining about the gore in this story. Have you not all read the rest of the books? Subjects such as sexual assault, torture, slavery, and further violence have been here since book one. When the main enemy of a story are demons, the forces of hell, I expect there to be no boundaries. I expect the demons to boil babies and rape women and kill indiscriminately.
I would say that my problem is not that these events are present but how they are treated within the story. There are only two characters who I feel actually have reactions: Vesha and Daindreth. These events are described... and then very quickly accepted by the rest of the cast. There's no time dedicated to truly deal with these sorts of horrors.
And I think that's Wheatley's most prevalent weakness. She has these very mature ideas and intriguing ones at that that don't receive the exploration they deserve. I am not suggesting and do not want her to write GoT explicit levels of evil. That is gratuitous and unnecessary. But there needs to be something more than hearing a report and going, "We need to kill Vesha more now, Dain!"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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