A Single Brutal Fate

The Broken Tower #2

by Lee Paige O'Brien

A powerful spellcaster must find an ancient archive and escape a dangerous bargain to save their friend—and themself—in the second book in The Broken Tower saga, which New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White called “a twisting, creeping mystery full of tenuous friendships, difficult choices, and beautiful magic.” Rat Evans knows that they shouldn’t have made a deal with Isola, a shadowy raven knight older than the stars and more powerful than the strongest arcanists. They know Isola can’t be trusted, know that promising to go with her once all of this is over was a mistake. But they’d needed to make sure their friends were safe—that Harker was safe, even though they’re still not sure if he’s a friend or a rival or something more complicated. And even if Isola’s been keeping him locked away at the tower for almost two months. 
 
Now, Rat needs to search Bellamy Arts for answers on how to get Isola’s heart out of the Ingrid Collection. But even with the help of Will, Jinx, and Agatha, the doors to the collection might be the one puzzle Rat can’t solve, and Evening is fast on their heels.
 
The more Rat tries to use their powers to unravel the secrets of Isola’s heart and the Collection, the more they realize how intertwined they may be in all of this—and that their role in Isola’s game might be an even more dangerous one than they’d imagined. Will Rat find a way to escape their deal and save the boy they care about most? And what are they willing to risk in order to make sure that the tower and Isola are razed to the ground, for good this time?
 
Enthralling and filled with twists, the second book in the Broken Tower Saga combines the dark academia aesthetic of A Lesson in Vengeance with the queer rage of Hell Followed with Us and will have readers tearing through the pages to see how this duology ends.

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, LGBT, Young Adult

384 pages, Hardcover

Published March 11, 2025

Reviews

[Amy Imogene Reads]

I am SO excited for this one. Pleaseeeee can more people read this world so that I can 👏 talk 👏 about it!

[✧ iva · Rating 3 out of 5]

love the immediate pick up after the first book, the shifting relation and growing partnership(?) with immense amounts of seemingly one sided longing, very strong build up really enjoyed that the dynamic didn’t slip after the final love confession

“everyone but them knows”

also agatha and jinx anyone? okay … no? imagined something going on there (hoped)

really liked isola’s antagonistic character arc and the mcs complicated feelings towards her / the tower, not black and white / good and evil but toying with ambivalence (atleast what it felt like)

interesting world building but still several plot holes (dk if there will be another book?)

yuh idk partly annoyed/ bored by some side characters who didn’t really need to be there, didn’t serve a purpose or felt irrelevant

all in all more or less good read

[Rowen H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tone of this duology really is sooo up my alley. Only real problem is that I really should have re-read the first book before diving into this, but I managed.

[Pie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This did unfortunately fall prey to a curse afflicting me in recent months where I close out of an ebook app and immediately forget that I'm reading a book even if I'm really enjoying this. But this was a very satisfying conclusion to a super underrated duology! I really enjoy the wayfinding magic, my ship sailed, and there was lots of running around old magic houses, creepy towers in other worlds, and underground archives. More people should read this series, it's great.

[EmmaLee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting and twisty.

I really enjoyed this one. It had even more heart than the first one, which focused more on establishing characters, relationships, and magic.

It has been a long time since I read a book that elicited a physical response from me. My heart raced, I thrashed in excitement, and I clenched the book tightly as I tossed each page aside in anticipation for the next.

An insane ride that wrapped up nicely, violently, and perfectly. I couldn't ask for more.

[Brew · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOOOHOOOO a slow burn worth