Guardian of Wrath: A Nyx Fortuna Novel

Nyx Fortuna #6

by Michelle Manus

Kiev A-Morridahn must pay.

This is the vow Nyx Fortuna has sworn. Keeping it is all but impossible, but it is the one thing that motivates her. Whatever she must do, she will do. Whatever she must sacrifice, she will give.

But if she succeeds, she’ll have to reckon with everything she’s pushed aside in her quest for vengeance. As it turns out, feelings—and friends—don’t like being ignored.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 19, 2025

About the author

Michelle lives in a desolate land with a dark wizard, a unicorn, and a feline overlord. Despite certain stereotypes you may be familiar with, the dark wizard is not holding her captive, nor does the unicorn require virgin riders. The feline overlord, however, may well be evil.

She holds dual BAs in English and Philosophy, which has gotten her about as far as you would expect it to in life. Despite all evidence to the contrary, she’s still desperately holding out hope that in an alternate reality she’s a sword-wielding princess.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just keeps getting better!

When I finished the last book, I was devastated by Seth's death. I was invested in him and his relationship with Nyx, in large part because he had worked so hard to overcome an unhealthy childhood and to be a moral, nurturing, stable person. I really hoped that there would be some magical restoration to life in book six and theorized that it could be credible if Kiev messed with Nyx's mind, perceptions, and ability to always find Seth in order to make her suffer. Doing so would be very consistent with his sadistic desire to inflict suffering and to have secret knowledge. Going into book six, that was my desired outcome. I like happy endings.

Even though I didn't get that happy outcome, I think the story as told was stronger. In real life, loss happens. Good people die senselessly, and we have to pick up the pieces afterwards. Nyx's character and actions were so real and believable, and frankly motivational in the end. That's why this book received 5 stars from me--it told the hard story that I didn't really want, and gave me character growth and expression that I believed.

Honestly? I still want Seth back though.

[Melissa Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts six months after the previous in the series. I will admit, I was worried coming into this one yet I wanted to see what Nyx did next. (If you read -- which you should read this series if you love traditional Urban Fantasy -- then you know why I was worried yet needed to get this.)

After reading this book and all I've read by Michelle so far, she has my total faith in her characters path in life. Her writing keeps things emotionally invested and moving along, keeping me flipping pages.

So much talent in this woman's writing. She builds the world and works it, expanding the limits as we learn things that are experienced. I think this is a great way to share magic and worlds. It elevates the investment for us the readers as we experience and learn with the characters.

I teared up a few times. I'm so glad someone's not forgotten. Nyx struggles to move one, which is hard to see. She needs something to focus on, to work on, to try to bring her around to her friends again. In this mission she's made, to punish the one who did this, Nyx is reminded of who we've lost. It's heartbreaking to move forward with life after such a dear lose. And when you start to smile... if feels wrong. This is part of carrying that heavy heart on. But when with friends, they are there with you. Everyone feels lose differently and sees it differently in life, but they are needed to help you. It's okay to hurt.

This book's theme for me is friends. Friends and found family are so important. They can be the ones that are the closest to you in the most difficult times and the best times in your life. So much love for this book.

Nyx. We see Nyx start to come out of her shell. We get to see more of Jevryn, which I love him! There are so many parallels between Nyx and Jevryn. It was a rough start with Jevryn in the previous book, and there's still bumps in the road here. And I'm sure many bumps to come knowing Nyx's personality, but I can't wait to see the interactions.

As I get into this series, I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. This is a series I love. I'm looking forward to the next book and the series as Michelle writes these.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have, historically, very much enjoyed this author’s work, but I found this and her previous book to be disappointing for me. The author’s dedication of this book to “everyone who understands that life is rarely fair” should serve for readers as a foreshadowing of what to expect from this story. This book (and the end of the previous book) reflects a shift in tone and theme to a much darker and depressing feel than her previous works. Historically Manus’ stories have centered around a strong main character who struggles but perseveres, with underlying themes of hope, resilience, and found family. Before the end of book 5, I would have characterized this series as one of my favorites, and very much in keeping with those past themes. Things took a very dark turn at the end of book 5, however. I had hoped that the author would find a way to fix it in book 6, but she didn’t. She doubled down on the dark and depressing instead, making it clear that the protagonist is moving forward with her story for the benefit of others (and a bit more revenge), not out of any desire to live. The main character lost any hope for the future, lives devoid of joy and her chance of an HEA was effectively ended.

I still believe the author is incredibly talented as a writer, with well-developed characters and intricate and fast paced plots. I read for escapism, however. I can tolerate angst, turmoil and some mild suffering along the way, so long as the good outweighs the bad, they don’t kill any of my favorite characters, and the main characters get their HEA in the end. This book violated all those latter parameters. I hate when books leave me feeling sad or disheartened after reading them, which this book did. There is enough darkness in the real world right now, I don’t need that in my escapist fiction. For those who resonate with darker themes or who have a higher depressing read tolerance than I do, you might still enjoy this series. For me, however, I don’t think I will be moving forward with it past book 6.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.4

This book was a necessary step in the series, but it was heavier than other installments, and not my favorite. Though, it was well-done.

I had gone back and re-read the entire series before embarking on this book, to have a better recall of more of the small details, and I was grateful that I had done that. The book kicks back off shortly after the events of the 5th book. Nyx is mired in depression, and no one seems to be able to get through her sadness and anger. Jevryn takes her to his home and tries to introduce new training and a new setting to help shake her out of her misery. It adds more wrath to her grief, and she sets a new goal of avenging Seth to motivate her. The rest of the book revolves around her determination to end Kiev while more or less avoiding anything from her life with Seth to minimize the pain of his absence.

The whole series has shown Nyx to be a rather impulsive and emotional character that feels deeply, and this book stayed true to that. It wasn't my favorite to read about, but it was appropriate to the character and the series. I thought the general handling of Nyx's grief was well written and didn't gloss over things to fit a plotline. It was all organic and real.

As ever with most of the magic in this series, things tend to work out just fine for Nyx and that caters more to the plotline. This book does have a tendency to make magic feel second nature and easy when new things occur. It's not that Nyx doesn't have to train or run into difficulties, but it also feels like she is always able to do whatever she needs to do via her magic, to overcome all the book's external conflicts.

Overall, this was a captivating story and I enjoyed reading it. I look forward to what will come next in this series. It feels like the author decided Seth and Kiev didn't have a future in the greater arc of the series, so I am curious to see where Nyx is taken next that will need Kiev gone and Seth not holding her back.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michelle Manus starts the book with this dedication: "For everyone who understands that life is rarely fair, and we do the best we can within the confines of this fact." She knew that readers grieved the loss of Seth, and then she gave readers the right book to grieve with those left behind.

In Guardian of Wrath, Nyx is grieving the loss of Seth and all the hopes and dreams of that relationship. She’s spent months being prodded and trained by her father and being guarded from harming herself by succumbing to the death magic of her familial line. Nyx knows that she can stop some of the hurting by hunting down Kiev A-Morridahn and preventing further atrocities on his part – but does revenge ever really stop the pain of grief?

There’s no real owner’s manual for grieving – you’d like to hope you can manage to lean into family and friends, but Nyx, like so many people, pulled away from those left who loved her, and she’s wrapped firmly in the cloak of her grief. She slowly wakes from her fog of grief while she pursues an ill-prepared plan to find Kiev, and her friends and family gradually find the way through their grief together.

There’s a lot of grief and messy Nyx in this installment of the series – Michelle Manus spared us from the horror of instantly replacing Seth with a new (old) love interest, which was a huge fear from me. Nyx has some movement in arranging the pieces of her family in the future, and the overall story moves along so that Nyx is poised to finally release the trapped souls of the portal guardians in the final installment of the series.

This book is a must-read for fans of the series, and I’d strongly suggest new readers start back at the beginning of the series so they can meet and love Seth too.

[Oksana Savchenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storytelling is great, but the spark of magic is gone

This is my personal opinion and perception of the story. Michelle Manus is undeniably a gifted storyteller. Her ability to weave intricate worlds, compelling dialogue, and emotional insight is something I’ve always admired. That said, stepping into Guardian of Wrayh after the tragic loss of Seth in Book 5 was unexpectedly difficult. It took me several attempts to begin, not because the writing faltered, but because I was afraid of what the story would feel like without him — and, in many ways, that fear proved true.

The plot of this installment felt predictable, almost as if the loss of Seth wasn’t just the loss of a beloved character, but the loss of a certain magic that once infused the series. His absence left a noticeable void. The emotional stakes were still present, but the spark — that sense of wonder, hope, and unexpected depth — seemed dimmed.

Nyx’s journey through unfathomable grief, revenge, and emotional unraveling made sense narratively, yet it also made her feel more self‑centered and closed off than before. Kaden’s return, instead of reigniting the dynamic energy of earlier books, felt flatter than ever. I found myself appreciating the dialogue and the occasional moments of insight, but I wasn’t as invested as I had been throughout the first five books.

Perhaps I’m grieving too — not only Seth, but the hope, love, and magic that once defined this series. In this book, the plot unfolds as coldly and predictably as revenge itself. While I still respect Manus’ craft, Guardian of Wrath didn’t carry the emotional resonance or narrative vitality that made the earlier books unforgettable.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the book, even if I was pulling out my hair with the ending of the last instalment. This author has great world building and some really unique ideas that are so appealing. But I really feel she should include more detail to support the reader keeping all her characters and worlds straight. A simple sentence reminding a reader who a character is when they are introduced briefly 3 books ago and now rejoin the storyline would be nice. I will continue waiting till the end of August and reading the next instalment. Begrudgingly. And I want more romance.

[Heidi S. Trauger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hard book as it progresses through grief and rage. The death from the last book hits hard for the reader and MC. If you carry the character’s feeling outside the book, be prepared to be sad for a bit. I was worried they’d immediately inject a new love interest and they did not, so it was a relief. I’m really hoping they don’t have her go back to her ex, but it wasn’t indicated in this book. Hopefully never.

[Fae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

Rampaged through this series in under a week - it had everything I want out of a series - loved the universe created, the characters, the battles (both physical and emotional!) and the character development. All the stars, can't wait for the next one.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in one day. While the book deals with grief and definitely made me tear up a few times there was still plenty of action and adventure.