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Talionis #3
Enemy of Talionis
She embraced submission to fuel her rebellion. But escaping to reclaim her freedom was just the beginning. Now she must fight.
Bria and her companions have finally reached Eryndale after a perilous journey, but their troubles are far from over. Mistaken for spies and facing suspicion at every turn, they must convince the skeptical Eryndale leadership of the growing threat posed by Demetrius Ark and his Talionis soldiers.
As they prepare to fight and new allies emerge, Bria and her friends find themselves facing ever increasing odds. Even if they can unite the people of Eryndale to mount a defense against Talionis, it might be too late to stop Ark from carrying out his sinister plans.
Don‘t miss this pulse-pounding continuation of the Talionis saga, where loyalty is tested, alliances are forged, and the line between friend and foe blurs in the face of impending doom.
Bria and her companions have finally reached Eryndale after a perilous journey, but their troubles are far from over. Mistaken for spies and facing suspicion at every turn, they must convince the skeptical Eryndale leadership of the growing threat posed by Demetrius Ark and his Talionis soldiers.
As they prepare to fight and new allies emerge, Bria and her friends find themselves facing ever increasing odds. Even if they can unite the people of Eryndale to mount a defense against Talionis, it might be too late to stop Ark from carrying out his sinister plans.
Don‘t miss this pulse-pounding continuation of the Talionis saga, where loyalty is tested, alliances are forged, and the line between friend and foe blurs in the face of impending doom.
- GenresScience Fiction
500 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2024
9 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Milacci
6 books136 followersC.J. Milacci is the award-winning author of the Talionis Series, and she seeks to take her readers on a grand adventure that begins with a single word. As a referee, she is always relearning the hard lesson that it’s impossible to make everyone happy, and she’s discovered that stories can be found anywhere, even on a lacrosse field. She is passionate about crafting stories of good overcoming evil, finding hope in the midst of seemingly hopeless circumstances, and true acceptance. Always willing to get real about hard issues, C.J. also enjoys the cheesiest of puns. She chats about writing, her faith, bubble tea, and other fun adventures online (@cjmilacci) and at cjmilacci.com.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 22, 2025
3.5 stars, personally ⭐️ Christian Fiction - YA Dystopian
About this book:
“She embraced submission to fuel her rebellion. But escaping to reclaim her freedom was just the beginning. Now she must fight.
Bria and her companions have finally reached Eryndale after a perilous journey, but their troubles are far from over. Mistaken for spies and facing suspicion at every turn, they must convince the skeptical Eryndale leadership of the growing threat posed by Demetrius Ark and his Talionis soldiers.
As they prepare to fight and new allies emerge, Bria and her friends find themselves facing ever increasing odds. Even if they can unite the people of Eryndale to mount a defense against Talionis, it might be too late to stop Ark from carrying out his sinister plans.”
Series: Book #3 in the “Talionis” series. Review of Book #1, Here! and Book #2 Here!
Spiritual Content- Micah 6:8 is a mantra for a group of people (not actually quoted, but a shortened version of it); A few other Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God (including a long one and benediction from an elder); Talks about God, being changed by Him, & trusting Him; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Bria believes God has saved her, but finds it hard to understand how God is supposed to be a part of her everyday life like others have told her about; Bria wonders about some of her friends’ eternal destinies and sharing her faith with them; Bria feels settled and peace from God in a couple difficult situations; Hearing a testimony from a girl who lived in an abusive household and God answering her prayers and pursuing her; Many mentions of God, Jesus, & trusting Him; Many mentions of prayers, praying, & answered prayers; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & verses; Mentions of eternity & seeing a loved one again; Mentions of faiths; Mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of someone looking like he wishes he was anywhere else when God is discussed; A mention of someone telling others to pray for someone if they have any “religious bones” in their bodies;
*Note: Phrases like being “damned” for eternity (without knowing God) is said once & other exclamations like “heavens” and “heaven forbid” are said once and thrice; Many mentions of evil, evil people, & fighting against it/them; Mentions of Hell (both as in eternal damnation when someone doesn’t know Jesus & what Bria has been through, including a training week called “Hell Week”); Mentions of abusive parents that wanted their family to look good to those at their church and would put on a “performance” at church, acting perfect (their kids knew not to make them look like anything other than wonderful godly parents or else they would regret it when they got home; This would include beatings and the kids having to carefully cover bruises; The daughter shares that despite this, she didn’t hate God and loved church); A couple mentions of the devil & someone else being called a devil; A couple mentions of facing demons & being haunted by demons; A mention of a villain saying that someone is following an “empty faith”; A mention of superstitious people.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bunch of bull’, a form of ‘idiot’, two forms of ‘dumb’, two forms of ‘shut up’, two ‘stupid’s, and two ‘ticked’s; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Many scenes of being held at gun-point, being threatened, being tied-up, shooting guns and using knives on others (implied killing as well), gunfire, attacking/fighting, being hit, pain, injuries, blood/bleeding, & throwing up (up to semi-detailed); Setting explosives & explosions; Remembering deaths, near deaths (including by murders/executions, drowning, and someone else being shot), & grief (up to semi-detailed); Seeing dead bodies & others be nearly killed, shot, be held at gun-point and knife-point, tased, attacked, fighting, injured, bleeding, and in pain (up to semi-detailed); Believing loved ones to be dead or dying & grief from it (up to semi-detailed); Bria isn’t sure if she could hurt or kill follow recruits she trained with that are being forced to fight (she asks God to help her with whatever happens); Many mentions of attacks/fights, fighting, weapons, injuries (including major injuries like missing a hand), pain, blood/bleeding, & being tied-up (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of children and teens being kidnapped to become soldiers & parents injured or killed for trying to stop it (seen on-page, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths, grief, & guilt (including drownings and murders/executions; grief for a brother, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of dead bodies; Mentions of missing people, them possibly being dead or killed, & grief for them; Mentions of possible casualties during fights; Mentions of evil men willing to kill others in their way; Mentions of a planned war; Mentions of beatings & torture (including from parents); Mentions of all of the training that Bria and the others did in Book #1 (including fighting & going through Kill Zones where they could be shot, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of threats (including someone threatening to harm or even kill a child); Mentions of criminals & crimes; Mentions of explosives, fires, & places being destroyed; Mentions of betrayal & hurt from betrayal; Mentions of abusive (physically and verbally) parents; Mentions of nightmares; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of hatred; A few mentions of drownings & near drownings (Book #2); A few mentions of a child being unable to walk after an injury & the parent wanting revenge on why it happened; A few mentions of families abandoning their kids; A few mentions of a woman running away from her home (due to an abusive family member); A few mentions of stealing & stolen items; A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of suicidal thoughts (past, by a side character); A couple mentions of suicide missions; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of slaves; A mention of a man trying to kidnap a woman; A mention of a mother treating her daughter “like garbage” after the father left; A mention of poison; A mention of bullies; A mention of tattoos;
*Note: Bria hyperventilates & someone walks her through breathing deeply; Bria’s friend, Nika, shares about her unhappy and abusive family (her mother would yell and her father would beat her and her siblings to the point where one couldn’t sit afterwards; Her parents cared what others, especially church members, thought of them and the kids would have to hide their bruises); Nika shares that she considered taking her life at the worst moment; A mention of depression; A quote from Theodore Roosevelt is shared at the beginning of the book.
Sexual Content- Two head/forehead kisses, a cheek kiss, two almost kisses (barely-above-not-detailed), and a barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Hand holding, Warmth, Flutters, Shivers, Nearness, & Smelling (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing couples embrace & share kisses (barely-above-not-detailed); Bria thinks Matthias is going to kiss her (twice), but does not when they are interrupted or he hugs her instead; Bria told Matthias in Book #2 that she cares for him, but isn’t sure now what to do with the shift in their relationship; Mentions of dating & boyfriends/girlfriends; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of flirting; A mention of jealousy; Light falling in love & the emotions;
*Note: A mention of a butt.
-Bria Averton, age 17
1st person P.O.V. of Bria
500 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
Maybe it’s because we’re getting closer to taking down the corrupt system, but I actually got into this third book more than the previous books in the series—despite it being the longest one so far and 500 pages long. I do think that there was a bit too much rehashing of Bria’s emotions (like every time she would think of someone, she would comment on missing that person and wondering about their condition), but there wasn’t too much recalling of the prior books' events, which I approved of due to reading these in a close timeframe. If I had to wait for the next book in the series, I probably wouldn’t have been able to follow along as easily. Especially with a lot of new characters introduced in this book.
One thing I really appreciated in this book was that Bria questions and wrestles with if she even wants to fight against Talionis when she’s given the opportunity to have her dream and a peaceful life. I think that was a very fair and realistic thought and it’s not one I see often in dystopian books.
I also really liked the realistic reactions of Bria when she’s not the leader of a group anymore. She’s never wanted to be a soldier or to fight, but is a part of a battle anyway and has lead her group(s) for a while now. I think I would have a harder time taking orders from others in that situation as well as being left out in the planning, but Bria handles it pretty well overall—and probably better than I would, to be honest.
There’s a lot of waiting, action, and sikes throughout this book. Waiting for plans, action with those plans, and sikes? Well, there’s quite a few scenes of possible deaths or near deaths that end in ways I wasn’t expecting. Because of this, I do think some parts were a little convenient or predictable, but it didn’t distract me too much from the story.
The cliffhanger wasn't as bad as I was anticipating, but if I had the next book now, I would probably read it within a week to get answers. 😉 I’m curious to see how the author will wrap up this series and hopeful for good to—finally—win.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
About this book:
“She embraced submission to fuel her rebellion. But escaping to reclaim her freedom was just the beginning. Now she must fight.
Bria and her companions have finally reached Eryndale after a perilous journey, but their troubles are far from over. Mistaken for spies and facing suspicion at every turn, they must convince the skeptical Eryndale leadership of the growing threat posed by Demetrius Ark and his Talionis soldiers.
As they prepare to fight and new allies emerge, Bria and her friends find themselves facing ever increasing odds. Even if they can unite the people of Eryndale to mount a defense against Talionis, it might be too late to stop Ark from carrying out his sinister plans.”
Series: Book #3 in the “Talionis” series. Review of Book #1, Here! and Book #2 Here!
Spiritual Content- Micah 6:8 is a mantra for a group of people (not actually quoted, but a shortened version of it); A few other Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God (including a long one and benediction from an elder); Talks about God, being changed by Him, & trusting Him; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Bria believes God has saved her, but finds it hard to understand how God is supposed to be a part of her everyday life like others have told her about; Bria wonders about some of her friends’ eternal destinies and sharing her faith with them; Bria feels settled and peace from God in a couple difficult situations; Hearing a testimony from a girl who lived in an abusive household and God answering her prayers and pursuing her; Many mentions of God, Jesus, & trusting Him; Many mentions of prayers, praying, & answered prayers; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & verses; Mentions of eternity & seeing a loved one again; Mentions of faiths; Mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of someone looking like he wishes he was anywhere else when God is discussed; A mention of someone telling others to pray for someone if they have any “religious bones” in their bodies;
*Note: Phrases like being “damned” for eternity (without knowing God) is said once & other exclamations like “heavens” and “heaven forbid” are said once and thrice; Many mentions of evil, evil people, & fighting against it/them; Mentions of Hell (both as in eternal damnation when someone doesn’t know Jesus & what Bria has been through, including a training week called “Hell Week”); Mentions of abusive parents that wanted their family to look good to those at their church and would put on a “performance” at church, acting perfect (their kids knew not to make them look like anything other than wonderful godly parents or else they would regret it when they got home; This would include beatings and the kids having to carefully cover bruises; The daughter shares that despite this, she didn’t hate God and loved church); A couple mentions of the devil & someone else being called a devil; A couple mentions of facing demons & being haunted by demons; A mention of a villain saying that someone is following an “empty faith”; A mention of superstitious people.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bunch of bull’, a form of ‘idiot’, two forms of ‘dumb’, two forms of ‘shut up’, two ‘stupid’s, and two ‘ticked’s; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Many scenes of being held at gun-point, being threatened, being tied-up, shooting guns and using knives on others (implied killing as well), gunfire, attacking/fighting, being hit, pain, injuries, blood/bleeding, & throwing up (up to semi-detailed); Setting explosives & explosions; Remembering deaths, near deaths (including by murders/executions, drowning, and someone else being shot), & grief (up to semi-detailed); Seeing dead bodies & others be nearly killed, shot, be held at gun-point and knife-point, tased, attacked, fighting, injured, bleeding, and in pain (up to semi-detailed); Believing loved ones to be dead or dying & grief from it (up to semi-detailed); Bria isn’t sure if she could hurt or kill follow recruits she trained with that are being forced to fight (she asks God to help her with whatever happens); Many mentions of attacks/fights, fighting, weapons, injuries (including major injuries like missing a hand), pain, blood/bleeding, & being tied-up (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of children and teens being kidnapped to become soldiers & parents injured or killed for trying to stop it (seen on-page, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths, grief, & guilt (including drownings and murders/executions; grief for a brother, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of dead bodies; Mentions of missing people, them possibly being dead or killed, & grief for them; Mentions of possible casualties during fights; Mentions of evil men willing to kill others in their way; Mentions of a planned war; Mentions of beatings & torture (including from parents); Mentions of all of the training that Bria and the others did in Book #1 (including fighting & going through Kill Zones where they could be shot, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of threats (including someone threatening to harm or even kill a child); Mentions of criminals & crimes; Mentions of explosives, fires, & places being destroyed; Mentions of betrayal & hurt from betrayal; Mentions of abusive (physically and verbally) parents; Mentions of nightmares; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of hatred; A few mentions of drownings & near drownings (Book #2); A few mentions of a child being unable to walk after an injury & the parent wanting revenge on why it happened; A few mentions of families abandoning their kids; A few mentions of a woman running away from her home (due to an abusive family member); A few mentions of stealing & stolen items; A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of suicidal thoughts (past, by a side character); A couple mentions of suicide missions; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of slaves; A mention of a man trying to kidnap a woman; A mention of a mother treating her daughter “like garbage” after the father left; A mention of poison; A mention of bullies; A mention of tattoos;
*Note: Bria hyperventilates & someone walks her through breathing deeply; Bria’s friend, Nika, shares about her unhappy and abusive family (her mother would yell and her father would beat her and her siblings to the point where one couldn’t sit afterwards; Her parents cared what others, especially church members, thought of them and the kids would have to hide their bruises); Nika shares that she considered taking her life at the worst moment; A mention of depression; A quote from Theodore Roosevelt is shared at the beginning of the book.
Sexual Content- Two head/forehead kisses, a cheek kiss, two almost kisses (barely-above-not-detailed), and a barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Hand holding, Warmth, Flutters, Shivers, Nearness, & Smelling (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing couples embrace & share kisses (barely-above-not-detailed); Bria thinks Matthias is going to kiss her (twice), but does not when they are interrupted or he hugs her instead; Bria told Matthias in Book #2 that she cares for him, but isn’t sure now what to do with the shift in their relationship; Mentions of dating & boyfriends/girlfriends; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of flirting; A mention of jealousy; Light falling in love & the emotions;
*Note: A mention of a butt.
-Bria Averton, age 17
1st person P.O.V. of Bria
500 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
Maybe it’s because we’re getting closer to taking down the corrupt system, but I actually got into this third book more than the previous books in the series—despite it being the longest one so far and 500 pages long. I do think that there was a bit too much rehashing of Bria’s emotions (like every time she would think of someone, she would comment on missing that person and wondering about their condition), but there wasn’t too much recalling of the prior books' events, which I approved of due to reading these in a close timeframe. If I had to wait for the next book in the series, I probably wouldn’t have been able to follow along as easily. Especially with a lot of new characters introduced in this book.
One thing I really appreciated in this book was that Bria questions and wrestles with if she even wants to fight against Talionis when she’s given the opportunity to have her dream and a peaceful life. I think that was a very fair and realistic thought and it’s not one I see often in dystopian books.
I also really liked the realistic reactions of Bria when she’s not the leader of a group anymore. She’s never wanted to be a soldier or to fight, but is a part of a battle anyway and has lead her group(s) for a while now. I think I would have a harder time taking orders from others in that situation as well as being left out in the planning, but Bria handles it pretty well overall—and probably better than I would, to be honest.
There’s a lot of waiting, action, and sikes throughout this book. Waiting for plans, action with those plans, and sikes? Well, there’s quite a few scenes of possible deaths or near deaths that end in ways I wasn’t expecting. Because of this, I do think some parts were a little convenient or predictable, but it didn’t distract me too much from the story.
The cliffhanger wasn't as bad as I was anticipating, but if I had the next book now, I would probably read it within a week to get answers. 😉 I’m curious to see how the author will wrap up this series and hopeful for good to—finally—win.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
December 26, 2025
This book took me on a rollercoaster ride….. wow. CJ is such an incredible writer and the way she flawlessly integrates her faith into her writing is incredible. I aspire to write books as engaging and incredible as hers one day.
Matthias and Brias newfound love is SO CUTTTTEEEEEE!!! Like ahh I was melting
CHARACTERS
Bria - she keeps getting better and better, I love her. I relate to her in ways that I probably shouldn’t, since I’ve never even gone through half the things she’s gone through. But there’s something about her that just keeps me rooting for her, even when I know her choices may result in something that could be disastrous to my emotional stability.
Matthias - Ily till the day I die Matthias. He was so precious and the way he was protective and tender with Bria is just ugh I’ve said it before and i will say it a million times more, he is the greenest of green flags. I wish Bria and him had more one on one time, bc their relationship is too adorable but always gets cut short. But yet again, his skin tone kept changing 😭 it was deep tan then dark brown again. Just pick a shade please!!!
Ari - she got annoying at times but I like her. She’s the most cliche character ever tho and has questionable bf choices. (as soon as I heard the Wild Dogs had a tech guy I started shipping her and Isaac so hard 😭 idk how old he is and i know he’s all tatted up which prolly ain’t her type but like they can be tech geeks togetherrr)
Nika - She’s just awesome and hilarious. Had me giggling all over again. I wish she could find her perfect someone (rip Cade 😭) bc the banter would be legendary and I would eat it up.
Shane - I KNEW IT! *starts aggressively punching Shane shaped target*
Azarias - I love him. I love him so much. (if Kem decides she doesn’t like him I will gladly take him lol jk) and the fact he’s a the sweetest dad ever to Levi is just UGHHHHH
CONTENT: Cheek/forehead kiss, hugs, hand holding, romantic feelings (not lustful) very brief non descriptive kissing (between married couple and two other couples), mild violence, death, fear, guilt, no searing, so so so much amazing faith content!!!
Matthias and Brias newfound love is SO CUTTTTEEEEEE!!! Like ahh I was melting
CHARACTERS
Bria - she keeps getting better and better, I love her. I relate to her in ways that I probably shouldn’t, since I’ve never even gone through half the things she’s gone through. But there’s something about her that just keeps me rooting for her, even when I know her choices may result in something that could be disastrous to my emotional stability.
Matthias - Ily till the day I die Matthias. He was so precious and the way he was protective and tender with Bria is just ugh I’ve said it before and i will say it a million times more, he is the greenest of green flags. I wish Bria and him had more one on one time, bc their relationship is too adorable but always gets cut short. But yet again, his skin tone kept changing 😭 it was deep tan then dark brown again. Just pick a shade please!!!
Ari - she got annoying at times but I like her. She’s the most cliche character ever tho and has questionable bf choices. (as soon as I heard the Wild Dogs had a tech guy I started shipping her and Isaac so hard 😭 idk how old he is and i know he’s all tatted up which prolly ain’t her type but like they can be tech geeks togetherrr)
Nika - She’s just awesome and hilarious. Had me giggling all over again. I wish she could find her perfect someone (rip Cade 😭) bc the banter would be legendary and I would eat it up.
Shane - I KNEW IT! *starts aggressively punching Shane shaped target*
Azarias - I love him. I love him so much. (if Kem decides she doesn’t like him I will gladly take him lol jk) and the fact he’s a the sweetest dad ever to Levi is just UGHHHHH
CONTENT: Cheek/forehead kiss, hugs, hand holding, romantic feelings (not lustful) very brief non descriptive kissing (between married couple and two other couples), mild violence, death, fear, guilt, no searing, so so so much amazing faith content!!!
July 23, 2025
This series is SO. FREAKING. GOOD. Book 4 is coming out end of this year and I can’t wait!!!!! 10/5 stars, 11/10. Would totally recommend. Officially a dystopian freak because of this series and the Out of Time series by Nadine Brandes. 🩵
March 2, 2025
SO GOOD. Need book 4 NOW, please!
The way the plot builds throughout the story! The intrigue is insane. The plot twists..ahhh! I’m absolutely needing to know what happens next!
The way the plot builds throughout the story! The intrigue is insane. The plot twists..ahhh! I’m absolutely needing to know what happens next!
January 24, 2025
Bria and her friends have finally reached Eryndale, but it isn't the haven they had dreamed. Half of the people think they are Talionis spies, and they are held like prisoners and interrogated like spies. Eventually, some people who believe them work to grant them relative freedom, but the leadership is so reluctant to believe their report and the threat Talionis poses. Bria finds it super frustrating that the people they worked so hard to get to don't believe them, and when they do decide to do something, they don't listen to the only people with firsthand experience of what Talionis is likely to do. Still, Bria, Matthew, Bryson, Ari, Nika, and Shane feel like they need to do something, and indeed, are kind of forced to by the Eryndale leadership, so they join a group of Eryndale scouts running missions to annoy and slow down the Talionis forces and rescue teens likely to be kidnapped. But is it enough? What about Cai and Storm, who Ark has threatened to kill in just a number of days if Bria and her friends don't turn themselves and the things they stole in? Bria wants to rescue them, but is it even possible? And will the Eryndale leadership let them?
The first half of this book is a bit slow as Bria and gang are sitting around in Eryndale watching the leaders debate on whether they are Talionis spies or not. It is frustrating, and is more psychological battles than action. Once they set out with the Eryndale scouts things pick up a lot and I tore through that part of the book. I can't talk too much about what goes on in this book in detail without spoilers. I did like Bria's continued growth in faith, and the growth in her relationship with her friends. Getting to meet some of the Eryndale residents was a pleasure (others, not so much), and there were 3 siblings of Bria's group who were nice to meet. This ends in a situational cliffhanger so I really hope Milacci is able to put out book 4 soon. I and a whole group of students who are huge fans of this series will be eagerly awaiting it.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: Nothing beyond a kiss.
Violence: There are battles that do result in injuries and fatalities. There's less of this than in the previous 2 books, but still some. Injuries aren't really described much except the gravity of the situation and mentions that there's a lot of blood.
Ethnic diversity: Bria's group has a variety of skin tones. Nika is clearly Black, the others aren't as clear. Among their wider associates, a variety of skin tones are mentioned.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: There's some blackmail going on with people's lives on the line. There's a traitor in Eryndale and knowing who to trust is hard. Fear is ruling a lot of people's hearts and minds.
The first half of this book is a bit slow as Bria and gang are sitting around in Eryndale watching the leaders debate on whether they are Talionis spies or not. It is frustrating, and is more psychological battles than action. Once they set out with the Eryndale scouts things pick up a lot and I tore through that part of the book. I can't talk too much about what goes on in this book in detail without spoilers. I did like Bria's continued growth in faith, and the growth in her relationship with her friends. Getting to meet some of the Eryndale residents was a pleasure (others, not so much), and there were 3 siblings of Bria's group who were nice to meet. This ends in a situational cliffhanger so I really hope Milacci is able to put out book 4 soon. I and a whole group of students who are huge fans of this series will be eagerly awaiting it.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: Nothing beyond a kiss.
Violence: There are battles that do result in injuries and fatalities. There's less of this than in the previous 2 books, but still some. Injuries aren't really described much except the gravity of the situation and mentions that there's a lot of blood.
Ethnic diversity: Bria's group has a variety of skin tones. Nika is clearly Black, the others aren't as clear. Among their wider associates, a variety of skin tones are mentioned.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: There's some blackmail going on with people's lives on the line. There's a traitor in Eryndale and knowing who to trust is hard. Fear is ruling a lot of people's hearts and minds.
March 20, 2025
If you’re contemplating reading this book series..
Erm..
GO GET IT!!
Actually not just this book all of them :D
✨-this book is amazingness tho-✨
-
-
♥️~Amazing things~♥️
Okay where do I start??!!
First things first let’s acknowledge Mathias and Bria..
-
-
-
*starts clapping and kicking things*
-
-
-
Soooo yeah… uh.. 😐
The romance is legit the worst slow burn I’ve ever read..
And uh..
I was pleasantly pleased by the end..
With some developments..but still
✨aggravated ✨
-
-
-
Things I disliked 👊✨
This segment usually doesn’t have anything lol…
But..
Again slow-burn romance is the worst so what can I say 🤭
Oh yeah, I kinda didn’t like the whole hidden town
thing because..
Like……..
✨♥️(Most dystopian books have that) ♥️✨
But that’s fine 😅
Sometimes you just gotta follow the crowd :)
-
-
-
✊ -PLOT-✊
Yeah, it’s pretty good character development..
and
I like how she sorta
made up these skating things for the sky? (Sorry if that’s incorrect)
Yeah those were cool!
I LOVE CREATIVITY IN MY DYSTOPIAN
BOOKIES
SO THAT WAS AWSOME!!!
-content..-
As far as bad content goes (uh why read this..)
It literally a Christian book so
No bad things there!!!
✨♥️🫶🏽-wrap up-🫶🏽♥️✨
I GOT A NEW FAVORITE CHARACTER!!
And uh yeah due to spolier things I can’t say the name but..
Thought I’d share that :)
And Mathias is the man as always!
And Bria is still cool!
So yeah guess that’s it for today’s review..
-
Hope y’all have a beautiful day..
And yeah
👋🏽♥️(Bye lovelies)♥️👋🏽
Erm..
GO GET IT!!
Actually not just this book all of them :D
✨-this book is amazingness tho-✨
-
-
♥️~Amazing things~♥️
Okay where do I start??!!
First things first let’s acknowledge Mathias and Bria..
-
-
-
*starts clapping and kicking things*
-
-
-
Soooo yeah… uh.. 😐
The romance is legit the worst slow burn I’ve ever read..
And uh..
I was pleasantly pleased by the end..
With some developments..but still
✨aggravated ✨
-
-
-
Things I disliked 👊✨
This segment usually doesn’t have anything lol…
But..
Again slow-burn romance is the worst so what can I say 🤭
Oh yeah, I kinda didn’t like the whole hidden town
thing because..
Like……..
✨♥️(Most dystopian books have that) ♥️✨
But that’s fine 😅
Sometimes you just gotta follow the crowd :)
-
-
-
✊ -PLOT-✊
Yeah, it’s pretty good character development..
and
I like how she sorta
made up these skating things for the sky? (Sorry if that’s incorrect)
Yeah those were cool!
I LOVE CREATIVITY IN MY DYSTOPIAN
BOOKIES
SO THAT WAS AWSOME!!!
-content..-
As far as bad content goes (uh why read this..)
It literally a Christian book so
No bad things there!!!
✨♥️🫶🏽-wrap up-🫶🏽♥️✨
I GOT A NEW FAVORITE CHARACTER!!
And uh yeah due to spolier things I can’t say the name but..
Thought I’d share that :)
And Mathias is the man as always!
And Bria is still cool!
So yeah guess that’s it for today’s review..
-
Hope y’all have a beautiful day..
And yeah
👋🏽♥️(Bye lovelies)♥️👋🏽
April 3, 2025
Just when Bria and her friends thought they had found safety and peace from the Talionis empire, their journey for survival uncovers new secrets and alliances. “Enemy of Talionis" dives deep into themes of identity, sacrifice, and resilience.
Milacci masterfully blends heart-pounding action with moments of introspection, crafting a story that balances tension and emotional depth. I highly recommend this third book in the Talionis series.
Milacci masterfully blends heart-pounding action with moments of introspection, crafting a story that balances tension and emotional depth. I highly recommend this third book in the Talionis series.
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August 14, 2025
Oh my gosh I’m so blown away. CJ Milacci is such a talented writer!!! I feel like crying and laughing and jumping up and down all at the same time!!! This is a one-of-a-kind, edge-of-your-seat dystopian world sci-fi fiction book!! You need to read it, seriously. I don’t know what I’m gonna do while I wait for book 4. Lovingly I say: I NEED BOOK 4 IMMEDIATELY!!! I think this author deserves a round of applause
*👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻*
Until next time!
*👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻*
Until next time!
December 31, 2024
5 stars!!!!! She embraced submission to fuel her rebellion. But escaping to reclaim her freedom was just the beginning. Now she must fight.
my opinion - i don’t know how but this series gets better better every book! i am literally obsessed with this series and i sometimes can’t even think about it cause i just want to know what happens. i can’t even begin to explain the love i feel for these characters. i’ve grown so attached to them. every book in these series are a five star. also I NEED MORE MATTHIAS AND BRIA!! best romance!! my favorite couple.
favorite character - honestly i can’t pick. i love them all. but from this particular book i would say i loved max. he was honestly such a good character. but in the series as a whole, i have to say Ari. she’s so hilarious and with all her tech, she makes me laugh out loud which can be embarrassing when ur in public. don’t ask me how i found that out 🫣
plot - ahh!! so many plot twists! my jaw was dropping so much, it hurt by the end of the night ( yes i pulled an all-nighter reading this) i also cried…a LOT. and im so glad bria is christian now!! i hope she can make ari a christian!
i can not find a better young adult series for teens who don’t want all that crao in it. it’s so perfect and has so much in it. CJ is an amazing author and deserves the world!
my opinion - i don’t know how but this series gets better better every book! i am literally obsessed with this series and i sometimes can’t even think about it cause i just want to know what happens. i can’t even begin to explain the love i feel for these characters. i’ve grown so attached to them. every book in these series are a five star. also I NEED MORE MATTHIAS AND BRIA!! best romance!! my favorite couple.
favorite character - honestly i can’t pick. i love them all. but from this particular book i would say i loved max. he was honestly such a good character. but in the series as a whole, i have to say Ari. she’s so hilarious and with all her tech, she makes me laugh out loud which can be embarrassing when ur in public. don’t ask me how i found that out 🫣
plot - ahh!! so many plot twists! my jaw was dropping so much, it hurt by the end of the night ( yes i pulled an all-nighter reading this) i also cried…a LOT. and im so glad bria is christian now!! i hope she can make ari a christian!
i can not find a better young adult series for teens who don’t want all that crao in it. it’s so perfect and has so much in it. CJ is an amazing author and deserves the world!
January 21, 2025
The stakes are higher than ever before for Bria and her friends! The climax left me breathless and I will eagerly be counting down the days until book 4.
April 27, 2025
Wow oh wow oh wow!!! Such a great, fast-paced story!! Each page had me literally on my seat, waiting for the next thing to happen…book 4 can’t get here fast enough!
July 24, 2025
The ending will leave you speechless with thousands of questions. I am highly anticipating the final book in the series coming fall 2025. If you haven’t read this series, you need to. 5 stars
November 26, 2025
This is a Clean YA fiction series about a teenage girl willing to face pain and adversity to protect the ones she loves.
See my full review at "https://cooperhite.com/book-reviews/"
See my full review at "https://cooperhite.com/book-reviews/"
January 9, 2025
Praying she writes book 4 because this can't be the end😭 these books are SO good!!
December 28, 2024
This whole series so far has been very good. Not everyone or every place is what it appears to be, and that is what kept me on edge - who do you trust? Then, those who have been left behind are in grave danger - how can we save them? If they give themselves up, no one wins! What a ride this has been!
This is a clean read, no bad language, no sexual content.
This is a clean read, no bad language, no sexual content.
December 16, 2024
I love this series, and Milacci continues to amp up the action, stakes, and heart in each book. Enemy of Talionis dives into the long-awaited world of Eryndale, where Bria is forced to turn and fight against Talionis. My favorite parts are definitely Bria and her friends, the dystopian world-building, plot surprises, and the author’s dedication to finding hope in the most difficult places.
December 18, 2024
Love this Series
Enemy of Talionis kept me up late reading to finish it. The twists and turns kept me guessing and I was pleasantly surprised several times. Can’t wait for the next one…
Enemy of Talionis kept me up late reading to finish it. The twists and turns kept me guessing and I was pleasantly surprised several times. Can’t wait for the next one…
December 5, 2024
Each book in this series keeps getting better. I may not be a huge fan of YA Dystopian Fantasy, but I’m now so invested in these characters that I need to see this story through to its conclusion. How long do I have to wait for the next one?
This is not a stand-alone book. You need to start at the beginning and read through the series in order. If you enjoyed the first two books, you already know you want to read this one. If you haven’t read the first two books check out reviews for them to see if they pique your interest.
This is not a stand-alone book. You need to start at the beginning and read through the series in order. If you enjoyed the first two books, you already know you want to read this one. If you haven’t read the first two books check out reviews for them to see if they pique your interest.
July 16, 2025
(11/13/24)
😲 👀 🤩 Speechless, guys. I'll write a review later when I have coherent thoughts. 🤭
(11/16/24) Review:
What a ride! This was a BRILLIANTLY crafted story.
The plots all intertwined in such a spectacular way, leaving you really guessing on what would happen next. Little things were brought in from other stories and all the story lines just played into each other so well.
Each of the characters were so real! I truly felt like I was right there with Bria and her friends, living life alongside her. I loved how despite the massive cast of characters, each of them feels like their own person. It's astounding!
The beautiful themes and faith journey that Bria and her friends go on is touching. I love how it's so naturally woven into their everyday conversations.
And those last few chapters?! 😲 They had be gripping the book in a cold sweat. Why oh why must I wait so long for the next book...? 😭
Content: Romance (hand-holding, noticing, flirting, and two barely described kisses.) Violence, death, blood, injuries, war, fighting, shooting and more of that sort but not overly gory. Some talk of difficult family life but not in lots of detail (verbally/physical abuse, abandonment).
Bravo on another impressive book, CJ. <3
✨ 4.75 Stars ✨
😲 👀 🤩 Speechless, guys. I'll write a review later when I have coherent thoughts. 🤭
(11/16/24) Review:
What a ride! This was a BRILLIANTLY crafted story.
The plots all intertwined in such a spectacular way, leaving you really guessing on what would happen next. Little things were brought in from other stories and all the story lines just played into each other so well.
Each of the characters were so real! I truly felt like I was right there with Bria and her friends, living life alongside her. I loved how despite the massive cast of characters, each of them feels like their own person. It's astounding!
The beautiful themes and faith journey that Bria and her friends go on is touching. I love how it's so naturally woven into their everyday conversations.
And those last few chapters?! 😲 They had be gripping the book in a cold sweat. Why oh why must I wait so long for the next book...? 😭
Content: Romance (hand-holding, noticing, flirting, and two barely described kisses.) Violence, death, blood, injuries, war, fighting, shooting and more of that sort but not overly gory. Some talk of difficult family life but not in lots of detail (verbally/physical abuse, abandonment).
Bravo on another impressive book, CJ. <3
✨ 4.75 Stars ✨
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