The only way to survive in a realm full of villains is to become one.
A Fated Purpose Tessalyn Ausra has taken her revenge, and it’s never tasted so sweet. Feared by the rulers of Devram, she’s under the protection of the Achaz Kingdom where she can fulfill her purpose. But with power she can’t control and the bond still in place, she finds temptation and chaos around every corner. Correcting the balance promises the ultimate freedom, but the dark still calls, even if destiny beckons. She’s finally found her purpose in this world. Will it lead to salvation or destruction?
A Broken Destiny Theon St. Orcas has been planning for this moment his entire life. Finally the Arius Lord, he’s more alone than ever. Axel is missing, Luka is in another kingdom, and he’s left with two broody strangers from another realm and no Source. Once again, he’s racing against time to figure out a history that’s been manipulated. Pulled in all directions, sacrifices are demanded. How can he protect his people when the biggest threat is the one he’d sacrifice anything for?
A Tempting Betrayal Sent to a foreign kingdom, Luka Mors finds himself the outsider he’s always dreaded being. Needing to stay at Tessa’s side, he’s in the center of a dangerous game, but more than that, he’s forced to stay in the presence of a temptation he’s been denying for years. He’s always prided himself on his loyalty, but what does he do when that loyalty starts to waver?
Destiny beckons, and sacrifice demands. This is book 3 of 4 in The Legacy Series, an adult, dark fantasy romance series with elements that may be triggering to some readers. Please be sure to check the updated content information on Melissa's website. Seriously. We know they are all walking, talking red flags at this point. Read the content information, then embrace the darkness.
Melissa is a dark fantasy romance author who loves coffee, dragons, and constantly rearranging her bookshelves. She spends her time writing, reading, and homeschooling her three boys in the Middle-of-Nowhere, North Dakota, where she lives with her boys, husband, dogs, multiple barn cats, and chickens on a small farmstead. She is constantly trying to convince her husband they need to add goats and ducks to the mix, and one day, she'll succeed.
She's not here much, so if you're looking to connect, check out the following:
6 stars of complete and utter excruciatingly painful PERFECTION. This series has now solidified its spot on my all time favorite fantasy romance series list… dare I say it may even be god tier??? Yes. Yes it absolutely is.
“Even the monsters and the villains need others. We’re not mean to do life alone.”
Cry count total: 5. THAT ENDING DESERVES JAIL TIME (in the best way I swear). I feel like a part of my heart was left in the last chapter and I’ll never get it back but I’m okay with it.
Where does one even begin with this MASTERPIECE?! Somehow each book in this series just progressively gets better and better. Despite this being the most painful, it is also my favorite so far without a doubt… I mean I’m a sucker for emotional damage so are we surprised? NOPE.
Book 3 picked up right where book 2 left off and it was nonstop from page 1! Did I stay up all night to read a 750 page book in 24 hours? Yes, of course I did. That should say it all. Not a dull moment, not a word I wanted to skip over. The type of book that you are physically incapable of putting down despite feeling like you are on a never ending emotional roller coaster. I’m beyond impressed with how the plot continued to thicken and grow in complexity without things getting confusing or feeling like one big info dump. We get so many answers in this book but Melissa, like the genius she is, continues to keep us on edge by withholding just the right amount of information. She literally has me wrapped around her finger at this point. Obviously I’m a sucker for books that make me feel so many emotions so deeply and my god do these characters make you FEEL! They are all so morally grey and flawed and complex and have so many layers I can’t help but fall in love with them and all their imperfections because it feels so REAL.
Starting with TESSA. Holy hell. She was the epitome of feminine rage in this book and though she absolutely infuriated me at times I have been waiting for her to finally snap after everything she has been through and I ate it up. I love an unhinged murderous women seeking vengeance. Watching her ever so slowly start to accept love and the darkest parts of herself towards the end up this book made me so excited for the growth we are without a doubt going to get from her in book 4. She’s crazy and her crazy speaks to my soul.
Don’t even get me started on Luka and Theon. The fact that you get not one, but two tortured soul book men in this…. My top 10 book boyfriends are fighting for their lives right now.
Which one to start with..?? I’ll go with the grumpy, broody dragon shifter who will quite literally burn down the world for her. Luka SIR I AM SAT. The mouth on this man. I could not stop giggling and kicking my feet. I love how he never holds back when it comes to Tessa, he somehow always knows what she needs before she does. We love a man who isn’t afraid to tell her like it is but also supports all of her rage and viscousnesss. We got to know him so much more as a character in this book and let’s just say… he did not disappoint.
My sweet fucked up, damaged, emo sad boy Theon. I LOVE HIM YOUR HONOR AND I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR IT! Theon may not be everyone’s favorite but he is in fact mine! I. Can. Fix. Him. The YEARNING and pining we got from this man. The love he has for Tessa is felt so viscerally I wanted to actually scream!!! Watching Theon grovel actually made my entire year. He is a MMC that is truly morally grey and will not be for everyone but that’s totally fine, more for me. Getting more of his backstory and watching him try to learn how to love in his own twisted way actually brought me to tears on multiple occasions. Consider him redeemed in my book. I shouldn’t be as obsessed with him as I am but like here we are and there’s no turning back.
“I would sacrifice all the realms and all the stars for you. You are perfectly wild. Perfectly untamed.“
Every single POV was PERFECT! I absolutely love each side character in this book! They all have their own unique purpose and add so much more depth to the story. This is not a series where I find myself dreading some characters POVS or feeling like they are unnecessary. Axel and Kat are EVERYTHING TO ME! And god I’m so scared for them. Now that I mention it…. I’m fucking scared for everyone at this point so…..
So in conclusion: this book changed my brain chemistry, I’m not the same person i was before I entered the world of Devram, and I will not be okay until book 4 is out. HAVE TISSUES READY!
RUN don’t walk to read this series if you like: - Dark fantasy romance - Flawed, complex characters drive you to the point of insanity yet you can’t help but fall in love with them - EVERYONE being TRULY morally grey (walking talking red flag men) - Touch her/him you DIE - A FMC on her fucking REVENGE arc - Meddling gods - Kingdom politics - Contemporary high fantasy - Dragon shifter broody MMC - MMCs with the most tortured souls - Fae, vampires, witches AND MORE - Extensive and intricate world building - Books where nothing is as it seems - EMOTIONAL DAMAGE - Multi-POV - Unique magic system/plot - Romance that will rip your heart out and stomp all over it. Repeatedly. - scrumptious spicy spice (not too much the perfect amount in my opinion)
As always friendly reminder this is a DARK fantasy romance. Emphasis on the dark, so please check your trigger warnings before stating this series.
So so so beyond grateful to have received an ARC copy of this book from Melissa and her team ♥️
"Tell me how to love you, kitten, because I’ll pluck stars from the sky and walk through your flames. And when I’ve turned, and this bond we never got to have has faded, I’ll still choose you. I’ll still love you, and it will mean even more because we’re choosing it. We’re not being drawn to each other by some bond gifted by the Fates.”
This book imo is the weakest so far, compared to the previous two books but oh my gosh if that ending didn't rip my heart and soul out. But we'll get to the ending later. Let's start with the things that went wrong- It was repetitive. I've been reading the same issues from book 1 without them being resolved between the characters. I get that the ending paved way for growth but the books are thick and it got tiresome at one point in this one. The pacing definitely dragged a little in this imo.
Tessa, oh boy, she annoyed me. I understand her and support her but she was really acting like a selfish brat in this one. I get the whole female rage thing, hell, I live for it. But it wasn't well done here. Though, the humbling at the end was quite something.
My men, Theon, Luka and Axel. They carried this book. I wanted more of Theon and look where it got me. He has me in a chokehold. Luka is such a fine, dirty mouth beast. Like yes daddy. As for Axel, oh my, I loved seeing how raw and vulnerable his character was. Yeah he was suffering but it was hell of an emotional ride for me to connect with him.
“We’re meant to destroy each other.” “Then destroy me, little storm.”
The chemistry, slow burn yearning romance and spice is so angsty, it physically pains me at this point. Like give me that happy endinggg 😭😭 But ngl the spice with Luka was hot damn 🥵🥵🥵
Coming to the ending , cause that can't be it? It cannot be the case 😭😭 LIKE I JUST WANT TO SCREAM AND CRY OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. Somebody better reassure me things will be alright. Iykyk 😭 Leave me here to cry until the next book comes out.
~•~•~ Time for some dark fantasy and get this MFM romance started 👀
ㅤ So...apparently I was not able to get over those specific things like I hoped. 😅 One of the tropes I absolutely hate in a book is related to reverse harems/love triangles/poli-relationships and, as you have probably guessed, this series indeed includes a poli-relationship (concerning the main character). My anger would have probably been way reduced if I have known from the very beginning what this series will later come to include, but no. When I first started this series, back on the release day of the very first book, there were absolutely no mentions about a possible MFM relationship. ㅤ  Therefore, you may fully understand my shock and disappointment when a poli-relationship was suddenly starting to develop in the second book. I want to make it very clear that this is absolutely a personal preference, based entirely on my own taste and in no way am I criticising anyone for this. I would have only appreciated the heads-up before I started caring for this series and characters; especially since it is such a struggle for me to leave something unfinished and to quench my curiosity about an intriguing plotline.
ㅤ  Despite my disappointment, I can still recognise and praise an amazing plot and insanely good writing in a book. Exactly due to these reasons, and because of my insane respect for Melissa as a writer, I will not pour my disenchantment into a review and a rating that might affect the book's popularity, especially since this is based only on a personal preference and not an issue with the book itself. Therefore, I will not be offering any rating to this book as to not affect its overall rating in any way. It would have been nice if the tag for the type of relationship that was going to be explored had been included from the very beginning of this series only so that such a thing would not happen; but I suppose it was decided that the wish to not spoil even the slightest of elements from this series was more important than correctly advertising a series.
ㅤ  I might get back to this series sometime in the future, maybe when the last book would have also been released, but that would be only because my curiosity about a really amazing plot might somehow be greater than my displeasure for some specific elements here. Until then, I wish lots of love and appreciation to this book from its target audience, as I am unfortunately not part of it. ㅤ  Maybe I am simply too old fashioned to understand this new trend with the entire poli-amorous dynamics, but that is fine since I do not plan to jump into it anyway. Just advertise your books correctly from the very start.
ㅤ  Feel free to spoil anything to me in the comments for this if you wish, though!!! I might actually need that 👀
──────────────────────── ㅤ  ᯓ ✿  pre-reading  ⪼ ㅤ   i genuinely don't know why I am doing this to myself; my curiosity for the plot wins, i guess, and I am brave enough to think I can get over the things I KNOW i will hate. At least I am sure the plot will be insane and the writing just as good.....
The way this book had me on the edge of my seat!! 😱 I won’t spoil anything since this is book 3, but I will scream at the top of my lungs about how amazing this series is! Why? Because every action has consequences, and while there is happiness and love, you have to live in the consequences first. That’s exactly how this book is built!!! Tessa makes mistakes, Theon makes mistakes, Luka makes mistakes, and even our dearest Axel has his small tiny mistake (lol). We see the domino effect of it all unfold and AGHH, that’s what I LOVE about this book!
The character development is deep, raw, traumatic and don’t even get me started on Tessa’s evil era that basically defines her whole personality in this book. YES GIMME MORE! 😈🔥 Love to see how the villain is the main character heheh
I seriously can’t believe half of what happened in this book there were multiple gasp moments! 😱 And now there’s only one more book to go?!! MELISSA, PLEASE EXPLAIN YOURSELF! 😩
Highly recommend this series to anyone who loves being held in a chokehold by their current read, throw the book around, and maybe even screaming at it (the best part of reading, tbh)!!
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆. 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱。ꪆৎ ˚⋅The villain era has commence, the way this is one of my most anticipated reads I have for the year. I AM BEYOND EXCITED.
I LOVE when a highly anticipated book not only meets your expectations but SURPASSES them.
Hands down the best book in this series so far. I love these characters so much. There was not ONE freaking slow part imo in this book. I mean even the non-action scenes were filled with information or angst. I just- UGH I WANNA SCREAM!!!!
Tessa, I love her but I want to SHAKE HER. But I also want to hug her. I’m having lots of mixed emotions because homegirl has trauma, but she’s making DUMB decisions. Ugh. JUST LET PEOPLE LOVE YOU!!!!!
The men. I love Luka, I really love his dragon ass. I love that he’s a hoarder and I love that he’s steady in everything. BUT THEON? I love that emo sad boy. He. Breaks. My. Heart. I want to RAGE at him right now. But also love him.
There was SO much info in this book and that cliffhanger was BRUTAL. But I love them even more now.
What to Expect: ➼ Slow Burn ➼ Morally Gray MC’s ➼ Visions & Prophecies ➼ Secrets & Betrayals ➼ Fated Mates ➼ FMC Villain Era ➼ Feminine Rage ➼ Touch Him/Her and Die ➼ Dual Narration ➼ Third Person Multi POV
Sorry to the fans, but I’m sick of these characters and this series. Tell me why I really thought this was a trilogy and I could get through these 672 pages and be done? 😫 People seem to love “feminine rage,” but I usually hate it because it basically just means that the FMC sinks to the level of their oppressors and becomes the “bad guy.” I want my MC’s to stay good and still overcome the challenges they face without becoming evil and I’m surprised more people don’t agree. Her character has become completely unhinged, such terrible character progression in my opinion.
I’m also really not a fan of the weird poly throuple situation happening between Tessa, Luka and Theon. I’m not saying I will never read another Reverse Harem series, but I don’t plan to read many and I don’t like that this series developed into that after the first book. If I had known that was where this was heading, I probably wouldn’t have started this series at all.
Not even Axel gave what I needed him to give in this book. His repeated use of the nickname “kitten” probably had a lot to do with my annoyance with him. The way he said it tended to sound condescending in my opinion. Honestly there were quite a few overused cheesy nicknames in this book. Baby girl might have been the worst. Weirdly I don’t mind Little Storm, but Theon can’t be redeemed in my eyes after book one... sorry not sorry.
I’m so annoyed with myself knowing I’ll probably still read the next one for some kind or closure. It better be the final book!
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: The ending of the last book left so much up in the air! Need to know where the author takes this story. Starting now. 💙
I am not sure where to start... I had forgotten so much about what happened in the previous books... that itself should have warned me. Scattered. This book, this whole series, is all over the place.
I would reread the whole series so far to be able to provide you with proper examples but... have the characters changed personality all of a sudden? Theon in particular? I feel he is kind of given a redemption arc situation in the way he is acts in this book. He was always doing the right thing for Tessa and everyone, but here it is simply presented as a quality when in the previous books I felt we had to feel the opposite?
Thank gods Tessa is starting to be remotely agreeable to common sense. While keeping monumentally important staff from everyone. Gods forbid she actually helps instead of spiralling into disaster, has her character grown at all? I keep wondering, I feel she is changing cause the plot needs her to, not because she is particularly learning to be different. Despite the unconditional love of not one but two surprisingly reasonable men. Honestly if there is a real poli situation (which at this point I don't think will feel remotely real) happening only Theon and Luka can pull it off.
There is SO much going on behind the scenes that is hard to read. We get gods and goddesses and lessers and legacies and auguries and hunters and vampires and fae and angels and shifters and other realms and prophecies and fates and furies. Just no. There is way too much to confuse a reader, and I feel I am at an advantage having read the Lady of Darkness series. What *is* a being of Chaos? Why can't the author explain more of these things? The mechanics? We keep being told characters are "more than". More than what? More than Gods? Who can't seemingly do anything? More than... what exactly. The author keeps telling me, yet I have to choose to believe it.
What are the Fates, if anything specific? Why is Achaz such an asshole? Where is Temural?What'ss up with the whole witches thing we seem to disconcertingly pass over? Why don't we learn anything at all in this book? Why don't we dwell on the lore? Unravel the bigger issues? Is there a whole other series coming up with more little pieces of the bigger story of the gods so we can *finally* understand it?
”Tell me how to love you, because I’ll pluck stars from the sky and walk through your flames. And when I’ve turned, and this bond we never got to have has faded, I’ll still choose you. I’ll still love you, and it will mean even more because we’re choosing it.”
im so shocked to be giving this a 4 star cause the series up until this point has been a 3 star experience at best. i really adored the romance between Axel and Kat here and all the pain that came with their situation. i mean, Kat being pregnant, Axel turning into a vampire and losing his magic, and her having to break the twin flame bond?! if one more thing goes wrong ima lose my shit 😩. i will say that i still don’t like Tessa at all, not a fan of whiny characters who take no accountability but i did like the romance with Luka and how he was the only one who made her feel comforted. even Theon kinda grew on me, he showed Tessa and Luka a lot of grace and allowed them to process their feelings for one another without him interfering. (also, that scene where he talked them through it is living in my head for all of eternity). the ending where he basically was willing to sacrifice himself to protect everyone else made him more redeemable too, even though im sure they’ll find a way to keep him from going through with this. im interested in Tessa’s lineage and how she’s bordering the edge of being an antagonist at this point. im just happy ive finally found a book in this series that i liked.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I was really invested in this story but I wish I knew it was gonna be a reverse harem/sharing/MFM situation. I personally hate those kind of books. And Tessa is insufferable. At this point, Theon deserves better, a better girl and a better best friend.
This series is going to send me into a spiral. But, like, in the best way possible?
This world is so damn frustrating, and you’re always mad at someone for something, but it’s also so polarizing, because even if you don’t agree with what these characters are doing, you can kind of see why they do these things (due to the POV’s).
80% of this book was me seething at Tessa for being “poor me” throughout this whole book, meanwhile there are Fae still enslaved. It’s giving “Kim, there’s people that are dying” energy.
Lastly, Luka deserves SO much better, and I am living for Theon’s change of personality. So much so, that I like him far better than Tessa, which, what a turn of events???
Basically, this series is gonna rip your heart out, make you cry, throw your book, but also make you fall in love with the world and its characters. I am giving this book 4.5 stars, because I love this world, and the writing- but I needed more Theon, Kat, and Axel. And yes, I am still crying.
Other: - Fantasy Species: Dragon, Fae, Gods/demigods, Humans, Vampyre, Witches - Format: Digital ARC, Kindle Unlimited - Plot/Character Driven: Both - Pacing: Medium - POV: Multiple POVS - Narration type: 3rd person limited - Magic Type: Elemental, Healing Magic, Magitech, Shadow Magic - Character gender : M/F/M - Spicy chapters: Not tellling🤭
👨👧 Characters Tessa Where do I even begin with Tessa? My girl is in her villain ERA! She is such a flawed character but also so relatable when you’ve been stomped on by everyone in your life repeatedly, always being told what to do, and never being able to make your own decisions. It is such a hard cycle to break, and does Tessa make some really questionable choices in here? Yeah, she does. This woman, all she’s ever known is trauma, and she is trying to navigate the best way she can! And I am just proud of the progress she makes.
Luka The way this man showed up for Tessa in this book will forever go down in history for me! He’s not the man that is going to cave to all your qualms, and he’s not going to tell you what to do. He’s going to be the man that makes you stand up for yourself, support you, and love you no matter what. No matter what your choices are, he will stand by you even if he doesn’t agree with them! Let me tell you, the absolute MOUTH on this man has sent me into another dimension. I did not think that Luka had it in him to give what he gave… broody Dragon shifter, like literally say no more. “Gods, you can be such a good girl when you’re not being a brat,” 👀👀
Theon Theon, my messed-up shadow daddy with daddy issues, you are not for everyone. But I'm okay with that, because I claim him as MINE now. He had me in tears so much of this book (not the happy kind lol). I am so sorry, but I forgive him and I understand him. This man has gone through so much trauma, and he is trying the best he can to show those he loves that he cares. Does he try? I’m gonna go cry now. “You came for me,” she whispered. “I told you I will always find you,” he answered. - you can go cry now…
🌎 World Building & Magic for Fantasy Wow, just wow! The way this series interconnects with LOD while standing strong on its own is mind-blowing. Everything about the writing, the world, the magic is just perfection. I’ve been messaging my girlfriend back and forth trying to theorize, and there are not many book series that I can do that with, nor do I enjoy that either. Holy heck, I am so excited for her next series too because I can see all the plot setups for it. I have literally gone down rabbit holes trying to piece together what is happening and where this is gonna go, and I am still absolutely gobsmacked. The level that Melissa has in her books! And if she writes it, I’m going to read it. She’s undoubtedly my favorite author to ever exist!
♥️ What I Loved I giggled, I screamed with joy, and I cried countless tears. Now, I am emotionally ruined and broken. How this book surpasses the first two is beyond me—it’s actually insane! Everything was done perfectly. I devoured this book in under 24 hours because I loved it so much. I haven’t been able to stop crying since. I wouldn’t change a single chapter; I was captivated and enthralled the entire time. The emotional impact is tenfold. Melissa has a way of making you love characters you initially hate and question those you trust. This series truly portrays a world where everything isn’t black and white, and it brings real-life trauma and healing into the narrative. The characters’ actions reflect real-life struggles, and their flaws are a product of their upbringing and environment. It’s so evident in this book, and it makes you hurt for them.
💔 What I Didn’t Like How my face looked like absolute crap the next day, and I’ve been crying for a week straight. Yeah, didn’t love that…
📝 Overall Thoughts I’m seriously depressed now.
Thank you to Melissa for giving me the chance to read this ARC even if she’s Evil and has broken my heart
I DON'T KNOW WHY I DID THIS TO MYSELF WITH THIS BOOK! 💀 Actually I know, I really liked the first two in the series and I tried to not pay much attention to the fact that Tessa is the worst FMC ever written! I thought that she will become less annoying throughout the series but guess what? It's the exact opposite thing!
If you want to read a book where everyone is LITERALLY BABYSITTING Tessa, who is only whinning and matters weird stuff that you don't get answers about or understand them, then go for it! Every single character in this book cares about Tessa, well except Axel & Kat who were my favourites from all the books.
Ok I’m so pissed about this one. Let’s not talk about the fact that the series suddenly became MFM, purposefully for the trending trope, because the first 2 books are clearly focusing on Theon & Tessa, but suddenly Luka pops up from NOWHERE! I would prefer to read Theon & Luka being twin flames at this point! It would be more believable. 🫥
The plot was so fcking complicate that I was lost a lot of times and there were some moments that weren't making sense. -Like the guardian bond between Theon & Luka that they were apart but it was ok -Like Theon didn't care about his brother and was only caring about Tessa -Like the fact that Theon was pushing Luka towards Tessa even though we met him as a super possesive character -Like the fact that Theon & Luka are best friends but Luka is ok with "betraying" his best friend and having a thing with Tessa -Like the numerous characters who pop up and we don't understand what is the point of them existing? -Like the fact that they read all the time books to search info -What tf are the Fates?
Feminine rage???? More like cringe rage 😑 I was genuinely having second hand embarrassment from reading Tessa’s chapters.
The only thing that is good in this book is Axel’s & Katya’s story. I would read a whole book about these two and I felt really sad about Axel 😥
Disclaimer: I really loved the first two books and I was reading the third book for 3 weeks, which says a lot, cause I wanted to dnf it all the time!
Such uneven characterization, and some characters (looking at some of our main players here) are just downright unlikeable and chaotic in not the witty literary way, like the messy wtf am I reading way. I had such high hopes with the first book and was eager to see deep storylines and people evolve, but this is too much. The love triangle thing adds another layer that just doesn’t feel like it fits. It feels like it’s the trendy thing to do now in romance novels, add in a reverse harem or polygamy line- which is fine, but it feels forced here just like some of this oddly developed characterization. And I reeaally don’t get the reverse harem or polygamy thing if there is supposed to be like a “I’m destined for you” or a twin flame/soul mate vibe when the text is pushing that concept for a one-on-one but then accidentally multiple people get thrown into this “I’m yours” love debacle. I just can’t figure this out and am over the trendy stuff ruining books I like
(4.5/5) MELISSA K. ROEHRICH WAS MESSING WITH MY FEELINGS THE ENTIRETY OF THIS BOOK.
The fact that I gobbled up this chonky book in less than 2 days is proof of the chokehold this series has on me. This book gave me ALLLLLLLLL the feelings. I don't have the words to properly capture how emotionally invested I am.
Tessa is giving me an ulcer. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY STOP GOING TO THE DAMN RIVER. She was putting me through it, and this was the roughest book with her. Yet, I’m still rooting for her and praying she can grow a LOT in book 4. If not, I'm going to need someone to check me into therapy for standing by this character until the very end.
Theon and Luka are my loves. They're also infuriating and can be just as insufferable as Tessa, but they are still my loves. While I don't always understand their thought process, I'm very much along for the ride. If they believe in Tessa, SO WILL I. The moments Luka calls out Tessa give me life because thank the heavens someone is bluntly telling her like it is.
Side note: I don't loveeeeeeeeeeeee the repetition with the visions but they add an interesting layer to the story. This book is already long and re-reading the same visions ~4x with minor tweaks can make the book drag at those moments.
Terrified but so excited to see the way Melissa K. Roehrich wraps this series in book 4.
I read the first two and really didn’t enjoy them for a number of reasons, but I had somehow convinced myself this was the last of a trilogy so I forced myself through it for the sake of completing the series and I seriously shouldn’t have wasted my time.
I think Tessa is one of THE worst female leads I have read, she is whiny, annoying and honestly stupid. It’s not naivety or ignorance, it’s actually just stupidity. I tried to give the benefit of the doubt with all her previous trauma but she literally has visions on visions of Achaz using & disposing of her and why she shouldnt trust Rordan but conveniently ignores them to justify her ‘purpose’. This entire book is her just being a really annoying contradiction. For someone who hates to be controlled, she allows herself to be controlled by her fate time after time and then throws a petulant tantrum everytime it has a horrible consequence. I really hate how she’s written as this absolutely powerful being that can ruin the realms but actually she’s just a needy, emotionally stunted child that needlessly relies on other people. She didn’t have any concept of future thought so I don’t like that they made her out to always have this top secret plan and was super clever because she wasn’t. I don’t understand a lot of her choices, even as a victim of her past. The visions felt ultimately useless to read considering she didn’t seem to take any of them into account when she acted (she had the vision about Lukas not coming for them because of her betrayal and she didn’t think to try nip that in the bud?). All in all, a character that didn’t show a single shred of development in all of the books and maybe even regressed.
I don’t think the author really thought about where these storylines would go as the series progressed because this book felt like her trying to fill in the holes she had inadvertently dug. The absolutely unbreakable bonds could suddenly be suppressed, where separation almost killed Tessa in earlier books, she simply powered through in this one. All of a sudden there were a number of other confusing bonds thrown into place to try account for this ‘inexplicable pull’ random characters had towards eachother. The guardian bond that was unbreakable saw Luka professing his loyalty to Tessa instead. This book basically backtracked on everything that was emphasised in earlier books.
There was so much information dumping to try patch up the messy narratives that it became a nothing book. There wasn’t significant advancement in the storyline over the course of nearly 600 pages but there was A LOT of jargon - all of these random new characters that were sent to help but actually couldn’t do anything because of ~fate~. Everyone talks about how they were trying to help Tessa but also had their own motives and honestly it isn’t clear what their motives are or how they were trying to help beyond the superficial. Apart from Tessa (unfortunately) all the characters were incredibly inconsistent.
Theon was given this strong redemption arc which he deserved but it was written poorly. He went 0-100 on his personality change that it didn’t make sense and I think the author knew that because she basically had Luka take his place entirely. Theon ‘loses’ a brother, Luka finds one. Theon dad is removed from the story, Lukas dad is introduced. It’s not subtle and it shows the lack of forethought in the progression of this story.
Overall, the book spent way too long building up things and claiming there was reasons behind X, Y & Z but it felt nonsensical and amounted to nothing. It then ends with this glimpse of Achaz & Akira having a parallel interaction to Tessa & .. well everyone really. I think it’s meant to be this great cliff hanger but it doesn’t differ from any of the other random characters and plot lines and vague backstories thrown in earlier so at this point i was just glad it was over.
I try not to leave reviews where I am simply being a hater because I think it’s unfair on the authors who poured their heart and soul into their work, but unfortunately, this book just had me so pressed from the first page. I rage read it for absolutely no reason and it was a bad decision.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book was filled with things I loved and things I did not.
The first 60% of the book was so slow and honestly not much happened other than Tessa was being annoying. I struggled with her character in book 2 and was hoping her “villain era” would make up for it but she didn’t really do much actual villaining. She does have growth at the end of the book, but it’s like too little, too late in my opinion. Her being the love interest also kinda makes me not interested in the romance. Sometimes a relationship is toxic for too long and there isn’t really any coming back from it. I’m not saying Tessa is irredeemable just that, for me, the friendships and relationships are beyond repair.
What I loved: Axel.
I’m still looking forward to seeing how this series wraps up in the final book next year. I do find the world and overall plot interesting.
REVISED REVIEW - This is a tough book to rate because while I acknowledge it’s good I didn’t enjoy reading most of it because so much of this book was covering my 2 least favorite parts of the series so far. Everything is good but I also hate it? 😆 this is how I’m going to break down my rating: - Writing quality - 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 - Plot - 3.25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 - Personal enjoyment - 2.5 ⭐️⭐️💫 So I’m going to average that out to a 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨overall. There also wasn't some like, gut-wrenching emotion or something to balance out the lack of enjoyment reading. Pros, cons, & spoilers below 👇🏼
PLOT This goes exactly from the end of book 2 where Tessa turns the tables on Theon & makes him her source starting her path to vengeance as the progeny of 4 gods essentially. She leaves Arius to stay with the Achaz lord & his people while everyone tries to figure out what to do with her fate. She sinks into the role she’s carved out for herself as monster & accepts her part in the prophecy. Here is some quick hit info: - poly relationship development - female rage x2 - the most enemies to lovers ping ponging you’ll get - complex emotions - almost everyone is morally gray & a red flag - med/higher spice
PROS - Axel is BY FAR my favorite character & his personal development as well as his development with Kat quite literally kept me turning the pages this book. - This book leaves you conspiring & guessing & trying to figure out what’s going to happen. The puzzle is fun. - Really enjoyed the introduction of Eliza & Razik into the fold, their dynamic, & particularly Eliza. I loved her goading Razik & Luka that was so funny 😆. - I was SO pumped to see Eviana’s chapters because I’ve known there was something there this whole time. This is a potential scorned-woman-female-rage villain I’m very excited about. - I do just love Luka. - This book is really putting the groundwork in for a Theon redemption arc & after 2 books of him fighting for control in all the wrong ways it was nice to see him coming around. - Dex & the other Light Guardians are going to continue being an interesting storyline (even though I hate them all sans Brecken). - I do love the exploration of what love looks like to everyone. How they’ve received it, can they freely give it, etc. - it was a nice theme to compare how Axel has felt love in the form of protection from Theon, Luka telling Tess she won’t let herself be loved, Eliza & Razik showing love via an unforced bond, parental love, etc. - While Tessa for me was absolutely not a pro in this book, the fact that it’s possible she might be having a full Sméagol/Gollum moment is pretty interesting?
MIDS - Idk how I feel about all the different types of bonds. It feels a little messy right now. - The gods also feel a little messy. I don’t feel like the why is super clear for a lot of things & I think I just expect more clarity this far into a series. But not calling it a con yet because it might come next book & it’s very possible it’s supposed to be unclear still.
CONS - There was a relationship development that I just didn’t care for. More info in spoilers if you want it, but yeah I just didn’t care for it so it wasn’t fun to read about since it was a lot of this book. - I am so sad about this but I kind of can’t stand Tessa anymore. I was SO excited for her to burn it all down & for her villain arc, because she absolutely deserved it. But she was so short-sighted about everything it was just… frustrating. I found myself saying “oh come onnn” allll the time in regard to the choices she was making & refusal to see the writing on the wall. If I thought she was being smart & not childish, I’d have loved it so much. Luka called her a brat & I agreed which is just not what I wanted from her at all in this plot point. I enjoyed so little of her this book that it made the whole thing tougher to read. I know that everyone’s morally gray, but I just wanted her to be smarter with her rage. Like her plan for Eviana was so cool, I wanted that calculation more often.
I think there’s only 1 book left so I’ll LIKELY finish out the series. I might need to ask a friend if Tessa gets her shit together lol. But like I said, it’s good I just didn’t have all that good of a time a lot of this particular book.
- Axel becoming a Night Child is devastating, especially after finding out about Kat being pregnant. I love the 2 of them so much & I’m really hoping their bond means something special for his turning. I am really invested in this storyline & their future battle with Bree in the Underworld. - I genuinely don’t understand why Theon & Luka even fight for her anymore (especially after her betrayals - leading the Hunters to Arius & not telling Luka of his father Xan”). - Luka saying he’d pick Tessa over Theon if forced to choose made no sense to me actually. He’s bonded to both but he’s been bonded longer to Theon? Maybe I just don’t remember or didn’t comprehend the intricacies of the bonds he has for T & T, but that genuinely made no sense to me after multiple books explaining the strength of his & Theon’s bond. - I really hope her betrayal of Luka gets Tessa’s head right & she realizes she can still find vengeance & not be thoughtless or heartless. I am really hoping for that character arc. - Cressida being an Augury was a fun twist! I knew something was up with her but I wasn’t expecting that. - Valter being imprisoned for nearly the entire book was rather satisfying. - The gods & their motivations are honestly a little fuzzy to me. Like do we really think they’re gonna destroy Devram because of Tessa? Does we really believe Achaz will just be super chill with coming back & treat him great? Like what’s the actual power grab here that gives him more than current state? I'm sure we'll get more in the next book but for now, with the plot moving, I don't feel like it's super clear. - I don’t care for it turning poly with Luka after 2 books of Theon & Tessa’s… we’ll call it attempt at romance. I also just don’t think it made a ton of sense given Tessa’s actions in this book why they’d decide now was the time. Idk it just felt weird. I’d also much rather it have been why choose situation from the start if that were going to be the case but that’s a personal preference because I get attached to a singular couple & then can’t let go lol. I’m not a huge why choose person in general but I def don’t really like it when it develops this specific way.
Toxic chaos. Šita knyga buvo visiškai toxic chaos. And I’m obsessed.🫠
Dar kart pasikartosiu, kad ši serija tikrai ne visiems. Kai visi veikėjai moral grey, čia negali tikėtis jokių teisingų ar sąžiningų sprendimų ar tiesiog ieškoti teisybės. O buvo viskooo. Patikėkit 🔥
Knygos tai pat labai slow paced. Labai. Gal atrodo, kad daug kas ir kartojasi, bet man tai dalis to chaoso, kuris yra neatsiejama serijos dalis. Suprasit skaitant 😁
Bet viską sudėjus, šita serija rado vietą širdy. Šitie veikėjai… jau gyvena rent free in my head. Beto 3 knygos pabaiga labiausiai ir patiko! Labai laukiu 4-tos🥹