Crown of Wrath and Ruin

Courts of Aetheria #3

by G.K. DeRosa

I thought I understood darkness. I was wrong.

A realm long believed to be nothing more than legend now holds me captive, its cruel king whispering secrets of my lineage, of power buried deep in my bones—power he intends to steal for himself.

King Helroth claims to know who I truly am… what I truly am.

The longer I remain in his grasp, the more my memories fracture. The more the shadows whisper. And the more I wonder, what if he’s right?

Beyond the cursed mystical borders of this prison, Reign is unraveling. I feel it in the fraying bond that once tethered us heart to heart. He’s searching for me, driven by desperation, but I fear I won’t be the girl he remembers once he finds me.

The courts are in chaos, teetering on the brink of war as a long-forgotten power rises from the ashes. With the looming prophecy, enemies turn to allies and with each passing day, the fate of our realm becomes more uncertain.

Reign and I have defied fate before…
But this time, I’m afraid it might break us.

Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses, CROWN OF WRATH AND RUIN is an action-packed, slow-burn romantasy brimming with dark magic, forbidden longing, and a love powerful enough to set the world aflame.

Author's
This epic fantasy romance series contains steamy enemies to lovers, touch her and I'll unalive you vibes, age gap and a smoldering slow burn student/teacher relationship. Content is for mature audiences and 18+ recommended.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Fae, Fiction

468 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 13, 2025

About the author

G.K. De Rosa has been an avid reader from a very young age. In fact, before she could even read, she tried fooling everyone into thinking that she could. At the precocious age of two, while living in Italy, she had memorized an entire children’s book in Italian and expertly turned the pages at the exact right moments of the story. As she grew up, she always enjoyed literature, no doubt having been instilled with a love of story telling from her early years in Catholic school where she was greatly influenced by exemplary teachers who taught her the value of English and Literature. Though she did not pursue writing in college and instead went for the more traditional route of International Business inspired by her love for travel and all things foreign, after a move to New York City, she found her creative writing side calling once again. She began writing a restaurant review blog, City Lights and Tasty Bites, detailing her other passion – food! The hectic hustle and bustle of the city, combined with long commuting times gave her the opportunity to spend more time reading and rekindled a lost love. After reading countless books in many diverse genres over the two years in New York City, and returning to her home state of Florida, she felt compelled to write something for herself. She had always felt particularly drawn to Young Adult novels and having been an eternal romantic at heart, a fantasy romance was a natural choice. She currently lives in South Florida with her real life Prince Charming and their fur baby, Nico the German Shepherd.

Reviews

[ℛℰ · Rating 2 out of 5]

They were nearly separated for half of the book !! The only good thing about this book that they have finally completed the mate bond

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ Man, I wanted to love this book because I loved the first 2. But I was bored a lot of the time reading it and just wanted it to be done. I know it’s a middle book in a series so the MC’s get separated at some point and there’s not always a ton action going on. But it just got boring at times. It was almost half the book of being apart. After being done I’m still confused about Ruhl and his role in the bond and I still don’t understand how Aelia got to where she was at the end (this gives nothing away). I’ve invested this much so I’m still going read the last one when it comes out.

[Maddi♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much like the second book it was boring with what felt like no substantial plot progression, just filler content. The character development seems to have regressed with both Reign and Aelia having acted more immaturely than I remembered from the first book. Her friends and Sol play such small parts that you could easily forget them. The "reveals" were predictable and easily guessed and really, who makes a blood vow not knowing what they're swearing to?! It just came across as shallow and forced to try to make things progress when really nothing is actually happening.

[Jill Bridgeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, now. Just when we thought Aelia and Reign would finally get their HEA, Mrs. DeRose throws some whopping curse balls like that! Dragons, action, finding out who Aelia's parents are, and finally, finally, Aelia and Reign completing the cuorem bond. Getting us all hyped up for that long-awaited HEA and then bam! Nope, sorry. Ya'll gotta wait for the next book for that. 😒😒😒

I don't know if I can wait for the next book. That ending has me reeling!

[Remi Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is SO repetitive. Phrases that appear every couple pages make it boring. Honestly, skimmed a lot of it. Also, I HATE HATE HATE memory loss tropes. Essentially this entire book was all about memory loss. Any and all character development was basically washed away. Not sure if I’ll finish the series at this point.

[Amber Meulemans · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a lot harder for me to get through this one.....I felt like there was a lot of dead space in this book, i get it was for relatio ship building/repair but its "meh" for me. cliffhanger at the end was ok, but the rest didnt impress me much
and the sex scenes? little to no detail. after 3 entire books of buildup and emotions during kissing I felt it was a big letdown.

[Romance lover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how this book was for Ruhl fans lol

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! I love Aelia finding out more about who she was. And Reign fighting to get to her. And I always love the two of them. And her having to sort out the mess left in her mind to remember everything. And Rhul! I love him - although not as much as his brother lol - I hope he gets what he wants in the end. Then that ending…. Whatttt…. You mean I have to wait now? lol

[Lindsey Allred · Rating 2 out of 5]

Guys … did you know that Aidan raised Aelia? Because I did….. & I was reminded over and over…. & over ….. & over again. Also the whole “love triangle” thing was completely unnecessary.

[Lperigo · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh. This book had potential but stopped there. Let me count the ways...

1. Uncovering A's history was not surprising, as much was foreshadowed earlier on. I prefer more shock and awe.

2. The love triangle between Aelia, Reign, and Ruhl that started in book 2 was resolved without much fanfare. I was especially excited for the expected tension after her Gpas mind manipulation, but that resolved way too easily with Rhul being a gentlefae and not taking advantage of her false feelings or forced betrothal. While there's some obvious lingering feelings on Rhul's side, I don't see how it'll add much to the story at this point now that Reign and her are mated.

3. Speaking of their mate bond, that whole scene lacked spice compared to all the buildup in the previous two books. I wanted to feel the passion!

4. Seriously, what's up with the Night warrior assigned to train her? The author tried to build some mystery around why he was only assigned to train on basic fighting vs some of the more advanced magical abilities she inherited, but then that plot thread seemed to fall to the wayside. I can only hope more will come from that in the final book.

I'll probably read book 4 just to finish the story and series but I'm not chomping at the bit like I was.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy moly what a damn rollercoaster ride. At first I found this book pretty hard to read. It definitely had a slow start and having Aelia confused about who she loves threw me for a loop. It’s tough when you’ve read the entire series and you start to fall for the characters as well and things don’t go your way. However about a 1/4 in it started getting really good and the pace started to pick up. In this book Aelia and Reign finally complete the mating bond and she solves the missing pieces of her lost heritage. Aelia discovers that she has Light, Night and Shadow fae blood running through her. Her father was the King of Ether aka the light king and her mother was the Princess of the Night Court who also had Shadow Fae heritage. Aelia is able to unbind her powers in this book and she now has control over her rais, nox and zar. However, her grandfather, the King of the Night Court, Helroth is hellbent on using Aelia to bring about the fall of the Light and Shadow Courts so that the Night Court can rule all. The end of the book is once again a cliff hanger with Aelia trying to hurt Reign her mate. I can’t wait for the next book and to figure out what twisted ways Helroth is using Aelia again.

[Kendoll · Rating 1 out of 5]

Everyone out here acting like a bunch of animals. The hissing/barking/snarling/growling needs to stop. Pls. CAN THEY JUST TALK FOR ONCE.

And the orbs, for the love of god please stop with the orbs.

Word count:
Hiss/Hissing - 88
Growl - 76
Snarl - 33
Bark - 27
Roar - 25
Orbs - 29

This book suffers from FOMO. It seems like the author feels they have to jump on the latest trend cause that’s what the people want and it just lacks depth. Feeling. Passion. SOMETHING other than the same old regurgitated thing we have read before - you can clearly see where the inspiration has been derived from.

And again with the editor gripe, but as mentioned above HOLY HELL the crutch words are so glaringly obvious and I was SKIM READING. For it to be that noticeable is insane.

My last gripe - in line with the editor complaint - is the “I must” do this or “I must” do that. It sounds so… off. People don’t talk like that. And the phrase “I must” was used 36 times.

Ugh it’s a shame because I like some of this authors earlier work but now it feels like the same churned out garbage everyone else is serving and I don’t want it. Thanks, I hate it.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
I received an ARC copy of this book and I absolutely loved it but that doesn't surprise me as GK DeRosa never let's me down with her writing she's an amazing author. After the cliffhanger from book 2 I'd been waiting so long for this book and couldn't wait to get into it. It was action fast paced and action packed and kept me invested the whole time. In this book we learn more about who Aelia is and her heritage, we also see a bit more of Reign and Ruhls relationship and a bit of their background. In this book Reign and Aelia go through some hard times, lots of ups and downs but their relationship blossoms and they get through it, but it's not the end of the difficulties for them. I hope we get to know Ruhl a bit better in the coming books as I have developed a soft side for him and would like to see him happy too. This book also ended on a cliffhanger and I'm shattered that I
have to wait so long again to find out what happens next but im looking forward to it. Highly reccomend getting into this series if you haven't already its been amazing so far

[Nijmeh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not gonna lie I’m disappointed in how this series turned out Reign sucks he is toxic and not in a fun way he’s very Tamlin coded and I’m supposed to want him to be endgame?? No thank you and this was supposed to be the Ruhl book and he never even got a sliver of a chance even tho anyone with eyes can see he’s much more suited for Aelia like this is so disappointing and I prob won’t finish the series atp I can’t stand more Reign bitching

[Brittney Dessinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m going to continue reading the series because I’m too invested at this point and am curious to see where the author takes the story. The dialogue felt flat and it seemed like more editing needed to be done to refine the story as some conversations were repeated in back to back chapters. Additionally, the MMC is just not that interesting; I prefer his brother. Their mating bond seems kind of dull or muted. So, we’ll see where the next one goes!

[Kayla Belyeu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m left feeling weird about this. I loved the first two so much! This one just felt …I don’t know. Like there wasn’t much happening but at the same time there was?

And I’m sorry but we should have found out why Ruhl could feel things in the bond. Kind of upset we didn’t get answers to that in this book.

[Amanda Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meeehhhh. it was a filler book. it could have been a handful of chapters instead of the 60-some it was. DeRosa needs to stop describing eyes as orbs in every other line and we don't need three reminders of the cuore bond on every page. Less is more.

[Amanda Marquis · Rating 1 out of 5]

will not finish this series

I was so annoyed and pissed after book 2.

I read this one anyway just so I could finally get to the point where the relationship was resolved.

But that only lasted 20 pages before I got another cliffhanger. F U G.K I will never read another series by this author. Infuriatingly unrewarding read.

[Eleanor McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

i had really hoped Aelia and Ruhl were endgame 😔 sad to find out that my hopes and dreams were slashed.
while i can't say i LOVED this book, i can say that i will read the next one. i really don't like Reign but I will persevere.

[Debra McNamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book but it was a bit underwhelming. The dedication in the beginning was “for those who love Ruhl”….I’m sorry, how? I feel like I shouldn’t have read that because it sort of hyped it up to go somewhere it definitely did not. Still enjoyed the book but not as much as the first two.

[Siobhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, justice for Ruhl. Second, what happend to logic in this book. Third, what was that weird cliffhanger

[Kay Daniels (Kay Daniels Romance) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was so much that happened in this third book between Aelia and Reign and it was impossible to put down. It had all the emotions, all the action, and all the angst. It was everything I could have hoped for!

Kidnapped and held prisoner by her grandsire, Aelia is held captive by King Helroth, who is not only the King to a court long thought dead, but he is also Aelia's grandfather which makes her a princess to the Court of Infernal Night. Aelia could care less about being a princess to the Night Fae and only wants to return to her friends, her home, and most importantly her cuoré, her love, Reign. However, the longer she's in the night court the more her mind gets muddled and returning has a different meaning. 

For anyone who has been waiting for more Reign, which includes me 👋, all of his thoughts, especially on how much he truly loves Aelia, come through in this book. Reign is almost driven mad at the thought of losing his mate and he stops at nothing to get Aelia back. I swooned, I giggled, and I loved every thought that went through this dark, shadow-daddy's head. Along with Reign's brooding and searching, Ruhl is by his side the entire time, which might have contributed to some of his brooding, but weirdly enough it also began to mend their brothership. It's a small mend, since it walked a very fine line between helping and Ruhl couldn't seem to stay away, as he couldn't shake his own pull to Aelia. Of course I want Reign and Aelia to work out in the end ❤️, but I also want Ruhl to have a happy ending in whatever form that is. This love triangle is such a crazy conundrum.

There is a lot uncovered in this third book, but as I watched the pages ticking by I noticed that the tension and plot weren't going to wrap up by the number of pages left. My panic levels rose not only with the story, but with the end of the book that came faster and faster until suddenly I was left with a cliffhanger....nooooooooo. It was a whopper too. 😉 I love everyone in this world so, so, much and  I can't wait until the next book.

[Tracy Booktalk · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️ Another wonderful story that held me captivated by the suspense that fills this epic dark fantasy. I am praying 🙏 please release early Book 4 - the last book in the series “Crown of Smoke and Twilight”. I have so many questions that I desperately need answers to!
⭐️ The plot, the characters, all of it makes it impossible for me to read another book without comparing it to a true dark fantasy like The Courts of Aetheria series!
⭐️ This is the story- The courts are in chaos, teetering on the brink of war as a long-forgotten power rises from the ashes. With the looming prophecy, enemies turn to allies and with each passing day, the fate of our realm becomes more uncertain.
Reign and I have defied fate before...
But this time I'm afraid it might break us.
⭐️ There are two courts who are bitter enemies but have remained peaceful for a very long time. Unfortunately the two Kings are fixated in taking over the others court. They do not know that a common enemy who they thought they had wiped out completely (The Night Court) has merely been hiding waiting for the prophecy to come about so they can take over the entire kingdom and unalive everyone who stands in their way.
⭐️ My favourite quote - Reign has sworn a blood oath to his father that he will find the child from the prophecy and unalive them. Aelia is scared because if he doesn’t do what his father has trained him for then Reign will not live. Since Reign was a young boy his father trained him for this mission. But fate has intervened and Reign has fallen in love with Aelia. “Because, Aelia, you are everything. You are the light that banishes the darkness within me, the hope I never thought I could find. You are my reason, my anchor, and I will protect you with every fiber of my being, until I no longer draw breath." 🥰
⭐️ I highly recommend you read this series before the last book is released in November.

[Ehva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Book 3 took me on a journey 😫 Sadness, pain, shock, anger, happiness, giggling, cheering, and then at the last moment..... utter disbelief and shock 😂🫦 Ma'am!! That cliffhanger again 🧎‍♀️😫🔥 Thank you so much for the ARC!

Reign and Aelia are torn apart after she's captured and taken by King Helroth to the Night Court. The court assumed extinct after they were defeated in the 200-year war!

The amount of pain and longing between them. I cried with Reign while he tried everything literally to save his mate 😭 This man was almost gone insane. I loved seeing his longing and utter strength he displayed for Aelia 🥹 This man is the utter definition of Touch her and d*e. Obsessed and possessive, you're mine, and I can't live without you!! He got even hotter in this book 🤸‍♀️🔥 The spicy scenes were much awaited, and when it started finally happening, I literally giggled and kicked my feet! and boy, was it spicy 🤭

Aelia is going through her own versions of Hell, trapped in a prison by a man she does not know, but claims to know her and the truth of her origins. There was so much we didn't know about Aelia, and this book finally started answering all those questions. And my jaw was dropped!!! I did not expect that, and honestly, it makes so much sense. This woman was yearning for her MAN, no matter how hard Helroth tried to make her forget her curèom and mate 🔥 She was waiting for the spicy scenes as much as me 🤭😈

I can't wait for the final book, I know it's going to be heartwrenching but I trust GK Derosa to give us what we all want 🥹 Reign and Aelia, my babies have been through so much, they deserve their happily ever after 😭❤️

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crown of Wrath and Ruin by G.K. DeRosa is the third book in the Courts of Aetheria series, where Aelia's battle continues.

Trapped in a world where she should feel like she belongs, Aelia has to learn how to control her now unbound powers and to dive through the truth and lies and learn to trust and love again.

If I had to choose one favorite character, I would choose Ruhl. He tries his best to be there for his brother; he makes sacrifices and fights his fears to help Reign find Aelia, and even when he has the chance to steal her heart, he chooses to be the better man and give up his happiness.

I have also seen lots of character development for Aelia and Reign individually and related to their relationship .
This book also made me love Reign even more and understand why he and Aelia are made for each other.

So many secrets are coming to light, like who Aelia's parents are, what happened between dragons in their past lives, and so much more.
As per usual, this book is also a rollercoaster of emotions.

"How can you still love me after everything?” His lips parted, and I saw it—saw the raw, unyielding devotion etched into every line of his face. “Because you’re mine, Aelia.” The words weren’t a claim, but a truth, a vow. “Because I was made for this—for you. And I will love you in every lifetime, in every world, no matter what comes.”


I love, love, love this series. 🥹.

I totally recommend it to everyone above age 18 who loves fantasy romance and Fae shadow daddies.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to first say, I love the idea of this story. But you've got to be kidding me with this one. I loath when the main couple is separated for an extended period of time. And this book the first half, seriously 50% of the book Reign and Aelia are separated. on top of that we find out the grandpa king is planting fake memories in her head to make her hate Reign. So once they're together again, he has to spend another 35% getting her back. So really they're not together for a little more than 10% of the book. Ugh. And yet again, Aelia is stolen away from Reign in the last chapter. So on top of another stupid cliffhanger, how long will they be apart on book 4.

Also, WTF is up with Liora? Why is she even part of the story. Are we waiting for her to be a bad guy? I have so many questions about why she's even in this. We get zero info, she shows up super late to the party, magically catches up. Super passes up her fighting growth. For some reason is included on a rescue plot, and told secrets. Yet we know nothing at all about her. She better have some major character development in book 4.

I totally could have had this entire book be a couple of chapters, and had this a trilogy. I'm more than annoyed. But stupid me really want to see Reign and Aelia get their HEA. So I will read book 4.

[Spinneretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

WARNING! Cliffhanger! This one rates a 5/5 on the trauma scale, pretty much like the two books before this one.

Picking up from the cliffhanger of book two, we find Aelia a captive of King Helroth of the Night Realm, and her fated mate Reign going nearly feral looking for her.

This book begins with a lot of chapters in Reign’s point of view, as he searches for signs of Helroth and Aelia around the realms. Meanwhile, Aelia is going through her own trials and tribulations, something their bond makes apparent.

While they find each other fairly soon, it becomes apparent that things aren’t going to go so easily for them, as secrets are revealed, and Helroth’s dastardly plotting becomes all too apparent.

This book takes us into the dark side of Aelia’s world, where truth and lies become twisted and confused, leaving our poor heroine all mixed up inside. It’s a fast paced story, with some low level steamy scenes, and a few actions scenes. It’s not a standalone, the story continuing the one started two books prior to this, and with some big unfinished scenes ahead.

If you’re a fan of epic fantasy and romantasy (especially enemies to lovers) then you might well enjoy this series.

[HH ⚡️☕️📖 · Rating 2 out of 5]

……..is this the same author?
Book 1 = loved, devoured
Books 2 & 3 = snooze fest, repetitive, skimmed through, couldn’t finish fast enough, predictable

We FINALLY have a completed bond. In the oddest, most rushed way…..
Homegirl Aelia FINALLY decided to figure out her lineage….but not ask too many pressing questions because, meh.
Everyone finally figured that ole King Elian is a bad dude…because that wasn’t obvious the whole time or anything.
Aidan - let’s just forget that guy exists until we need something from him. And even then, he’s useless. It’s fine.
The best friends - non existent this book. Besides being pons when needed. You basically forget their names.
Everyone just gonna ignore their guts instincts about Liora too….because that’s been a great choice….
And the dragons….just sprinkle them in here & there.
Honestly - I’d like to see the dragons burn everything & just start over with their story at this point because everyone really just deserves what they get.
The plot is spaghetti.
The characters have zero development.
I’m not sure I’ll remember this series to even download the last book when it comes out.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aleia wakes up to find herself a prisoner of a group of Fae she thought were long gone. Reign can’t seem to think of anything but finding away to get to Aelia and bring her home. Their love will be tested in this book as their relationship will be tested at every turn. Aelia will have to figure out how to get free and convince two rivals to come together to defeat the greater threat.

I have been team Aelia since the beginning of this series, however, there were many points throughout this book where I found her to be a little annoying and whining. I just kept telling myself to get through it and it’ll get better. I liked Reign and Ruhl in this book as they were probably my favorites to read. Yet again, I found myself becoming more fond of Ruhl. I have determined that this will just be the type of series that light and fun to read but with no real shocking or WTF moments as everything seems to be predictable. I found myself wishing this series had some deeper layers. The plot is there for it, it just lacked the proper execution. I am invested in this series now and will still read the next one when it comes out.

[Marci Soloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

G.K. DeRosa did it again! The third tale of Aetheria, Crown of Wrath and Ruin, was a rollercoaster of emotions. I laughed, I cried and I could not put it down!
The book continues the love story of Reign and Aelia, and their struggle to be together. We find out that there is not only the two kingdoms, but a thought dead third which is looking to re-emerge and take control. Aelia is kidnapped by her Grandsire and brainwashed into thinking Ruhl is her soulmate. While under his influence her powers are unbound and lo and behold, she is the child of Twilight. While in captivity, she learns to control her zar and how to wield it.
She is rescued by Reign with the help of her friends from the Academy and some others, when Reigns heart is shattered when Aelia runs into Ruhl's arms. They finally return her memories, and complete their bond. Soon thereafter, Aelia disappears and she reappears with wings at the battlefield with the Demon Army.

I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book.