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The Ancients' Bargain #6
Of Dark Light
She's the only Ancient who never chose to be someone. Mother of the Gods. She Who Brings the End of All Things.
The Professor has lived for millennia, with many names and many faces. Time moves differently for her who experiences past and present synchronously. The two constants in her temporally disjointed existence are her spouses, Damian and Palus. With a great power unleashed upon the world, their lives and the very continuation of this planet have been threatened yet again. But the secret to their salvation can't be found in the now. The Professor has to search in her repeating echoes of the past and revisit again the path that led her to this dire present.
There's a story, one never told in any book, of how a fae slave and an unwilling warrior stumbled into the lair of the god of death. And together, they saved all of life.
The Professor has lived for millennia, with many names and many faces. Time moves differently for her who experiences past and present synchronously. The two constants in her temporally disjointed existence are her spouses, Damian and Palus. With a great power unleashed upon the world, their lives and the very continuation of this planet have been threatened yet again. But the secret to their salvation can't be found in the now. The Professor has to search in her repeating echoes of the past and revisit again the path that led her to this dire present.
There's a story, one never told in any book, of how a fae slave and an unwilling warrior stumbled into the lair of the god of death. And together, they saved all of life.
701 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 24, 2025
14 people want to read
About the author
V.T. Hoang
8 books23 followersLook who came to cry...
V. T. Hoang is a Viet trans man who writes queer romance that hurts, but he'll forever write happily ever afters.
V. T. Hoang is a Viet trans man who writes queer romance that hurts, but he'll forever write happily ever afters.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 28, 2025
Wow. What an epic end to an epic series.
This book is both an origin story and a continuation of the series. I’d absolutely not read this as a standalone. There are too many threads from the series that overlap.
This story is FMX (Ancient being & vampire & fae). It follows The Professor, Damian, and Palus. They were first introduced in book one and have been seen throughout the whole series. I really enjoyed being able to see how they started and got to where they are at the beginning of the series.
The Professor was a fascinating character to read about. The Ancients are so prominent throughout the series and I feel like this book added a lot of clarity to who they are and their role in the world. The development of The Professor was really well done. Watching her open up and the way Palus and Damian accepted her was really heartwarming.
Damian is a pure blooded vampire and a direct descendent from an ancient. I wasn’t sure what to expect from him in the past, but his story was sadder than I anticipated. He’s such a gentle soul. I loved him earlier in the series, but loved him more as this book went on.
Even over The Professor, Palus was my favorite to read about. Their past is heartbreaking and so traumatic, but they didn’t let it make them cynical or hard. The way they were with Damian in the beginning was amazing. I love how they gently drew out Damian from his shell. I think both Palus and Damian really helped heal each other. I loved them together so much.
The story spans millennia, all the way back to the beginning of The Professor’s existence as she’s known. It also covers the aftermath directly following the end of book five.
The plot is this book is very intricate and extremely layered. Honestly, it’s difficult to review this book and not give away major series spoilers. I highly, highly recommend this series. I will anxiously be waiting for what’s coming next from Hoáng.
This book is both an origin story and a continuation of the series. I’d absolutely not read this as a standalone. There are too many threads from the series that overlap.
This story is FMX (Ancient being & vampire & fae). It follows The Professor, Damian, and Palus. They were first introduced in book one and have been seen throughout the whole series. I really enjoyed being able to see how they started and got to where they are at the beginning of the series.
The Professor was a fascinating character to read about. The Ancients are so prominent throughout the series and I feel like this book added a lot of clarity to who they are and their role in the world. The development of The Professor was really well done. Watching her open up and the way Palus and Damian accepted her was really heartwarming.
Damian is a pure blooded vampire and a direct descendent from an ancient. I wasn’t sure what to expect from him in the past, but his story was sadder than I anticipated. He’s such a gentle soul. I loved him earlier in the series, but loved him more as this book went on.
Even over The Professor, Palus was my favorite to read about. Their past is heartbreaking and so traumatic, but they didn’t let it make them cynical or hard. The way they were with Damian in the beginning was amazing. I love how they gently drew out Damian from his shell. I think both Palus and Damian really helped heal each other. I loved them together so much.
The story spans millennia, all the way back to the beginning of The Professor’s existence as she’s known. It also covers the aftermath directly following the end of book five.
The plot is this book is very intricate and extremely layered. Honestly, it’s difficult to review this book and not give away major series spoilers. I highly, highly recommend this series. I will anxiously be waiting for what’s coming next from Hoáng.
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September 21, 2025No idea how to rate this. Overall, I loved this series and I guess I was expecting the last book to be a bit different? Will just have to reread the series in a few years time ;D
March 19, 2025
I was so excited to learn the whole backstory of the Professor, Damian, and Palus, and it did not disappoint!! Their relationship might actually be my favorite of the entire series 🥹 and that is saying a lot because I have at least 3 other favorites 😂 I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where I was more invested in the flashbacks than the present time, but I definitely was with this one just because their love story was so amazing! Then it all came together so beautifully at the end. I need to reread the whole series knowing everything I know now!
March 9, 2025
Crying forever
I love this entire series, and this was such a beautiful end to it. I think I might never get over it. The core messaging of forgiveness, finding more to love about life, and healing are through lines from book one that all culminate here. Hard to talk about without spoilers, but I might just re-read this entire series again to see how all the different parts of the narrative build together here.
I love this entire series, and this was such a beautiful end to it. I think I might never get over it. The core messaging of forgiveness, finding more to love about life, and healing are through lines from book one that all culminate here. Hard to talk about without spoilers, but I might just re-read this entire series again to see how all the different parts of the narrative build together here.
October 6, 2025
i love love love this series and my only complaint with this book is that it’s over. i have been patiently waiting for this one last backstory and finally getting to look back into the professor’s life and story was just so satisfying and well done. overall, i found it to be a good conclusion to the series. it maintained the same level of plot, romance, extensive world building, and character development as the rest of the series while also tying everything up nicely for a satisfying ending. i would recommend this series in a heartbeat to anyone.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews