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Bound to Shadows: An Epic Dark Romantasy with Why Choose, Secret Pregnancy, and Fated Bonds
Two hundred years a prisoner. One reason to survive.
For centuries, I have endured the torture alone, fighting only for my daughter. She knows nothing but this cage, and my only goal is to keep her safe.
Then the walls shatter. Two souls in one body tear our prison apart.
Kaziel is the calculating King who needs to use me as a weapon. Ya’varen is the primordial demon who wants to own me, body and soul.
They call it a rescue, but I have never been in more danger. Escaping didn't save me—it awakened a dark secret that is draining my life by the hour. Now I am their captive, their tool... and bound to them by blood.
My instincts scream to trust them—a terrifying betrayal of my own mind when I should be running the other way.
With my body failing, I face an impossible Trust these warring souls with my children’s lives, or doom the fate of the realms.
Book 1 of 4 in The Eclipse Realms Saga (Ends in a cliffhanger)
This is a dark fantasy romance intended for adult audiences (18+). It contains themes of high emotional intensity, graphic violence, and explicit sexual content.
Tropes & Themes
🖤 Two Souls, One Body (Why Choose Vibe) 🖤 Enemies to Lovers 🖤 Touch Her and Die (Extreme Protectiveness) 🖤 Shadow Daddy x 2 🖤 Secret Child / Single Mother 🖤 Fated Mates & Rejected Bonds 🖤 Trauma Recovery & He Heals Her
Perfect for readers From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas.
For centuries, I have endured the torture alone, fighting only for my daughter. She knows nothing but this cage, and my only goal is to keep her safe.
Then the walls shatter. Two souls in one body tear our prison apart.
Kaziel is the calculating King who needs to use me as a weapon. Ya’varen is the primordial demon who wants to own me, body and soul.
They call it a rescue, but I have never been in more danger. Escaping didn't save me—it awakened a dark secret that is draining my life by the hour. Now I am their captive, their tool... and bound to them by blood.
My instincts scream to trust them—a terrifying betrayal of my own mind when I should be running the other way.
With my body failing, I face an impossible Trust these warring souls with my children’s lives, or doom the fate of the realms.
Book 1 of 4 in The Eclipse Realms Saga (Ends in a cliffhanger)
This is a dark fantasy romance intended for adult audiences (18+). It contains themes of high emotional intensity, graphic violence, and explicit sexual content.
Tropes & Themes
🖤 Two Souls, One Body (Why Choose Vibe) 🖤 Enemies to Lovers 🖤 Touch Her and Die (Extreme Protectiveness) 🖤 Shadow Daddy x 2 🖤 Secret Child / Single Mother 🖤 Fated Mates & Rejected Bonds 🖤 Trauma Recovery & He Heals Her
Perfect for readers From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas.
566 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 25, 2025
23 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Kirst N. Carpenter
1 bookKirst N. Carpenter is a dark romantasy author and artist who believes the most beautiful stories are found where the shadows are deepest. A lifelong creative born and raised in the rain-slicked atmosphere of Portland, Oregon, she draws inspiration from heavy music, wood-burning art, and a year-round iced coffee habit.
She is the creator of The Eclipse Realms Saga, a four-book journey where light battles shadow and the romance burns hot enough to leave a mark. When she isn’t weaving tales of demon kings and forbidden desire, Kirst is likely practicing pyrography or being kept on her toes by her two small children and her own real-life hero.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN MY STORIES:
The Tropes: Found Family, He Falls First, "Cinnamon Roll" heroes with a dark side, and "Black Cat" energy.
The Stakes: Morally gray choices, fated mates, and high-tension pregnancy tropes.
The Vibe: Why-choose dynamics, spice with substance, and cliffhangers that will make you scream.
OUT NOW: Bound to Shadows (The Eclipse Realms Saga, #1) — OUT NOW!
STAY IN THE CHAOS:
TikTok: @kirstcarpenter
Instagram: @kirstcarpenter
Web: kirstcarpenter.com
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 1, 2026
This was fast paced and easy to read. All the characters felt very distinct and quite fun. The darker parts of the story are mellowed out with familial levity and fascinating world building. The fight scenes are easy to understand and doesn’t clutter the story. Even with the large cast of characters, everyone is easy to identify and enjoyable to interact with as a reader.
Displaying 1 of 1 review