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Villains #2
A Frozen Pyre
From New York Times bestselling author and TikTok sensation Piper CJ comes the second in the prequel duology to The Night and Its Moon. Discover the origins of demons and darkness, unravel Gyrradin's twisted history, meet the mother of monsters, and uncover the politics behind the sprawling, bloody continent in the Villains books.
Betrayal carved the path; vengeance will light the way...
Manifestation is meant to be the glorious gift of the All Mother, but wherever Princess Ophir goes, chaos and demons follow. After escaping her attempted assassination in Tarkhany, Ophir and her companions seek refuge in the castle of Raascot while the monsters she's created rage in the southern kingdoms. Torn between the past that scarred her and the future before her, love and rage fuel the princess's history-making steps. Ophir is now engaged to marry Raascot's King Ceneth, the love of her murdered sister Caris, but her heart remains split between two sworn enemies who have become her closest the secretive siren Dwyn and the shadowy spy Tyr.
All the while, Tarkhany's Queen Zita prepares a meeting of the continent's monarchs, and alliances old and new will be tested as vengeance clouds politics and hearts. Gyrradin is in a volatile era, and change is inevitable. Curious eyes from around the continent turn to see what the princess will do as the clock runs out for her to make the most important decision Gyrradin has known.
Will she save her world, or burn it all down?
Betrayal carved the path; vengeance will light the way...
Manifestation is meant to be the glorious gift of the All Mother, but wherever Princess Ophir goes, chaos and demons follow. After escaping her attempted assassination in Tarkhany, Ophir and her companions seek refuge in the castle of Raascot while the monsters she's created rage in the southern kingdoms. Torn between the past that scarred her and the future before her, love and rage fuel the princess's history-making steps. Ophir is now engaged to marry Raascot's King Ceneth, the love of her murdered sister Caris, but her heart remains split between two sworn enemies who have become her closest the secretive siren Dwyn and the shadowy spy Tyr.
All the while, Tarkhany's Queen Zita prepares a meeting of the continent's monarchs, and alliances old and new will be tested as vengeance clouds politics and hearts. Gyrradin is in a volatile era, and change is inevitable. Curious eyes from around the continent turn to see what the princess will do as the clock runs out for her to make the most important decision Gyrradin has known.
Will she save her world, or burn it all down?
464 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 19, 2025
23 people are currently reading
438 people want to read
About the author
Piper C.J.
23 books2,811 followersFantasy author with an M.A. in Folklore, who loves to take pictures, eat french fries, and live my life as an all-around creative forest nymph! I'm so excited to bring you with me on my journey as I step out of our everyday lives and into the new fantasy world within The Night and Its Moon fantasy series!
I wrote these books for an audience of one, and that audience was me. I wanted to see bi representation, love, mental health struggles, religious trauma, and overcoming the of obstacles that I needed to be modeled in my own life. At the end of the day I'm so proud of myself for creating the series that I'd always hoped I could read, and I hope someone is able to connect with them in a way that I have.
I wrote these books for an audience of one, and that audience was me. I wanted to see bi representation, love, mental health struggles, religious trauma, and overcoming the of obstacles that I needed to be modeled in my own life. At the end of the day I'm so proud of myself for creating the series that I'd always hoped I could read, and I hope someone is able to connect with them in a way that I have.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 23, 2025
I am SO GLAD THIS DUOLOGY EXISTS!!!
Genuinely I couldn’t have asked for more to round out the world of Gyrradin. So many questions I had were answered and there were sooo many Easter eggs to The Night and its Moon series.
Tyr is my book boyfriend, Ophir is the love of my life, and Dwyn is my favorite villain. This book made me laugh and cry and RAGE and I hope Piper returns to the world of Gyrradin in the future because I will never be ready to let it go.
Genuinely I couldn’t have asked for more to round out the world of Gyrradin. So many questions I had were answered and there were sooo many Easter eggs to The Night and its Moon series.
Tyr is my book boyfriend, Ophir is the love of my life, and Dwyn is my favorite villain. This book made me laugh and cry and RAGE and I hope Piper returns to the world of Gyrradin in the future because I will never be ready to let it go.
July 27, 2025
Piper concludes our foray back into the world of Gyrradin in the most perfect way possible. She weaves in small but deliberate references to future lore—echoes of the All Mother, the forming of magical orders, and the ancestral lineage of Raascot’s ruling family. As someone who first found Piper's works through the TNAIM series, I love reading the ways the Villains Duology ties directly back into the series.
I am absolutely obsessed with watching Ophir's transformation from spare daughter, to grieving sister, to wanting to set the world on fire in order to calm the burning in her heart. Her arc is heartbreaking in the most beautiful way possible. Her push and pull between who she wants to be and who she's becoming is also portrayed so beautifully within the love triangle between Dwyn and Tyr.
I love this duology and can't say it enough. It's my favorite thing Piper has ever put out, and I am so happy she brought us back to the world of Gyrradin in the most beautiful and tragic way.
Also, team Tyr forever and ever.
I am absolutely obsessed with watching Ophir's transformation from spare daughter, to grieving sister, to wanting to set the world on fire in order to calm the burning in her heart. Her arc is heartbreaking in the most beautiful way possible. Her push and pull between who she wants to be and who she's becoming is also portrayed so beautifully within the love triangle between Dwyn and Tyr.
I love this duology and can't say it enough. It's my favorite thing Piper has ever put out, and I am so happy she brought us back to the world of Gyrradin in the most beautiful and tragic way.
Also, team Tyr forever and ever.
July 27, 2025
I was equal parts enthralled, horrified, and turned on.
Picking up right where A Chill In The Flame left off, A Frozen Pyre is a fast paced and intricately woven story of agency, thirst for power, and vengeance in the face of injustice. As princess Ophir uncovers more truths about the continent's history, influences from all sides push her to choices that will change the course of history. Each character has their own agenda and nuance, begging the reader to really think about what makes a villain a villain. When does justice become revenge? Does ignoring the wrongs of our forefathers leave us doomed to repeat history? Can the ends outweigh the means?
This book tackles tough themes while keeping the reader engaged with action, betrayal, and a fair amount of 🌶️. You never know how far the characters will go, but you can bet on their various POV's making you question everything. I think it may be my favorite thing Piper has ever written.
Picking up right where A Chill In The Flame left off, A Frozen Pyre is a fast paced and intricately woven story of agency, thirst for power, and vengeance in the face of injustice. As princess Ophir uncovers more truths about the continent's history, influences from all sides push her to choices that will change the course of history. Each character has their own agenda and nuance, begging the reader to really think about what makes a villain a villain. When does justice become revenge? Does ignoring the wrongs of our forefathers leave us doomed to repeat history? Can the ends outweigh the means?
This book tackles tough themes while keeping the reader engaged with action, betrayal, and a fair amount of 🌶️. You never know how far the characters will go, but you can bet on their various POV's making you question everything. I think it may be my favorite thing Piper has ever written.
September 6, 2025
This duology is my favorite thing that Piper CJ has written. Everyone is a villain, and I am here for all the chaos, the plots, and the schemes. All the characters were well characterized: some I loved to love, some I loved to hate, and some I just straight up hated. Piper CJ expanded the world and history of Gyrradin in a very satisfying way. Piper weaved an amazing narrative across this duology, which was littered with lots of fun easter eggs from The Night And Its Moon series and tied both series together perfectly. I screamed, laughed, and cried while reading this book. Piper CJ never fails to pull so many different emotions from me. I am so sad to be leaving the world of Gyrradin, and I hope that this isn't the end. I am not ready to leave this world. This book made me want to reread all 6 books all over again. I highly highly recommend all 6 books.
December 24, 2025
More than anything, I was just bored. At the end of book 1, one of Ophir's creations lays waste to Tarkhany; Tyr learns that Dwyn was responsible for Caris' death; and Dwyn uses her draining ability to manipulate Ophir into being unaffected by the revelation of her hand in Caris' death. Honestly, that ruined any opportunity for suspense or genuinely entertaining conflict. Dwyn wants power, and she needs Ophir to marry Ceneth and rule beside him in order to rule beside her. All in all, Dwyn is the true villain here, and I wish the focus were more on her manipulating Ophir and Ophir finally getting her vengeance.
Instead, for the first half of the book, all the monarchs of the various countries, save Sulgrave, are summoned for a summit to discuss the dragon that destroyed Tarkhany. It's not really worth trying to explain what's discussed, because it's just a lot of talking in circles. Nothing really seemed to come of anything. Ophir's parents, who rule Aubade, live in Zita's old summer palace, which their parents stole from Zita six hundred years ago. Zita didn't try to negotiate peacefully for the return of her home or go to war for it; she didn't fight for it in any way, shape, or form during all that time. But now she's asking for recompense, and when she's told that she's asking way too late for anything to be done, she decides she wants to forbid anyone from setting foot in her hand land for 1000 years. Idk, the main problem here in this universe is how utterly ignorant every single person seemed of everyone who didn't look like them. Nobody travels, and everyone(EVERYONE) is shocked when they see a person of colour somewhere where they deem they don't belong. I know the author is trying to make a point with this, but I don't think she's educated enough to make it. Because literally every time she's trying to be poignant about like xenophobia, it just comes off racist af.
Ceneth and Ophir decide to marry of their own accord and literally ask Zita to take the blame for Ophir's creations because:
The ag'imni are described as:
And they can barely string together two words!
Oh, and the people who live in the north are described like this:
Zita is shocked that Tyr doesn't want to live with people who share his culture. She's shocked that Dwyn would choose to leave her home to come somewhere new. It's just WEIRD. Oh, but my favorite part was when Zita asked all the white people what they knew of melanin. PIPER, YOU'RE WHITE.
Ophir's parents are just now realising they need more heirs after the one heir they prepared to rule a kingdom that wasn't even theirs is dead, and the other one is an idiot. So they hatch a whole evil scheme and become the convenient villain(their ancestors robbed Zita of their throne, and now they apparently want to conquer more land six hundred years later??), even though Dwyn is the real problem here. The monarchs all know Dwyn killed Caris, but are just letting her run around and murder their servants and shit? Okay???
I know Dwyn is manipulating Ophir so that she wants to marry Ceneth, but I think the way Ophir reacted to finding out she was expected to bear an heir was wild. That's literally her job as a queen. The method they chose to go about it was fucked, but I mean...??
We're constantly just being told what people are thinking and feeling instead of letting us discern for ourselves. We're told so-and-so is super clever, even when they're just stating basic facts. We don't even get to read about Tyr learning to drain. The relationships feel phoney af. idk how I'm supposed to believe any of these people are in love.
Dwyn was the character I hated the most but found the most interesting. I couldn't figure out wtf her goal was for the life of me. When you get her backstory, it honestly made me hate her even more. Her sister died in an accident, and she was blamed for it, blah, blah, blah. Her life was tragic. But then she went and murdered Caris and is now manipulating Ophir into loving her, etc. AND DOESN'T EVEN DIE IN THE END. BORING.
Okay, let me share the quotes.
Let's start with the antisemitism. Piper has already been told off for the way she talks about goblins, but Piper doesn't care.
So... goblins have no souls. Nice, Piper. Really just showing your whole ass yet again.
The most annoying character I've ever read, Suley and how she talks. (She can read minds.)
And then just the fucking weird, why the hell would you even say those quotes?
Instead, for the first half of the book, all the monarchs of the various countries, save Sulgrave, are summoned for a summit to discuss the dragon that destroyed Tarkhany. It's not really worth trying to explain what's discussed, because it's just a lot of talking in circles. Nothing really seemed to come of anything. Ophir's parents, who rule Aubade, live in Zita's old summer palace, which their parents stole from Zita six hundred years ago. Zita didn't try to negotiate peacefully for the return of her home or go to war for it; she didn't fight for it in any way, shape, or form during all that time. But now she's asking for recompense, and when she's told that she's asking way too late for anything to be done, she decides she wants to forbid anyone from setting foot in her hand land for 1000 years. Idk, the main problem here in this universe is how utterly ignorant every single person seemed of everyone who didn't look like them. Nobody travels, and everyone(EVERYONE) is shocked when they see a person of colour somewhere where they deem they don't belong. I know the author is trying to make a point with this, but I don't think she's educated enough to make it. Because literally every time she's trying to be poignant about like xenophobia, it just comes off racist af.
Ceneth and Ophir decide to marry of their own accord and literally ask Zita to take the blame for Ophir's creations because:
“We’ve named the ag’drurath. Its name is known. It seems that most of the demons have a similar skin—one more suited to the reptiles and amphibians of our warm climates than that of the north. Ceneth is requesting continuity to help the people accept their existence. The demons, in theory, could be native wildlife.”
The ag'imni are described as:
It hissed back at her, hunching its shoulders as it squatted, flaring its membranous wings behind it. Enormous horns twisted from its head, mirroring the spines of her black dragon. It opened its mouth to show matching teeth, truly her dragon in a near-human body. It slowly rose from the crouching position, and a spike of fire jolted through Ophir as it stared at her. It was so much bigger than she’d expected. Its gray-black flesh ripped with a warrior’s muscles. It flexed talons at her.
And they can barely string together two words!
Oh, and the people who live in the north are described like this:
Those who had fathered Eero’s bloodline were bred for the cold. The goddess had intended their colorless skin for the snow, soaking in every ray of sunlight in dark seasons, absorbing the heat in endless winters. His pale hair and yellow irises were a mockery of the climate he possessed.
Zita is shocked that Tyr doesn't want to live with people who share his culture. She's shocked that Dwyn would choose to leave her home to come somewhere new. It's just WEIRD. Oh, but my favorite part was when Zita asked all the white people what they knew of melanin. PIPER, YOU'RE WHITE.
Ophir's parents are just now realising they need more heirs after the one heir they prepared to rule a kingdom that wasn't even theirs is dead, and the other one is an idiot. So they hatch a whole evil scheme and become the convenient villain(their ancestors robbed Zita of their throne, and now they apparently want to conquer more land six hundred years later??), even though Dwyn is the real problem here. The monarchs all know Dwyn killed Caris, but are just letting her run around and murder their servants and shit? Okay???
I know Dwyn is manipulating Ophir so that she wants to marry Ceneth, but I think the way Ophir reacted to finding out she was expected to bear an heir was wild. That's literally her job as a queen. The method they chose to go about it was fucked, but I mean...??
We're constantly just being told what people are thinking and feeling instead of letting us discern for ourselves. We're told so-and-so is super clever, even when they're just stating basic facts. We don't even get to read about Tyr learning to drain. The relationships feel phoney af. idk how I'm supposed to believe any of these people are in love.
Dwyn was the character I hated the most but found the most interesting. I couldn't figure out wtf her goal was for the life of me. When you get her backstory, it honestly made me hate her even more. Her sister died in an accident, and she was blamed for it, blah, blah, blah. Her life was tragic. But then she went and murdered Caris and is now manipulating Ophir into loving her, etc. AND DOESN'T EVEN DIE IN THE END. BORING.
Okay, let me share the quotes.
Let's start with the antisemitism. Piper has already been told off for the way she talks about goblins, but Piper doesn't care.
It was the sort of care a goblin might have for their gold, or a viper might have for its lair.(dragon was literally RIGHT THERE)
The goblin was a benign improvement on the other humanoid abominations she’d created, and she’d chosen to keep it. It was a perfect—albeit silent—servant. It contained the sentience necessary to listen and understand, but it could not argue, it could not fight, and it experienced nothing of longing, reflection, or anything indicative of a soul.
So... goblins have no souls. Nice, Piper. Really just showing your whole ass yet again.
The most annoying character I've ever read, Suley and how she talks. (She can read minds.)
“Here? Outside the palace? How many dead…oh my. Yes, that is a problem. I do suppose they stood more of a chance at escape than we did. They had alleys to dodge through, guards at the ready, shelter… Oh, of course you’re wondering how I escaped. Did you encounter the winged, shadowed man—yes, you saw the one like a twisted fae as well. I heard its noise. Yes, they have noise. I spoke to it. I knew from its noise what it needed to hear, and it returned to its beast. Ag’drurath, you’re calling the beast? Winged death? That’s appropriate. Ag’imni? Fitting.”
And then just the fucking weird, why the hell would you even say those quotes?
She saw the disappointment that soaked her father like a child’s soiled pants.
Perhaps no one was truly good. And while it was immeasurably disturbing to see every sweet elderly gentleman and imagine that he’d done unspeakable things to a child, Ophir understood that Dwyn had recontextualized empathy for the sake of practicality.
August 19, 2025
A Frozen Pyre is a total full-circle moment if you’ve read The Night and Its Moon series (which I highly recommend for super fun easter eggs) and kept me on my toes the entire time! I felt a full range of emotions and I am still completely in love with the concept that everyone is a villain. I’m sure I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Piper CJ is uniquely gifted at writing mental health rep. The way she conveys the emotional turmoil and body feel of panic attacks and trauma in general is incredibly validating and healing. The same goes for CJ’s descriptive writing in general. I feel completely transported to the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the characters’ surroundings.
The character arc for each POV was intricate and well-developed. The pacing was perfect and the spice was hot and perfectly attuned to the storyline. I’m pretty sure that Tyr has ruined me for all other book boyfriends going forward. He is truly perfect. Sedit is the goodest boy, even if he is a bit strange and mildly terrifying to look at. Zita is a goddess and my book girlfriend. Dwyn I cannot speak of without spoilers, so I won’t. Then there’s Ophir. Firi, is literally just a girl. She really has the best intentions. I feel for her and need everyone to read her story. If you’re looking for a duology with amazing lore, tantalizing villainy, lots of political intrigue, mental health rep, lgbtqia+ rep, revenge, and love a good villain origin story, then the Villains prequels, A Chill in the Flame & A Frozen Pyre, are definitely for you!
The character arc for each POV was intricate and well-developed. The pacing was perfect and the spice was hot and perfectly attuned to the storyline. I’m pretty sure that Tyr has ruined me for all other book boyfriends going forward. He is truly perfect. Sedit is the goodest boy, even if he is a bit strange and mildly terrifying to look at. Zita is a goddess and my book girlfriend. Dwyn I cannot speak of without spoilers, so I won’t. Then there’s Ophir. Firi, is literally just a girl. She really has the best intentions. I feel for her and need everyone to read her story. If you’re looking for a duology with amazing lore, tantalizing villainy, lots of political intrigue, mental health rep, lgbtqia+ rep, revenge, and love a good villain origin story, then the Villains prequels, A Chill in the Flame & A Frozen Pyre, are definitely for you!
August 25, 2025
Piper CJ does it again. Ripped my heart out and served it back to me on a nightmarish platter. As having read The Night and Its Moon series prior, I was able to make all the connections between this duology and it. And I'm ashamed to say I didn't notice a huge one until she spelled it out. Everyone's the villain but some are more than others. I stand by my man Tyr in that he is the least villainous of them all. I will never forgive Dwyn and poor Ophir never was given a chance to properly heal and that's why she turned towards the darkness. I'm saddened that the door is now closed on this universe, but happy to have 6 books to revisit when I want to see Sedit and the crew all over again.
September 2, 2025
A fabulous end to the duology. No notes.
October 11, 2025
This book has a lot of content warnings but one I didn't see mentioned in the book itself is domestic violence, when that's a really prominent theme in this book. Also intent to force a pregnancy.
If you've read the previous book a long time ago and are wondering if you need to refresh your memory on it before starting this one, the answer is no. The author does a great job explaining everything you need to know in the first chapter or two, without it feeling infodumpy.
She does hop around place and time in a confusing way but after a few chapters the story becomes coherent and stays that way until near the end, when she starts hopping around again for no discernible reason. It's clumsy but alas.
I actually never read book 1, only this one, and had no issue following along with anything.
What I do take issue with is the marketing of this book. This book is tagged romance (literally, on the back of my edition romance is the only genre mentioned for this story) and this absolutely isn't a romance or a romantasy. This is a fantasy with love interests/sexual partners, but it doesn't follow any of the plot beats of a romance.
It's good that this isn't a romance because this author is awful at writing those. Her characterisation is weak, she has to rely on telling us how characters feel and think rather than showing us. Caris, the dead sister, never feels important. We aren't shown what she meant to Ophir or Ceneth, we get no flashbacks to memories with her. We only get told she was perfect to Ophir's imperfection and she hated war. That's it.
There is no chemistry between any of the people supposed to be romantically and sexually involved. At some point, one of the characters mentions loving someone else and it felt like a plot twist or a lie. There was no build up and nothing they did or said expressed love or affection even.
I'd actually love to see a fantasy horror from this author because of her strengths. She's imaginative and the storyline in this book is interesting and engaging. The book does feel about 150 pages too long but I mostly blame the characterisation and romancelike subplots for that. (Goodreads has this listed as 464p but my version is 498p and you definitely wish it was 464 all throughout.)
The worldbuilding has good elements, like her descriptions of the horrific creatures and deaths are awesome. On the other hand, her descriptions of everything else are so bad and sometimes we get weird references to our world, like certain sayings or mentions of bacon, whereas other times it's very much fantasy-speak.
The writing is also really bad. If this were a debut author I would've chalked it up to lack of experience but she's published half a dozen books or so already. Her editor is subpar and she needs to work more on her craft.
It feels on the one hand like she wants to write things in a unique way, to set her apart from other fantasy and romantasy authors but in doing so her metaphors and similes make no sense. Her writing reads clunky and there are some basic issues with it as well, like an overreliance on passive sentences or grammatical errors that make it seem like this was supposed to be read solely via audio. And the plot holes, like a sword that had been stolen reappearing suddenly in the next scene without any mention of its retrieval.
These strange word choices strongly impact the sex scenes in particular. "His lips tasted like sunshine" after he ate her out. Girl, your clit does not taste like sunshine. Your shit does not smell like roses and sunshine isn't a flavour.
The prologue is the best part of this book and Queen Zita is the best character so if you aren't vibing then you won't like this book.
Onain is also really cool, as irrelevant as she is to the story.
Ophir is a frustrating main character and one of the least compelling povs to read from. Her main traits are some weird magic and her poly situationship stuff: very average ya protagonist.
She's also intellectually not all there, much like her father. The conversation she has after she meets the medium is so frustrating because she understands nothing when it's so obvious.
I also hate the pronunciation guide. It's so US-ian. I refuse to pronounce Ceneth's and Caris's names correctly.
Someone else mentioned chapter 42 and they were right. As villainous as the villain of this book is (yes, singular, because there is one worst person) I didn't think they'd go there. I held out hope. And I feel like Suley's case should've hinted at the solution for this, to cut off (spoiler) before the villain finishes the (spoiler).
Finally, it's 2025 so tell me why are we still referencing goblins in books and why are we still using the same stereotypes to limit them to? So disappointing to read. It was a throwaway line at the beginning that adds nothing to the story so it could easily and should definitely have been edited out or rewritten, and then a few sentences in the already awful epilogue.
Enjoyment-wise this was a 3,25. Objectively, this falls somewhere in the 1,75 to 2,5 range. So it's getting a 3 and I'll be skipping the next 5 years worth of books this author's coming out with to give her some time to grow in her writing because oof, this was bad. See y'all in 2030.
If you've read the previous book a long time ago and are wondering if you need to refresh your memory on it before starting this one, the answer is no. The author does a great job explaining everything you need to know in the first chapter or two, without it feeling infodumpy.
She does hop around place and time in a confusing way but after a few chapters the story becomes coherent and stays that way until near the end, when she starts hopping around again for no discernible reason. It's clumsy but alas.
I actually never read book 1, only this one, and had no issue following along with anything.
What I do take issue with is the marketing of this book. This book is tagged romance (literally, on the back of my edition romance is the only genre mentioned for this story) and this absolutely isn't a romance or a romantasy. This is a fantasy with love interests/sexual partners, but it doesn't follow any of the plot beats of a romance.
It's good that this isn't a romance because this author is awful at writing those. Her characterisation is weak, she has to rely on telling us how characters feel and think rather than showing us. Caris, the dead sister, never feels important. We aren't shown what she meant to Ophir or Ceneth, we get no flashbacks to memories with her. We only get told she was perfect to Ophir's imperfection and she hated war. That's it.
There is no chemistry between any of the people supposed to be romantically and sexually involved. At some point, one of the characters mentions loving someone else and it felt like a plot twist or a lie. There was no build up and nothing they did or said expressed love or affection even.
I'd actually love to see a fantasy horror from this author because of her strengths. She's imaginative and the storyline in this book is interesting and engaging. The book does feel about 150 pages too long but I mostly blame the characterisation and romancelike subplots for that. (Goodreads has this listed as 464p but my version is 498p and you definitely wish it was 464 all throughout.)
The worldbuilding has good elements, like her descriptions of the horrific creatures and deaths are awesome. On the other hand, her descriptions of everything else are so bad and sometimes we get weird references to our world, like certain sayings or mentions of bacon, whereas other times it's very much fantasy-speak.
The writing is also really bad. If this were a debut author I would've chalked it up to lack of experience but she's published half a dozen books or so already. Her editor is subpar and she needs to work more on her craft.
It feels on the one hand like she wants to write things in a unique way, to set her apart from other fantasy and romantasy authors but in doing so her metaphors and similes make no sense. Her writing reads clunky and there are some basic issues with it as well, like an overreliance on passive sentences or grammatical errors that make it seem like this was supposed to be read solely via audio. And the plot holes, like a sword that had been stolen reappearing suddenly in the next scene without any mention of its retrieval.
These strange word choices strongly impact the sex scenes in particular. "His lips tasted like sunshine" after he ate her out. Girl, your clit does not taste like sunshine. Your shit does not smell like roses and sunshine isn't a flavour.
The prologue is the best part of this book and Queen Zita is the best character so if you aren't vibing then you won't like this book.
Onain is also really cool, as irrelevant as she is to the story.
Ophir is a frustrating main character and one of the least compelling povs to read from. Her main traits are some weird magic and her poly situationship stuff: very average ya protagonist.
She's also intellectually not all there, much like her father. The conversation she has after she meets the medium is so frustrating because she understands nothing when it's so obvious.
I also hate the pronunciation guide. It's so US-ian. I refuse to pronounce Ceneth's and Caris's names correctly.
Someone else mentioned chapter 42 and they were right. As villainous as the villain of this book is (yes, singular, because there is one worst person) I didn't think they'd go there. I held out hope. And I feel like Suley's case should've hinted at the solution for this, to cut off (spoiler) before the villain finishes the (spoiler).
Finally, it's 2025 so tell me why are we still referencing goblins in books and why are we still using the same stereotypes to limit them to? So disappointing to read. It was a throwaway line at the beginning that adds nothing to the story so it could easily and should definitely have been edited out or rewritten, and then a few sentences in the already awful epilogue.
Enjoyment-wise this was a 3,25. Objectively, this falls somewhere in the 1,75 to 2,5 range. So it's getting a 3 and I'll be skipping the next 5 years worth of books this author's coming out with to give her some time to grow in her writing because oof, this was bad. See y'all in 2030.
October 12, 2025
I took a break to read Dracula for class and didn’t even miss it. The book was too long and I just didn’t care that much about it. The beginning was more interesting but the end felt rushed and I lost interest halfway through. I do love the world it takes place in though.
November 12, 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶
Format: 🎧 audio book
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Book #38 of my 65 book goal for 2025
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Review: The Vilians Duology is a hell of a back story! The Night & It's Moon series is one of my all-time favorites and I anxiously anticipated the prequels. It took me a bit to get into the story in the first book - trying to remember and connect familiar babe and places - but it was so worth it.
I found the story to be unpredictable in the best way and while the ending broke my heart a little, the epilogue soothed it, just enough.
Piper does a lovely job of swirling in bits of TNAIM - filling in gaps you didn't know were missing with lots of Easter eggs and thoughtful nods to beloved scenes.
I love this world she's created and I hope she returns in the future. I think they are many more stories still to be told.
**Also, I adore Natalie Naudus and get performance of the audio book was perfect
Spice: 🌶🌶
Format: 🎧 audio book
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Book #38 of my 65 book goal for 2025
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Review: The Vilians Duology is a hell of a back story! The Night & It's Moon series is one of my all-time favorites and I anxiously anticipated the prequels. It took me a bit to get into the story in the first book - trying to remember and connect familiar babe and places - but it was so worth it.
I found the story to be unpredictable in the best way and while the ending broke my heart a little, the epilogue soothed it, just enough.
Piper does a lovely job of swirling in bits of TNAIM - filling in gaps you didn't know were missing with lots of Easter eggs and thoughtful nods to beloved scenes.
I love this world she's created and I hope she returns in the future. I think they are many more stories still to be told.
**Also, I adore Natalie Naudus and get performance of the audio book was perfect
August 19, 2025
Piper CJ has done it again. I loved everything about this duology. The characters were so well created and complex, I loved them and hated them in the same line. No one was innocent and it just made them so much deeper.
The night and its moon series is my favourite series I’ve read, and these books gave it so much more depth.
Highly recommend
The night and its moon series is my favourite series I’ve read, and these books gave it so much more depth.
Highly recommend
August 20, 2025
There was so much to love. Our favorite villains on their worst behavior and showing their true nature all within a great and enticing storyline. I'm sad it's over but it was a fun ride.
July 31, 2025
A Frozen Pyre is the second book in the Villains duology, following A Chill in the Flame, which left us all in a bit of shock and uncertainty. Ophir has been driven by revenge, with Dwyn by her side driving her forward. Tyr working between the scenes trying to protect Ophir as best he can. As Ophir starts her new life, she learns so much more about the lands she has lived in and traveled to, has to work on what her heart really needs to address her grief and anger, and face betrayal head on.
I do have to say that Queen Zita is an absolute force, and I love her. A certain fae that I won't name shows that he has always been incredibly wise. Seeing the places that are in the TNAIM series, and how it all ties together was incredible. While you absolutely could read them in timeline order (Villains and then TNAIM), it really was wonderful to see all the little breadcrumbs Piper left for us while reading Villains.
Piper always has all of the TWs and playlists on her website to help you make an informed decision and enhance your reading experience. As always, the way she writes about the imagery of the different places and events seem to come to life in my mind. This book has representations for mental health and LGBTQIA+, there is absolutely some delicious spice, and you really do have a book full of morally grey characters. I cannot recommend this series enough.
I am grateful for being given the chance of reading an advanced copy, with no expectations. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I do have to say that Queen Zita is an absolute force, and I love her. A certain fae that I won't name shows that he has always been incredibly wise. Seeing the places that are in the TNAIM series, and how it all ties together was incredible. While you absolutely could read them in timeline order (Villains and then TNAIM), it really was wonderful to see all the little breadcrumbs Piper left for us while reading Villains.
Piper always has all of the TWs and playlists on her website to help you make an informed decision and enhance your reading experience. As always, the way she writes about the imagery of the different places and events seem to come to life in my mind. This book has representations for mental health and LGBTQIA+, there is absolutely some delicious spice, and you really do have a book full of morally grey characters. I cannot recommend this series enough.
I am grateful for being given the chance of reading an advanced copy, with no expectations. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
September 9, 2025
"it hurts to see the ones i loved mourning the pieces of me I left behind"
The second book in the Villians duology didn't disappoint. I was pleasantly surprised with how much quicker the pace is in A Frozen Pyre. Queen Zita became my favorite character in the end with her unwavering need to have justice served for the wrong made to her family & citizens. The aspect of there are no heroes made this tragic story still had you wanting to see some happiness occur to the main FMC (Firi) which never comes but you have the sense her pain bears the fruit of her evolved journey. Tyre & Harland's unwavering support makes you wish they were given some sort of reward but their presence is to push the FMC forward and make the reader acknowledge their blind devotion is their own destruction.
I have never hated any character the way I felt about Dwyn but that speaks to how well she was fleshed out by Piper CJ. Chap 42 literally made me sit up in bed and still itches the back of my brain. I have not read the The Night and Its Moon series by this author but if the Villians duology is any indication of thier writing style I plan on adding it to my TBR.
The second book in the Villians duology didn't disappoint. I was pleasantly surprised with how much quicker the pace is in A Frozen Pyre. Queen Zita became my favorite character in the end with her unwavering need to have justice served for the wrong made to her family & citizens. The aspect of there are no heroes made this tragic story still had you wanting to see some happiness occur to the main FMC (Firi) which never comes but you have the sense her pain bears the fruit of her evolved journey. Tyre & Harland's unwavering support makes you wish they were given some sort of reward but their presence is to push the FMC forward and make the reader acknowledge their blind devotion is their own destruction.
I have never hated any character the way I felt about Dwyn but that speaks to how well she was fleshed out by Piper CJ. Chap 42 literally made me sit up in bed and still itches the back of my brain. I have not read the The Night and Its Moon series by this author but if the Villians duology is any indication of thier writing style I plan on adding it to my TBR.
August 11, 2025
Note: I received an ARC
This duology is a master class in character arcs.
Piper’s characters are all at least a little bit the villain in this duology and book one gave us the temper tantrums of wronged people. The slighted anger that comes from the world doing people dirty.
Book two, however, is what happens after. When you’ve let the emotions explode and it’s time to do something about it. This doesn’t mean that it has to be some sort of matured handling of rage - sometimes it is the unbridled anguish of losing a loved one and being forced into things you don’t want to do that hatch the most chaotic plans.
Beyond the characters, Piper’s words are beautiful as always and the series’ conclusion leaves you with all of the feels.
This duology is a master class in character arcs.
Piper’s characters are all at least a little bit the villain in this duology and book one gave us the temper tantrums of wronged people. The slighted anger that comes from the world doing people dirty.
Book two, however, is what happens after. When you’ve let the emotions explode and it’s time to do something about it. This doesn’t mean that it has to be some sort of matured handling of rage - sometimes it is the unbridled anguish of losing a loved one and being forced into things you don’t want to do that hatch the most chaotic plans.
Beyond the characters, Piper’s words are beautiful as always and the series’ conclusion leaves you with all of the feels.
February 13, 2026
I enjoy PCJs universe that she creates and how villains allows us to explore her storylines deeper.
I do find her use of the same expressions, concepts, mechanistic descriptions abundant and sometimes excessive and I do wish that I wasn’t tempted to red line while reading.
Regardless, the Villains series kept me engaged and coming back. I love reminding myself that no matter how much I love a character, everyone’s a villain in this storyline which also reminds me how we are all villains in someone’s story.
🖤
I do find her use of the same expressions, concepts, mechanistic descriptions abundant and sometimes excessive and I do wish that I wasn’t tempted to red line while reading.
Regardless, the Villains series kept me engaged and coming back. I love reminding myself that no matter how much I love a character, everyone’s a villain in this storyline which also reminds me how we are all villains in someone’s story.
🖤
December 12, 2025
Like any good Piper work this is full of demons, bad men getting what they deserve, and a woman who is just trying to live her life. This is not a fairytale, nor does it have a fairytale ending, but its love and hate and anger in all the best ways. Seeing the way Piper wrote everything that will one day become The Night and Its Moon is so cool. The foreshadowing is perfect and I would love a book of just Zita doing what she does best, encouraging other Anarchists.
September 30, 2025
Piper CJ’s writing and storytelling ability is phenomenal. I give the 3 star rating in comparison to her other works. I typically feel the characters are written in a way that I feel very connected and invested in them as if they are my best friends. I’m not sure exactly what magical element was missing, but for me, the characters didn’t fully come to life.
September 18, 2025
3.5 ⭐️I liked it!! The time stamps got a little confusing towards the end but overall I had a great time
January 13, 2026
Just couldn’t get into it. Almost a DNF, but I held out, and it didn’t get better.
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