Vanquished

The Elder Tree Trilogy #3

by Erica Rose Eberhart

Through the darkness there is light.

Queen Greer must resurface from devastating grief and prepare for war with the fae king of Invarlwen, Malcolm. Shifting through the motions of her duty, she battles growing resentment toward magic makers for destroying a piece of her heart. She sets her conflicting sights on her sister Caitriona, who struggles with her own losses, as both a danger and someone to protect.

With newfound determination and self-discovered power, Caitriona insists on finding Ailith, missing since falling into Kayl’s magical necklace. Against Greer’s wishes, Caitriona absconds through magic portals to new lands with hope of saving the woman she loves.

Beyond the mist, Ailith battles her own demons as fae are transformed into monsters forced to serve in Malcolm's growing army. Facing the threat of forced servitude, she strives to find the strength she doubted in her magicless self.


In this thrilling conclusion of The Elder Tree Trilogy, Greer, Caitriona, and Ailith fight to reach the light through the dark without it breaking them, leaving readers entwined in their story of love, sisterhood, and bravery.

Genres: Fantasy, Lesbian

Expected publication January 20, 2026

About the author

Erica Rose Eberhart is a neurodivergent, disabled writer of queer characters, dragons, girls who grow feathers, and boys who become trees. She resides in the Finger Lakes of New York with her partner and child, and has sampled landscape inspiration from her time living near mountain ranges of New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Having written stories since she could string a sentence together, she now focuses primarily on young adult and adult fantasy, as well as whimsical personal essays.

Her work has been featured in Bella Grace Magazine. TARNISHED is her debut novel.

Reviews

[Erica Eberhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my novel!

The last one in the trilogy. My last baby (for now). Vanquished was by far the hardest novel I had to write. It forced me to face so many attributes of writing that I am hesitant about. It also forced me to face heavier topics--mainly grief--to try and create a descriptive and heartfelt experience.

I've said from the beginning that books two and three are heavy, but that the series ends on a positive note, and that remains true. It does end on a good note. But first we have to get through the rough stuff.

I'm happy with where my girls end up in this book. I feel their story is told. And while I would love to say "I have more book ideas for them," I currently don't. Their story is complete. And so, I hope you enjoy where this book takes you.

Please note there are trigger warnings at the start of the novel and also on my website for those who seek them. <3

[C.W. Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Vanquished first as a beta, and then recently again to provide a blurb. It’s a beautiful ending to an epic trilogy about three powerful women and their families, their lives, and their struggles, both internal and external. We see old characters again and meet new ones, and it’s easy to find something relatable in nearly all of them. This book explores grief, loss, selfless love, and sacrifice, coupled with the lyrical prose we’ve come to know in the authors first two books. I’ll be sad to leave our girls, but happy that they got the endings that they worked so hard for.

[Mariah Stillbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic tale of love and sacrifice, Eberhart’s lyrical storytelling comes full circle with the conclusion of The Elder Tree Trilogy. It is an ending that will pull at your heartstrings while giving your wings something to beat for.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanquished is the third and final installment of The Elder Tree trilogy by Erica Rose Eberhart.
This fantastic series took my heart through a gamut of emotions. Eberhart does not shy away from realistic representations of grief and mental health challenges within the context of clear-cut good versus evil war preparation and battles. She portrays complex parent-child, sibling, romantic, and platonic relationships that develop over time and, together with personal character growth, prove central to triumph.
The writing is so well done that the fleshed-out plot, though sweeping, is easy to follow and fully engaging. The beautifully melodic prose delivers depravity balanced with profound love and sacrifice for a satisfying journey, and a bittersweet ending that feels perfectly suited. In my opinion, there is no other way it could have concluded. I was tearing up, and that is a compliment.
Filled with heroism, bravery, love, kick-@ss women, magic, dragons, and some very bad people, Vanquished sets the bar high for epic romantasies. I honestly loved it so much!
The covers and promo art for the whole trilogy are amazing!
Do yourself a favor and start this series!
#trilogy #completedseries #queernormative #romantasy #sapphic #hetero #magic #dragons #curses #war #battles #epic #rulingmonarchy #queendom #sacrifice #parentchildlove #grief #mentalhealthrep #epilogue #HEA
I received an ARC from the author. This is my honest opinion.

[Annette Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanquished by Erica Rose Eberhart was one of my most anticipated reads of 2026 and it certainly did not disappoint. I fell in love with these characters in Tarnished and with the dramatic ending of Diminished I was on tenterhooks to see how the author would wrap up the series. The answer to that question, if I had to sum it up in one word is beautifully, though not without some heartbreak along the way.
It is rare to find a book series with three such strong female characters that I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite, but that is exactly what we have here, each faces their own struggles but the bonds of love and friendship unite them. The breakdown of the closeness of the sisterly bond between Greer and Caitriona almost broke my heart, and I was rooting for Roisin's every attempt to help them to understand one another. The action ticks up a notch here too, with a dramatic battle sequence that had me on the edge of my seat and left me fearing the worst, but I should have had more faith because the ending of the book healed the damage that the author managed to inflict on this reader's heart. The writing is as lush and beautiful as I have come to expect and I can't imagine a more fitting ending to such a wonderful series.
I read an ARC courtesy of the author, all opinions are my own.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for this ARC

WHAT A FINALE TO AN INCREDIBLE SERIES!!!
This book picks up shortly after #2 ends with all the consequences and emotions associated with THAT ending. The tension is sky-high from the start and just gets higher from there. The book drags us through the pit of despair while still providing moments of lightness and a satisfying and comforting albeit bittersweet ending. This book is an homage to grief and love in a way that kept the pages turning. This final book took all the elements I loved from books one and two, cranked them up to eleven, and made its mark as a finale to remember. I'm sad this is the last one in the series, and I'm excited to follow the author into the future!

[Courtney Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanquished presents a sweeping conclusion to an epic trilogy. Spanning a generation of women and their interpersonal dynamics, this story feasts on what it means to wade through grief, find one's courage, and unite against ferocious odds. Each detail is meticulously crafted, offering readers not only a multi-kingdom battle, but also, the transformation each woman undergoes within herself as Greer seeks peace from her grief, Catriona fights for independence, Ailith's bravery rises, and Roisin finds redemption from her past. Lush and emotional, challenging and driven, Vanquished is everything readers want from Elder Tree magic, heroism, and breathtaking insight into the human heart.

[Diane Billas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanquished is a phenomenal conclusion to the Elder Tree Trilogy. It has everything you could want to wrap up a series: heartbreak, an epic battle, magical beings, and twists that will have you gasping. I'll be thinking about this trilogy for many years to come.

[cheyanne jae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 3 in the Elder Tree Trilogy. What an emotional journey this trilogy has been! This book was full of grief, trauma and yet resilience and fighting. I cried so many times in the last 30% of the book but the ending was absolutely perfect.