What do you think?
Rate this book
The Curse of Silver Secrets and Cruel Shadows #2
A Crown of Victory and Vengeance
He shattered my heart on our wedding day. Now we must set aside our heartbreak and join forces to save our world from the brink of chaos.
Betrayed at the altar by the man I love, I don’t have the luxury to mourn my broken heart. The Blood Brotherhood Clan is under attack and dark secrets from my past begin to claw their way to light.
Now I must fight beside the man who almost destroyed me.
As the merciless prince leads his army on the battlefield, I wage my own war in the treacherous court, where smiles are sharper than blades and words can change the fate of a dynasty. If either of us falters, both of our Clans will be doomed.
With my trust in pieces, despite his groveling and promises, I’m torn between vengeance and forgiveness. But the blood oath silencing his tongue cuts deeper than any betrayal and mercy is a weakness I can’t risk.
The fierce bond between us doesn’t care about human heartache, though. It tightens its grip and brings us closer than we thought possible. We’re cursed to rise and fall together—if one of us dies, the other will follow, and the darkness hounding us will destroy everyone and everything I love.
A Crown of Victory and Vengeance is book two in the first duology of the A Curse of Silver Secrets and Cruel Shadows series and completes the story of Evie and Zandyr. It’s a slowburn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy where banter is a love language and secrets can kill. The series starts out hot and only gets hotter as the mystery grows.
In the War of the Clans, which side will you choose? Protectorate VS. Blood Brotherhood.
Betrayed at the altar by the man I love, I don’t have the luxury to mourn my broken heart. The Blood Brotherhood Clan is under attack and dark secrets from my past begin to claw their way to light.
Now I must fight beside the man who almost destroyed me.
As the merciless prince leads his army on the battlefield, I wage my own war in the treacherous court, where smiles are sharper than blades and words can change the fate of a dynasty. If either of us falters, both of our Clans will be doomed.
With my trust in pieces, despite his groveling and promises, I’m torn between vengeance and forgiveness. But the blood oath silencing his tongue cuts deeper than any betrayal and mercy is a weakness I can’t risk.
The fierce bond between us doesn’t care about human heartache, though. It tightens its grip and brings us closer than we thought possible. We’re cursed to rise and fall together—if one of us dies, the other will follow, and the darkness hounding us will destroy everyone and everything I love.
A Crown of Victory and Vengeance is book two in the first duology of the A Curse of Silver Secrets and Cruel Shadows series and completes the story of Evie and Zandyr. It’s a slowburn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy where banter is a love language and secrets can kill. The series starts out hot and only gets hotter as the mystery grows.
In the War of the Clans, which side will you choose? Protectorate VS. Blood Brotherhood.
Audible Audio
First published February 25, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews
February 24, 2025
**𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘** 𝑨 𝑪𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑽𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑽𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒂 𝑹𝒂𝒚𝒆 (𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒔 #2)
Release Date: February 25, 2025
5⭐️4🌶
This book has landed Vera Raye as one of my must read authors. This is the second book in The Curse of Silver Secrets and Cruel Shadows series, and I cannot get enough! The first book ended on a cliffhanger of epic proporations. Evie has called into question everything she knows and loves due to the betrayal in the first book. Zandyr did what he had to, but now things he should have done everything differently. The conflict between these two is so FIREY!
The Blood Brotherhood Dynasty is preparing for war against the Serpents. But when Zandyr leaves for war, he leaves his new wife to try and keep the capital safe from the underhanded, cold-hearted advisors that have done nothing for the common people of Pheonix Peak. Banu and Valuta have convinced the Blood Brotherhood Court that they only want the best for them, but they're really spinning everything to their own advantage. Including, defaming Evie to the point that all the common people believe her to be nothing more than a shallow gold digger that just wants Zandyr for his title.
The political machinations in this book, plus the spicy tension, plus the battles and training sequences! I ate up every crump and was not hungry afterwards. I highly recommend this series for Jennifer Armentrout, Sarah Maas, Danielle Jensen, and Elise Kova fans!
Themes/Tropes:
🍁Enemies-to-lovers
🍁Arranged Marriage
🍁Fated Mates
🍁Rival Kingdoms at war
🍁Political backstabbing
🍁Grumpy-grumpy
🍁Hidden princess
TW:
✨Murder
✨Battle sequences
✨Gore
✨Political betrayal/slander
✨Indifferent parents
✨Parental Abandonment (past)
Release Date: February 25, 2025
5⭐️4🌶
This book has landed Vera Raye as one of my must read authors. This is the second book in The Curse of Silver Secrets and Cruel Shadows series, and I cannot get enough! The first book ended on a cliffhanger of epic proporations. Evie has called into question everything she knows and loves due to the betrayal in the first book. Zandyr did what he had to, but now things he should have done everything differently. The conflict between these two is so FIREY!
The Blood Brotherhood Dynasty is preparing for war against the Serpents. But when Zandyr leaves for war, he leaves his new wife to try and keep the capital safe from the underhanded, cold-hearted advisors that have done nothing for the common people of Pheonix Peak. Banu and Valuta have convinced the Blood Brotherhood Court that they only want the best for them, but they're really spinning everything to their own advantage. Including, defaming Evie to the point that all the common people believe her to be nothing more than a shallow gold digger that just wants Zandyr for his title.
The political machinations in this book, plus the spicy tension, plus the battles and training sequences! I ate up every crump and was not hungry afterwards. I highly recommend this series for Jennifer Armentrout, Sarah Maas, Danielle Jensen, and Elise Kova fans!
Themes/Tropes:
🍁Enemies-to-lovers
🍁Arranged Marriage
🍁Fated Mates
🍁Rival Kingdoms at war
🍁Political backstabbing
🍁Grumpy-grumpy
🍁Hidden princess
TW:
✨Murder
✨Battle sequences
✨Gore
✨Political betrayal/slander
✨Indifferent parents
✨Parental Abandonment (past)
December 26, 2025
5 ⭐
3🌶
This series is so underrated, it is criminal! It should not only be read more, but more people should be talking about it! It had me hook, line, and sinker, from the very first chapter. I will not only be reading the rest of this series, but this author has received a new fan for sure! The world-building, the progression, the character development, the relationship, just the whole thing was fantastic!
3🌶
This series is so underrated, it is criminal! It should not only be read more, but more people should be talking about it! It had me hook, line, and sinker, from the very first chapter. I will not only be reading the rest of this series, but this author has received a new fan for sure! The world-building, the progression, the character development, the relationship, just the whole thing was fantastic!
March 13, 2025
This was SUCH A GOOD BOOK! I adored the audio narration! This would make for such a good Graphic Audio edition. I loved the characters, the story, and the intrigue. Things are far from completely resolved by the end, but the overall story will continue in the next duology. The redemption arc the hero went through with this one was an interesting one. Can't wait to see what happens next!
October 6, 2025
Well this was a disappointment. This was so full of plot and schemes that you barely have interaction between the two until the end of the book. And even then, it’s assassination attempt and assassination attempt. There’s no building back of trust so much as just eventually she gets over it despite being like “I’m not just gonna let myself get over it without proof of actions.”
And the most egregious thing here was I was catfished with the spice. Book one was pretty mid, but the synopses said the spice increases with each book. Well I’d say there was even less spice here since they barely have time together. When they do finally do it, it’s one quick fade to black scene at the very end. Let’s be real, I’m not reading romantasy trying to find the best world-building and dense plots, that’s what epic fantasy is for. If there’s barely any romance and you market this as spicy, I’m gonna leave bitter.
🌶️: 2/5
And the most egregious thing here was I was catfished with the spice. Book one was pretty mid, but the synopses said the spice increases with each book. Well I’d say there was even less spice here since they barely have time together. When they do finally do it, it’s one quick fade to black scene at the very end. Let’s be real, I’m not reading romantasy trying to find the best world-building and dense plots, that’s what epic fantasy is for. If there’s barely any romance and you market this as spicy, I’m gonna leave bitter.
🌶️: 2/5
February 4, 2026
4.75⭐️
May 21, 2025
It was good, but felt it was a lot more underwhelming than the first book. A few things really grinded my gears.
1) how does she remember everything grandpa Constantine said when she was five years old. 😑😑😑 my five year old barley remembers to put on clothes.
2) the ending felt so rushed and that’s what really disappointed me.
1) how does she remember everything grandpa Constantine said when she was five years old. 😑😑😑 my five year old barley remembers to put on clothes.
2) the ending felt so rushed and that’s what really disappointed me.
September 11, 2025
ok that was goooood. just too much “ugh i can’t forgive him poor me” in the first half. like gurl be so fkin forreal pls
September 12, 2025
For some reason I didn’t remember reading the first book in this series and I did not check on goodreads what review score I gave it because I gave the first book a terrible review but wound up reading the second book months later after it was recommended to me on audible.
The writing is so incredibly sloppy it is a brutal read. There are SO MANY things that are briefly mentioned and then never explained:
-old gods and new gods- what’s the story here? Who are the old gods and who are the new gods?
-Xamor the god- Zandyr used his name a lot but we never get any backside into why he is so important. Is he alive? Why did they use incantations to ward off his presence if he is the person they praise?
-Evie’s power: we barely get an explanation for it. All we learn is she has some sort of blue fire tendrils. We don’t know where it comes from or how the magic works. Evie also sometimes spoke an ancient language that even she couldn’t decipher, and turned into this thing that would bite people- no explanation on that, ever.
-The Vhageara bloodline- why were they such a big deal? Why are they so powerful? Why did the unknown group want Evie dead even at a young age? We needed more backstory.
-The serpents power- why do they bleed green? We know their power is dark but WHY is it dark? Where does it come from? Where do the runes originate?
-The blood brotherhood power- what is the secret ritual that Zander can do to make people live longer? What did he do to his soldiers during the battle with the serpents? If he and his clan are fueled by blood why wouldn’t they be vampires and bite their enemies? Surely that would be easier than waiting for enemies to die and leak blood onto the floor, no?
How one author could leave out so much is honestly mind boggling. And to make matters worse the reveal of the oath was infuriating. It wasn’t a powerful enemy that forced him to make the oath.. no it was his own dumbass. Needless to say I will not be continuing with this series.
(Narration- the narrators were wonderful but I will always be unsatisfied with duet narration. How am I supposed to take a spice scene seriously when it’s a male voicing the MMC and the same male voicing the FMC with a high pitched cringy woman voice? Duel narration should be the gold standard in audiobooks because there is way too much cringe in duet.)
The writing is so incredibly sloppy it is a brutal read. There are SO MANY things that are briefly mentioned and then never explained:
-old gods and new gods- what’s the story here? Who are the old gods and who are the new gods?
-Xamor the god- Zandyr used his name a lot but we never get any backside into why he is so important. Is he alive? Why did they use incantations to ward off his presence if he is the person they praise?
-Evie’s power: we barely get an explanation for it. All we learn is she has some sort of blue fire tendrils. We don’t know where it comes from or how the magic works. Evie also sometimes spoke an ancient language that even she couldn’t decipher, and turned into this thing that would bite people- no explanation on that, ever.
-The Vhageara bloodline- why were they such a big deal? Why are they so powerful? Why did the unknown group want Evie dead even at a young age? We needed more backstory.
-The serpents power- why do they bleed green? We know their power is dark but WHY is it dark? Where does it come from? Where do the runes originate?
-The blood brotherhood power- what is the secret ritual that Zander can do to make people live longer? What did he do to his soldiers during the battle with the serpents? If he and his clan are fueled by blood why wouldn’t they be vampires and bite their enemies? Surely that would be easier than waiting for enemies to die and leak blood onto the floor, no?
How one author could leave out so much is honestly mind boggling. And to make matters worse the reveal of the oath was infuriating. It wasn’t a powerful enemy that forced him to make the oath.. no it was his own dumbass. Needless to say I will not be continuing with this series.
(Narration- the narrators were wonderful but I will always be unsatisfied with duet narration. How am I supposed to take a spice scene seriously when it’s a male voicing the MMC and the same male voicing the FMC with a high pitched cringy woman voice? Duel narration should be the gold standard in audiobooks because there is way too much cringe in duet.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2026
Again, very good!!! I think we were a little bit all over the place here but I digress.
I went to open the 3rd book and got IMMMMMMMMEDIATELY annoyed when I read “allie” as the first POV. Like…. Really? And we didn’t even get THE scene at the end. She was like “and then we did it ;)” essentially. Like u made me wait that long for THAT??? And then the book is over? Like plz lol stop. And the epilogue tying to book 3 was reaching. You can’t just write two lines and expect us to be excited for the next book. I can’t believe she’s doing allies POV. I will try to read it bc I enjoy her writing style but we shall see.
I went to open the 3rd book and got IMMMMMMMMEDIATELY annoyed when I read “allie” as the first POV. Like…. Really? And we didn’t even get THE scene at the end. She was like “and then we did it ;)” essentially. Like u made me wait that long for THAT??? And then the book is over? Like plz lol stop. And the epilogue tying to book 3 was reaching. You can’t just write two lines and expect us to be excited for the next book. I can’t believe she’s doing allies POV. I will try to read it bc I enjoy her writing style but we shall see.
August 20, 2025
I enjoyed this second book much more than the first
The push and pull between the main couple was great.
Again I still think the world building leaves a lot to be desired from in this series, and I get it we are learning just as the characters learn but still, we don't really know how the world works, and a lot of things seem to be thrown in there for convenience sake to move the story along.
The push and pull between the main couple was great.
Again I still think the world building leaves a lot to be desired from in this series, and I get it we are learning just as the characters learn but still, we don't really know how the world works, and a lot of things seem to be thrown in there for convenience sake to move the story along.
March 10, 2025
5.0+ stars
This story was more focused on the political intrigues and war (which was the reason I liked the second book less, because that isn't what I generally love) but I still liked the story
After the heartbreaking ending of the last book I was curious how the story would continue. And I loved it. It took Evie a long time and some revelations to truly forgive Zandyr, but she wasn't completely shutting him off before. She was still in love with him and had a hard time dealing with the anger, disappointment and love.
Zandyr tried his best. His efforts weren't the most original, he primarily said he's sorry, but it was obvious he really tried and loved her. The scene with the fake Evie was hard. Not that he didn't deserve the pain, he did, but it was one of the better grovels I read in romances.
The ending was good but I'm sad we never found out what he wrote in his letter. And I was confused by some aspects. He can't talk about the oath but his family knew what was happening so he could've warned Evie? But he didn't trust her family and feared to lose her? That was confusing. As was her position. Some people called her future queen although that's Kaya's position as the favourite? And what does "the other love match" mean? She called it "that makes me the love match" but that sounds positive when I don't think that being the second wife with a fuggly crown is something positive? Or is just this crown magicked, I didn't think so? I was surprised she kept it for her second wedding though.
There are 8 more books, 4 duologies planned, and I honestly don't know how the author can fill so many duologies but we will see. I will definitely have a look at Allie's and Ryker's story.
This story was more focused on the political intrigues and war (which was the reason I liked the second book less, because that isn't what I generally love) but I still liked the story
After the heartbreaking ending of the last book I was curious how the story would continue. And I loved it. It took Evie a long time and some revelations to truly forgive Zandyr, but she wasn't completely shutting him off before. She was still in love with him and had a hard time dealing with the anger, disappointment and love.
Zandyr tried his best. His efforts weren't the most original, he primarily said he's sorry, but it was obvious he really tried and loved her. The scene with the fake Evie was hard. Not that he didn't deserve the pain, he did, but it was one of the better grovels I read in romances.
The ending was good but I'm sad we never found out what he wrote in his letter. And I was confused by some aspects. He can't talk about the oath but his family knew what was happening so he could've warned Evie? But he didn't trust her family and feared to lose her? That was confusing. As was her position. Some people called her future queen although that's Kaya's position as the favourite? And what does "the other love match" mean? She called it "that makes me the love match" but that sounds positive when I don't think that being the second wife with a fuggly crown is something positive? Or is just this crown magicked, I didn't think so? I was surprised she kept it for her second wedding though.
There are 8 more books, 4 duologies planned, and I honestly don't know how the author can fill so many duologies but we will see. I will definitely have a look at Allie's and Ryker's story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2026
I really enjoyed the story.
The plot and world building is ok..
Explainations are scarce. Im glad the oath was revealed but there are alot of unanswered questions.. obviously this isnt a duology so ill have to read more books to get my answers..
Really loved the found family.. Adara, Leesa and Goose were quite the trio of friends.. I enjoyed the banter between Adara and im glad they all regained her trust.
Are there not any good parents in this world???
Theres a few things I didnt understand why somethings did or didnt happen. Or something I wished was better.
SPOILERS BEYOUND.
How did Adara know of the Oath?
The reason behind the oath didnt explain why Zandyr didnt make Evie his favorite? In book 1 it seemed Banu and Valuta had a say in that when Banu says to choose wisely at the wedding.. Kayas parents werent even behind the oath so why did it read like they were the reason he made Evie the other.. was it just for the crowns protection? I would assume the favorites crown would have had more protection... I understand the main synopsis of the plot is the big secret of the oath and the heart breaking lie that tears Zandyr and Evie apart.. thats the cliff hanger. But somethings just seem sloppy. For example.. if i knew I had an oath with a man- not just any man but my best friend- that keeps me and my true love safe. My safety depends on this marriage the last thing I am going to do is buddy up to his betrothed the literal moment she arrives.. Also Kaya and Zandyrs marriage promise was announced to the Clan youd think Banu and Valuta would have rubbed that all up in Evies face, out of all the nasty things they said. That would be the most hurtful.. again I understand that is the end game of book 1, the big betrayal but logically that wouldn't have really been a secret someone in the clan would have said something.
Also Kaya throughout this book is seen loosing weight to the point she is skin and bones, looking dreadful... this description makes me think the whole time her parents were still abusing her.. was that not the purpose of the oath?? To keep her safe??
Another thing that I was hoping to see but didnt happen.. the true mate healing.. the whole time Zandyr was hurt I really thought it was going to be Evie that heals him.. especially since it was explained earlier on when Zandyr heals Evies feet that mates healling is better than regular healers magic..
Two books of slow burn romance....... when they finally come together in the 2nd to LAST chapter of this book the spice was mmmhhh.. so anti climactic... I really thought it was going to be epic and descriptive.. this is not the first time hes fingered her but during this monumental coupling is when he bursts her virginity.. with his fingers like really??? I rolled my eyes when I read that.. the spice could have been better.. 🌶 1.5
I did enjoy the book, I did have a good time. I might read book 3... but I didnt finish book 2 NEEDING to continue.. all in all i rate this book 4 stars..
The plot and world building is ok..
Explainations are scarce. Im glad the oath was revealed but there are alot of unanswered questions.. obviously this isnt a duology so ill have to read more books to get my answers..
Really loved the found family.. Adara, Leesa and Goose were quite the trio of friends.. I enjoyed the banter between Adara and im glad they all regained her trust.
Are there not any good parents in this world???
Theres a few things I didnt understand why somethings did or didnt happen. Or something I wished was better.
SPOILERS BEYOUND.
How did Adara know of the Oath?
The reason behind the oath didnt explain why Zandyr didnt make Evie his favorite? In book 1 it seemed Banu and Valuta had a say in that when Banu says to choose wisely at the wedding.. Kayas parents werent even behind the oath so why did it read like they were the reason he made Evie the other.. was it just for the crowns protection? I would assume the favorites crown would have had more protection... I understand the main synopsis of the plot is the big secret of the oath and the heart breaking lie that tears Zandyr and Evie apart.. thats the cliff hanger. But somethings just seem sloppy. For example.. if i knew I had an oath with a man- not just any man but my best friend- that keeps me and my true love safe. My safety depends on this marriage the last thing I am going to do is buddy up to his betrothed the literal moment she arrives.. Also Kaya and Zandyrs marriage promise was announced to the Clan youd think Banu and Valuta would have rubbed that all up in Evies face, out of all the nasty things they said. That would be the most hurtful.. again I understand that is the end game of book 1, the big betrayal but logically that wouldn't have really been a secret someone in the clan would have said something.
Also Kaya throughout this book is seen loosing weight to the point she is skin and bones, looking dreadful... this description makes me think the whole time her parents were still abusing her.. was that not the purpose of the oath?? To keep her safe??
Another thing that I was hoping to see but didnt happen.. the true mate healing.. the whole time Zandyr was hurt I really thought it was going to be Evie that heals him.. especially since it was explained earlier on when Zandyr heals Evies feet that mates healling is better than regular healers magic..
Two books of slow burn romance....... when they finally come together in the 2nd to LAST chapter of this book the spice was mmmhhh.. so anti climactic... I really thought it was going to be epic and descriptive.. this is not the first time hes fingered her but during this monumental coupling is when he bursts her virginity.. with his fingers like really??? I rolled my eyes when I read that.. the spice could have been better.. 🌶 1.5
I did enjoy the book, I did have a good time. I might read book 3... but I didnt finish book 2 NEEDING to continue.. all in all i rate this book 4 stars..
June 11, 2025
~duology vibes~
Enemies-to-lovers
Fated mates
Arranged marriage
Clan rivalry
Witty banter
Delicious tension and slow burn
Blood oaths
Magic
Dual POV
The end of Evie and Zandyr’s story did not disappoint.
🖤 𝑬𝒗𝒊𝒆 and 𝙕𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙮𝙧. After the shocking ending with book 1, I was so excited to open this book up to find out what happened. I love their build-up and their banter is everything. He has called her ‘𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘦’ from the beginning. It’s too cute. This is probably one of my favorite arranged marriages books that I have read because of the ‘events’ that happen. I literally loved the whole cast of characters from this book.
A fantastic romantasy duology that will have you kicking your feet and rooting the FMC and MMC on. I loved the Bridgerton vibes in book 2 with the town gossip pamphlets. The book is well written and easy to follow. Great character depth. The pace is steady, not fast but not slow, it kept my attention. The ending was a perfect conclusion for these two characters.
This is a series that needs more hype because it deserves it! Romantasy fans, you will not be disappointed if you add to your tbr.
Rating: 4.75/5
Enemies-to-lovers
Fated mates
Arranged marriage
Clan rivalry
Witty banter
Delicious tension and slow burn
Blood oaths
Magic
Dual POV
The end of Evie and Zandyr’s story did not disappoint.
🖤 𝑬𝒗𝒊𝒆 and 𝙕𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙮𝙧. After the shocking ending with book 1, I was so excited to open this book up to find out what happened. I love their build-up and their banter is everything. He has called her ‘𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘦’ from the beginning. It’s too cute. This is probably one of my favorite arranged marriages books that I have read because of the ‘events’ that happen. I literally loved the whole cast of characters from this book.
A fantastic romantasy duology that will have you kicking your feet and rooting the FMC and MMC on. I loved the Bridgerton vibes in book 2 with the town gossip pamphlets. The book is well written and easy to follow. Great character depth. The pace is steady, not fast but not slow, it kept my attention. The ending was a perfect conclusion for these two characters.
This is a series that needs more hype because it deserves it! Romantasy fans, you will not be disappointed if you add to your tbr.
Rating: 4.75/5
September 23, 2025
I thought the first one was amazing, and this one expanded on it and left me speechless once again! It is one of my favorite romantasy series now, and I plan on adding a physical copy to my personal library. SPICE, DRAMA, and so much more that had me reacting out loud as I listened to the audio book throughout the whole book! It truly was an experience! Highly recommend and am very excited for the third one to be released in October.
April 10, 2026
I’m mad about this one as I really enjoyed the first book so buckle up.
This might have had a slightly higher rating if it wasn’t for the fact it is RIDDLED with errors.
It desperately needed editing. There were not only spelling errors and typos - “anazdran” “Valita” and “griefstriken” all made me pause - and at one point Evie referred to temple “tourettes” instead of ‘turrets’ - but the poor girl was licking her lips so damn often I’m surprised she doesn’t have stocks in Chapstick.
⬇️ Spoilers mentioned below ⬇️
The writing was somehow both overly descriptive and not descriptive enough. There were long paragraphs of world building that did absolutely nothing for the actual picture of the scene or story. Conflicting details made it even harder to build the scene and in the end I gave up trying to imagine anything in accordance with what was written because it didn’t feel like it made sense.
The pacing was painfully slow until around the 80% mark where the ending was ridiculously rushed. I was reading through, reaching the 70% mark and thinking maybe book 3 was a continuation and resolution but nope. All very quickly resolved and tied up in a nice little bow in the space of a few chapters.
The plot was all over the place. Things were happening with no real objective behind them and huge, key elements of the plot seemed forgotten until briefly mentioned by Evie again at the end as a “we still haven’t resolved this giant problem we identified in the last book but we’ll deal with that another time”
It seemed like the core plot point of the first book was completely forgotten. Evie spends so much of the book just whingeing about the wedding and while I get it, I really do, it would’ve been nice if she had done ANYTHING ELSE. She could’ve been investigating WHY she was kept away from her clan for 16 years (which was poorly revealed at the end imo) or, I don’t know, maybe trying to find out what this oath was that she knew Zandyr couldn’t tell her about without killing himself? That might’ve resolved a lot of her problems early on?
I don’t understand why none of her cousins could visit her when in the first book she was told they could after she was married? It was never explained beyond them having “their own stuff to deal with”.
I don’t feel like anywhere near enough was done with the dream bond sequences. They didn’t have a single productive conversation the entire time and there were SO many opportunities.
Zandyr goes off to fight a battle and when they plot against the Serpents using the river it feels like a whole chunk of battle is missing. The next chapter they’re marching home victorious and it made no sense. They also stated the dam was critical and impenetrable and yet knock it down to win and there appears to be no consequences to this??
Going to the frozen whatever for the Harvest Festival was when it finally started to pick up, but it took so long to get there. It also completely confused the magic system - during the battle scenes Allie states it’s impossible for one person to produce a shield to protect such a huge volume of soldiers or create such a large barrier as magic always comes at a cost and it’d take hundreds of the Protectorate to do it. And yet the frozen lands have a huge dome barrier of magic to hide them? No explanation other than “runes”.
The oath reveal was absolutely not what I expected it to be, and not in a good way. I fully expected that Banu and Valuta had forced Zandyr to make the oath with Kaya to secure their position or something, and the whole torture line was a complete curveball. It also felt like a cheap way to solve the issues - Banu and Valuta’s motive was just their blood on the throne? They were incessantly cruel and evil and their motive was that of a Disney-villain.
Zandyr basically DIES and then spontaneously returns to life and NOTHING IS SAID ABOUT HOW OR WHY. He rises from the dead, immediately chops some dudes head off, leaves the decapitated body on the floor, scoops Evie up and then they go and have a bath together??? I flipped back and forth between those pages wondering if something had been deleted from the ebook because what?
As above, the ending was so rushed, although actually the only bit that was truly engaging. I didn’t love the reveal for Banu and Valuta, I wanted that to be so much bigger, but the plan that Zandyr and Evie executed was brilliant. Although he absolutely should’ve had a stronger reaction to his “dead” wife rising from ashes.
Ultimately, I’m settling on two stars for the plan and the execution. The rest is a really frustrating read, the errors really tanked it, and I’m so disappointed because I was so invested after book 1 and this essentially felt like the author couldn’t be bothered to plot it out properly and found the fastest ways possible to tie up loose ends.
This might have had a slightly higher rating if it wasn’t for the fact it is RIDDLED with errors.
It desperately needed editing. There were not only spelling errors and typos - “anazdran” “Valita” and “griefstriken” all made me pause - and at one point Evie referred to temple “tourettes” instead of ‘turrets’ - but the poor girl was licking her lips so damn often I’m surprised she doesn’t have stocks in Chapstick.
⬇️ Spoilers mentioned below ⬇️
The writing was somehow both overly descriptive and not descriptive enough. There were long paragraphs of world building that did absolutely nothing for the actual picture of the scene or story. Conflicting details made it even harder to build the scene and in the end I gave up trying to imagine anything in accordance with what was written because it didn’t feel like it made sense.
The pacing was painfully slow until around the 80% mark where the ending was ridiculously rushed. I was reading through, reaching the 70% mark and thinking maybe book 3 was a continuation and resolution but nope. All very quickly resolved and tied up in a nice little bow in the space of a few chapters.
The plot was all over the place. Things were happening with no real objective behind them and huge, key elements of the plot seemed forgotten until briefly mentioned by Evie again at the end as a “we still haven’t resolved this giant problem we identified in the last book but we’ll deal with that another time”
It seemed like the core plot point of the first book was completely forgotten. Evie spends so much of the book just whingeing about the wedding and while I get it, I really do, it would’ve been nice if she had done ANYTHING ELSE. She could’ve been investigating WHY she was kept away from her clan for 16 years (which was poorly revealed at the end imo) or, I don’t know, maybe trying to find out what this oath was that she knew Zandyr couldn’t tell her about without killing himself? That might’ve resolved a lot of her problems early on?
I don’t understand why none of her cousins could visit her when in the first book she was told they could after she was married? It was never explained beyond them having “their own stuff to deal with”.
I don’t feel like anywhere near enough was done with the dream bond sequences. They didn’t have a single productive conversation the entire time and there were SO many opportunities.
Zandyr goes off to fight a battle and when they plot against the Serpents using the river it feels like a whole chunk of battle is missing. The next chapter they’re marching home victorious and it made no sense. They also stated the dam was critical and impenetrable and yet knock it down to win and there appears to be no consequences to this??
Going to the frozen whatever for the Harvest Festival was when it finally started to pick up, but it took so long to get there. It also completely confused the magic system - during the battle scenes Allie states it’s impossible for one person to produce a shield to protect such a huge volume of soldiers or create such a large barrier as magic always comes at a cost and it’d take hundreds of the Protectorate to do it. And yet the frozen lands have a huge dome barrier of magic to hide them? No explanation other than “runes”.
The oath reveal was absolutely not what I expected it to be, and not in a good way. I fully expected that Banu and Valuta had forced Zandyr to make the oath with Kaya to secure their position or something, and the whole torture line was a complete curveball. It also felt like a cheap way to solve the issues - Banu and Valuta’s motive was just their blood on the throne? They were incessantly cruel and evil and their motive was that of a Disney-villain.
Zandyr basically DIES and then spontaneously returns to life and NOTHING IS SAID ABOUT HOW OR WHY. He rises from the dead, immediately chops some dudes head off, leaves the decapitated body on the floor, scoops Evie up and then they go and have a bath together??? I flipped back and forth between those pages wondering if something had been deleted from the ebook because what?
As above, the ending was so rushed, although actually the only bit that was truly engaging. I didn’t love the reveal for Banu and Valuta, I wanted that to be so much bigger, but the plan that Zandyr and Evie executed was brilliant. Although he absolutely should’ve had a stronger reaction to his “dead” wife rising from ashes.
Ultimately, I’m settling on two stars for the plan and the execution. The rest is a really frustrating read, the errors really tanked it, and I’m so disappointed because I was so invested after book 1 and this essentially felt like the author couldn’t be bothered to plot it out properly and found the fastest ways possible to tie up loose ends.
March 5, 2026
I really enjoyed the start of this series, and I like the FMC and MMC, but the excessive uses of "licked my lips" and "toothy grin" is what brings my rating down and is my decision for not continuing. Overall a good story full of slow burn and politics
February 26, 2025
So so good, read it one day
Did Not Finish
February 27, 2025I got bored... I should've known nothing good lasts forever.
August 20, 2025
Kaip ir visko daug vyko bet vistiek nuobodoka į pabaigą buvo :D audiobook 🎧
August 21, 2025
I actually really enjoyed this book. It may have a bit annoying the not being able to forgive, but I just had to keep putting myself in her shoes to understand.
September 24, 2025
First book was ok. I lost interest in this one. Its free on audible. I will listen to the last book if thats free too. Not great but an ok listen.
September 30, 2025
DNF’ed with about 5 hours left. Just lost interest 🤷♀️
November 12, 2025
A really good book but someone get this girl some chapstick 😭 she always licking her lips.
March 24, 2026
No one can write like Vera raye
July 3, 2026
Still a ton of unnecessary internal dialogue but very great storyline! Still hooked and will be reading the next two in the series.
August 6, 2025
While there was a little more action in this one, it is just a solid average book for me. I didn’t care for how it wrapped up either.
August 13, 2025
The second book is definitely better, but the ending felt rushed. It wrapped things up—sort of—but in an anticlimactic way. The series is missing a lot of filling (if you know, you know). Other than that, it wasn’t a bad storyline.
February 24, 2026
good, but i skimmed through a lot of it, some stuff was just unnecessary
June 16, 2025
Free on Kindle unlimited and audible plus. That's a win in my books.
So happy to have this book be a duology. Technically more are coming. But these two got their happy ending.
So happy to have this book be a duology. Technically more are coming. But these two got their happy ending.
February 26, 2026
It was okay, not as good as the first book. Evie and Zandyr barely interact throughout the story. Their marriage and relationship issues feel like it was resolved too easily, and the plot is so convoluted at times with the schemes and tricks happening.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews