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A Realm of Dragons & Scrolls #1
Dark Prince’s Captive
One minute, I'm in a hospital, about to kick the bucket, and the next, I’m in a weird jungle teeming with ridiculously oversized bugs and demon-like lizard people determined to enslave me. Nope, I didn’t die. And no, sadly, it’s not a hallucination.
I'm pretty sure it's going to end badly, but then a darkly gorgeous, terrifying man steps through a portal and dissolves the lizard dudes where they stand before carrying me away.
Apparently, he's a prince with scary superpowers… and I'm his fated mate.
I'm pretty sure it's going to end badly, but then a darkly gorgeous, terrifying man steps through a portal and dissolves the lizard dudes where they stand before carrying me away.
Apparently, he's a prince with scary superpowers… and I'm his fated mate.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 3, 2025
276 people are currently reading
4597 people want to read
About the author
Anna Zaires
100 books7,832 followersAnna Zaires fell in love with books at the age of five, when her grandmother taught her to read. She wrote her first story shortly thereafter. Since then, she has always lived partially in a fantasy world where the only limits were those of her imagination. Currently residing in Florida, Anna is happily married to Dima Zales (a science fiction and fantasy author) and closely collaborates with him on all their works.
After graduating from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics, Anna spent eight years on Wall Street analyzing stocks and writing research reports. In 2013, she became a full-time author, pursuing her lifelong dream of writing romance novels.
Dima Zales is the love of her life and a huge inspiration in all aspects of her writing. Every book Anna writes is a product of their unique collaborative process.
In addition to reading and writing, Anna enjoys drinking tea (coconut oolong, anyone?), watching addictive TV shows, and discussing book ideas during long walks with her amazing husband.
She loves hearing from her readers, so please don't hesitate to contact her through her website or connect with her on Facebook, where she hangs out way too often. Also, please visit her husband and collaborator, Dima Zales, at www.dimazales.com and check out their fantasy & science fiction books.
After graduating from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics, Anna spent eight years on Wall Street analyzing stocks and writing research reports. In 2013, she became a full-time author, pursuing her lifelong dream of writing romance novels.
Dima Zales is the love of her life and a huge inspiration in all aspects of her writing. Every book Anna writes is a product of their unique collaborative process.
In addition to reading and writing, Anna enjoys drinking tea (coconut oolong, anyone?), watching addictive TV shows, and discussing book ideas during long walks with her amazing husband.
She loves hearing from her readers, so please don't hesitate to contact her through her website or connect with her on Facebook, where she hangs out way too often. Also, please visit her husband and collaborator, Dima Zales, at www.dimazales.com and check out their fantasy & science fiction books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
June 4, 2025
3.5 Stars
When I saw that Anna Zaires was releasing a paranormal romance, I was pretty stoked as I don't think she's done one since The Krinar Chronicles, which I ADORED and have read numerous times.
I will be honest and mention that I enjoy Zaires' solo projects more than her co-writing efforts in general, so I wasn't thrilled when I saw that this was a CP partnership...but that's just my personal preference.
I enjoyed this well enough. Paranormal books can be hard because there is so much first-book world-building to do that it can either feel like an overwhelming, boring info-dump or a convoluted mystery that doesn't make sense. It takes a lot of skill to straddle that line and successfully show vs tell the reader enough about the world without beating them over the head about it...
...And I don't know that Zaires/Pauls were successful in this endeavor in this first installment. They definitely didn't info-dump and they did their best to slowly "show us," but I also just wasn't satisfied with how much we didn't know about this world, this universe, these characters, their powers...all the things, by the end.
Things felt a little rushed and glossed over, which is something I have noticed when Zaires writes with Pauls. On her own, Zaires books don't leave me feeling this way. But maybe that's just me. I also didn't feel like the main couple had much chemistry. And the smut factor here was low (compared to other Zaires' books, in my opinion).
Full disclosure: I love Anna Zaires and her books and I have a hard time tempering my expectations with her. So that might be at play here also. Regardless, as I said, the first book in a PNR series can be a little rough around the edges and that might be the case here as well. I very much look forward to the next installment. I'm hoping all the things I want to know start to be revealed and that our two main characters are able to build a deeper connection.
***ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review***
When I saw that Anna Zaires was releasing a paranormal romance, I was pretty stoked as I don't think she's done one since The Krinar Chronicles, which I ADORED and have read numerous times.
I will be honest and mention that I enjoy Zaires' solo projects more than her co-writing efforts in general, so I wasn't thrilled when I saw that this was a CP partnership...but that's just my personal preference.
I enjoyed this well enough. Paranormal books can be hard because there is so much first-book world-building to do that it can either feel like an overwhelming, boring info-dump or a convoluted mystery that doesn't make sense. It takes a lot of skill to straddle that line and successfully show vs tell the reader enough about the world without beating them over the head about it...
...And I don't know that Zaires/Pauls were successful in this endeavor in this first installment. They definitely didn't info-dump and they did their best to slowly "show us," but I also just wasn't satisfied with how much we didn't know about this world, this universe, these characters, their powers...all the things, by the end.
Things felt a little rushed and glossed over, which is something I have noticed when Zaires writes with Pauls. On her own, Zaires books don't leave me feeling this way. But maybe that's just me. I also didn't feel like the main couple had much chemistry. And the smut factor here was low (compared to other Zaires' books, in my opinion).
Full disclosure: I love Anna Zaires and her books and I have a hard time tempering my expectations with her. So that might be at play here also. Regardless, as I said, the first book in a PNR series can be a little rough around the edges and that might be the case here as well. I very much look forward to the next installment. I'm hoping all the things I want to know start to be revealed and that our two main characters are able to build a deeper connection.
***ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review***
May 28, 2025
literally could not put this book down for nothing.
I thought to myself, wow it’s 12am I should go to bed, but just one more page and now here I am less than 24 hour later and I’ve finished book one and now I’m onto book two.
Thank you for the authors for an early copy!
I thought to myself, wow it’s 12am I should go to bed, but just one more page and now here I am less than 24 hour later and I’ve finished book one and now I’m onto book two.
Thank you for the authors for an early copy!
October 17, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up because of that cliffy
Yeah. I wanna know what happens next👀, which means I’m gonna round up versus down 😅.
Elsie (22) has had a hard life ever since she was a toddler ☹️; she’s battled leukemia, three times, has so many autoimmune diseases, type one diabetes, and even melanoma. Basically, she’s been tested in always when it comes to illnesses, and she’s overcome each one ❤️. While in the hospital after being told that her heart is failing and she doesn’t have long, something inexplicable happens…
She gets taken into a different world 👀
A world that is completely different from ours 👀, but unfortunately, just as cruel ☹️.
Creatures abduct her, plan to enslave her, and abuse her ☹️. She gets physically beaten within an inch of her life, and then magically, a male appears, an extremely handsome, tall, and dangerous looking one who disintegrates all these bad guys and takes her with him 😬…
Prince Araun 👀
And what does he claim? He claims that they are mates 👀. But how could that be? Elsie’s human 🤷🏻♀️, but also, who lied to him and made him think that his mate was dead 😬?
I guess there’s a lot of truths that need to be revealed.
What I liked: potential spoilers
—how protective Araun is 🫶🏻. I loooove how much he checks in on her and ensure her safety ❤️. Sure, he might have her locked up here and there (🤣), but he’s doing it all for her protection 🥹. I mean, what else could she want? ❤️🤷🏻♀️
—Araun’s powers 😮💨. Um… excuse me? Atomic bombs? Molecular level? Am I reading a comic book or what 🤣? This is such a cool power 🤷🏻♀️. It’s not just fire-breathing, earth-shaking, lightning, or superhero strength, but, LITERALLY, EXPLOSIVE POWERS 🤯. Pretty freaking cool to me.
— and what we discover about Elsie? Ufff. Yeah, I need to know more please 👏🏻. Finally, life is cutting her some slack.
—the tension 👀. Well yeah. They’re mates
—the 🔥. This is a SLOOOOOW BURN 🫠. Kissing happens after 40% followed by some touching, but full 🔥 doesn’t happen until almost 90% (and the book ends at 92% 😑) and we only get ONE scene (a long one though lol so at least there’s that 🤣)
—that Araun makes sure Elsie is 💦. He likes to eat cereal 😉
—the simplistic world building ❤️. I’ve read a lot of fantasy books over the years, and sometimes you just don’t want to have super complicated worlds 🤣. This was okay to me… (I’ll comment down below). This definitely makes it easier to follow if you’re distracted 😅
—BETTY!!! Lordt. I can’t wait to get to know her more. 🫶🏻
— the side characters, specifically Araun’s Siblings ❤️. I’m interested to see more of them.
—MATES 🫶🏻. That’s always special.
What I didn’t like/wanted more of:
— the book ending at 92% 🤬. Sigh. I’m so glad I borrowed this through Libby, because I’d be very upset if I had spent money on it. Why is it such a big deal? Because this needed more 🤷🏻♀️
— the world building😅. While I can appreciate having a simplistic world, I also have some expectations when it comes to fantasy 😐. I’m not the biggest fan of just being told things versus being shown, and in a fantasy world, the latter is always better 🤷🏻♀️. Although it being simple, makes it easier to read, I felt like it was lacking in many ways.
— so, Elsie is a V (which can be understandable considering the type of life she’s lead on earth); however, is Araun? It doesn’t seem like it based on how he acts on page 😑 and that ALWAYS irritates me 🤬 ESPECIALLY if they’re supposed to be mates😐. I don’t care that he was led to believe that she was dead, it’s a cop out😑.
— the buildup 😐. While this is slow burn, I needed more of a visceral reaction when it came to how they react to each other. I love the angst of this 😅, but the weather it’s done here sometimes made me feel like: How is this even happening? 🤣
— the amount of C blocking 🤬😑😐. Is it even humanly possible for it to happen this many times in such a short book? 🤦🏻♀️ it happens at least three times 😑.
Overall, this was OK. I’m excited to keep reading so I’m rounding up for now.
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd/omd*
-the H gets jealous and protective of the h. He doesn’t want anyone seeing her naked including his siblings
-no protection/no mention of what that means in this world. The H finishes insider her and she’s upset. He assumed she’d be ready for kids 😬
-virgin h/no idea of the H but he seems experienced. Too bad he also isn’t a virgin that was waiting for a mate to have sex with 😒
-cliffy
Yeah. I wanna know what happens next👀, which means I’m gonna round up versus down 😅.
Elsie (22) has had a hard life ever since she was a toddler ☹️; she’s battled leukemia, three times, has so many autoimmune diseases, type one diabetes, and even melanoma. Basically, she’s been tested in always when it comes to illnesses, and she’s overcome each one ❤️. While in the hospital after being told that her heart is failing and she doesn’t have long, something inexplicable happens…
She gets taken into a different world 👀
A world that is completely different from ours 👀, but unfortunately, just as cruel ☹️.
Creatures abduct her, plan to enslave her, and abuse her ☹️. She gets physically beaten within an inch of her life, and then magically, a male appears, an extremely handsome, tall, and dangerous looking one who disintegrates all these bad guys and takes her with him 😬…
Prince Araun 👀
And what does he claim? He claims that they are mates 👀. But how could that be? Elsie’s human 🤷🏻♀️, but also, who lied to him and made him think that his mate was dead 😬?
I guess there’s a lot of truths that need to be revealed.
What I liked: potential spoilers
—how protective Araun is 🫶🏻. I loooove how much he checks in on her and ensure her safety ❤️. Sure, he might have her locked up here and there (🤣), but he’s doing it all for her protection 🥹. I mean, what else could she want? ❤️🤷🏻♀️
—Araun’s powers 😮💨. Um… excuse me? Atomic bombs? Molecular level? Am I reading a comic book or what 🤣? This is such a cool power 🤷🏻♀️. It’s not just fire-breathing, earth-shaking, lightning, or superhero strength, but, LITERALLY, EXPLOSIVE POWERS 🤯. Pretty freaking cool to me.
— and what we discover about Elsie? Ufff. Yeah, I need to know more please 👏🏻. Finally, life is cutting her some slack.
—the tension 👀. Well yeah. They’re mates
—the 🔥. This is a SLOOOOOW BURN 🫠. Kissing happens after 40% followed by some touching, but full 🔥 doesn’t happen until almost 90% (and the book ends at 92% 😑) and we only get ONE scene (a long one though lol so at least there’s that 🤣)
—that Araun makes sure Elsie is 💦. He likes to eat cereal 😉
—the simplistic world building ❤️. I’ve read a lot of fantasy books over the years, and sometimes you just don’t want to have super complicated worlds 🤣. This was okay to me… (I’ll comment down below). This definitely makes it easier to follow if you’re distracted 😅
—BETTY!!! Lordt. I can’t wait to get to know her more. 🫶🏻
— the side characters, specifically Araun’s Siblings ❤️. I’m interested to see more of them.
—MATES 🫶🏻. That’s always special.
What I didn’t like/wanted more of:
— the book ending at 92% 🤬. Sigh. I’m so glad I borrowed this through Libby, because I’d be very upset if I had spent money on it. Why is it such a big deal? Because this needed more 🤷🏻♀️
— the world building😅. While I can appreciate having a simplistic world, I also have some expectations when it comes to fantasy 😐. I’m not the biggest fan of just being told things versus being shown, and in a fantasy world, the latter is always better 🤷🏻♀️. Although it being simple, makes it easier to read, I felt like it was lacking in many ways.
— so, Elsie is a V (which can be understandable considering the type of life she’s lead on earth); however, is Araun? It doesn’t seem like it based on how he acts on page 😑 and that ALWAYS irritates me 🤬 ESPECIALLY if they’re supposed to be mates😐. I don’t care that he was led to believe that she was dead, it’s a cop out😑.
— the buildup 😐. While this is slow burn, I needed more of a visceral reaction when it came to how they react to each other. I love the angst of this 😅, but the weather it’s done here sometimes made me feel like: How is this even happening? 🤣
— the amount of C blocking 🤬😑😐. Is it even humanly possible for it to happen this many times in such a short book? 🤦🏻♀️ it happens at least three times 😑.
Overall, this was OK. I’m excited to keep reading so I’m rounding up for now.
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd/omd*
-the H gets jealous and protective of the h. He doesn’t want anyone seeing her naked including his siblings
-no protection/no mention of what that means in this world. The H finishes insider her and she’s upset. He assumed she’d be ready for kids 😬
-virgin h/no idea of the H but he seems experienced. Too bad he also isn’t a virgin that was waiting for a mate to have sex with 😒
-cliffy
June 2, 2025
Anything written by either of these authors is always going to be good. Put them together, and it's exceptional. But this time? They've crafted a storyline that’s absolutely phenomenal! And it promises to get even better as the series continues.
Everything about this story is captivating. The worldbuilding is awe inspiring, vivid, immersive, and unlike anything I’ve read in a while. You’re dropped into a dangerous, alien landscape teeming with monstrous creatures and pulse-pounding threats and somehow, it just works. Every detail feels purposeful and alive.
What really hooked me, though, were the characters. The heroine is strong, snarky, and real. I felt her confusion and fear, but also her grit. And then there’s the hero, Auran. Dark, deadly, and powerful, but with a depth that unfolds beautifully. The mate bond he shares with the heroine is intense, and I loved how it manifests as a fierce, primal need to protect and defend.
Their connection is magnetic. From their initial meeting, to the gradual building of trust and desire, I was glued to every interaction. The chemistry crackles, the emotional stakes are high, and the “fated mates” trope is handled in a way that feels both familiar and fresh.
As a fan of fast-paced fantasy romance with high stakes, powerful bonds, and immersive worlds, this book delivered in every way. I can’t wait to see where this story goes next.
Dual POV
Safe
Triggers
Steam
Everything about this story is captivating. The worldbuilding is awe inspiring, vivid, immersive, and unlike anything I’ve read in a while. You’re dropped into a dangerous, alien landscape teeming with monstrous creatures and pulse-pounding threats and somehow, it just works. Every detail feels purposeful and alive.
What really hooked me, though, were the characters. The heroine is strong, snarky, and real. I felt her confusion and fear, but also her grit. And then there’s the hero, Auran. Dark, deadly, and powerful, but with a depth that unfolds beautifully. The mate bond he shares with the heroine is intense, and I loved how it manifests as a fierce, primal need to protect and defend.
Their connection is magnetic. From their initial meeting, to the gradual building of trust and desire, I was glued to every interaction. The chemistry crackles, the emotional stakes are high, and the “fated mates” trope is handled in a way that feels both familiar and fresh.
As a fan of fast-paced fantasy romance with high stakes, powerful bonds, and immersive worlds, this book delivered in every way. I can’t wait to see where this story goes next.
Dual POV
Safe
Triggers
Steam
June 2, 2025
I'm not sure how I feel about this one.
Mate connection.
Alien/fantasy
I felt we had alot of details at the start about the heroine's serious history of health problems, which is part of the plot but the reader doesn't suspect that until later in the book but the illnesses are way OTT and a bit of a depressing start. It just lacked something.
She goes to another world and everything is different but it felt like any other alien romance tbh.
It can be an issue with a duet/trilogy that there are so many questions unanswered, it's not really until you read the complete story that you know if it gave the reader enough.
I felt it lacked depth, I think that might have been my expectation rather than the book, its a light alien fantasy with a mating connection with an anti Hero.
Heroine is a virgin, which works because she's been in and out of hospital all her childhood/life and her parents are over protective because she's so near deaths door so many times.
No details of the Hero.
Secondary characters who could have their own book.
Cliffhanger ending.
Duet.
ARC.
Mate connection.
Alien/fantasy
I felt we had alot of details at the start about the heroine's serious history of health problems, which is part of the plot but the reader doesn't suspect that until later in the book but the illnesses are way OTT and a bit of a depressing start. It just lacked something.
She goes to another world and everything is different but it felt like any other alien romance tbh.
It can be an issue with a duet/trilogy that there are so many questions unanswered, it's not really until you read the complete story that you know if it gave the reader enough.
I felt it lacked depth, I think that might have been my expectation rather than the book, its a light alien fantasy with a mating connection with an anti Hero.
Heroine is a virgin, which works because she's been in and out of hospital all her childhood/life and her parents are over protective because she's so near deaths door so many times.
No details of the Hero.
Secondary characters who could have their own book.
Cliffhanger ending.
Duet.
ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2025
-=- 3.5 stars -=-
I enjoyed this!
I've been in the worst slump and have only managed to read novellas and have been living on Ao3: so the fact that I could read anything at all speaks volumes .
I had so much fun with this story, especially towards the end. The fantasy world? The powers? I need more.
The only reason I'm not rating this higher is because this story felt very vague at times, with both the fantasy and romance. I loved the descriptions and world building of this setting and it got really good towards the end, but I just wanted to know more.
This reminded me a lot of 'The Golden Dynasty' but if the heroine was asking the questions that we wanted to know 😭. It also had a *hint* of 'Ice Planet Barbarians' in there, but don't quote me on that.
I also loved aspects to the world building like the 'dragons' being dinosaurs and the parallels in the world. There's so much I want to know more about.
I wasn't too big on the end:
Overall, I'm curious about what's in store for the next book.
-=-
A dark fantasy fated mates romance co-written by Charmaine Pauls and Anna Zaires was NOT on my bingo card for 2025: but I'm SO invested.
I enjoyed this!
I've been in the worst slump and have only managed to read novellas and have been living on Ao3: so the fact that I could read anything at all speaks volumes .
I had so much fun with this story, especially towards the end. The fantasy world? The powers? I need more.
The only reason I'm not rating this higher is because this story felt very vague at times, with both the fantasy and romance. I loved the descriptions and world building of this setting and it got really good towards the end, but I just wanted to know more.
This reminded me a lot of 'The Golden Dynasty' but if the heroine was asking the questions that we wanted to know 😭. It also had a *hint* of 'Ice Planet Barbarians' in there, but don't quote me on that.
I also loved aspects to the world building like the 'dragons' being dinosaurs and the parallels in the world. There's so much I want to know more about.
I wasn't too big on the end:
Overall, I'm curious about what's in store for the next book.
-=-
A dark fantasy fated mates romance co-written by Charmaine Pauls and Anna Zaires was NOT on my bingo card for 2025: but I'm SO invested.
June 29, 2025
This was not good, ha.
June 2, 2025
Audiobook: Narrators - CJ Bloom and Sebastian York
Anything by these authors is already a win but with CJ Bloom and Sebastian York bringing it to life, it’s next level. This story is phenomenal, with vivid worldbuilding, nonstop tension, and characters you can’t help but root for.
The setting is intense, a brutal alien world full of danger, but what really shines are the characters. The heroine is tough, witty, and real. Auran, the hero, is dark and powerful, yet deeply compelling. Their bond crackles with tension and emotion, and the “fated mates” angle is done with a refreshing twist.
Fast paced, emotionally rich, and flawlessly narrated, I highly recommend this audiobook for fantasy romance fans. I’m already counting down to the next in the series.
Dual POV
Safe
Triggers
Steam
Anything by these authors is already a win but with CJ Bloom and Sebastian York bringing it to life, it’s next level. This story is phenomenal, with vivid worldbuilding, nonstop tension, and characters you can’t help but root for.
The setting is intense, a brutal alien world full of danger, but what really shines are the characters. The heroine is tough, witty, and real. Auran, the hero, is dark and powerful, yet deeply compelling. Their bond crackles with tension and emotion, and the “fated mates” angle is done with a refreshing twist.
Fast paced, emotionally rich, and flawlessly narrated, I highly recommend this audiobook for fantasy romance fans. I’m already counting down to the next in the series.
Dual POV
Safe
Triggers
Steam
May 28, 2025
Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls have written a fantastical and exciting new world full of action, romance, and danger that will certainly captivate your attention and leave you wanting more. I found the world of Zerra, a parallel world to Earth, completely fascinating and hope the authors will provide more background information about it in the next book. Due to the short nature of this book, it did feel more like an introduction to Elsie and Aruan's story and the world of Zerra. Our heroine, Elsie, starts off on the brink of death but ends up being transported to a completely new world that's similar but unlike her own. After getting kidnapped by these strange and terrifying creatures, she is saved by a mysterious and handsome man who calls himself her mate. Bewildered and scared, Elsie has to not only navigate her confusing new feelings for Aruan but also this magical world and her growing dormant powers. I loved that this had all of the tried and true tropes we all know and love in a romantasy but with the hint of darkness and traits of Charmaine and Anna's obsessive and possessive heroes. However, Aruan has a lot of groveling and explaining to do after the events of this book—to which I look forward to reading.
In the end, this was an incredible start to a brand new series and entry into their romantasy era from Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls. I want to know more about Elsie's past and who exactly sent her to Earth to die. Her newfound powers also piqued my interest and I can't wait to see what she'll do with it. On the other hand, Aruan was a very intense, powerful, and dominant character. Although there were times where I felt like he was too high-handed when it came to Elsie, I appreciated that he was already completely obsessed and possessive of her. I'm hoping that the authors will further flesh out Aruan and Elsie's characters and build more on their relationship that currently consists more of lust than love right now. Their consummation was incredibly sexy but frustrating at the same time because of what happened after. Another point that I found interesting was Aruan as the prophesied crown prince who will destroy the world because of his mate. How did this prophecy even come about and what will this mean for Elsie? Is Aruan's mother the villain of this book or someone else? I'm also curious about Aruan's siblings—Gaia, especially Kian who left an impression on me, and Vitai—and hope they will getting their own books. I highly recommend reading Dark Prince's Mate immediately after because this one does end in a heartbreaking cliffhanger due to a miscommunication between Aruan and Elsie.
*This ARC was generously provided by the author for an honest review*
“I can feel the pull of her being. It’s like a dragon’s claw has hooked itself deep into my chest, but instead of pain, there’s an ache, equal parts sweet and terrible, an exquisite longing that permeates everything I am.”
In the end, this was an incredible start to a brand new series and entry into their romantasy era from Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls. I want to know more about Elsie's past and who exactly sent her to Earth to die. Her newfound powers also piqued my interest and I can't wait to see what she'll do with it. On the other hand, Aruan was a very intense, powerful, and dominant character. Although there were times where I felt like he was too high-handed when it came to Elsie, I appreciated that he was already completely obsessed and possessive of her. I'm hoping that the authors will further flesh out Aruan and Elsie's characters and build more on their relationship that currently consists more of lust than love right now. Their consummation was incredibly sexy but frustrating at the same time because of what happened after. Another point that I found interesting was Aruan as the prophesied crown prince who will destroy the world because of his mate. How did this prophecy even come about and what will this mean for Elsie? Is Aruan's mother the villain of this book or someone else? I'm also curious about Aruan's siblings—Gaia, especially Kian who left an impression on me, and Vitai—and hope they will getting their own books. I highly recommend reading Dark Prince's Mate immediately after because this one does end in a heartbreaking cliffhanger due to a miscommunication between Aruan and Elsie.
*This ARC was generously provided by the author for an honest review*
June 12, 2025
⭐ 1/5 stars | 🌶️ 2/5 chili peppers
Dark Prince's Captive was a BookTok recommendation, so I came into it with high hopes—unfortunately, it didn’t deliver for me. I could tell within the first few pages that the writing style wasn’t my taste. It felt surface-level and lacked the emotional depth or immersive worldbuilding I crave in fantasy romance. Where some books grab me by the throat (in the best way), this one barely held my attention.
The premise had promise: Elsie, terminally ill and with only weeks to live, is magically transported to an alien world and meets Aruan, a possessive, “fated mate” type who’s obsessed with her from the jump. He’s the classic “touch her and die” alpha, but I never connected with either of them emotionally. Their chemistry felt flat, and despite the spicy scenes, nothing really sizzled.
If I’m being honest, the book felt like a Hallmark movie dipped in spice—not bad in concept, but not for me. I had to force myself to finish it, mostly because I’m stubborn and can’t leave a book half-read (yes, I’m that much of a masochist). I kept hoping it would improve, but it never did.
I genuinely wish I’d enjoyed it. But sadly, Dark Prince’s Captive just wasn’t for me.
Dark Prince's Captive was a BookTok recommendation, so I came into it with high hopes—unfortunately, it didn’t deliver for me. I could tell within the first few pages that the writing style wasn’t my taste. It felt surface-level and lacked the emotional depth or immersive worldbuilding I crave in fantasy romance. Where some books grab me by the throat (in the best way), this one barely held my attention.
The premise had promise: Elsie, terminally ill and with only weeks to live, is magically transported to an alien world and meets Aruan, a possessive, “fated mate” type who’s obsessed with her from the jump. He’s the classic “touch her and die” alpha, but I never connected with either of them emotionally. Their chemistry felt flat, and despite the spicy scenes, nothing really sizzled.
If I’m being honest, the book felt like a Hallmark movie dipped in spice—not bad in concept, but not for me. I had to force myself to finish it, mostly because I’m stubborn and can’t leave a book half-read (yes, I’m that much of a masochist). I kept hoping it would improve, but it never did.
I genuinely wish I’d enjoyed it. But sadly, Dark Prince’s Captive just wasn’t for me.
June 29, 2025
Underwhelming!
Love these authors but I just did not like the heroine, she annoyed me to no end, so immature, I felt like I was reading about a teenager 😒
Otherwise the world building was okay and Aruan was also fine but they both just felt flat!
Let’s see if the next book gets better.
Love these authors but I just did not like the heroine, she annoyed me to no end, so immature, I felt like I was reading about a teenager 😒
Otherwise the world building was okay and Aruan was also fine but they both just felt flat!
Let’s see if the next book gets better.
June 7, 2025
2.5 Stars
The struggle was real with this one. I tried to connect with the MCs but couldn’t move past 50%.
The struggle was real with this one. I tried to connect with the MCs but couldn’t move past 50%.
July 8, 2025
This made me uncomfy and confused and frustrated. There is almost no world building and no one ever explains what's going, and the whole book is based on the MMC getting the FMC to sleep with him without building an emotional connection or making her feel safe after being kidnapped from her home planet and almost turned into a slave. Just no. I haven't read anything from these authors before but this felt like a cringy money grab almost.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2025
I was excited to get started on this especially as these are two authors I love and this also had one of my favourite tropes fated mates. This is the first book in a duet and its dual POV and this instantly managed to pull me into the narrative.
Our heroine Elsie is currently in the hospital, she's at the end of a long battle with her health and the news she's given isn't good. She's been battling her whole life and it's not the first time she's been in a similar position but this time Elsie knows that her number is more than likely up. Until that is strange lights appear in her room and she's suddenly transported to a jungle-type terrain that is completely alien. Even more frightening her captors don't appear remotely human. The only bright side seems to be, for once Elsie feels ok and not on the verge of expiring she just has zero idea of what has happened or how this has come to be.
This strange place is Zerra and Elsie has been transported through a portal the minute she arrived on Zerra her fated mate Aruan who thought her dead senses her arrival and sets in motion her retrieval.
Aruan is royal and the heir he is also a really scary dude with some terrifying abilities. His own family and subjects are naturally wary and frightened of his potential, especially as there is also a prophecy attached to him claiming his mate. He's understandably irate at the fact his mate has been kept from him and has strong suspicions on who the culprit is.
Elsie is naturally resistant and is sceptical that she is the missing Laliss, she doesn't believe she's a displaced Alit and definitely not that she's Aruan’s mate. She doesn't have any abilities and despite the fact she feels equally drawn to her potential mate she just desperately wants to go home.
This was such a great read and I can't wait to get my hands on the conclusion, especially with how we left things here. These authors write so seamlessly together and the subject material here was so imaginative. I especially loved the inclusion of the dragons and I found this an easy read that I enjoyed. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Dark Princes Captive.
Our heroine Elsie is currently in the hospital, she's at the end of a long battle with her health and the news she's given isn't good. She's been battling her whole life and it's not the first time she's been in a similar position but this time Elsie knows that her number is more than likely up. Until that is strange lights appear in her room and she's suddenly transported to a jungle-type terrain that is completely alien. Even more frightening her captors don't appear remotely human. The only bright side seems to be, for once Elsie feels ok and not on the verge of expiring she just has zero idea of what has happened or how this has come to be.
This strange place is Zerra and Elsie has been transported through a portal the minute she arrived on Zerra her fated mate Aruan who thought her dead senses her arrival and sets in motion her retrieval.
Aruan is royal and the heir he is also a really scary dude with some terrifying abilities. His own family and subjects are naturally wary and frightened of his potential, especially as there is also a prophecy attached to him claiming his mate. He's understandably irate at the fact his mate has been kept from him and has strong suspicions on who the culprit is.
Elsie is naturally resistant and is sceptical that she is the missing Laliss, she doesn't believe she's a displaced Alit and definitely not that she's Aruan’s mate. She doesn't have any abilities and despite the fact she feels equally drawn to her potential mate she just desperately wants to go home.
This was such a great read and I can't wait to get my hands on the conclusion, especially with how we left things here. These authors write so seamlessly together and the subject material here was so imaginative. I especially loved the inclusion of the dragons and I found this an easy read that I enjoyed. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Dark Princes Captive.
June 2, 2025
Elsie is dying. She’s got very little time on earth. In the hospital, she thinks she died when really.. she got zapped by aliens… and into a slave trade.
Aruan’s mate died a long time ago. He’s learned to live with that truth for many years until now… he feels her. She’s close.
With a rescue down, and a recovery going, Elsie is a different world. With a gorgeous man who is calling her by a different name and claims he’s her mate..
“She has no idea. Yes, she may feel the pull, and her body may answer to the call of mine, but she clearly doesn’t know she’s my future and fated destiny”
Low politics and an uncomplicated fast read, I really enjoyed this one. It’s heavy on the relationship aspect. He wants her and she wants to go back home. He’s waited a lifetime for a mate and now she’s here, he’s refusing to let her go.
It’s a push and pull dynamic. Mix in dragons, dinosaurs?, and someone out to poison Elsie.. she’s already so done with this world.
This is another quick and addictive series that leaves off on a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to see what happens next! Elsie is about to be in big trouble 😈
Aruan’s mate died a long time ago. He’s learned to live with that truth for many years until now… he feels her. She’s close.
With a rescue down, and a recovery going, Elsie is a different world. With a gorgeous man who is calling her by a different name and claims he’s her mate..
“She has no idea. Yes, she may feel the pull, and her body may answer to the call of mine, but she clearly doesn’t know she’s my future and fated destiny”
Low politics and an uncomplicated fast read, I really enjoyed this one. It’s heavy on the relationship aspect. He wants her and she wants to go back home. He’s waited a lifetime for a mate and now she’s here, he’s refusing to let her go.
It’s a push and pull dynamic. Mix in dragons, dinosaurs?, and someone out to poison Elsie.. she’s already so done with this world.
This is another quick and addictive series that leaves off on a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to see what happens next! Elsie is about to be in big trouble 😈
May 25, 2025
Holy cow!! From the moment I picked up this book only life forced me to stop reading. I couldn't wait to get back to this book!!! Late night early morning and I've finished this wonderful book!! I haven't had a cant put it down book in a while. I just love the world of Zerra. The writing allows such wonderful seeds of images in my mind. I was excited simply because of the authors, well I was not disappointed at all. I am planning to re-read this again. Thank you Charmaine and Anna.
June 9, 2025
I don’t like Aruan, he is an alpha asshole but not in a good way.
The way the authors portray a mating bond in this book is not digestible to me.
Case in point:
Barf🤮
The way the authors portray a mating bond in this book is not digestible to me.
Case in point:
“Your place is here, Elsie. This is where you’ll stay. You’ve experienced the bond between us every time our clothes have come off. Lie to me about it if you’re such a coward, but at least be woman enough to admit it to yourself.”
I stand, towering over her, over my mate who doesn’t want me. “We’ve said our vows. I drank to the toast. You will drink too. Only one thing remains, and that’s my possession of your body. I’ll give you until the end of this moon cycle to get used to the idea.”
My hands curl involuntarily into fists. “But know this…When the moon is full, I will take you as my mate, with or without your consent.”
Barf🤮
July 13, 2025
When a book isn’t on KU and I have to pay my hard earned £££ to buy it you best believe I’m gonna read it.
This. Was. Painful. I read it but honestly I should have DNF.
I just … don’t even know what that was?
Literally no yearning, no tension, no build up, ridiculous story line. It started off ridiculous. Like someone telling you you’re going to die and you’re finishing an essay? Like yeah sure! Totally believable! The spice wasn’t spicing and the dinosaurs were probably the best part.
This felt like a bad trip.
This. Was. Painful. I read it but honestly I should have DNF.
I just … don’t even know what that was?
Literally no yearning, no tension, no build up, ridiculous story line. It started off ridiculous. Like someone telling you you’re going to die and you’re finishing an essay? Like yeah sure! Totally believable! The spice wasn’t spicing and the dinosaurs were probably the best part.
This felt like a bad trip.
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July 11, 2025
I wanted to be nice and give this two stars, but I just can’t haha. The plot, characters, world building and writing are just really lazy and bad. It’s super underdeveloped and random. Their attraction and romance is not doing it for me at all. She hates him but then she’s about to have sex with him several times. I’m all for paranormal uncontrollable mate bond attraction but they didn’t make me feel that, it just felt super random and annoying that she was so wishy washy and not standing on business. Also random but why are we calling dinosaurs dragons? It’s not a cute quirky alien thing just use a totally different name, please. Maybe there will turn out to be some earth link and it’ll make more sense but for now exactly zero questions have been answered about “Zerra”. This also took me way longer to read than it should have bc it’s actually quite short and ends very abruptly at 90% on a cliffhanger that felt like a chapter ending more than a book end. Fuck all has happened too lol but these lazy money grab duologies or trilogies or whatever this is going to be usually have strange break points and could’ve just been all one book 🤷🏼♀️ Anyway, I’ve liked some AZ books in the past, her alien series was the first I ever read from her so I was hoping for something half way decent but this sucked 🫡 I honestly wasn’t gonna read it after the sample, but somehow even knowing I’d hate it I felt compelled to read it 😅🤷🏼♀️ oh well, hope my next read is better.
July 6, 2025
3,5 stars
Tropes : fantasy, magic, hybrid human, dinosaurs, other world/universe, fated mates, omegaverse, J/P H, touch her and 💀
Ending : cliffhanger
Triggers : violence, sick h, torture, gore, attempted SA
Spice : 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Angst : 🔥🔥🔥/5
OM/OW drama : none
Intimacy details: virgin h, no condom (but H pulled out)
Standalone/Series : book 1/2
Hero : Aruan (27)
Heroine: Elisa ‘Elssie’ Barnikoff (22)
Well the world in this one was kinda crazy. Dinosaurs called dragon roamed around, hybrid human did magic, teleportation, strength and so on. I got kinda overwhelmed a bit hence the 3.5 stars
Tropes : fantasy, magic, hybrid human, dinosaurs, other world/universe, fated mates, omegaverse, J/P H, touch her and 💀
Ending : cliffhanger
Triggers : violence, sick h, torture, gore, attempted SA
Spice : 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Angst : 🔥🔥🔥/5
OM/OW drama : none
Intimacy details: virgin h, no condom (but H pulled out)
Standalone/Series : book 1/2
Hero : Aruan (27)
Heroine: Elisa ‘Elssie’ Barnikoff (22)
Well the world in this one was kinda crazy. Dinosaurs called dragon roamed around, hybrid human did magic, teleportation, strength and so on. I got kinda overwhelmed a bit hence the 3.5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
April 6, 2025Anna Zaires & Charmaine Pauls together???? Sign me up please🖐🏽🙂↕️
May 31, 2025
Genre/Trope: Fantasy, Fated-Mates Romance
Book Type: Duet (Book 1)
Book Length: Shorter Novel
POV: Alternating Dual
Setting: Zerra, an alternate universe/planet
Male MC: Aruan is a feared prince and an Alit, a humanoid species that is long-lived and possesses unique powers. His are extremely dangerous and he is prophesied to be the downfall of his civilization. Aruan has long dark hair and silver-gray eyes.
Female MC: Elsie Barnikoff is extremely sick and dying in the hospital when suddenly she finds herself trapped in a new world and told she’s the fated mate of a powerful prince. Elsie is 22 and has short strawberry-blonde hair and turquoise-colored eyes.
Endearment: My Sweet
Spice Level: Low/Medium
Frequency of Spice: Low
Angst Level: Low
Cliffhanger: Yes
My Review: I really enjoyed this story. The world building was very intriguing and well executed. I liked that Zerra was magical, mysterious and dangerous and each new creature revealed had some similarities to Earth but different enough to be exciting and new. There were a lot of questions left unanswered and of course the journey to happily ever matehood between Aruan and Elsie has a ways to go. I’m very much looking forward to the next book to see how everything plays out.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Book Type: Duet (Book 1)
Book Length: Shorter Novel
POV: Alternating Dual
Setting: Zerra, an alternate universe/planet
Male MC: Aruan is a feared prince and an Alit, a humanoid species that is long-lived and possesses unique powers. His are extremely dangerous and he is prophesied to be the downfall of his civilization. Aruan has long dark hair and silver-gray eyes.
Female MC: Elsie Barnikoff is extremely sick and dying in the hospital when suddenly she finds herself trapped in a new world and told she’s the fated mate of a powerful prince. Elsie is 22 and has short strawberry-blonde hair and turquoise-colored eyes.
Endearment: My Sweet
Spice Level: Low/Medium
Frequency of Spice: Low
Angst Level: Low
Cliffhanger: Yes
My Review: I really enjoyed this story. The world building was very intriguing and well executed. I liked that Zerra was magical, mysterious and dangerous and each new creature revealed had some similarities to Earth but different enough to be exciting and new. There were a lot of questions left unanswered and of course the journey to happily ever matehood between Aruan and Elsie has a ways to go. I’m very much looking forward to the next book to see how everything plays out.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 1, 2025
3.5 stars!!
Even though I don’t read a lot of fantasy, I LOVED
the fantasy world the two authors created!! I can’t wait to get more of the main and secondary characters!! Also need more details on the why/what happened with Elsie!!!
This ended on a bit of a cliffhanger! I will definitely be diving into book 2 to get more of this one!!
Overall opinion: Descriptive writing which transported you to another world! 🌎 Recommend for lovers of fantasy!
Thank you to the authors for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review!
Even though I don’t read a lot of fantasy, I LOVED
the fantasy world the two authors created!! I can’t wait to get more of the main and secondary characters!! Also need more details on the why/what happened with Elsie!!!
This ended on a bit of a cliffhanger! I will definitely be diving into book 2 to get more of this one!!
Overall opinion: Descriptive writing which transported you to another world! 🌎 Recommend for lovers of fantasy!
Thank you to the authors for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review!
June 6, 2025
When Charmaine Pauls and Anna Zaires get together to collaborate on a book I know it’s going to be amazing! Dark Prince’s captive has delivered on this alien fantasy romance! Elsie is a sharp and intelligent FMC. She is thrown into a new world by way of which we somewhat find out at the end of book one and Elsie is determined to find her way back home. Aruan is a demanding alpha-hole hung up on completing his mate bond with Elsie without trying to even remotely making an emotional connection hoping that once the mate bond is in place, it will solve all of the emotional connection with Elsie! This makes for a delicious bush-push between two stubborn and strong willed characters!
The story ends on a cliffy and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
The story ends on a cliffy and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
June 16, 2025
Surprisingly binge-able and enjoyable read
June 26, 2025
Twas alright?? However it felt hella rushed, the characters both annoyed me in their reactions to the mating, bloody hell he threatened to rape her!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️,5
July 6, 2025
2.5⭐️
I was so looking forward to reading this book but it fell short for me. The story is not too bad but the FMC is just terrible. Is always beyond me how authors can write FMC that are so flaky and all over the place. But trying to make a headstrong FMC we then end up with a FMC that’s just dumb and annoying.
MMC stated well but by the end he wasn’t great either. The intimacy scene was completely underwhelming and I don’t even care about having or not having spicy in books but if you add intimacy then it should be done well.
The story and plot fell some what chopped. Though we can see where the plot is, the story felt lacking and superficial. It doesn’t really kept me intrigued enough to keep reading the series.
I was so looking forward to reading this book but it fell short for me. The story is not too bad but the FMC is just terrible. Is always beyond me how authors can write FMC that are so flaky and all over the place. But trying to make a headstrong FMC we then end up with a FMC that’s just dumb and annoying.
MMC stated well but by the end he wasn’t great either. The intimacy scene was completely underwhelming and I don’t even care about having or not having spicy in books but if you add intimacy then it should be done well.
The story and plot fell some what chopped. Though we can see where the plot is, the story felt lacking and superficial. It doesn’t really kept me intrigued enough to keep reading the series.
July 2, 2025
“But know this…When the moon is full, I will take you as my mate, with or without your consent.”
That’s all I needed to read and the rest of the book wasn’t even that good. The plot was so bad and the characters were even worse. Maybe one of his brothers were nice but nothing to rave about because the MMC was disgusting and the FMC started off really nice and I felt for her but she was so back and forth- it was exhausting.
But it’s a duet and I just wanna finish it for finishing it sake.
That’s all I needed to read and the rest of the book wasn’t even that good. The plot was so bad and the characters were even worse. Maybe one of his brothers were nice but nothing to rave about because the MMC was disgusting and the FMC started off really nice and I felt for her but she was so back and forth- it was exhausting.
But it’s a duet and I just wanna finish it for finishing it sake.
June 3, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
Fair warning: this review is going to be a mess of varied and contradictory feelings, because I am a varied and contradictory type of reader that flip-flops all over the place depending on mood and circumstances.
First off, I always, always love and appreciate how cleanly edited these authors' books are. I only spotted one single error in this - and it was an ARC copy so not finalized even - which is fabulous. It makes the reading experience so much better for me for there not to be errors.
Their writing is always intelligent and interesting too, and that is the case here again, which I love. There are several story and character elements I really enjoy, though I am not going to list them specifically here to avoid spoilers. I enjoyed them more for not knowing about them in advance, so I want to preserve that for others too.
The aforementioned contradictory opinions come in over some generalities or some things which were mentioned in the blurb or advertisements so if you don't read those and don't want to know, skip the below part of my review.
I was raised on long, slow, epic fantasy sagas so a huge part of me craves that in my fantasy stories. The rich world building, the companion adventures, the complex magic and slow burn romances. This one is not that. It is fast-paced, relatively short (part one of a duet), and has some world building - what is there is interesting - but it is bare bones by comparison.
With that said, there is also a part of me that appreciates a fast-paced, easy-to-read, predictable story - there is a comfort in those things sometimes - and that more accurately describes this one for me. It is fantasy-lite (in many ways reads more like a sci-fi than a fantasy even), perhaps more appropriate for someone who doesn't have experience with (or doesn't like) the kind of epic fantasies I mentioned above.
I've seen some mentions of this being a dark fantasy (I think by other readers; I don't know if the authors actually said it was) - I know darkness is subjective and everyone is erring on the side of caution these days but on my scale this is not dark at all. Not even gray. Objectively speaking I understand which elements might have someone wanting to warn it is, but this is one where if you are a dark romance reader it almost goes the opposite way in that if you picked it up because someone said it was dark, you'll feel cheated.
As for the romance.....as is often the case for me with fated mates plots, I feel it relies too heavily on that. Aside from a few physical encounters encouraged by the mate bond (and stalled to contrive the slower burn), they don't have too many on-page conversations/interactions (the ones they do have are great though), and their thoughts about each other are mainly in dual-POV inner monologue. I didn't really feel their chemistry or romantic connection to each other - physically or emotionally. I felt some desperation from both sides with regard to her captivity/him yearning for his mate, but not really romantic love building on either side. I'm curious about how that will play out in book two; usually if the foundation isn't there for me it never really materializes but in this case I am not certain and thus am curious to see how it plays out.
With the romance being kind of meh for me as described above, I was more interested in the royal strife/prophecy, powers, etc. The ending of this book one was visible from the beginning (comfortably predictable), and I am eager to see how it all plays out from there.
Fair warning: this review is going to be a mess of varied and contradictory feelings, because I am a varied and contradictory type of reader that flip-flops all over the place depending on mood and circumstances.
First off, I always, always love and appreciate how cleanly edited these authors' books are. I only spotted one single error in this - and it was an ARC copy so not finalized even - which is fabulous. It makes the reading experience so much better for me for there not to be errors.
Their writing is always intelligent and interesting too, and that is the case here again, which I love. There are several story and character elements I really enjoy, though I am not going to list them specifically here to avoid spoilers. I enjoyed them more for not knowing about them in advance, so I want to preserve that for others too.
The aforementioned contradictory opinions come in over some generalities or some things which were mentioned in the blurb or advertisements so if you don't read those and don't want to know, skip the below part of my review.
I was raised on long, slow, epic fantasy sagas so a huge part of me craves that in my fantasy stories. The rich world building, the companion adventures, the complex magic and slow burn romances. This one is not that. It is fast-paced, relatively short (part one of a duet), and has some world building - what is there is interesting - but it is bare bones by comparison.
With that said, there is also a part of me that appreciates a fast-paced, easy-to-read, predictable story - there is a comfort in those things sometimes - and that more accurately describes this one for me. It is fantasy-lite (in many ways reads more like a sci-fi than a fantasy even), perhaps more appropriate for someone who doesn't have experience with (or doesn't like) the kind of epic fantasies I mentioned above.
I've seen some mentions of this being a dark fantasy (I think by other readers; I don't know if the authors actually said it was) - I know darkness is subjective and everyone is erring on the side of caution these days but on my scale this is not dark at all. Not even gray. Objectively speaking I understand which elements might have someone wanting to warn it is, but this is one where if you are a dark romance reader it almost goes the opposite way in that if you picked it up because someone said it was dark, you'll feel cheated.
As for the romance.....as is often the case for me with fated mates plots, I feel it relies too heavily on that. Aside from a few physical encounters encouraged by the mate bond (and stalled to contrive the slower burn), they don't have too many on-page conversations/interactions (the ones they do have are great though), and their thoughts about each other are mainly in dual-POV inner monologue. I didn't really feel their chemistry or romantic connection to each other - physically or emotionally. I felt some desperation from both sides with regard to her captivity/him yearning for his mate, but not really romantic love building on either side. I'm curious about how that will play out in book two; usually if the foundation isn't there for me it never really materializes but in this case I am not certain and thus am curious to see how it plays out.
With the romance being kind of meh for me as described above, I was more interested in the royal strife/prophecy, powers, etc. The ending of this book one was visible from the beginning (comfortably predictable), and I am eager to see how it all plays out from there.
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