A Tale of Something Borrowed: The Path of Resistance

by D. S. McColgan

PICK YOUR PATH.

[Author Dear reader, in case you weren't aware, there are two alternative paths to book 4. This one, and A Tale of Something The Third Path. If you are planning on reading both paths, I recommend starting with this one here. However, either one will lead to book 4, and you won't be missing any key information to follow the story either way. The last 5 chapters are overlapping.]

The Path of Resistance

After centuries of slumber, Sartiria awakens to find a world gone soft, where despite everything that was sacrificed during the war, vampires reign in the shadows rather than rule in open dominion. Granting humans too much freedom is nothing short of dangerous. So she will rise to the top to crush the Light magic and its followers for good.

This would be a lot easier if it weren’t for the meddling of the powerful but foolish elite, especially one infuriating Lord Eldric of Finsterwald. He seems to have entertained a grotesque relationship with the human, whose body Sartiria now inhabits — one she fully intends to exploit.

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 23, 2025

Reviews

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of Something Borrowed by D. S. McCOLGAN.
A Tale of Series Book 3.
I loved the cover and blurb of this book. I read the first book. I'm really enjoying this series. I liked the writing style and the story. I wasn't sure how I felt about the characters in this one. I didn't know how I felt about Sartiria. Or how she was. I didn't like how she spoke with people. The author has given us 2 parts to this book with 2 different paths. I do love anything with vampires in it. I'm looking forward to the next book.

[Lynsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The Tale of Something Borrowed: The Path of Resistance’ is the third book of this series and it is a really interesting concept. Part three of this tale is told over two points of view - one book is the antagonist and the other the protagonist. The last couple of chapters join together to give a great ending for the final outing. It is recommended that if you are going to read both books that you begin with this one. This book follows the antagonist, Sartiria and it really does stir up something interesting and exciting.

Sartiria is back from the dead and taken over the body of Liliana. A celebrated war general she has emerged back into a very different world for vampires and she doesn’t understand why they are so complacent when it comes to humans and the ‘light’! As she tries to mobilise the vampires, she is thwarted by the noble families and in particular one Lord Eldric of Finsterwald.

Sartiria at first comes across at brash and aggressive but as you learn more about her previous life and history you do start to understand her a tad. It was interesting to learn more about the history as it added an extra layer to the world building the author creates. The vampire lore inspiration is more continental and traditional based and that is my preference.

The books have been skilfully translated from German as there is a definite voice to the whole series and this book is no different. The writing is accomplished, the pacing of the book is great and the portrayal of the characters is robust!

Let me know if you pick this one up and I will be back soon with the second of the third part soon!

[Fatguyreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great to be back in the "A Tale of Something" world, this time with book 3. And guess what? The author has given us two versions of book 3, The Path of Resistance, which I'm reviewing here. And The Third Path, which I'll be reviewing in two days. So we've really been spoilt.

So this time, the rein of vampires isn't going the way Sartiria wants. After her awakening after centuries, vampires rule in the background, with humans having far too much freedom for the war time general's liking. She's also adjusting to inhabiting a new body, and must deal with the powerful elite. Enter Lord Eldric who's relationship with the human who's body Sartiria now inhabits leaves much to be desired.

Want to know more? Be sure to pick your copy up to find out.

So all in all another solid read. Translated from German to English, it's a story that draws the reader into this dark, brooding world, reading from the antagonist's point of view.

I look forward to book 4.

4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so happy to be back with a review of A Tale of Something Borrowed: the path of resistance... this is part 3 of the series and is the antagonists view! Yes you read this right.... the author has given us part 3 in 2 books with 2 different paths ooohhh do i hear you say?! ( they do overlap in the last few chapters) and I will be back with my review for the other path soon! However if you have read the first 2 books of the series start with this path next! If you haven't read any... then this is your calling to add them to your TBR

Anyhoo... Once again D.S Mccolgan has done a wonderful job bringing the world to life and it really did feel like I had never left it! From the start I was drawn in, and with it being the antagonists view we are given a different perspective, view, and we get a better understanding of Sartiria who is a vampire and a war time general, her thoughts, her adjustments to being in a new body, but with lots of action/adventure, you can't help but wonder what is going to happen to Lilliana! ( I won't spoil it) I enjoyed learning more of the war and about the history of the vampires, and thoroughly loved reading this from the antagonists view.Although this is translated from German to English, the storyline leaps off the pages, and I was hooked from the very beginning - to the point I read this in one sitting!

I can't wait to read the next book in the path and see what happens from another view

[Sonja Charters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been following this series from the beginning and loving books 1&2 over the last year - how could I resist grabbing this, part 3 , and continuing the journey with Liliana and El.

 

Now, you may notice that this tale has an extra sub-title. That's because this third book has a novel twist and we actually have 2 books written from the different pov's with an overlapping ending.

 

This is such a cool concept and really helped to expand the story beyond that which would have been doable in one single book with the different pov chapters.

 

Of course, I couldn't choose a path to take and so although this review is from our antagonists pov - do look out for my review of The Third Path, next week, which will follow El's story.

 

It's advised that we read this story first, if reading both paths and I really think this worked well.

 

We get an in-depth look at Sartiria which helps to really build her character up and fill in any blanks, both for us and them!

Adjusting to her new form and navigating a world that have moved on drastically since her slumber.

 

I found it really interesting reading from this perspective and hearing all about the war and the vampire history - but in the back of my mind was how this was all affecting Liliana.

 

With all this in mind and lots to consider, I was ready to dive straight into El's story and see how things contrasted and compared....

But also, cannot wait to see where things will go from here into the next book too!

[Erin Mangum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Went into the book wanting more vampire politics and needing a better understanding of the history of the 400 years war. I got the politics and some historical context but I still need more. And it felt like the vampires also needed a history lesson!

Each book has been from a different characters POV and I really enjoyed being in Sartirias head. As the antagonist of this story, it gives a unique perspective. She is more aggressive and wreckless than our previous characters and gives what feels like a bit more adventure. Diving into an alternate POV of the same timeline next…

Formatting could use some attention - page breaks maybe - as I would transition from one paragraph to the next and it would seem to be a completely different scene. I don’t know, however, if this was specific to an ARC copy.

Fun Fact - the books are written on German and the translated to English.

[Amorina Carlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure if this is the end of this series, but this at least didn’t have the massive cliffhanger of the first two books. The author absolutely left room to go somewhere, but I was screaming in pain for the next one, either.

I think we might just have a rising star in the romance field on our hands! This intriguing “choose your path” set of a third book in a series is pretty unique. It’s hard to really get into a lot of plot details about this one without spoiling some of Book 2 and even this book. But, the author does an amazing job of pulling off some pretty cool fantasy/scifi tropes that you might not typically expect in a vampire series or a romantasy series. But the political intrigue is off the charts if you’re into that. The slow-burn romance is just insane. And the deep levels of so-called “good vs. evil” and typical religious wildness you’d expect to see in a vampire book are through the roof.

There are a lot of new characters in this one, which is always exciting in a third book. Sometimes, you really need some fresh characters to liven up the series, and this one really answers that call! We see a whole new vampire family, a lot of new human faces, and some new facets of some old faces. It’s really a case of not everything is as it seems.

If you’re a fan of romantasy with unique twists and turns, you’ll love this one! The past books have been considered low fantasy and gas-lamp fantasy. These have some of those elements, but this one also features heavier fantasy elements because of the particular storyline. But if you enjoyed the first two, this is a must-read! You should also read the first two before reading this one!

Content Warnings: This book contains topics that may disturb some readers, including, but not limited to, Violence, Body Stealing, Religious Ideology, Blood/Vampirism, War, Adult Themes/Situations, and Adult Language.

[Stacy Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, it's coming from the Antagonist's POV who is a badass but also revengeful all the time. taunting another lord vampire eldric.
she transfer her soul into a human that eldric cares about so she taunting with the body she has taken over but the human is still in there but present when vampiress asleep but she was alive in her own body 500 years ago.
I feel for eldric and liliana being in this position it must be really hard to be like that. I will re-read when read book1 and 2.
the cover is beautiful.

[MG · Rating 5 out of 5]

i enjoy stories told from the villains pov and this one certainly doesn't disappoint

[Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book so interesting! Sartiria and the start of the book really caught me..I couldn't decide if she was from another time and confused or if she was a different person and had gotten confused, but then as the timeline unfolded and we had to come across her realisation that not only was her timeline so significantly further along, but things had not quite gone to plan, it was devastating to read along as she came to terms with everything and with what it meant for vampires.
I found her character very intriguing. She was demanding and strong, but you can see why that mak a her a leader, versus those round her who seemed lesser
You can also see why some may not like her, as she is definitely bossy and a little frustrating at times.
I found the layout of the his book really interesting and loved, as I read along, thinking about the fact that I would see the other point of view soon. Overall, is there was a lot of detail and a good deal to think about, making it a really brilliant book.

[mommy_and_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

" [...] Playing with other people’s feelings seems fun … until you start losing. [...]"

Wow! It was great to revisit the characters of the "A Tale of" series created by D.S. McColgan. This time I got to take a closer look at the vampire Sartiria, who was a general of the United Army and is now Lord of the Crimson Plains. I got to know a great story. I liked the vampire fight scenes. They were amazing. Sartiria was a very ambitious and aggressive vampire. Will she succeed in her sinister plan? Will new and more dangerous vampires arise?

Sartiria irritated me a lot. I didn’t like her behaviour. I had a secret hope that someone would try to stop her.
I also met Lord Eldric here. Will he be able to keep his demon in check?
There was another character here who touched my heart. I was glad when I "saw" him again.
I am grateful to the author D.S. McColgan for taking us to her hidden world full of vampires and other human characters.
Reading the third part of the "The Tale of" series was pure pleasure for me. I love a world full of vampires. "The Path of Resistance" is honey for my heart. The perfect escape from the gray everyday life. I support such fantasy.
A little surprise from the author. The third volume - two alternative books. I am about to start reading the second third volume called "The Third Path".
I am eagerly awaiting the fourth volume, because I would like to know the further story of Lord Eldric.
If you love vampires as much as I do, feel free to reach for the entire "The Tale of" series. I can safely say that you will not be disappointed.
It was worth staying up all night for a story like this. In fact, for a better effect, I recommend reading this series in the evening.

[Tami Wylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve really been enjoying this series so far, following Liliana and Eldric’s journey. I thought the concept of this book was quite clever. The idea that Sartiria, a battle hardened general from hundreds of years previously could take over Liliana‘s body to live again was really unique. Sartiria’s attitude to modern vampires and modern life was quite humorous at times. She was doggedly determined in her pursuit of the battle Saint and proving his existence to the other vampires. She may have been a baddie but I really liked her as a character. And actually , what she was doing was typical of the time she was from. I thought the book was extremely well written and was packed with action. I can’t wait to read this again in the next book as Eldric tells the story from his point of view.

[Jessica Rollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could live and breathe this series! The switch between books 2 and 3 is phenomenal. It keeps things fresh, ties in earlier lore, and adds extra heartbreak.

The internal dialogue in this... Sartiria's initial confusion, outrage, and effortless ability to whip everyone into shape.

Sartiria is not a villain-I-love-to-hate though, she's just kind of a pain in the bottom, but how she plays the game is excellent, and the dialogue between her and Eldric is just 🤌

I can't wait to get into part 2 of book 3: the third path. I can't help but wonder if there's some sort of fun *heartbreaking* tandem read as they run on parallel time lines.

[M.Z.Faulkner · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing way of continuing the book series, allowing you to decide whose POV to read from. I think if you want to read both, you have to read this one first. I really enjoyed Sartiria as a character; she was angry, fiery, and knew what she wanted and how to get it. A fascinating insight into vampire politics too :D