La Couronne sans trône: Les légendes d'Abreia 2

Legends of Abreia #2

by Kenley Davidson

Against all odds, Leisa has returned home to Farhall with news of Garimore’s treachery.

But her reception is far from the hero’s welcome she imagined. Instead, she finds herself a prisoner—to the growing fears and suspicions of a man she once considered a father.

To escape, she must forsake everything she once believed in, and leave behind all hope of answers about her past. But if she stays, it means betraying the fragile trust of the man who saved her life in Garimore.

Torn between her duty and her debt, Leisa is forced to flee with Kyrion, leaving behind the only home she can remember for the uncertain sanctuary of Dunmaren—Kingdom of Shadows, home of the night elves. There Leisa must confront her growing feelings for Kyrion, her fear of her own power, and the hostility of a people on the brink of war.

When dire news arrives from Farhall, both Leisa and Kyrion must decide where their ultimate loyalties lie. Can Kyrion find a path to peace that does not require him to give up the only woman he has ever loved? Or will Leisa have no choice but to save the kingdom she still loves at the cost of her own heart?

If you love adventure, mystery, and slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, discover the Legends of Abreia, a new romantic fantasy series for fans of Sylvia Mercedes, Miranda Honfleur and Shari L. Tapscott!

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Magic, Fae, Fantasy Romance, Young Adult, Elves

Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Kenley Davidson is a romantic fantasy author and unrepentant caffeine addict who believes in the power of storytelling and loves nothing more than a good book hangover. Her books include romantasy, urban fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, and sci fi, but no matter the genre, she writes stories of hope and redemption with characters you can root for, heart-pounding romance without the spice, and happy endings that might just make you cry.

Her favorite things (besides books) are coffee, k-dramas, cats, and playing cozy video games. And also scones.

Kenley currently lives in Oklahoma, where she cares for a menagerie of misfit house plants while waiting for her adult children to occasionally pop in for laundry and a home-cooked meal.

Find out more about Kenley’s books at her website: kenleydavidson.com

Reviews

[Al *the semi serial series skipper* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was prepared to give this book 4 stars because I was looking forward to the continuation in book 3 but it has come to my attention that book 3 isn't about Leisa and Kyrion. Eh, I don't really care about Evarraine at this point, I want to know more about Leisa and the mirror mages, her mother and the people hidden in that commune.

I enjoyed the book but if that is where it ends then it isn't as great because there are still more questions that are needed to be answered.

[ShannaBanana✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wtf?! I need more Prince Vaniell right now! I have to wait til December? 😩😩 I’m sorry but the epilogue was the best part of this whole book. I am shocked. That is all. I can’t wait almost a whole year.

[❁ lilyreadsromance ❁ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, listen. This may be an okay book to others... but I enjoyed it. At first, I thought it was a fluke, since I read the first book during my slump (and I usually rounded up those books because you know, benefits of the doubt). But I think I see the appeal now.

First of all, the book is clean fantasy romance. The first one was slow af. This one, things sorta happen but nothing that crazy. I wish for something crazy to happen, but I don't think that's the kind of book this was.

There were things left hanging, which made me think this wouldn't be the last book about this couple. I hope in the next one, the world would evolves more and we got more exposure about the other races (i.e. the far, the witch, elf etc).

All in all, nice calming soothing read. Now, onto to murder mystery!

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Major spoilers beware). I’ll start off saying I freaking adore and am obsessed with the first book. The first chapter or two of book one before Leisa meets Kyrion (can I say that? Err, the Raven) was a bit of a slog to get through, but I couldn’t put the book down and nearly cried when I realize I had to wait two months for the sequel (yeah, I know I was lucky and didn’t have to wait the full year). So you can definitely say I was super eager for this book. I wanted to see Leisa give her report and then quickly return to Kyrion, I wanted to learn more about night elf culture, see Leisa and Kyrion kiss (!!! I waited so long and we only got a cheek caress at the end of book one!!), and see how Kyrion’s return to his homeland went with Leisa.

I was disappointed at almost every level. And then I find out that book three isn’t even about Leisa and Kyrion and focuses on Everaine going to Garimore and maneuvering her way through their court and politics while preparing for a marriage?! We already had that book with Leisa called ‘The Faceless Mage’ and I’m sorry but Danric is nowhere as interesting at Kyrion/the Raven so whaaaaat???? But I digress.

I’ll break down the book in percentages because that’s how my kindle and mind remembered things.

1. 0-30% Farhall
I was already annoyed at the small bit of King Soren/foster daughter angst in book one, but I was glad we got over it. Only to find out we were getting more angst over it for almost a third of the sequel?!?! What the heck? I spent the first 10% of the book rolling my eyes. We just keep being ‘told’ that Leisa feels so betrayed but I don’t really believe her and Soren’s dad/daughter relationship in the first place so I couldn’t find it in myself to care. Pick yourself up, put on your big girl panties, and go save Kyrion. If the author wanted us to care, we should have been given flashbacks to memories where King Soren’s kind actions and attention meant something to Leisa. Did he personally find her and picked her up in his arms and carry her into the castle? Did he put himself at risk to protect her magic? Nope, we just get told that he saved her as a child and trained her for a job. Oh wait, he’s a king and she can mouth off to him too. How does that make any sense the amount of ‘loyalty’ she feels to the kingdom and risk the first love of her life for? Someone who always saw her as a person, never as a tool, and praised her for her courage and magic. I call bullshit.

Also, how the hell did King Soren keep his seat? No, seriously? How does anyone follow this idiot? Leisa smartly summarized important details from book one and he is pissed off about her having to steal a horse to get there. And then Princess Everaine gets this same briefing from Leisa again except for the most important information: Should Everaine marry Vaniell? What kind of coy shit was Leisa giving her? She very strongly had an opinion she risked her life to leave Garimore, risked being killed the the Raven, risked Xander and the other three’s lives—BECAUSE SHE HAD TO TELL EVERAINE NOT TO MARRY VANIELL. I almost threw my phone at this point. Not only that, but Everaine is ‘sick of being protected and ignored and wants to be heard for her own opinion and mind,’ but psych, she has no ideas and asks Leisa what she should do. What, the, hell?! And King Soren crashes Everaine’s room to meet with Leisa to ‘figure out what to do about Garimore.’ WHY DIDNT YOU GUYS HAVE THIS CONVERSATION THE MINUTE SHE BRIEFED YOU?!?! Why are we getting this information a third time? How the hell is King Soren willing to risk his life, his people’s lives, his kingdom to ‘protect his precious daughter’? And everyone knows this. How did Everaine not get kidnapped or threatened earlier? You’re telling me King Megler went through all that crap to capture Kyrion and enslave him but couldn’t find out that in 21 years of Everaine’s life that her father is a troglodyte who only cares about his daughter’s safety and rules the kingdom with that thought in mind? Dude. Nooooo.

And then Leisa is imprisoned in the dungeons for Everaine’s safety. But don’t worry, her cell is not as bad as it could be and she gets fed three times a day. People being jailed and doing nothing about escaping is not interesting to read. Even her sharpening that metal buckle thing was stupid because she could only complain about her dad issues and fear that Kyrion thinks she betrayed him by not returning in a timely fashion. So no fun to read. This should have been cut.

Oh but wait, enter mysterious Fae and more information about Leisa’s dagger. But don’t get too excited because this never comes up again in the book. And as of right now, never again in the series. His only purpose was to give Leisa a magical toy to improve her magical skills and tease at her family background. Think that’s interesting? Well eff you, you don’t get to know what happens

Don’t even get me started on Kyrion get arrested, beaten, and imprisoned because some dirty child reported him to guards for a sarcastic comment he made. The levels on levels of stupidity.

AND THEN. When Leisa finally feels Kyrion close by to her in the dungeon, feels his pain from getting beaten up, and has this opportunity to escape, what does she do? Oh no, using her rescuer’s magic and tools to save her love who is VERY CLOSE BY and was physically assaulted is not even a thought that passes her mind.

Y’all. When they LEFT the dungeons, went to her old house and she had to go BACK to the dungeons to save Kyrion. I had to put my phone down. I just couldn’t. Like, I get why because the author wanted that scene between the two in the forest and to touch on that ‘I’ll always recognize you,’ message, but no. Just no.

2. 30-70% Getting to Dunmaren/The Kingdom of Shadows
This was fun. Every time Leisa and Kyrion are back together, I am engaged 200%. But then Leisa is restricted in Kyrion’s home ‘for her own safety’ and we don’t get much couple time because Night Elf Politics. But we do get one date and one kiss here.

I’ll be back to finish my review. My thumb hurts and I gotta go back to work.

3. 70-90% Farhall kingdom vs Garimore



4. 90-100% Back to Dunmaren again

[Kathy Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy. Crap! Y'all. What in the world just happened?! Seriously! What. Just. Happened?! I am speechless! And that hasn't happened for awhile.

You want to know what else hasn't happened for awhile? Me staying up waaaaay past midnight to read a book. Unlike the first book, I had no problem getting sucked into this book. I had the hardest time putting it down. I finally gave into sleep close to 3am... only to wake up around 6:40amish to keep reading. I needed to know what would happen next!

Y'all. Leisa and Kyrion are freaking AMAZING! They quickly became one of my favorite couples of all time. Their loyalty, love, determination, sacrifice, and honor are just a few things I love about them. I loved seeing their bond strengthen, loved seeing them grow as individuals as well as together. I cannot wait to see more of these two on their journey as the series continues.

I'm not going to lie. I am torn on whether or not to start book 3 now or wait. I know for a fact it ends in a cliffhanger and book 4 doesn't come out for 2 months. I want to continue, but I know I'll be furious with myself if I do! Gaaaaaah! The struggle is real y'all!

Ms. Davidson is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next!

And of course we can't forget my casting. I'm still loving these two!

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was book 2 of a duology - nope. Book 3 is coming at some point, meaning a lot of the storylines weren't tied up. This G-rated fantasy-romance was okay; a nice distraction. I liked the idea presented in the first book, of a powerful night elf trapped into doing the dirty work of an evil human king.

[Shruti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kenley Davidson has outdone herself in this book . Throughout, I was mesmerized by her delivery and the proceedings in the story . The richness of language in itself is captivating enough to deserve the book a five star and add the amazing development of events , plot twists and the story line as a whole with the completely unexpected climax. Awestruck, I believe this book is the complete package that far surpassed my expectations and deserves lots of love and appreciation.


The lead characters are adorable and seeing them evolve ,falling in love with them all over again and deeper this time while meeting all these new characters was gratifying. All this connectivity is completed perfectly by the many noteworthy wise words spoken and rather foolish but endearing incidents that would effortlessly stay with me forever.


I still can't believe we got that ending and that too in the second book itself. This isn't common practice so I am pleasantly surprised and look forward to what the author has in store for us next. I would have said more about the ending but don't want to spoil your reading experience. Rest assured that this second book is quite remarkable and ambitious and would not disappoint.

Highly recommend the series!

P.S. That cover! Isn't it LOVELY??!!
I love how skillfully it has been made with just red, black ,white and gold combination. There is something very pleasing and enticing about it. Especially if we look at it as a whole without focusing on any part.


( I received a digital copy of the book. Thanks to Kenley Davidson ! )

[Cass · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Unseen Heir follows immediately after The Faceless Mage, with Leisa and Kyrion on the run, both of them needing to return to their respective homelands to stop the threat of Garimore.

What I liked about the first book was lost in the second. Too many plot points were too convenient, with easy solutions (e.g. the mystery of Kyrion's capture and the duel). The side characters were mostly one-note, with basic personalities that offered little else. The relationship between Leisa, King Soren, and Evarraine was confusing and underwhelming, as much of it was based on the reader being told what it was rather than shown. There were plot threads related to Leisa left unanswered, which was strange, given that the next book is set to follow a different couple entirely. I was disappointed by how the book didn't delve deeper into what ten years of being a slave would do to someone.

As for the romance? I originally appreciated The Faceless Mage because of how slow the romance was. With this second book, it felt a lot more rushed, as though the author needed to get it from point A to point E, but had only traveled up to point B in the first book, and needed to zip from B to E in the second.

In general, there was room for much potential that was, unfortunately, never capitalized on. I'm still curious about what's going to happen in book 3, but in general, this was pretty unsatisfying, even if it was fast.

[julia ☆ [owls reads] · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Unseen Heir was also a fun read, though not really what I was expecting. I still very much liked the world-building here and how it continued to expand; we got to learn more about the Raven and where he came from as well as what he was capable of. We also got... like, half an answer about Leisa and her powers. I also really enjoyed the progression of the romance here and how it still wasn't something that took up the entire plot.

I did expect more of a resolution regarding certain points, though, especially in relation to the Raven and Leisa together. There were a lot of unanswered questions about a few things, one of them being Leisa's family, and I wasn't a fan of how the book ended without addressing that--even more so because the next books are going to be about a different couple. I felt like there wasn't really a satisfying conclusion here.

[⋆Aree⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Éste me gustó más que el primero, amo a kyrion y leisa🤧🤎 me encantaron! estoy feliz que terminaron juntos, pero necesitaba mas de ellos en la relación, pero no me quejo son preciosos ✨
{la historia sigue pero ahora con otros protagonistas, amo, ya quiero leerlos}

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is just such a quick, easy, fun read, and they're too cute!! Love me a man obsessed, only one horse trope, and some hand holding!!!. Also Kyrion had a few one liners that had me simply giggling and kicking my feet -
‘I will always recognize you. No matter what face you wear.’
‘But-‘
‘Always.’ The way I screeeeeeamed!! And when he said 'and that is not a thing I am willing to accept.'? GAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

Also, I really loved Wyn and just the Night Elves in general, I hope we get more of them in future books (I did see there was a spin off series but I didn't recognise any of the names, so not sure if we will there?).

I will say that I do wish some things were explored a bit deeper and brought up earlier/better intertwined into the story, as some things that end up being quite big plot points aren't really interwoven enough to hit as hard as they could and therefore felt a bit convenient. But on the other hand this doesn't bother me too much as I did pick up this series knowing what it was - a quick, fun, fairly surface level read, which is what I was in the mood for. The romance can also be a bit insta love at times and the end was a liiiittle cheesy, and I did feel that Kyrion's personality changed pretty quickly after he was freed - I do wish we still saw some of the gruffness that he started with. But like I'm having fun and it's an easy read so who cares. Honestly I'm so excited for the next book, I can't waaaaait for Evarain & Danric, I think they're going to be my faves!!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first sadly.

There was a lot of running, hiding, getting captured, escaping, and back tracking when it came to both locations and motivations (that sometimes the progress felt a tad pointless) so I was having a little less fun.



Also it kind of felt like the connection that was building in the first book between the couple...didn't quite vanish...but didn't feel as strong- and that's not just because their actual magical connection was pretty non existent through most of the book.

Also, because at this point it looks like the third book will be about the Prince and Princess it seemed like this couples finale, so to speak, was a bit rushed. Might read on, but eh.

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picks up where the first one leaves off, which is great because I wanted to dive right back into the story. I enjoyed this installment, it kept me turning the pages and there are some good interactions between Leisa and Kyrion. I did think thinks wrapped up a little quickly, felt a little rushed towards the end. I think Leisa returning to Farhall at the end seemed anticlimactic, didn't really serve any purpose. I am glad that the next couple books will focus on a new couple, I personally don't like when longer series drags out the romantic relationships of the main couple, so I am hopeful that changing things up will help keep the overall story fresh and give us a new couple to ship.

Overall, a fun series and I look forward to reading the rest of the books.

Content Rated PG
Mild kissing, no language, some mild violence and moments of peril

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great 2nd book! The next book will be written in a different POV. The conclusion of this one was so good and the next book will continue in this kingdom and with the Princesses story! Can't wait for that one. I am wondering how many books this series will contain.....SO much could still happen. I wish I had know so I would not have read these yet!
This was so good. Lots of action and adventure and some GREAT twists and turns! Such a sweet wonderful romance! Just seriously so much fun.
14 and up

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good story very well written.

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Un homme ne peut-il choisir la solitude pour des raisons indépendantes d’une femme?”

Me he enfadado porque siento que la historia podría haber ido por otro camino y ha habido veces que me he perdido un poco con el argumento. Lo único bueno que saco ahora mismo es que lo he podido leer en francés que me hace falta y basta.

[Selina Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book more on re-read. Full five stars this time. It does feel a bit different in tone, Kyrion's healing in some ways does feel a tiny bit rushed, and parts of this are slightly slower than book one, but I still loved it.

Full disclosure, I've recently been feeling some pessimism and sort of uncertainty about both reading and writing romantic fantasy, but this book and Leisa and Kyrion's relationship and deep morals reminded me of everything I do love about the genre. 💜

---
Original review

4.5 stars
(Spoilers for book one following, and last paragraph has sort of guessable spoilers for this book and is marked as spoilers)

I very much love these characters! Also, it's fairly rare for me to like the female MC more in a dual romance POV, but Leisa is just so principled, kind, brave, and has a strong heart that I think I might like her more. At the least, I like her as much as Kyrion, which is pretty impressive, given that Kyrion falls into an archetype I often love of "guy capable of great violence with a dark past but also has a good heart."

However, I felt this one had some weaknesses over the first book. Kyrion went from hurting, rage-filled, hopeless, and "Leisa should fear me" to "that's all in the past" somewhat quickly, and had surprisingly low levels of remorse...although, to be fair, none of his violent acts as King's Raven were really his fault. The romance almost dragged out TOO much as they both were like "I don't dare hope..." and purposefully misreading each other's very obvious signals of affection and devotion due to their own insecurities. It was realistic, it just started to get slightly frustrating. I also a couple times got frustrated with the POV switching leaving the other plotline on a cliffhanger, often to go to something less intense. There's a twist that is so heavily foreshadowed I honestly got impatient waiting for the "reveal."

But overall, I really enjoyed this! The characters were great, the world got a lot bigger and some fascinating and intriguing new elements, concepts, and subplots were introduced. The ending felt slightly rushed but was still extremely satisfying, even if I guessed basically what was going to happen. (But man, at about the 75% mark I was like HOW IS THIS ALL GOING TO BE FIXED?!?! and was VERY MUCH IN DISTRESS.)

It was clean, romantic, magical, fun, and angsty. So I'm happy. 😉

Fairly mild spoilers: Also, I got nervous toward the end because I accidental saw a review that was upset because Kyrion and Leisa's story isn't quite done and they said The Hidden Heir "isn't about them," and I was getting stressed that this was going to be an unsatisfying ending. I didn't find that, as the romance part got tied up nicely. The note about the next book at the end of this one DOES say that Kyrion and Leisa's story isn't over and they'll appear in future books, so I'm not worried. And honestly, I'm looking forward to a book about Evaraine, because girl is definitely hiding a lot of interesting secrets and I'm excited to see what they are...and honestly, I was wondering in the first book if somehow an Evaraine/Danric romance might be the future, so I'm not disappointed.

[Tricia Mingerink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eeep!!!! This book and this series is so good! This book explores the world of the night elves, and I loved seeing more of Kyrion, his home, his family, and his culture. It was also so cool to see him start to learn to live again after all he had suffered.

With the third book in the series not releasing for a while, I was glad this book didn't end on a cliff hanger, and it left me satisfied for now (though I definitely want more!).

[Shauni · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun series! I've become fully invested in the plot and characters. That epilogue...gah, I need to know what happens next!! So good.

[Renia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed. It wasn't as good as the first. It felt like the hero lost some characteristics, like his deep fascination with the heroine. He was busy with the problems as a some kind of royalty/member of council and the romance with the heroine took a back seat, something that irritated me and it wasn't fair in my opinion for the whole relationship development between the mcs.
The hero lost some of his appeal for me. In addition, there wasn't much communication about their feelings between the mcs for the sake of progress of the story. Even if slow burn romances are my preferable genre, this was in snail's pace with lack of communication. I liked the HEA but i expected more.
Overall it was good but not excellent or better than than the first.

[Cheesecake · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Kyrion the Night Elf, and Leisa the faceless mage.
I wanted to know more about Leisa's backstory and there is some reveal here, but not nearly enough.
I should have eaten this up with a spoon, but somehow it wasn't as engrossing as i had hoped. I'm not sure why. I loved Leisa. Kryion is all you could hope for in an H, but he was also kinda uninteresting. It felt like he just did what the author told him to do.
I did like Leisa's brash shyness when they were sharing a horse ride. But other than that, the chemistry between them wasn't particularly captivating and it's a pretty 'clean' romance.

Anyways, it was fun and there's a lot of clever world building.
I do want to read the next one and find out more about Leisa. But also because I am more intrigued by the romance between Princess Evaraine and Prince Vaniell.

There is something of an HEA here, with a surprise hail mary pass at the end.
Safety is good only a kiss and not a very sexy one at that. No other people. No mention of either past interests.

[librarian.of.rivendell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I just noticed I had never written a review for this book by Kenley and this is unacceptable.

The Unseen Heir was THE sequel of 2021 for me and I love this book to pieces. There's not much I can say without spoiling, but if you love elves (the night kind ;)), romance, fantasy, heartwrenching romance, powerful royals, politics, and high fantasy, you'll love this book!

Content warning
As usual, Kenley's books are squeaky-clean. There was a good amount of romance (a lot more than in book one, but there was nothing beyond kissing, and the way it was described was not evocative at all. The romance remained very much pure and candid, which I love. It wasn't at all the cliché burning passion that tends to dwindle after marriage (but YA won't tell you that). No, it was the strong kind of love, the one that outlasts life itself with its commitment, steadfastness and reason.

I cannot recommend this series enough if you're into CLEAN fantasy romance!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first.

It’s not often that a second book is even better than the first in a series. This one exceeded expectations! We were introduced to new characters, new worlds, and the epilogue! Oh my goodness. And now I have to wait until December for the third book!

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending saved this book from getting 3 stars, but it was a close call. I think my main sticking point throughout the whole book was the plot and places felt disconnected from Leisa and Kyrion even though they should have felt more connected to everything on at least some kind of emotional level, but I didn’t feel any of that? I’m sure this is just a me thing, but this is still how I felt. Though as I’m currently reading book three, The Hidden Queen, at the time of writing this review, I think I found the reason for why things felt thrown in and disconnected and that’s because the first two books are setup for the real drama to happen later on, at least from my perspective.

So yeah the only really developed part, for the most part, for me was the romance. Because Leisa and Kyrion growing closer and closer together was so good and honestly what kept me reading at times because they are so cute and perfect for each other and I was rooting for them all the way even though I didn’t connect with them personally.

Now for a character I’m HIGHLY interested in, boy oh boy am I intrigued by Vaniell, ESPECIALLY after that epilogue! Just what?!?! I knew something was up with him from book one and man am I interested to find out more!

So while the first two books aren’t my favorites I still really enjoyed them overall and am looking forward to continuing the series.


‼️Content‼️

Language: damnable; gosh golly darn; bloody

Violence: fighting creatures, elves, and humans with weapons and magic (not detailed); injuries and blood (not detailed); characters are chased by dogs; characters fall in a river and are swept away; a character crashes into a cliff; a character’s stabbed in the back; a man is stabbed in the chest

Sexual: kissing (not detailed)

Other: magic; mages, elves, fae, and other magical races; magical creatures and abilities; characters are imprisoned; giant pet spiders

[Tiffany (Bluestocking) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I begin my review, let me just say that this cover is stunning.🤩

Okay…so I’m a little disappointed in this one. After reading the first book I was expecting so much more to happen. Maybe I expected too much…maybe I didn’t 🤷🏽‍♀️. Anyway, this one did have a slow start and there was a bit of running around between Leisa & Kyrion which made the story drag initially. I hate when authors make up half baked excuses in order to separate the main characters, when all they needed was to let their growing relationship progress naturally. That’s just a poor way of extending a plot.

That aside, the story did get a lot better. There was some action (although there could have been more), intrigue and a couple near deaths. I still loved Leisa & Kyrion. They understood one another and accepted each other, faults and all. And although their biggest conflict was external, they handled it well. And like before, I loved watching their relationship progress and see them open up to one another.

I wish Leisa’s ancestry was explored more but I guess I’ll just have to wait for the rest in the series since their all connected. Also, the ending seemed rushed. I wish I’d seen more of what happened at the end from Kyrion’s POV. Regardless, I enjoyed the overall story and I liked how things ended for Leisa & Kyrion.


Content: Clean/chaste, mild violence

[Jennasis · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Leisa glanced up at his face ... So different from her. So strange and unlikely a friend. And yet not so strange. Both of them used and displaced. Thrown together as allies against a common enemy. Both of them in need of something the other could give."

The first book was EVERYTHING, and this next book was almost just as good, but in a completely different way. and now you are telling me I have to wait a YEAR to read the next one? I just found this series less than a week before this book came out!

But anyway. Holy hell this was another great installment, I would have liked a little more time in the elven city, but thats just because ELVEN CITY!! Getting to really know our MC's was such a treat. Seeing Leisa's relationship with the King was so heart rending and beautifully done. And can we talk about that ending?! and the Epilogue? Mind blown.

I will say that the one thing that did irk me this book was Leisa's constant misreading of Kyrion’s feelings towards her. I mean they have a mental link into each others emotions for god's sake! the amount of times she doubts herself and thinks "Maybe I'm just wishing he felt the same" was annoying. But thats a minor gripe.

I can't wait for the third book, can't wait to see what twists and turns await us! Normally I dislike POV shifts away from the MC's but this next book seems like it might be taking the princess' POV, and I'm not actually that mad about it. Ever since we found out she had magic I've been wanting to know more!

[Mariena Slater · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I told you before,” he said. “I will always recognize you. No matter what face you wear.” “But—” “Always.”

I have a hard time knowing what to say for books that are just a bridge to the rest of the series, but I am extremely disappointed this is supposed to be the “end” of Leisa and Kyrion’s story. This felt like your stereotypical “setting up the plot” book 2 and yet everything somehow suddenly wrapped nicely for the two main characters. It left me feeling like “oh, that’s it?” even knowing there’s so much story to go.

I love the ideas in this series a lot, the execution just needs a lot more oomph in my opinion. I haven’t decided if I’ll keep reading, I want to know what happens but I’m no longer as invested as I was the first book.

[brynn :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

please this duology (it continues with other characters but i literally don't care about any of them sorry lol) is SO CUTE! i adore leisa as an fmc because she's everything i want in a strong female lead. she's capable but compassionate and doesn't rely on kyrion for literally everything. she broke him out of JAIL for gods sake. and i love kyrion because he's ALSO compassionate. his struggle with loyalty and emotions after feeling neither for like ten years was written so well.
AND THE END.
OHMYGOD I'M SCREAMING.

[Jennifer Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

1/5/21 I CANNOT BELIEVE IT'S OUT NOW, I'M SO EXCITED TO READ IT!!
I'll give an update on my thoughts once I actually read the book but I am very excited and based on the first book, I know this will be great.

1/6/21
Alright, so I finished this book at like 3 am last night. As expected, SO good. I don't want to spoil the story but everything for Kyrion and Leisa works out in the end and the story has a happy for now ending. Like it's wrapped up most of the major problems but there's a few things that make the reader certain that there will be a book to follow.

The scene at the end with Vaniell surprised me and now I'm wondering what the next book (maybe books?) will hold. I do get the feeling we will learn a lot more about Vaniell, and soon. He's definitely not as simple of a character as I first thought.

I feel like this book did have a bit more action than the first, which I really liked. There was always something going on and decisions to be made. Throughout, we see Leisa grow so much and so little at the same time, if that makes sense. Like, she made monumental decisions that were risky and did require some (or a lot of) sacrifice from her, but at the same time both the reader and Leisa knew deep down from the very start what she would choose. Leisa's loyalty runs so deep, and personally that made me respect her all the more.

Now. The romance. *shrieking*

What else can I say? Basically, I loved it.

Kyrion and Leisa's interactions were always so adorable, but after reading that extra freebie from Lythienne's point of view, it left me sobbing my eyes out, an emotional wreck. (in the best way tho!!) The plot twist towards the end had me squealing with anticipation but also, just like Leisa, not daring to hope too much. (I had to stop reading for a minute to both do a happy, hopeful jig and take a deep breath to brace myself for potential disappointment.) But, to my great delight and relief - it went exactly as I hoped! I'm not trying to be cryptic or anything, I just don't want to spoil the story before you can read it for yourself, haha.

As you might have noticed, I'm kind of a sucker for solid, badass characters and a bit of romance.

Now, for the parts I liked not-so-much. It did niggle at me how easily Kyrion was able to find out that his uncle tried to kill him. Yeah, it is so small in the face of the rest of the story but it was just too easy. Also, it just plain didn't make sense. If the door guard heard about Thelric "taking care" of Kyrion and then Kyrion disappeared, WHY didn't he tell anyone else? Because that would seem pretty dang suspicious to me when you overhear sum like that and the subject of that conversation suddenly disappeared or died. Just sayin'.

Anyway, now I do sorta regret reading this immediately after it was released. Now, I'll have to wait another year to read the next book and the wait will be torturous.

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le iba a dar tres estrellitas. Pero ese epílogo merece una estrella completa!!

Esperaba más de este libro. Quedaron varias cosas en el aire y que si se concretan en el próximo, imagino que solo nombrarán, porque es otra la pareja protagonista.