שלטון הוורד

The Sacred Stones Trilogy #3

by Kate Golden, קייט גולדן (Author's Hebrew Name), ריבי ליבן (Translator)

שתי ממלכות. נבואה אחת. מלך אחד. הזדמנות אחת להציל את העולם.

קיין רייבנווד, מלך שוהם, מוכן לצעוד עד קצות היבשת למען ארוון ולונדייל, אבל מה אם היא נמצאת מחוץ להישג ידו? שבור ללא תקנה, הוא מוכרח לשרוד כדי להגשים את הנבואה ולהרוג את אביו לזרוס, מלך הפיות. אחרי כל מה שעבר עליו, קיין יעשה הכול על מנת להציל את אבנדל גם במחיר מותו שלו.

קיין אינו יודע זאת, אבל הוא לא היחיד שנואש לנקמה. ארוון, שהתחילה את חייה כצל חיוור של עצמה, גילתה בתוכה אומץ ותעצומות נפש שלא ידעה על קיומם. היא כבר לא פוחדת להילחם בקרב על עתיד הממלכות – שום קורבן אינו גדול מדי, שום אויב אינו מרתיע מדי, ושום דבר לא יעצור אותה מלהשמיד את לזרוס. היא יודעת היטב שאם תיכשל, שתי הממלכות יאבדו לנֶצח.

בעזרת בני ברית חדשים וחברים ישנים, קיין וארוון יילחמו עד טיפת דמם האחרונה.


קייט גולדן, שהעלתה לכולן את הדופק בשני הספרים הקודמים של טרילוגיית האבנים הקדושות, מביאה לכדי סיום אפי את הסאגה המטורפת שטוותה במלאכת מחשבת.

שלטון הוורד הוא הספר השלישי והאחרון בטרילוגיית הפנטזיה הרומנטית האבנים הקדושות. קדמו לו: שחר של שוהם והבטחה של אוליבין.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Fae, Audiobook, Dragons

464 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2024

About the author

Kate Golden is the USA Today bestselling author of both The Sacred Stones and Harker Academy trilogies. When she isn’t writing, Kate is an avid book reader, puzzle addict, and game night enthusiast. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their puppy, Milo.You can find her on Instagram at @KateGoldenAuthor and on TikTok at @Kate_Golden_Author.

Reviews

[ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ oh this series was a slay in the end

[✨Julie✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

✩ 3.15 stars ✩

What to Expect:
➼ Warring Kingdoms
➼ He Thinks She’s ☠️
➼ Fae Dragon Shifter MMC
➼ Evil King
➼ Full Fae FMC Coming into Her Power
➼ Action Packed
➼ Found Family
➼ Prophecy
➼ Final Book in the Trilogy
➼ Dual POV

I really thought I would like this more, but I struggled to connect with the characters this time around and the plot honestly felt a little messy to me. The book starts out with Arwen being held captive by Lazarus while Kane believes she has died. They are apart for about 2 months and Kane spends that time trying to find a god to bring her back from the dead. This portion of the book had a bit of a Romeo and Juliet vibe since he is ready to make any deal to get her back and ends up giving up something major in the process. The god claims it’s impossible to bring her back which implied that they knew all along that she was still alive and were just messing with him.

This would have been a very boring book if Arwen had spent much more time in captivity, but when she escaped it felt a little too easy to me. It seemed like the author just wanted to throw in a cliff hanger at the end of the last book and didn’t have any real sense of how she would write Arwen’s captivity into the plot of this book. Knowing the King’s goals, it seems very unlikely that he would have waited two months to make a move on her if an heir is what he desires. Not saying I wanted Arwen to be r*ped and traumatized, but I at least need a more solid explanation for why he basically left her alone during that time frame. As is, it felt unnecessary to include her capture at all.

Once she was free, there was a lot of down time where they were just hanging out in tubs and getting spicy, etc. Of course we want some spice, but as a reader I was supposed to believe that the fate of the world was at stake and I just couldn’t hold on to that sense of urgency. I also really did not enjoy the way the spice was written, particularly the repeated use of the word “mewl” in reference to the FMC. I’m no stranger to spice in books, but the scenes this author wrote seriously gave me the ick.

I’d describe this book as action packed, but many scenes felt chaotic to me. The MC’s seemed very unprepared which was a little disappointing, and knowing their powers, it felt unlikely that someone could so easily get the jump on them like they did. (mild spoiler ahead) Arwen’s magic senses when people are hurt and urges her to heal them, but she never realized all the guards were being slaughtered around them? Perhaps her power was out of range for many of those deaths but it seems reasonable to assume she would have at least had some clue before it was too late. Some of these battles also ended abruptly when the good guys were already extremely weakened. In these instances, it didn’t make a lot of sense to me for their enemies to have backed off when they did. Lazarus’s whole reasoning for wanting Arwen in the first place is honestly pretty flimsy too because he doesn’t seem like the type to give up the throne to anyone, so why is he so keen to produce a more pure blooded heir?

Anyway… I’m probably overthinking all of this. 😅 I’m also too lazy to proof read this review, so sorry in advance if this is riddled with typos or makes no sense. 😂 Overall this was an entertaining read and I imagine a lot of people will love it. Three stars is a good rating, just always hoping for greatness. 🫶🏻✨

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

Pre-read: I’m really excited to be back in this world as I wrap up this trilogy! I’m a little nervous this book might not completely satisfy me based on the way book two ended, but I’m hoping for the best! 🤞🏻

At the very least I’ll feel accomplished finishing another series! 😁

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus)]

My library just dropped this little gem into my inbox... so excited to jump back into this world.

₊⊹⁀➴ 🥀Fantasy Romance
˚₊ · »-♡→ 🖤Enemies to Lovers
₊⊹⁀➴ 🥀Slow Burn
˚₊ · »-♡→ 🖤Touch Her and Die
₊⊹⁀➴ 🥀Found Family
˚₊ · »-♡→ 🖤Fae
₊⊹⁀➴ 🥀Morally Gray MMC ✘ Healer FMC
⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

❣︎⁀➴ ˗ˏˋ 🎕 ˎˊ˗ A Dawn of Onyx Review ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

❣︎⁀➴ ˗ˏˋ 🎕 ˎˊ˗ A Promise of Peridot Review ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

[évieane · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Appreciate the moments you are given, ephemeral as they may be. Do not dwell in the past or scurry toward the looming future”

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ━ 3.4- 3.7 ☆ ━ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ╰┈➤˗ˏˋㅤmight contain spoilers ❗

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ What a....nice(?) conclusion to a series that really had potential but was, unfortunately, not given the necessary attention and the deserved time to better exploit the power presented by the plot itself. I might have been slightly harsh just now; these novels has been quite enjoyable to pass the time, and the conclusion to this series was by far the best book from this trilogy, which made the progress of the series itself quite visible. But despite the constant progress made in each new book, the series still failed to reach the full potential it might have been capable of.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ "A Reign of Rose" is the perfect combination of shocking and heartwarming; a very great opposition of disgust, hate and pure, burning passion and love. Unfortunately, this is pretty much the only good part I could find about this book as, despite the very amazing and strong start, the book quickly lost the great pace and action and slowly regressed to the same, predictable plot.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ Once she finds herself in Lumera, Arwen has only one plan in mind: escape the claws of the biggest creep ever seen, Lazarus. Unbeknownst to her, Kane has a plan of his own and nothing would stop him from trying to end his father and fulfil the old prophecy himself. Once reunited, both Kane and Arwen start gathering all the possible allies that will need to face Kane's father and protect Evendell from perish. Do not fret, because war can always wait a few more hours while our main characters fulfil their lustful fantasies; and what better time to do that than at each possible occasion while a war looms over an entire world? Allies might be found in the most surprising of characters, while old characters are, apparently, completely forgotten. And when sacrifice is required, the purest of hearts will offer it with no hesitation.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ This might be a rather short review, as mainly nothing changes from the previous books apart from the plot and the action of the book itself.


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ -ˋˏ ༻ world-building, writing and action ༺ ˎˊ-

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ As probably expected from a final book in a series, not a lot of new information is brought in terms of world-building. We have a FMC who finally reaches her full powers and potential (of course with not that much of a previous training or serious study), and, despite yet not entirely understanding the origin of that power, we are still not being offered any further insight. Despite the general expectation, Lumera also does not get a too detailed presentation, which probably would have been appreciated to better understand the world of the faes.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍There are no relevant opinions from my side concerning the writing in this book. Which doesn't necessarily mean anything bad, since the writing is just normal, easily understandable and quite suitable for the book and its genre.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ Now, concerning the action in this book, I have to admit I was left feeling slightly disappointed. I feel like this book needed to be slightly longer only so that the ending would not have been as rushed as it felt. Anyone should have realised that getting an alliance, a marriage and two funerals in about 50 pages is actually too much for the reader and will only result in the plot not feeling genuine.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ The multitude of plot holes, unfinished relationships, and completely abandoned characters also did not add in an advantageous manner to this book. I suspect the writer is planning to exploit some of these characters in possible spin-offs, but I still feel like there were way too many elements left unfinished for the already rushed ending to be able to solve.


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ -ˋˏ ༻ characters ༺ ˎˊ-

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ I am certain this part of the review will be the shortest, only because there is genuinely not much new information to add for what concerns the characters in comparison to the previous books.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⟡ Awren - she is pretty much the same character from the previous book, but somehow with even more power and a greater wish to sacrifice herself for the greater good. We still don't discover almost anything about the source of her power or her real history. She is also hornier.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⟡ Kane - despite having a POV of his own again, there is still not much of a development in his character; which is kind of disappointing considering the rather huge changes surrounding him in this specific book.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ❧ There is definitely some HUGE changes in terms of romance and also some very big improvements; it's a pity they were so rushed and so sudden that they couldn't even be really genuine or emotional. Also, please, let women enjoy their youth more; that's all I am going to say so that I will not spoil anything.

ㅤㅤ ⟡ I really, badly needed more of whatever was slowly developing between Griffin and Mari and I was so insanely disappointed that they didn't receive slightly more attention, since their tension was so sweet and delicious at the same time.


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ -ˋˏ ༻ ending and conclusions ༺ ˎˊ-

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ Despite the ending of the book being a complete relief and a rather happy and satisfactory one, I could not help but feel that everything from the finale was absolutely rushed and rather sudden. I do stand by what I said in the very opening of this review, and I am convinced that, if this book were slightly longer, the entire plot would have developed much better and been presented in a way more suitable manner. The fact that all of it was extremely predictable also did not help the ending in any way. And I am not even going to talk about the epilogue.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ As I previously mentioned for the first two books in this series, this is not a bad book and neither a bad series whatsoever. The only issue is that, for me at least, it felt like it did not reach its full potential and that a pretty interesting and unique idea was slightly wasted with bad character and plot development. But I want to make it very clear that this was still pretty entertaining and there were some scenes that definitely deserve to be appreciated.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ Therefore, if you are looking for a quite quick read with some pretty frustrating yet entertaining characters and a rather solid found-family, formed around slowly uncovered secrets and fun banters, do give this series a chance, as you might find yourself fascinated by the world of Evendell.



────────────────────────
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ᯓ ✿ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍pre-reading ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⪼ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ i am not THAT curious to see how this series ends, but I am going to read this anyway just because I hate leaving things unfinished 🥲

[toointofiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I love you. I’ll love you wherever I am, whatever I am. Always.”

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

What a roller-coaster of emotions! I cried, I laughed, awed, and cringed, wondered what the hell was going on for a bit…it was a crazy story. Not perfect, by any means. In fact, I would have rated it less had I not enjoyed it as much as I did (don’t worry, I’ll elaborate below).

First of all, as far as plots go, this one was great. As I’ve said, I experienced an amalgamation of emotions, I even got grossed out for a while (it was bad, but not bad-writing kind of bad). The story was clearly well thought out, and the lore was interesting, even though it wasn’t too extensive. Besides, if the epilogue was any indication, there are spin-offs coming our way, which is a very exciting prospect. That being said, if the story doesn’t actually continue, I would be disappointed and definitely lower the rating, because then the ending would be lacking some major plot points.

Moreover, I usually love the female main characters so much that I want to be them. However, as much as I loved Arwen, the oversharing sunshine (which was a lot), I would not want to be her. Holy shit, but she had the worst luck. That girl couldn’t catch a damn break! She didn’t lose her unrelenting positivity, though, which was the most important thing.

As for Kane, he was as sweet and handsome as ever, a total simp for Arwen, and a great king. He had his own misfortunes to deal with (nothing as bad as Arwen’s, though). Nevertheless, his character could have been written a little better in this one. There was one recurring instance toward the end that was completely uncharacteristic of him and of any human with common sense and feelings, if I’m being honest. Without getting too detailed, there was a thought that he had a few times that made no sense to me whatsoever. In fact, I found it to be a bad writing decision.

In any case, I loved all the scenes between Arwen and Kane. Even the cringe parts. They had a sweet and beautiful relationship, as well as a lot of steamy situations, which were equally fun to read. They managed to build a wholesome relationship in spite of their more than unfortunate situation, and remained positive and hopeful, even when things looked really bad for them and the rest of the world.

I would say some things about some of the secondary characters, but as their stories haven’t necessarily ended yet, I’ll leave it for the spin-offs (hopefully).

[Surajat Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm…RTC

——————————-

Finally starting…if Arwen and Kane are apart for more than 50% of the book, I will be contacting my lawyers.

———————————-
Having to wait until October after book 2’s cliffhanger….the universe has finally found a way to break me.

[Lucie V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book via the author and NetGalley (thank you Berkley Publishing Group). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

✅ 2 POVs
✅ Romance and smut
✅ Characters
✅ New intriguing characters (but we didn’t see enough of them)
✅ Magic and fighting
✅(🆗) Plot
✅(🆗)Pace
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: captivity, claustrophobia, some blood and gore, death of loved ones, forced nudity (one scene only, nothing more)

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it as a whole, and I am glad to have embarked on this adventure with Arwen, Kane, Mari, and Griffin, but at the same time, many aspects of this book fell a little flat.

This book picks up a few weeks after the end of A Promise of Peridot, and things are dire for Arwen and Kane. The beginning of the book is easy to devour, the pace is good and it alternates between Kane’s desperate plan to kill his father and Arwen’s time as a captive in Lazarus’ palace. For those of you who don’t enjoy it when the main characters are separated, don’t fret, they are reunited before the middle of the book. After that though, I found it hard to remain invested in the book. The middle felt long, the characters were back to planning Lazarus’ defeat and there was a lull in the pace that made it too easy to get distracted and read something else instead.

The fact that our favorite witch and grumpy guard are absent for almost half of the book didn’t help either. Eventually, the gang is all reunited, but we almost don’t see Mari and Griffin until the second half of the book, and I missed them. I am also sad that Mari and Griffin only had a handful of interactions with each other in this book. I needed more of them, I miss their banter and push and pull from the previous books.

As is the case in the previous books of the series, there is a good mix of action, magic, and politics in this book, but I am not sure how I feel about the politics part. Kane and Arwen have to turn to the Rose Kingdom to try to negotiate an alliance that will help them in the war against Lazarus, and they present Rose’s history and its Queen as an important part of their plan, but we never heard about the Queen or Rose’s past before this book. They casually mentioned events and elements like we should have known about them, but it was the first time they talked about it. It would have felt less jarring, or out of the blue if we’d heard more about Rose and its Queen in the previous books before it became such a key aspect of their plan and political maneuvering.

The action and fighting scenes were good. It was a mix of magic and sword fights, but as is the case with the rest of the book, I feel that there is a little something missing. The ending was good but felt a little underwhelming and rushed at the same time. As I said at the beginning of the review: lots of mixed feelings.

Kane pressed his lips to my forehead over and over. “I’ve almost lost you too many times,” he said. “And each time . . . I lose a piece of myself each time, Arwen.”


“Come here,” I whispered, scooting to the side carefully. “And I will put you back together.”

Kane and Arwen are still forces to be reckoned with. A strong and fierce unit, with swoon-worthy moments, and spicy ones too. They remain mostly the same throughout the book though, there is not much character development, as the focus is more on the plot and finding a way to defeat Lazarus. Arwen grew so much in the first two books though that I didn’t mind a book where her character development was not as present. The same goes for Kane, I think most of the growth for them was done already in the previous books. We could feel from the start here that they are strong, confident, and a tight unit. Arwen is not looking for meaning and purpose anymore, and she is not afraid to die either, Kane shows us that he is willing to do almost anything for Arwen and for his quest to end Lazarus, but without becoming a “bad guy” in the process. He will sacrifice himself without hesitation but understands that Arwen would never forgive him, nor would he, if he crossed the line and sacrificed others in his quest to kill Lazarus.

Aleksander is such an intriguing character! I need to know more about him. Hart Renwick is also an interesting new character, but just like Aleksander, we saw him very briefly, and then he was absent for the rest of the book. I understand that the author wanted to focus her attention on the main characters and their relationships, but I think I would have been more invested in the plot if we’d seen more of Aleksander and Hart.

I recommend this series to any fantasy lovers looking for their next adventure. Overall, this was a good and entertaining finale to the series, and I am so happy I agreed to read an ARC of the first book back when it was released, because Arwen, Kane, Griffin, and Mari are wonderful, and their adventure was full of magic, politics, and action, but I still feel that this last book fell a little flat. After the explosive ending to the second book, I was hoping and expecting a little more from this final installment.


1. A Dawn of Onyx ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
2. A Promise of Peridot ⭐⭐⭐⭐


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[✨⚡ Kelcey (felinebooktrovert) ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I love you. I'll love you wherever I am, whatever I am. Always."

4.5 stars

A very nice ending too a fairly average romantasy series. This last installment was a definite improvement imo, so I'm glad I stayed with this one.

Arwen was always a difficult character for me to get behind. She was naive, immature, and more than a little obtuse, especially when it came to Kane. But I was MUCH happier with her in this book, which just made the whole thing better because I wasn't constantly rolling my eyes. Her actions throughout the book were admirable and I think she finally had some good character development.

Kane is far and away the best part of this series. Shadow Daddy for the absolute win. His development was really great and he had such an emotional range here. I see him as a mini Rhys (because no one can actually best Rhys duh) with maybe a little more savagery included.

I haven't heard anything about what KG is going to do after this series, but there are several opportunities for sequel series that I am ALL FOR if that's the direction she goes. Fingers crossed!

Would recommend for romantasy fans ❤️‍🔥

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️ The perfect ending to this trilogy that I never wanted to end.

This was immaculate and my favorite book in the trilogy - which is insane because book 1 was also an infinity rating. I legit didn't want this to ever end and I am so sad it's over 🥹

Kate Golden crushed this debut trilogy. It is such an amazing fantasy series!!

Honestly, the ending blew me away. BLEW ME AWAY. The action in this book was everything. It was go go go and those are genuinely my favorite types of fantasy books (once you get all the world building)

Kane.. is still everything
Arwen.. is even more badass
Mari + Griffin.. are some of the absolute best side characters EVER
Hart.. is a new side character I am obsessed with. His lines had me laughing so hard

Chapter 14 WAS EPIC
Chapter 21 WOAHHHH 🥵

I will also say this series starts out as new adult but I think I'd consider this book in the trilogy to be more "adult" because it's hands down the spiciest.

Highlights
"Everything... it's all for you."

"Whatever you want, I'm game for." 🤭🤭

"Must I tether you to this bed, my king?"
"I'll be good."

"I love you. I'll love you wherever I am, whatever I am. Always."

-romantasy
-dragons
-magic
-captivity
-banter
-plot twists
🌶️🌶️

[megan ◡̈ · Rating 5 out of 5]

P E R F E C T I O N

rtc when i am emotional stable 😭🫶🏼

[Susan Carolynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

UGH THIS SERIES IS LITERALLY FANTASY ROMANCE PERFECTION. Legit the perfect conclusion—I'm going to miss these characters so much. I don't want to give anything away, but I love how this book really honed in on the found family + how the characters are finding joy and humor even with the war brewing and no real allies. It's giving Kingdom of Ash in more ways than one, which I love.

Also Mari and Griffin are just TOO iconic. I really hope this is hinting at a spinoff book for the two. They have the most hilarious conversations.

And like all of the books in this series, A Reign of Rose has the perfect combination of fantasy and romance. From the fantasy side, we have a detailed plot, fully fleshed out world building, kingdom politics, and war. These elements are all written in a digestible way too, which is great for when you're not looking for something dense. And from the romance side, we have slow burn, tension, emotional connection, enemies to lovers (more so in the first two installments), and spice. Let me be the first to say that the spice in this series is FANTASTIC because of the slower burn + the characters' emotional connection. And it's not overdone either.

Also I love when books tie up all loose ends in the last few chapters, but still leave things slightly open-ended. A lot of smaller details didn't go unnoticed, and I love that. Unsurprisingly, I was tearing up during the last 100 or so pages hehe.

Thank you so much to Berkley and Netgalley for sending me an ARC of A Reign of Rose. As always, my reviews are one hundred percent voluntary and all opinions are my own :)

[Em (semi-hiatus) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried, but this series was a total bore and a huge disappointment.

[Darcey · Rating 4 out of 5]

arc provided in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

fast-paced, an easy read for sure! though almost too rushed at times, i did enjoy this conclusion to a wonderful series. it was fun, entertaining, and kept my attention.

"i've almost lost you too many times... and each time ... i lose a piece of myself each time, arwen."

i did feel that i wasn't as connected to the characters with this book, but they were still so much fun, and i adored that arwen still had faithful and loving friends and wasn't only devoted to her love interest. and as always, kane was pathetically infatuated (in the best way possible), and continually devoted to arwen, which i always appreciate. i did miss a bit of their banter in this book, but they were still so adorable!

the world building was still so interesting (give me more mysterious beasts!! syrixes etc!), and while the conclusion to the massive battle was slightly anticlimactic, it also ended happily, and i was content enough with the conclusion. i did think some of the reveals and plot-twists were pretty easy to see coming, but they were still good fun, so i didn't mind too much.

entertaining, an easy romantasy read, fun! thank you so much to Kate for the arc copy! <3

[monica ✨ romantasyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

the scared stones trilogy is finally complete! arwen and kane are perfect together and you can’t change my mind. they have been through SO MUCH together and this conclusion was phenomenal. the battle scenes, the tension, and the FEELS. yes I may have teared up but it’s fine.

this series is for those who love fantasy romance with fae, a morally gray love interest, and an fmc who doesn’t think her softness is a weakness.

I had such a great time with this series and I cannot WAIT for what’s next. did someone say demons 👀

pick up this series if you love
⟢ fantasy romance
⟢ enemies to lovers
⟢ slow burn
⟢ touch her and 💀
⟢ found family
⟢ fae
⟢ morally gray mmc x healer fmc

[[̲̅K̲̅][̲̅a̲̅][̲̅t̲̅][̲̅i̲̅][̲̅e̲̅] (semi-hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐4 Star Series ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This isn't a perfect series but the fact that I finished all 3 books in 17 days means something to a slow reader like me 😭

Better review to come when I'm not stuck at work!







Pre-review⁀➴


I've fallen into the worst slump imaginable and it's encompassing all aspects of my life. I hope finishing this series can help

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review to follow : This series really built for me and I got so invested that the rest of my tbr got pushed aside so I could finish this. Emotional, enchanted and engaged till the very end. I was chanting “vengeance “ and another spoiler word in my head for a good part of the end of the book. I was totally tense as the end of this series played out and it did not disappoint one bit for me. I fell in love with our whole found family and honestly would love some back story on some of these wild side characters and how they ended up as they are. I’m so happy I made time for this series as it was well worth the time and I will be thinking about these lovelies for a while.

[Danielle (The Blonde Likes Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoilers for books 1 & 2 below! Don't read unless you don't mind. No spoilers for book 3 though!

Ughhh I am so sad this series is over! I just love these characters so much that it's hard to say goodbye. That said, I’m happy with how everything wrapped up! Sometimes you don't know what you'll get in a final book of a series, but I'm happy to A Reign of Rose didn't disappoint!

My emotions were all over in this book. My heart was broken for Kane in the beginning of the book when he thought Arwen was dead. We saw a sneak peak of how he was doing at the end of book 2, and book 3 picks up immediately after book 2 ends, so the events of book 2 are still very fresh for him! I felt the hopelessness Arwen felt at points while she was held captive by Lazarus, and I was so curious how everyone would get out of the predicaments they were in.

I loved seeing how much each character had grown from book 1 as well. I did a re-read prior to book 2 coming out, so everything was fresh for me reading this advanced copy, and I loved seeing Arwen really start to value herself, and believe in her strength. We saw Kane's softer side come out as he found someone worth fighting for, and we saw many side characters have their own growth arcs too. I loved the "found family" element to the trilogy too, especially because each of our characters lost someone important to them at some point.

At the end of the book there were still some open questions and plot points that were unresolved/unanswered, which I hope means that we’ll get a spin off for Mari’s (and hopefully Griffin's) story!

Thank you so much to Berkley for my advanced copy of the book! It was my pleasure to provide an honest review. A Reign of Rose comes out on October 8, 2024, so you have plenty of time to start the series if you haven't already done so *hint hint*!

[Katie P · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 80%…. This book just dragged and dragged. No longer cared how it would end.

Liked first book in series. Downhill from there

[(old.enough.for.fairytales) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute perfection.

[Gabriella Guava · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is one of the best romantasy series I have ever read. I finished the series in one week despite being super busy with work. I woke up one night at 4 am needing to read so I put in my airpods and sat in the dark on the couch and listened to book 2 while eating sugar cookie dough.

It’s high stakes but cozy at the same time? And the FMCs growth and love story 😭🥹😭🥹 I just LOVE them and am hoping for the spinoffs!

[Mia S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished the trilogy! Wow did this have some twists, and more importantly battles! The battle had me in tears, literally crying, I wish it would have been more on the ending battle, like more detail on how and what/ such a huge build up just to get to the ending? But still beautiful story, tragic, and loved the possibilities.

[lindseysbooklore · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ⭐️
3 🌶️

Hello?? Were we not at war here?
What happened to this series? It pains me to rate it where it is.. it’d be a .25 less if it wasn’t for the fact that I loved the first book so much.
Author is a great romance author. I think she lost the plot as a fantasy author. There was quest upon quest, going in circles, focus on all and everything but the plot.. By 78% the plot was non existent and it was just filler, with no resolve in sight.. Given that the books are a trilogy and this is the third book. The final 10% was so rushed, tying everything up. One of the villains dies off page, we don’t even get to see that.
A lot of Mari and Griffin set up, hopefully that’s for a series or what was the point? I wonder if two people wrote this series because the first book was giving everything! The second book ended on a bang, and then the 3rd was a lot of filler with a lot of wasted opportunities. 😓

I am happy I’ve clued this series up now and that’s another one off the tbr.

[Tasha Metzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has started off with me angry. Not only because the way book 2 ended but then what Kane traded (or what he thought he’d be getting). Lawd. Please let this get better for my own mental health before I throw the book.

“All I can promise you is myself - my love, my respect, my devotion - every day that we have together, and every day that exists beyond then. In life, in death, my soul if yours”

[BookishByTammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great conclusion to this series.
The action scenes were amazing and the tender moments between Arwen and Kane were everything!

I love this little found family and I do hope Kate will return to this world to give us Mari & Griffin’s story pleasee

Also lowkey interested in why the vampire fae (can’t remember his name at the moment) needed their first born daughter. Kind of interested in that story too haha

[Anna (annasbookstacks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🌟🥹 An excellent conclusion to the Sacred Stones trilogy!!!! Ugh I love this series with my whole heart. This book was action packed from start to finish, constantly keeping me on the edge of my seat. The plot was so stressful but so fun. I couldn’t put this book down.

I love every single character in this series (not looking at you, Lazarus), especially Kane. Ugh my MAN!!! The way he loves Arwen and would do anything for her melts me every time. And Arwen’s character growth from book one???? Amazing. I love the found family vibes, the magic system, the female friendships, and obviously the romance. The ending broke and healed my heart at the same time and I’m sad it’s all over 🥹

One of my favorite fantasy/romantasy series ever. Highly highly recommend 🫶🏼

[shaelinslibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

this series could’ve easily been a duology.

i had to kind of push myself to finish this book.

love griffin and mari, i like arwen (but after book two she still kind of peeves me, she was so mean to kane which i hated), and kane kind of pmo at the end lol.

idk this series was fine, but tbh, if you’ve read any romantasy book you’ve read this.

3 stars.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely my favorite one in the series. Like are you kidding me??? It came so full circle!!

I was so anxious pretty much the entire book because I had 0 idea how we would get a HEA, but Kate blew me out of the water!!!

[Cassandra &#x1f341;☕️&#x1f4da; · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I held off on reading this series for so long and it was a fantastic series!

[Toribetweenpages · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️