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Tower of Ash and Betrayal

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Lailah thought the stone would be the key to her freedom, a way to escape the shadows of her past. But as its power unfolds, she finds herself trapped, bound not just by the stone but by the tangled web of lies and betrayals that surround her. With every truth she uncovers, the salvation she longed for begins to look more like her ruin.

Casper’s past, once buried in shadows, is now inescapably tied to hers. His secrets run deeper and darker than she ever imagined, and as the fragile bond between them begins to crack, the truth they share may be the very thing that tears them apart.

As allies crumble and the stone’s power wakes, Lailah is faced with a choice that will define not only her future, but the fate of everything she loves. Will she wield the stone’s power to remake the world, or will the betrayals that threaten to consume her reduce everything she loves to ash?

Tower of Ash and Betrayal is the second book in The Tower of Ash Series, a tale of forbidden love, dangerous secrets, and the fine line between redemption and ruin, where trust can be both a gift and a curse.

Paperback

Published December 25, 2025

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190 people want to read

About the author

C.L. Shivers

2 books52 followers
Passionate about dark fantasy and deeply layered storytelling, C.L. Shivers crafts immersive worlds filled with intrigue, romance, and unforgettable characters. With a background in psychology and a love for exploring complex emotions, her stories weave together raw human experiences and rich, atmospheric settings. Dive into her world and discover the magic hidden within the darkness.

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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Marissa.Reads.
331 reviews352 followers
August 27, 2025
CL Shivers does it again, only this time she ripped out my heart, stomped on it, and then kicked a little dirt over it. Yet, I still find myself thanking her for it.

This picks up right where the first book left off, you don’t get a slow intro, you’re immediately thrust into action from the first chapter.

I love this gothic feeling world full of vampires, a once in a century witch, political intrigue, found family, a swoon worthy vampire MMC named Casper aka Ghost, and a side character that puts the yearn in yearning. This book sets up Lailah’s revenge arc perfectly and I am so here for it!

I knew certain characters were keeping secrets, although I guessed a few things it ran way deeper than I thought, I feel like I was stabbed in the back right along with Lailah. The plot twists at the end just kept coming! I don’t even know how to feel after finishing this. The BETRAYAL was next level in this book by several characters!

The fact that Callum still hasn’t given her the letter though!

If you’re looking for a gothic feeling romantasy with vampires, witches, and poetically detailed writing to add to your fall TBR this is the series for you!

Thank you so much to CL Shivers for allowing me to read this pre-release in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Brooklyn Henley.
77 reviews14 followers
September 15, 2025
C.L SHIVERS HAS DONE IT AGAIN!!

I absolutely loved the first book, but this one?? Crawled inside my brain and now lives rent free in there. The amount of messages she was getting from me while I was actually losing my mind reading it was crazy!

First of all, the YEARNING from our MMC??? Incredible. He is so down bad for her and I am so here for it. On the other hand… my favorite sassy MC got even sassier in this book and it just made me love him more.

‘She tastes like defiance and softness and something holy, and when I deepen the kiss, I do it with the slow ache of someone who’s learning how to love through the shape of someone else’s mouth’

There were so many diabolical plot twists in this book, and the BETRAYAL?? My soul actually splintered when I read it. We finally got answers to the secrets being kept in book 1, and honestly nothing could have prepared me for what was to come.

“You. Who can make the sky bleed into darkness. Who has brought men to their knees without lifting a blade. Who has the power to do whatever her heart desires… including starting mine”

“You, beautiful, wicked, powerful witch”

There is so much more I could say about this phenomenal book, but I fear y’all just need to experience this for yourself, and if you ever listen to one thing I say, READ THIS BOOK!!
Profile Image for Kendra.
186 reviews18 followers
December 26, 2025
Stop it right now because what do you mean!? Incredible but also my heart getting cut like a knife and then feeling every emotion in this book 😩 I need a moment to collect my thoughts 🥹
Profile Image for Shaunie Peraza.
33 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2025
If you want to talk about betrayal, then this book is a great example of it! My heart is absolutely shattered, and even more so for our girl, Lailah! I feel like extreme female rage is coming!

The buildup, the suspense, the yearning, the attention to detail that paints such a vivid picture, the world building, and the twist and turns all had me at a chokehold. Throughout this book, I never felt relaxed. I was constantly on the edge of my seat, eagerly waiting for everything to come to light, and oh my god! SHE DELIVERED!

C.L. Shivers knew exactly what she was doing when she left breadcrumbs in the first book and then continued with that same energy into this second book. While the first book answered many of my questions, it also sparked new ones and created numerous “what happens next” moments.

Lastly, let’s talk about these characters! I love each and every one of them in their own unique way. I love how beautifully they come together, each with their own distinct purpose in this story, while also having their own separate little stories and backgrounds. I may have fallen even more in love with Callum and Malachi after this one, but I can easily say these characters were written with so much love and care that I can’t wait to dive back into this story and see where their journey takes them!
Profile Image for Taylor Balkema.
223 reviews9 followers
September 30, 2025
A symphony of yearning, betrayal, and bite marks—I’m obsessed. Callum owns my whole heart, and I need book three ASAP.

The character growth, the found family vibes, the angst you can taste—all perfection. The spice leveled up, and those biting scenes? Chef’s kiss.

C.L. Shivers continues to wow with her poetic writing, delivering twist after twist that kept me hooked until the very end. That ending has me beyond excited (and slightly unhinged) to see where book three takes us.
68 reviews2 followers
August 28, 2025
CL Shivers graciously provided me an arc of this book. What can i say?! This book is god tier. This series is god tier. When i read a book, i read for the feels, the mood, the feelings the story gives me. Lailah is the best female character i have ever read. CL provides a way to connect to a story, to characters and to the plot. This book had me on the seat of my pants. I laughed, i cried. I spent days staring at the wall afterwards reflecting to the ending. Tower of ash and darkness (the first book) changed my perspective of what i want to see in books going forward, this second book provides so much depth, so much emotion. I was entrenched. I cannot wait for book three. I cannot wait to see further progression of Casper, Lailah and Callum. CL provides a story filled with poetic prose which brings the words to life on the page.
Profile Image for BedRot.Books.
87 reviews2 followers
September 5, 2025
⚔️Vampire
🖤Witch
⚔️Twisted secrets
🖤Found family
⚔️Shadow Daddy
🖤 Betrayal


I thought I loved Tower of Ash and Darkness unit I Read the sequel! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again C.L. shivers knows how to write. This book is a masterpiece through and through! Each word is like poetry and each sentence flows so flawlessly you forget that you are reading. I genuinely felt immersed.


I Love Casper I really do he is the perfect MMC buuuttt after reading book 2 I think Callum has my heart! I wouldn’t mind a reverse harem in book 3… just sayin 🤷🏻‍♀️

Here are some of my quotes from both Casper and Callum. I won’t tell you who said what 😍

I suggest you take your fucking hands off of her 🫢

It’s not as if I haven’t seen every inch of you 🫠

She sure knows how to scream I’ll give her that 🫨

Bite me, princess 🩸

I don’t mind sharing 😝
Profile Image for Rebecca Silakowska.
2 reviews
November 20, 2025
I was SO lucky to be an ARC reader for this book ✨

-Betrayal
-Romance
-Secrets
-Found family
-Arranged marriage
-Vampires
-Witches
-Magic


Where do I start with this book.
This is the second instalment in this series by C.L Shivers and I’m still all up in the feels from this book.

The FMC: you will NEVER find a better female main character than Lailah. She is so broken that she is expecting the worst around every corner. She carries her own burdens but secretly screams inside for just someone to stand by her side in the darkest moments. Her growth in this book is so inspiring and I felt the biggest connection to her. She is sweet and kind and loves so fiercely. It takes a lot for me to connect to a FMC but Lailah is my girl. Through and through.

The MMC: Casper is the tall, dark and handsome secretive vampire who will follow you to the ends of the earth. He is sexy, obsessive and protective. He sees Lailah for the strength and light that she really is, even when she has been told how worthless she is.
He is her shoulder to lean her, her crutch to hold her up and her emotion support blanket that cares for her so deeply. We love a man that yearns and he is the definition of YEARNING.

This story is full of amazing side characters and a found family which is my FAVOURITE! Each character is precious in their own way with each of them having facing or faced their own battles. I had SO much love for all of them.

The world building in this book was so easy and straight away I was immersed into a world full of magic and vampires (gimme gimme gimme). The plot is intriguing and captivating and sucked me STRAIGHT in.

This book had me questioning my self-worth, in a good way, had me crying and had me throwing hands at the end. It has betrayal in the name for a reason and I was SHOOK by the end.

C.L Shivers pours everything into her writing and now I don’t know how I will wait for the next book in the series!
Profile Image for Heather DeFalco.
9 reviews
September 2, 2025
C.L. Shivers has become my new favorite author. She has truly out shown herself in book 2. Not many can do that, but she can and she did!
Book two continues from book 1 (tower of ash and darkness) and I got the feels right when I started reading it again. This has been an amazing and captivating story to read. The plot twists, the heart stomping ache, the trauma, the pain, the yearning of a side character *callum* 🥵
You’ll understand why this book is called tower of ash and Betrayal…
I did not want to put this one down just like the first one.
Again, the way C.L. Shivers writes as if I’m the one living through the eyes of the character (Lailah - FMC) and you can truly feel her emotions as she writes with passion.
I was crying, I had my mouth open in shock, throwing my hands while reading at certain points of this book!
There is spice in here too, if you’re looking for that. I mean I’m always looking for it. 😏
I can’t wait for book 3 to come out. The ending had me wanting MORE. I am looking forward to seeing more of Lailah, Casper, and Callum because they are top tier — my favorite characters in this book.
Truly a special writer and you don’t want to miss out on this series. Thank you for allowing me to be an ARC reader. This is one wild ride!
Profile Image for Ashlee.
65 reviews2 followers
September 29, 2025
CL Shivers has done it again! She's got our entire message thread to prove it!

If you loved book one, book two will leave you reeling - in the best, most agonizing way. It didn't just come for my heart, it came for my soul!

Book one left me with so many questions, and some of the answers we get were so unexpected, I still don’t know what to feel! The story picks up right where we left off, and let me tell you - chapter one comes in swinging, and my emotions were all over the place from the very start.

Our FMC is even more badass—both in her power and in herself. And the magic? Ohhh, the magic… just you wait!

"I wasn't just born with darkness - I am the darkness"

Our MMC has so much love and yearning for our girl. Even when he has her, this man YEARNS!

My favorite side characters get more action and I was living for it all. Plus, a specific moment that had me jumping off the couch and doing a happy dance!

"You, who can make the sky bleed into darkness. Who has brought men to their knees without lifting a blade. Who has the power to do whatever her heart desires...including starting mine. You beautiful, wicked, powerful witch."


I can't wait for you to dive into this world and let it bind you to it.
Profile Image for Ashley Brandal.
34 reviews
December 29, 2025
I have been very impatiently waiting for the release of this sequel since the moment I finished the first book back in September. Tower of Ash and Darkness consumed my life. I couldn’t put it down and even once I was done, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. In fact, I’ve been thinking about and talking about it ever since.

In the first book, we meet Lailah, a witch “adopted” by a Vampire king and Casper, a Vampire who also serves the king and is completely off limits. The slow-burn was incredible but also watching Lailah grow and come into her own in the first book had me feeling all the feelings!! There are so many secrets and things she doesn’t know but is trying to figure out that kept me wanting to flip the pages so I could learn it all. AND the second book was even better!

More intrigue, more mystery and a high-stakes situation that could end the world as they know it. I feel like I can’t say more than that without spoiling the first book. I will let you know that this book was everything I expected and more. If you haven’t started this series, please do!!!

The way this author builds this world and develops her characters is incredible. I feel like I’m actually in the world when I’m reading her books and I’ve never been so engaged by side characters. I can picture them all so clearly and know their distinct personalities. With most other books, I feel like I easily forget the characters that aren’t the MMC and the FMC and maybe one stand out side character, especially if there is a long wait in between books. I did not have that issue and was able to jump right into the second book as if I read the first one the day before.

I cannot rave about this book enough. Please, please go read it!!!
Profile Image for Nicole (book_drake on IG).
135 reviews
August 25, 2025
🕯️🖤𝕋𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕗 𝔸𝕤𝕙 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔹𝕖𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕪𝕒𝕝🖤🕯️
✨⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

This sequel did not come to play. It came to shatter hearts, burn kingdoms, and whisper “to be continued” while leaving me screaming into the void. 👀🔥

⚔️ Betrayals? Check.
💔 Heartbreaks? Oh yes.
👑 Power moves, curses, and crowns? Served on a gothic silver platter.

C.L. Shivers took everything I thought I knew from Tower of Ash and Darkness and said: “hold my blood oath” 🩸—then raised the stakes to a whole new level. The twists, the raw emotion, the endgame vibes are chef’s kiss. 👌

Casper. Lailah. Callum. My poor, untrusting, book-dragon heart has been wrecked and revived a dozen times over. And Clyde? The villain you love to hate, still out here making me want to throw my candlelit gothic library straight at him. 🕯️📖💀

If you crave:
🌑 Gothic vibes
💔 Forbidden love & heartbreak
🔥 Explosive magic
👑 A heroine who will NOT kneel

…this series is your next obsession.

And that ending? Cliffhangers have teeth, and this one bit hard. 🦇

C.L. Shivers—you’ve officially ruined my sleep schedule and I’m not even mad about it. 🖤
Profile Image for Emma Graham.
7 reviews7 followers
November 30, 2025
If you want a heart racing and heart aching story - look no further! C.L. weaves incredible lyrical writing with complex characters, storyline, and unputdownable plot in this book.

The twists and turns in this one were crazy. If you loved book 1 wait until you see how the story unfolds. I could not have predicted the journey we were going to be taken on after book 1. The character growth and the banter was incredible. I fell more in love with characters as I got the see more of them and more of their past. My heart ached for others who have been through so much and still fight.

I see myself in our FMC and am so glad to have a strong, gorgeous, powerful woman, (who can be soft too) absolutely come into her power. The last chapters will have you screaming, crying, and wanting to run through a brick wall for these characters.

Please read this series if you love deep thought out romantasy books with found family, cool magic, swoon worthy men, and no shortage of twists and turns! You’ll not regret it!
Profile Image for Karlee Skirka.
128 reviews5 followers
September 6, 2025
When the first book is good, but the second book is even better 🤯

Tower of Ash and Betrayal picks up right from where book 1 left off. There was no slow start, it was right back into the action and it was done seamlessly. I loved the FMC, Lailah’s growth in this book. She is a true badass and had learned to stand up for herself and what she wants.

In Tower of Ash and Darkness (book 1), we learn that some characters are keeping secrets and are not ready to share them all. The betrayal part of book 2’s title is not to be taken lightly. My heart broke, I cried, then had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

If you are looking for a gothic vibe with vampires and witches, found family, spice, betrayals and revenge, this is your book!

Thank you CL Shivers for allowing me to be an arc reader again for this series! I cannot wait to see Lailah’s revenge in book 3!

P.S. I think I’m still team Casper
Profile Image for Lisa Gainers.
152 reviews3 followers
November 28, 2025
I want to start by saying the way C.L Shivers writes is mesmerizing. The way I feel like I am there experiencing the people, places and things that are going on is beyond words. This is the 2nd book, and we pick up right where book 1 ends. This book is so full of answers, shocking moments, anger, joy, sadness, spice and any other emotion you can think of. When I finished this book...wait no, when this book finished me I just sat in silence for a while. If you love good vs evil, found family, enemies to lovers, WTH moments then you MUST read this book. Lailah is a strong, fierce FMC, who also needs others, probably more than she is willing to admit. Just when you think you know who is good and who is bad...you realize you don't.
Profile Image for SammyGinge.
368 reviews1 follower
September 7, 2025
I am shooketh! Tower of Ash & Betrayal kicks off with Lailah & team traveling to human territory. We’re treated to some intimate moments and seeing the found family element truly build. The second half brings absolute chaos, carnage and revelations that destroy foundations. Enjoy the twists that will shake you! Idk how I’m going to patiently wait for book 3.
Profile Image for Ashleigh Boyd.
13 reviews
September 9, 2025
ARC read. 4.5 stars 🌟

I absolutely loved this book! The plot twists that had my saying "no way!"

I loved watching Lailahs story and seeing her grow.

And the 2 MMCs?.. absolutely yes.

I cannot wait to continue this series!
2 reviews1 follower
January 6, 2026
Love this series! I fell in love with it from the very beginning. Each page had me on the edge of my seat. I'm team Callum and Casper!! Looking forward to book 3 release
Profile Image for Airinbookreviews.
191 reviews6 followers
November 19, 2025
This was the perfect follow up to the first one. Heart break, tension, character development. I didn’t want it to end and yet I couldn’t wait to find out what happens and what the secrets were.

Shivers writes pure poetry that will hit you right in the heart and last a lifetime.

Gives this series a chance!
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