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Compelling Fates Saga #4
A Fate so Dark and Delicate
The king is dead, but Havlands is still in turmoil, plagued by distrust amongst the conquered rebels, shifters, Fae, and humans.
With the impending threat of the invading Oakgards’ Fae, Elessia and her friends find themselves in a race to unite their fractured realm. But as Elessia grapples with the deadly implications of her newfound powers, she and Merrick discover a devastating truth: the price of her new gifts may force them to leave Havlands and their friends behind to face the looming war alone.
As Elessia and Merrick journey to Vastala in desperate search of answers, their friends must survive the brutal politics of a collapsing realm on their own. Bonds are tested, loyalties shift, and the lines between ally and enemy blur. And with fate at the door, they each must decide whether answering the call of destiny is worth facing the shadows that haunt them—all before it’s too late.
With the impending threat of the invading Oakgards’ Fae, Elessia and her friends find themselves in a race to unite their fractured realm. But as Elessia grapples with the deadly implications of her newfound powers, she and Merrick discover a devastating truth: the price of her new gifts may force them to leave Havlands and their friends behind to face the looming war alone.
As Elessia and Merrick journey to Vastala in desperate search of answers, their friends must survive the brutal politics of a collapsing realm on their own. Bonds are tested, loyalties shift, and the lines between ally and enemy blur. And with fate at the door, they each must decide whether answering the call of destiny is worth facing the shadows that haunt them—all before it’s too late.
478 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 17, 2025
2413 people are currently reading
16319 people want to read
About the author
Sophia St. Germain
10 books1,051 followersSophia St. Germain has always loved reading fantasy and romance. She writes romantasy and is a big fan of found family, enemies to lovers, strong but flawed FMCs, and morally gray MMCs.
Originally from Sweden, Sophia moved to the US in 2019 but has also lived in France, Norway, and Belgium. She uses influences from her travels and the different cultures she's experienced in her books and characters.
Sophia works in tech by day and writes and reads romantasy by night (and, let's be honest, very early mornings).
Originally from Sweden, Sophia moved to the US in 2019 but has also lived in France, Norway, and Belgium. She uses influences from her travels and the different cultures she's experienced in her books and characters.
Sophia works in tech by day and writes and reads romantasy by night (and, let's be honest, very early mornings).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 847 reviews
November 25, 2025
What a way to conclude this series!!!! An absolutely incredible ride. The way this book ends is giving suuuuch a good set up for her next series, I can’t wait to see what she publishes next in this world!!
January 12, 2026
I don't even know where to start. I refuse to acknowledge this book as part of this series. For me, it remains a trilogy. Was this book even written by the same author as the previous 3? To say I'm disappointed in the last book of what was one of my favorite series this year is an understatement. Another reader said it was like season 7/8 of GoT, and that could not be more accurate.
Let's start with the use of the word "fuck & fucking". Used as an adjective/verb every third word. He just "fucking loved her so fucking much, it fucking killed him just fucking thinking about it"... WHY. Honest to FUCKING God.
This wasn't so much a book with an interesting story as much as a documentary of each set of characters and their assigned love interest - of which there were far too many. The book gate-kept its own plot in favor of a million romantic "sub-plots". 2 entirely new romances to flesh out warp-speed that were non-existent before. Why do I care? Was it JUST because there was literally no story/plot, and we needed that much filler? Why do I care about Kerym & Pellie? Loch and Iviry? It was actually sort of wonderfully tragic & compelling that Loche accepted Lessia's feelings for Merrick but still held a flame for her. It would have been kind of interesting to grapple with the bond being rejected by Loche, and the repercussions for Iviry - which is where I thought we were going with this, but NOPE. Are singletons just not allowed in this universe? Inexplicable insta-love all around! You get a love interest, you get a love interest - EVERYONE gets a love interest!! Maybe Oprah wrote it.
Regarding the romances themselves. I LOVED Merrick & Lessia in previous books. It felt a little gratuitous at times, and sometimes even sickeningly sweet, but FUCK IT. It was so well earned & developed, I didn't care. Merrick has been a Rhysand adjacent for me. This book, however, do any of the males/men (Merrick included) have any personality beyond being perpetually star-struck by their designated females? Apparently none of the ladies have any flaws whatsoever, we are just all existing in the orbit of their utter perfection. Perfection abounds. WE GET IT ALREADY, Y'ALL IN LOVE. Holy HELLLLL.
One thing I will say - it was refreshing to get a romantic sub-plot, where the character doesn't beat around the bush where his feelings and intentions are concerned. Kerym knew what he wanted, went for it, and wasn't shy about it. Some big-boy-go-get-em energy. Points for Kerym there. Even if I felt his romance was pointless as far as the story is concerned.
We wind up in yet another battle that felt very un-earned, pointless, and ultimately a full-circle back to the ending of book 3. Almost verbatim. Complete with Lessia riding off on a wyvern to save the day yet again, and.......what exactly was the point of the Oakguard Fae? Aside from being this vague looming "existential" threat, we know virtually nothing about them, or what they planned to do, or why? They just show up (without explanation), fuck shit up, and are sent home with a stern talking-to after Lessia "deals with them". They are quite literally vanquished off-screen because.... there is no limits to what Lessia can figure out in a crunch at the absolute last minute I guess.
So many actual plots just abandoned or went nowhere. What exactly was the point of discovering Kerym was part Oakguard Fae? During the battle, he quite literally jokes he "better go help, as there's finally a use for him" - we never had a POV from him again after this, and nowhere is it mentioned what exactly his contributions were regarding this self-discovery & it's implications in the battle. Not to mention the implications of his pursuit of Pellie - there was a character that was inserted in their story JUST to reveal there are significant repercussions to their union, we just going to gloss over that? There was a vision/dream that Lessia has about the 5-Queens... what was that about? There was mention of her needing to find "the one that clings to life"... what happened to that? It was herself?! What?! What was the point of having Merrick and Lessia go off on a small getaway, when both of them ultimately knew they'd never abandon their friends to the battle ahead. I swear, it was like the author had no real vision for the last book of this series, and made shit up as she went. Oh, and Loche finally accesses his shifter powers & turns into a Lion. Could we explore that a little more please?! No? UGH.
And then there's the aftermath. The battle just inexplicably ends, and everyone just packs up and goes home, and we go STRAIGHT into the friggin epilogue!? What happened to the Oakguard Fae after what they did (for reasons still unknown).... was a political agreement reached? Were they made to pay recompense of any kind for the carnage & destruction they caused? Did Lessia resurrect any of them? After all the drama around Lessia & Loche wanting to change how society operates, and forcing previously isolated and marginalized factions of people/fae/shifters to work together, what is the aftermath? How did all of this pay-off? NOPE, just a vague mention of future battles to fight, but for now, we're all HEA.
I also thought we were being BOLD with some very impactful and heroic key character deaths that genuinely had me RIGHT in the feels. Only to 5 minutes later have Lessia discover, conveniently, that she can resurrect the dead! The emotional impact pulled an illegal u-turn, and the sacrifice of these characters was just completely undermined.
This book felt more like a poorly written prequel to the next series that is apparently being written in this universe, rather than a satisfying conclusion to the characters and story that we love and are invested in from this series. They deserved so much better. It felt so cheap and I honestly rage-read my way through this, because I kept thinking it MUST get better, we HAVE to resolve "x,y, z" somehow.... and as I got to 97% of the way through, I realized how truly FUBAR'd I was.
Let's start with the use of the word "fuck & fucking". Used as an adjective/verb every third word. He just "fucking loved her so fucking much, it fucking killed him just fucking thinking about it"... WHY. Honest to FUCKING God.
This wasn't so much a book with an interesting story as much as a documentary of each set of characters and their assigned love interest - of which there were far too many. The book gate-kept its own plot in favor of a million romantic "sub-plots". 2 entirely new romances to flesh out warp-speed that were non-existent before. Why do I care? Was it JUST because there was literally no story/plot, and we needed that much filler? Why do I care about Kerym & Pellie? Loch and Iviry? It was actually sort of wonderfully tragic & compelling that Loche accepted Lessia's feelings for Merrick but still held a flame for her. It would have been kind of interesting to grapple with the bond being rejected by Loche, and the repercussions for Iviry - which is where I thought we were going with this, but NOPE. Are singletons just not allowed in this universe? Inexplicable insta-love all around! You get a love interest, you get a love interest - EVERYONE gets a love interest!! Maybe Oprah wrote it.
Regarding the romances themselves. I LOVED Merrick & Lessia in previous books. It felt a little gratuitous at times, and sometimes even sickeningly sweet, but FUCK IT. It was so well earned & developed, I didn't care. Merrick has been a Rhysand adjacent for me. This book, however, do any of the males/men (Merrick included) have any personality beyond being perpetually star-struck by their designated females? Apparently none of the ladies have any flaws whatsoever, we are just all existing in the orbit of their utter perfection. Perfection abounds. WE GET IT ALREADY, Y'ALL IN LOVE. Holy HELLLLL.
One thing I will say - it was refreshing to get a romantic sub-plot, where the character doesn't beat around the bush where his feelings and intentions are concerned. Kerym knew what he wanted, went for it, and wasn't shy about it. Some big-boy-go-get-em energy. Points for Kerym there. Even if I felt his romance was pointless as far as the story is concerned.
We wind up in yet another battle that felt very un-earned, pointless, and ultimately a full-circle back to the ending of book 3. Almost verbatim. Complete with Lessia riding off on a wyvern to save the day yet again, and.......what exactly was the point of the Oakguard Fae? Aside from being this vague looming "existential" threat, we know virtually nothing about them, or what they planned to do, or why? They just show up (without explanation), fuck shit up, and are sent home with a stern talking-to after Lessia "deals with them". They are quite literally vanquished off-screen because.... there is no limits to what Lessia can figure out in a crunch at the absolute last minute I guess.
So many actual plots just abandoned or went nowhere. What exactly was the point of discovering Kerym was part Oakguard Fae? During the battle, he quite literally jokes he "better go help, as there's finally a use for him" - we never had a POV from him again after this, and nowhere is it mentioned what exactly his contributions were regarding this self-discovery & it's implications in the battle. Not to mention the implications of his pursuit of Pellie - there was a character that was inserted in their story JUST to reveal there are significant repercussions to their union, we just going to gloss over that? There was a vision/dream that Lessia has about the 5-Queens... what was that about? There was mention of her needing to find "the one that clings to life"... what happened to that? It was herself?! What?! What was the point of having Merrick and Lessia go off on a small getaway, when both of them ultimately knew they'd never abandon their friends to the battle ahead. I swear, it was like the author had no real vision for the last book of this series, and made shit up as she went. Oh, and Loche finally accesses his shifter powers & turns into a Lion. Could we explore that a little more please?! No? UGH.
And then there's the aftermath. The battle just inexplicably ends, and everyone just packs up and goes home, and we go STRAIGHT into the friggin epilogue!? What happened to the Oakguard Fae after what they did (for reasons still unknown).... was a political agreement reached? Were they made to pay recompense of any kind for the carnage & destruction they caused? Did Lessia resurrect any of them? After all the drama around Lessia & Loche wanting to change how society operates, and forcing previously isolated and marginalized factions of people/fae/shifters to work together, what is the aftermath? How did all of this pay-off? NOPE, just a vague mention of future battles to fight, but for now, we're all HEA.
I also thought we were being BOLD with some very impactful and heroic key character deaths that genuinely had me RIGHT in the feels. Only to 5 minutes later have Lessia discover, conveniently, that she can resurrect the dead! The emotional impact pulled an illegal u-turn, and the sacrifice of these characters was just completely undermined.
This book felt more like a poorly written prequel to the next series that is apparently being written in this universe, rather than a satisfying conclusion to the characters and story that we love and are invested in from this series. They deserved so much better. It felt so cheap and I honestly rage-read my way through this, because I kept thinking it MUST get better, we HAVE to resolve "x,y, z" somehow.... and as I got to 97% of the way through, I realized how truly FUBAR'd I was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2025
I'm so sad because I wanted to love this so much! I loved the first two books but this just fell flat for me :( the plot was messy and somehow too political and too cliche and all over the place (?) the biggest problem I had with Elessia & Merrick. I LOVED them in the first books it was so good but now I felt like all they do is think about their world conquering almost annoying love or have spice at inappropriate times. I loved Raine & Frelina as well as Loche & Iviry they were my faves. and the ending. everything happened in the last 2% of the book and first everyone dies and the ooop they don't and then it's just over? no explanation. the taxing magic? where will they live? what's happening?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2025
Yes, I’m Sophia’s PA and friend, blah blah blah …
Let’s get to the point -
NONE OF THAT MATTERS.
When I tell you this book blew my mind.
It was epic.
It was romantic.
It was heartbreaking.
It was brain chemistry altering.
I quite literally have 45 minutes of video of me ugly sobbing hysterically while reading the end of this book.
Then cursing Sophia.
Then pausing in shock.
Then cursing out a character.
Then cheering with full body chills.
Then ugly sobbing some more.
Then an additional 20 minutes of literally staring at a wall after it was all over.
I have receipts. I can prove it all.
But just….
Read it yourself.
I swear you’ll hate it and then love it for the rest of your life.
Let’s get to the point -
NONE OF THAT MATTERS.
When I tell you this book blew my mind.
It was epic.
It was romantic.
It was heartbreaking.
It was brain chemistry altering.
I quite literally have 45 minutes of video of me ugly sobbing hysterically while reading the end of this book.
Then cursing Sophia.
Then pausing in shock.
Then cursing out a character.
Then cheering with full body chills.
Then ugly sobbing some more.
Then an additional 20 minutes of literally staring at a wall after it was all over.
I have receipts. I can prove it all.
But just….
Read it yourself.
I swear you’ll hate it and then love it for the rest of your life.
December 28, 2025
I’m super sad about that rating but… I just couldn’t. This is a series that started out with SO much promise, but it just didn’t grow into those expectations. And this finale was all over the place. Chapters jumping around between every single secondary character and their love interest, spending inordinate amounts of time swooning, sexing and ogling rather than actually driving any kind of storyline forward. The main characters became just another casualty of the mess.
And, like in book three, the FMC and MMC sink into the black hole of “I’m dying ” gloom and doom, which ends up very much a repeat of that previous book - right along with the miraculous conclusion. SO much to complain about.. but rather than write a book about a book, just know it doesn’t work.
Oh! Just one more whine. Using the same one word - no matter what that word is - as every single adjective, adverb, noun, verb and exclamation is extremely POOR WRITING! The word F*@k is thrown out 5-10 times on almost EVERY page!!! THROUGH THE ENTIRE BOOK!! Good grief! PAHLEEEEESE pick up a thesaurus for heaven’s sake!
And, like in book three, the FMC and MMC sink into the black hole of “I’m dying ” gloom and doom, which ends up very much a repeat of that previous book - right along with the miraculous conclusion. SO much to complain about.. but rather than write a book about a book, just know it doesn’t work.
Oh! Just one more whine. Using the same one word - no matter what that word is - as every single adjective, adverb, noun, verb and exclamation is extremely POOR WRITING! The word F*@k is thrown out 5-10 times on almost EVERY page!!! THROUGH THE ENTIRE BOOK!! Good grief! PAHLEEEEESE pick up a thesaurus for heaven’s sake!
December 21, 2025
I have very mixed feelings I love these characters. I loved the first three books. That’s honestly what makes this one such a disappointment, because it felt unnecessary like we could've ended with book 3
Let’s start with what worked:
Kerym and Pellie tension was easily the most compelling part of the story(until it fell flat), I also still love Raine and Frelina to death… but the miscommunication trope between them dragged on for 80% of the book, and it was beyond frustrating.
Now for the many issues.
Everyone's nonstop I love you declarations, mate confessions, second mates, fated mates, soul mates… it became a full on love fest. At a certain point I was genuinely confused: so you can just have more than one mate now? That revelation cheapened the concept entirely and removed any emotional weight it once had.
Lessia and Merrick, don’t even get me started. They spend the entire book dying, get sent on a pointless quest they never actually start, only to rejoin the war that’s been building for FOUR BOOKS. A war against a race of fae we know almost nothing about, other than:
• they have earth powers
• they want land
• who is their ruler?!
That’s it. No depth. No stakes.
Kerym discovers he’s one of these fae… and that storyline is immediately dropped and never meaningfully addressed again.
Raine and Frelina kind of, sort of get their happy ending but we barely see it.
Loche and Iviry are mildly interesting at the end, with Loche gaining a new shifting power… which is also never expanded on.
And after days of pointless fighting and deaths, the leaders of the Oak Guard fae are just… let go?
That was the final straw.
This book felt like loose threads, abandoned plot lines, and emotional repetition wrapped in a bow and called an ending. After four books of buildup, the payoff was simply not there.
I’m heartbroken to say it, but I couldn’t be more disappointed.
Let’s start with what worked:
Kerym and Pellie tension was easily the most compelling part of the story(until it fell flat), I also still love Raine and Frelina to death… but the miscommunication trope between them dragged on for 80% of the book, and it was beyond frustrating.
Now for the many issues.
Everyone's nonstop I love you declarations, mate confessions, second mates, fated mates, soul mates… it became a full on love fest. At a certain point I was genuinely confused: so you can just have more than one mate now? That revelation cheapened the concept entirely and removed any emotional weight it once had.
Lessia and Merrick, don’t even get me started. They spend the entire book dying, get sent on a pointless quest they never actually start, only to rejoin the war that’s been building for FOUR BOOKS. A war against a race of fae we know almost nothing about, other than:
• they have earth powers
• they want land
• who is their ruler?!
That’s it. No depth. No stakes.
Kerym discovers he’s one of these fae… and that storyline is immediately dropped and never meaningfully addressed again.
Raine and Frelina kind of, sort of get their happy ending but we barely see it.
Loche and Iviry are mildly interesting at the end, with Loche gaining a new shifting power… which is also never expanded on.
And after days of pointless fighting and deaths, the leaders of the Oak Guard fae are just… let go?
That was the final straw.
This book felt like loose threads, abandoned plot lines, and emotional repetition wrapped in a bow and called an ending. After four books of buildup, the payoff was simply not there.
I’m heartbroken to say it, but I couldn’t be more disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2025
It was okkkkk. There were a few parts that made me go ‘wth just happened’. And what’s with Marlow being brought in with a revelation so late in the story with no closure? Ugh
December 19, 2025
2.5 stars. I was beyond excited to receive the ARC for this as I have quite literally adored books 1 to 3 endlessly.
It became a top tier series for me and I this is why I myself am so shocked about my rating but unfortunately I’d lie if I gave it more.
This book was messy. I felt like it was raining mates left right and centre. There was a spice overload and everyone was solely obsessed with their love interest in a way that made me cringe at a certain point. I felt like all the other aspects I have loved so dearly in the previous books fell off to the sides entirely and people were either crying; tearing up, swooning over how perfect every part of their person’s body was, or going at it in the weirdest of times / scenes.
I feel like this book was written by a whole different author and at a certain point I was just rage reading because I felt it was my duty. But yeah, I will u unfortunately have to pretend it’s a trilogy for me. This was so disappointing to me, breaks my heart a little to be honest. 😔
It became a top tier series for me and I this is why I myself am so shocked about my rating but unfortunately I’d lie if I gave it more.
This book was messy. I felt like it was raining mates left right and centre. There was a spice overload and everyone was solely obsessed with their love interest in a way that made me cringe at a certain point. I felt like all the other aspects I have loved so dearly in the previous books fell off to the sides entirely and people were either crying; tearing up, swooning over how perfect every part of their person’s body was, or going at it in the weirdest of times / scenes.
I feel like this book was written by a whole different author and at a certain point I was just rage reading because I felt it was my duty. But yeah, I will u unfortunately have to pretend it’s a trilogy for me. This was so disappointing to me, breaks my heart a little to be honest. 😔
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2025
Oh.. no… how did a series start so elite and wind up crashing and burning this way.
I devoured a tongue so sweet and deadly but after that the series just continued to nosedive. I think there was SO much potential here, but the execution wasn’t there. By the end I was so disenchanted with the main couple, and it was only the secondary characters that I had much interest, and even then it wasn’t a lot.
I’m so sad this series ended up being letdown for me, but book 1 will remain a positive for me!
I devoured a tongue so sweet and deadly but after that the series just continued to nosedive. I think there was SO much potential here, but the execution wasn’t there. By the end I was so disenchanted with the main couple, and it was only the secondary characters that I had much interest, and even then it wasn’t a lot.
I’m so sad this series ended up being letdown for me, but book 1 will remain a positive for me!
November 22, 2025
ARC REVIEW
3 ⭐️
It was an honour to receive an ARC to the last book in this series as I was a huge fan (with the second book being my favourite). I wish this finale landed higher for me but, unfortunately, between too many POVs for the length of this book (as much as I enjoy Kerym, his POV, especially, felt unnecessary) and the pacing, this didn't work as well for me. There were still parts that had me giggling and I did enjoy the romance pay-offs, but I wanted more from the final battle. I actually missed Rioner because at least he was a properly set-up villain who I knew why I hated and why I rooted for his downfall, whereas the Oaklands fae felt like a faceless enemy and the ending was very abrupt.
.
.
.
SPOILERS below!!
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.
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I need to briefly discuss this ending... it felt so cheap to kill so many side characters AND RAINE only to be all *SURPRISE* I can actually bring them all back so there are no real consequences to this battle. Also, I was particularly frustrated that the last 5% of the conflict was used to introduce a new character for a spin off, which left me very confused, and the ending felt so insanely abrupt. Like, Elessia, I don't even fully understand the "five queen" thing so why do we all of a sudden trust this random new guy...and why is the Oakguard Fae land just not dying anymore so this whole conflict didn't need to happen?.. It was also teased that not all the Oakguards Fae were soldiers but might be forced to fight (at one point Merrick notes this and indicates a female fae looking for a child) but this idea is a one-off that is immediately dropped because Elessia nukes most of them anyway. I know the author said the story isn't "done" but it is still considered a finale so there should be a feeling of completeness. If it were not for the pre-established love I have for the characters from the previous 3 books I would have rated this far lower as the storytelling wasn't great for a final book.
3 ⭐️
It was an honour to receive an ARC to the last book in this series as I was a huge fan (with the second book being my favourite). I wish this finale landed higher for me but, unfortunately, between too many POVs for the length of this book (as much as I enjoy Kerym, his POV, especially, felt unnecessary) and the pacing, this didn't work as well for me. There were still parts that had me giggling and I did enjoy the romance pay-offs, but I wanted more from the final battle. I actually missed Rioner because at least he was a properly set-up villain who I knew why I hated and why I rooted for his downfall, whereas the Oaklands fae felt like a faceless enemy and the ending was very abrupt.
.
.
.
SPOILERS below!!
.
.
.
I need to briefly discuss this ending... it felt so cheap to kill so many side characters AND RAINE only to be all *SURPRISE* I can actually bring them all back so there are no real consequences to this battle. Also, I was particularly frustrated that the last 5% of the conflict was used to introduce a new character for a spin off, which left me very confused, and the ending felt so insanely abrupt. Like, Elessia, I don't even fully understand the "five queen" thing so why do we all of a sudden trust this random new guy...and why is the Oakguard Fae land just not dying anymore so this whole conflict didn't need to happen?.. It was also teased that not all the Oakguards Fae were soldiers but might be forced to fight (at one point Merrick notes this and indicates a female fae looking for a child) but this idea is a one-off that is immediately dropped because Elessia nukes most of them anyway. I know the author said the story isn't "done" but it is still considered a finale so there should be a feeling of completeness. If it were not for the pre-established love I have for the characters from the previous 3 books I would have rated this far lower as the storytelling wasn't great for a final book.
December 23, 2025
well. this definitely was a book series set in a fantasy world. i will give the author that.
now that this series is finished i can finally collect my thoughts and feelings so i can spew them all over this review. and it will be spoiler heavy.
to start with a positive, i really enjoyed how well the ‘love triangle’ trope was handled here. i don’t like love triangles. at all. in the first book when it was clear that loche was the main love interest but i just knew something with merrick was there i like was ohhh brother not another one. (it’s clear this author took a lot of inspo from acotar, which is common with romantasy right now). but actually…. this trope didn’t annoy me at all because yeah, i was rooting for merrick and when my pick for the finale love interest is correct, i am bias and i love it more. i LOVED, LOVED merrick and lessia so dearly… in the beginning. but by the start of this book and honestly nearing the middle of the third book i did grow tired.
merrick and lessia’s relationship was at its peak in the second book when they were coming to terms with their feelings for one another but also, the fact that in the first book it wasn’t obvious that merrick was even a choice. lessia truly didn’t seem romantically interested in him at all. and i don’t know about other readers, but that’s how i like my slow-burn. these two did slow-burn with one another but it’s like this author turned the gas up all the way and all they did in the finale two books was have sex, solve an inconvenient conflict, rinse and repeat.
merrick was an incredibly interesting character to start out, but by the end, this man could not put together a coherent thought without it being lessia, lessia, lessia. not a bad thing, but only when it’s not your entire personality trait, which it became.
loche.. my beloved loche. i really did not like you in the start but you did win me over. congratulations, you are now one of my elite employees. his relationship with iviry was my favourite in the end. unlike frelina and raine. barf. raine was just a copy and paste of merrick with the only difference being the hair colour. raine’s behaviour when it came to frelina grossed me out to no end. with frelina and raine it was like they were just thrown together because she was the sister of the mc and he, the best friend of the mmc. a trope as old as time, that just didn’t work for me this time around.
found family??? WHERE. in this book, all the characters were just a cluster of names thrown together with minimal interactions between any of them. take ardow for example.. he was lessia’s best friend and a big character in the first book, but by this one, he never utter a word once and faded into the background. he even got a ‘dead and was resurrected’ trope at the end and he still never said a single word before the book ended. my god. ardow was just there to be the gay rep.
when you have so many characters, i’m not saying all of them should be best friends, holding hands and skipping together but when you think about the fact these characters spend 80% of their time floating on a ship in the middle of the ocean and we don’t see a single conversation between each person to one another, that’s bad. i’ll refrain from saying bad writing but…….. when i had to read the word ‘purred’ twenty-seven different times across four books, i really wanted to say it. 27. times.
while reading this, i wanted to yell READ THE ROOM so many goddamn times it was unbelievable. the amount of sex that happened between multiple people while there was a war raging on, no bath in sight was utterly mind boggling. the sex didn’t even add anything to the plot. it wasn’t even fun to read. all the smutty scenes started to blend together, by the end, it felt like i just read a 400-paged orgy.
this series did hold a consistent three-star rating with me because i did find it fun to read. it didn’t annoy me to the point where i was angry. i never felt the urge to dnf either. maybe the bar is in hell… who knows.
now that this series is finished i can finally collect my thoughts and feelings so i can spew them all over this review. and it will be spoiler heavy.
to start with a positive, i really enjoyed how well the ‘love triangle’ trope was handled here. i don’t like love triangles. at all. in the first book when it was clear that loche was the main love interest but i just knew something with merrick was there i like was ohhh brother not another one. (it’s clear this author took a lot of inspo from acotar, which is common with romantasy right now). but actually…. this trope didn’t annoy me at all because yeah, i was rooting for merrick and when my pick for the finale love interest is correct, i am bias and i love it more. i LOVED, LOVED merrick and lessia so dearly… in the beginning. but by the start of this book and honestly nearing the middle of the third book i did grow tired.
merrick and lessia’s relationship was at its peak in the second book when they were coming to terms with their feelings for one another but also, the fact that in the first book it wasn’t obvious that merrick was even a choice. lessia truly didn’t seem romantically interested in him at all. and i don’t know about other readers, but that’s how i like my slow-burn. these two did slow-burn with one another but it’s like this author turned the gas up all the way and all they did in the finale two books was have sex, solve an inconvenient conflict, rinse and repeat.
merrick was an incredibly interesting character to start out, but by the end, this man could not put together a coherent thought without it being lessia, lessia, lessia. not a bad thing, but only when it’s not your entire personality trait, which it became.
loche.. my beloved loche. i really did not like you in the start but you did win me over. congratulations, you are now one of my elite employees. his relationship with iviry was my favourite in the end. unlike frelina and raine. barf. raine was just a copy and paste of merrick with the only difference being the hair colour. raine’s behaviour when it came to frelina grossed me out to no end. with frelina and raine it was like they were just thrown together because she was the sister of the mc and he, the best friend of the mmc. a trope as old as time, that just didn’t work for me this time around.
found family??? WHERE. in this book, all the characters were just a cluster of names thrown together with minimal interactions between any of them. take ardow for example.. he was lessia’s best friend and a big character in the first book, but by this one, he never utter a word once and faded into the background. he even got a ‘dead and was resurrected’ trope at the end and he still never said a single word before the book ended. my god. ardow was just there to be the gay rep.
when you have so many characters, i’m not saying all of them should be best friends, holding hands and skipping together but when you think about the fact these characters spend 80% of their time floating on a ship in the middle of the ocean and we don’t see a single conversation between each person to one another, that’s bad. i’ll refrain from saying bad writing but…….. when i had to read the word ‘purred’ twenty-seven different times across four books, i really wanted to say it. 27. times.
while reading this, i wanted to yell READ THE ROOM so many goddamn times it was unbelievable. the amount of sex that happened between multiple people while there was a war raging on, no bath in sight was utterly mind boggling. the sex didn’t even add anything to the plot. it wasn’t even fun to read. all the smutty scenes started to blend together, by the end, it felt like i just read a 400-paged orgy.
this series did hold a consistent three-star rating with me because i did find it fun to read. it didn’t annoy me to the point where i was angry. i never felt the urge to dnf either. maybe the bar is in hell… who knows.
November 18, 2025
“Gods, we’re a miserable bunch, aren’t we?”
What a ride!
This entire saga has been so good and this final installment was the perfect ending to this series.
The entire book was a rollercoaster of emotions - hope, guilt, heartbreak, happiness and laughter - all interwoven into an amazing plot full of twists and turns that just kept coming.
Merrick is top tier book boyfriend material. The way that he loves and supports Lessia is just amazing and beautiful. He has been such an important part of her journey, giving her strength and love at all times, and giving her space to find her own way when that was what she needed. I loved that we got to share some true moment of happiness with them in this book. They've had so much sadness, chaos and insanity that they deserved to have something good, even if it was just for a brief moment or two.
“You’ll have me in every lifetime, Elessia,” he said roughly. “In this one, and what comes next, and whatever comes after that, you’ll have me.”
This book had my emotions twisting the whole way through; giving me hope, taking it away, breaking my heart and then piecing it back together. I have loved experiencing this journey that was Lessia and Merrick's story and I cant wait to see what happens next in the new Cinderlands series.
So glad that I had the opportunity to read this as an ARC and I highly encourage you to read the Compelling Fates Saga if you havent already.
What a ride!
This entire saga has been so good and this final installment was the perfect ending to this series.
The entire book was a rollercoaster of emotions - hope, guilt, heartbreak, happiness and laughter - all interwoven into an amazing plot full of twists and turns that just kept coming.
Merrick is top tier book boyfriend material. The way that he loves and supports Lessia is just amazing and beautiful. He has been such an important part of her journey, giving her strength and love at all times, and giving her space to find her own way when that was what she needed. I loved that we got to share some true moment of happiness with them in this book. They've had so much sadness, chaos and insanity that they deserved to have something good, even if it was just for a brief moment or two.
“You’ll have me in every lifetime, Elessia,” he said roughly. “In this one, and what comes next, and whatever comes after that, you’ll have me.”
This book had my emotions twisting the whole way through; giving me hope, taking it away, breaking my heart and then piecing it back together. I have loved experiencing this journey that was Lessia and Merrick's story and I cant wait to see what happens next in the new Cinderlands series.
So glad that I had the opportunity to read this as an ARC and I highly encourage you to read the Compelling Fates Saga if you havent already.
December 24, 2025
This book was not needed. This could have ended in book 3…. It felt like forced emotion and spicy scenes everywhere with every character. The ending was anticlimactic, random and unsatisfying - like they just went around in circles only to return to their original plan anyways 🫤🤦🏽♀️
December 18, 2025
2.5 ⭐️
Nothing happens for 400 pages, and then everyone dies, but FEAR NOT because for some reason, that isn't explained, Lessia can bring whoever wants to come back from the dead. Then, the book ends.
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE in this book falls in love.
that's what the majority of this book was... everyone declaring their undying love for one another... and some of THE worst sex scenes I have ever read in my life.
here's a quote that will haunt me from chapter 24
"Her little hand moved up and down (his manhood)"
LITTLE HAND!?
All I could imagine was a child's hand... please, never use that verbiage during a spicy scene ever again... I beg you.
Nothing happens for 400 pages, and then everyone dies, but FEAR NOT because for some reason, that isn't explained, Lessia can bring whoever wants to come back from the dead. Then, the book ends.
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE in this book falls in love.
that's what the majority of this book was... everyone declaring their undying love for one another... and some of THE worst sex scenes I have ever read in my life.
here's a quote that will haunt me from chapter 24
"Her little hand moved up and down (his manhood)"
LITTLE HAND!?
All I could imagine was a child's hand... please, never use that verbiage during a spicy scene ever again... I beg you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2025
2.5
I don't even know where to start with this. I'll start with the one positive thing i've that is the tavern scene, Lessia and Merrick were so cute in that scene and i found it quite wholesome.
Now coming to the critique,
I'm so bummed because this had all the elements for an enjoyable book, witches, fae, shifters etc, but this went from bad to a little better to worse.
Nothing makes sense, like literally nothing is explained, it feels like a draft with the bullet points around which the plot was to be structured.
So many POVs that don't add much to the plot dragged the book on for so long, I was like pls can something happen. The world-building is so weak, its just multiple random characters and plot-lines thrown in and nothing is fleshed out. I'm not even exaggerating when i say, there is no coherent plot, like there is no final conclusion where you finally get your answers, you just get a rushed ending with poorly written war and action scenes and the book ends abruptly.
There were so many chapters of people just rambling about how much they love their partners, and yes everyone is in love with someone and they all use the exact same 4 lines to keep on repeating how they would do anything for each other blah blah blah.
There are so many unnecessary spice scenes one after the other for every couple, i was like my dude you're literally in the middle of the sea with war looming over you. The characters don't have their unique voice, they blend into each other because nobody has any motivations of their own, everybody just loves our FMC, Lessia and thats about it.
The writing is so disjointed, random scenes one after the other, the povs were so weirdly placed, because why am i in Loche's pov when the ceremony was taking place? The entire Loche and Iviry getting together part was so unnecessary and just a setup for them to pair up. Everything is so lazy, like no thought has been put into any of the storylines.
I really liked Merrick's character in the first two books but it went downhill from there, in this book he has no plot contribution apart from being Lessia's bodyguard, oh no 'mate', in case you forget, he is gonna say that a million times throughout the book. . His arc as the death whisperer could've been so well done if any ounce of effort was put in it.
Raine and Frelina just dont make sense to me and i was so bored during their povs. Loche and Iviry surprisingly came through and were mildly interesting. Kerym and Pellie were cute but their arc was hardly developed. Pellie could've been such a mysterious character to explore but alas.
This seriously reads like a draft and not a finished copy, there are so many grammatical errors, repetitive sentences, poor and awkward word choices, cringe dialogues and incomplete world-building. I genuinely wanted to like this because it has so many individual elements which i tend to really like, and i really thought that all those unfinished plot-lines and random info dumps in the previous books were intentional, and would've been completed in this one but nope.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Can somebody explain the ending to me? What was the conclusion? Why can Lessia now bring back people from the dead? What was all that chatter about the 5 queens and 'the one that clings to life'? Kerym suddenly is an earth wielder and Loche can now shape-shift into a lion? What was the reason behind the oakguard's faes' hostility and if it could've been resolved by just talking what was the point of the whole war and all the bloodshed? Why is Lessia all glowy now? And suddenly Lessia and Merrick aren't dying anymore from using their magic? What was the point of the Aixle story? NOTHING MAKES SENSE.
I don't even know where to start with this. I'll start with the one positive thing i've that is the tavern scene, Lessia and Merrick were so cute in that scene and i found it quite wholesome.
Now coming to the critique,
I'm so bummed because this had all the elements for an enjoyable book, witches, fae, shifters etc, but this went from bad to a little better to worse.
Nothing makes sense, like literally nothing is explained, it feels like a draft with the bullet points around which the plot was to be structured.
So many POVs that don't add much to the plot dragged the book on for so long, I was like pls can something happen. The world-building is so weak, its just multiple random characters and plot-lines thrown in and nothing is fleshed out. I'm not even exaggerating when i say, there is no coherent plot, like there is no final conclusion where you finally get your answers, you just get a rushed ending with poorly written war and action scenes and the book ends abruptly.
There were so many chapters of people just rambling about how much they love their partners, and yes everyone is in love with someone and they all use the exact same 4 lines to keep on repeating how they would do anything for each other blah blah blah.
There are so many unnecessary spice scenes one after the other for every couple, i was like my dude you're literally in the middle of the sea with war looming over you. The characters don't have their unique voice, they blend into each other because nobody has any motivations of their own, everybody just loves our FMC, Lessia and thats about it.
The writing is so disjointed, random scenes one after the other, the povs were so weirdly placed, because why am i in Loche's pov when the ceremony was taking place? The entire Loche and Iviry getting together part was so unnecessary and just a setup for them to pair up. Everything is so lazy, like no thought has been put into any of the storylines.
I really liked Merrick's character in the first two books but it went downhill from there, in this book he has no plot contribution apart from being Lessia's bodyguard, oh no 'mate', in case you forget, he is gonna say that a million times throughout the book. . His arc as the death whisperer could've been so well done if any ounce of effort was put in it.
Raine and Frelina just dont make sense to me and i was so bored during their povs. Loche and Iviry surprisingly came through and were mildly interesting. Kerym and Pellie were cute but their arc was hardly developed. Pellie could've been such a mysterious character to explore but alas.
This seriously reads like a draft and not a finished copy, there are so many grammatical errors, repetitive sentences, poor and awkward word choices, cringe dialogues and incomplete world-building. I genuinely wanted to like this because it has so many individual elements which i tend to really like, and i really thought that all those unfinished plot-lines and random info dumps in the previous books were intentional, and would've been completed in this one but nope.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Can somebody explain the ending to me? What was the conclusion? Why can Lessia now bring back people from the dead? What was all that chatter about the 5 queens and 'the one that clings to life'? Kerym suddenly is an earth wielder and Loche can now shape-shift into a lion? What was the reason behind the oakguard's faes' hostility and if it could've been resolved by just talking what was the point of the whole war and all the bloodshed? Why is Lessia all glowy now? And suddenly Lessia and Merrick aren't dying anymore from using their magic? What was the point of the Aixle story? NOTHING MAKES SENSE.
December 17, 2025
It’s over 😭😭😭 I don’t want to leave these characters!
-Spicy Romantasy
-Fae
-Enemies-to-Lovers
-Healing Together
-Slow Burn
-Politics & Intrigue
-Prophecies & Curses
Now a COMPLETED, 4 book series- this story was amazing!! This series? 5/5 for the series as a whole 🙌🏼
This book had multi POV, wrapped up all of our characters stories- had spice, tension, battles, drama- and then an ending to leave you on the edge of your seat for the new series to come!
I loved our ending, and the secrets that unraveled themselves. I can’t recommend this book and series enough!
HIGHLY recommend for any romantasy lovers ✨
-Spicy Romantasy
-Fae
-Enemies-to-Lovers
-Healing Together
-Slow Burn
-Politics & Intrigue
-Prophecies & Curses
Now a COMPLETED, 4 book series- this story was amazing!! This series? 5/5 for the series as a whole 🙌🏼
This book had multi POV, wrapped up all of our characters stories- had spice, tension, battles, drama- and then an ending to leave you on the edge of your seat for the new series to come!
I loved our ending, and the secrets that unraveled themselves. I can’t recommend this book and series enough!
HIGHLY recommend for any romantasy lovers ✨
December 18, 2025
This book had so much potential going in — we pick up after the intense ending of book three, with Elessia resurrected by Merrick, and the kingdom still reeling from war and rebellion. I was excited to dive into the consequences of cheating fate and the emotional fallout between all the major players… but unfortunately, the execution fell a little flat.
On the plus side, I loved seeing multiple POVs handled really well. Everyone’s arc — from Frelina and Raine to Loche and Ivry — had something interesting to offer, and the found family dynamic among this group continues to shine. Merrick and Lessia’s love remains epic, and she steps even further into her power.
That said, the pacing and resolution of major plotlines felt rushed. The story crams a huge amount of development into what feels like a single week, and big revelations or magical twists pop up with little foreshadowing. There are new conflicts that didn’t feel grounded in the rest of the series, and while technically all the threads are tied up, it felt more like setup for a new series (possibly with the Oaksguards?) than a satisfying conclusion.
Still worth reading for the characters and the romance, but I wanted more payoff for all the tension and mystery built up over the series.
On the plus side, I loved seeing multiple POVs handled really well. Everyone’s arc — from Frelina and Raine to Loche and Ivry — had something interesting to offer, and the found family dynamic among this group continues to shine. Merrick and Lessia’s love remains epic, and she steps even further into her power.
That said, the pacing and resolution of major plotlines felt rushed. The story crams a huge amount of development into what feels like a single week, and big revelations or magical twists pop up with little foreshadowing. There are new conflicts that didn’t feel grounded in the rest of the series, and while technically all the threads are tied up, it felt more like setup for a new series (possibly with the Oaksguards?) than a satisfying conclusion.
Still worth reading for the characters and the romance, but I wanted more payoff for all the tension and mystery built up over the series.
November 19, 2025
6⭐️2.5🌶️
You guys - as a non-crier, I cried multiple times in this book. This series is one that is a feel good Romantasy that if you love love, you’re in for a treat…… until this book rips your heart out and stomps on it. I got this as an ARC and I couldn’t have been more honored and truly impressed with how this wrapped up.
I see how this spins off, and I’m okay with it. It doesn’t feel like it is drawing it out. This book (and honestly book 2 and 3 I realized on my reread) lay the groundwork for universe building prep. I love it.
This series will remain on my top shelf (reserved for my absolute favorites).
Also - please let Kerym be in spin offs.
You guys - as a non-crier, I cried multiple times in this book. This series is one that is a feel good Romantasy that if you love love, you’re in for a treat…… until this book rips your heart out and stomps on it. I got this as an ARC and I couldn’t have been more honored and truly impressed with how this wrapped up.
I see how this spins off, and I’m okay with it. It doesn’t feel like it is drawing it out. This book (and honestly book 2 and 3 I realized on my reread) lay the groundwork for universe building prep. I love it.
This series will remain on my top shelf (reserved for my absolute favorites).
Also - please let Kerym be in spin offs.
December 18, 2025
OH. MY. GOD.
I think I must have thought and said this like 100 times during the last 60 pages LOL. This was just INCREDIBLE. The world building, the characters, all the relationships - and there are a lot of them in this one! - are just SO SO nuanced and unique and special.
There is love, tenderness, new relationships, friendships, found family, and while there are many people all playing important roles in this series and this book in particular, I gotta say - it's all about Lessia and Merrick, the ultimate couple in this series for me. Merrick is one of my favorite MMCs that I have read, and I just love how intensely devoted he is to Lessia.
I absolutely love the world building in this too. There are fae, humans, witches, shifters, and every group has their magic system and powers and lore. Each book in this series opens the world up more and more, and I CANNOT wait to get more within this world. Sophia has done an incredible job of setting things up for more visits within this world and with these characters. EPIC, is the word that comes to mind.
I have absolutely loved reading this series. I cannot recommend it highly enough, one of my favorite things I have read all year.
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
There are a lot of relationships revolving through this last book, so I'm just listing them here to help me keep track of everyone lol. There are also some notes I'm leaving for myself so I can remember things when new books are written within this world - so major spoilers!
I think I must have thought and said this like 100 times during the last 60 pages LOL. This was just INCREDIBLE. The world building, the characters, all the relationships - and there are a lot of them in this one! - are just SO SO nuanced and unique and special.
There is love, tenderness, new relationships, friendships, found family, and while there are many people all playing important roles in this series and this book in particular, I gotta say - it's all about Lessia and Merrick, the ultimate couple in this series for me. Merrick is one of my favorite MMCs that I have read, and I just love how intensely devoted he is to Lessia.
I absolutely love the world building in this too. There are fae, humans, witches, shifters, and every group has their magic system and powers and lore. Each book in this series opens the world up more and more, and I CANNOT wait to get more within this world. Sophia has done an incredible job of setting things up for more visits within this world and with these characters. EPIC, is the word that comes to mind.
I have absolutely loved reading this series. I cannot recommend it highly enough, one of my favorite things I have read all year.
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
There are a lot of relationships revolving through this last book, so I'm just listing them here to help me keep track of everyone lol. There are also some notes I'm leaving for myself so I can remember things when new books are written within this world - so major spoilers!
December 22, 2025
3.75 ⭐️
Sooooo what the heck happened???
This series was such a sleeper hit up until this book. I was turned off by the first chapter and it never really recovered.
Quite literally nothing important happened until the last 10% and then it was information OVERLOAD. I’m so confused and honestly don’t even understand what happened in the end???
It’s a shame because I really liked the first 3 books in the series 😔
Sooooo what the heck happened???
This series was such a sleeper hit up until this book. I was turned off by the first chapter and it never really recovered.
Quite literally nothing important happened until the last 10% and then it was information OVERLOAD. I’m so confused and honestly don’t even understand what happened in the end???
It’s a shame because I really liked the first 3 books in the series 😔
December 30, 2025
I’m sorry what just happened??? I was absolutely loving the first 3 books. But I was dragging my feet through this.
I was so bored with this until like 80%. I love multiple POVS but it was too much in this.
4 different romances, everyone lost their personality’s and was just declaring insta love left right and centre. It was repetitive and I honestly couldn’t stop rolling my eyes. The plot absolutely fell off. The last 10% just smacks you in the face. Nothing was making sense then someone comes out of nowhere and everything just stops and then everyone’s on there merry way home?
So disappointed 😭
I was so bored with this until like 80%. I love multiple POVS but it was too much in this.
4 different romances, everyone lost their personality’s and was just declaring insta love left right and centre. It was repetitive and I honestly couldn’t stop rolling my eyes. The plot absolutely fell off. The last 10% just smacks you in the face. Nothing was making sense then someone comes out of nowhere and everything just stops and then everyone’s on there merry way home?
So disappointed 😭
December 19, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ARC REVIEW
“Gods, we’re a miserable bunch, aren’t we?”
This book was so deep, but it had me laughing. It had me kicking my feet, screaming, staring into oblivion OFTEN, and crying. The end had me sweating, beautifully terrified and threw me unexpectedly. The underlying themes also hit me where it hurts, as I didn’t expect to relate to the characters as much as I did.
If you’re looking for MULTIPLE territorial broody Fae, you’ve come to the right place.
I hated reading most books with more than two POVs, but Sophia St. Germain expertly put this together in a way that I couldn’t put it down. Seriously. I sat on the couch from 2 PM - 10 PM without taking a break.
I love these characters. The development, the devotion, the relationships. Everything Sophia put into this saga was well worth it. The character arcs were so good. I’m very sad to see it end, but I will continue to scream from the rooftops that Compelling Fates is a must read. Im excited for what Sophia has in store next.
Favorite quotes:
“Absolutely adorable, but we’re about to be murdered, so please focus.” 💀
“You may not believe it, but I didn’t f#### notice any of this because I couldn’t stop staring into your beautiful damned blue eyes, and it pisses me off.” 🫠
“This is the crying corner, and from what I’ve heard, you have a lot to cry about, so you’re welcome to join me.” 😭
“Anyone else have something to say about my mate?” 🤺
ARC REVIEW
“Gods, we’re a miserable bunch, aren’t we?”
This book was so deep, but it had me laughing. It had me kicking my feet, screaming, staring into oblivion OFTEN, and crying. The end had me sweating, beautifully terrified and threw me unexpectedly. The underlying themes also hit me where it hurts, as I didn’t expect to relate to the characters as much as I did.
If you’re looking for MULTIPLE territorial broody Fae, you’ve come to the right place.
I hated reading most books with more than two POVs, but Sophia St. Germain expertly put this together in a way that I couldn’t put it down. Seriously. I sat on the couch from 2 PM - 10 PM without taking a break.
I love these characters. The development, the devotion, the relationships. Everything Sophia put into this saga was well worth it. The character arcs were so good. I’m very sad to see it end, but I will continue to scream from the rooftops that Compelling Fates is a must read. Im excited for what Sophia has in store next.
Favorite quotes:
“Absolutely adorable, but we’re about to be murdered, so please focus.” 💀
“You may not believe it, but I didn’t f#### notice any of this because I couldn’t stop staring into your beautiful damned blue eyes, and it pisses me off.” 🫠
“This is the crying corner, and from what I’ve heard, you have a lot to cry about, so you’re welcome to join me.” 😭
“Anyone else have something to say about my mate?” 🤺
December 29, 2025
What the actual H*LL?!? The series was so good until this final book. The entire book answered very few questions and managed to create the most ludicrous and incoherent, in-cohesive final story. The author literally repeated the character’s thoughts/feelings over and over again - ad nauseam. No real resolutions, answers or progression of the story or even character development. I felt dragged through useless dialogue, praying for clues/clarity of the story line. Wild subplots with nowhere to go followed by introductions to characters in the last 10 pages added NOTHING to the story but confusion. It didn’t even make sense! And the lame addition of “veiled queens” brought up in this book was NEVER explained. Not even close. She wasted every page of this entire book NOT finishing the story. So completely unworthy of the previous books - and made me regret even opening this one to read. Wow - huge disappointment! If you ever watched Game of Thrones the final episode and felt gypped - this had the same feel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2025
This whole book was just characters telling other characters they loved each other. And the ending was…confusing? Also, you cannot use “Queen of Shadows” I’m sorry. Throne of Glass is the OG.
January 13, 2026
Another 3.75 star read to end this series. The star of the show for me was that we got to see everyone’s POV and I think that’s what this book needed. Lessia and Merrick are perfection, but having the other stories helped. Raine and Frelina were so interesting and I love Raine’s storyline. Kerym and Loche’s stories both took a turn and kept me interested. We get to see all the love interests be happy at some point and that was nice.
However, I feel like the ending didn’t wrap anything up very nicely. The huge battle the last book spent so long working up to, we got only a few small scenes and they didn’t happen until like 75-80% in. The journey Merrick and Elessia were planning on? Never really happened! It was described that they were close to death and they’re suddenly fine I guess but we don’t really get told everything’s okay so maybe they aren’t fine. There’s still no concrete conclusion, in fact, it kind of left off on a cliffhanger.
Overall, I enjoyed this series and would recommend but I was hoping for a HEA that I don’t feel like happened.
However, I feel like the ending didn’t wrap anything up very nicely. The huge battle the last book spent so long working up to, we got only a few small scenes and they didn’t happen until like 75-80% in. The journey Merrick and Elessia were planning on? Never really happened! It was described that they were close to death and they’re suddenly fine I guess but we don’t really get told everything’s okay so maybe they aren’t fine. There’s still no concrete conclusion, in fact, it kind of left off on a cliffhanger.
Overall, I enjoyed this series and would recommend but I was hoping for a HEA that I don’t feel like happened.
December 25, 2025
I loved this series starting out, but I nearly DNF’d this book. First off, the placement of the smut was very distracting and took away from the plot. Those scenes felt repetitive, cringy and unoriginal. The writing in general was repetitive. I felt like I read so many chapters about how in love the characters were with each other via the same sentences rephrased over and over. I love romance, but so many pieces felt juvenile and unimaginative. It felt like pages and pages of “I love you so much you are so amazing we’re mates we’re gonna be together forever” yadadada.
Secondly, a lot of the plot points don’t really make a lot of sense/didn’t really have a good, detailed build up. The last fourth of this book felt like a melting pot of messy, half-baked ideas and plot points. A lot of the characters just “having a feeling” about non-specific things. I just really did not enjoy this book. I finished it because I was curious to see the ending (which I disliked greatly). I’m not sure if I will continue with the upcoming books in the universe unfortunately. I did fall in love with a lot of the characters, and I enjoyed their dynamics for the most part.
Secondly, a lot of the plot points don’t really make a lot of sense/didn’t really have a good, detailed build up. The last fourth of this book felt like a melting pot of messy, half-baked ideas and plot points. A lot of the characters just “having a feeling” about non-specific things. I just really did not enjoy this book. I finished it because I was curious to see the ending (which I disliked greatly). I’m not sure if I will continue with the upcoming books in the universe unfortunately. I did fall in love with a lot of the characters, and I enjoyed their dynamics for the most part.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2026
I don’t often write reviews, but this book made me so angry. I absolutely loved, adored, cherished the first three books of this series. I’ve been recommending them to everyone I talk to, so imagine my disappointment when I finally was able to sit down to read A Fate so Dark and Delicate and I was so completely underwhelmed.
Where is the plot? The story and characters (literally) were treading water for chunks of the book. Chapter after chapter, there was basically nothing happening. I love Lessia and Merrick, but by the umpteenth chapter of “Lessia is the most perfect female I’ve ever set eyes upon,” and “Merrick always gives me a choice,” I was at my wits end. I get it. Book 3 covered most of that. What else have you got? Also… so much sex in this book. I found myself skimming pages because it was so repetitive and added nothing to the plot.
When Lessia and Merrick decided they were going to search the realms for a solution to their weird dying situation —which felt like a rehash of Book 3, btw—I was excited because I didn’t expect it. I didn’t think they’d actually leave their friends and go learn something new and how fun that would be! But then they didn’t. They visited a little town, Merrick announced Lessia as the savior of them all, they saw Merrick’s old commander and then decided they couldn’t leave and they’d have to return to the war. Apparently, Aixle (or whatever his name was) gave them some pertinent info, but all those chapters felt like a complete waste of time, especially when it resulted in Lessia suddenly realizing she was the Queen of Shadows and embracing her magic… what?
With 60 pages left I wanted to DNF the book because I could tell it was all going to miraculously wrap up with break neck speed after spending pages and pages doing nothing.
I’ve read a lot of fantasy books. I’ve read some crazy magic systems and lore, but the whole veiled queens thing made little to no sense to me. If that’s on me and everyone else understood it, great. But, like, I just read The Strength of the Few and you want to talk about complicated worlds and lore? A Fate so Dark and Delicate was nonsensical.
Then it all ends with a new character being introduced that is magically tied to Lessia, Merrick, and the wyvern? What?
If you’re someone who read the book and enjoyed it, I’m happy for you. Gosh, I wanted to like it, but my frustration with it far outweighs any good vibes.
Where is the plot? The story and characters (literally) were treading water for chunks of the book. Chapter after chapter, there was basically nothing happening. I love Lessia and Merrick, but by the umpteenth chapter of “Lessia is the most perfect female I’ve ever set eyes upon,” and “Merrick always gives me a choice,” I was at my wits end. I get it. Book 3 covered most of that. What else have you got? Also… so much sex in this book. I found myself skimming pages because it was so repetitive and added nothing to the plot.
When Lessia and Merrick decided they were going to search the realms for a solution to their weird dying situation —which felt like a rehash of Book 3, btw—I was excited because I didn’t expect it. I didn’t think they’d actually leave their friends and go learn something new and how fun that would be! But then they didn’t. They visited a little town, Merrick announced Lessia as the savior of them all, they saw Merrick’s old commander and then decided they couldn’t leave and they’d have to return to the war. Apparently, Aixle (or whatever his name was) gave them some pertinent info, but all those chapters felt like a complete waste of time, especially when it resulted in Lessia suddenly realizing she was the Queen of Shadows and embracing her magic… what?
With 60 pages left I wanted to DNF the book because I could tell it was all going to miraculously wrap up with break neck speed after spending pages and pages doing nothing.
I’ve read a lot of fantasy books. I’ve read some crazy magic systems and lore, but the whole veiled queens thing made little to no sense to me. If that’s on me and everyone else understood it, great. But, like, I just read The Strength of the Few and you want to talk about complicated worlds and lore? A Fate so Dark and Delicate was nonsensical.
Then it all ends with a new character being introduced that is magically tied to Lessia, Merrick, and the wyvern? What?
If you’re someone who read the book and enjoyed it, I’m happy for you. Gosh, I wanted to like it, but my frustration with it far outweighs any good vibes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2025
First off, thank you so much Sophia and Amanda and anyone else on her team for selecting me to read the ARC of this book!!! It was so enjoyable and getting a cliffhanger at the end to potentially more from Sophia was so exciting!
If you haven’t started this series I FLEW through the first three books within a week because they were so good.
I liked this book but to me there was a lot of fluff. I give it more of a 3.75 rating. The first half of the book just felt like chapter after chapter of people expressing their love to each other with nothing really driving the plot forward. And if you like a more romance and character forward book then you’ll LOVE this finale to the series but to me when it’s a final book in the series I anticipate more action and the ending felt a little rushed.
*****spoiler******
I am also kind of over people dying only to be brought right back to life.
But all in all this is a great series and I am so excited to read Sophia’s other books she has out now and whatever she may write in the future!!
If you haven’t started this series I FLEW through the first three books within a week because they were so good.
I liked this book but to me there was a lot of fluff. I give it more of a 3.75 rating. The first half of the book just felt like chapter after chapter of people expressing their love to each other with nothing really driving the plot forward. And if you like a more romance and character forward book then you’ll LOVE this finale to the series but to me when it’s a final book in the series I anticipate more action and the ending felt a little rushed.
*****spoiler******
I am also kind of over people dying only to be brought right back to life.
But all in all this is a great series and I am so excited to read Sophia’s other books she has out now and whatever she may write in the future!!
January 8, 2026
2 ⭐ 2 🌶️ BookTok did readers a disservice by suggesting that fans of Throne of Glass would enjoy this series. Aside from the male main characters sharing Rowan’s hair color, there is virtually no meaningful similarity between the two.
What began as a reasonably strong plot quickly unraveled into a simpering tangle of fated mates, unrealistic love confessions, and a storyline that seemed to lose all direction by the third book. The main female character is written as both a saint and a lethal assassin—someone who conveniently absolves others of horrific crimes because they are merely “misunderstood” or “misguided.” Despite wielding immense power, she spends most of the story negotiating and pleading to save a realm that shows little interest in being saved. Her motivations are unclear, turning her into a martyr and a hollow, false savior.
The repetitive focus on romantic gestures—hands being grabbed, bodies pulled close, foreheads kissed—often occurring while other characters are literally fighting for their lives, became exhausting. Overall, the execution felt juvenile and lacked a clear narrative purpose.
What began as a reasonably strong plot quickly unraveled into a simpering tangle of fated mates, unrealistic love confessions, and a storyline that seemed to lose all direction by the third book. The main female character is written as both a saint and a lethal assassin—someone who conveniently absolves others of horrific crimes because they are merely “misunderstood” or “misguided.” Despite wielding immense power, she spends most of the story negotiating and pleading to save a realm that shows little interest in being saved. Her motivations are unclear, turning her into a martyr and a hollow, false savior.
The repetitive focus on romantic gestures—hands being grabbed, bodies pulled close, foreheads kissed—often occurring while other characters are literally fighting for their lives, became exhausting. Overall, the execution felt juvenile and lacked a clear narrative purpose.
January 14, 2026
I am pretty disappointed in the ending of this series. This book was very slow paced, with all the action happening in the last 10% of the book. I feel there are a lot of loose ends that did not get resolved. Amalise and Ardow were put on the back burner this book. They felt very distanced and detached from Lessia. We did not get relationship resolutions for any of the couples other than the MCs. I also feel like we didn’t get an answer to why all of this was happening with the gods. It just didn’t really make any sense to me. The highlight for me was Frelina and Raine. Their relationship was very intriguing and the tension in this book was so well written. Overall, the ending felt rushed and a bit lazy, but I still have love for this series and the characters.
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