A Game in Dark Magic

My Time in Amar #3

by Nicki Chapelway

A prophesied savior with insomnia
An egotistical mage apprentice
And a quest to defeat an immortal

Now that Chelsea finally knows what their quest is, she almost wonders if she was better off not knowing. She and her friends have to set out to defeat an immortal emperor by finding a country that will declare war on him and help them dethrone him. Which is much easier said than done when you’re just a bunch of modern teens trapped in a magical world.

However, this time they have an Marius’s understudy. And he has a plan to separate them and send them off to make allies. Paired off with Easton, Chelsea heads to a kingdom of dragons and dark secrets. Where Easton apparently has a claim to the throne… one that could get them both killed.

Meanwhile, Bobby finds herself having to work closely with the troublesome mage Percival and a grumpy, sick Clint as they seek out vials of dark magic that they will need to complete their quest.

They are so close to getting home, but first these two best friends will have to…
—Survive undead kings and very alive emperors alike
—Figure out what to do with the troublesome brunette boys in their lives
—And survive long enough to get home (without catching Clint’s cold)

And through it all, they are left asking the question… are they meant to be saviors, soldiers, or sacrifices?

The Mage’s War Saga is a YA portal fantasy series with echoes of Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, the Wizard of Oz, and King Arthur. Set in a vibrant world of decaying magic, this series is full of humor, whimsy, sweet slow-burn romance, and stepping into your destiny whether you want to or not.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Fae

560 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2025

About the author

Nicki is a twenty-something author of swoony romantic fantasy. She has been writing since she was eleven and has since published several works. She enjoys creating stories with twisty-stabby faerie romances, retellings that take a darker turn, and epic fantasies in worlds full of monsters and magic.

Nicki lives in Ohio where she spends far too much time watching TV, playing video games, and sleeping. She listens to music basically all the time, and adores obsessing over mythologies, her shows, and her slew of fictional boyfriends. When not writing, she can usually be found at her desk with either a paintbrush or a pen in her hand.

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Reviews

[Nicki Chapelway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, okay. All right then.

I've only been trying to finish this book for six years. So, excuse me, I'm a little bit in shock right now.

This book is just... everything. All of those things that have been slowly building up in the last two books comes to a head in this one. And just EVERYTHING happens.

Eastons are kissed.
Clint sasses literally everyone.
People nearly die.
People DO die.
Someone catches a cold.
Chelsea has at least three mental breakdowns.
Alexis was just amazing, okay? He can do no wrong.
Bobby is the voice of reason, as per usual.

The romance is strong with this one. Both old and new ships sail.

There's a lot of trauma. Also some assassination attempts. Oh, and a zombie king.
There's a dragon battle that has to be one of the most epic things I've written to date.

But most of all. The prophecies are fulfilled.

I'm the author, and all opinions I have about this book are 100% biased.

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really don’t know how to start this review because this book was so stressful yet warm and heartbreaking and beautiful and dangerous and every other emotion on the planet rolled into one delightful tale I’m both satisfied with how everything wrapped up yet am very scared for some characters in the future.

We follow so many characters and go in so many different directions it should have been confusing but it never was, Nicki did such a fabulous job juggling all the strings and balls of this plot and each character arc, it was a wonder to behold. As for the characters, there are so many I’ve decided to spilt them up into their respective travel groups just to make things easier on me, lol, but as a blanket statement I grew to love some even more and deeper than I already did and others who I despised for one reason or another I actually grew to love by the end. Also all the romances were so beautiful; I won’t say more than that (except about one couple) to avoid spoilers, but suffice it to say this book definitely joins all but one relationship together with happy endings for all.

Chelsea and Easton: I love these dorks no matter how much they make me want to hit or scream at them for being so bloomin’ DUMB at times, nor how many times they stress me out and BOY did they take stressing me out to new heights! The biggest thing I noticed though is how much they’ve matured from the first two books; yeah, they’re still modern teens in a fantasy world and act like it at times, but they really set aside a lot of that to truly do the right thing or just the best that they could do in the situations they’re in and I really loved that. And without giving TOO much away in the romance department, I loved how it was handled and how a certain stupid character (they know who they are) finally realized some stuff and it was beautiful. Side note, Odysseus is the best book dragon ever, I love him so much.

Margareta and Alexis: Their journey took on a lot of surprising twists and turns I didn’t see coming and I really liked Alexis’s struggles with being a werewolf; he’s definitely become a new favorite character for me.

Philip and Fiona: The most plot twisty of all, I was really shocked where things went with these two and I’ll admit at the beginning I was sadisticly enjoying them being stuck together, as they’ve been my least favorite characters outside of the villains and Marius so far, but by the end I actually grew to like them, so good job, Nicki!

Bobby, Clint, and Percival: Outside of Philip and Fiona this group did the least bit of any which was probably due to Clint and his blanket, but I digress, lol. I feel compared to Chelsea and Easton Bobby and Clint haven’t matured nearly as much (especially Clint) and Percival truly needs to learn how to communicate better, but they made a very entertaining trio, especially with the zombie they ran across, lol.

So even though I got very stressed while reading at times, haha, I truly love this book, characters, and series and while I’m excited for the future I’m also very scared for a certain character; please may they all get a happy ending by the end of this series, Nicki, pretty please?


‼️Content‼️

TRIGGER WARNING: a man almost frames characters’ almost deaths as a murder/suicide; a villain forces an engagement and kisses on a character (nothing happens beyond that)

Language: freaking; oh my gosh; jeez; flipping; what the heck; screwed up; crap; gosh; heck; dang; dang it; what the freak; crud; wench; suck; doggone

Violence: “blood is splattered on the walls” along with dead bodies (not detailed); several hands are cut off (not detailed); a couple people are burned (not detailed); a character throws a dagger into a guy’s chest (not detailed); a man magically sucks the life from people either draining their energy/magic, knocking them unconscious, or killing them and leaving behind skeletons; men are stabbed in the chest (not detailed); injuries and blood (not detailed); fighting with weapons, magic, and hand to hand (not detailed); two guys punch each other; a character accidentally uses wind to throw another into a building; a character lights a man on fire and he burns up/dies (not detailed); a character is almost drowned; an undead man chases characters and grabs one’s leg; characters are stabbed in the chest (not detailed); a man almost frames characters’ almost deaths as a murder/suicide; a arrow slices a man’s throat (semi detailed); a werewolf kills men (not detailed); a dragon crashed into a tower that falls on it; many assassination attempts on characters

Sexual: a guy is called hot; kissing (not detailed); a villain forces an engagement and kisses on a character (nothing happens beyond that)

Other: a man is immortal; portals to another world; magic; magical abilities/creatures/places; mages; characters have visions; a character’s werewolf side constantly wants them to kill others; faeries/the faerie realm; undead men (semi detailed); characters are locked up; death and grief; a character turns into a werewolf; characters were kidnapped from earth to a fantasy world


****Note: I received a free copy of the book from the author/publisher. All thoughts and opinions are most assuredly my own and I wasn’t required to write a positive review. If I was I wouldn’t have read it. 😜****

[Grace Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

That PRETTY COVER!!! *heart eyes*

Wait, WHAT!!! What a way to end a book! I cannot wait for the next one!!!! Give me, give me!

Full review to come once I figure out this mess of Emotions 😭

One thing I will say is that this one is definitely up there as one of my favorites! 🥰

Full Review 5/3/22:

Spoiler Warning:

Spoiler warning! I try to keep all my reviews spoiler-free as much as possible, however, this is the third book in the series, so consider yourself warned if you haven’t read the first two books. I would recommend both of the books btw, I mean, who wouldn’t want to read about werewolves and pirates? Yeah, take that as your cue to pick them up. 😉

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

I know that some people have waited longer for this release, I only had to wait for about three years (because I read the second book in 2019), and my oh my, was the wait worth it! I didn’t know how much I had missed these characters until I was thrown back into the world with them. Man, I loved this book so much that I would have read it in one sitting if I didn’t have to work.

The World:

The world was just perfect. Because this is a portal fantasy, you have the perfect blend of elements of the real world mixed in a fantasy setting. Probably my two favorite places in the story are the city of Renlain and Fort Mastra.

Renlain was carved out of the side of the mountain and placed on the highest peak. The towers were meant for the dragons to land, they even had a dragon stable. It had a really cool library of books of lore for the world of Amar. I just think that it adds a layer of realism to the story. Having characters browse through a library of books that only belong in that world. So cool.

Now, as for Fort Mastra, it had the feeling of being so big and grand with a feeling of dread and despair. Darkness but with elaborate surroundings if you will. I loved it.

The Ships:

I never really shipped Chelsea and Philip together. I just didn’t think they really knew each other enough for the relationship to work, they mostly were attracted to each other. Not only that, but I thought that I would always be a Chelsea and Easton fan. However, this book almost changed my mind if that was possible. With Easton trying to be the selfless sacrificial lamb, I was having more and more problems seeing how the relationship would work as anything more than just friends. And Chelsea saw it too. And Philip and his morals on dating and his interest in courting Chelsea had perfect timing. And I actually kinda liked it. Even the kiss. Even though the kiss was to make Easton jealous. I mean, I love the dude, but he wasn’t thinking of how his sacrifice would affect Chelsea and how they wouldn’t really be able to have a relationship if he was, like, dead.

That being said, when we got back to the old ship of Easton and Chelsea together, I was happy, they were happy, I think that everyone was happy. It was sweet. I just really like best friends becoming couples. I just think it works so well, because of how well they know each other. And in the case of Chelsea and Easton, all that they went through together.

Now, these are the only ships that I will talk about, as I can’t give spoilers. But the other ships *chef kiss* I love them so much. Except for one, and they better never get together. NEVER!

The Characters:

I thought that the story was primarily Chelsea’s and Easton’s, though the book still did a good job of diving into the side stories of the other characters that I was invested in everyone. So much so, that I was usually okay with taking a break from one character to see the happenings of someone else.

But anyway, back to Chelsea and Easton. I really like how Easton grew in this one. At first, he almost annoyed me with how set he was at being Easton. Which was being so caring toward others that it was getting to be toxic to himself and the people around him. It was an interesting concept that I don’t think I’ve seen too much in other novels, but it worked so well. Easton had to learn why what he was doing was harmful to others and grow. And because his character was already so selfless, his growth was so on point, with more to come in the next book.

Now, as for Chelsea, I really like her character in this one. And I get where she was coming from. Easton was being difficult, and even though she liked him, I saw why their relationship wasn’t working at first. She also seemed to really get down to her emotions and how she really felt, which I thought was important. I honestly loved her in this one.

Clint made me laugh as usual. He kept reminding me of Linus in “Charlie Brown” because of him carrying his blanket around everywhere.

I kinda wish that we had some POVs from Bobby. But the fact that she was with Clint, was perfect. These two bickered so much with each other and I love them for it.

Alexis was just perfect. I loved how he was trying to protect the people he loved, but it still made me sad.

Margareta’s growth in this one was so good. Actually, both her and Alexis’s growth was on point, just yes!

Philip was just the best dude. And I’m so happy with his morals and how kindhearted he is toward others. Or at least to some people. And the things he says to Fiona made me so happy.

Fiona was perfect in this one. I loved her. Which considering how long it took me to like this character, her arc finally came together, and I was there for it!

Axius!!! THIS GUY HAS THE VILLAIN OF THE YEAR AWARD!!! In all honesty, though, this guy was creepy. 30+ wives (one at a time, I’m pretty sure) and living for over 700 years with just a power that can kill with a single touch, must I say more? He was scary, and I love him for that.

My pales Odysseus the dragon and Perseus the wolf did so well in this one! Ahhhh, I loved them so much! And the things they said were always so perfect!

Percival. There was something about him that made it so I couldn’t trust him. But I felt kinda bad for him because he wanted to please so much. And I guess for that I did like him.

The One Minor Problem I Had:

For the most part, this book is absolutely a favorite of mine. I didn’t have any real problems with it. And this one tiny thing is pretty small. I was slightly confused about the beginning of the story. Marius has an investment in our four heroes, but yet he just throws them and his apprentice right in front of Axius, the guy that they are supposed to stop. But yet, he must have known that throwing them there at that time could’ve gotten them all killed and ruined his whole plan. I especially was confused by that scene when Percival explains later how they need to call a war council and so on, in order to really stop Axius. I get that Marius is not totally sane, but it just didn’t seem to make much sense why he would place everyone in danger, especially when there was a better plan. But I won’t complain too much, as I also love that scene. =D

Content in Book:

1. Violence. (A hand getting chopped off, happens more than once. Getting stabbed in the heart (I think this happens like three or four times). Burning people (sometimes to ash, sometimes the burn wounds are described). Trying to drown someone. Dragon fight. Arrows. A werewolf tearing and biting people. A wolf biting someone. The wolf getting stabbed. Killing someone with a touch (pretty disturbing with the way it is described). Going to hang people. Someone gorging their child’s eyes out. Breaking someone’s ribs. Etc.)

2. Magic. (Killing people with a touch. Taking other people’s powers. Elemental magic. Seeing the future. Faeries. Etc.)

3. Werewolves.

4. Torture. (Starving someone. Forcing them to dance. Etc.)

5. Dungeons. Imprisoning people for life.

6. Someone who went insane and tried to choke/strangle someone to death. A few other cases of characters who may not be totally sane.

7. Zombies.

Who I Would Recommend This Book Too:

Those who have read the first two books in the series (A Week of Werewolves, Faeries, and Fancy Dresses and A Time of Trepidation, Pirates, and Lost Princesses), as well as the first book in the “Return to Amar” series (A Certain Sort of Madness).

I think that you would really enjoy this story if you like books with dragons, werewolves, faeries, prophecies, great worldbuilding, unforgettable characters, and modern-day references.

Review first posted on my blog here with fan art of Odysseus the dragon that I drew (https://gracemmorris.wordpress.com/20...)

[Grace Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

This book probably has some of my most favorite scenes written by this author. They are just so raw and real. I feel like the author really did a good job nailing down Chelsea’s mental breakdown. And the fight between her and Easton. Aargh, I wanted to shake the two of them so much. Especially Easton. Like dude, how do you think a relationship is going to work with her if you are always being the selfless sacrificial lamb? It doesn’t work like that. No one likes a tragedy.

I also really liked the turmoil we got to see with Alexis’s werewolf form. It was handled very well, and Alexis was just the kindest and sweetest guy in the story despite his rough exterior. And that one scene was so scary and raw and just one of the best scenes. You’ll know which one I’m talking about.

Margareta, Philip, and Fiona really surprised me in this one. They all just had so much growth. Margareta finally understood love, in some of the most heartbreaking scenes ever. Philip gets a better understanding of etiquette and becomes an even sweeter gentleman because of it. Fiona finds her place in the world. Thankfully.

With Clint carrying around his blanket everywhere, he kinda reminded me of Linus in “Charlie Brown”. Which made me laugh so much. I did wish we got more POV’s from Bobby in these scenes, as I kinda wanted to know her feelings on some of the matters. Still, loved getting these two with Percival. I have a feeling I’m going to love Percival a ton in the next book. Though, I got to say that the mage needs to explain things a bit more and not just leave people all the time.

And of course, I loved Odysseus in this one; Easton’s dragon is the best. Sign here for the petition for him to get his own novella and side series. XD

Also, the doggo! Eek! I didn’t expect Cletus to have dialogue in Alexis’s POV, and he was the best doggo ever! I love it when the author manages to write the animal companions in such a way that they are very a part of the plot and are a side character of their own. Plus, the doggy is precious.

So far, this is the best book in the series for romance. Not only do we have our main couple, but we also had a few unexpected ships that tried to sail, some ships we’ve been waiting to sail, and characters we didn’t think would get together, got together. It was swoon-worthy, filled with the sweetest kisses, with a few heart-wrenching twists, only for everyone to get a happy-ever-after in the end.

The immortal emperor was a horrible guy and downright creepy, though. Even though I do like the immortal guy romance, I do really appreciate the approach the author took. Because if you give it some thought, it is kinda creepy.

I loved, loved getting more lore of the dragon lords. Just everything about Renlain being built on the highest peak, the places for the dragons to land, the dragon stables. Just YES! I thought Easton was the only guy with a dragon, so it was so much fun to get to see a city that not only was okay with dragons, but their leaders had their own beasts. And that dragon fight scene was the most epic dragon fight scene I have read in a book yet.

This book also had zombies, or the undead, if you will. While they didn’t play a huge part in this story, it was still a fun addition.

In truth, there was a ton happening in this book. It was almost like we were following four different stories in one. It does all fit in at the end, and I honestly loved getting to read all the POV’s.

My Only Critique:

Some minor spoilers ahead!

It really bothers me that Marius just drops everyone off at Axius’s palace. I mean, the guy might be crazy, but he also really believes in this whole chosen one/prophecy thing. He has a huge investment with these four kids, and I’m not going to get into his pupil, Percival, like does he realize how hard it is to get help these days? I do like the scene as it provides us readers with some much-needed info on why we are not supposed to like Axius and some well written action scenes. But I cannot see why Marius would risk his investment like this. Unless he believes they couldn’t die because the prophecy hasn’t been fulfilled yet. Though being that Percival (who was hesitant to let everyone back through a portal) later admits that the plan was to call a war council all along, the principle of throwing everyone in danger is lost on me. Motivation maybe? Some self-fulfilling prophecy that I, as the reader, forgot? I’m not sure. Perhaps to throw off Axius due to him being able to see into the future?

Either way, it was still an epic way to start this book. Things just excavated quickly, and I loved it!

Content in Book:

1. Kidnapping. (A slightly insane character brings four teenagers into a fantasy world with no way for them to get home, so they can do a quest for him.)

2. Violence. (A hand getting chopped off (happens more than once). Getting stabbed in the heart (happens more than once). Assassins. Multiple dead bodies with some mention of blood or slightly disturbing descriptions of them becoming an old husk. Trying to drown someone. Burning people (the burn wounds are described). A dog biting someone. The dog got stabbed. Going to hang people. Someone gorging their child’s eyes out. Some characters were trying to kill another character for becoming different. Werewolves. A dragon fight. One character is known to punch people and/or scratch and kick them. Multiple people get punched or kicked, sword/dagger/arrow violence. Fighting to the death. Magical violence, including fire, water, portals, a touch that kills, and a couple of enchanted weapons. Empty threats of talking about killing people. Actual threats of talking about killing people. Talk about the guilt of killing someone. Trying to choke/strangle someone to death. Killing one’s wives and children. A character was going to get eaten. Stabbing a creature in the head with a dagger. Etc.)

3. Injuries. (A character gets stabbed and almost dies. Almost drowning. Blood and gore, not too focused, but there. Etc.)

4. Torture. (Giving someone extreme pain with a touch to force another character to marry them. Starving someone. Forcing them to dance. Etc.)

5. Sexual assault and creeps. (A character is given unwanted touch and kisses (never goes too far). A character is forced into an unwanted wedding engagement (never goes too far). A character is mentioned that they were married thirty-two times and had hundreds of children (most of those women were forced into the relationship). There’s mention of a woman running away from (husband? Creep?) to save her child (or that she was insane?).)

6. Mythical creatures. (Dragons, werewolves, faeries, trolls, the undead or zombies, etc.)

7. Magic. (Elemental, charms, persuasion, portals, healing, enchantments, prophecies, being able to kill with a touch, taking other people’s magical abilities, immortality, etc.)

8. Imprisoning people. (Dungeons. Imprisoning people for life. A faeries’ prison. Keeping someone in a fortress. Keeping someone locked in their room. Etc.)

9. Someone who went insane. A few other cases of characters who may not be totally sane.

10. Romance. (A couple of sweet kisses, nothing else happens).

Who I Would Recommend This Book To:

This series is best read in order due to cliffhangers in each book. So I would recommend this book to anyone who has first read “A Twist in Reality”, “A Voyage for the Cursed”, and “A Certain Sort of Madness”.

Those who want an epic portal fantasy YA series with a portrayal of realistic teens from the modern age. Those who want a different twist on the immortal romance trope. Those who want an evil immortal emperor. Those who love witty banter. Those who love slow-burn romance. Those who love normal characters getting magical powers. Those who love zombies. Those who love epic quests. Those who want an epic dragon fight scene. Those who like werewolves. Those who want an emotional roller coaster. This is one of my favorite in-between/middle books, would recommend!

[Sarah Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having finally figured out what their quest is, the 4 teenagers now must figure out how to accomplish calling a war council and overthrowing a ruler. That will be no easy feat considering that Percival intends on separating them and sending the entire group in different directions. Painted off and sent to different kingdoms, each pair now faces dangers they never could have imagined.
This was such a fast paced, crazy book. With the group being sent in 4 different directions, no one knows what anyone else is doing. Chelsea and Easton face off against Easton’s newfound family and with their feelings for each other. (Which as teenagers is a crazy ride in itself!) Margareta manages to travel with Alexis, Philip winds up with Fiona and Of course Bobby and Clint travel together again as well. But Clint and Bobby get the added bonus of having Percival directing them and keeping them trapped in Marius’ home.
There is danger and magic around every corner. We finally get to meet Axius and he was definitely not what I expected! Once you meet him, you wonder what is going with him and is he really the villain we all thought, at least for a little while. We get to learn more about Axius’ past in this book as well. There is mention of one of the characters from the last book (that didn’t involve these characters), and now I’m wondering more about that time line and how they fit together as well.
There were plot twists upon plot twists as well. I started remembering things from the first book and wondering how it was going to play out with new characters introduced as well. And the ending! Holy moly! I was literally holding my breath thinking I knew which part of the prophecy had came true and was then blown away by the huge reveal at the end. I am definitely wondering if we will get to find out more about that in the next book!

[Ami Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book was intense! The action was nonstop, and there were several love interests that switched (read the book to find out more on those), sometimes it was hard to decide if I thought the good guys were really bad guys, or if the reverse was true, and then the ending happened… and there is another book! I mean, I did wonder - because there were hints, but it was brilliantly done! There were some things that could be triggering (unwanted kisses, blood and gore, violence) but the romance was clean. I received an ARC copy and this is my review.

[Lumie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Nicki Chapelway for the ARC.

Plot 4/5
Characters 4/5
Ending 3.75/5
Interest 4.25/5

Overall 4/5

-I finally feel like I’m growing closer to the resolution of this confusing quest. With so many of the characters having been separated, it does feel like now there are many different quests and stories to follow. I have said this before but I feel like there are too many POVs and main characters that I wish i would follow only the actual, initial main characters of the stories.

-I do believe to prefer these set of characters, I feel more invested in them because I probably got to know the more throughout the story. Although, I was screaming at Chelsea so many times. Philip is cute and all but Easton is obviously the one. They just make sense together. One thing I don’t particularly like was the fact that they are such a big group, yet all of the managed to fall in love with one another and have those feelings reciprocated. I don’t actually mind it but it feels so unrealistic.

-Will I finally know what happens next? I wish. I do I tend on finishing this series but now I wonder how all the characters will be brought together seeing as the next book will be again about the other characters. Perhaps we will find out in the finale.