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A Kingdom of Death & Darkness: A Why Choose Romantasy
Royals. Rivals. And a little bit of ... Revenge.Escaping the Vampire King’s cage should have meant freedom, but life is never that kind to Crymson. Shadows stir between borders and the Dead roam the wastelands with hungers more terrifying than any vampire. One attack leaves her protector injured, forcing her into the arms of an even deadlier court she isn’t sure she’s prepared The Fae Kingdom
The Thorn King rules with wings of obsidian and cold calculation, a ruthless fae lord whose strength cuts as deep as the thorns splitting his skin. His brother is chaos incarnate, dangerous in every way, but just as impossible to resist. Together, they vow to protect her. . . and they are not the only ones willing to claim her.
Crymson’s fate is no longer bound to one realm or one king.
It belongs to all of them.
When the Dead Queen rises and demands her surrender, she must decide whether to give in to the darkness, or lead her monstrous men into a war that could shatter both Kingdoms.
Whatever she chooses, she knows ... there will be blood.
A Kingdom of Death & Darkness is the final installment in this epic why choose romantasy!
The Thorn King rules with wings of obsidian and cold calculation, a ruthless fae lord whose strength cuts as deep as the thorns splitting his skin. His brother is chaos incarnate, dangerous in every way, but just as impossible to resist. Together, they vow to protect her. . . and they are not the only ones willing to claim her.
Crymson’s fate is no longer bound to one realm or one king.
It belongs to all of them.
When the Dead Queen rises and demands her surrender, she must decide whether to give in to the darkness, or lead her monstrous men into a war that could shatter both Kingdoms.
Whatever she chooses, she knows ... there will be blood.
A Kingdom of Death & Darkness is the final installment in this epic why choose romantasy!
206 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2025
1 person is currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
A.K. Koonce
104 books885 followersA.K. Koonce is a USA Today best selling author. She's a mom by day and a fantasy and paranormal romance author by night. She keeps the fantastical stories in her mind on an endless loop, while she tries her best to focus on her actual life and not that of the spectacular but demanding fictional characters who always fill her thoughts
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 27, 2025
If you liked the last one, this one was certainly better than the last, so I think you'd enjoy it.
November 13, 2025
Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spicy content 🌶🌶🌶.5/5
Firstly I want to thank these amazing authors for this ARC! :)
What an incredible finale to this series! This delivered everything I wanted from this duet and so much more. From the first chapter, I was completely hooked and couldn’t put it down. It’s the perfect blend of action, emotion, and heart, wrapping up Crymson’s journey in the most satisfying way possible.
The bond between Crymson and her guys was one of my favorite parts of this story. Each of them brought something different to the group, humor, strength, heart, and together they were unstoppable.
Crymson truly came into her own in this book. She was bold and unyielding, but also deeply compassionate which I absolutely adored. Watching her fight for the people she loves, while balancing her emotions and her power, was so inspiring. Her growth from start to finish was phenomenal, and I admired her even more by the end.
The writing was absolutely stunning, rich, vivid, and so easy to fall into.
Overall, this was a breathtaking, emotionally charged adventure that had me hooked from beginning to end. This is a must-read for fantasy romance lovers and those that love more than one man hehe.
Spicy content 🌶🌶🌶.5/5
Firstly I want to thank these amazing authors for this ARC! :)
What an incredible finale to this series! This delivered everything I wanted from this duet and so much more. From the first chapter, I was completely hooked and couldn’t put it down. It’s the perfect blend of action, emotion, and heart, wrapping up Crymson’s journey in the most satisfying way possible.
The bond between Crymson and her guys was one of my favorite parts of this story. Each of them brought something different to the group, humor, strength, heart, and together they were unstoppable.
Crymson truly came into her own in this book. She was bold and unyielding, but also deeply compassionate which I absolutely adored. Watching her fight for the people she loves, while balancing her emotions and her power, was so inspiring. Her growth from start to finish was phenomenal, and I admired her even more by the end.
The writing was absolutely stunning, rich, vivid, and so easy to fall into.
Overall, this was a breathtaking, emotionally charged adventure that had me hooked from beginning to end. This is a must-read for fantasy romance lovers and those that love more than one man hehe.
November 13, 2025
The Dyslexic Reviewer - Spoil Free Reviews
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Author(s): @a.k.koonce & @kendramorenoauthor
POV: Multi 1st Person
Gene: Dark Romantasy
Triggers:
Read Time: 3-4 hours
Expected Publishing Date: OUT NOW!!
What I loved about this book:
❤️ World Building: Being the 2nd book in the series, the world building isn’t as involved as it was in the 1st book. That being said, the world building in this book is still very lush & intricate. We get to know the Fae side of this world better, as well as the Dead Lands and those that live in it.
❤️ The Characters: We know Crysmson, Christian, Rorrick, and Seven from the 1st book. In this 2nd book we get to know Thorn and his brother Carver. They are different as two people can be, but they still love and get along with each other for the most part. None of that brother rivalry stuff, in fact there is no rivalry in this book. They all understand that Crysmson is all of theirs, not just one of theirs.
❤️ The Story: The story was an amazing conclusion to this duology! It was captivating and I couldn’t put the book down. I loved it so much I wished it was longer, even though it didn’t need to be longer. There was action, SPICE, revenge, transformations, and great character arcs.
❤️🔥Overall: As I said in my review of the 1st book, I will read everything these two authors write! If you’re looking for an amazing shorter read, then this book and the whole duology is a must read!
I got this ARC book for free for my honest opinion, you know the drill 😉
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Author(s): @a.k.koonce & @kendramorenoauthor
POV: Multi 1st Person
Gene: Dark Romantasy
Triggers:
Read Time: 3-4 hours
Expected Publishing Date: OUT NOW!!
What I loved about this book:
❤️ World Building: Being the 2nd book in the series, the world building isn’t as involved as it was in the 1st book. That being said, the world building in this book is still very lush & intricate. We get to know the Fae side of this world better, as well as the Dead Lands and those that live in it.
❤️ The Characters: We know Crysmson, Christian, Rorrick, and Seven from the 1st book. In this 2nd book we get to know Thorn and his brother Carver. They are different as two people can be, but they still love and get along with each other for the most part. None of that brother rivalry stuff, in fact there is no rivalry in this book. They all understand that Crysmson is all of theirs, not just one of theirs.
❤️ The Story: The story was an amazing conclusion to this duology! It was captivating and I couldn’t put the book down. I loved it so much I wished it was longer, even though it didn’t need to be longer. There was action, SPICE, revenge, transformations, and great character arcs.
❤️🔥Overall: As I said in my review of the 1st book, I will read everything these two authors write! If you’re looking for an amazing shorter read, then this book and the whole duology is a must read!
I got this ARC book for free for my honest opinion, you know the drill 😉
November 11, 2025
Such an epic ending for Crymson and her guys!! So good and so entertaining. I was instantly drawn in to the story and didn't want to stop until the very end. The dynamic between all of the guys was so fun and amusing. They are each adorable in there own way and them all together was a delight. I really enjoyed the extra surprises mixed in and the unexpected moments were exciting.
Crymson really stepped up in this story. She was brave and fierce while also balancing out all the emotions from the guys. I loved that she was just as protective as they were and how she was willing to do whatever it takes to keep them all safe. She really grew as a character and I admired her determination.
The writing for this story was beautiful. It had a smooth flow and an almost melodic feeling to it. It painted a detailed picture of all the lands and creatures who reside inside. I greatly enjoyed reading this story and getting to know these characters. This is such a fun adventure and I would very highly recommend it!!
Crymson really stepped up in this story. She was brave and fierce while also balancing out all the emotions from the guys. I loved that she was just as protective as they were and how she was willing to do whatever it takes to keep them all safe. She really grew as a character and I admired her determination.
The writing for this story was beautiful. It had a smooth flow and an almost melodic feeling to it. It painted a detailed picture of all the lands and creatures who reside inside. I greatly enjoyed reading this story and getting to know these characters. This is such a fun adventure and I would very highly recommend it!!
November 17, 2025
A Kingdom of Death and Darkness is the second book in The Dark Lands Duet. It is a dark, why choose, fantasy romance with action, surprises, and so much more. The story is told in first person with multiple POV.
This was an awesome completion to this duet. Book one hooked me and book two cemented my adoration for the story and characters. Crymson and her men were amazing and I couldn't not have loved them more.
The writing, pace, plot, and flow of the story were amazing, as were the characters, storyline, storytelling, character development, relationship development, and world building. If you are in the mood for a great romantasy with no choosing, then this may just be the duet for you.
This was an awesome completion to this duet. Book one hooked me and book two cemented my adoration for the story and characters. Crymson and her men were amazing and I couldn't not have loved them more.
The writing, pace, plot, and flow of the story were amazing, as were the characters, storyline, storytelling, character development, relationship development, and world building. If you are in the mood for a great romantasy with no choosing, then this may just be the duet for you.
November 12, 2025
Everything was crammed into this finale. Crymson finds herself in the Fae Kingdom after how the first book ended. Finding her feet there with the Thorn King and his brother - Carver. Both of which couldn't be more different from each other. Which made for a more twistingly brilliant relationship when added to the other guys she's already got. Crymson and her guys had to confront the past on order to get the ending that I'd hoped for. This was a cracking conclusion.
November 16, 2025
This book moves at a wicked pace. Revelation after revelation keeps you reeling, while the relationships build only to be held up by the whole multiple mates situation. Crymson has her work cut out for her in coming to terms with this new world before her, her place in it and these men that just keep popping up! The ending was all over a bit quick but it was also self aware of that fact. A great read that was hard to put down, I finished this within a day!
November 8, 2025
Wonderful ending! Loved this duet. Crysom had a rough childhood and it was wonderful to see her grow into the avenger. She brought two worlds together and became the Queen. The journey was filled with steam, pain, and love. I couldn't put the book down. Definitely a page-turning adventure with engrossing and thrilling scenes. Great world building with unique characters.
November 12, 2025
rating: 4
spice: 1.5
book 2 picks up right where the first one left off! the book really started to pick up towards the middle and i could not put it down!!
i love the fmc so much, she’s so strong and came out the end bigger and stronger. and having all her mates around was such a plus!!
- fated mates
- why choose
- royalty
spice: 1.5
book 2 picks up right where the first one left off! the book really started to pick up towards the middle and i could not put it down!!
i love the fmc so much, she’s so strong and came out the end bigger and stronger. and having all her mates around was such a plus!!
- fated mates
- why choose
- royalty
November 17, 2025
Book 1 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger but I'm here to say, book 2 made me feel ALL the feelings and then some! Crymson and her men all have trials to face, demons to conquer, people to save, and a new future to face...but can they ALL accept their fates?? You'll have to read and find out!! (Have some tissues handy!)
November 20, 2025
Let’s dive in, most of the world build was done in book one, but we did see the Fae world more in depth. There were plenty of revelations in the book that I did not see coming. This had spice, action why choose and found family. At the end the statement is very true that the queen protects her king, well in this case kings. The ending was very satisfying and justified.
November 11, 2025
I've been not so patiently waiting for this book! I loved meeting Crymson and her men in book one, and the new additions in book two are perfect! It's a brilliant read, I'd highly recommend this duet.
November 13, 2025
Loved it!
This was terrific.
I would have loved more group scenes. And I wish we had seen Arien again, or addressed his fate.
But it's wrapped up very nicely.
Maybe we could get a next generation follow up!?
This was terrific.
I would have loved more group scenes. And I wish we had seen Arien again, or addressed his fate.
But it's wrapped up very nicely.
Maybe we could get a next generation follow up!?
December 3, 2025
Ahhhh the ending was so good 😍😍😍 I did NOT expect the twists and turns 😍
November 22, 2025
Thankyou to the reading gods for the second book in this duet. 5 stars for 5 amazingly perfect yet haunting why choose mates- Crymson is one lucky lady that's for sure.
I loved the book. But I love how this book felt like closure, yet was exciting and made the duet feel whole.
Crymson is a badass who grows more in this book, and gains some more mates- even better. I would have loved more spice, but happy with what we got.
One of the plot twists was not expected and I love when something throws me off centre but just makes sense.
I loved the book. But I love how this book felt like closure, yet was exciting and made the duet feel whole.
Crymson is a badass who grows more in this book, and gains some more mates- even better. I would have loved more spice, but happy with what we got.
One of the plot twists was not expected and I love when something throws me off centre but just makes sense.
November 29, 2025
This is book 2 in the duet and I absolutely devoured it! I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. Turns out the FMC is a bada$$. This book has it all from plot to spice! 🥵 If you haven’t read this duet yet you’re truly missing out!
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