Demise of the Heart Dove

Dark Hearts Fairytale Retellings #2

by Whitney Dean

Elora has woken, but not as the girl she once was.
Her memories are fractured, her magic unfamiliar, and the shadows of Bledthrough still reach for her when she sleeps. Each night, a voice from her past whispers promises she can’t tell are love or warning.

While Elora relearns her place in a world she barely remembers, Finnian works to rebuild the kingdoms they once dreamed of ruling together. Yet as the frost deepens and strange omens stir, both begin to feel the pull of a destiny that refuses to stay buried.

Old hearts will burn, new bonds will be tested, and the line between dream and reality will blur once more.
Because even after the fire, the Phoenix always remembers how to rise.

Genres: Romantasy, Fae, Romance, Fantasy

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2025

Reviews

[JaywhyGee Reads]

2 🌶️/5

This picks up immediately where Rise of the Cinder Fae ends and I’m not sure how to feel since this ended on a cliffhanger and I had so much hope for this book since I loved book 1 so much. The next book comes out in 2026.

This book has 3 POVs. Elora is in a struggle for ownership of herself, Finnian is rebuilding the kingdoms, and the third-wheel is third-wheeling. Three POVs of inner turmoil.

[Linsey May · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not enjoy this at all - completely failed to capture the energy of the first book.

The whole storyline is Elora trying to break free and return to Finnian. I could have taken maybe 100 pages of that, but it’s literally the only thing happening. Not enough is going on with Finnian’s storyline to balance it out, so it’s just a rinse and repeat of Klaas banging on about how much he wants her, Elora gradually waking up and Finnian doing very little towards acting like a King.

Bored. And very disappointed. I loved the first book SO much! This is just 300 pages of filler that could have been a novella or ebook freebie

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trying to be a poetry book

Oof. Spoilers ahead. The first book was a good read. This one was a slog. It could have been half as long. So repetitive:

Elora chapter: She’s trapped ina dreamscape. Klaas answers no questions.

Finnian chapter: He visits a part of town, mopes about Elora

Then just repeat for 60 chapters. Basically nothing happens and the man characters are apart for the whole book.

I have enjoyed WD books but this one, she is trying to hard with the poetic language that sometimes it just reads like flowery nonsense. I skimmed a bunch of the chapters and was relieved when it was done.

[Bksm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just okay for me. The main characters are separated for nearly the entire story, which was disappointing. I did really enjoy the FMC's side of things—watching her trying figure out where she is and then forget it over and over was very interesting. However, the MMC's chapters were boring because not much happens, and the book felt way too long overall.
It has a interesting concept, but the slow pacing and split narrative held it back.

[Brooke Lupton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, the ONLY reason this didn’t get 5 stars is because the ending made me sad and I missed Finn and El being in love 🥺 It was really interesting reading about Klaas, and seeing El try to remember who she is. I didn’t love this as much as book 1, but I really think that’s because I just missed seeing Finn and El interact. I MISS THEIR LOVE!!!

[Heather Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked finding out what happened after the end of Cinder Fae but for me I was quite confused a lot by the magic/other realm. I understood everything going on in reality but the dream chapters were a bit too complicated for me.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it ! cant wait for the third book! I do have one question where was Leif in this book ? she was not mentioned ONCE !

[magicbeyondstories · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75✨️

Not the same as the first.... whats really feel pitty because this also could be a 5 stars read.

But anyways, I'm sooo ready for book 3💕

[Ashley]

I had such high hopes for this book because I loved the first one. This book ends on another cliff hanger and I’m a little disappointed because I couldn’t wait to be done with this book… if I was someone who DNF’d… this would have been the one for it. I kept reading thinking surely she will snap out of this dream world any chapter now. Surely this can’t go on the entire book. Oh but it does…

I would say there is no spice, but there is some it’s just not between Elora and Finnian. Thankfully there isn’t any cheating. I really enjoyed their love story but this second book is just turmoil and no actual resolution. I really hope the third book resolves it quickly and we do not have to suffer through that third pov. He can F right off.