What do you think?
Cruel Fates #2
Once Written in Gilded Blood (Standard Edition)
Not yet published
Expected 25 Aug 30Love is the sharpest weapon of all….
Born with gilded blood, Alira is a demigod knight forged for war - her rare gift makes her both priceless and disposable in the eyes of the gods she serves. When centuries of bloodshed threaten to consume the world, she is sent into a political marriage with Kalel Lornhelm, the infamous Blood Knight and demon commander of Devicit.
Devicit is a kingdom of beauty and terror, hidden behind a shimmering magical veil. As Alira is drawn into demon life, mistrust slowly gives way to desire, and Alira learns that Kalel has been bound to her fate far longer than she ever knew.
But beneath the city’s splendour lies a devastating secret. As gods rise, war reignites, and the systems that shaped them both demand blood once more, Alira and Kalel must confront the cost of peace….
Born with gilded blood, Alira is a demigod knight forged for war - her rare gift makes her both priceless and disposable in the eyes of the gods she serves. When centuries of bloodshed threaten to consume the world, she is sent into a political marriage with Kalel Lornhelm, the infamous Blood Knight and demon commander of Devicit.
Devicit is a kingdom of beauty and terror, hidden behind a shimmering magical veil. As Alira is drawn into demon life, mistrust slowly gives way to desire, and Alira learns that Kalel has been bound to her fate far longer than she ever knew.
But beneath the city’s splendour lies a devastating secret. As gods rise, war reignites, and the systems that shaped them both demand blood once more, Alira and Kalel must confront the cost of peace….
400 pages, Hardcover
First published August 18, 2026
About the author
K.M. Moronova
25 books10.2k followersNew York Times, USA Today, and #1 International bestselling author K. M. Moronova has enjoyed telling dreary stories as far as she can remember. She adores reading and writing dark-themed, romantic books with plot twists and emotional turns. Often, she is found drying flowers in her study or drinking tea while relaxing in her garden. She loves spending time with her partner, exploring the forest, and envisioning more devastating stories to tell.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 731 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I read the first book in this duet a year ago when it was indie-published. I really enjoyed it, so I was eagerly waiting for the sequel. But this book did not meet my expectations.
Fearless Kalel, whom I loved in the first book, turned out to be completely different here. He is insecure, lies, and doesn’t even fight for Alira against the king. The only character I liked was Nikolai.
Overall, the world felt quite small-scale for a fantasy book. There were only a few secondary characters. Alira constantly faced new problems, but the solutions were also found too easily and out of nowhere. It was even difficult for me to make any theories because the plot felt chaotic. The ending was rushed, and I wasn’t satisfied with it. I didn’t even feel the chemistry between the characters like I did in the first book.
Maybe if this had been a standalone book, I would have had a different impression, but for now, I expected more.
Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books (Bloom Books) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Fearless Kalel, whom I loved in the first book, turned out to be completely different here. He is insecure, lies, and doesn’t even fight for Alira against the king. The only character I liked was Nikolai.
Overall, the world felt quite small-scale for a fantasy book. There were only a few secondary characters. Alira constantly faced new problems, but the solutions were also found too easily and out of nowhere. It was even difficult for me to make any theories because the plot felt chaotic. The ending was rushed, and I wasn’t satisfied with it. I didn’t even feel the chemistry between the characters like I did in the first book.
Maybe if this had been a standalone book, I would have had a different impression, but for now, I expected more.
Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books (Bloom Books) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
September 4, 2026
2⭐️
rtc
rtc
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
2,5⭐️
I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of "Once Written in Gilded Blood" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I am absolutely heartbroken to be writing this review. I have been looking forward to this book, the final part of the Cruel Fates Duet, for months. The first book set up such a fascinating world and left me on the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, my overwhelming feeling upon turning the last page was sheer disappointment. It is rare for a sequel to feel so disconnected from its predecessor.
My primary grievance is with the character development. Both Kalel and Alira felt like strangers. Their personalities, which were so strong and defined in the first book, completely evaporated. Where is the fierce "Blood Knight" demon commander I fell in love with? Kalel in this installment is unrecognizable. He spends almost the entire story crying, moping, and appearing utterly broken. He has no backbone and simply exists like a decorative plant in the corner, paralyzed by fear. It was a chore to read about someone so submissive when I expected a warrior.
The repetition with Alira was equally exhausting. Her inner monologue throughout the book is a broken record: "I love him, but I can't trust him." We get it. We understood this conflict by chapter three. To have the same thought cycle repeated twenty times over the next 300 pages is not emotional depth; it is poor editing. Move on.
The story itself felt disjointed, lacking a clear, cohesive thread to guide the reader. The timeline was a particular nightmare. It's so convoluted and confusing that I only realized how much time had passed—whether it was days or weeks—halfway through many chapters. This lack of structure made it impossible to stay immersed. The writing feels totally different, making me question if it was even the same author.
On top of the messy timeline, many plot threads felt meaningless. For example, why did we spend time on her ability to communicate with dragons? It was a massive revelation that led absolutely nowhere. It had zero impact on the final outcome, making it feel like unnecessary page filler.
Finally, after enduring all of this, the ending was incredibly anticlimactic. For a duet finale that promised a conclusion to a years-long war and divine conflict, it just sort of... finished. It was a wet blanket, not a resolution. I wanted to love this final act, but I’ve been left feeling entirely let down by characters I once admired. It's just sad
I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of "Once Written in Gilded Blood" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I am absolutely heartbroken to be writing this review. I have been looking forward to this book, the final part of the Cruel Fates Duet, for months. The first book set up such a fascinating world and left me on the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, my overwhelming feeling upon turning the last page was sheer disappointment. It is rare for a sequel to feel so disconnected from its predecessor.
My primary grievance is with the character development. Both Kalel and Alira felt like strangers. Their personalities, which were so strong and defined in the first book, completely evaporated. Where is the fierce "Blood Knight" demon commander I fell in love with? Kalel in this installment is unrecognizable. He spends almost the entire story crying, moping, and appearing utterly broken. He has no backbone and simply exists like a decorative plant in the corner, paralyzed by fear. It was a chore to read about someone so submissive when I expected a warrior.
The repetition with Alira was equally exhausting. Her inner monologue throughout the book is a broken record: "I love him, but I can't trust him." We get it. We understood this conflict by chapter three. To have the same thought cycle repeated twenty times over the next 300 pages is not emotional depth; it is poor editing. Move on.
The story itself felt disjointed, lacking a clear, cohesive thread to guide the reader. The timeline was a particular nightmare. It's so convoluted and confusing that I only realized how much time had passed—whether it was days or weeks—halfway through many chapters. This lack of structure made it impossible to stay immersed. The writing feels totally different, making me question if it was even the same author.
On top of the messy timeline, many plot threads felt meaningless. For example, why did we spend time on her ability to communicate with dragons? It was a massive revelation that led absolutely nowhere. It had zero impact on the final outcome, making it feel like unnecessary page filler.
Finally, after enduring all of this, the ending was incredibly anticlimactic. For a duet finale that promised a conclusion to a years-long war and divine conflict, it just sort of... finished. It was a wet blanket, not a resolution. I wanted to love this final act, but I’ve been left feeling entirely let down by characters I once admired. It's just sad
October 20, 2025
I swear I'm going to die if I have to wait a whole year😭
K.M. release it sooner and my life is yours
(I literally created this account just to say this)
K.M. release it sooner and my life is yours
(I literally created this account just to say this)
August 21, 2026
I am shocked at how much this lacked compared to the first one. Such a bummer!
September 14, 2026
I really enjoyed Once Upon A Demon's Heart. I was super excited for Once Written In Gilded Blood. Sadly, it did not live up to the first book. I just could not get invested. Alira and Kalel were so different. Actually most of the characters were. The whole personality of several changed. The chemistry Alira and Kalel had just disappeared. It just fell flat for me. The world,bathe characters, the relationship, even the ending.. flat. I did cry towards the end, but it still felt rushed. This makes me so sad.
August 18, 2026
DNF at 83%
The author has unfortunately joined a list of many who write a great first book of angst and trauma and then drop the ball when it comes to the grovel part of the second book. I was suspicious that things would be rushed when I saw the page count and unfortunately it was.
The female protagonist, who is meant to be a seasoned demigod warrior, spends the first half of the book being led by the nose like a newborn fawn. She is slow to question obvious signs of the people around her preparing for something big, despite knowing full well they were just at war with her own people. When it becomes clear to her that her demon husband is lying about something, she secretly gathers some random ingredients to break their “unbreakable” oath of marriage.
Meanwhile, the male protagonist becomes distant as his king becomes increasingly paranoid about the fallout of all these terrible things they’ve been doing to the demigods. The king wants the female lead thrown in a dungeon while they work to annihilate her people so she’s unable to do any harm from the inside, and the male lead continues to beg for leniency and swear he’ll make sure his wife is on her best behavior. He is somehow surprised when everything goes to hell when one of his own tells the king that the female lead has not been on her best behavior.
The moment she is imprisoned, the female lead is visited by the Goddess Minerva, who is apparently her mother, and shown visions of everything being hidden from her. So the great warrior demigod has to be hand-fed everything that was right in front of her nose. Things start feeling very “chosen one does the destined thing” from here and character start acting like caricatures of themselves for plot. She overhears the male lead confess everything to his best friend, who out of the blue confesses his love for the female lead and says he wants to take her away from the male lead who has gone too far. Major death flag there, the sympathetic best friend of the bad boy who secretly had unrequited feelings and suddenly wants to help the good girl so he can have her for himself, great. Makes a lot of sense.
The female lead takes the cocktail to break their mating, which does nothing other than make it possible for her to fatally wound the male protagonist when she confronts him. In every fantasy novel ever, there is some sort of reaction to a bond being broken, but in this series you just glug a potion and hope it worked.
This is where things really start falling apart. The male lead finds out the jig is up when the veil protecting his people is suddenly torn down by the female lead. He goes to apologize and beg for forgiveness while at the same time pleading for her to consider that she is putting innocent people in danger. Never mind the fact that he spent the entire book planning to kill her people in an ambush and still plans to do so, she needs to be the voice of reason. Never mind the fact that the veil is being powered by the bones of demigods the demons have desecrated and harvested for power.
The female lead rightly doesn’t give a damn and a fight to the death ensues as the war rages on around them. The male and female lead basically simultaneously kill each other and end up in purgatory, where the gods are waiting to tell them that all of their actions were predetermined and necessary for fate to work out. Specifically every bad thing the male lead has done is written off as fate and the female lead is supposed to just forgive and forget. Apparently she was fated to have a much worse life and all this misery was a result of her goddess mother trying to produce a slightly less messed up option.
This would be salvageable if the female lead said no and something more had to be done to earn her forgiveness, I would understand if she cast aside her relationship with the gods for being treated so cruelly. But she absolutely drinks the kool aid and they’re immediately holding hands while forced to visit with ghosts that tell them to let go of their hate. Time moves slowly in purgatory so the pace of the book goes from frantic to afterlife romp, complete with highly inappropriate sex scene. The gods tell the female lead she will have to make a great sacrifice when they leave limbo, which is honestly wild given how much she has gone through. It would be understandable if it was the male lead told he would need to make a great sacrifice for all the terrible things he did, but apparently the score board has been wiped clean since there’s no autonomy.
There is absolutely no reason to make an enemies to lovers fantasy romance if the answer is going to be “the gods control everything so no one is at fault for anything.” The male lead knew he was in the wrong and waffled on telling the truth the entire first half of the book, but gets a pass with no repercussions.
I’m sorry I didn’t finish, maybe there’s some random thing that happens at the end that makes it worth it but I doubt it very much.
The author has unfortunately joined a list of many who write a great first book of angst and trauma and then drop the ball when it comes to the grovel part of the second book. I was suspicious that things would be rushed when I saw the page count and unfortunately it was.
The female protagonist, who is meant to be a seasoned demigod warrior, spends the first half of the book being led by the nose like a newborn fawn. She is slow to question obvious signs of the people around her preparing for something big, despite knowing full well they were just at war with her own people. When it becomes clear to her that her demon husband is lying about something, she secretly gathers some random ingredients to break their “unbreakable” oath of marriage.
Meanwhile, the male protagonist becomes distant as his king becomes increasingly paranoid about the fallout of all these terrible things they’ve been doing to the demigods. The king wants the female lead thrown in a dungeon while they work to annihilate her people so she’s unable to do any harm from the inside, and the male lead continues to beg for leniency and swear he’ll make sure his wife is on her best behavior. He is somehow surprised when everything goes to hell when one of his own tells the king that the female lead has not been on her best behavior.
The moment she is imprisoned, the female lead is visited by the Goddess Minerva, who is apparently her mother, and shown visions of everything being hidden from her. So the great warrior demigod has to be hand-fed everything that was right in front of her nose. Things start feeling very “chosen one does the destined thing” from here and character start acting like caricatures of themselves for plot. She overhears the male lead confess everything to his best friend, who out of the blue confesses his love for the female lead and says he wants to take her away from the male lead who has gone too far. Major death flag there, the sympathetic best friend of the bad boy who secretly had unrequited feelings and suddenly wants to help the good girl so he can have her for himself, great. Makes a lot of sense.
The female lead takes the cocktail to break their mating, which does nothing other than make it possible for her to fatally wound the male protagonist when she confronts him. In every fantasy novel ever, there is some sort of reaction to a bond being broken, but in this series you just glug a potion and hope it worked.
This is where things really start falling apart. The male lead finds out the jig is up when the veil protecting his people is suddenly torn down by the female lead. He goes to apologize and beg for forgiveness while at the same time pleading for her to consider that she is putting innocent people in danger. Never mind the fact that he spent the entire book planning to kill her people in an ambush and still plans to do so, she needs to be the voice of reason. Never mind the fact that the veil is being powered by the bones of demigods the demons have desecrated and harvested for power.
The female lead rightly doesn’t give a damn and a fight to the death ensues as the war rages on around them. The male and female lead basically simultaneously kill each other and end up in purgatory, where the gods are waiting to tell them that all of their actions were predetermined and necessary for fate to work out. Specifically every bad thing the male lead has done is written off as fate and the female lead is supposed to just forgive and forget. Apparently she was fated to have a much worse life and all this misery was a result of her goddess mother trying to produce a slightly less messed up option.
This would be salvageable if the female lead said no and something more had to be done to earn her forgiveness, I would understand if she cast aside her relationship with the gods for being treated so cruelly. But she absolutely drinks the kool aid and they’re immediately holding hands while forced to visit with ghosts that tell them to let go of their hate. Time moves slowly in purgatory so the pace of the book goes from frantic to afterlife romp, complete with highly inappropriate sex scene. The gods tell the female lead she will have to make a great sacrifice when they leave limbo, which is honestly wild given how much she has gone through. It would be understandable if it was the male lead told he would need to make a great sacrifice for all the terrible things he did, but apparently the score board has been wiped clean since there’s no autonomy.
There is absolutely no reason to make an enemies to lovers fantasy romance if the answer is going to be “the gods control everything so no one is at fault for anything.” The male lead knew he was in the wrong and waffled on telling the truth the entire first half of the book, but gets a pass with no repercussions.
I’m sorry I didn’t finish, maybe there’s some random thing that happens at the end that makes it worth it but I doubt it very much.
August 13, 2026
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review, and I’m going to tell you, this is a brutally honest review.
I really dislike when authors change features of their characters on their readers like we wouldn’t notice… Alira’s eyes are lavender going into book one but suddenly are Ocean blue coming out of book two?
Also for a Dark Romantasy, this extremely sappy HEA had me rolling my eyes.
I thought Once Upon a Demon’s heart was a great vibe read and just the perfect little smutty dark romantasy. It really should’ve ended there because this book makes no sense. We’re rushed through strong impacting moments, dragged for chapters through fluff. And that ending what just… look, I’m trying to be nice.
Everything was too easy and yet still dragged on. In the first book we got all smut and just vibes with a sprinkle of plot and it WORKED. This one there was hardly any smut, a chaotic plot line, and haphazard character development that just makes you want to scream and unfortunately not in a good way.
This was all just a very strange fever dream and I’m hoping to wake up and remember Once Upon a Demons Heart was just a standalone and this all never happened.
I really dislike when authors change features of their characters on their readers like we wouldn’t notice… Alira’s eyes are lavender going into book one but suddenly are Ocean blue coming out of book two?
Also for a Dark Romantasy, this extremely sappy HEA had me rolling my eyes.
I thought Once Upon a Demon’s heart was a great vibe read and just the perfect little smutty dark romantasy. It really should’ve ended there because this book makes no sense. We’re rushed through strong impacting moments, dragged for chapters through fluff. And that ending what just… look, I’m trying to be nice.
Everything was too easy and yet still dragged on. In the first book we got all smut and just vibes with a sprinkle of plot and it WORKED. This one there was hardly any smut, a chaotic plot line, and haphazard character development that just makes you want to scream and unfortunately not in a good way.
This was all just a very strange fever dream and I’m hoping to wake up and remember Once Upon a Demons Heart was just a standalone and this all never happened.
July 29, 2026
Thank you to K.M. Moronova and Bloom Books for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. I really enjoyed the first book and unfortunately everything I liked was missing from the follow-up. It pains me to say the characters felt one dimensional and the plot felt unfinished and rushed.
July 28, 2026
thank you so much NetGalley and K M Moronova for the arc!
i wish we had more of kalel groveling for alira's forgiveness, but overall i really liked how everything went and i'm still completely obsessed with kalel's dirty mouth 😝💘
i wish we had more of kalel groveling for alira's forgiveness, but overall i really liked how everything went and i'm still completely obsessed with kalel's dirty mouth 😝💘
August 24, 2026
I hated giving this one 2 stars. The first book was so good but I really felt like the were two different worlds all together. The books didn't seem to flow together, imo.
September 10, 2026
3.5
this didnt hold up to the first book for me
I was so much less invested in them as a couple and the plot lines were a bit messy at times and dragged on at others. I wish I had those same feelings I did reading the first book. glad they have their HEA tho
this didnt hold up to the first book for me
I was so much less invested in them as a couple and the plot lines were a bit messy at times and dragged on at others. I wish I had those same feelings I did reading the first book. glad they have their HEA tho
August 18, 2026
One of my most anticipated releases... Read it immediately on release day and I have one thing to say: Disappointing 😞
What a big disappointment... I'm so sad since the first book is a favourite of mine. But this?! This had nothing to do with the first book. The characters are NOT even the same we saw in the first book. They somehow have completely different personalities... Kalel is so washed up... Not the badass Knight. He just mops and cries and throws "I love yous" at Alira that I didn't even felt because it made no sense... Why are they telling each other that they love each other in chapter 5?!?! No build up, no banter, no tension, not even chemistry 😭😭
Their story was so good in the first book. They had such phenomenal chemistry and lost everything in this sequel...
Also the plot is so so rushed. No more world building or lore, no mysteries or politics. 🙈🙈
Alira and Kalel forgive each other so fast I got a whiplash... NO GROVELLING, nothing 😭🙈 It was so disappointing. They could have had a beautiful redemption arc but NO.
I'm sorry but this story felt ridiculous to me and it pains me to say it because I love the author and the first book but this one doesn't even feel like it was written by the same person. 😞😞
The ending was so incredibly rushed... Again, ridiculous. It made no sense for everything to happen so quickly. Everything felt so FLAT. The world, the characters, their relationship and even the resolution. 😞😭😭
So, if you like me love the first book, let it be a standalone.
What a big disappointment... I'm so sad since the first book is a favourite of mine. But this?! This had nothing to do with the first book. The characters are NOT even the same we saw in the first book. They somehow have completely different personalities... Kalel is so washed up... Not the badass Knight. He just mops and cries and throws "I love yous" at Alira that I didn't even felt because it made no sense... Why are they telling each other that they love each other in chapter 5?!?! No build up, no banter, no tension, not even chemistry 😭😭
Their story was so good in the first book. They had such phenomenal chemistry and lost everything in this sequel...
Also the plot is so so rushed. No more world building or lore, no mysteries or politics. 🙈🙈
Alira and Kalel forgive each other so fast I got a whiplash... NO GROVELLING, nothing 😭🙈 It was so disappointing. They could have had a beautiful redemption arc but NO.
I'm sorry but this story felt ridiculous to me and it pains me to say it because I love the author and the first book but this one doesn't even feel like it was written by the same person. 😞😞
The ending was so incredibly rushed... Again, ridiculous. It made no sense for everything to happen so quickly. Everything felt so FLAT. The world, the characters, their relationship and even the resolution. 😞😭😭
So, if you like me love the first book, let it be a standalone.
July 24, 2026
I fought on Netgalley to get an early copy of this book because I was DESPERATE for it. I devoured it the moment I received a copy and OH — it was a ride!
I felt like I was gonna have the panic attack reading most of this book because there’s so much DREAD wrapped around every scene and every interaction.
And yet I loved every second of it 😮💨😮💨😮💨
There’s a 3-month time skip between book 1 and 2, so we actually see Alira settle into her life as Kalel’s wife. In that time, he seemed to have softened to her a by lot. And yet, it’s also immediately obvious that she lives in a gilded cage and the walls of that cage is slowly closing in on her.
Kalel’s secrets are also closing in on him. It’s so interesting to see him war with his desperation to make Alira love him and ~not be a monster while still hating her for the sack of Thornhall WHILE also serving his king and kingdom.
The situation they are both in are…f*cked.
No, seriously 😩
They had very little hope for peace but they both try anyway.
GAAAAAHHHH they really are both tragic characters and I HURT SO MUCH FOR THEM 😭😭😭
“𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤.”
The way it resolved is so ✨bittersweet✨ and my heart aches for the sacrifices Alira and Kalel gave to the world. They deserve only peace and happiness together and more time spent on 🪢🪢🪢 (IYKYK 🥵).
“𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙩, 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙨.
I absolutely LOVE this duet! There’s soooo much angst and pain and hurt but it also has love and hope.
10000/10 stars ⭐️
I really also must highlight how incredible of a side character Nikolai is the entire book. His conviction makes him maybe even hotter than Kalel sometimes??? At least for me 🥵 I really TRULY loved him.
He’s a ride or die friend and just overall an amazing person who deserves all and only good things to happen to him.
I felt like I was gonna have the panic attack reading most of this book because there’s so much DREAD wrapped around every scene and every interaction.
And yet I loved every second of it 😮💨😮💨😮💨
There’s a 3-month time skip between book 1 and 2, so we actually see Alira settle into her life as Kalel’s wife. In that time, he seemed to have softened to her a by lot. And yet, it’s also immediately obvious that she lives in a gilded cage and the walls of that cage is slowly closing in on her.
Kalel’s secrets are also closing in on him. It’s so interesting to see him war with his desperation to make Alira love him and ~not be a monster while still hating her for the sack of Thornhall WHILE also serving his king and kingdom.
The situation they are both in are…f*cked.
No, seriously 😩
They had very little hope for peace but they both try anyway.
GAAAAAHHHH they really are both tragic characters and I HURT SO MUCH FOR THEM 😭😭😭
“𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤.”
The way it resolved is so ✨bittersweet✨ and my heart aches for the sacrifices Alira and Kalel gave to the world. They deserve only peace and happiness together and more time spent on 🪢🪢🪢 (IYKYK 🥵).
“𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙩, 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙨.
I absolutely LOVE this duet! There’s soooo much angst and pain and hurt but it also has love and hope.
10000/10 stars ⭐️
I really also must highlight how incredible of a side character Nikolai is the entire book. His conviction makes him maybe even hotter than Kalel sometimes??? At least for me 🥵 I really TRULY loved him.
He’s a ride or die friend and just overall an amazing person who deserves all and only good things to happen to him.
September 10, 2026
😭🫶🏻❤️🩹 Love it! Love conquers all ❤️❤️
August 22, 2026
Here's for discovering new ways of torture. And I inflict them on myself! Two stars is me being generous to MYSELF as I have finished this book. I deserve a medal. It really isn't like me to write a review this harsh, but this time I simply can't help it.
First of all, this book was so disconnected in every possible way from the first one. Once Upon a Demon's Heart was for me a smutty delight. It was lust forward, and plenty of spice with a good idea of demons and demigods conflict. Kalel was a sexy, badass demon.
Jesus, this book was the complete opposite. The plot was lost somewhere between writing and editing. Everything was just floating on the surface and just when you think we could dive deeper into something, we move along with no connection. Nothing at all kept the attention. And when it comes to jumping from one point to another, same thing happened with the writing style. One moment we're in the cave, the next one trying on the dress in the palace, with not even starting a new paragraph. It was like a slap in the face while reading. And it happened many times throughout the book.
Characters were completely different than in the first book. It also happened because the story was so rushed, I felt like characters were in a hurry to say all the lines without actually being able to feel them.
Tessa was kind and good towards Alira in the first book, and here she basically hates her and looks at her as her biggest enemy. How did that transition happen? Nikolai was smitten with Alira in the first book, and here he is very friendly and good, which is fine, but all of sudden Kalel completely doesn't mind Nikolai and Alira spending time together, whereas clearly he minded that in book one. Too big of a shift for only three months timespan between two books.
Kalel, oh my Gosh!! I liked him in book one. He was broody, badass, dark, mysterious. He was morally gray, possesive and very alpha. In book 2, he is a shell of that personality. Literally not one trait has been kept. He is weak, cries all the time and just stands when his beloved wife is being taken away. At about 50%, with all events happening in the book, I seriously thought he's no longer an MMC with the way he was acting. How could he be the same person. It was honestly ridiculous.
I also felt a cognitive dissonance with Alira's character. Again, all her actions were so rushed. Both her and Kalel were some horny teenagers where all they think is how they're going to sleep together and do the freaking knotting, while saying she doesn't trust Kalel and he's keeping secrets from her. Everything was such a turn down. It didn’t make sense for them. And their proclamation of love were simply not believable. They both seemed shallow to me.
And the whole idea of knotting, where when Kalel finishes, her stomach swells so much she has a bump, was completely disgusting to me. I really, really don't mind dark romances, as a matter of fact I prefer them. But this was just disgusting and made no impact or point to the story, other than adding an element to the spice. It could be done differently.
Anyway, I finished this book because it was short and because this is a completed duology. If I have dnf-ed it, I would probably be a happier person today, buy we learn every day...
First of all, this book was so disconnected in every possible way from the first one. Once Upon a Demon's Heart was for me a smutty delight. It was lust forward, and plenty of spice with a good idea of demons and demigods conflict. Kalel was a sexy, badass demon.
Jesus, this book was the complete opposite. The plot was lost somewhere between writing and editing. Everything was just floating on the surface and just when you think we could dive deeper into something, we move along with no connection. Nothing at all kept the attention. And when it comes to jumping from one point to another, same thing happened with the writing style. One moment we're in the cave, the next one trying on the dress in the palace, with not even starting a new paragraph. It was like a slap in the face while reading. And it happened many times throughout the book.
Characters were completely different than in the first book. It also happened because the story was so rushed, I felt like characters were in a hurry to say all the lines without actually being able to feel them.
Tessa was kind and good towards Alira in the first book, and here she basically hates her and looks at her as her biggest enemy. How did that transition happen? Nikolai was smitten with Alira in the first book, and here he is very friendly and good, which is fine, but all of sudden Kalel completely doesn't mind Nikolai and Alira spending time together, whereas clearly he minded that in book one. Too big of a shift for only three months timespan between two books.
Kalel, oh my Gosh!! I liked him in book one. He was broody, badass, dark, mysterious. He was morally gray, possesive and very alpha. In book 2, he is a shell of that personality. Literally not one trait has been kept. He is weak, cries all the time and just stands when his beloved wife is being taken away. At about 50%, with all events happening in the book, I seriously thought he's no longer an MMC with the way he was acting. How could he be the same person. It was honestly ridiculous.
I also felt a cognitive dissonance with Alira's character. Again, all her actions were so rushed. Both her and Kalel were some horny teenagers where all they think is how they're going to sleep together and do the freaking knotting, while saying she doesn't trust Kalel and he's keeping secrets from her. Everything was such a turn down. It didn’t make sense for them. And their proclamation of love were simply not believable. They both seemed shallow to me.
And the whole idea of knotting, where when Kalel finishes, her stomach swells so much she has a bump, was completely disgusting to me. I really, really don't mind dark romances, as a matter of fact I prefer them. But this was just disgusting and made no impact or point to the story, other than adding an element to the spice. It could be done differently.
Anyway, I finished this book because it was short and because this is a completed duology. If I have dnf-ed it, I would probably be a happier person today, buy we learn every day...
September 4, 2026
3.5⭐️ 3🌶️
I was so excited to jump back into this world after really enjoying the first book, and while I still had a good time with this one, I don’t think it quite hit the same for me.
I loved getting more of the world, the different POVs and finally getting answers to some of the questions left hanging from book one. There was A LOT happening and the twists definitely kept me on my toes, but at times the plot felt a little chaotic and some things seemed to be resolved almost too easily. I also wish the ending hadn’t felt quite so rushed.
Kalel, my man, I still love you, but you STRESSED me out in this book 😭 I definitely struggled with some of his choices compared to the Kalel we got in book one, and I think that affected how invested I was in the romance this time around.
Overall, I still really enjoyed being back in this world and getting the conclusion to Alira and Kalel’s story, I just think I went into it with really high expectations after loving the first book and was left wanting a little more. 🖤
I was so excited to jump back into this world after really enjoying the first book, and while I still had a good time with this one, I don’t think it quite hit the same for me.
I loved getting more of the world, the different POVs and finally getting answers to some of the questions left hanging from book one. There was A LOT happening and the twists definitely kept me on my toes, but at times the plot felt a little chaotic and some things seemed to be resolved almost too easily. I also wish the ending hadn’t felt quite so rushed.
Kalel, my man, I still love you, but you STRESSED me out in this book 😭 I definitely struggled with some of his choices compared to the Kalel we got in book one, and I think that affected how invested I was in the romance this time around.
Overall, I still really enjoyed being back in this world and getting the conclusion to Alira and Kalel’s story, I just think I went into it with really high expectations after loving the first book and was left wanting a little more. 🖤
September 7, 2026
This should have worked for me; I loved book 1 and was really looking forward to this one as well. And it was fine I guess - aggressively so. I was quite disconnected from the characters so their love story left me cold.
The ending was too convenient for me to take it seriously. Love conquers all; I get it but I am not sure the eye rolling was the effect the author was going for. I think the book was really too short to manage a world ending war, politics, the underworld, fates, love magic and gods playing their own game. In concept this was interesting but throwing in all this to the kitchen sink left the romance behind. I think a longer book would have helped here.
Some OTT shenanigans would have been appreciated as well. After the kind of bonkers pace of book 1 this felt almost sedate. Ah well … it was fine.
I did listen to the audio and that may have been a bad choice. I’ll keep the book for now and see if I want to come back to this later.
The ending was too convenient for me to take it seriously. Love conquers all; I get it but I am not sure the eye rolling was the effect the author was going for. I think the book was really too short to manage a world ending war, politics, the underworld, fates, love magic and gods playing their own game. In concept this was interesting but throwing in all this to the kitchen sink left the romance behind. I think a longer book would have helped here.
Some OTT shenanigans would have been appreciated as well. After the kind of bonkers pace of book 1 this felt almost sedate. Ah well … it was fine.
I did listen to the audio and that may have been a bad choice. I’ll keep the book for now and see if I want to come back to this later.
August 22, 2026
Review of an advanced copy received from NetGalley.
4.25 🌟 - Let me start this with saying a time was had!! This picks right up from where book 1 left off. Kalel, Kalel, Kalel my mannnnn you will live rent free in my head forever. Alira, love you but girl you had me stressed.
I love that in this book you still get POV’s from everyone and the story is fast paced but in a good way! The way it was written I loved ore than the first one honestly. I read it in less than 24 hours and I wish I read it slower so it did not end.
We get to learn more about the world and the backstories to a lot of unanswered questions in book one. The plot twists all throughout the book kept me on my toes and I had a great time.
4.25 🌟 - Let me start this with saying a time was had!! This picks right up from where book 1 left off. Kalel, Kalel, Kalel my mannnnn you will live rent free in my head forever. Alira, love you but girl you had me stressed.
I love that in this book you still get POV’s from everyone and the story is fast paced but in a good way! The way it was written I loved ore than the first one honestly. I read it in less than 24 hours and I wish I read it slower so it did not end.
We get to learn more about the world and the backstories to a lot of unanswered questions in book one. The plot twists all throughout the book kept me on my toes and I had a great time.
August 23, 2026
4⭐️
This was such an atmospheric read to the point where I could picture almost every single scene. I think this did a great job picking up from where book 1 left off and the story also fit into the storyline in a way that made a second book justifiable. I loved that most of the drama and the high stakes moments centered around the war and the plot and not the romance. The depth of love that these two characters felt for each other was palpable and I loved getting to see it grow over the course of the book. I also thought that this was the perfect length that this story needed to be. I would’ve loved to have seen a bit more of the side characters as well as spent more time with the gods just to build up the suspense and fantasy element, but those are really my only complaints. I had a great time with this, it would be such an incredible fall read, and I loved how this duology wrapped up.
This was such an atmospheric read to the point where I could picture almost every single scene. I think this did a great job picking up from where book 1 left off and the story also fit into the storyline in a way that made a second book justifiable. I loved that most of the drama and the high stakes moments centered around the war and the plot and not the romance. The depth of love that these two characters felt for each other was palpable and I loved getting to see it grow over the course of the book. I also thought that this was the perfect length that this story needed to be. I would’ve loved to have seen a bit more of the side characters as well as spent more time with the gods just to build up the suspense and fantasy element, but those are really my only complaints. I had a great time with this, it would be such an incredible fall read, and I loved how this duology wrapped up.
September 20, 2026
Such a good ending for Alira and Kalel, love saved everyone! Great world building and lots of good twists of fate. I lovedddddd it!
August 25, 2026
I was so excited to read this one, but it kinda fell flat for me 😭 I think I was just expecting more, especially because the first book was amazing. This definitely suffered from second book syndrome.
It wasn’t bad, I just had higher expectations 🥹
It wasn’t bad, I just had higher expectations 🥹
August 20, 2026
It was such a good book. I was looking forward to reading this all day. ❤️
August 20, 2026
The yearning in this book was top tier. The anguish and loss throughout the fighting and this epic love story. But minus that, the story itself was all over the place. I am not sure if it was because book 1 was so long ago or if this one really didn’t line up but it missed the mark for me.
3.75/5
3.75/5
August 20, 2026
This wasn’t a bad book by any means, but compared to Once Upon a Demon’s Heart, it just didn’t hit the same for me. I still really enjoyed being back with Kalel and Alira, and I love them as characters, but I felt like the story itself was a little rushed at times and somewhat all over the place.
I think I was just hoping for a little more from the plot and the character development in this sequel. There were parts I would’ve loved to see explored more, especially because it felt like we moved through certain things pretty quickly. I was satisfied with how everything ended, but the journey to get there felt a bit rushed.
That being said, I still really enjoy K.M. Moronova’s writing and the way she tells a story. Even though this one didn’t quite live up to the first book for me, I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of her work in the future!
I think I was just hoping for a little more from the plot and the character development in this sequel. There were parts I would’ve loved to see explored more, especially because it felt like we moved through certain things pretty quickly. I was satisfied with how everything ended, but the journey to get there felt a bit rushed.
That being said, I still really enjoy K.M. Moronova’s writing and the way she tells a story. Even though this one didn’t quite live up to the first book for me, I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of her work in the future!
August 28, 2026
AAAHH
“Two statues crafted from marble with gold veins are wrapped in one another’s arms. A promise. A wish. A sacrifice”
“I take in the statue of the two lovers, locked in a sweet embrace, their foreheads touching and looking into one another’s eyes.”
“Their love was understanding. It was made of flaws and pain. It was so bright and powerful that no knight that day could look away. When the last sword was laid down and the war bells ceased, the flags snapped and were tossed aside; all that remained were the two lovers, the traversers of time, who outwitted fate, who chose to be a symbol of love and peace rather than just speak about it. They led with their hearts.
ok🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹
“Two statues crafted from marble with gold veins are wrapped in one another’s arms. A promise. A wish. A sacrifice”
“I take in the statue of the two lovers, locked in a sweet embrace, their foreheads touching and looking into one another’s eyes.”
“Their love was understanding. It was made of flaws and pain. It was so bright and powerful that no knight that day could look away. When the last sword was laid down and the war bells ceased, the flags snapped and were tossed aside; all that remained were the two lovers, the traversers of time, who outwitted fate, who chose to be a symbol of love and peace rather than just speak about it. They led with their hearts.
ok🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2026
“Can hearts break even after they’ve been broken?”.
Omg, my heart. I think I went through every single emotion possible. Absolutely ugly cried at 70%. This was the perfect ending to Alira & Kalel’s story. A story of tragedy and love, This had a great amount of action, suspense, spice, and tear jerking moments. Was not expecting the last 10% whatsoever, but I ended up loving it.
Omg, my heart. I think I went through every single emotion possible. Absolutely ugly cried at 70%. This was the perfect ending to Alira & Kalel’s story. A story of tragedy and love, This had a great amount of action, suspense, spice, and tear jerking moments. Was not expecting the last 10% whatsoever, but I ended up loving it.
August 31, 2026
3.5⭐️
I feel like this one is a little tough to rate. I feel like because it was such a short book, it all felt a little rushed. I would’ve loved to spend more time in every moment. All of a sudden Kalels and Aliras relationship didn’t hit the spot for me and when it started to fall apart, I wasn’t super invested. And then, I feel like everything happened so fast again and they were back together willy nilly.
The end however was honestly so beautiful but again I just wish it was a longer book so that I could’ve had the chance to become more emotionally invested. I got teary but I know for a fact it had so much potential to fully bring on waterworks. And might be an unpopular opinion but I would’ve loved for them to stay statues bc that would’ve been so much sadder. That scene honestly broke my heart and then when Nik and Tessa saw them together I broke again.
I feel like this one is a little tough to rate. I feel like because it was such a short book, it all felt a little rushed. I would’ve loved to spend more time in every moment. All of a sudden Kalels and Aliras relationship didn’t hit the spot for me and when it started to fall apart, I wasn’t super invested. And then, I feel like everything happened so fast again and they were back together willy nilly.
The end however was honestly so beautiful but again I just wish it was a longer book so that I could’ve had the chance to become more emotionally invested. I got teary but I know for a fact it had so much potential to fully bring on waterworks. And might be an unpopular opinion but I would’ve loved for them to stay statues bc that would’ve been so much sadder. That scene honestly broke my heart and then when Nik and Tessa saw them together I broke again.
August 12, 2026
4⭐️ , 5🌶️
Where book one was the BIG build-up, book two came in swinging with events, plot twists, heartbreak, and sacrifices. 😭
Moronova truly is the queen of heartbreak, sacrifice, and fated hearts—the kind of love that transcends timelines, curses, life, and death.
This duology had EVERYTHING: curses, misunderstandings, hatred, love, betrayal, sacrifice, and a love that refused to fucking die. 🥹🖤
Kalel and Alira’s love proved time and time again that nothing—not curses, timelines, death, or fate itself—could keep them apart.
Because when a love is truly fated, love really does conquer all. ❤️🔥
Moronova, you broke my heart, stitched it back together, and then broke it again. As expected. 😭
Where book one was the BIG build-up, book two came in swinging with events, plot twists, heartbreak, and sacrifices. 😭
Moronova truly is the queen of heartbreak, sacrifice, and fated hearts—the kind of love that transcends timelines, curses, life, and death.
This duology had EVERYTHING: curses, misunderstandings, hatred, love, betrayal, sacrifice, and a love that refused to fucking die. 🥹🖤
Kalel and Alira’s love proved time and time again that nothing—not curses, timelines, death, or fate itself—could keep them apart.
Because when a love is truly fated, love really does conquer all. ❤️🔥
Moronova, you broke my heart, stitched it back together, and then broke it again. As expected. 😭
August 22, 2026
Perskaičius pirmą dalį, turėjau visai didelius lūkesčius tęsiniui. Ir nors iš Moronovos literatūrinio šedevro nesitikėjau, tikėjausi bent jau gerai praleist laiką. Deja, nors pati siužeto idėja turėjo potencialo, jos išpildymas buvo prastas.
Vietom atrodė, kad skaitau apie visiškai kitus veikėjus. Kalel tapo melais ir paslaptimis apipintu personažu, o Alira staiga pradėjo viską nujaust ir nuspėt. Kartu kažkur visiškai dingo ir jų chemija, kuri pirmoj daly buvo viena stipresnių istorijos dalių. Vietoj jos liko gana paviršutiniška, Wattpad istoriją primenanti dinamika.
Siužetas buvo chaotiškas, o kai kurie elementai, pavyzdžiui, drakonai, istorijoje atsirado be normalaus įvedimo. Labai trūko nuoseklumo, gylio ir aiškesnio istorijos vystymo.
Vietom atrodė, kad skaitau apie visiškai kitus veikėjus. Kalel tapo melais ir paslaptimis apipintu personažu, o Alira staiga pradėjo viską nujaust ir nuspėt. Kartu kažkur visiškai dingo ir jų chemija, kuri pirmoj daly buvo viena stipresnių istorijos dalių. Vietoj jos liko gana paviršutiniška, Wattpad istoriją primenanti dinamika.
Siužetas buvo chaotiškas, o kai kurie elementai, pavyzdžiui, drakonai, istorijoje atsirado be normalaus įvedimo. Labai trūko nuoseklumo, gylio ir aiškesnio istorijos vystymo.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 731 reviews