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Trials of the Heart
Kailan Thornne has always believed in magic-she's just never been allowed to claim it. Raised as a human in a kingdom where the Fae serve as the King's elite soldiers, Kai grew up wishing she were one of them. Every test said she wasn't. Human. Ordinary. Powerless.
Until the day the Seekers arrive.
Thrown into a deadly competition of Strength, Intellect, Loyalty, and Pain, Kai must outwit rivals, outlast monsters, and navigate razor-thin alliances with contestants who want her blood as much as her friendship. But the greatest danger is the one who watches her from the a mysterious figure whose voice she remembers, but whose name she cannot place.
As memories she doesn't own begin to surface-visions of emerald blades, a storm-crowned realm, and a boy she once trusted-Kai realizes the Trials are not meant to crown a victor. They are meant to wake something inside her.
Something the kingdom fears.
And when the truth begins to unravel-about the curse that binds her, the shadow that follows her, and the bond she never agreed to-Kai must decide who she can trust in a world built on lies¿ including herself.
Until the day the Seekers arrive.
Thrown into a deadly competition of Strength, Intellect, Loyalty, and Pain, Kai must outwit rivals, outlast monsters, and navigate razor-thin alliances with contestants who want her blood as much as her friendship. But the greatest danger is the one who watches her from the a mysterious figure whose voice she remembers, but whose name she cannot place.
As memories she doesn't own begin to surface-visions of emerald blades, a storm-crowned realm, and a boy she once trusted-Kai realizes the Trials are not meant to crown a victor. They are meant to wake something inside her.
Something the kingdom fears.
And when the truth begins to unravel-about the curse that binds her, the shadow that follows her, and the bond she never agreed to-Kai must decide who she can trust in a world built on lies¿ including herself.
410 pages, Paperback
Published December 2, 2025
5 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 19, 2025
I really wanted to like this book because the story line/plot was there but poorly executed. This book had a lot of potential. I kept trying to push through but ended up DNFing at 70%. The author is great at describing what the characters are feeling but I cannot tell you much else of what was going on in the story, what the characters looked like or what the names of places were. Hoping to try finishing it to see if it gets better the last 30%.
December 30, 2025
I was truly excited to read this based on the videos I saw on TikTok from the author. Unfortunately, this isn't one I would recommend to anyone.
I hate to DNF a book, so I read the entirety of it all. The beginning of the story is pretty cool and made me think the plot was going to be really interesting. Unfortunately, things go unexplained and the author uses way too many similes and metaphors ("like a secret" was said so many times, I was screaming internally). There was a promise of games/trials but only the first 30% or so involves this and it's not detailed or at all exciting like I thought it'd be. Once that ends, it's just boring and really nothing of notability after that.
The FMC has no character development, in fact, her character gets worse and worse at it goes. She is not likable, and she's not "morally grey", she's just a messed up person. I did like the MMC, when he was around, but he had absolutely no personality and neither did the other side characters.
The ending is the biggest let down. Once I finished, I read the little blurbs at the end just to see if there was anything else I should know and I saw that this will be a trilogy. Truthfully, the book ended as if it as a standalone and should probably stay like that.
I wanted to give this author a great review, especially because this is her debut, but I just can't say this was a great book. Even the editing isn't great..
I hate to DNF a book, so I read the entirety of it all. The beginning of the story is pretty cool and made me think the plot was going to be really interesting. Unfortunately, things go unexplained and the author uses way too many similes and metaphors ("like a secret" was said so many times, I was screaming internally). There was a promise of games/trials but only the first 30% or so involves this and it's not detailed or at all exciting like I thought it'd be. Once that ends, it's just boring and really nothing of notability after that.
The FMC has no character development, in fact, her character gets worse and worse at it goes. She is not likable, and she's not "morally grey", she's just a messed up person. I did like the MMC, when he was around, but he had absolutely no personality and neither did the other side characters.
The ending is the biggest let down. Once I finished, I read the little blurbs at the end just to see if there was anything else I should know and I saw that this will be a trilogy. Truthfully, the book ended as if it as a standalone and should probably stay like that.
I wanted to give this author a great review, especially because this is her debut, but I just can't say this was a great book. Even the editing isn't great..
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews