What do you think?
Rate this book
Reign of the Ruthless
She was once the wicked princess.
Now she’s a vengeful empress.
After the battle that claimed the life of her beloved, Princess Zhi Ruo is dragged back to her father’s brutal court—this time, to wear the crown.
But as empress, she’s little more than a puppet, her strings pulled by a cruel general. Then comes a whisper of impossible Feng Mian is alive, trapped in a cursed sleep. His memories are fractured, his fate uncertain, but Zhi Ruo will do whatever it takes to bring him back.
Even if it means sacrificing what’s left of her soul.
Her fragile grip on power shatters further when her sister—once presumed dead—returns, determined to claim the throne she believes is rightfully hers.
Surrounded by enemies, betrayed at every turn, Zhi Ruo must fight like a pawn, or rise as the villain they always feared.
To save the man she loves and keep the throne, she must become what she was never meant to be—cunning, unstoppable, and ruthless.
Reign of the Ruthless is the heart-wrenching finale to The Wicked Princess duology and is perfect for fans of darkly romantic tales, wickedly beautiful villains, slow-burning tension, and the raw fury of female rage.
Now she’s a vengeful empress.
After the battle that claimed the life of her beloved, Princess Zhi Ruo is dragged back to her father’s brutal court—this time, to wear the crown.
But as empress, she’s little more than a puppet, her strings pulled by a cruel general. Then comes a whisper of impossible Feng Mian is alive, trapped in a cursed sleep. His memories are fractured, his fate uncertain, but Zhi Ruo will do whatever it takes to bring him back.
Even if it means sacrificing what’s left of her soul.
Her fragile grip on power shatters further when her sister—once presumed dead—returns, determined to claim the throne she believes is rightfully hers.
Surrounded by enemies, betrayed at every turn, Zhi Ruo must fight like a pawn, or rise as the villain they always feared.
To save the man she loves and keep the throne, she must become what she was never meant to be—cunning, unstoppable, and ruthless.
Reign of the Ruthless is the heart-wrenching finale to The Wicked Princess duology and is perfect for fans of darkly romantic tales, wickedly beautiful villains, slow-burning tension, and the raw fury of female rage.
- GenresFantasy
390 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 21, 2026
About the author
Maham Fatemi
15 books178 followersMaham Fatemi is an avid reader, writer, and cat lover. When she’s not obsessing over her cats, you can find her skimming a new cookbook, reading comics, or drinking an unhealthy number of oat-milk lattes. She writes epic fantasy and romantic fantasy. Maham lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband, son, and cats. For information about new releases, signed books, and her newsletter, visit her website at mahamfatemi.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 11, 2026
“To anyone who has ever felt like they were never good enough. You are worthy. You are enough.”
What a fantastic duology!
Zhi Rhou struggles with who others want/ expect her to be and with who she is/wants to be. You see her character grow through this struggle and become more confident in herself and her abilities. Her strong love for both Feng Mian and Drakkok Minghao continue to be a driving force and motivate her.
Without giving spoilers, there’s a part in the story where you really feel the heartache and turmoil the characters are put through. And it feels a bit hopeless.
I did feel the very end was a bit rushed as I wasn’t sure they would be able to conclude everything once I reached around 70-80%. There could have been maybe a bit more added to that portion to help with that transition. Overall, a great conclusion to a lovely duology!
Thank you to the author for proving an ARC for an honest review.
What a fantastic duology!
Zhi Rhou struggles with who others want/ expect her to be and with who she is/wants to be. You see her character grow through this struggle and become more confident in herself and her abilities. Her strong love for both Feng Mian and Drakkok Minghao continue to be a driving force and motivate her.
Without giving spoilers, there’s a part in the story where you really feel the heartache and turmoil the characters are put through. And it feels a bit hopeless.
I did feel the very end was a bit rushed as I wasn’t sure they would be able to conclude everything once I reached around 70-80%. There could have been maybe a bit more added to that portion to help with that transition. Overall, a great conclusion to a lovely duology!
Thank you to the author for proving an ARC for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
🖤Marriage of convenience
🐉Forced proximity
🖤She's the villain
🐉Dragons
🖤Villain origin story
🐉Blind and cursed MMC
🖤Imprisoned together
🐉"Who did this to you?"
🖤Burn the world for each other
🐉Will unalive anyone who disrespect her
💖💖Thank you so so much to Maham Fatemi for the gifted earc, I am so grateful! All opinions are my own💖💖
In this sequel to Dynasty of the Wicked, Zhi Ruo must survive many obstacles: maintaining her position as Empress against her late father's court, her half-sister and half-brother who can attack her at any time, not knowing who her allies are and also having to face one of the most difficult times of her life after she finds out that Feng Mian is alive but does not remember her at all.
Dynasty of the Wicked was one of my favorites from 2025, and I really wanted to see how Zhi Ruo and Feng Mian's story continues!🤩 The story picks up shortly after the events of book one. Zhi Ruo is reeling from the loss of Feng Mian and trying to focus on her new circumstances and face the news that Feng Mian is still alive but has not regained consciousness and then even forgets about her when he regains consciousness😭
This book was so wild🤯 it's fast-paced, action-packed, and so exciting. the storyline easily took me through a rollercoaster of emotions from sad, upset, sad again, happy, upset again, happy, and so on. and I really loved the characters🥰 Zhi Ruo is a wonderful FMC who's tough and fierce, and very very very patient. She is forced to face the new reality she never wanted—becoming an empress. how she faces various dangers and situations around her is really amazing, including dealing with Feng Mian's new attitude towards her, like how could he forget her? He is her anchor for survival. If I were Zhi Ruo, I would want to hit him on the head. really. But regardless, I absolutely adore him in this book, how gentle he is with Zhi Ruo, how he wants to protect her from anything, including himself. and... Drakkon Minghao is my favorite side character in this series. that cute little dragon plays a very big role in this book! :')
Overall, I absolutely loved this book and this duology as a whole :') I'm so happy with the way things turned out, it was an epic conclusion to this stunning story. I love watching C-dramas, and reading this series felt just like watching one. If you're a fan of C-dramas, I highly recommend reading this series✨
me while reading this book:
🐉Forced proximity
🖤She's the villain
🐉Dragons
🖤Villain origin story
🐉Blind and cursed MMC
🖤Imprisoned together
🐉"Who did this to you?"
🖤Burn the world for each other
🐉Will unalive anyone who disrespect her
💖💖Thank you so so much to Maham Fatemi for the gifted earc, I am so grateful! All opinions are my own💖💖
In this sequel to Dynasty of the Wicked, Zhi Ruo must survive many obstacles: maintaining her position as Empress against her late father's court, her half-sister and half-brother who can attack her at any time, not knowing who her allies are and also having to face one of the most difficult times of her life after she finds out that Feng Mian is alive but does not remember her at all.
"If you truly want to go down this path, then I will follow you. To the darkest depths, if that's what you wish."
"The only way you will be able to put distance between us is when I'm dead,"
Dynasty of the Wicked was one of my favorites from 2025, and I really wanted to see how Zhi Ruo and Feng Mian's story continues!🤩 The story picks up shortly after the events of book one. Zhi Ruo is reeling from the loss of Feng Mian and trying to focus on her new circumstances and face the news that Feng Mian is still alive but has not regained consciousness and then even forgets about her when he regains consciousness😭
"Death is an easy choice. Living is difficult. But you're not allowed to have an easier path, Feng Mian. Hasn't that been the case your whole life? You will always walk the hard path—and I will walk it with you."
"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Zheng Feng Mian, and I wouldn't change it for the world."
This book was so wild🤯 it's fast-paced, action-packed, and so exciting. the storyline easily took me through a rollercoaster of emotions from sad, upset, sad again, happy, upset again, happy, and so on. and I really loved the characters🥰 Zhi Ruo is a wonderful FMC who's tough and fierce, and very very very patient. She is forced to face the new reality she never wanted—becoming an empress. how she faces various dangers and situations around her is really amazing, including dealing with Feng Mian's new attitude towards her, like how could he forget her? He is her anchor for survival. If I were Zhi Ruo, I would want to hit him on the head. really. But regardless, I absolutely adore him in this book, how gentle he is with Zhi Ruo, how he wants to protect her from anything, including himself. and... Drakkon Minghao is my favorite side character in this series. that cute little dragon plays a very big role in this book! :')
Overall, I absolutely loved this book and this duology as a whole :') I'm so happy with the way things turned out, it was an epic conclusion to this stunning story. I love watching C-dramas, and reading this series felt just like watching one. If you're a fan of C-dramas, I highly recommend reading this series✨
me while reading this book:
Review of advance copy received from Author
5/5 stars 🌟
I have previously read dynasty of the wicked as well as all of Maham Fatemi’s other books, and have LOVED them all, so i knew that this was automatically going to be a 5 star review. And YET this book still surpassed my (already high) expectations!
The reign of the ruthless was written flawlessly, filled with high stakes, forbidden magic and political intrigue. It immediately starts off with fast paced action and heavy heartache & darkness. With chaos erupting at every moment, we witness Zhi Ruo tackling obstacle after obstacle, watching her grow SO much, whilst becoming the formidable empress she never thought she could be. Despite the immense trauma she suffered, she turned her fury into power, which was so inspiring and moving to read about.
The tender relationship between Zhi Ruo and Feng Mian was absolutely devastating and raw, and watching them fight so hard for their love was incredibly heart wrenching. Even as we see Feng Mian slowly become lost and estranged, he does his utmost best to love and protect her; their bond is truly unshakable. And it was also so touching to see Drakkon Minghao grow so close to Zhi Ruo, viewing her as a mother figure…it was so pure, heart warming and emotional. I felt so much whilst reading this book, all the pain, angst, and slivers of hope, this was the perfect conclusion to a fantastic duology and I highly recommend reading!
Thank you so much for Maham Fatemi for providing an ARC copy.
I have previously read dynasty of the wicked as well as all of Maham Fatemi’s other books, and have LOVED them all, so i knew that this was automatically going to be a 5 star review. And YET this book still surpassed my (already high) expectations!
The reign of the ruthless was written flawlessly, filled with high stakes, forbidden magic and political intrigue. It immediately starts off with fast paced action and heavy heartache & darkness. With chaos erupting at every moment, we witness Zhi Ruo tackling obstacle after obstacle, watching her grow SO much, whilst becoming the formidable empress she never thought she could be. Despite the immense trauma she suffered, she turned her fury into power, which was so inspiring and moving to read about.
The tender relationship between Zhi Ruo and Feng Mian was absolutely devastating and raw, and watching them fight so hard for their love was incredibly heart wrenching. Even as we see Feng Mian slowly become lost and estranged, he does his utmost best to love and protect her; their bond is truly unshakable. And it was also so touching to see Drakkon Minghao grow so close to Zhi Ruo, viewing her as a mother figure…it was so pure, heart warming and emotional. I felt so much whilst reading this book, all the pain, angst, and slivers of hope, this was the perfect conclusion to a fantastic duology and I highly recommend reading!
Thank you so much for Maham Fatemi for providing an ARC copy.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Oh my god. This book was incredible.
After that cliffhanger in book one, I needed answers immediately, and this sequel delivered everything I hoped for and more.
Maham Fatemi has a gift for creating heartbreak. As the story progresses, the desperation grows, the pain deepens, and the emotional stakes become almost unbearable. She truly knows how to crawl into your soul and take residence there.
Watching Zhi Ruo finally claim her power was so satisfying. She is no longer the girl trying to survive. She becomes the woman everyone fears, and I loved every second of it.
The relationship between Zhi Ruo and Feng Mian completely shattered my heart.
“Don't—” He snatched her hand and placed it back where she had it. The intensity of his gaze sharpened. “Don't leave me.”
“I won't. You're safe.” She brushed back his hair gently. “You're safe.”
Their love, loyalty, and determination to find their way back to each other carried so much emotion throughout the story.
And of course, Drakkok Minghao stole every scene he appeared in. His bond with Zhi Ruo was one of my favorite parts of the entire duology.
With betrayal, political intrigue, dangerous magic, heartbreak, and unforgettable characters, this was a beautiful and emotional ending that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
After that cliffhanger in book one, I needed answers immediately, and this sequel delivered everything I hoped for and more.
Maham Fatemi has a gift for creating heartbreak. As the story progresses, the desperation grows, the pain deepens, and the emotional stakes become almost unbearable. She truly knows how to crawl into your soul and take residence there.
Watching Zhi Ruo finally claim her power was so satisfying. She is no longer the girl trying to survive. She becomes the woman everyone fears, and I loved every second of it.
The relationship between Zhi Ruo and Feng Mian completely shattered my heart.
“Don't—” He snatched her hand and placed it back where she had it. The intensity of his gaze sharpened. “Don't leave me.”
“I won't. You're safe.” She brushed back his hair gently. “You're safe.”
Their love, loyalty, and determination to find their way back to each other carried so much emotion throughout the story.
And of course, Drakkok Minghao stole every scene he appeared in. His bond with Zhi Ruo was one of my favorite parts of the entire duology.
With betrayal, political intrigue, dangerous magic, heartbreak, and unforgettable characters, this was a beautiful and emotional ending that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
June 29, 2026
*3.5
If you have ever felt like you don't deserve what you have earned or even your own happiness, Zhi Ruo's story is for you. In this final book of her duology we get to see her war with her internal and past trauma to decide who she will become and what is important to her. I think the story and message is beautiful, but it did feel like this one dragged for me due to the repetitiveness. It seem like every conversation about plans, and even some of her internal dialogue, had the same idea repeated over and over again over the span of a couple pages. And it continued throughout the story. I totally get coming back to the same thing (like her punishment for "stealing" the jewels or Feng Mian's memory) throughout the book to emphasize the 'why', but it was the repeating during conversations that pulled me out of the story. I did appreciate the nod to the fact that the empire knows very little about magic in this one as that was an issue I saw in the first book that the magic didn't seem to have boundaries. I am very interested to see if we get anymore about the mysterious Phoenix Emperor in the future as they played a big role in Zhi Ruo's coming to power here.
I received an advanced reader copy and am leaving an honest review voluntarily.
If you have ever felt like you don't deserve what you have earned or even your own happiness, Zhi Ruo's story is for you. In this final book of her duology we get to see her war with her internal and past trauma to decide who she will become and what is important to her. I think the story and message is beautiful, but it did feel like this one dragged for me due to the repetitiveness. It seem like every conversation about plans, and even some of her internal dialogue, had the same idea repeated over and over again over the span of a couple pages. And it continued throughout the story. I totally get coming back to the same thing (like her punishment for "stealing" the jewels or Feng Mian's memory) throughout the book to emphasize the 'why', but it was the repeating during conversations that pulled me out of the story. I did appreciate the nod to the fact that the empire knows very little about magic in this one as that was an issue I saw in the first book that the magic didn't seem to have boundaries. I am very interested to see if we get anymore about the mysterious Phoenix Emperor in the future as they played a big role in Zhi Ruo's coming to power here.
I received an advanced reader copy and am leaving an honest review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Grateful to the author for sending me an ARC. I hadn't read the first book but was very intrigued by the synopsis of this one. The story starts off strong, tossing you into drama, action, and the schemes of politics. You instantly feel for the FMC and hate the cast of dubious characters using and abusing her. The love story and heartache between Zhi Ruo and Zheng Feng Mian is well written and, at times, devastating. They go through Hell. My favorite character of all has to be the young dragon. Exploring the aspects of his and Zhi Ruo's bond was touching. And I adored the dedication, "To anyone who has ever felt like they were never good enough. You are worthy. You are enough." That really struck a chord with me after a rough week. Took me by surprise and fit nicely with some of the themes/plot of the book.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Maham Fatemi is a must read for me for I am well acquainted with her other works. Getting down on business this sequel did not disappoint, it almost made me believe that the sequel curse does not exist ( we can only hope for that).
The pacing of rotr was almost perfect not too slow or too fast though the ending was quite rushed. Zhi Ruo did not come to play, girl was fiercely protective of the people she loved and she would reign hell on earth if someone so much as touched them. Minghao is such a cutie patootie and I enjoyed his dynamic with Zhi Ruo.
Our baby dragon is growing up so fast but that doesn't take away his cuteness or fierce loyalty to his mama😫🤌🏾. Feng Mian is also okay I guess jk 😂😂 he was amazing , wasn't scared of being vulnerable oh he stole my heart.
That is all I have to say lest I will not stop ranting.
The pacing of rotr was almost perfect not too slow or too fast though the ending was quite rushed. Zhi Ruo did not come to play, girl was fiercely protective of the people she loved and she would reign hell on earth if someone so much as touched them. Minghao is such a cutie patootie and I enjoyed his dynamic with Zhi Ruo.
Our baby dragon is growing up so fast but that doesn't take away his cuteness or fierce loyalty to his mama😫🤌🏾. Feng Mian is also okay I guess jk 😂😂 he was amazing , wasn't scared of being vulnerable oh he stole my heart.
That is all I have to say lest I will not stop ranting.
June 21, 2026
I received the ARC and once I started it I couldn’t put this book down!
The relationship between Feng Mian and Zhio Ruo was so tender and heartbreaking at the same time: The yearning!!
Exhibit A : “The only way you will be able to put distance between us is when I’m dead.”
Not only was the romance great, but all the political aspects of this book also got me hooked, you were waiting to see how things would unravel on the next page. Sometimes I genuinely could not figure out how Zhio Ruo would get out of some situations.
The relationship between Feng Mian and Zhio Ruo was so tender and heartbreaking at the same time: The yearning!!
Exhibit A : “The only way you will be able to put distance between us is when I’m dead.”
Not only was the romance great, but all the political aspects of this book also got me hooked, you were waiting to see how things would unravel on the next page. Sometimes I genuinely could not figure out how Zhio Ruo would get out of some situations.
June 22, 2026
Another absolutely great read from one of my favorite authors. A wonderful sequel to the devastating first book. The pace moved quickly on this one but it worked so well for the plot. I was happy with the conclusion and that the FMC made the hard choice and kept to her name rather than taking the high road. Very happy with this one. Can’t wait to read more!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This duology has had me in an absolute choke hold for the last few days!
This duology is my first introduction to Maham Fatemi's writting and I'm very impressed! Book 2 maintains the quality and pace of book 1. I will definitely be branching into more series by Maham!
This duology is my first introduction to Maham Fatemi's writting and I'm very impressed! Book 2 maintains the quality and pace of book 1. I will definitely be branching into more series by Maham!
Review of advance copy received from Author
4.5 rounded up
Big thanks to Maham Fatemi for the ARC <3
I forgot how much I loved these characters. Feng Mian is just *chefs kiss* I had some issues getting through some of the arguments cause I just wanted to shake the sense back into them lol
Big thanks to Maham Fatemi for the ARC <3
I forgot how much I loved these characters. Feng Mian is just *chefs kiss* I had some issues getting through some of the arguments cause I just wanted to shake the sense back into them lol
July 27, 2026
Ruthless empress
Loved the FMC, MMC and the dragon. Their struggle to be loved in a world where power is everything. They find each other and make a place despite everything stacked against them. Good read!
Loved the FMC, MMC and the dragon. Their struggle to be loved in a world where power is everything. They find each other and make a place despite everything stacked against them. Good read!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews