Dawn of Chaos and Fury

Legacy #4

by Melissa K. Roehrich, Laura Horowitz (Narrator), Christian Leatherman (Narrator)

A Destiny to Defy....

Tessalyn Ausra has been betrayed at every turn, but she’s also dealt betrayals of her own. With the consequences of her choices hanging over her, she’s done letting others define her purpose, but choosing that path could prove costly. Theon has sent her away, and Luka is wrestling with his own destiny, unsure if that still includes her. The rest of Tessa’s companions are wary now that everyone has tasted her vengeance and experienced her chaos. Maybe they should be. Maybe balance has always been an illusion. And maybe she stands at the same crossroads she has been at from the very salvation or destruction?

A Fate to Outrun....

Theon St. Orcas is no stranger to sacrifice. He has spent his entire life ensuring the ones he loves are safe. Preparing to face the Fates and the destruction of their realm, he only wants to spend the time he has left with the family that remains in Devram. But as he prepares to find his brother, more than one secret comes to light that has him questioning everything. Were the sacrifices all for nothing in the end?

A Future to Change....

Just when he thought he was adjusting to his new life in the Underground, Axel St. Orcas finds himself thrust into a battle with the dark and depraved. With Kat at his side, they set about building alliances with the other Districts. But everywhere he looks, there’s sabotage, not to mention the kingdoms fracturing beyond the Underground. He refuses to bend a knee to injustice, but can he really change the future for those who have been wronged?

Who will be left standing when Chaos comes to reign?

Dawn of Chaos and Fury is book four of four in The Legacy Series. This is a new adult, dark fantasy romance series with elements that may be triggering to some listeners. Please be sure to check the updated content information. Seriously. We know all the MCs are morally gray, walking red flags. Look at the content information, then embrace the darkness.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Fae, Dark Romance, Romance, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published November 25, 2025

About the author

Melissa is a dark fantasy romance author who loves coffee, dragons, and constantly rearranging her bookshelves. She spends her time writing, reading, and homeschooling her three boys in the Middle-of-Nowhere, North Dakota, where she lives with her boys, husband, dogs, multiple barn cats, and chickens on a small farmstead. She is constantly trying to convince her husband they need to add goats and ducks to the mix, and one day, she'll succeed.

She's not here much, so if you're looking to connect, check out the following:

*Facebook Reader Group: Melissa's Dragon Cave
*Discord: https://discord.gg/GTY757MCXF
*Instagram: @melissa_k_roehrich
*TikTok: @authormelissakroehrich

Reviews

[Marianna Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I genuinely don’t even wanna talk about it rn…. Give me a second to process that disappointment.

[Kaila.Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finishing this book felt like a brutal breakup… because how do I leave this world behind??? The characters, the found family, the answers… all perfect. The ending is epic and full of vengeance.

And you’ll finally get your answer of team Luka or Theon 😏😏😏

My one complaint: I wanted 100 more pages of epilogue

[SK]

This is almost a 1000 pages?! 😳 Theon, baby, I'm here for you 😩😭

Looking forward to reading this finale with my babe Emily. I just know we're going to fangirl like hell here.

[Bailee Latham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved. LOVED. I’m so sad it’s over but this was a great ending. I need to process all of my thoughts but as of just finishing, 4.5 ⭐️

[Yana · Rating 1 out of 5]

HOW. AND I MEAN HOW. CAN SOMETHING SO GOOD FLOP SO BAD?!? I ended ip DNF at 45% in. I simply cannot do this anymore. 1. Who are these characters?! They are not the same as from previous books. 2. Magic system, gone. 3. Tessa needs to be unalived. 4. Theon and Luka can just not. I mean the list can go on and on and on. I simply refuse to sit through 600 more pages of this.

[lia]

Edited: Before ya’ll come at me, I do not think this poses as a spoiler because it is now literally on her website (which she just recently added so too little too late). Having said that, I’m not putting on a spoiler tag because I firmly believe this is something potential readers of this book should know beforehand for it can be a trigger to some and not everyone’s cup of tea so they should be able to have a choice not to waste their time and money (like I did) if so.

So yes, I was so very excited to get into this series, but I just found out this turns into a MFM/poly relationship 🫠🤡

Now don’t get more wrong, I have nothing against those, it is just not my cup of tea when it comes to my romance books so I usually avoid them when I find out beforehand that a book has it. But when an author decides to blindside her readers and chooses to include it in an ongoing series that did not have it nor any mention that it would in the first place, I find that so distasteful and unbecoming of an author. Same thing happened with the From Blood and Ash series which turned me off JLA and made me not want to read her books anymore.

I think it’s the responsibility of an author to inform her readers of what to expect and include certain trigger warnings or tropes as big as that.

Now I know a ton of readers love this series but having said all that, PERSONALLY, I am no longer reading this series and most likely any book by this author if this is how she works. 🤷🏻‍♀️

And I wanted to leave this here because I’m a firm believer in readers knowing full well what they’re getting into. I learned that the hard way in the FBAA series.

[naz · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝑽𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒔.

It’s so hard to write a review of the last book of the series without giving spoilers, so I hope I convince you with my review 😭📖 THIS SERIES WAS PERFECTION. From beginning to endddd!!! ✨🔥

I’ll start by saying that if you love dark fantasy where actions have true consequences, then you are gonna adore Tessa. She is just a girl trying to survive in Devram, where Faes are nothing compared to the Legacies. By Book 4 though, trust me… nothing is what it seems 👀💀

Tessa’s story how it ended is what I’ve been waiting for since book 1. I loved her character development and how she truly prevailed against every single thing thrown at her 🖤 I was not expecting anything less from her.

Don’t even get me started on our men Luke and Theon they are truly “opposites,” but the balance that Tessa needs. Both men’s actions in each book let you truly understand why they are the way they are and why they love Tessa so much 😮‍💨 and their ending OMFG you aint ready.

“𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅. 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒃𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑳𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔”

“𝑺𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒔. 𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒕, 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒔, 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒉, 𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓. “𝑺𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕, 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒔𝒕.” “𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔,”

The best part?! The side characters also get their own story arc and AXEL PLEASEEEEEEE I LOVE THEM SO MUCHHH!! Their own side sorry is one of my favorite parts as well from the entire series. The author makes you want to fall in love all the characters and then end up begging each page for their happy ending. OH MELISSA YOU PLAY WITH MY HEART.

“𝑨𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆, 𝒌𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏?”
“𝑵𝒐. 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆.”

THE PASSION, THE OBSESSION, THE ACTIONS these men take for their woman??? Delicious 😏🔥 Let’s not forget the plot though!!! This ain't all about romance! By this book you already know what needs to be done, but everyone (aka me) is dreading it, and tbh I was at the edge of my seat the entire time for it to finally unravel. Once it did.. it was everything and more! AHHHH 😭💥

Did I mention that this world has fae, legacies, dragons, vampires, witches, and shifters??? The whole freaking society and world is insane 🖤

This book delivered everything I hoped for and more: emotional payoff, nonstop tension, and a world I still can’t stop thinking about. Hell this is not a goodbye to Devram, I will definitely do a reread.

⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 ꪆৎ ˚⋅ she's thick and the last out of her series, let's see how many pages it takes for me to find Tessa annoying and find my men HOT.

Thank you Kensington Publishing for my eARC 😭

[Rachel (ravenhairedreader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5***

[Haley Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

tessa talking like gollum and all the corny pet names took me OUT im sorry 😭

more detailed thoughts -
i’ll be the first to admit that i didn’t adore the first 3 books, but they were entertaining enough for me to binge and i was intrigued to see Tessa’s revenge arc. while her character felt unlikable through most of the series, i did enjoy that she gained some agency and got to make the choices that best suited her in the end. i also enjoyed the conclusion to Eviana’s tragic story.

now the writing in this series has never been top tier but it has started to bother me more and more as the books go on. the constant repetition and endless incomplete sentences got on my nerves.
on many occasions i had to force myself to continue reading because the plot felt slow and i wasn’t enjoying much aside from Axel’s chapters. almost everything that happened was either predictable, convenient, or based in miscommunication. (take Theon’s “match” plot line for example.. it felt like forced tension.)

also, the author claims you don’t need to read Lady of Darkness first so I didn’t, but the crossover is huge in this book and I struggled to care about all of the side characters that I don’t really know.

as far as the main romance, i didn’t feel enough chemistry between Luka, Tessa, and Theon aside from in the bedroom. i can enjoy why choose romance now and again but this one wasn’t executed very well. the characterization felt flimsy because both MMCs went from being overbearing possessive assholes to simping puppy dogs almost instantly which killed all tension.

a lukewarm conclusion to the series.

[shaelinslibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Missing this world already. Gut punched that there’s nothing left for me to read about my FREAKING family. Bc that’s what these characters are to me now, family.

Tessa’s growth in this book is all I wanted, Theon, and Luka are delicious in this book- I am OBSESSED. Beautiful story, where everything with them gets tied up in a gorgeous bow (yes, this is a MFM romance, if you don’t like that, you won’t like the main love story in this series).

The story was BREATHTAKING. So many heartbreaks, shocks, and fighting the man. I love the parallels this makes to the real world, and making this a poignant story with so much meaning.

I fell in love with characters I didn’t expect to, and there was comeuppance for people who deserved it, too.

I will miss this world literally *SO MUCH*! But I anxiously await MKR’s new series. 6 millllllion stars, y’all. INCREDIBLE.

[Nadja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️|3🌶️

So Dawn of Chaos and Fury… where do I even begin? Probably with the fact that the book started like someone lit a match… and then immediately dropped it into a puddle. I went in expecting epicness after the last book’s ending. I expected Majesty™. I expected Carnage™. I expected Razik, honestly, because I’m very simple like that.

Instead, the first 30% was like being trapped in a psychiatric facility whose only patient is Tessa—who insists on being referred to as “we,” which is bold considering none of her personalities are likable. I was holding on purely out of loyalty to Axel and my feral obsession with Razik. If Axel hadn’t been there like “hey girlie, let’s provide a crumb of entertainment,” I would’ve been OUT. GONE. CLOSED BOOK, BYE.

Tessa opened this book like she woke up, took a deep breath, and said, “Today I will be the most annoying person alive,” and then actually succeeded. Congratulations to her, truly. Someone compared her to Gollum and I felt my soul leave my body. Not because it was mean—no, because it was accurate to a level that should honestly be illegal. She’s in the corner muttering “we must keep it, we must not let them take it, chaos and fury, fury and chaos,” like she’s auditioning for Lord of the Rings: The Psych Ward Edition.

And the worst part? We’re trapped in her head! The book said “POV: your intrusive thoughts have unionized and formed Tessa.” My eyes rolled so hard I’m typing this review from the back of my skull.

Her characterization is somehow everywhere and nowhere at once. Unhinged but not in a cool morally gray “stab a man, look stunning doing it, trauma-chic queen” way. No. More like “local 2am gas station gremlin arguing with her reflection over who gets to hold the last Monster energy drink.” She has the personality of someone who would burn down a village because she misunderstood a joke. She’s the human embodiment of clicking “I agree to the terms and conditions” without reading a single line, and then being SURPRISED when consequences appear.

And can we TALK about her decision making? She’s supposed to be this god-tier being of power and destiny and whatever—yet every single choice she makes is the exact opposite of what a functional adult (or functional toddler, honestly) would do. The girl’s like, “I’m traumatized, therefore I am entitled to commit war crimes AND play the victim at the same time.” Babe, no. That’s not how that works. Go to therapy. Go to sleep. Go to jail, maybe.

And the WHINING. OH MY GOD. I didn’t think she could get whinier after the first book but she said “hold my emotional support dagger.” Her entire personality is self-loathing and expecting everyone else to drag her out of it.

The poly relationship situation is its OWN disaster zone. I’m sorry but the hypocrisy was so foul it actually made my eye twitch. Tessa gets two men — cool, fine, spicy, whatever. But GOD FORBID either of them look at another person. No, they must worship only her holy unbalanced existence while she gets to float around being indecisive and withholding and self-destructive. And what exactly do they get from her? What are the benefits? Where is the package deal that makes this make sense? She doesn’t communicate, she lies, she makes terrible decisions, she takes zero accountability, and her behavior swings like she’s on a malfunctioning mood rollercoaster. They spend the entire series chasing her, soothing her, forgiving her, praising her, and for WHAT? She's beautiful? She’s powerful? Okay? Power’s useless if the owner is using it like a child who got into the kitchen knives.

Their dynamic is basically:
Luka/Theon: Tessa, please just tell us what’s going on.
Tessa: no <3 I’m quirky and tragic.
Luka/Theon: queen of our souls.

LIKE???

Why are they obsessed with her? What does she give them besides migraines and premature aging? She keeps secrets the way dragons keep treasure—hoards them, sits on them, snarls at anyone who comes close. But somehow she’s never wrong and always justified?

And then—AND THEN—after dragging these immortal men through four books of chaos and emotional waterboarding, she ends it all by telling them she will never want kids with them, not even in eternity. I’m not saying she needs to want kids. I’m saying the way she said it felt like someone slapping you with a wet dishrag. It was weirdly hostile. And frankly? She shouldn’t be allowed to care for a cactus, let alone an actual child, but it was STILL weird.

Anyway. Moving on before my blood pressure rises. Let’s talk plot. Or what was left of it after Tessa chewed on it like a teething toddler.

Everything the last three books built up to… happens in like 100 pages. Blink. Done. No stakes. No tension. Deaths? Quick and forgettable. The big bads? Defeated like wet paper towels. I wanted tears, anguish, emotional devastation—I got “okay so we won, anyway moving on.”

And the Genesis Bond? Mentioned twice and then thrown into the same abyss as Tessa’s rationality. The “inevitable but also a choice”? Make it make sense. Spoiler: the book won’t.

Meanwhile, the DARK aspect of the series? Gone. Watered down. This is “Chaos and Fury Lite,” now with 30% less flavor.

But THEN — THEN — the dragons show up and suddenly the book remembers it’s supposed to be interesting. Razik, Luka, Xan? Inject that into my veins. Do not dilute it. Luka’s POV whenever dragons were involved was the single strongest part of the entire story. Razik and Luka developing that tentative, awkward, “maybe I don’t hate you but don’t get comfortable” relationship? ICONIC. Razik returning Luka’s picture frame like “here idiot I stole this but I’m giving it back don’t make it weird”? I ascended. Luka flying with his father after the collar removal? TEARS. ACTUAL tears.

But we barely got them. Criminal. Pure criminal behavior.

And oh Razik, sweet dragon of my heart, my Roman Empire, my reason for living. Every time he showed up the book suddenly had flavor again. He is the only character in this entire mess who consistently uses his brain. He hates Tessa with the burning passion of ten thousand suns and frankly? Valid. He says things exactly as they are, no coddling, no sugarcoating, no “oh but she’s traumatized.” No. Razik said “you are annoying and I do not like you” and I said “YES KING DRAG HER.”

The man is perfect. I would read 800 pages of him breathing in a corner. I fold like a lawn chair the moment he appears. The fact that we didn’t get his POV in this book is an actual crime. WHY. WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS. WHY DENY US A POV FROM THE MOST INTERESTING CHARACTER IN THE ENTIRE SERIES. That is a narrative crime punishable by dramatic screaming.

And let me just say one more thing — because I need this on the record. The bonus scene being yet ANOTHER Tessa POV after I spent almost a THOUSAND PAGES trapped in her head? That was hate crime energy. I was praying — BEGGING — for even half a page from Razik. A scrap. A bone. A droplet. Anything. Instead I got more Tessa. I nearly threw my kindle.

And let’s not forget Razik’s entire backstory situation. Because after Tessa pulls the ol’ trauma card on Razik, she really stands there like “oh but I was abandoned as a baby,” and Razik, rightfully, is like “yeah cool but my parents willingly dumped me with my uncle at age seven and then happily popped out Luka centuries later and raised him themselves, soooo who had it worse exactly?” And he’s RIGHT. He’s so heartbreakingly, mind-shatteringly right. He had to grow up with the crushing awareness that his parents looked at him — their son, their firstborn — and still chose to walk away. No explanations. No messages. No reassurance. Just silence and absence and a child trying to make sense of a pain that old.

And then — THEN — after gods know how long, his parents just show up in Devram like it’s a normal Tuesday… with a five-year-old Luka. Which means they didn’t just leave Razik — they built a whole new life, a whole new family, STARTED OVER, and somehow decided he did not fit into that picture.

And Razik has to swallow that. He has to sit with that reality. Of COURSE he’s guarded and sharp and aching in ways no one else understands. Razik wasn’t just abandoned — he was replaced. And he knows it.

But Tessa has the gall — the AUDACITY — to act like her situation trumps his, as though suffering is a pie and she gets the biggest slice. Girl, sit DOWN. For somebody who’s supposed to be this divine being of chaos and fury, she sure spends a lot of time emotionally sparring with people she should be apologizing to.

And THEN the series tries to — I don’t know — redeem her? Like suddenly she snaps out of her insanity spiral and is like “lol nvm I actually don’t want to commit mass murder anymore.” Girl WHAT changed? Between page 500 and page 600 did you just suddenly experience a personality patch update? Did you download the new firmware for Emotional Stability 1.1? NOTHING about her “redemption” made sense, because nothing about her devolving into madness made sense either. You can’t have a breakdown arc when the character wasn’t mentally intact to begin with.

Meanwhile Axel and Kat? Oh they CARRIED. They carried so hard they needed physical therapy afterward. Every time their POV appeared I unclenched. Axel—my beloved spare heir who became the superior heir—and Katya, quiet firecracker queen turned fiercely loyal mama bear? PERFECTION. They should’ve been the main characters. The fact that their storyline took up like 12% of the book is atrocious.

Eviana? Survived unimaginable trauma and still managed to be more coherent, relatable, and emotionally stable than Tessa EVER was. Corbin and Lange deserved POVs just to pad the book with more quality content. Bracken? KING. RATIONAL KING. Betrays his entire purpose because it’s the right thing to do. I miss him already.

Tristyn? Obsessed. Give me his book, his novella, his audiobook, his cereal box, something.

Imagine how SHORT this series would be if characters just said the things they were thinking out loud. I’m talking ONE (1) conversation. One. Uno. A single honest chat and suddenly we’d be done at book one with everyone alive, happy, and not possessing random chaotic glowy powers. But then again, if Tessa communicated like a normal human instead of some sort of cryptic gremlin oracle scribbling riddles on a cave wall, I suppose we wouldn’t have a plot. Not a GOOD plot, mind you, but a plot nonetheless.

Honestly? The whole series was entertaining. Not good—but entertaining. And Razik owns my soul. He could stand in the background doing nothing and I’d still rate his scenes five stars. I need his book. I need Eliza. I need dragons. I have suffered long enough.

[Noi (in & out) · Rating 2 out of 5]

"... there was always a cost. For every good, there was an evil. For every light, there was a dark. For every sacrifice, there was a reward."

Where is my reward? I want my time back, I want my patience back, and I want to never read about chaos and Tessa being too much & beginnings and endings ever again.

-----------
The time has come.

[tanvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is my most anticipated read of the year. don’t even get me started. this book will heal me for the past 3 books, and simultaneously, it will break me since it is the final book.

[Dani Fusaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

6-star, god tier series for life 👏🏼

This book is THICC and yet even still, I never wanted it to end. The pacing was so well done and I can’t believe I had to say goodbye to these characters and this story.

The journey every single character went on was incredible— messy, hard, uncertain, but all beautiful. The character development from book one until the final page of book 4 was top notch. The author is excellent at writing flawed characters and I love how realistic it makes every single one.

The plot had me on the edge of my seat, and I teared up multiple times. One of my favorite things about this author is that you can try all you like to predict the plot, and you’ll still get it wrong. No one does twists and turns quite like Melissa K. Roehrich does.

Another one of my favorite things about this author, is the wonderful found family she builds. She doesn’t just have side characters, she gives them their own plot line so we can fully fall in love with every single one. All of them came from messy or traumatic families, and the way they showed up for their chosen family was just so moving.

This series is one of my favorites of all time, and it has my whole heart. I couldn’t possibly love it more🫶🏼

[Tasnim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soooo… not the biggest fan of the MFM relationship. It was a little weird, and just not my cup of tea. Tbh I don’t know what I was expecting for the outcome, but it wasn’t this 😅

My main issue with this series was how CHILDISH and IMMATURE the protagonist was throughout the whole thing. There’s no way the author is trying to pass her off as a 23 year old with the way she behaves 😭😭
It didn’t help that her “love interests” just spent the whole series cleaning up her messes and babysitting her.

Unfortunately, this was my biggest issue with the darkness series too. Both main characters were supposed to be godlike with crazy potential but they were severely lacking in common sense and general decency. How is it that they consistently made every situation 10x worse after making the most outrageous and idiotic decisions, but in the last second they concocted some ridiculous plan that allowed them to outsmart a god and save the realm?
And why was there so much focus on Tessa and Scarlett’s bonds when in the end they both failed to communicate the most crucial part of their plan to their bonded THROUGH THEIR TELEPATHIC LINK?!! There’s literally no excuse for why they couldn’t just send a quick message explaining what’s going on

They both also have this annoying habit of keeping important information from their loved ones, while expecting full honesty and trust from everyone else around them. I hate that they acknowledge their faults, but the writing makes it seem as if everyone else is still at fault for the mistakes the main characters make. For example, when Luka didn’t want to be around Tessa for keeping Xan a secret. She acknowledged she was at fault, but the writing kind of infantilises Tessa, so even though she should be held accountable for her actions, we feel more sorry for her than the person she wronged. These things really make Scarlett and Tessa insufferable!

Overall, I was mostly underwhelmed by how this story turned out. Everything the last three books were building up to ended up taking place in only about 100 pages of book 4. Tessa’s character development was almost non existent, while Theon switched up so quick, he became unrecognisable. The ending seemed very rushed and the deaths we were waiting for were too quick.

The only thing that kept me reading DOCAF was the whole dragon family dynamic. There wasn’t nearly as much focus on it as I would’ve liked, but I was literally counting down the pages to when Raz, Eliza or Xan would be mentioned. Especially when it was from Luka’s POV. I really hope to see a reunion with them again since it was by far the best part of the entire legacy series.
I also need to see all of this from Razik and Eliza’s POV. Razik’s POV in particular is a must!

[RedFireLady · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is how you end a series. Dawn of Chaos and Fury was everything I wanted and needed from the end of this Legacy series. Melissa Roehrich absolutely delivered with this book.

If you have read the first 3 books of the Legacy series then you already know how powerful this story and it's characters are. If you haven't started this series yet.. you are seriously missing out.

Tessa's journey and growth through these books is very dynamic, and in this final installment we get to really see her own her fate and become who and what she was always meant to be. Of course, she never would have gotten there with Theon and Luka - the balance to her Chaos.

Fighting to save a world that has done nothing but beat her down and do its best to control and destroy her, Tessa fights for those that cant fight for themselves, to bring freedom and equality to a very corrupt world. She's strong but broken, wild and untamed, she doesnt know how to be loved, and yet, none of that stops her from stepping up and doing what no one else has been able to do.

This book brought some long overdue deaths and some sacrifices that hurt. It brought death, destruction and pain, but also healing, acceptance, love and hope. The rollercoaster of emotions through this book had me so absorbed that I couldn't put it down - and I wouldn't change a single thing about this experience.

This is bittersweet for me. I have loved this story, and it's characters for so long, I was excited to read the final book and see how it all came to a conclusion, but I am also sad to leave it all behind.

Melissa Roehrich brought us an well written and impactful finale that was everything I wanted from the end of the Legacy series. I cant wait to see what she writes for us next.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where do I start??

I loved this series so much I rated it 6 stars. It’s one of my best reads this year, specially the 3rd book (my fave) so I was expecting more from this book as it is the final one. But was so disappointed…. 😬

The characters that I love and known from the previous books felt like aren’t the same character in here. Tessa? I don’t see any character development nor growth throughout. I did give her the benefit of the doubt because of what she’d been through but in here? All I could read was more yapping/complain and just be mad about EVERY.SINGLE.THING. Luka? How I wish she did gave him his own redemption arc and his own happy ending, I didn’t really feel connected to him the entire series. I wish she would write a separate book about him and his own story.

Theon? My baby Theon. Can you explain to me why the Theon I love from the previous books was OK of him sharing Tessa to Luka? What’s the point of giving us those bonus chapter of where he is struggling witnessing her with Luka together only to end up being ok with him sharing Tessa to Luka??? I hate MFM and was hoping MKR wouldn’t go that route but it’s just pure disappointed.

[Jordan Miner · Rating 5 out of 5]

six stars. wow. what a perfect way to conclude this god tier series. i don’t have words. the roller coaster of emotions this book put me through. i was on the edge of my seat the whole time. tessa is hands down one of my favorite fmcs. theon and luka, love them sm. axel and kat, my heart. the found family, chefs kiss. melissa just knows how to write a story with amazing world building and characters who feel like family. this ending gave me the same feelings i felt when reading the ending of kingdom of ash. i’m so sad this series is over but i’m so excited for what’s next in this massive universe.

thank you so so much to kensington publishing for allowing me to be apart of melissa’s legacy keepers and for sending me an arc of this book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dawn of Chaos and Fury (Legacy #4) by Melissa K. Roehrich
Book Blurb: A Destiny to Defy
Tessalyn Ausra has been betrayed at every turn, but she’s also dealt betrayals of her own. With the consequences of her choices hanging over her, she’s done letting others define her purpose, but choosing that path could prove costly. Theon has sent her away, and Luka is wrestling with his own destiny, unsure if that still includes her. The rest of Tessa’s companions are wary now that everyone has tasted her vengeance and experienced her chaos. Maybe they should be. Maybe balance has always been an illusion. And maybe she stands at the same crossroads she has been at from the very beginning: salvation or destruction?

Rating: *****
Feels: Chaos, Devastation, Heartbreak, Joy
Style: Fantasy, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Dark Fantasy, Dark Romance
First published November 25, 2025: 995 pages

Once again I’m left as an emotional wreck while reading this book. This author really knows how to delve into all the feels and rip your heart out in the best possible way. Tessa on so many occasions made me want to reach into the book and just comfort her. The found family aspect of this book as well as the depth and relatability of the side characters is on a different level then so many other books. I had a hard time picking up this book and finishing it because I did not want this story to end. I know I can revisit it (which I most assuredly will.) If you wanted to be pulled into a dark fantasy world of chaos with characters you will bleed with , this is your series.

Favorite Quote: Lifting her chin, she glared at him, fresh fury coursing through her. Fury she'd shoved down for years and years, Fury she'd told everyone she'd dealt with, when in reality, she'd simply learned how to hide it, master it, use it when needed. Fury and Chaos. Chaos and fury. Wild and untamed. Untamed and wild.

This book has:
Enemies to Lovers
Morally Grey/Black
Found Family
Burn the world down for her
Possessive MMCs
Why Choose
Magic System
Political Rivalry
Prophecies
Trauma/Healing
Meddling gods/goddesses
Mental health rep

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SERIES 🥲🥲🥲🥲
THE GROWTH. THE LOVE. AHHHHH!!!!

"As her Source. As her lover. As her equal.
As her balance," he replied. "I'm whatever she needs me to be."

It’s impossible to review this without spoilers…. I don’t have the words. I have so many favorite parts.

UGH this is a top tier dark romantasy series….Melissa was on her absolute queen shit with this one 💅🏼 plot was insane & making it a why choose is just the cherry on top for me 😌 freaking obsessed with it all and can’t believe this is the ENDDDDD

[Brooke Kathrene · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful ending to a chaotic, intense, and incredible story. I am blown away at how connected I feel to these characters and how I felt like I was in it with them. Melissa writes the most intriguing and deep characters I’ve probably ever read. I highly recommend this series and I’m so sad it’s come to an end but I’m glad these babies get to rest 😭❤️

[Garbage Queen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to think no one could top Nesta as the most unlikeable fmc but Tessa takes the fucking cake.

I have never felt so unattached to a character before in my life. Tessa was insufferable. I had really hoped she would improve from the third book but she didn't. Theon and Luca have been reduced to kissing her ass at every turn. Tessa can literally do no wrong, no matter how unhinged or poorly planned...she is praised by them constantly. Besides being beautiful, what exactly do they even see in her? She lies to them constantly, tricking them, evading them, keeping secrets from them etc.
She talks like your local schizophrenic crackhead loitering outside the gas station at 2am, muttering to herself and using the royal 'we' in reference to herself as she repeats 'chaos and fury and fury and chaos...beginnings and endings' on repeat.
Eviana lived a life far worse than Tessa did and wasn't even as close to how spiteful and cunty Tessa was.

Tessa doesnt want just one, she wants both mmcs. This felt bizarre and out of character for both men. I hated it. Theon from book 1 would never share.

The ending felt rushed and extremely anti climactic. The icing on the cake to make Tessa somehow even more unlikeable is ending it with her telling her two immortal husbands that she will never, in all of eternity, want children with them. I'm not saying she needs to want children or have them, but something about the way it was written was very off putting.

All in all I'm extremely disappointed. I loved the first two books and I'm so sad with the direction the series took.

[Sue Bush · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly deserve an award for finishing this sheeesh this was long. I don’t mind a long book, in fact some of my favorite books area 800+ pages but this most definitely did not need to be this long. I mowed thru books 1 and 2 but book 3 I started to slow down and have complaints and this one felt like it would never end. I thought about DNFing a few times just because I was over it but I prevailed.

[౨ৎ emily ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️ What a bittersweet ending to this series. I have more to say. Just want to sit with my thoughts for a bit 💜

First half like 3 stars due to Tessas incessant whining that lasted for way toooo long. She needed to grow and mature on PAGE 1. We had three books of her being an absolute menace to society, it was only fair that we didn't have to deal with her making the same bad decisions for 400 pages. This book had no right to be 995 pages.. if she took out those parts this book could have been DRASTICALLY better in the first half, it was to the point of an almost DNF NOWWWW
SECOND HALF BABES?!?! That was the moneyyyyyyy. I swear I read the last 250 pages in one sitting, it had me so invested. character growth was so good, just wish it happened sooner.
I honestly can't even say much about this without spoilers but Theon and Luka are hands down some of my fav MMCs evaaaaaa. Those boys could fold me like a pretzel!! AT THE SAME DAMN TIME!!! No truly they are better than me, because Tessa had them running circles, over and over... anywaysssss ..... The ending was so bittersweet, im
Happy I finished and didn't DNF, I don't think that would have sat well with me anyways.
This series will forever hold a special place in my heart. ♥️

Extra: I wanted to hate Eviana so bad but by the end i cared for her so much along with Corbin and Lange. She def grew on me even tho she was a bitch 99 percent of this book LOL

I'm def reading her other series before this. And now
I'm hearing she's making another so I'll be busy!

[Aiste Tauras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tikrai puiki pabaiga šiai mano mylimai serijai. ♥️ Nors paskutinė dalis ir nėra mano favorite, patiko kaip sukrito dalykai ir galiu pasakyt I’m more than happy 😏 Tessa, Theon ir Luka vieni mylimiausių moral grey veikėjų ever!
Gal tik kiek vietom prailgo, gal dėl to, kad anas 3 skaičiau iškart, šią beveik po metų… Daug pasimiršo, nes daug ten dievų reikalų😄 Bet vertinu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

[Samantha Weis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm apparently the minority here when I look through the other reviews, but something about this book gave me the ick. I can't put my finger on it. This makes me sad because I ADORE this series and her Lady of Darkness series.

First of all, this book had no business being as long as it was. 1000 pages for a book that could have wrapped in half of that.

Tessa was also giving me major Gollum vibes throughout the book when she starts muttering to herself in the plural sense "we must keep it. we must not let them get it from us"...so she's not only whiney but weird.

And while I saw the MFM coming a mile away, I still didn't vibe with it. Again, I can't put my finger on why. I've read other books with MFM without issue, but something about this was just not sitting right.

That being said, Roerich is a beautiful writer and does such a wonderful job with her world building. I absolutely will be reading whatever she writes next .

[Ciara Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the perfect conclusion to my absolute favourite fantasy series.

There wasn’t a dull moment and I was equally invested in every POV that’s included. The ending was so satisfying and gave the closure I was craving for every character without feeling dragged out. I loved how the romance played out and where we left off with our main characters.

I might have some more coherent thoughts when I’ve recovered but I’ve only just finished crying over the ending and I need time to process this rollercoaster!

This is a six star series for me though, and every book is as strong as the others.

[༻rach༺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

No because I’m actually so sad that this series is over and it really did not meet my expectations. I loved the first three books, even though sometimes they were slow I still felt like the stakes were really high and there was this drive for me to keep reading. I did not get that from this book at all. I still love these characters and the found family is incredible but the stakes were so low and the plot really disappointed me.

Everything with Valter, Bree, Achaz, and Rordan was just tidied up so easily. No real important characters died in this book, which is great but also it just made everything feel too easy? I thought I would be sobbing and hanging on to every word and honestly I had to push myself to keep reading this because it felt so lackluster.

The most exciting storyline was honestly Axel & Kat and it was such a small part of the story. Tessa’s arc was good and I liked watching her come into her power but there were no scenes that felt super powerful or meaningful in her character arc in this. Luka & Theon were great and I did enjoy the why choose aspect of this, I thought their characters came a long way and I loved seeing the dynamic between the three of them. That being said, I thought we would have more groveling and yearning, they all got together so quick in this book and it felt like the pacing was off.

Tessa meeting her mom and dad felt anticlimactic, Theon meeting his bio mom for the first time, even Luka meeting his parents felt lackluster. I think I just really expected a lot more from this book and I didn’t really deliver for me.

Three stars for the spice, Kat & Axel, and my love for these characters and their care for each other. I’ll miss them and the journey they went on even though this wasn’t my favorite. 🐉🍕⚡️🖤🌫️

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 ⭐️

I’m so sad it’s over 😭

[Poppy Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can someone let me know if this is the last book in the series?