The Words That Weave the Dark

Songs for the Sinless #2

by Tessonja Odette

Inana and Dominic's sinful story continues in this tantalising sequel to The Lies That Summon the Night.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fiction, Fantasy Romance, Paranormal

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 9, 2027

About the author

Tessonja Odette is a Seattle-based author of fantasy romance, epic romantasy, and fairytale retellings. Her different series range from cozy fae romcoms to dark and twisty fantasy. In her books you’ll find witty banter, sizzling romance, and breathtaking magic. When she isn’t writing, she’s watching anime, squeezing her pets, or dancing to the music only she can hear.

Reviews

[Noi (in & out)]

Please tell me Feb 27 is some sort of a joke

[Liana Gold]

Super excited to dive into this ARC. The first book, The Lies That Summon the Night was interesting but very complex. Can't say I remember much from that world because the mysterious magic system was so complicated to understand. I might have to audiobook it to refresh my memory. I was left with so many questions, hoping this book would answer them!





Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballentine/Delacorte Press and the author, Tessonja Odette for an early ARC.

Publication date: February 16, 2027

[Amelia]

Sadly this is a DNF for me at 35%.

While I love the world and characters, the turn we have taken with the story is my least favorite to read about and I’m becoming extremely frustrated with every page.

Inana is obviously facing a massive change and discovery as per the first book, but the way she’s approaching this with stubbornness, lashing out and pushing away the people who want to help her and support her is not something I’m interested in reading about.

If this is not something that bothers you, definitely pick this back up. The writing is the same high quality I appreciate from the author, the world is expanding which I actually really wanted to know more about, but so far the plot is mostly revolved around Inanas inner thoughts.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballentine for the arc!!

[Amy Ebeid]

6 gigantic stars times a billion. I loved The Lies that Summon the Night and it was one of my absolutely favorite books so far this year. Well, this sequel just topped it. Absolutely stunning spectacular and everything in between.

The book picks up immediately where the first one ends and I was hooked just as before. This book shows the theme of what it means to feel whole, feel healed, feel real, and feel alive. Themes of found family and the kind of slow burn tension that makes you literally scream as they get closer and closer. But the story is Inana at its core. In the hardest and most gorgeous of ways.

The words are beautiful, the suspense was unreal, and there is emotional damage at the end where you are exhausted, mad, excited, terrified, sad, with every other feeling that would probably catch the attention of a curious Shade.

It may take a while to recover from the ending of this book. In the best of ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the Arc. I read it in two days. I just couldn't stop.

[Antonia]

perfection!!!! inana and dominic and all their shades have my whole heart <3 and the endingggg i need book 3 asap!!!!

[Melissa Liming]

There are not enough stars in the entire universe to describe how good this book is.

Trust me, I'm not overexaggerating. If anything, that might be an understatement....because holy sh!t. Tessonja, my girl - you are a mastermind.

Anyone who knows me had heard me talk about The Lies that Summon the night. It's one of my all-time favorite reads, and I don't shut up about it when people ask for recommendations. I've been DYING to read the next book, and it delivered on a level that's near incomprehensible.

I'm still trying to put my thoughts together. I devoured this book in just a few hours, I knew by the first chapter there was zero chance I was putting it down. These books are so unbelievably addictive and unique.

The Words that Weave the Dark picks up immediately where the first one ended, and the pacing doesn't slow down at all. I absolutely love the fact that we get to explore more of the darker parts of the magic system. The worldbuilding stays immersive, yet so easy to understand and visualize.

My favorite part about this book was also the most unexpected. I found myself weeping at times at just how deep and personal this story gets with the emotional depth. Inana is truly becoming aware of who and what she is, and the way that she starts to accept the even darkest parts of herself was written beautifully. The reflections she had were nothing short of captivating, and I literally had chills.

Don't even get me started on Murder Squirrel, the cute little fluffy ball of chaos and sass.

Dominic remains a top tier shadow daddy with his intense devotion to Inana. The way he gives her patience, reassurance, yet protects her just as fiercely as before made me kick my feet. Reading the chapters where we see through his eyes were a pure treat. The chemistry he has with her is nothing short of intoxicating.

🌶️ The spicy scenes in this book? Ma'am. I felt like I needed to go sit in front of a fan or take a cold shower. The shades are SHADING honey. IYKYK. 🌶️

My heart was pounding as I knew the story was coming to it's end, the suspense is literally woven straight into every word. My husband gave me looks several times asking if I was OK, because I kept putting my Kindle down and gasping. Like WHAT is H A P P E N I N G? WHAT DO YOU M E A N!?

You think you know where things are going, but you're not ready for how it all comes together and ends. I laughed, I yelped, I wept, and I wanted to go to war with these people. I'M A SINNER, LET ME IN THERE.

If you never take another recommendation from me, let this be the one that you do.

Thank you for the chance to read the ARC, I truly feel honored. Damn it was good.

[A Pixie Bookshelf]

10 stars. 15. 20. 100 STARS

So let me start by saying I am currently on a no-reading week because university deadlines are rapidly approaching and apparently I am supposed to be responsible.

Anyway, I read this.

Could I put it down? Absolutely not. Did I have work I should have been doing? Yes. Did I care? Also no. 😂

I loved book one. I love this book. I love this series. This has officially become one of my comfort series, and I already know I’m going to come back to it again and again whenever I fall into a reading slump because there is just something about this world that feels so wonderfully magical.

I really felt for Inana in this book, especially as she begins coming to terms with herself after THAT ENDING in book one. Her journey of learning to accept herself was genuinely heartbreaking at times, and I just wanted to wrap her in a blanket and protect her from absolutely everything.I also really loved getting to know all of Inana’s different shades and the sins connected to them. There was something so satisfying about seeing her understand herself more as the story progressed - I'm very excited to see where this will go in the next book, and we get to know her shades some more

And then there’s Dom🥹 Dom wanting to love her, while understanding that he can’t force her to accept his love before she’s learned to love herself? *CHEF’S KISS* He is so calm and patient with her, and I loved watching their relationship develop alongside Inana’s own personal growth. And Dom is SO much more than a shadow daddy, but I will never complain when the shadows make an appearance. 🤭

There was one point around 65% where I messaged Tess because things were feeling suspiciously positive and I was genuinely terrified. Her response? DEVIL EMOJIS. HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO REMAIN CALM AFTER DEVIL EMOJIS?!

And then came the ending.

My jaw. Was. On. The. Floor

In the street team Discord, Tess mentioned that she thought this ending was less intense than book one. I’m going to respectfully disagree, Tess. 😂

I thought book one’s ending was intense. This one somehow said *hold my drink*. My emotions were everywhere.

There was SO much emotion throughout this book. I teared up more than once, and watching Inana come to terms with herself was genuinely beautiful.

So...

When is too soon to start begging for book three? 👀


Huge thank you to Tessonja Odette for having me as part of the street team - I can't wait to shout about this book everywhere!

[Victoria Gavin]

10 STARS. Ten. There are some book 2s that fall flat due to pacing but this IS NOT one of them. We get so much deeper into the magic system with new *darkness* levels, constant fast paced plot and romance that had me finish this in one single day. I could not put this book down, it is just so unique and addictive.
There isn't a single thing I didn't like about this book nor this series, so let's just go into all that I loved-
This book has such immense emotional depth. I was even tearing up for Inana a few times. The author has such a poignant way of weaving her words to the point where you feel so connected to the characters and their emotions become wrapped into your own. Especially the heartbreaking the way when Inana is coming to terms with being an incarnate. She stops thinking that she matters at all and was even willing to fall on the blade quite literally if they felt they needed to kill her. "I have to hurt myself like this"...."I'm too godsdamned deadly, too unstable." It was beautiful to see the character growth and how accepting her shades reflected also accepting herself as she was instead of just a visitor in a body that she didn't feel entitled to. It was a gradual process with accepting each Shade and their corresponding sin, which as the reader I think it's a stunningly executed reflection of how we as people have so many small fallacies within ourselves that take time to accept. This author is just so extremely talented between the emotional aspect and building this world/magic system of art expression & sin - I am in awe truly. I can't say enough amazing things other than screaming to everyone how perfect this series is.
Dominic is so patient with her, reassuring she is it for him and won't waiver. He is her anchor and the tension when she was trying to deny wanting him was *chefs kiss* . Their chemistry just jumps off the page.
Last but not least, Murder Squirrel has a special place in my heart (aka Mori but we all love the murder squirrel name too lol)
I thoroughly loved & enjoyed this book 2 and I am so SO incredibly thankful and grateful to Tessonja Odette , Ballantine/Dellacorte Press, and NetGalley!

PS- as far as the spice🌶️🌶️🌶️it was amazing to see the Shades back in action (if you know, you KNOW. And not just his...)

[imk629]

If you enjoyed The Lies that Summon the Night you will LOVE this book. This is how you do a second book in a series. I felt like this book was even better than the first. The story starts where book one ends and I was sucked in from the start. I couldn’t put it down. Inana is internally struggling to come to terms with what she is and the shades who define who she is supposed to be. The yearning between her and Dominic was so good that makes the reader excited to see if their strong feelings for each other will have the payoff we all want. Dominic is definitely a swoon worthy MMC. He expresses his love and devotion to Inana with his patience with letting her come to terms with who she is without pushing. But also provides the much needed support and comfort that she craves. I love the magic system in the book. Now that the story takes place in the Sacred City we are seeing more of the Sinless and their abhorrent behavior. Throughout the book we are introduced to new rebellion members who are all working together to find a way to kill the king and restore order among the people. Many have infiltrated deeply within the sinless community acting committed to them while secretly working against them. I absolutely did not see that huge twist at the end coming and that cliffhanger now has me wanting more. Highly recommend this series. You will not be disappointed!!

[Erica Resenbeck]

Wow.

This sequel lived up to the first book.

THE ENDING! It was such a ride. First, I thought it was going to go one way, then another, and finally I was blindsided. Not technically a cliffhanger, but I cannot wait for the last book. And now I'm going to have to wait forever.

If you enjoyed the traveling and shade hunting part of the first book, then this may be a disappointment. There's none of that. The setting is rather static, leading to the first parts of the book to be a little slow.

The internal conflict that Inana experiences related to the big revelation at the end of the first book are well-written and explored. She doesn't automatically come to terms with it and get more powerful because of it. It happens slowly, which is more realistic and better than many romantasies.

The plot to free the kingdom is really ramping up and I'm actually excited to see where it goes. Also, we don't know much of what happens to Dominic at the end, which is the real cliffhanger.

If you enjoyed the side characters, they're present but don't supply much to the story. It's very Inana and Dom focused. I hope they play a bigger part in the last book.

This series needs to be more popular. It's so good and so different than a lot of similar books out there. Pick up this series if you love romantasy!

[Michelle Fritz PA]

Oh my goddess! I’m aflutter and brimming with excitement!

This beautiful book blew every one of my theories out of the water. It was as though the author simply looked at me and said, watch me work my magic. And magic it is. This story is alluring, dark, stunning, and so very unputdownable.

Tessonja Odette is absolutely brilliant! She has mastered the craft of storytelling and has thrown down the gauntlet to all her contemporaries. This is how you weave your words. How you ensnare a reader. How you set their imagination running wild and leave them with an ending that keeps replaying in their minds long after they’ve turned the final page.

I don’t know if I’ve ever been prouder of a character before. Inana voiced all my fears about herself, all my doubts, and Ms. Odette took every one of those reservations and made them vanish. She proved, now and always, that Inana is wholly unique and a powerful force for good.

And Dominic? Still so swoony. And the secrets he doesn’t yet know about himself keep tickling the edges of my mind. I have so many questions, and I truly cannot wait to see what the third book in this jaw-dropping series has in store for us.

Why, oh why, is 2028 so very far away?!

[Chloe - maggie_books92]

♾️💫

This was bloody AMAZING! I really enjoyed The Lies That Summon the Night, so I was absolutely delighted to be accepted into Tessonja's Street Team! I was lucky enough to be sent an eARC of TWTWTD and it consumed me like Inana's shadows consume her! 🖤🔥

I normally guess where a books going fairly early on & end up a wee bit disappointed, but the twists and turns in this genuinely shocked me multiple times! 🫠 The last 1/4 of the book in particular was intense, *chefs kiss*...

I loved the humour throughout the story too. Murder Squirrel and Dominic's Sloth are two of my favourite characters - 'spinning death wings' at the slightest sign of trouble got me every time 🤭

I’m craving Book Three the way Dominic craves blood and Inana craves chaos — dangerously and without dignity 👀 or like Sloth needs ear scratches - DESPERATELY! 🥲

It's one of the best found family stories that I've read - I love their wee dysfunctional squad 🥹

All thoughts are my own! Thank you so much Tessonja & Rachel at Penguin Random House for this gifted eARC ❤️

[Malia]

I couldn't wait to dive into this one as soon as I read the synopsis. But it didn't quite hit home for me like I hoped it would. And it was mostly due to the confusion behind the world-building and the monsters.

As you get through the book, you do learn little things here and there, but there are still a lot of holes that don't quite make sense. Or that it just wasn't explained well enough.

The pacing was a little slow for me for the majority of the book, and things do pick up by the end. The romance wasn't too bad. I'm so interested to see what Inana and Dominic's path will look like, especially with the way things ended.

Overall, I did find many parts enjoyable, the side characters included, but some things felt underdeveloped. I'll be keeping an eye for book 2 because I'm very curious to see how this turns out!

Thank you to the publisher for the physical arc.

[El]

I am SHOCKED and was hesitant based on some other reviews.

Thankfully, I didn’t have any negative feelings towards Inana’s reactions to her discoveries about herself - I think I’d have a lot of feelings too.

But, this series so far has been one of my favorites and I can’t say enough how new Fantasy is to me. I almost regret requesting this from NetGalley to read before February because it’s one of those reads that I’m heartbroken I can’t read for the first time AGAIN. (I will be re-reading it though).

I feel this book lined up so well with how the first one ended. Everything was so clearly laid out, and yet, how it ended was not on my bingo card for this read.

Inana and Dominic are truly one of my favorite couples in all the fantasies I’ve read. They have such good SEX and truly love eachother for what they are. Dominic really helps Inana understand her capabilities and I love how they both have evolved from the first book.

I can’t wait for more!!

[Mackenzie]

4 Stars! That ending was just as crazy as the first book! It would be a perfect 5 stars but the pacing was a bit slow in the first half. This was also very light on the plot. I did like that there was a ton of character development with Inana. It was definitely needed after the revelations in book one.

New characters were introduced. I wished there were more scenes of them interacting with Inana and the crew. Inana emotionally connect with them quickly for seemingly no reason. Frankly I didn't really care about the new characters at all. Hopefully we see them again in the next installment. Overall, I still really enjoyed it and I'm excited for the next one!

[Taylor]

I loved the first book and found this one to be a bit less engaging but still enjoyed it overall. This time around I was more invested in Bard, Harlow, Calvin, and the Sloths than the main characters so am hopeful the third will be a lovely ending for everyone. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the advanced copy!

[Natalie Sams]

**thank you net galley for an ARC version of this book**

4.85 💫 WELL! This world and plot are just so good with high stakes, just even “stomach dropping” twists and explanations to make you feel like you’re understanding at the same time the main character is. Only slight deductions for the middle lagging a touch BUT that last 1/4? Crazy.

[Tin]

I don’t know why I keep coming back here. Maybe I’m hoping the author has changed her mind and decided to put us out of our misery by releasing it earlier 😭

[Enisha Samra]

If you thought book TLSTN’s cliffhanger was bad then ya’ll ain’t ready for this one…

CLAWING FOR BOOK 3 LITERALLY

[Sammiejo]

Infinite stars. [full review to follow, I'm processing the amazingness]

[Books_and_Crafts]

6 star read.

I am completely and utterly obsessed with Tessonja's beautiful mind. This world consumes my every waking thought. I love it so much!

Hands down my fav series.

[Maggie]

A brilliant deeper look at the passions that fuel us.

[Lindsay]

Wow! Jaw. On. The. Floor. I absolutely sprinted through that ending. I loved The Words That Weave the Dark, easy 5 star read. Perfect book 2. Character/plot development, stakes rising and spiceeeee! I absolutely love Dominic and Inana and how their relationship grows; whilst still allowing for significant character growth from Inana. Can't wait for book 3, I'll just be here staring at a wall eagerly waiting!

Disclaimer: ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

[Lilia Atkin]

The very minute I had this book in my hands I DEVOURED it! 🗡️

4.5/5⭐️
1.5/5🌶️

Review in progress