Shadowborne: Reckoning

Emberquell Academy #4

by Aimee Lynn

This final installment in the explosive dragon romantic fantasy, Emberquell Academy series, is a mythical realms romantasy perfect for fans of the Booktok sensations, Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing, and Sarah J. Maass's ACOTAR series. Do not miss the immersive adventure concluding this epic love story, unfolding amidst dragons, spies, and kings, in which a broken woman soars beyond enemies and traitors, to defeat those who never believed she should fly.

Thrones will fall. So will her chains.

In the final volume of the Emberquell Academy series, Bren Kearney, the first female to achieve the coveted rank of Furyknight, will battle her most harrowing Her own past.

While Donavyn wrestles with his vengeful demons, together they pursue whispers of treachery.

But the threat is far worse than they imagined. And when the mask of betrayal is finally torn away, the lovers learn the truth is not merely treason.

It's personal.

Dive into the final, epic volume of the Emberquell Academy series from Aimee Lynn, author of the Flameborne duet, where secrets lurk in every shadow, and a young woman risks everything, to take back the power that was stolen from her by those who only expected her to fall.

Now a complete series!

Triggers and Tropes A dragon romantic fantasy / romantasy with spice, dragons and dragon rider romance, fated mates, forbidden love, revenge, fantasy secret society romance, touch her and die, who did this to you, strong female lead, age gap, and much, much more!

*****

Genre and Series The Shadowborne duet is the final installment for Bren and Donavyn, and follow Flameborne. This is now a complete series of dragon romantasy books for adults / romantasy with spice. The Emberquell Academy romantic dragon books are brimming with forbidden love storylines, Who did this to you?, Touch her and die vibes, a female lead who grows from weak to strong, secret society, dominant males, and more! If you're looking for beasts, legends, adventures and fantasy dragons in kindle books romantasy, this is the series for you!

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance

438 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 23, 2026

About the author

Aimee Lynn was born in Oregon and grew up in New Zealand. She dreamed of being a novelist from the age of seven, but as a Gen-Xer, was informed it wasn’t a realistic career. Instead, she went to college to be a journalist and (very realistically) never completed her degree. It wasn’t until her mid-thirties, after a marriage, a corporate career, and a family, that she rediscovered the joy she’d found in writing fiction. Now, she thanks God for giving her a husband whose love inspires romance, and who isn’t threatened by Jason Momoa.

Reviews

[Mel B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lives Rent Free In My Mind!

**SPOILERS**

Wowza! Sooooo freaking good! My only complaint…I WANT MORE FROM BREN AND DONAVYN!!!!

Bren flees from Ruin who pursues her on Carnage. They make it to a safe house but Ruin follows her and corners her. He taunts her, humiliates her, almost kills her, but Donavyn arrives in time to stop him. Donavyn wants to kill him but restrains himself. They question Ruin, who claims he is on their side (uhhhh yeah, no). He says he is trying to find the mole, and has been basically doing the same thing as Donavyn. When Donavyn steps out with Bren to confer, and they return, he has escaped.

Now…Bren and Donavyn are conflicted. Could Ruin be telling the truth?! Yes he is morally corrupt, but is he also a traitor and a mole? They need more time and answers so they go back to playing the tired court game. Donavyn continues being paraded around as the diplomatic general, and Bren returns to charming the court as his uh, “assistant.” During this time she continues to “play” with the Lord Hanson, who is even more eager to procure her services, both as a Furymaster (one who talks to dragons) and as his bedmate. She recoils at his touch, and loathes him, but she has to play along. They need more information about the feral dragons, how Lord Hanson has so many, where they came from, and his plans for them. Everything becomes more complicated when Ruin shows up in court, taunting and verbally abusing Bren whenever he gets the chance.

Bren and Donavyn call in “her brothers” her squad mates and they intercept Ruin’s letters back to the kingdom. They can’t make head nor tails of them because on the surface they appear to be “innocent” communications back to the King. It’s only later that they realize he has written in code and now need to decipher the code and context.

Time is running out. Lord Hanson has put a deadline on Bren’s decision to join him, and the letters grow more confusing. At the eleventh hour all is revealed and it’s even more chilling than anyone could’ve imagined. The King (who Donavyn has been loyal to and trusted for decades) is behind EVERYTHING. He has promised Ruin Donavyn’s spot, and has ordered Ruin and Carnage to kill Donavyn and his dragon. There are several ways the king has mapped out Donavyn and his dragons destruction. When it becomes clear that the king wants him dead, Bren tells Donavyn she’ll fly ahead, back to the kingdom, pretend that Donavyn and his dragon are dead and she’s suffering from the death of the bond. She’ll speak to the queen (yes the manipulative beyotch that propositioned Donavyn). She believes the queen although ambitious and manipulative truly wants the best for the kingdom, and plays no part in the conspiracy to kill Donavyn, his dragon, and take over the dragons to use them as mindless weapons.

Bren and Donavyn part, and Bren flies to the kingdom. Donavyn is prepared to play his role, but Carnage, Ruin’s dragon attacks him and Donavyn and his dragon must fight for their lives. When it appears that Donavyn and Kgoski are winning, Carnage tears into the minds of the feral dragons, forcing them to follow him, and flies towards the kingdom with Ruin. Donavyn, though injured pursues them.

Bren has convinced the queen, and is headed back to wait when Ruin arrives with Carnage. Ruin tries to play the victim and hero, claiming that Bren got Donavyn killed by feeding information to the enemy, that SHE is the mole! But Bren is no longer the innocent little farm girl, and she fights back fiercely! GO BREN!!! She meets him in a fierce physical battle, and while doing so, she tells her dragon, Arkhane to show all the other dragons in the herd what happened to her. The dragons, are horrified, and will not listen to Ruin and Carnage now. But what’s best of all, Donavyn appears to contradict Ruins asinine claim, showing up with Kgoski. Kgoski challenges Carnage, and is disgusted by just how dark, evil and tainted Carnage is. He kills him. Arkhane takes over for Bren, not allowing her human to sully her hands by killing her tormenter, and burns him alive. The Queen arrives and curtsies to Kygoski, acknowledging his rule. She meets with Donavyn and brings Donavyn and Bren to her husband, the king, who her been imprisoned. He has been crippled and given a truth serum. He spills his nefarious plot, and it’s even more twisted than anyone could’ve imagined! He stole dragon eggs long ago. And the dragons that hatched he subverted them to “his” will by using his people and then Ruin and Carnage. The Queen tells Donavyn that the king is old (lol) and is going to have an unfortunate “accident” and die. She’ll take over, and usher in new reform for the kingdom and Furyknights. Women can now become Furyknights, and the dragons will not be subjects to the crown, they are free. She asks Donavyn to remain as her loyal royal advisor. Donavyn after getting her promise for real reform, agrees. Donavyn and Bren marry (I mean they are already Mates, but hey, let’s party) and the queen gives them a week long honeymoon, and gifts them her dead husband’s hunting lodge. While on their honeymoon their dragons tell them they need some alone time too…Arkhane is going to LAY AN EGG! Whooppppeeee!!! The dragons tell them that one day Donavyn and Bren will also have a child.

Whew, what an exhilarating ride!!!

**THOUGHTS/OPINIONS**

I LOVE THIS SERIES! It’s so much fun!!!! I adore dragon rider books, especially female dragon rider books. Bren is such an awesome character! Fragile, wounded, yet so strong, resilient, such a survivor. She grows sooooo much in these books, she is able to take on her tormenter in this last installment, she can take him on KNOWING HER WORTH!!! She is no longer afraid, and haunted by the memories of what Ruin did to her. She is a Furyknight, and beloved by General Donavyn!!! Donavyn is just…gahhhhh….he’s like my ultimate book boyfriend, lol! Where do I find a loyal, unwavering, kind, strong, and handsome dragon rider general, sign me up, please, lol! Together they are unstoppable!!! Both of them have to face their demons, and although they are mated, they need to learn to trust one another implicitly, and trust their dragons implicitly. The court intrigue is great, and the evil characters are suitably heinous!!! I’d say the traitor was a little obvious…I mean, I knew it was the king pretty early on. However, how deeply the corruption went was well spun by the author, and definitely not only kept the reader on edge, but pulled out some surprises!!! This book has everything you need for a great dragon rider romance fantasy!!! It’ll stay with you long after the last page has been read!!!! I’m so glad I stumbled upon this gem of a series!!! Here’s hoping that we’ll get further Bren and Donavyn novellas in the future, or bonus content! I’d LOVE to meet Arkhane and Kgoski’s dragonlet, and I’d adore seeing Bren pregnant, and meet her child with her beloved mate, Donavyn!!!

[Hallie Vander Dussen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly it finished fine. The story line was better in this one but I feel like there were a lot of loose ends that did not get tied and I was left wondering. It felt like the author wrote characters for a certain reason but then never finished why she wrote about them or the reason they were even there other than a filler. Probably to get me to read her next book but honestly I probably won’t continue the series.

[JoAnna VanDorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m just going to leave one review for all these books

Firstly I absolutely loved this series. But as you can see by other reviews it is a religious dragon book. But I’ve read plenty of paranormal books where their talk about Gods and Deities. But apparently religion triggers people. So if you are one of those maybe you should skip. But if you actually have an open mind the. Definitely give this series a try.

Bren’s past when we hear the whole story is absolutely heartbreaking. She was used and abused by multiple people.

But Donavyn and the dragons showed her how absolutely amazing and strong she is.

Spice is probably a single pepper

[McKenna Maino · Rating 1 out of 5]

They really milk the characters traumatic experience and it was ALL the last book was about and bleeding into this one…. I don’t think it is worth reading.

[Paula Mnd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, honest review: although it is supposedly a duology, let's call a cat a cat, and say it actually is a 4-book series. And it is an OK-series, not excellent; the plot is nice, but there is a LOT of vanilla spice, the training is never really explained, we don't get to actually see what she is learning, it raises too much questions about her development, how she got there, the effort that was put on her training, and also the basics for a dragonriders academy, like combat training, flight training, blades, strategy, battle/war history... what is she really doing there? The second book is so full vanilla spice and has almost zero plot, MMC completely lost his appeal, becoming some sort of needy puppy instead of the grounded man on book 1, MFC got uninteresting, and don't get me started on the dragons... you get to the third book and you just keep going on hopes it gets better, and it does!... on the LAST chapter. You start book 4 and yay! Finally we got some action! So, apparently she train in the previous books, more than it was talked about. Ruin and thicks the plot, it gives MFC the opportunity to face her fears and also shakes the story, and tests the new resolutions from MMC.

The book still has of vanilla spice, at this point I seriously can't take it anymore, it brings nothing to the plot. But around 50% into the book, there action, and it is fast paced ! The plot just appeared, we get a small thrill, we have mistery, and around 70% in, I just could not put the book down! All in all, it is an ok book, but nowhere near Sarah J Maas or Rebecca Yarros.

[lula anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

somewhat repetitive but good.

This book was very Trauma informed, and I wish all men were like the MMC. That being said this book could be very triggering to SA victims. It also started to feel rather repetitive. This was a nice ending to the series.


TW: frequent grape flashbacks of MC with PTSD and gaslighting

2 🌶️

* please disregard grammatical errors due to accessible voice texting. Thanks.

[SilentSpectra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid Finish

I really enjoyed this series and the characters were so distinct and memorable. I have mixed feeling about staying to help the Queen and wonder if Benji will be a future enemy. Some parts dragged like I was watching an extra long "life lesson" scene at the end of a Full House episode and was mentally waving my hand in a, "yeah, yeah, we get it. Let's move this along," way.

[Kristin Koerten · Rating 4 out of 5]

All questions are FINALLY answered!! A lot of anticipation through most of the book made it faster paced than the others, which I enjoyed. Loved the several epilogues and the whisper of what’s to come for the dragons and their bonded.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

So happy to see the depth and growth of the characters. A few twists I didn’t see coming!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠️

This is the fourth and final book in the Emberquell Academy series and continues Bren and Donavyn’s story.

And this book wastes absolutely no time.

It picks up immediately where Shadowborne: Fang ends and is action-packed from the very first chapter. This is where the mysteries and hints from the previous three books finally start coming together.

The dragons.

The mole.

The impending war.

The corruption.

Ruin.

Everything has been leading to this book.

The Story

Bren and Donavyn are still undercover in Fyrehold, investigating the suspicious military activity and trying to uncover who is behind the impending war.

But their investigation quickly becomes much bigger.

The mystery surrounding the dragons finally begins to unravel. We learn why dragons aren’t reproducing in other kingdoms, why there are problems with eggs in their own kingdom, and why hundreds of dragons—including wild dragons—have gathered in one location.

There are assassination plots, coded spy messages, hidden alliances, enslaved dragons, and multiple layers of betrayal.

And finally, we learn the identity of the mole.

But the corruption goes much deeper than one Furyknight.

The king of Vosgaarde has secretly been working toward creating an army of enslaved dragons—dragons raised from birth to fear humans and obey commands without riders. His plan is to use them as weapons to conquer Fyrehold, Sierral, Draventhall, and eventually Ashthorn.

There is also an assassination plot targeting Donavyn and Kgosi, with Bren and Akhane intended to be eliminated as well. Thankfully, the plot is uncovered before it can fully happen, giving them time to reach the queen, expose what is happening, and stop the larger plan.

The enslaved dragons are finally given a choice, Ruin and Carnage are dealt with, and a war that could have spread across multiple kingdoms is stopped.

The plot in this book is HEAVY, but it finally answers so many of the questions that have been building throughout the series.

FMC: Bren

This is the book where I finally felt like Bren truly stepped into herself.

Her entire story has revolved around healing from trauma, learning to trust, and believing she deserves the life she’s built.

Does she still have moments where she recoils?

Absolutely.

But she’s different now.

Facing Ruin forces Bren to confront one of the darkest pieces of her past, and instead of allowing him to control the narrative, she finally puts him in his place.

Watching the dragons judge Ruin was incredibly satisfying.

Bren has spent so much of this series questioning herself because of what happened to her. In this book, she finally begins separating who she is from what was done to her.

She’s a Furyknight.

She’s a Shadowfang.

She’s Donavyn’s mate.

But more importantly, she’s Bren.

And she finally seems to believe that’s enough.

MMC: Donavyn

Donavyn is still one of the most genuinely honorable MMCs I’ve read.

He’s loyal.

He’s a man of his word.

He loves deeply.

And he is completely, undeniably all in when it comes to Bren.

He still struggles with her role as a spy. Watching men flirt with her, touch her arm, or get too close to her absolutely drives him insane.

But he grows in this book too.

Donavyn finally recognizes that some of his anger surrounding Bren’s trauma and Ruin has become about his own guilt and need for revenge. Ruin was once his protégé and someone the king heavily favored, and Donavyn struggles with the fact that he ignored his own instincts about him.

Eventually, he realizes that his anger cannot become another weight Bren has to carry.

That growth was important for him.

Bren and Donavyn are also able to be more open about their relationship while undercover because they’re pretending to be a couple—which obviously isn’t much of an act.

Their bond continues to deepen, and their physical connection remains a huge part of how they communicate and soothe one another.

Yes, this book is spicy.

Very spicy.

But their intimacy has always been connected to their bond, trust, and emotional connection. They truly love each other, and both of them would sacrifice almost anything for the other—and for their dragons.

The Dragons

The dragons are HUGE characters in this book.

Kgosi and Akhane are no longer simply dragons bonded to Bren and Donavyn. Their roles become much bigger as the truth about the kingdoms and the treatment of dragons comes to light.

Kgosi ultimately makes it clear that he will no longer blindly serve a human crown.

He stays with Donavyn because he chooses Donavyn.

The dragons do not belong to the kingdom.

The kingdom does not command them.

That completely changes the future of the Furyknights.

Furyknights are given a choice about whether they want to continue serving. Dragons are given a choice. And being chosen by a dragon no longer means someone is automatically forced into becoming a Furyknight.

The entire system begins shifting toward choice instead of obligation.

Even the Shadowfangs remain because their purpose has always been to protect the people—not blindly serve the crown.

The relationship between humans and dragons is fundamentally changing.

And after everything uncovered in this book, it needed to.

Justice Is Served

This book finally delivers answers and consequences.

Ruin is judged by the dragons.

Carnage, Ruin’s dragon, is exposed for his role in what has been happening and ultimately faces Kgosi.

The king’s plans are exposed.

And when Queen Diane learns the truth about what her husband has been doing—including his plans for the dragons and the kingdoms—she takes control.

She becomes queen and begins changing the way Vosgaarde operates.

The dragons make it very clear that their loyalty is no longer guaranteed.

They will protect the people.

They will work with the crown.

But they will never blindly serve a ruler again.

That Ending 😭

There are three epilogue sections, which I LOVED because after four books, I wanted more than a quick ending.

We get to see what happens in the weeks following everything.

We get the wedding.

Bren and Donavyn finally get married.

And then we learn that Kgosi and Akhane are going to have an egg.

But the final scene absolutely got me.

Throughout the series, Donavyn has wanted a family. He loves Bren completely, but there’s always been this quiet acceptance that certain pieces of the life he once imagined may never happen.

As Kgosi and Akhane prepare for their egg, Kgosi tells Donavyn that his day will come too.

One day, he and Bren will have a hatchling of their own.

😭😭😭

Watching Donavyn realize that the future he quietly wanted may actually be waiting for him was the PERFECT way to end their story.

And when he tells Bren?

She laughs.

She cries.

She sobs.

After everything they’ve been through, their story ends with hope.

What I Loved

• Bren finally stepping into her confidence
• Bren confronting her trauma
• Donavyn recognizing his own guilt and anger
• The mystery surrounding the dragons finally being solved
• The heavy spy plot and coded messages
• The reveals surrounding the mole and corruption
• The dragons becoming major characters in the story
• Justice finally being served
• The changing relationship between dragons and Furyknights
• The three-part epilogue
• Bren and Donavyn’s wedding
• Kgosi and Akhane’s egg
• That final conversation between Donavyn and Kgosi 😭

Overall Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book and this series.

Shadowborne: Reckoning felt like the payoff for everything that had been building throughout the first three books. The dragon mystery, the impending war, the corruption, Bren’s trauma, and Donavyn’s struggle with revenge all finally come together.

This book is much more plot-heavy and action-packed, but Bren and Donavyn’s relationship is still at the heart of the story.

What I loved most about the series as a whole is watching Bren heal. Her trauma doesn’t magically disappear, and she still has moments where she struggles, but by the end, she is no longer allowing her past to decide who she gets to become.

And Donavyn?

That man is all in.

Their relationship is intense, emotional, physical, and deeply connected through their bond and their dragons.

The three epilogues gave me the closure I wanted, and the final scene with Donavyn and Kgosi was such a beautiful way to finish their story.

I would absolutely read this series again.

And now I’m very curious about Ashborne because there are definitely some hints surrounding Volski and Grace that make me think their story is only beginning.

⸻

Quick Breakdown:

✨ Romance: 4/5
🌶️ Spice: 4/5
🐉 Tropes: Dragon riders • Mated bond • Touch her and die • Spies • Hidden corruption • Protective MMC
😭 Emotional Level: High
💔 Themes: Trauma • Healing • Trust • Revenge • Justice • Choice • Loyalty • Freedom • Found family
⚔️ Plot: Heavy / Action-Packed
📚 Ending: HEA • Wedding • Three-Part Epilogue • Completed Main Story

[Holli Jackowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5/5)

There’s a version of this series that could have been exceptional — and Shadowborne Reckoning comes closer to that version than any installment before it. This final book gets a lot right, and for long stretches it delivers on the promise that has been quietly accumulating since book one. But it also arrives with the same unresolved structural problems that have quietly undermined the series from the start, and in a finale, unresolved problems are harder to overlook.

Let’s start with what works, because it genuinely does. Bren is, and has always been, the strongest element of this series — and this book finally gives her the stage she’s earned. She rises into herself here. The training, the trauma, the trust rebuilt piece by piece by the people who claimed her as their own — it all converges in a protagonist who has learned to listen to her instincts and act on them. Watching her trust her gut and be right is the kind of payoff that a four-book arc can justify. She is not rescued. She is not sidelined. She is the key. That’s the story this series should always have been telling, and it’s gratifying to see it commit to that in the end.

Donavyn’s arc is also meaningfully stronger here than in previous installments. The series finally asks him to reckon with the difference between righteous vengeance and wounded pride, and the answer he arrives at — however hard-won — feels earned rather than convenient. The found family beats land with real warmth. When her brothers arrive and stake their claim on Bren in front of the very man who tried to unmake her, it’s a quiet triumph that doesn’t need to announce itself.

The series-long plot thread — the one seeded in book one and carefully tended across every installment — pays off in a way that rewards patient readers. This is how you build a series arc: you plant, you tend, you don’t abandon the thread when it becomes inconvenient. The reveal of where the true threat has been living all along is genuinely satisfying, and the final confrontation gives Bren exactly the role she deserves in resolving it.

Where the book falls short — where the series ultimately falls short — is in two areas that have never quite been solved. The first is the theology. Shadowborne has always carried a strong religious undercurrent, and while this installment pulls it back somewhat from the more overt moments of earlier books, it never fully integrates faith into the fabric of the world in a way that feels native rather than imported. There’s a meaningful difference between a fantasy with spiritual depth and a fantasy with a theological agenda, and this series too often tips toward the latter. The bones of something more elegant were always here — the dragons themselves, with their fixed moral compass and their relationship to humanity, could have carried that weight organically. They could have been the divine. Instead, the Creator and his plan sit alongside the world-building rather than within it, and the seams show.

The second is the ending. The hard-earned female victory at the heart of this conclusion — the Queen’s network, Brennan’s vindication, the dismantling of a system built to keep them small — deserves to be felt fully. Instead, the epilogue rushes toward resolution in a way that softens the impact of what these women actually accomplished. A triumphant ending is not the same as a felt ending. We needed more space to stand in what was won.

This series has always had the bones of something great. Reckoning confirms that, even as it reminds us of the ways it never quite became what it could have been.

For readers who love a heroine-led romantasy with genuine series architecture — go in knowing the theological undercurrent is present throughout, and you’ll find a protagonist worth the full four books.

[JoyceLynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story wrapped up exactly how it needed to 👏🏼 The twists and plot reveals may not have completely shocked me, but the WAY everything unraveled?? Absolute perfection. Every detail hit exactly the way it was supposed to and had me glued from beginning to end 😩🔥

Breeennn babygirl 🥺 I am SO proud of you. I questioned your growth in the beginning, I’m not even gonna lie, but watching you finally face your fears and take your power back had my chest TIGHT. Your trauma was dark, painful, and genuinely heartbreaking, but the woman you became by the end?? Yeah, that growth was BEAUTIFUL. You fought through every scar life handed you and came out stronger, softer, wiser… I applauded every second of it 🖤

Now DONAVYNNNNN 😮‍💨 sirrrrrr… my man, my man, MY MAN. The way you stood ten toes down for Bren the entire time??? Your patience, your obsession, your protectiveness, your love — all of it was intense, unapologetic, and downright breathtaking. THAT is how you love a woman with trauma. Had me over here side-eyeing my own man like “you lucky this fictional because whewwww” 🤨😂

And the SPICEEEEE??? BABYYYY 🌊🌊 Niagara Falls, okay?! Every scene was giving heat, tension, passion, and obsession in the BEST way possible 🥵🔥 Y’all chemistry was insane and I ate up every single crumb.

The ending was PERFECT. Everything came full circle beautifully, and if another book comes from this world?? Just know I will be seated immediately 👏🏼 This series truly had EVERYTHING — pain, healing, suspense, love, obsession, spice, loyalty, heartbreak, and redemption. Completely captivating from all angles.

A DEFINITE must-read 5/5⭐️

📚✨

[lorelibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a really satisfying conclusion to the series. One thing I especially appreciated was how trauma-informed the story felt. The characters' experiences and reactions were handled with care, which made their journeys feel authentic and impactful.

Watching Bren and Akhane finally get their revenge was blissful, and Ruin deserved every bit of what was coming to him. Benji was also a standout character for me. Despite being so young, he was incredibly intelligent and resourceful, and I found myself loving every scene he was in.

The action in this book absolutely soared. Once I started reading, I could hardly put it down because there was always something happening to keep me invested. While I don't think the writing itself was phenomenal, and the pacing occasionally felt uneven, the plot was genuinely strong and compelling enough to carry the story.

I also liked Hansen's character, although I was disappointed that we never really learned what happened to him. It felt like his storyline was largely dropped and never properly addressed.

One of the book's greatest strengths was finally answering the many questions that had been building throughout the series. I also found myself really feeling for Diian in this installment. In the earlier books, she often comes across as a conniving woman obsessed with Donayvn, but by the end of this book I had a much deeper understanding of her motivations and grew to genuinely like her character.

Overall, despite some flaws in the writing and pacing, it delivered an engaging plot, satisfying character arcs, and an emotionally rewarding conclusion.

[Jasmyn Grier · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are happy tears.

What a beautiful adventure in love and journey of self worth. Well I personally love Karma and and the aspect of Vengeance, seeing Bren forgive for the sake of her own happiness and leaving the rest to a higher power was very moving. I have always believed those who have been burned are touched by their past and usually show it. I don't normally see inner strength that retains such gentleness. To see Bren grow through through love and find her own self worth was incredibly powerful and truly opened my eyes to a new form of strength. I've read other books by this Author and have always favored the more jaded "anti hero" but Bren is a character whose story I could read again and again for years! 5 stars for a truly powerful and moving telling of love and the true definition of Powerful Females! And Kgosi may just remain the character I agreed with the most. Well done Aimee well done.

[Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨”Only love and honor in action-the experience of real truth, can truly mend a wound." ✨

2.75/5 🌟 2/5 🌶️

🐉 Dragon riders
⚔️ Court politics
🐉 Betrayal
⚔️ Slow burn / Age gap

⚠️ PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS

🖤 : I am happy the story wrapped up well. I was really reluctant going into this book because the previous one was a little too religious. This time it wasn’t the sole focus. There was a lot of political intrigue and flushing out of characters. The story ended very well.

📚 : Bren is the first female to attain the coveted rank of Furyknight—the legendary society of men chosen and bonded by dragons, and trained for war. Bren throws herself into her new duties, only to discover that the Furyknights also hide secrets under their wings. As Bren fights to prove her worth as a spy, her past emerges to ignite a white-hot fire. Will she survive them or be burnt?

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me in absolutely all of my feels.
There were so many plot twists that I did not seem to coming. Bren has finally found where she belongs and she's owning it. Donavyn is trusting her more and more and a spy. He is facing his own demons in this book. His bond with Kgosi is so strong and true and he challenges him to face his demons WITH his mate Bren.
Akhane is growing in her place as Kgosi the Primarch's mate, and also in her bond with Bren. She is a blessed support for both her mate and bonded rider.
So much evil is faced and the theme of
"something being taken against your will" prevails on so many levels in this series and so much in this book.
There's so much tension and conflict and it was fantastic! Loved the ending!

[Devon Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed book 4! I still have a few questions..

What happened to Grace? Is Benji ok and just living his life as our Lionheart? I NEED to know why Voski was unsettled.

I'm so glad that Bren finally got that closure she needed for her trauma! But also.. I wish we would've been able to see more of her coming to terms w the fact that she had a miscarriage and how Akhane was able to heal her?

Anyhow! Good book!! I read this one super fast too, I will say the spice was a tad annoying, but again easily skippable. I did LOVE the intimacy between Donavyn and Bren when she was shaken and that instead of having sex while feeling big emotions she took the time (and he let her) to process those big emotions and simply held her through it.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Beautiful Ending

A fantastic series with a beautiful ending! No cliffhangers and no obvious or frustrating set up for a spin off series, although it is hinted.

Bren’s growth throughout the series is realistic in the struggle and her self doubt. Donavyn is a little too perfect in his devotion to her, but I enjoyed his character and I can appreciate that he needed to be rock steady to allow our FMC to grow.

Although I was aware of the trigger warnings at the beginning of the series, the despair that was written into the pages of Bren’s experience cut a lot deeper and was so realistic, that I found myself really struggling to continue (in a good way). I applaud the author for handling the topic with care.

[Desirae Sanko · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of Fourth Wing and…. The Bible?
The number of times God was mentioned, prayed to, or given control of the plot was a bit much. The creator at this point should’ve been where the author writes their name.
Anyway
Bren and Donavyn, along with their merry band of misfits, Voski, Benji, the dragons, and even the queen, solve the mystery of the evil king and Ruin- who gets burned alive while Kgosi literally explodes the head off his dragon Carnage.

The action stayed interesting and Bren’s growth was satisfying. I wish Grace made another entrance. But
Most things were tied up.
My guess is she will create a story for Benji and Voski probably has a bond with Grace.
Probably won’t read though.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review on both books and this one alone

I really feel like Shadownborne could have easily been one book. Remove the indecisive fluff from boom 3 and paragraphs long flashbacks from both books and the plot arc would have made a great story. I really did enjoy the conclusion to this story from the plot arc perspective. I will say that Bren continuing to try and fist fight the bad guy after making her name in capture the flag as a strategist and even acknowledging that she could night fight a grown man felt like a step backwards for her.

Donovan also really ready like a women at times, because man does he like to talk about feelings.

[Barbara Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the storyline, but author needs an editor

I don't believe I've ever come across longer sex scenes. One sex scene should not take up multiple chapters. The story was very long-winded. She genuinely could have shrunk it down to two books, added more chapters development (especially with side characters) if she just learned to be succinct, not to repeat herself, and omit unnecessary flashbacks. The characters in this particular book were poorly written, and the action was not great. The series just went downhill each book, as if the author became less and less interested in it herself.

[Robin R Finch · Rating 3 out of 5]

And the end

There are still so many unanswered questions that I have about so many of these characters that it leaves me frustrated. The world building was okay. Could it have been done better? Yes, yes there could have been more. Character development? That too could have been more. What I read felt like a third of fourth draft that could have been expanded on. This could have easily been a much longer series, or a trilogy if some of the superficial stuff had been removed. I gave each book a 3 star rating primarily because I just never felt as though the author was giving us a complete storyline.

[Jaunice A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank You

I thoroughly enjoyed this entire series. It's not often the culminating book in the series exceed expectation. Before did that and then. Only forgot about Ruin and the way he was introduced in the story had me binge reading and losing sleep. Great work with all the characters and their development. I hope to see what Benji gets up to. This was a dynamic series and I am looking forward to seeing this on the big screen(hint...hint). Just as long as they don't ruin the storyline, and select the wrong actors to portray the characters. All I all, thank you for this culminating ending loved every minute of it.

[C G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Redeemed in the 4th book

After a dull second book I almost couldn't bring myself to read the 3rd. But I am who I am and didn't want to leave a series unfinished. The 3rd book has way too much "god" references for my liking mixed with the romance portion but in the end of the 3rd I was interested again. The 4th carried on the god and rape recovery themes but overall was better than the 2nd or 3rd. There was some actual story. Some of that just kinda got lost towards the end but...still readable. Just a meh overall. Kills time, probably better choices.

[Yvonne Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victory

A very satisfying ending to My favorite couples, Bren and Donavyn and Khoi and Arkham’s our very interesting and intelligent dragons
The banter between Khoi and Danavyn brought some levity to the story
I enjoyed these books so much, read straight through because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next
There was so much action, suspense and romance throughout all the books
Aimee kept us in suspense and trying to figure out who was the true villain
Great job Aimee and I am looking forward to a book about Benji and some of the other characters in the stories

[Sharon Hendrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great finish!

Once again the action picks up where the previous book ended and never stopped. Trying to make sense of the dragon situation is hard enough and now you have the added pressure of finding out why Ruin has unexpectedly arrived. Plus figuring out how he is connected to the rumored herds of wild dragons supposedly owned by the suspicious Lord.
The amount of betrayal and those involved were staggering to Donavyn and Bren.
This was a riveting finish to a great series!

[SZM · Rating 5 out of 5]

yeah it deserves the 5 star this time

Queen this was a great way to finish this part of the series but I NEED Voski and Benji’s books RIGHT NOW. I really love how this book bleeds into their character and souls from the first book and ties all loose ends in their story. I felt compelled to read this book in one sitting and it truly deserves a five star ending! This book was also a master class on how to trust the creator with everything in your life, bless it be!

[Courtney Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

obsessed with the story!

This story has come the closest to my fourth wing tier standards. I honestly can’t decide which one I like more. I LOVE the forbidden romance and he’s her commander. I LOVE how much he’s obsessed with her and the spice content Aimee provides in unmatched! In so sad for Donavyn and Bren’s story to come to an end but I’m so happy I was here for the ride!

[Taylor Pagliaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good conclusion to this series. Beautifully written with little additions that could lead to spin off series. Some subjects some do in series would be women's vs men's roles and religion; and while Aimee did those but they were in such a lighter, less abrasive way that was refreshing. Intrigue combined with dragons and a mate bond made for a lovely series! I would recommend this to anyone and everyone and will continue to read anything that Aimee writes in the future!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings

When the last book finished I was in fear, terror. I don't want to feel that. It unsettled me. I found this full of pace & secrets & plot. Sometimes the scenes are a bit long & repetitive. I didn't like the Ruin scenes & the rape depiction & found triggering. I'm not sure I would read this author again even though I completed the 4 books. I was hooked on the story though & wanted to see how it would end. Still some things unanswered though.