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The Sundering Duet #1
Defy the Dusk
Not yet published
Expected 3 Nov 26When darkness means certain death and survival depends on reaching the dawn, the woman whose magic broke the world will carve another path: defy the dusk. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom comes the first book in a gritty post-apocalyptic fantasy duology.
In the Sundered world, there are two options: Ride the dawn, or face what rises in the night.
Twenty years ago, Lirien’s magic fractured the world and unleashed nocturnal creatures that brought civilization to its knees. Amidst the carnage came salvation: The most powerful survivors were invited to board Dawnrider, a high-speed rig that would deliver those aboard into a new era.
The rest of humanity was left to die.
Instead, a king rose from the darkness to lead them.
In the years since, Lirien has dedicated her magic to Dawnrider while secretly plotting to overthrow the tyrant who rules the rig with an iron fist. But just as Lirien is ready to strike against him, she is violently abducted by Vox—the king of the feralists.
The mercurial Vox gives her two choices: Fight the creatures that hunt the night or be fed to them. Lirien agrees to join his ranks, but embarks on a strategy of seduction that will return her to Dawnrider.
Yet as Vox pushes the limits of her magic, Lirien begins to question whether defying the dusk is the true path to salvation. Intoxicated by both Vox and his war against the night, Lirien must decide where her loyalties truly lie—and how far she’s willing to go for redemption.
In the Sundered world, there are two options: Ride the dawn, or face what rises in the night.
Twenty years ago, Lirien’s magic fractured the world and unleashed nocturnal creatures that brought civilization to its knees. Amidst the carnage came salvation: The most powerful survivors were invited to board Dawnrider, a high-speed rig that would deliver those aboard into a new era.
The rest of humanity was left to die.
Instead, a king rose from the darkness to lead them.
In the years since, Lirien has dedicated her magic to Dawnrider while secretly plotting to overthrow the tyrant who rules the rig with an iron fist. But just as Lirien is ready to strike against him, she is violently abducted by Vox—the king of the feralists.
The mercurial Vox gives her two choices: Fight the creatures that hunt the night or be fed to them. Lirien agrees to join his ranks, but embarks on a strategy of seduction that will return her to Dawnrider.
Yet as Vox pushes the limits of her magic, Lirien begins to question whether defying the dusk is the true path to salvation. Intoxicated by both Vox and his war against the night, Lirien must decide where her loyalties truly lie—and how far she’s willing to go for redemption.
672 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication November 3, 2026
About the author
Danielle L. Jensen
31 books22.1k followersJoin Danielle's mailing list for exclusive content, giveaways, and new release alerts: https://danielleljensen.com/newslette...
Danielle L. Jensen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Fate Inked in Blood, A Curse Carved in Bone, and the Bridge Kingdom, Dark Shores, and Malediction series. Her novels are published internationally in twenty-one languages. She lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her family and guinea pigs.
Danielle L. Jensen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Fate Inked in Blood, A Curse Carved in Bone, and the Bridge Kingdom, Dark Shores, and Malediction series. Her novels are published internationally in twenty-one languages. She lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her family and guinea pigs.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Want to Read
April 10, 2026What is she putting in her covers?!? I'm obsessed with every single one of them! Also, a dystopian duet by DLJ?! I'm ready 😋
Read
March 23, 2026From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom comes the first book of a gritty post-apocalyptic fantasy duology.
Check out the teaser!! https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWOzPP...
Check out the teaser!! https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWOzPP...
Read
April 9, 2026So first of all--I would survive approximately 2.5 seconds in this world. Holy crap. I saw someone describe this as Snow Piercer meets Mad Max and that feels pretty accurate...but also with magic! And forbidden romance! And man-eating monsters that come out at night!
Here's my official blurb:
A thrilling new dystopian romantasy set in an absolutely brutal world where monsters rule the night, and the only way to survive is to outrun them. Between the non-stop action and the angsty, forbidden romance, I *had* to keep turning the page. And the ending?! Shocking!! I will be counting down the days until I can read the sequel.
Here's my official blurb:
A thrilling new dystopian romantasy set in an absolutely brutal world where monsters rule the night, and the only way to survive is to outrun them. Between the non-stop action and the angsty, forbidden romance, I *had* to keep turning the page. And the ending?! Shocking!! I will be counting down the days until I can read the sequel.
Want to Read
April 13, 2026── ᝰ .ᐟ pre-read.
NO BC THIS COVER IS EATING!!! MOTHER IS SO BACK
NO BC THIS COVER IS EATING!!! MOTHER IS SO BACK
future-releases
August 1, 2025An announcement for a new series by Danielle L Jensen was EXACTLY what I needed
Want to Read
March 30, 2026I’ve been on a massive dystopian kick so I fear I will EAT THIS UP ⚡️
Want to Read
April 7, 2026Well hello there... 😏
✅ Danielle L.Jensen
✅ Gorgeous cover
✅ Dystopian duet
Count me in. 🤩
✅ Danielle L.Jensen
✅ Gorgeous cover
✅ Dystopian duet
Count me in. 🤩
May 5, 2026
I honestly don’t know how to start off this review except for the fact that I’m incredibly honored to be the first to read and write a review for this absolute masterpiece. I am a huge fan of Danielle Jensen’s work, and Defy the Dusk is like a darker, twisted and more magical version of Bridge Kingdom but still has the same amazing writing we know and love. If you like plot and world heavy exposition, dystopian landscapes, torn allegiances with betrayal and secrets, an age gap romance you can’t help but root for, then you are going to be thrilled reading Defy the Dusk.
𝐀 𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐧.
Book Blurb: Lirien Flintspire broke the world twenty years ago when her magic manifested and in doing so woke an ancient creature called the Strax, that multiply quickly and consume everything in their path. The only safety is following the sun, and the Dawnrider is the largest high speed rig, run by a man who thinks all those without magic are a plague to society. Lirien wants to make life better for everyone but is stopped by the King of those they left behind and taken hostage. Forced to play by his rules, she will need to fight the strax by his side or become their dinner. Will she take up the cause and forget her own, and what does it mean to be redeemed?
“𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞, 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞. 𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝.”
The world building in this book is extremely rich and I loved how it’s a dystopian that’s set twenty years after “the event” not hundreds of years later. It gives a rich amount of texture of those who remember the “before” and those who can only remember the “after” and how that affects their relationships with different characters. The politics of the old world still very much shape this current world with a battle between the Nulls (no magic) and the Elemars (those with magical capabilities), where those with magic have an advantage against the Nulls. However, in this new world with the majority of Elemars located on the Dawnsrider, those that are left have to work with the Null born in order to survive. All of this old world x new world juxtaposition works together to create a rich and detailed story that is given in a way that flows with the story instead of a brick of text to work through.
“𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. “𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫.”
All of the characters felt fully fleshed out, with dynamic pasts and stories about their lives before and after and watching them work through their grief, especially when they have been directing it towards Lirien for the past twenty years. Creating a Found Family dynamic is always a balancing act of making it feel organic and not forced but there is an extra oomph in making them bitter enemies with loss of loved ones on both sides, and then still being able to bring them together in a way that doesn’t feel forced. Danielle Jensen walked that tight rope with ease and that definitely shows in the book.
“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐱𝐢 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐮𝐧, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐞.”
This is a high stakes, dystopian fantasy world, with very dark undertones of breeding programs, slavery, death and brutality…..of course the romance is still going to be present if not the main plot. And the amount of times I wanted to scream “AND THEN KISS”, well trust in Danielle Jensen’s vision because she picks her moments well in this one. With the amount of forbidden romance, age gap, forced proximity, jealousy, slow burn, and “what will I give to have you” by both sides, this is a romance for the ages and it’s filled with so much angst you could call it a hormonal teenager. I ate it up and I can’t wait for everyone else to feast on it as well!!
“𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞, 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐦.”
If you like:
🌕 Dark Dystopian Fantasy
🌖 Slow Burn Romance with an Age Gap
🌗 Forced Proximity
🌘 Forbidden Romance
🌑 Secrets and Betrayal
🌒 Dangerous Monsters and Men
🌓 What does Redemption Mean?
🌔 A Brutal Cliffhanger
Then you are going to love this one. I will be bereft till I can be back in this world, especially after that ending. Thank you so much to Delrey and Penguin Random House for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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𝐀 𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐧.
Book Blurb: Lirien Flintspire broke the world twenty years ago when her magic manifested and in doing so woke an ancient creature called the Strax, that multiply quickly and consume everything in their path. The only safety is following the sun, and the Dawnrider is the largest high speed rig, run by a man who thinks all those without magic are a plague to society. Lirien wants to make life better for everyone but is stopped by the King of those they left behind and taken hostage. Forced to play by his rules, she will need to fight the strax by his side or become their dinner. Will she take up the cause and forget her own, and what does it mean to be redeemed?
“𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞, 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞. 𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝.”
The world building in this book is extremely rich and I loved how it’s a dystopian that’s set twenty years after “the event” not hundreds of years later. It gives a rich amount of texture of those who remember the “before” and those who can only remember the “after” and how that affects their relationships with different characters. The politics of the old world still very much shape this current world with a battle between the Nulls (no magic) and the Elemars (those with magical capabilities), where those with magic have an advantage against the Nulls. However, in this new world with the majority of Elemars located on the Dawnsrider, those that are left have to work with the Null born in order to survive. All of this old world x new world juxtaposition works together to create a rich and detailed story that is given in a way that flows with the story instead of a brick of text to work through.
“𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. “𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫.”
All of the characters felt fully fleshed out, with dynamic pasts and stories about their lives before and after and watching them work through their grief, especially when they have been directing it towards Lirien for the past twenty years. Creating a Found Family dynamic is always a balancing act of making it feel organic and not forced but there is an extra oomph in making them bitter enemies with loss of loved ones on both sides, and then still being able to bring them together in a way that doesn’t feel forced. Danielle Jensen walked that tight rope with ease and that definitely shows in the book.
“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐱𝐢 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐮𝐧, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐞.”
This is a high stakes, dystopian fantasy world, with very dark undertones of breeding programs, slavery, death and brutality…..of course the romance is still going to be present if not the main plot. And the amount of times I wanted to scream “AND THEN KISS”, well trust in Danielle Jensen’s vision because she picks her moments well in this one. With the amount of forbidden romance, age gap, forced proximity, jealousy, slow burn, and “what will I give to have you” by both sides, this is a romance for the ages and it’s filled with so much angst you could call it a hormonal teenager. I ate it up and I can’t wait for everyone else to feast on it as well!!
“𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞, 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐦.”
If you like:
🌕 Dark Dystopian Fantasy
🌖 Slow Burn Romance with an Age Gap
🌗 Forced Proximity
🌘 Forbidden Romance
🌑 Secrets and Betrayal
🌒 Dangerous Monsters and Men
🌓 What does Redemption Mean?
🌔 A Brutal Cliffhanger
Then you are going to love this one. I will be bereft till I can be back in this world, especially after that ending. Thank you so much to Delrey and Penguin Random House for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
| Insta | Tiktok |
need-this-like-i-need-air
April 25, 2026THE COVER IS GORGGGGG.
BUT HOW THE FVCKKKK AM I SUPPOSED TO WAITTT UNTIL NOV 3 UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
BUT HOW THE FVCKKKK AM I SUPPOSED TO WAITTT UNTIL NOV 3 UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Want to Read
April 14, 2026November 2026
Want to Read
March 24, 2026dystopian is my jam!!!! excited for this
Want to Read
April 6, 2026Danielle L. Jensen does dystopian fantasy?!?! Be still my heart
Review of advance copy received from Author
This book was so different from everything else out there. Such a unique fantasy. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait for book 2.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews