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Unraveled Fate #4
Ignite
War has come
Just as Lunaria begins to open herself up to Graylen, he slips through her fingers-trapped in the darkest corner of the universe with the Goddess of Vengeance while his life hangs in the balance. As war comes to a boiling point, he finds himself unable to fight alongside Lu and trying to hold on to his sanity as long as he can. But forever is a long time to fight.
With the pressure of war bearing down on Penyth, the crown is left grasping at straws. Tasked with a quest to save the trapped souls in the shadow realm, Lunaria is forced to navigate her growing magic, a looming darkness, and places long forgotten.
Even if she's been told she'll bring the kingdom's downfall, she's determined to prove them wrong-and she'll stop at nothing to save them all.
Darkness is winning. Will Lunaria survive it?
Just as Lunaria begins to open herself up to Graylen, he slips through her fingers-trapped in the darkest corner of the universe with the Goddess of Vengeance while his life hangs in the balance. As war comes to a boiling point, he finds himself unable to fight alongside Lu and trying to hold on to his sanity as long as he can. But forever is a long time to fight.
With the pressure of war bearing down on Penyth, the crown is left grasping at straws. Tasked with a quest to save the trapped souls in the shadow realm, Lunaria is forced to navigate her growing magic, a looming darkness, and places long forgotten.
Even if she's been told she'll bring the kingdom's downfall, she's determined to prove them wrong-and she'll stop at nothing to save them all.
Darkness is winning. Will Lunaria survive it?
550 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 30, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
July 30, 2026
Well, we’ve finally reached the second to last book in this series, and all the devils have come out to play. I got some relief from the previous cliffhanger and am now dangling at the edge of a new one, but that’s nothing new.
Lu was just coming to terms with her identity and strength in Illuminance, when her dream of finally belonging were thwarted by her father and even darker forces. Here in Ignite she plans a dangerous rescue mission, and travels back to Crea to in search of a weapon that will hopefully help save both her old home and her new.
This is very much a story with the “chosen one” trope, but Lu is a chosen one who has to work for and wrestle with the cost of her power. Who has to measure its value in defining her and whether it is worth sacrificing for those she loves. I don’t have strong feelings for or against this trope, but I do prefer characters like Lu that aren’t handed everything on a platter.
Her relationship with Graylen finally feels like it has some room to become real. Although they face new challenges through separation and trauma, and painful scars that won’t be forgotten any time soon, there is also vulnerability and acceptance. Cue a sigh of relief, since this was an aspect I didn’t connect with in the previous books.
I love the way the threads from previous books, including Lu’s mother’s story, come together here and contribute to the world building and bigger picture in a way that feels so cohesive. Meddling gods, the darkness that threatens to overwhelm Crea and Penyth, the bonded wyverns, and even a reunion with Lu’s dog (steal my heart), start fitting together like puzzle pieces. And I appreciate that there isn’t necessarily blame on either kingdom, but ultimately an acknowledgment that it is power and greed and misunderstanding that threatens to destroy them rather than a blanket statement that either side is good or evil.
I still have a few minor critiques, although some of these come down to personal preference. There is expansion in the POV’s, including Graylen and Lu’s sister, all in first person. Sometimes I feel like having a first person POV for everyone leads to oversharing of emotions that doesn’t allow me to experience situations as organically, and I’d rather deduce than be told exactly how a character is feeling. Like I said, a very personal preference. Also, sometimes the dialogue between Lu and anyone she disagrees with feels stilted and forced, which was part my problem with her and Graylen in previous books.
There are some aspects I’m reserving opinions on for now, since there is one final book to come. But I’m hoping for an expansion on the gods and one particular goddess, and some resolution for a couple of the characters that felt slightly rushed. Overall, I loved how this book brought the details and characters together, and I’m looking forward to what is in store for them in the finale (I think). Kara knows how to deliver some emotional damage!
Many thanks to Kara for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
Lu was just coming to terms with her identity and strength in Illuminance, when her dream of finally belonging were thwarted by her father and even darker forces. Here in Ignite she plans a dangerous rescue mission, and travels back to Crea to in search of a weapon that will hopefully help save both her old home and her new.
This is very much a story with the “chosen one” trope, but Lu is a chosen one who has to work for and wrestle with the cost of her power. Who has to measure its value in defining her and whether it is worth sacrificing for those she loves. I don’t have strong feelings for or against this trope, but I do prefer characters like Lu that aren’t handed everything on a platter.
Her relationship with Graylen finally feels like it has some room to become real. Although they face new challenges through separation and trauma, and painful scars that won’t be forgotten any time soon, there is also vulnerability and acceptance. Cue a sigh of relief, since this was an aspect I didn’t connect with in the previous books.
I love the way the threads from previous books, including Lu’s mother’s story, come together here and contribute to the world building and bigger picture in a way that feels so cohesive. Meddling gods, the darkness that threatens to overwhelm Crea and Penyth, the bonded wyverns, and even a reunion with Lu’s dog (steal my heart), start fitting together like puzzle pieces. And I appreciate that there isn’t necessarily blame on either kingdom, but ultimately an acknowledgment that it is power and greed and misunderstanding that threatens to destroy them rather than a blanket statement that either side is good or evil.
I still have a few minor critiques, although some of these come down to personal preference. There is expansion in the POV’s, including Graylen and Lu’s sister, all in first person. Sometimes I feel like having a first person POV for everyone leads to oversharing of emotions that doesn’t allow me to experience situations as organically, and I’d rather deduce than be told exactly how a character is feeling. Like I said, a very personal preference. Also, sometimes the dialogue between Lu and anyone she disagrees with feels stilted and forced, which was part my problem with her and Graylen in previous books.
There are some aspects I’m reserving opinions on for now, since there is one final book to come. But I’m hoping for an expansion on the gods and one particular goddess, and some resolution for a couple of the characters that felt slightly rushed. Overall, I loved how this book brought the details and characters together, and I’m looking forward to what is in store for them in the finale (I think). Kara knows how to deliver some emotional damage!
Many thanks to Kara for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
August 12, 2026
“i needed to drown in you so i could breathe again.”
—
holy wow. this was by far my favorite book in the series yet. these books are such a refreshing take on the romantasy genre. while they still have some common and fun tropes, the magic system and world building stood out on its own!
the plot development / world building throughout each book, as well as tying in multiple generations of characters in a simple yet complex way, was written so well. i love all the different creatures and characters and never once felt confused learning about all of them.
i have to mention graylen obviously. this man is moving his way up the book bf list FAST. i genuinely sobbed with what he went through in this book. his trauma was handled with care, and lunaria was able to learn how to be there for him and help him with what he needs.
not only am i obsessed with the romance, but i also adore this found family and side characters. i need the next book to be a thousand pages so we can get everyone’s povs and they all get happily ever after tysm!
the twists and turns in the last 20% had me on the floor. so many plot twists that were done incredibly well, that i never saw coming!
let’s also talk about the potential for a certain couple’s story from last book… i am so very hopeful for them and if it doesn’t go where i think it is… i’ll just cry.
thankfully, this book didn’t have as mean of a cliffhanger as book two, so i am grateful while i wait for the final book. but WOW i need to see how this wraps up asap!
a huge thank you so kara and her team for this e-arc! i can’t believe i waited so long to start this series. ♥︎
“𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒊’𝒅 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒊’𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒎, 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔.”
—
holy wow. this was by far my favorite book in the series yet. these books are such a refreshing take on the romantasy genre. while they still have some common and fun tropes, the magic system and world building stood out on its own!
the plot development / world building throughout each book, as well as tying in multiple generations of characters in a simple yet complex way, was written so well. i love all the different creatures and characters and never once felt confused learning about all of them.
i have to mention graylen obviously. this man is moving his way up the book bf list FAST. i genuinely sobbed with what he went through in this book. his trauma was handled with care, and lunaria was able to learn how to be there for him and help him with what he needs.
not only am i obsessed with the romance, but i also adore this found family and side characters. i need the next book to be a thousand pages so we can get everyone’s povs and they all get happily ever after tysm!
the twists and turns in the last 20% had me on the floor. so many plot twists that were done incredibly well, that i never saw coming!
let’s also talk about the potential for a certain couple’s story from last book… i am so very hopeful for them and if it doesn’t go where i think it is… i’ll just cry.
thankfully, this book didn’t have as mean of a cliffhanger as book two, so i am grateful while i wait for the final book. but WOW i need to see how this wraps up asap!
a huge thank you so kara and her team for this e-arc! i can’t believe i waited so long to start this series. ♥︎
“𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒊’𝒅 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒊’𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒎, 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔.”
July 11, 2026
✨Ignite✨
Welcome to book 4 of Kara’s epic dark romantic fantasy series! A saga that has a SLOW burn, unique magic system, fantastic found family, and Wyverns!!
We begin right where we left off from Book 2’s cliffhanger. Book 3 has provided us with a delightfully painful history and backstory that will highlight this installment wonderfully. We follow 3 POVs and experience increased world building and grow our found family. Enemies become allis. Allis become enemies. We experience major wins and heartbreaking losses. Kara walks us through so many emotions and we feel them all so brightly alongside our MCs, who are each trying to figure out who they’re becoming versus who they used to be. Acceptance. Hope. Persistence. And so many plot twists! You’re not going to want to sleep on this series!
The romance was so relatable and heartfelt. The understanding and gentleness yet also fierce protectiveness between our MCs was just 👩🍳💋. I love love love Greylen so much. And SO MUCH YEARNING to be had. You know what… this book is no longer titled Ignite, it’s now Yearning 101. 🤭 I also really enjoyed Adrian’s arc! By 50%, I didn’t want to put the book down. And the ending was soooo exciting! I’m super stoked for the finale!!
Tropes you may find in Ignite are found family, unique elemental magic, meddling gods, animal companions, bonds, mind speak, 🔥 the world for him/her, touch him/her and ☠️, sloooow burn to low spice, dragon riders, PTSD rep, she washes him, she saves him, female rage, and so much more!
Kara, it’s such a joy to have been on your arc team from the beginning. Thank you for this gifted arc!
Welcome to book 4 of Kara’s epic dark romantic fantasy series! A saga that has a SLOW burn, unique magic system, fantastic found family, and Wyverns!!
We begin right where we left off from Book 2’s cliffhanger. Book 3 has provided us with a delightfully painful history and backstory that will highlight this installment wonderfully. We follow 3 POVs and experience increased world building and grow our found family. Enemies become allis. Allis become enemies. We experience major wins and heartbreaking losses. Kara walks us through so many emotions and we feel them all so brightly alongside our MCs, who are each trying to figure out who they’re becoming versus who they used to be. Acceptance. Hope. Persistence. And so many plot twists! You’re not going to want to sleep on this series!
The romance was so relatable and heartfelt. The understanding and gentleness yet also fierce protectiveness between our MCs was just 👩🍳💋. I love love love Greylen so much. And SO MUCH YEARNING to be had. You know what… this book is no longer titled Ignite, it’s now Yearning 101. 🤭 I also really enjoyed Adrian’s arc! By 50%, I didn’t want to put the book down. And the ending was soooo exciting! I’m super stoked for the finale!!
Tropes you may find in Ignite are found family, unique elemental magic, meddling gods, animal companions, bonds, mind speak, 🔥 the world for him/her, touch him/her and ☠️, sloooow burn to low spice, dragon riders, PTSD rep, she washes him, she saves him, female rage, and so much more!
Kara, it’s such a joy to have been on your arc team from the beginning. Thank you for this gifted arc!
not-right-now
July 28, 2026Sadly I had to DNF this book at around 16%. I simply wasn’t vibing with the plot. I do think is more a me not being in the right mood thing rather than an issue with the book itself. I placed it on my NRN (Not Right Now) folder as I plan to go back to it later on.
All my thanks to the author Kara Douglas for this ARC and the opportunity <3
All my thanks to the author Kara Douglas for this ARC and the opportunity <3
August 21, 2026
Dang this book was not it for me. In preparation for this release I reread the series and it hit just as much as the first time. I was immersed in the world and so excited for the continuation of the story. However, this book gave me nothing that the others had.
I felt myself upset at the lack of character development of literally anyone. But particularly surrounding Adrian. I was begging for some type of growth and insight and understanding from Lunaria. Or even a convo between Adrian and graylen. He literally mentioned in previous books how he missed Adrian and the brotherly bond they formed and to get no resolution to that felt hollow.
I was excited for Graylens POV after Damien’s POV in the last book, but it was so disappointing. He spent most chapters just talking about how much he loved Lunaria. And look I love a little romance but I found that this book had too much with so little substance. Same with Lunaria. Like we get it yall are in love great but apparently a war is breaking out so maybe focus???
the pacing of this book felt off. I can’t quite put my finger on it but by the time I finished it I felt like I had only read a novella rather than a full book. The plot felt empty. It seemed like the richness of book 2 where we got to explore the world along with Lunaria was trying to be brought in by exploring this new area with willow and aster but then fell felt. Barely anything was fully explored in that time other than a weird mistrust amongst the two groups and Lunaria crying over graylen. As I mentioned before the character driven plot that made book 1 and 3 great was also lacking. I can’t really recall any meaningful interaction between any of the characters which really sucks because I love them.
I did love the ending but it just felt like that should have been the middle of the book so we could have built the world out more before this last book. Anyways thanks for reading my Ted talk and all of that to say, I am still excited for and will read the last book.
I felt myself upset at the lack of character development of literally anyone. But particularly surrounding Adrian. I was begging for some type of growth and insight and understanding from Lunaria. Or even a convo between Adrian and graylen. He literally mentioned in previous books how he missed Adrian and the brotherly bond they formed and to get no resolution to that felt hollow.
I was excited for Graylens POV after Damien’s POV in the last book, but it was so disappointing. He spent most chapters just talking about how much he loved Lunaria. And look I love a little romance but I found that this book had too much with so little substance. Same with Lunaria. Like we get it yall are in love great but apparently a war is breaking out so maybe focus???
the pacing of this book felt off. I can’t quite put my finger on it but by the time I finished it I felt like I had only read a novella rather than a full book. The plot felt empty. It seemed like the richness of book 2 where we got to explore the world along with Lunaria was trying to be brought in by exploring this new area with willow and aster but then fell felt. Barely anything was fully explored in that time other than a weird mistrust amongst the two groups and Lunaria crying over graylen. As I mentioned before the character driven plot that made book 1 and 3 great was also lacking. I can’t really recall any meaningful interaction between any of the characters which really sucks because I love them.
I did love the ending but it just felt like that should have been the middle of the book so we could have built the world out more before this last book. Anyways thanks for reading my Ted talk and all of that to say, I am still excited for and will read the last book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Did Not Finish
August 7, 202637% very slow, repetitive not feeling it.
September 22, 2026
“Ignite” was so horrifically bad that I cannot even give it 1⭐️. This entire series has been pretty rough, but “Ignite” was easily the worst.
It is extremely obvious that this series is self-published. (It is immediately apparent; even if I had not known going into the series.) There are so many obvious errors that should have been caught in editing, beta readers, or even ARC readers. Some specific examples:
“Vines surge forth, wrapping around her wrists like cold snakes, and I jerk and cry out, flailing to try to free myself.”
“Her voice is quiet but firm, reminding me a bit of my mother…reminding me of another woman who has hands and a voice as gentle as hers. My mother”
The entire book is filled with rambling, repetitive sentences that frequently say the exact same thing:
“The moment my skin makes contact with it, I see a hazy image slowly roar to life around me…My vision is hazy, like a screen separates me from the room.”
Douglas has no faith in her readers and uses constant repetition and handholding to make up for extremely poor writing. In addition to the repetitiveness of “Ignite”, a lot of time is wasted on nonsense (unnecessary thoughts and descriptions) and not enough on impactful worldbuilding or plot progression. The story itself was hard to follow and did not make a lot of logical sense. The pacing was all over the place due to the previously mentioned issues; only ~100 pages out of the ~500 actually mattered. This book was entirely too long.
Douglas attempted to make the stakes feel incredibly high in “Ignite”. Unfortunately, the subpar writing and worldbuilding left the story feeling over-dramatic with nothing of substance backing it up. I really don’t feel that anything major has progressed from the first book. It has been a while since I read the other books, but I genuinely cannot remember anything of importance, nor did anything super impactful occur in “Ignite”.
Since the pacing was uneven, the timeline of the plot felt odd as well. Lunaria’s separation from Graylen was written to feel like months, but based on how the story progressed in the actual book, I believe it was only days? The amount of time actually spent on their separation/his “torture” was extremely lackluster and the resulting “trauma” felt unnecessary and underdeveloped. This also led to an unsatisfying resolution to his “trauma” and nothing ended up being a “big deal”.
I truly feel that Douglas has lost the plot at this point in the series. I honestly do not rememeber what the end goal is, and “Ignite” did nothing to jog my memory. This entire book felt like a pointless, rambling mess that accomplished nothing in the 500+ pages I had to suffer through. I genuinely don’t know how I am going to force myself to finish this awful series.
It is extremely obvious that this series is self-published. (It is immediately apparent; even if I had not known going into the series.) There are so many obvious errors that should have been caught in editing, beta readers, or even ARC readers. Some specific examples:
“Vines surge forth, wrapping around her wrists like cold snakes, and I jerk and cry out, flailing to try to free myself.”
“Her voice is quiet but firm, reminding me a bit of my mother…reminding me of another woman who has hands and a voice as gentle as hers. My mother”
The entire book is filled with rambling, repetitive sentences that frequently say the exact same thing:
“The moment my skin makes contact with it, I see a hazy image slowly roar to life around me…My vision is hazy, like a screen separates me from the room.”
Douglas has no faith in her readers and uses constant repetition and handholding to make up for extremely poor writing. In addition to the repetitiveness of “Ignite”, a lot of time is wasted on nonsense (unnecessary thoughts and descriptions) and not enough on impactful worldbuilding or plot progression. The story itself was hard to follow and did not make a lot of logical sense. The pacing was all over the place due to the previously mentioned issues; only ~100 pages out of the ~500 actually mattered. This book was entirely too long.
Douglas attempted to make the stakes feel incredibly high in “Ignite”. Unfortunately, the subpar writing and worldbuilding left the story feeling over-dramatic with nothing of substance backing it up. I really don’t feel that anything major has progressed from the first book. It has been a while since I read the other books, but I genuinely cannot remember anything of importance, nor did anything super impactful occur in “Ignite”.
Since the pacing was uneven, the timeline of the plot felt odd as well. Lunaria’s separation from Graylen was written to feel like months, but based on how the story progressed in the actual book, I believe it was only days? The amount of time actually spent on their separation/his “torture” was extremely lackluster and the resulting “trauma” felt unnecessary and underdeveloped. This also led to an unsatisfying resolution to his “trauma” and nothing ended up being a “big deal”.
I truly feel that Douglas has lost the plot at this point in the series. I honestly do not rememeber what the end goal is, and “Ignite” did nothing to jog my memory. This entire book felt like a pointless, rambling mess that accomplished nothing in the 500+ pages I had to suffer through. I genuinely don’t know how I am going to force myself to finish this awful series.
July 9, 2026
Thank you to Kara Douglas for the ebook!
Listen, I need you stop what you are doing and go ahead and pick up Lunaria (the first book in this series) if you have not yet. Ignite is one of the best fantasy books I’ve read. Full stop. And I need you to read it too.
The perfect combination of political warfare, meddling gods, aching tenderness, and emotional devastation. Ignite gave us EVERYTHING! I love Lunaria so much. She is so freaking tough. And don’t even get me started on Graylen Garridon because I’ll never shut up. He is just THAT MAN okay!! He’s my addiction, and I never want to be cured. Never.
The ending was satisfying but left you with so many questions and wanting more. A delicious combination.
Gosh, I loved this book so much. Please, please, please read it!
Listen, I need you stop what you are doing and go ahead and pick up Lunaria (the first book in this series) if you have not yet. Ignite is one of the best fantasy books I’ve read. Full stop. And I need you to read it too.
The perfect combination of political warfare, meddling gods, aching tenderness, and emotional devastation. Ignite gave us EVERYTHING! I love Lunaria so much. She is so freaking tough. And don’t even get me started on Graylen Garridon because I’ll never shut up. He is just THAT MAN okay!! He’s my addiction, and I never want to be cured. Never.
The ending was satisfying but left you with so many questions and wanting more. A delicious combination.
Gosh, I loved this book so much. Please, please, please read it!
July 27, 2026
THIS IS WHY I LOVE READING.
This series feels like it was written for me. The ties to nature, the fem rage, the relentless struggle, the self-doubt… it all feels so deeply personal. I love every complicated character, every place, every creature. Zephyr. Soren. Lyland. Linnick. They have all carved out a permanent place in my heart.
Ignite felt like reading the Aelin and Dorian story I always wanted, but a story like that was always going to hurt and this book was no different.
I cannot rave about The Unravelled Fates enough and NEED to reread the series with the context I have now. The plot twists in Ignite were so unexpected and TRAGIC.
This book, series, world is devastating but also so perfect. Storytelling like this is why I love fantasy.
This series feels like it was written for me. The ties to nature, the fem rage, the relentless struggle, the self-doubt… it all feels so deeply personal. I love every complicated character, every place, every creature. Zephyr. Soren. Lyland. Linnick. They have all carved out a permanent place in my heart.
Ignite felt like reading the Aelin and Dorian story I always wanted, but a story like that was always going to hurt and this book was no different.
I cannot rave about The Unravelled Fates enough and NEED to reread the series with the context I have now. The plot twists in Ignite were so unexpected and TRAGIC.
This book, series, world is devastating but also so perfect. Storytelling like this is why I love fantasy.
July 25, 2026
Kara, ma’am, come here, I just want to talk…..
In all seriousness, Kara’s writing continues to be heartbreakingly beautiful. She will rip your heart apart, but then put it back together, kind of 😂
Seriously devoured this book, Lu and Gray continue to go through it- but their love story is so worth reading. Daimon remains my favorite (I will hear no arguments here), followed closed by Dog and Zeph.
Once again, I cannot wait until the next book- I am unwell but in the best possible way.
In all seriousness, Kara’s writing continues to be heartbreakingly beautiful. She will rip your heart apart, but then put it back together, kind of 😂
Seriously devoured this book, Lu and Gray continue to go through it- but their love story is so worth reading. Daimon remains my favorite (I will hear no arguments here), followed closed by Dog and Zeph.
Once again, I cannot wait until the next book- I am unwell but in the best possible way.
August 5, 2026
Picking up after the events of book 3 this book did NOT disappoint. I feel like I just got off a roller coaster that kept doing loop-de-loops. Fast paced, ever expanding magical world, amazing character. I’m so excited to see what the next book has in store 🫣🤭
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you Kara Douglas for the opportunity to read Ingite.
I must firstly express that Lunaria and Illuminance are recommendations I have given to fellow readers who might be interested in a romantasy story that doesn’t follow the same tropes a lot of the popular books do; the story offers something unique and refreshing. I don’t know how much that opinion stands true after having completed Ignite. I found myself as I was reading taking a couple of issues that I couldn’t simply turn a blind eye to and ignore.
In no particular order:
1. The passage of time - it felt incredibly difficult to follow how long things were taking from the beginning of the book up until the end. I found myself going back to reread or better understand how many days was supposed to have progressed to have gotten to the current plot beat.
2. Additional perspectives/voices - this felt like a two-fold point, where I can see the importance of adding Graylen’s perspective to round out what was happening as well as the progression of time, however his voice (since it is all in first person) did not differentiate from Lunaria’s much. Like, if at all. I had to make it a point to finish a chapter before putting my book down instead of just leaving whatever page I was at because when I would go to pick it up and continue it took a minute for me to register whose perspective I was seeing. In addition to the rise of perspectives, I felt like adding a third was completely unnecessary and it did not feel like any of it added to the overall story. It felt like filler for the sake of having more words on the page in what I would say was already bloated prose. It also suffered from the same fate as sounding exactly the same as Lunaria’s voice. It also would have been nice if Graylen’s whole personality was not just Lunaria. While he was in the Vale being tortured, I understand thoughts of her being what grounded him to endure the living nightmare he was in. But that’s all his thoughts were about. Not even a cursory questioning thought like why does Vidaris even want her, what would she use Lunaria for, what does she have to gain from it, how is that even possible? Nada. Nilch. Nothing.
3. Lunaria - this point hurts because as I said earlier, I do like the first 2 books, I enjoyed seeing Lunaria learn to trust people and open up and learn more about her world. In the first and second books, she felt pretty smart and able to piece things together. In Ignite, however, she felt painfully slow on the uptake of just about everything. The conclusions she held about Adrian which were to fuel her “rage” but the hypocrisy didn’t extend beyond Adrian was glaring, her quick to judge what she thinks she knows about Penyth (again, the passage of time is murky, I feel generous in saying she’s probably been on that side for maybe a month? Two?) and her interactions with her father. A man, for all her knowledge and intent and purposes, is a stranger to her. But she sure is quick to attach her ideas of whether there is any good in him based off an interaction and a half. With that, comes her questionable maturity. She is at least mid-20s age wise yet her petulance is that of a teenager. It reminds me of Bella Swan without the fluctuating hormones to blame. This is a segue into my next point.
4. The writing. A solid 80% of the book suffers from tell-don’t-show syndrome. Is it because modern authors think their readers cannot piece together what is happening, or that we’re too dumb to understand that certain behaviors are going to model whatever the character is feeling? For a book that is supposed to be about female rage, it just felt like a toddler having a tantrum about not getting what they want. There’s glimpses of it, but not enough to really classify it as female rage - rage against the patriarchal systems in place, the injustices occurring, it’s a rage that connects us to women whether family or otherwise. Not Lunaria just stomping around expressing that she’s fucking pissed. That was an overpromised underdelivered aspect. It was more buzzwords than actual weight. Another point in the writing I had to try and get past was the redundancies and this falls into the show-don’t-tell aspect of storytelling. The group of warriors in Kauri, instead of continually repeating to me that they are warriors and they are strong, show me how they are strong, what is it about them that immediately makes even the strangers stand out as someone who might have been a warrior in another life. I had an eyeroll moment where Graylen tells Lunaria that she is, and a quote, “a badass”. I am not a gentle daisy nor a prude, however the use of anarchistic language in a fantasy world is jarring when there has been little to no inclusion of it before. I could deal with the, in my opinion, excessive uses of fuck in its iterations without the badass line. Don’t tell me she’s one, show me she is one!
5. Also from writing, is the claim of it being a Lord of the Rings quest and a sassy wyvern. Neither really happened. I can see how there is an aspect of a quest, but LoTR is a big shoe to try and fit in, and the follow through was just absent. Regarding the sassy wyvern; that felt like there wasn’t much to that self proclaimed concept. A nudge and a couple of tosses does not sassy make. Overall it felt overpromised and underdelivered. I just think those are big comparisons to draw and it’s better to let the work speak for itself. I understand how the marketing of books has changed, but damn if that isn’t an annoying facet of it.
6. A big thorn in the whole story between Graylen and Lunaria is all due to a lack of communication. Not miscommunication, but just the total absence of it. It felt so frustrating for them to toe so close to the line and resolving their own self created problem and they just kept ignoring it, not addressing it, refusing to even delicately bring it up as a possible concern. It felt juvenile, like waiting in a middle school dance for the other person to make the first move. It also does not help, I suppose that both of them have made the other their entire personality. I’ve already touched on my issues with Graylen’s obsession, but Lunaria’s is next level too. After the first altercation with Daimon, I would have loved for someone to have just literally slapped her to get it together, but this is also where the teenage petulance began and took almost until the end to stop.
7. Adrian is a point I had noted as well. Lunaria is super pissed at him, because the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but the hypocrisy kind of gets me, especially when she even acknowledges that her mother withheld information from Lunaria, but oh she must have had a really good reason because she’s so kind! She knew of Adrian’s reasons and still felt the need to repeatedly punch down. I’m not suggesting that he is a fully redeemable character, he’s more neutral in my eyes. He clearly is a very sheltered person, kind of like Lunaria herself, and hasn’t been allowed the opportunity to see Crea as a whole because she even acknowledges that once he has his mind set to something, it will be done. Instead she holds Adrian’s father’s own failures as a king (whether or not under the influence of the Duke) against Adrian as though he had a magic wand to make it all sunshine and happy. His attempt at ‘rescuing’ her was out of a place of ignorance and the venom he received from her and the other fae was side eye worthy, especially since it’s kind of alluded to that humans are essentially lesser than. It felt like just pick on someone your own size.
All this to say, there were some things I did enjoy! I actually enjoyed the concept of the very end; I just think it took far longer than it should have to get to there. I do plan on reading the last book once it is out because I am curious how all of the loose ends will tie together. Since Undying Lands I’ve found myself asking what is the point of all the deities, the gods and goddesses. Is it a realm of predetermined destiny, are there checks and balances for the dark gods and goddesses who decide the people are simply pawns for their own games? What is the end game and the meaning of it all? I’m not certain where it can go from the end of Ignite other than up in flames.
I must firstly express that Lunaria and Illuminance are recommendations I have given to fellow readers who might be interested in a romantasy story that doesn’t follow the same tropes a lot of the popular books do; the story offers something unique and refreshing. I don’t know how much that opinion stands true after having completed Ignite. I found myself as I was reading taking a couple of issues that I couldn’t simply turn a blind eye to and ignore.
In no particular order:
1. The passage of time - it felt incredibly difficult to follow how long things were taking from the beginning of the book up until the end. I found myself going back to reread or better understand how many days was supposed to have progressed to have gotten to the current plot beat.
2. Additional perspectives/voices - this felt like a two-fold point, where I can see the importance of adding Graylen’s perspective to round out what was happening as well as the progression of time, however his voice (since it is all in first person) did not differentiate from Lunaria’s much. Like, if at all. I had to make it a point to finish a chapter before putting my book down instead of just leaving whatever page I was at because when I would go to pick it up and continue it took a minute for me to register whose perspective I was seeing. In addition to the rise of perspectives, I felt like adding a third was completely unnecessary and it did not feel like any of it added to the overall story. It felt like filler for the sake of having more words on the page in what I would say was already bloated prose. It also suffered from the same fate as sounding exactly the same as Lunaria’s voice. It also would have been nice if Graylen’s whole personality was not just Lunaria. While he was in the Vale being tortured, I understand thoughts of her being what grounded him to endure the living nightmare he was in. But that’s all his thoughts were about. Not even a cursory questioning thought like why does Vidaris even want her, what would she use Lunaria for, what does she have to gain from it, how is that even possible? Nada. Nilch. Nothing.
3. Lunaria - this point hurts because as I said earlier, I do like the first 2 books, I enjoyed seeing Lunaria learn to trust people and open up and learn more about her world. In the first and second books, she felt pretty smart and able to piece things together. In Ignite, however, she felt painfully slow on the uptake of just about everything. The conclusions she held about Adrian which were to fuel her “rage” but the hypocrisy didn’t extend beyond Adrian was glaring, her quick to judge what she thinks she knows about Penyth (again, the passage of time is murky, I feel generous in saying she’s probably been on that side for maybe a month? Two?) and her interactions with her father. A man, for all her knowledge and intent and purposes, is a stranger to her. But she sure is quick to attach her ideas of whether there is any good in him based off an interaction and a half. With that, comes her questionable maturity. She is at least mid-20s age wise yet her petulance is that of a teenager. It reminds me of Bella Swan without the fluctuating hormones to blame. This is a segue into my next point.
4. The writing. A solid 80% of the book suffers from tell-don’t-show syndrome. Is it because modern authors think their readers cannot piece together what is happening, or that we’re too dumb to understand that certain behaviors are going to model whatever the character is feeling? For a book that is supposed to be about female rage, it just felt like a toddler having a tantrum about not getting what they want. There’s glimpses of it, but not enough to really classify it as female rage - rage against the patriarchal systems in place, the injustices occurring, it’s a rage that connects us to women whether family or otherwise. Not Lunaria just stomping around expressing that she’s fucking pissed. That was an overpromised underdelivered aspect. It was more buzzwords than actual weight. Another point in the writing I had to try and get past was the redundancies and this falls into the show-don’t-tell aspect of storytelling. The group of warriors in Kauri, instead of continually repeating to me that they are warriors and they are strong, show me how they are strong, what is it about them that immediately makes even the strangers stand out as someone who might have been a warrior in another life. I had an eyeroll moment where Graylen tells Lunaria that she is, and a quote, “a badass”. I am not a gentle daisy nor a prude, however the use of anarchistic language in a fantasy world is jarring when there has been little to no inclusion of it before. I could deal with the, in my opinion, excessive uses of fuck in its iterations without the badass line. Don’t tell me she’s one, show me she is one!
5. Also from writing, is the claim of it being a Lord of the Rings quest and a sassy wyvern. Neither really happened. I can see how there is an aspect of a quest, but LoTR is a big shoe to try and fit in, and the follow through was just absent. Regarding the sassy wyvern; that felt like there wasn’t much to that self proclaimed concept. A nudge and a couple of tosses does not sassy make. Overall it felt overpromised and underdelivered. I just think those are big comparisons to draw and it’s better to let the work speak for itself. I understand how the marketing of books has changed, but damn if that isn’t an annoying facet of it.
6. A big thorn in the whole story between Graylen and Lunaria is all due to a lack of communication. Not miscommunication, but just the total absence of it. It felt so frustrating for them to toe so close to the line and resolving their own self created problem and they just kept ignoring it, not addressing it, refusing to even delicately bring it up as a possible concern. It felt juvenile, like waiting in a middle school dance for the other person to make the first move. It also does not help, I suppose that both of them have made the other their entire personality. I’ve already touched on my issues with Graylen’s obsession, but Lunaria’s is next level too. After the first altercation with Daimon, I would have loved for someone to have just literally slapped her to get it together, but this is also where the teenage petulance began and took almost until the end to stop.
7. Adrian is a point I had noted as well. Lunaria is super pissed at him, because the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but the hypocrisy kind of gets me, especially when she even acknowledges that her mother withheld information from Lunaria, but oh she must have had a really good reason because she’s so kind! She knew of Adrian’s reasons and still felt the need to repeatedly punch down. I’m not suggesting that he is a fully redeemable character, he’s more neutral in my eyes. He clearly is a very sheltered person, kind of like Lunaria herself, and hasn’t been allowed the opportunity to see Crea as a whole because she even acknowledges that once he has his mind set to something, it will be done. Instead she holds Adrian’s father’s own failures as a king (whether or not under the influence of the Duke) against Adrian as though he had a magic wand to make it all sunshine and happy. His attempt at ‘rescuing’ her was out of a place of ignorance and the venom he received from her and the other fae was side eye worthy, especially since it’s kind of alluded to that humans are essentially lesser than. It felt like just pick on someone your own size.
All this to say, there were some things I did enjoy! I actually enjoyed the concept of the very end; I just think it took far longer than it should have to get to there. I do plan on reading the last book once it is out because I am curious how all of the loose ends will tie together. Since Undying Lands I’ve found myself asking what is the point of all the deities, the gods and goddesses. Is it a realm of predetermined destiny, are there checks and balances for the dark gods and goddesses who decide the people are simply pawns for their own games? What is the end game and the meaning of it all? I’m not certain where it can go from the end of Ignite other than up in flames.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received this book as an ARC. Actual rating 3.5/5.
This book, like the second book, just didn’t hit for me like it did in book one and the Midnight Tempest novella. I think it is partially because those two books seem to be relationship driven; whereas, this one falls somewhere between plot and relationship driven. However, I think the book struggles to push forward the plot, and in the first 20%, it got lost while trying to take on too much. I found myself overly confused as to what the primarily goal was and who the war was with exactly because so many different elements kept getting thrown at us. Were we trying to rescue Graylen, going to get the Nightfall, or learning to bond with the wyverns? Was war against Vidaris or Crea? Even after finishing the book, I don’t understand why Vidaris wanted to torture Graylen, like the role he plays due to that doesn’t seem relevant or necessary to Vidaris. Also, the plot change in book two to save the souls from the Shadow Lands seems to take a back seat in this book’s plot.
I feel like there were character inconsistencies with arguments and conflict that occurred without much real purpose, such as with Lunaria and Willow/Aster. Willow/Aster would say things like they don’t trust Lunaria, but since Zephyr does, they do. Do they or do they not? I also thought it odd that Lunaria, who refused to rest/eat/sleep for a night, until she got Graylen back, was readily compliant to a two week trip to Crea. Lunaria, despite being mid-20’s something, still comes off very petulant and juvenile in some of her behavior. Adrian seemed like a completely different character from book one in that he came off weak, insecure, and uncertain in almost every single scene with him. Most things he said seemed to be either muttered or mumbled by him. Leda also makes a comment about Adrian’s behavior and character, but up to that point, we are never shown how she would even have that insight. Then there’s Graylen, who acted like a zombie/zoned out (rightfully so due to trauma) but then had no problem with coherent conversations and responses to mindspeaking.
I noticed mid-way through the book that Goodreads has this marked as YA. I’m not really sure if this series has always been that way, but it definitely has that feel even with a somewhat tame open-door scene. There are multiple times where we are reminded about lack of trust as well as Lunaria’s history with specific characters. For a YA, I get that this may be a needed technique. However, I think that it could have been cut back on the number of times this occurred. I also feel that a lot of unnecessary filler could have been removed between 20-75%. The pace of the book really slowed, and I felt like I was doing a lot of reading with not much progress.
Lastly, some of the descriptions in the first 15% were confusing. There’s a mention of vines being wrapped around wrists, and either the story dropped into 3rd person or it’s describing someone else (vague). Then, there are two instances where Lunaria and Leda are both described as having teeth bared and ears pinned back…I didn’t realize that fae communicate this way as well, and that oddity threw me off.
The book picks up real quick at 75% and is basically everything the previous portion should have been. It makes me want to read the next book despite struggling not to DNF after the first 25%. I also think the plot twist is a bit of a stretch that didn’t have any lead up or hints in the first three (including this one) books. It seems to be more for shock value.
I gave this the extra half star because of the last 25% as it reminded me of everything I loved about the writing in the first book.
This book, like the second book, just didn’t hit for me like it did in book one and the Midnight Tempest novella. I think it is partially because those two books seem to be relationship driven; whereas, this one falls somewhere between plot and relationship driven. However, I think the book struggles to push forward the plot, and in the first 20%, it got lost while trying to take on too much. I found myself overly confused as to what the primarily goal was and who the war was with exactly because so many different elements kept getting thrown at us. Were we trying to rescue Graylen, going to get the Nightfall, or learning to bond with the wyverns? Was war against Vidaris or Crea? Even after finishing the book, I don’t understand why Vidaris wanted to torture Graylen, like the role he plays due to that doesn’t seem relevant or necessary to Vidaris. Also, the plot change in book two to save the souls from the Shadow Lands seems to take a back seat in this book’s plot.
I feel like there were character inconsistencies with arguments and conflict that occurred without much real purpose, such as with Lunaria and Willow/Aster. Willow/Aster would say things like they don’t trust Lunaria, but since Zephyr does, they do. Do they or do they not? I also thought it odd that Lunaria, who refused to rest/eat/sleep for a night, until she got Graylen back, was readily compliant to a two week trip to Crea. Lunaria, despite being mid-20’s something, still comes off very petulant and juvenile in some of her behavior. Adrian seemed like a completely different character from book one in that he came off weak, insecure, and uncertain in almost every single scene with him. Most things he said seemed to be either muttered or mumbled by him. Leda also makes a comment about Adrian’s behavior and character, but up to that point, we are never shown how she would even have that insight. Then there’s Graylen, who acted like a zombie/zoned out (rightfully so due to trauma) but then had no problem with coherent conversations and responses to mindspeaking.
I noticed mid-way through the book that Goodreads has this marked as YA. I’m not really sure if this series has always been that way, but it definitely has that feel even with a somewhat tame open-door scene. There are multiple times where we are reminded about lack of trust as well as Lunaria’s history with specific characters. For a YA, I get that this may be a needed technique. However, I think that it could have been cut back on the number of times this occurred. I also feel that a lot of unnecessary filler could have been removed between 20-75%. The pace of the book really slowed, and I felt like I was doing a lot of reading with not much progress.
Lastly, some of the descriptions in the first 15% were confusing. There’s a mention of vines being wrapped around wrists, and either the story dropped into 3rd person or it’s describing someone else (vague). Then, there are two instances where Lunaria and Leda are both described as having teeth bared and ears pinned back…I didn’t realize that fae communicate this way as well, and that oddity threw me off.
The book picks up real quick at 75% and is basically everything the previous portion should have been. It makes me want to read the next book despite struggling not to DNF after the first 25%. I also think the plot twist is a bit of a stretch that didn’t have any lead up or hints in the first three (including this one) books. It seems to be more for shock value.
I gave this the extra half star because of the last 25% as it reminded me of everything I loved about the writing in the first book.
September 11, 2026
This series originally started as a book club pick, but after finishing Lunaria, I knew I had to continue reading on my own time.
First, something I absolutely love that this author does is include recaps of Books 1, 2, and 3 (2.5) at the beginning. It made jumping back into the story so much easier without having to reread everything first. Although, let’s be honest, I’ll definitely be going back to comfort-read those books anyway.
This world is so beautiful, and I love how completely immersed I felt in Penyth. Then, entering Crea, everything felt so much darker and emptier in comparison. The contrast between the two places made the world-building feel even more vivid, and I loved experiencing that shift.
The relationships between all of the characters really blossomed for me in this book. Leda and Lunaria’s relationship, especially, has my heart. I love how protective they are of each other, even when Leda doesn’t always show it. And Lunaria… I love her so much. Her connection with Zephyr absolutely destroyed me in the best way. There was something so wholesome about their bond, and I loved seeing that loving, almost unspoken connection between true companions and friends.
Without spoiling anything, this book takes you on such a journey. It genuinely feels like you’ve been in this world and alongside these characters for years, and somehow you’re still not even halfway through the story. Honestly, that’s one of my favorite parts. There is just so much happening, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I kept turning the pages because I was completely invested in everything unfolding, and I was just so happy that I got to keep experiencing more of this world.
And, of course, Graylen and Lunaria are still my favorite romantasy relationship I’ve ever read. There’s just something about them that feels so completely original and uniquely theirs. Their relationship continues to have my whole heart.
I loved this book so much, and I somehow continue to love this series more with every installment. I cannot wait for Book 5 whenever it releases. 😭😭 I know this one just came out, but… I hope it’s soon because I am absolutely not ready to leave this world!
First, something I absolutely love that this author does is include recaps of Books 1, 2, and 3 (2.5) at the beginning. It made jumping back into the story so much easier without having to reread everything first. Although, let’s be honest, I’ll definitely be going back to comfort-read those books anyway.
This world is so beautiful, and I love how completely immersed I felt in Penyth. Then, entering Crea, everything felt so much darker and emptier in comparison. The contrast between the two places made the world-building feel even more vivid, and I loved experiencing that shift.
The relationships between all of the characters really blossomed for me in this book. Leda and Lunaria’s relationship, especially, has my heart. I love how protective they are of each other, even when Leda doesn’t always show it. And Lunaria… I love her so much. Her connection with Zephyr absolutely destroyed me in the best way. There was something so wholesome about their bond, and I loved seeing that loving, almost unspoken connection between true companions and friends.
Without spoiling anything, this book takes you on such a journey. It genuinely feels like you’ve been in this world and alongside these characters for years, and somehow you’re still not even halfway through the story. Honestly, that’s one of my favorite parts. There is just so much happening, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I kept turning the pages because I was completely invested in everything unfolding, and I was just so happy that I got to keep experiencing more of this world.
And, of course, Graylen and Lunaria are still my favorite romantasy relationship I’ve ever read. There’s just something about them that feels so completely original and uniquely theirs. Their relationship continues to have my whole heart.
I loved this book so much, and I somehow continue to love this series more with every installment. I cannot wait for Book 5 whenever it releases. 😭😭 I know this one just came out, but… I hope it’s soon because I am absolutely not ready to leave this world!
August 4, 2026
🌙✨ARC REVIEW🌙
I’ve had some family & personal things come up, the past week and a half—that’s the reason why this review is going up a few days after release day for this stunning sequel in the Unraveled Fates Series✨✨✨
I finished this book early last week and OH MY GOSH!!! THAT ENDING🤯🤯🤯
The last 20% was something of a movie scene, I swear you would’ve had to pry the book out of my hands, it was so fast paced!!
Ignite takes place immediately right where we were left on Illuminance’s cliffhanger—which was one of the most painful cliffhangers ever😭
This world is so thick with lore & secrets, I could live in Penyth forever🥹🌙 I’ve missed these characters so so much, so being back with them all!! Lu, Graylen, Leda, etc all have my heart!!
I feel like after reading the two prequels (Undying Lands & Midnight Tempest) every piece of the puzzle you get in this story has so so much added weight & emotion to it, seeing Daimon again….😭😭 literally brought me to TEARS🥲
Ignite does a fantastic job at pulling you in & keeping you guessing until the very end!! In this book you truly start to see what the chess board will look like in the finale that comes out NEXT YEAR👀
I absolutely LOVED Lu & Graylen their relationship & growth I adore!! Kara’s writing and world building has been some of my favorites ever since I read Lunaria all those years ago🥹
Thank you for letting me read this gorgeous book early!! Everyone Ignite is OUT NOW🌙🖤✨
I’ve had some family & personal things come up, the past week and a half—that’s the reason why this review is going up a few days after release day for this stunning sequel in the Unraveled Fates Series✨✨✨
I finished this book early last week and OH MY GOSH!!! THAT ENDING🤯🤯🤯
The last 20% was something of a movie scene, I swear you would’ve had to pry the book out of my hands, it was so fast paced!!
Ignite takes place immediately right where we were left on Illuminance’s cliffhanger—which was one of the most painful cliffhangers ever😭
This world is so thick with lore & secrets, I could live in Penyth forever🥹🌙 I’ve missed these characters so so much, so being back with them all!! Lu, Graylen, Leda, etc all have my heart!!
I feel like after reading the two prequels (Undying Lands & Midnight Tempest) every piece of the puzzle you get in this story has so so much added weight & emotion to it, seeing Daimon again….😭😭 literally brought me to TEARS🥲
Ignite does a fantastic job at pulling you in & keeping you guessing until the very end!! In this book you truly start to see what the chess board will look like in the finale that comes out NEXT YEAR👀
I absolutely LOVED Lu & Graylen their relationship & growth I adore!! Kara’s writing and world building has been some of my favorites ever since I read Lunaria all those years ago🥹
Thank you for letting me read this gorgeous book early!! Everyone Ignite is OUT NOW🌙🖤✨
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you, Kara Douglas, for this ARC!
4.5⭐ This book, man! While it starts off a little slow—especially picking up right where Book 2 left off—that ending absolutely blew me away 😮💨. If I had to sum up this story without giving too much away, it comes down to two things: sacrifice and self-preservation. The sheer amount of sacrifice from so many different characters throughout the book, and you really see how every tough decision was driven by the one hopeful outcome: survival.
What truly made this book for me was the dynamic between the characters. I loved the return of familiar faces from the war in Book 2.5, and the banter was so fun. The playful, teasing dynamic between the two main leads that I missed early on came back in full force, and it was everything.
And can we talk about that library chapter?! It had me in an absolute chokehold—crying and straight-up saying "WTF" out loud.
I’m left with so many burning questions! Who were those last two characters at the end?! What are Daimon’s true intentions? What happened to Graylen’s parents? And more!
Please tell me one of my favorite couples is getting back together—I need to know! 🤧
I can’t believe there’s only one book left in this series. I need it in my hands immediately!
4.5⭐ This book, man! While it starts off a little slow—especially picking up right where Book 2 left off—that ending absolutely blew me away 😮💨. If I had to sum up this story without giving too much away, it comes down to two things: sacrifice and self-preservation. The sheer amount of sacrifice from so many different characters throughout the book, and you really see how every tough decision was driven by the one hopeful outcome: survival.
What truly made this book for me was the dynamic between the characters. I loved the return of familiar faces from the war in Book 2.5, and the banter was so fun. The playful, teasing dynamic between the two main leads that I missed early on came back in full force, and it was everything.
And can we talk about that library chapter?! It had me in an absolute chokehold—crying and straight-up saying "WTF" out loud.
I’m left with so many burning questions! Who were those last two characters at the end?! What are Daimon’s true intentions? What happened to Graylen’s parents? And more!
Please tell me one of my favorite couples is getting back together—I need to know! 🤧
I can’t believe there’s only one book left in this series. I need it in my hands immediately!
July 30, 2026
ARC/beta read - infinite thanks to Kara for this opportunity!
Ignite is the fourth installment of the series, and just when you think you know what’s going to happen, Kara KNOCKS the sense right out of you in the best way! This story is told from multiple POVs to ensure that the full scope of the plot and emotional turmoil is felt.
Lunaria is reeling from the events in Illuminance and is ready to burn the world for her love. Not only her love, but the fate of the entire world may very well rest in her hands. I admire her strength in both the soft and hard ways - her heart is genuine and warm, while her punch hits hard and fast!
Graylen - MY MAN MY MAN MY MAN. He goes THROUGH IT and has to figure out how to connect with himself and with Lu. Why is it that a sad, tormented man does it for me?!?
The world and the plot expand even further in this book and the pacing leaves you satisfied the entire time. With nods to both Undying Lands and Midnight Tempest to REALLY make you feel it, this story and all the Easter eggs that Kara has masterfully woven are truly a marvel.
The ending has me gasping and feral for the finale to come! This series is perfect for fans of Spark of the Everflame, A Wraith Beneath the Tides, and Scars Beneath A Serpent’s Scales.
Ignite is the fourth installment of the series, and just when you think you know what’s going to happen, Kara KNOCKS the sense right out of you in the best way! This story is told from multiple POVs to ensure that the full scope of the plot and emotional turmoil is felt.
Lunaria is reeling from the events in Illuminance and is ready to burn the world for her love. Not only her love, but the fate of the entire world may very well rest in her hands. I admire her strength in both the soft and hard ways - her heart is genuine and warm, while her punch hits hard and fast!
Graylen - MY MAN MY MAN MY MAN. He goes THROUGH IT and has to figure out how to connect with himself and with Lu. Why is it that a sad, tormented man does it for me?!?
The world and the plot expand even further in this book and the pacing leaves you satisfied the entire time. With nods to both Undying Lands and Midnight Tempest to REALLY make you feel it, this story and all the Easter eggs that Kara has masterfully woven are truly a marvel.
The ending has me gasping and feral for the finale to come! This series is perfect for fans of Spark of the Everflame, A Wraith Beneath the Tides, and Scars Beneath A Serpent’s Scales.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Absolutely my favorite so far. WOW. Talk about bringing everything back around! I'm absolutely blown away by Ignite. Everything from Lunaria, Illuminance, and Undying Lands all matter and had a purpose in Ignite. I can't decide between running laps around the house or staring at the wall for hours on end, now that I finished.
Thank you to the author for the eARC.
This series has gotten better with each book, and Ignite is my favorite so far. If you ever thought that maybe there were loose strings before Ignite, prepare for all of them to come back around. Ignite does an incredible job of bringing all the books and characters together, and I am FLOORED by the plot twists. Now that's how you do plot twists for book 4 in a 5 book series!! Absolutely fantastic.
If there's one thing Kara is great at, it's wringing every emotion from her characters. I love spending that extra time on the character work because it makes me that much more invested in the story. Ignite was an emotional ride, and I loved every minute of it.
I highly recommend this series. It gets better every time I visit this world, and I can't wait to see how it all comes to a head in the finale.
Thank you to the author for the eARC.
This series has gotten better with each book, and Ignite is my favorite so far. If you ever thought that maybe there were loose strings before Ignite, prepare for all of them to come back around. Ignite does an incredible job of bringing all the books and characters together, and I am FLOORED by the plot twists. Now that's how you do plot twists for book 4 in a 5 book series!! Absolutely fantastic.
If there's one thing Kara is great at, it's wringing every emotion from her characters. I love spending that extra time on the character work because it makes me that much more invested in the story. Ignite was an emotional ride, and I loved every minute of it.
I highly recommend this series. It gets better every time I visit this world, and I can't wait to see how it all comes to a head in the finale.
July 19, 2026
Ignite by Kara Douglas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow. Just wow. This book, I’m utterly speechless. Kara has done it again and has written yet another masterpiece that I could not put down. The range of emotions I felt throughout this book was immense and incredible. Ignite is the book that turns the tides in the series and connects all the dots. I loved every page I read of this book. I was literally going through so much emotional damage and it ate it up lol. It’s hard to find the words to describe how much I loved this book and how badly I need book 5. Kara Douglas is an absolute genius when it comes to writing and telling a story. The story felt perfectly paced, alive, and so engaging. I stayed up so late just trying to know what happens next. Omg the ending. I cannot get over the ending. I need the next book in my life like asap. I know I’m struggling so hard to explain how great this book is because it just left me so speechless, but all I need you to know is that I LOVED this book. Kara’s writing is amazing. This series is amazing, and if you haven’t read it yet, idk what you’re waiting for but you need to read this series.
✨Ignite releases July 30, 2026✨
Wow. Just wow. This book, I’m utterly speechless. Kara has done it again and has written yet another masterpiece that I could not put down. The range of emotions I felt throughout this book was immense and incredible. Ignite is the book that turns the tides in the series and connects all the dots. I loved every page I read of this book. I was literally going through so much emotional damage and it ate it up lol. It’s hard to find the words to describe how much I loved this book and how badly I need book 5. Kara Douglas is an absolute genius when it comes to writing and telling a story. The story felt perfectly paced, alive, and so engaging. I stayed up so late just trying to know what happens next. Omg the ending. I cannot get over the ending. I need the next book in my life like asap. I know I’m struggling so hard to explain how great this book is because it just left me so speechless, but all I need you to know is that I LOVED this book. Kara’s writing is amazing. This series is amazing, and if you haven’t read it yet, idk what you’re waiting for but you need to read this series.
✨Ignite releases July 30, 2026✨
July 13, 2026
I LOVED this installment! The stakes were high, my emotions are spent, and I am even more obsessed with Graylen than I was before!! The inner turmoil both Lu and Graylen go through had my heart hurting for them both so I was absolutely squealing during that ballroom dance (iykyk)! The character arc for Adrian was incredible, and I loved getting the additional POV from Leda!
I also must give a shoutout for the amazing recap of all three prior books at the beginning of this one. The way the pieces from every other book came together was amazing! We are introduced to some new characters in this installment that make me very excited for things to come. The level of scheming and betrayal and events that unfolded had me reeling and I absolutely NEED the final book to come!!
There will never be enough days in eternity to love her the way she deserves to be loved.
“You can call me whatever you want as long as you call me yours.”
“You decide your own fate [redacted]. You just have to be strong enough to take control of it.”
“No matter who you are, I choose you.”
“I needed to drown in you so I could breathe again.”
“But we always knew I would be on my knees for you”
I also must give a shoutout for the amazing recap of all three prior books at the beginning of this one. The way the pieces from every other book came together was amazing! We are introduced to some new characters in this installment that make me very excited for things to come. The level of scheming and betrayal and events that unfolded had me reeling and I absolutely NEED the final book to come!!
There will never be enough days in eternity to love her the way she deserves to be loved.
“You can call me whatever you want as long as you call me yours.”
“You decide your own fate [redacted]. You just have to be strong enough to take control of it.”
“No matter who you are, I choose you.”
“I needed to drown in you so I could breathe again.”
“But we always knew I would be on my knees for you”
Review of advance copy received from Author
"𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝑰'𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒎, 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔."
Spice: 🌶🌶
What an incredible continuation!! I loved being back with these characters and following them on this intense journey. I was a nervous wreck from beginning to end 🫣 Kara did an amazing job putting previous pieces together, but still leaving me with unanswered questions. I cannot wait to see how everything unfolds! Oh, and don’t let this being book 4 fool you, because the YEARNING and the TENSION were even more palpable and delicious than ever! I’m forever grateful to Kara for giving us Graylen Garriden 🥵 Thank you again for this opportunity. I can’t even explain how excited I was when this arc landed in my inbox! I’ve loved being a part of this arc/street team and still can't believe there's only one book left in the series 😢
🖤Lord of the Rings x Throne of Glass
✨️Magical Quest
⚔️Meddling Gods & Goddesses
🖤Sassy Wyvern
✨️Warring Kingdoms
⚔️Feminine Rage
🖤She Needs to Save Him
✨️Found Family
⚔️Shocking Twists
Spice: 🌶🌶
What an incredible continuation!! I loved being back with these characters and following them on this intense journey. I was a nervous wreck from beginning to end 🫣 Kara did an amazing job putting previous pieces together, but still leaving me with unanswered questions. I cannot wait to see how everything unfolds! Oh, and don’t let this being book 4 fool you, because the YEARNING and the TENSION were even more palpable and delicious than ever! I’m forever grateful to Kara for giving us Graylen Garriden 🥵 Thank you again for this opportunity. I can’t even explain how excited I was when this arc landed in my inbox! I’ve loved being a part of this arc/street team and still can't believe there's only one book left in the series 😢
🖤Lord of the Rings x Throne of Glass
✨️Magical Quest
⚔️Meddling Gods & Goddesses
🖤Sassy Wyvern
✨️Warring Kingdoms
⚔️Feminine Rage
🖤She Needs to Save Him
✨️Found Family
⚔️Shocking Twists
Review of advance copy received from Author
✨𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌 ✨
📖: Ignite (Unraveled Fate Book 4)
Lu faces enemies and challenges on multiple fronts and the stakes have never been higher. She must prepare to withstand more loss but her soul might not survive.
Tropes to expect:
👑Lord of the Rings x Throne of Glass
🪄Magical Quest
🐉Sassy wyvern
💫Meddling Gods & Goddesses
⚔️Warring Kingdoms
🔥Fem Rage
Longlaid plans are enacted and betrayals hide just beneath the surface. Can Lu safeguard the realm from the evil looming?
Kara once again crafts a beautiful tale that further expands storylines, deepens relationships, and unleashes all the emotions. I am so emotionally invested in the romances. This MMC has me absolutely melting over his love for Lu. The next book cannot come soon enough!
If you’re looking for a fantasy featuring fierce heroines, thrilling intrigue, and blazing hot romances, do not miss this series!
Huge thanks to the author for the review copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.
📖: Ignite (Unraveled Fate Book 4)
Lu faces enemies and challenges on multiple fronts and the stakes have never been higher. She must prepare to withstand more loss but her soul might not survive.
Tropes to expect:
👑Lord of the Rings x Throne of Glass
🪄Magical Quest
🐉Sassy wyvern
💫Meddling Gods & Goddesses
⚔️Warring Kingdoms
🔥Fem Rage
Longlaid plans are enacted and betrayals hide just beneath the surface. Can Lu safeguard the realm from the evil looming?
Kara once again crafts a beautiful tale that further expands storylines, deepens relationships, and unleashes all the emotions. I am so emotionally invested in the romances. This MMC has me absolutely melting over his love for Lu. The next book cannot come soon enough!
If you’re looking for a fantasy featuring fierce heroines, thrilling intrigue, and blazing hot romances, do not miss this series!
Huge thanks to the author for the review copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.
August 7, 2026
This series has got me in a chokehold, and Ignite left me feeling no less…choked? Is that how you would say it?
Series Tropes:
🔥 Enemies to Lovers
🔥 Hidden Identities
🔥 Found Family
🔥 Coming into Power
🔥 Fae and Dragons!
This series has been so much fun for me, and I love how it’s progressing. Lunaria is on rampage, and I love feminine rage and getting things done when others are waiting. Graylen’s story is hurting my heart, but I know things are going to be even more epic for that reason in the next book. The side characters are just so good too, and I love that we get to see them grow.
I will admit...this book didn't get 5 stars from me this time because I felt like the beginning was really slow. If it was another series, I may have ended up DNFing, but I knew if I pushed a bit I'd get to the good stuff. Things started to pick up again once Lu and Graylen are reunited, thank goodness.
🌶️.5
Thank you, Kara, for sending me a copy of this book!
Series Tropes:
🔥 Enemies to Lovers
🔥 Hidden Identities
🔥 Found Family
🔥 Coming into Power
🔥 Fae and Dragons!
This series has been so much fun for me, and I love how it’s progressing. Lunaria is on rampage, and I love feminine rage and getting things done when others are waiting. Graylen’s story is hurting my heart, but I know things are going to be even more epic for that reason in the next book. The side characters are just so good too, and I love that we get to see them grow.
I will admit...this book didn't get 5 stars from me this time because I felt like the beginning was really slow. If it was another series, I may have ended up DNFing, but I knew if I pushed a bit I'd get to the good stuff. Things started to pick up again once Lu and Graylen are reunited, thank goodness.
🌶️.5
Thank you, Kara, for sending me a copy of this book!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Kara continues to hold the title, queen of cliffhangers and emotional damage!!
Ignite is full of power, loss, forgiveness, sacrifice, devotion, shock, strength and clarity plus high stakes, visiting new and familiar places, multiple povs and creatures.
Lu is fueled with rage and the fiercest yet. Graylen is…Graylen. 🥵❤️🔥🔥💋🫶
Book four is an amazing continuation and build for the series — questions were answered, links between previous books connected and character development expanded. There are some specific ones I am foaming at the mouth for but can’t say anything because spoilers!!
Kara’s mind is brilliant weaving the past and present. Every crumb and decision is perfectly timed, and I cannot wait to see how all the reveals play out for the epic finale!
Thank you so much Kara for the gifted ARC!
Ignite is full of power, loss, forgiveness, sacrifice, devotion, shock, strength and clarity plus high stakes, visiting new and familiar places, multiple povs and creatures.
Lu is fueled with rage and the fiercest yet. Graylen is…Graylen. 🥵❤️🔥🔥💋🫶
Book four is an amazing continuation and build for the series — questions were answered, links between previous books connected and character development expanded. There are some specific ones I am foaming at the mouth for but can’t say anything because spoilers!!
Kara’s mind is brilliant weaving the past and present. Every crumb and decision is perfectly timed, and I cannot wait to see how all the reveals play out for the epic finale!
Thank you so much Kara for the gifted ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thanks to Kara for the ARC!
THIS BOOK! It might be too soon to put into words how deeply captivated I was by Ignite.
Ignite contained a full spectrum of emotions amidst high stakes adventure, told from multiple points of view. This book was both heartbreaking and beautiful. Full of healing and growth, love and loss, and bittersweet nostalgia as the past and present collide.
There were some twists I did not see coming, along with answers to questions I had from earlier books in the series. Finally cracking open some of those Easter eggs was so satisfying! It makes me want to go back and reread this series again to see what else I can pick up on.
I cannot wait to see how everything comes together in the final installment! I am so invested in these characters and this series. ❤️
THIS BOOK! It might be too soon to put into words how deeply captivated I was by Ignite.
Ignite contained a full spectrum of emotions amidst high stakes adventure, told from multiple points of view. This book was both heartbreaking and beautiful. Full of healing and growth, love and loss, and bittersweet nostalgia as the past and present collide.
There were some twists I did not see coming, along with answers to questions I had from earlier books in the series. Finally cracking open some of those Easter eggs was so satisfying! It makes me want to go back and reread this series again to see what else I can pick up on.
I cannot wait to see how everything comes together in the final installment! I am so invested in these characters and this series. ❤️
July 11, 2026
Kara! Your killing me! Thank your for this ARC it was amazing all i could want and more. It was my first ARC and I’m so glad it was this series, it lives in my soul i think about it all the time! This series is amazing, the characters grab you and you’re addicted to them from book 1. I love this world and the magic that lives in it. This entire series is 6 stars. This book is a perfect continuation from the others, it has action, love, sadness, betrayal and so much excitement. Graylen is a top tier MMC and you will fall for him hard. Lunaria is a bad ass FMC and you will root for her from book 1. I love the queens love story and can’t wait to see how she fits in to book 5. Can’t wait for book 5 and to finish what you have started.
Review of advance copy received from Author
{{ARC READ REVIEW}}
I have been waiting in suspense for this book. I appreciate so much that I got a chance to be an ARC READER.
The story picks up right where Illuminance left off. There are 3 POV's in this book.
Lunaria,liluminance, and Dying Lands are tied together and with more suspense. I would say this is the darkest of the first 3. So many heart pounding moments and several mind blowing realizations. Lunaria is put in situations that force her to realize she is enough. Just her. Graylen is going through it and we know he would burn the world for her. What he doesn’t realize is just how much she would burn the world for him.
The downside to be an ARC READER, now I have to wait longer for book 5.
I have been waiting in suspense for this book. I appreciate so much that I got a chance to be an ARC READER.
The story picks up right where Illuminance left off. There are 3 POV's in this book.
Lunaria,liluminance, and Dying Lands are tied together and with more suspense. I would say this is the darkest of the first 3. So many heart pounding moments and several mind blowing realizations. Lunaria is put in situations that force her to realize she is enough. Just her. Graylen is going through it and we know he would burn the world for her. What he doesn’t realize is just how much she would burn the world for him.
The downside to be an ARC READER, now I have to wait longer for book 5.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The adventure continues and this one is filled with feminine rage, desperation and a bond that isn’t easily broken.
We were left with quite the cliffhanger in Illuminance and although we may not have the same emotional turmoil at the end of Ignite, we are again left saying “oh my gosh Kara what’s going to happen now!”
Lu and Graylen have been through the wringer and despite it all their unwavering loyalty to each other shines through. I continue to enjoy their relationship progression but also how their support for each other helps to drive the overall storyline as well.
We do get a glimpse at a new POV in this book which I’m interested to see what comes of this character in the next book!
We were left with quite the cliffhanger in Illuminance and although we may not have the same emotional turmoil at the end of Ignite, we are again left saying “oh my gosh Kara what’s going to happen now!”
Lu and Graylen have been through the wringer and despite it all their unwavering loyalty to each other shines through. I continue to enjoy their relationship progression but also how their support for each other helps to drive the overall storyline as well.
We do get a glimpse at a new POV in this book which I’m interested to see what comes of this character in the next book!
July 30, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Once again I was left in awe from this series. I dove into this world of magic and betrayal and couldn’t get enough. The writing swept me away and if my heart wasn’t pounding, I was in tears or angry. It’s written with depth and vulnerability while showing strength beyond fear.
Lu is angry, and will do anything to get to Graylen. She’s done playing nice and backing down. All of the players from the different timelines are HERE, and I’m here for it. It was suspenseful and action packed, while showing an emotional depth that has been building throughout the series. It was a much anticipated read for me, and lived up to all of my hopes.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Once again I was left in awe from this series. I dove into this world of magic and betrayal and couldn’t get enough. The writing swept me away and if my heart wasn’t pounding, I was in tears or angry. It’s written with depth and vulnerability while showing strength beyond fear.
Lu is angry, and will do anything to get to Graylen. She’s done playing nice and backing down. All of the players from the different timelines are HERE, and I’m here for it. It was suspenseful and action packed, while showing an emotional depth that has been building throughout the series. It was a much anticipated read for me, and lived up to all of my hopes.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was a DNF for me at 47%. I just don’t know what’s up with me lately. I honestly don’t know if it’s this specific series or me.
This certainly started out as the strongest book in the series, but I feel like after all the buildup we’ve had, we should be moving a bit differently than we are.
I might try to come back to this someday, because the ideas are all there. I can’t tell if I just don’t mesh with the writing style or what. I liked the other books just enough to be lured to this one, so I feel like if that’s my issue, it should be resolved by now.
Thank you to Kara Douglas for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.
This certainly started out as the strongest book in the series, but I feel like after all the buildup we’ve had, we should be moving a bit differently than we are.
I might try to come back to this someday, because the ideas are all there. I can’t tell if I just don’t mesh with the writing style or what. I liked the other books just enough to be lured to this one, so I feel like if that’s my issue, it should be resolved by now.
Thank you to Kara Douglas for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.
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