What do you think?
Rate this book
The Knot of Mabh #2
A Dream of Sundered Webs
Magic is a vindictive mistress…
Tortured by the violent theft of her soul-bond with Emrys, Cricket is on the run. Setting out across fractured lands, she buries herself in her mission to reach the ruined House of Magic. But she does not travel the newly crowned Prince of Autumn offers protection as she moves through dangerous territory—and their growing connection wrenches Cricket between harrowing grief and all-consuming desire.
Emrys has never known such agony. As the color bleeds from his world, he replaces one tempestuous embrace with the intoxicating kiss of a lover he thought he’d Dark Sister, the Fae drug. What began as an escape quickly drags him deep into the corrupting politics of the Fae courts, where loyalty is never promised and survival demands compromise.
But two souls unbound and adrift cannot bear the weight of anguish forever, for there are torments stronger than love and fates worse than death.
A Dream of Sundered Webs will plunge you back into a spellbinding world of Fae courts, broken magic, and political intrigue—and remind you that broken bonds still demand a price.
Buy now to discover what remains when all is torn asunder…
Tortured by the violent theft of her soul-bond with Emrys, Cricket is on the run. Setting out across fractured lands, she buries herself in her mission to reach the ruined House of Magic. But she does not travel the newly crowned Prince of Autumn offers protection as she moves through dangerous territory—and their growing connection wrenches Cricket between harrowing grief and all-consuming desire.
Emrys has never known such agony. As the color bleeds from his world, he replaces one tempestuous embrace with the intoxicating kiss of a lover he thought he’d Dark Sister, the Fae drug. What began as an escape quickly drags him deep into the corrupting politics of the Fae courts, where loyalty is never promised and survival demands compromise.
But two souls unbound and adrift cannot bear the weight of anguish forever, for there are torments stronger than love and fates worse than death.
A Dream of Sundered Webs will plunge you back into a spellbinding world of Fae courts, broken magic, and political intrigue—and remind you that broken bonds still demand a price.
Buy now to discover what remains when all is torn asunder…
434 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 19, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you N. Cáceres for the ARC!
I LOVED A Debt of Shattered Hope--it was dark, vicious and brutal. You know, everything I love in a dark fantasy. The horrors in this sequel aren't really of the physical nature this time around--they're all mental. Where the first book was very plot driven, this one is more character driven, and I think that's what makes some folks feel as though it's "filler."
Get in losers, we've got some emotional healing to do!
Book one saw Cricket get kicked down, spit up, and start her rebuild which carries over into this book. But generally, it's The Raven's turn. That poor broken man is going THROUGH IT here, and is so sad that even kicked puppies would feel badly for him. Because after all he's been through, nothing compares to the loss of Cricket and the future he thought he finally secured. But we don't save men around here--we wait for them to get it together and save themselves AS THEY SHOULD. And as a man, it takes him twice as long as a woman. You know how it is.
All of the side characters were great and really sold the worldbuilding in the story. One of the best parts about this series is how deep the lore and magic is, how much detail is in everything, and how it all ties together. I LOVE fantasy where everything feels connected in this way--where the characters are not just at play within the environment, but also serve AS part of the environment and overall just super well developed.
I thought this was a fantastic sequel, and I'm so ready for the conclusion to the trilogy next year!
I LOVED A Debt of Shattered Hope--it was dark, vicious and brutal. You know, everything I love in a dark fantasy. The horrors in this sequel aren't really of the physical nature this time around--they're all mental. Where the first book was very plot driven, this one is more character driven, and I think that's what makes some folks feel as though it's "filler."
Get in losers, we've got some emotional healing to do!
Book one saw Cricket get kicked down, spit up, and start her rebuild which carries over into this book. But generally, it's The Raven's turn. That poor broken man is going THROUGH IT here, and is so sad that even kicked puppies would feel badly for him. Because after all he's been through, nothing compares to the loss of Cricket and the future he thought he finally secured. But we don't save men around here--we wait for them to get it together and save themselves AS THEY SHOULD. And as a man, it takes him twice as long as a woman. You know how it is.
All of the side characters were great and really sold the worldbuilding in the story. One of the best parts about this series is how deep the lore and magic is, how much detail is in everything, and how it all ties together. I LOVE fantasy where everything feels connected in this way--where the characters are not just at play within the environment, but also serve AS part of the environment and overall just super well developed.
I thought this was a fantastic sequel, and I'm so ready for the conclusion to the trilogy next year!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Fae-centered fantasy is still a new area for me; I fine the details and the characteristics of Fae vs how their original lore is so much darker and cruder than how the general public sees them now (maybe because of the romanticizing from LOTRs).
Back to the point, I was looking forward to the release of A Dream of Sundered Webs because the cliffhanger from book one was so gut wrenchingly jaw-dropping. And I'd like to thank N. Caceres for allowing me to be one of few to read an arc copy.
There were questions from book one that readers will get answers to but the character focus shift we get in this book was not what I was expecting and I had to take a step back and reflect.
Collecting my thoughts for book #2 of The Knot of Mabh series took about a week. The world we see in book one is completely rearranged in A Dream of Sundered Webs. And it left me feeling kinda meh 🫤. First with the good bits: The Raven feels like a real character and not just a presence in the story & the unconventional relationships in Magh Meall were such great tactics.
There are a few actions The Raven takes that will have a huge impact on the series that were exciting and surprising because I did not anticipate them. And one of the strongest pieces of A Dream of Sundered Webs, in my opinion, was seeing The Raven intentionally make smart decisions regarding his role within the castle. And most importantly regarding Cricket's safety while she was on the run. I marked down several passages with notes saying "FINALLY" 😂
The most beautiful and heart breaking part of reading this book was watching The Raven struggle with an addiction and internal pain that never ceased to ebb its way from his heart. He utterly lost himself and everything else that mattered to him for loving and following his King. And the road to redemption is all consuming and unpredictable. Readers get to know more details about Raven's history and family which we only had pieces of before and it changed my perception of him quite a bit.
I would say another strong part of the book was the powerful and invaluable protection Cricket gets from the new Prince of Autumn/Brittle Spear. Their relationship is not conventional nor easy to describe but the chemistry between them felt effortless; a huge difference to book one while under The Raven's guard. I actually did not find fault in it as much as I think I was suppose to. Cricket's history/lineage is unconventional and there's yet to be a more unconventional character I've read so far that matches her like Brittle Spear.
He's not bound by a duty, honor or really much loyalty outside of those whom he chooses making him a great contender in the leading MC position.
Now to the not so pleasant bits: I struggles staying locked into the story while reading linked directly or indirectly to the "danger" angle of the story. While the pacing of the story picks right back up from were book one ended and the glimmers of danger and the dark edgy tone of the world Cricket's character was forced into kind of faded the deeper into the woods of Megh Meall she went.
Cricket now knows of her connection to the Fae world and has escaped the palace and servitude at the cost of something so preciously linked to the core of her soul. She and her friends face the dangers of Magh Meall on their own and on the run but the threat level and intensity I felt while reading book one seemed to increasingly dull in the sequel.
Cricket's character still knows so little about the Fae world but it’s as if escaping from the palace has made her an expert on how to navigate the world and "Fae speak". Because the only real "dangers" she and her friends face are linked to the unpredictably of her untapped Fae abilities.
Back to the point, I was looking forward to the release of A Dream of Sundered Webs because the cliffhanger from book one was so gut wrenchingly jaw-dropping. And I'd like to thank N. Caceres for allowing me to be one of few to read an arc copy.
There were questions from book one that readers will get answers to but the character focus shift we get in this book was not what I was expecting and I had to take a step back and reflect.
Collecting my thoughts for book #2 of The Knot of Mabh series took about a week. The world we see in book one is completely rearranged in A Dream of Sundered Webs. And it left me feeling kinda meh 🫤. First with the good bits: The Raven feels like a real character and not just a presence in the story & the unconventional relationships in Magh Meall were such great tactics.
There are a few actions The Raven takes that will have a huge impact on the series that were exciting and surprising because I did not anticipate them. And one of the strongest pieces of A Dream of Sundered Webs, in my opinion, was seeing The Raven intentionally make smart decisions regarding his role within the castle. And most importantly regarding Cricket's safety while she was on the run. I marked down several passages with notes saying "FINALLY" 😂
The most beautiful and heart breaking part of reading this book was watching The Raven struggle with an addiction and internal pain that never ceased to ebb its way from his heart. He utterly lost himself and everything else that mattered to him for loving and following his King. And the road to redemption is all consuming and unpredictable. Readers get to know more details about Raven's history and family which we only had pieces of before and it changed my perception of him quite a bit.
I would say another strong part of the book was the powerful and invaluable protection Cricket gets from the new Prince of Autumn/Brittle Spear. Their relationship is not conventional nor easy to describe but the chemistry between them felt effortless; a huge difference to book one while under The Raven's guard. I actually did not find fault in it as much as I think I was suppose to. Cricket's history/lineage is unconventional and there's yet to be a more unconventional character I've read so far that matches her like Brittle Spear.
He's not bound by a duty, honor or really much loyalty outside of those whom he chooses making him a great contender in the leading MC position.
Now to the not so pleasant bits: I struggles staying locked into the story while reading linked directly or indirectly to the "danger" angle of the story. While the pacing of the story picks right back up from were book one ended and the glimmers of danger and the dark edgy tone of the world Cricket's character was forced into kind of faded the deeper into the woods of Megh Meall she went.
Cricket now knows of her connection to the Fae world and has escaped the palace and servitude at the cost of something so preciously linked to the core of her soul. She and her friends face the dangers of Magh Meall on their own and on the run but the threat level and intensity I felt while reading book one seemed to increasingly dull in the sequel.
Cricket's character still knows so little about the Fae world but it’s as if escaping from the palace has made her an expert on how to navigate the world and "Fae speak". Because the only real "dangers" she and her friends face are linked to the unpredictably of her untapped Fae abilities.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was left with my jaw hanging after the cliffhanger in A Debt of Shattered Hope 😱 and was so excited to get my hands on A Dream of Sundered Webs. And while I did enjoy it, it kinda felt like a filler read.
I understand that Cricket’s journey of discovering who she is and reclaiming it has only just begun, but I was really hoping for more plot. This book is over 400 pages and it felt like nothing significant happened until maybe the 3/4 mark.
“𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝? 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚? 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙮𝙩𝙚. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙧, 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥.”
Brittle Spear was the saviour for me. I love his character so much. He’s the absolute sweetest, but there’s something mischievous about him too, like you shouldn’t fully trust him. Cricket is a riot and I had some good laughs from her comebacks. It was nice to see her rules of survival come into play again.
“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙁𝙖𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙢𝙚𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙠.”
One thing this series has done exceptionally well so far is the worldbuilding. These fae are the most conniving tricksters and it keeps you on your toes. You never know who you can trust. The magic, the creatures, the ridiculous names they give themselves (because we all know the danger of giving a fae your true name), the politics - it’s all so creative and what I love most about this series.
Though I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first book, I’m 100% invested and looking forward to book three 💜
I understand that Cricket’s journey of discovering who she is and reclaiming it has only just begun, but I was really hoping for more plot. This book is over 400 pages and it felt like nothing significant happened until maybe the 3/4 mark.
“𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝? 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚? 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙮𝙩𝙚. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙧, 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥.”
Brittle Spear was the saviour for me. I love his character so much. He’s the absolute sweetest, but there’s something mischievous about him too, like you shouldn’t fully trust him. Cricket is a riot and I had some good laughs from her comebacks. It was nice to see her rules of survival come into play again.
“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙁𝙖𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙢𝙚𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙠.”
One thing this series has done exceptionally well so far is the worldbuilding. These fae are the most conniving tricksters and it keeps you on your toes. You never know who you can trust. The magic, the creatures, the ridiculous names they give themselves (because we all know the danger of giving a fae your true name), the politics - it’s all so creative and what I love most about this series.
Though I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first book, I’m 100% invested and looking forward to book three 💜
Review of advance copy received from Author
N. Cáceres takes us on a journey in Book 2 of The Knot of Mabh series, A Dream of Sundered Webs.
We follow Cricket and the humans after their escape and she makes her way to the House of Magic to find where she truly belongs. But she is also dealing with the consequences of her run in with the Oaken Rose and feeling incomplete. She makes some new acquaintances along the way, as well a reuniting with some old ones.
I love the found family that surrounds her, even when she tries to push them away to protect them, they will not leave her side. Along with her trusty side kick Goose who is the goodest boy.
Raven is numbing himself to her being gone while he is plotting to be reunited with her. He will do whatever it takes to get her back even if it hurts himself and we see him continue to struggle with her absence and the ghosts of his past.
Cricket is conflicted with her feelings towards Raven but she cannot deny that his soul sings to hers, even at times when she is tempted to be fulfilled by another, she cannot get Raven off her mind and the hope that they can be reunited.
We get left with a double whammy of cliffhangers and I cannot wait to see what happens next!
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
We follow Cricket and the humans after their escape and she makes her way to the House of Magic to find where she truly belongs. But she is also dealing with the consequences of her run in with the Oaken Rose and feeling incomplete. She makes some new acquaintances along the way, as well a reuniting with some old ones.
I love the found family that surrounds her, even when she tries to push them away to protect them, they will not leave her side. Along with her trusty side kick Goose who is the goodest boy.
Raven is numbing himself to her being gone while he is plotting to be reunited with her. He will do whatever it takes to get her back even if it hurts himself and we see him continue to struggle with her absence and the ghosts of his past.
Cricket is conflicted with her feelings towards Raven but she cannot deny that his soul sings to hers, even at times when she is tempted to be fulfilled by another, she cannot get Raven off her mind and the hope that they can be reunited.
We get left with a double whammy of cliffhangers and I cannot wait to see what happens next!
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
October 22, 2026
The second book in the Magh Meall series had some surprising plot choices that I did not see coming. N Cáceres is just so great at writing dark romantasy that is not formulaic. The characters are so morally gray and everyone seems to be hiding something, the world is horror filled and unforgiving, spicy scenes are unflinching, betrayals are brutal, and trust is often nonexistent. This all makes it difficult to figure out what is going to happen and when the bottom will drop out for Cricket--because even as she climbs herself out of one hole, another will undoubtedly open.
Cricket is a fascinating FMC and makes interesting and unpredictable choices throughout the series and its no different in this book. Raven goes through a pretty dark but deftly handled personal descent and Cricket recieved support from a dubious side character that ends up taking up much of the space of this book.
My only issue is that we finally get the scene with Cricket and Raven after so much slow burn in ADoSH and it did not have the edge or attention I was expecting. Instead, other spicy scenes comprised a lot of our attention. I won't say more. I don't want to ruin anything but I guess I expected more from that encounter and it makes me wonder what Cáceres has up her sleeve for the final book.
Cricket is a fascinating FMC and makes interesting and unpredictable choices throughout the series and its no different in this book. Raven goes through a pretty dark but deftly handled personal descent and Cricket recieved support from a dubious side character that ends up taking up much of the space of this book.
My only issue is that we finally get the scene with Cricket and Raven after so much slow burn in ADoSH and it did not have the edge or attention I was expecting. Instead, other spicy scenes comprised a lot of our attention. I won't say more. I don't want to ruin anything but I guess I expected more from that encounter and it makes me wonder what Cáceres has up her sleeve for the final book.
October 21, 2026
Listen, if a creepy little forest full of spiders, questionable life choices, and general “ma’am, we need to leave IMMEDIATELY” energy sounds like your kind of thing, add this one to your TBR. 🕷️🖤😂
The gothic fairytale vibes? Immaculate. The creepy atmosphere? Absolutely not, but also YES. Because apparently, I enjoy being emotionally comfortable while reading things that suggest I would not survive five minutes in the actual story.
I love a dark, twisted fairytale, and this one serves up the spooky magic and eerie vibes beautifully. Give me haunted woods, creepy creatures, and a story that makes me question why anyone would willingly wander into the forest in the first place. Girl, stay on the path!
Five stars! ⭐️ Would I enter this forest in real life? Absolutely not. Would I read about someone else doing it from the safety of my bed? You bet your little spider legs I would. 🕷️📚�
The gothic fairytale vibes? Immaculate. The creepy atmosphere? Absolutely not, but also YES. Because apparently, I enjoy being emotionally comfortable while reading things that suggest I would not survive five minutes in the actual story.
I love a dark, twisted fairytale, and this one serves up the spooky magic and eerie vibes beautifully. Give me haunted woods, creepy creatures, and a story that makes me question why anyone would willingly wander into the forest in the first place. Girl, stay on the path!
Five stars! ⭐️ Would I enter this forest in real life? Absolutely not. Would I read about someone else doing it from the safety of my bed? You bet your little spider legs I would. 🕷️📚�
Review of advance copy received from Author
Although I enjoyed the reading experience, this whole story was a lot of nothing. Nothing of consequence really happened until the very last page. The Raven fell into addiction and began moving chess pieces, but mostly off page. Cricket walked the dangerous Fae lands, had a wishy washy unsatisfying affair, and didn't confide in her friends. There wasn't even much more world building from the first book. So I'm left feeling like this meandering, unpurposeful, side quest wasn't necessary?
I left book 1 absolutely feral for this story but book 2 leaves me underwhelmed.
*I reviewed an Advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.*
I left book 1 absolutely feral for this story but book 2 leaves me underwhelmed.
*I reviewed an Advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.*
Review of advance copy received from Author
Grief, of a bond severed, so heavy, the reader drowns alongside the lovers; A Dream of Sundered Webs sinks back into not only the corruption behind nobility, but also delves into the lives of fae across the land affected by the power imbalances. It's never enough to simply remove one bad apple, the entire tree must come down. In Magh Meall, everything is more than it seems and this is most evident on Cricket's journey to the House of Magic. Author N. Cáceres has written a gripping continuation of The Knot of Mabh Trilogy, a Dark Romantasy with disastrously loveable characters, vivid imagery, and stunning lyrical prose accompanying a layered plot. I had the honor of reading this as an ARC and can't even wait for the final in the trilogy!!
October 19, 2026
After the cliffhanger from book one I was a little surprised about how this story unfolded. It wasn't a filler book but I did have a little bit of a side quest feel to it.
I still enjoyed Cricket and her found family even if she tried pushed them away. I wasn't a little underwhelmed with her secret affair as well.
The Raven's addiction was more inquiring. His struggling with her absence and ghost of the past were very well done.
We do get another cliffhanger and I'm still intrigued by what is to come
I still enjoyed Cricket and her found family even if she tried pushed them away. I wasn't a little underwhelmed with her secret affair as well.
The Raven's addiction was more inquiring. His struggling with her absence and ghost of the past were very well done.
We do get another cliffhanger and I'm still intrigued by what is to come
October 19, 2026
After the cliffhanger of book one I was excited to get into this next story. I feel like this did not hit the mark as much as I wanted. The story was good but it letting me wanting so much more. I am hoping book three really brings the energy.
September 29, 2026
5⭐️
3🌶
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
3🌶
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
October 19, 2026
I was brought back into the world the N. Cáceres beautifully creates. The one thing I absolutely love of her stories is the used of imagery to immerse us into the world of hers. We pick up right at the point that book 1 ended and we are reminded of that gut wrenching feeling of grief. But of course there has to be more so I cannot wait for the next installment.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews