Splintered Loyalty

Shattered World #5

by W.R. Gingell

Luca is back. Jasper is shady. The Tea House has returned to its regularly scheduled programming.

But nothing is quite normal for Viv, who knows that someone in the Tea House hacked her phone and stole valuable information about her mother before she had a chance to look at it. Tech Support can help with that—but only so much.

And before Viv has a chance to get to the safe deposit box belonging to her parents that might or might not still be in an old, gothic Melbourne bank, she and the rest of the Tea House denizens are overrun by an invasion of Forex agents taking over the Tea House.

Viv knows she can’t trust Jasper completely. She trusts Luca completely, but knows she shouldn’t. She’ll need all her wits—and allies—about her to save the Tea House and uncover her own family secrets before it’s too late.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal

311 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 25, 2026

About the author

W.R. Gingell is an Australian author of urban fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, and madcap science fiction who doesn't seem to be able to write a book without a body suddenly turning up. She solemnly swears that all such bodies are strictly fictional in nature.

She lives in a refurbished 1970s Bedford Bus in the south of Tasmania, where she spends her time reading, drinking a truly ridiculous amount of tea, and raising spinach, strawberries, and one small, fluffy dog. Like Peter Pan, W.R. never really grew up, and despite the inconveniences of chronically ill life, is still occasionally to be found climbing trees.

You can sign up to the The WR(ite) Newsletter by following the link!

GOODREADS FRIEND POLICY: I don't tend to friend anyone unless they're a personal friend or someone from my close author circle. I have a limited social battery which needs constant care. If you want to keep up with my reading/writing, you can absolutely follow me here or on pretty much any social media site.

Reviews

[Christina Baehr]

EEEeeeeeek

This is on the gory side for a Gingell book, but I managed it because there was hope (and Hope!).

Also the Christopher Nolan level TWIST?! That made perfect sense??!!

[W.R. Gingell]

first edit FINISHED
(there's still another edit and the typo run to go, so don't get TOO excited)

can't wait to share this with you lot. i love it, and i love what i did with it, and i'm hoping you all love it as much as i do!

[Katie King]

I absolutely loved the book!

Splintered Loyalty is the perfect continuation of the Shattered World series! It has all the characteristics that make this series so good. It’s a dark and twisty gothic urban fantasy, with wonderfully unhinged characters, mystery, murder, secrets, intrigue, conspiracies, nightmares, magic, danger, spiders, and Seffy. It also has action, adventure, fighting, and a touch of romance.

I enjoyed every second of this book and can’t wait for the next one!

[Suzannah]

Every time a SHATTERED WORLD book comes out I'm like OK. THIS one is my favourite. It's just that sometimes an author is serving winner after winner, you know?

This one has more dream magic (always a huge favourite), a very inventive take on the classic bridge troll, a besieged-in-your-own-home plot (how I love a besieged-in-your-own-home plot!), a romance burning slowly in the best way, and...well, there's the twist. A twist that massively upends two tropes, in a way that I'm kind of stunned we don't see more often. It was super fun and readers will love it, but there must be something deeply wrong with me, because I CANNOT HELP FINDING LUCA LESS INTERESTING NOW THAT I KNOW HE IS A PRINCE. I know, I know. I KNOW that he's a prince in a subversive way - not because princes are supposed to be attractive and the female lead is supposed to end up with the most powerful option available to her. I know that Luca has royalty the way Henry VIII had an abcess on his knee, or the way Blandings Castle has imposters. I know that this twist is a real hoot, but also. Gah. I'm just not sure I can feel the same way about this character now. Anyway I'll go sit in a corner and rethink my life.

[Olivia Grace]

Luca threw her a melting look and said, “I don’t think you’re the most helpless one, but I agree we should be protecting you.”
🥰🥰🥰

I can't get over how good Miss Gingell's writing is!!
I love how healthy the relationships are! They still have their issues but people aren't blinded by jealousy and rage constantly. They listen to each other and learn to be better. Also i love the fact that both Luca and JinYeong are willing to let their girls handle things but will step in if their girl needs help. 🥰🥰

The idea that Luca would kick shins for her was obviously comforting.

I want someone that will kick shins for me.😤

It was nice, thought Viv, momentarily deaf to BoRa’s question in the unexpectedly warm, bright light of Luca’s welcoming smile, to have someone looking at you as though they were glad to see you just because you came home to eat dinner.

I also love that the book ended on a happy note and not on a cliffhanger. I love a good cliffhanger that makes me want to throw my Kindle and scream as much as the next person but I don't like it when it feels like the author relays on cliffhangers to keep the readers interested. Luca and Viv deserved this moment of peace and I appreciate that Gingel let them have it.💙

[Susan]

I received this book because I participated in a Kickstarter by the author, so for the purposes of Goodreads, we'll say it's an ARC and that I received my copy from the author. I did pay for it, though. It's the first time in the entire series, I've received my copy and finished reading it before the mass release date, so that's interesting.

In any case, I have really enjoyed this series, and this entry was no exception. I love the way the characters have unfolded and developed and how the relationships have also developed. Gingell has a way of making me wonder at the beginning of a series, whether or how she will ever bring certain characters together, and then bringing them together in the most natural and believable way imaginable. I've really enjoyed getting to know this cast of characters.

Up until now there has been the plot of the individual book, and then a couple of overarching plots or situations that have carried on from one book to the next. This book dealt with and resolved one of those overarching plot issues in addition to its own smaller, in-book situation, leaving just one (I think) big, outstanding mystery left (to my mind anyway...at least at present - I always miss things in these books the first time around, and that's sure to be the case here as well). But for the moment, the only thing I'm still curious about and wanting a resolution for is the situation with Viv's dad.

There was a twist toward the end of this one that took me by surprise and also filled me with delight (I never pick up on plot twists ahead, so I don't get mad at myself when they catch me by surprise. Depending on what they are I sometimes feel betrayed, and other times feel delighted, even at my own expense. This one was one of the latter.) i am completely delighted that Gingell got one over on me, and I wonder how many of her hard-core fans who are much better at solving mysteries and picking up on clues than I am share that feeling, versus some who maybe figured it out ahead.

Looking forward to the next and final book in the series.

[Celebrilomiel]

*high-pitched screeching* HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT. WITH ALL MY CAREFUL NOTATION, HOW DID I NOT CATCH THAT. So good. So, so good. owo

I thought something had gone a bit wonky in that conversation with Cora, enough that at the time I was first reading that book I went back and read the conversation again, because something felt ever so slightly off. But I chalked it up to a minor lack of clarity in the writing or me missing something or seeing something that wasn't there, not a deliberate plot twist seeded three books earlier. And I had, from the very beginning, been aware and looking for both the boy from Queensland and the king's son. I'd even taken notes about the king's, Jasper's, and Luca's physical descriptions! And I had wondered why Jasper's magic was so much slower and weaker than Luca's. HOW did I miss what I was deliberately looking for? I'm giddy with delight at the twist. Viv wasn't an unreliable narrator — but I fell for her assumptions just as solidly as she did herself. Oh, that was brilliant.

Also! The bonus chapter at the end of the Kickstarter edition! *gibbers delightedly*

[Sadie Forsythe]

I find reviewing books well into a series difficult. There comes a point where I just want to go, “I’ve made it to book five in this series. I clearly enjoy this world, these characters, and this story. And I’ve likely already explained why in at least one of the previous four reviews.” But it’s true. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Gingell, and the Shattered World series is no exception. I like her writing style, authorial tone, wit, humor, and characters.

Viv and Luca are marvelous, and both are allowed to grow separately in this book. Though the reader sees more of Viv’s growth than Luca’s. I did miss seeing them work together, but I appreciate that Viv needed a chance to prove her abilities on her own. And she does, saving the day as only she can.

I did feel the writing here was a tad more rushed in some indefinable, perhaps imagined, way. But I still finished the book wishing the next one was already in hand. I’ll be waiting impatiently.

[Gordon]

This series is a great piece of ensemble character storytelling embedded in a quite original fantasy setting. Viv remains a very engaging narrator and protagonist (strong single POV) and now has some significant moral choices to make. There are fewer Behindkind monsters and more humans behaving monstrously in this one, and themes about ends justifying means, trust versus abuse of power, and which flawed characters actually want to change.

Along with that we get carefully timed release of revelations about the various characters I've become increasingly invested in over the course of the series.

Weaknesses: Gingell's narration is sometimes impressionistic rather than photorealistic and this can lead to occasionally confusing scene descriptions. It doesn't matter.

You should read this but don't start the series here - that would be impossibly confusing.

I backed this in Kickstarter, so I paid for my advance copy. Opinions are my own.

[Glorianne]

So yes, it is a real romance. But I’m still having a little bit of trouble getting on board with Luca as the love interest when I spent the first 3 books in the series thinking he was a murderous psychopath.

This one also had less of my favorite characters: SooAh, BoRa, and Bazzo. I do like Viv and very much respect her character, there’s just a lot less humor when she’s more isolated from the other characters.

It also felt gorier than the others in the series. And the main conflict with the kids was pretty creepy.

All in all, I definitely won’t be rereading this series. I’m in it till the end, though, and I’m hoping for an excess of BoRa in #6.

[Nancy Hawkins]

continuing a story unlike any other and so good

WR Gingell writes wonderful books where you never know what is coming next. I love her characters and events because they are so beautifully written, full of magic and surprises, mystery and mayhem. Viv and Luca and the inhabitants of the Teahouse are real and believable as they’re navigating the worlds of Between and Behind. As the mysteries unfold, and characters become ever more true to who they are, it’s great to be along for the ride.

[Emma]

I loved the continuation of this story. There are twists in the story that in hindsight are completely obvious but I was again completely blindsided. Love the character development, satisfied by what happened to those without a moral compass and intrigued by what may be in the file. Anyone who has read the rest of the series will want to read this and anyone who hasn’t needs to start at the beginning. I’m off to reread the series to see what else I missed

[Jess]

I saw that Gingell has a new series coming out in September so thought this was the last book in this series, and boy was I confused when I got to the last couple of chapters with no resolution on either Viv's or Jasper's dads. Nothing really to critique about the story, all the concerns I have are either because I psyched myself up for an ending that wasn't coming and because, as much as I love Viv and Luca, the opening had a bit more romance than I personally am interested in.

[Rebekah Isert]

*Birds are chirping, calm music playing*

*David Attenborough begins to speak* And here we have the post-book Bekah, sitting in her chair. Having just finished a good book, she opens up the review app on her phone, and records her deepest thoughts: /DA

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

*inhale*

I NEED BOOK 6 RIGHT NOOOOWWWWWW

[Alexandra]

Once again a intense, thrilling, enchanting story with the characters I already deeply love and some new ones I love (or love to hate).

And thankfully it's a nice round ending that makes it easier to wait until end of this year for the final book in the series. But it will really be hard for me to let all of them go then...

[Levi]

The slow burn of my dreams…

I love this whole series, and this book is no different. Well thought out, excellent characterization, world building and plot pacing. I’m absolutely thrilled at the pace and evolution of the relationships in these books and excited to see what’s next. Viv is exactly the type of MC we need more of.

[Amy]

Supported the book's kickstarter and got a pre-publication copy.
Gingell's books are on my "read as soon as they come out" list, and it is a pity that I'm lousy at reviews. Just know that the penultimate entry in the Shattered World series is really good.

[R]

My thoughts regarding a certain reveal in order:
WHAT. WHAAAT.
He’s just like daddy 😭😭
How did I not see it?!
He’s what I wanted his dad to be 😭 (except for the stabbyness)
Wait did Athelas know him 😳

[Crimson Rook]

This series just gets better!

I'm going to be so upset when this series ends with book 6. I love everything: the characters, the truths they tell each other, the world, the plot, the plot twists.

And my new fave romantic lead, Luca.

[Elizabeth]

Been a while since I read the last, so I didn’t remember all the subplots but enough to make it through and the rest was easy enough to remember as the book went on. I like how the story is progressing a lot, just wish I had all of the books in the series finished so I can binge them.

[Tess]

I KNEW IT

this is the first time I've guessed a twist of Gingell's so I'm excited.

that's all.

[Merili]

Best one yet 😭😭😭💖💖💖 also Hope is a new fave

[Bea]

I was under the mis impression that this was the final book in the series and was extremely confused when everything wasn’t tied up nicely in a little bow. Really enjoyed. Can’t wait for the next one

[Stephanie]

I cannot wait for book 6!!

[Debrac2014]

Wonderful! Viv has come into her own!

[MB (What she read)]

Ooh, can’t wait for next book!

[Jennifer Roth]

Very, very addictive series!

There is a lot of action packed into this book, but so many loose ends that make one want to dive right into the next book to see what happens!

[Mike and Lucy]

Amazing!

Once again, Gingell does an awesome job of crafting a great story with characters of depth and growth through the series.

[Jessica]

The pacing in this series is exceptional

[Alyssa]

Got excited and read this in one evening! Such delightful, swoony bits! It ends well, and mentions Pet, but that means that the next book will be incredibly perilous and someone might DIE 🫠