The Acros Raiders: Darkest Before Dawn

by Sara Tunder

Darkness will fall before Valko is brought to a new dawn.

Adjusting to her new position on the team, Scotty Sedgewig finally feels like she belongs in the Acros Raiders. When an apostle of Cassius, god of chaos and deceit, comes into her life, she is quick to brush off everything he says as lies. She learns a sickening truth and spirals when she has to make a choice: go against everything she’s ever fought for to get what she wants, or keep on her path to bring those who wronged her to justice. Among her struggles, she finds answers and comfort in the last person she expects—a mortal enemy.

Hawks Halcomb is back in the Black Glove Scouts after deceiving the Acros Raiders for years. His teammates are plagued by distrust for the spies who returned, some calling for them to answer for their crimes. When Hawks’s silent cries for help to his god go unanswered on Saint Maxson’s Day of Silence, he starts to wonder what he’s really fighting for. He is forced to pick a side: keep supporting High Priestess Tapscott’s Castist Regime to make his father, his god, and his country proud, or go against everything he’s ever known to atone for his sins.

Will their choices align them on the same path, or will they find themselves fated to be on opposite sides of the war?


The final book in Sara Tunder’s fantasy steampunk trilogy, Darkest Before Dawn, holds the thrilling end to the Valkoean rebellion. This time, both the Acros Raiders and the Black Glove Scouts explore a side to the world they never thought possible. The line between right and wrong blurs as they face an uncertain future. Will High Priestess Tapscott and her Castist Regime prevail?

520 pages, Paperback

Published July 21, 2026

About the author

Sara Tunder is an award-winning fantasy/steampunk author, captain, and gardening enthusiast. She grew up in the Appalachian foothills, the history and environment having a huge impact on her writing. She has always loved fantasy worlds, creating her first one when she was just 7 years old. The passion only grew from there. Now, she lives in Florida with her husband, parakeet, and cat where she works on writing more stories with vivid worlds for readers to enjoy.

Reviews

[Heather Clodfelter]

I'm not usually a big reviewer, but I really enjoyed reading this series and this last book is by far the best. The characters are well developed throughout and you start to feel like part of the team/family as you experience their highs and lows. Withorn is my favorite. I'm pretty sure we could be annoying and irritating friends. This book does a good job of wrapping everything up, but also leaves room for another book or complimenting series in the future. The only loose end this book didn't take care of for me is, "Who is Withorn's dad!?"

[Steve Ryan]

I’ve read all three books in this series, and they get better and better as they go. The stakes keep getting higher, but not at the expense of the story or the characters. Each book in the series is well-plotted and fun to read a second time once you know the outcome.

While book one was in Scotty and Withorn’s points-of-view, book two is from the POV of Scotty and Ren, and book three is in the POV of Scotty, Aster, and Halsy. The new points-of-view were very entertaining and exactly what I wanted from the series. Book three was especially satisfying for me because so much of what I wanted to know about the characters was focused on, and so much that I wanted for the characters came to fruition.

Sara Tunder is an excellent world builder with well-developed characters. She makes it easy to visualize the world and makes you want to learn more and more about it. I can’t wait to read her next series.

[Tristan Ryan]

A Fun Steampunk Adventure With Lots of Twists and Turns!

I’m not going to write a summary of the book or give away spoilers!!! The characters are my favorite thing about this book. I loved reading about Aster and his secrets. This story will stick in your head for months after you’ve finished the book. It did for me, anyway.

I’ve had a lot of fun with this series. The weapons that use steam power are amazing. I love the world within this series. I’m sad to see it come to an end. Book three in particular was an emotional one. I cried my eyes out for quite a few scenes!

I feel positive I’ll like the next series the author has in store for her readers. I can’t wait to delve into another world with amazing characters.

[Riley Perrie]

This book! I hadn’t read the previous two, so I was unsure what I would think or if I’d be able to follow the story. I loved all the characters especially Aster. There were so many conflicting emotions especially since I was routing for him and the Acros Raiders. This book kept me flipping pages in a wonderful steampunk world.