Burning Darkness

Djinn Curse #3

by Ingrid Seymour

Can one love destroy the world?

Marielle and Faris have risked it all for love: their safety, their lives, even humanity itself. Their mistakes are grave and the entire world is paying dearly. Akeelah has created a vicious, half-djinn army and is bent on killing every single human on the planet. Her powers are second only to her hatred. No one is safe, not when the creature’s goal is to rule the physical realm.

Only Marielle and Faris know how Akeelah built her army, and only they know how to destroy it. Marielle would rather forget the role she plays in this terrible game. She would rather run away with Faris, never to return—humanity be damned—but who is she kidding? There is no way she can let the evil Djinn win. Marielle’s fate was sealed the day she unwittingly gave Akeelah the answers to her thousand-year-old questions. Now Marielle’s guilt is too heavy to simply walk away. The fate of every citizen on Earth, especially her father, depends on her and the man she loves.

Genres: Fantasy, Magic

358 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2017

About the author

Ingrid Seymour is a USA Today Bestselling Author. When she’s not writing books, she spends her time working as a software engineer, cooking exotic recipes, hanging out with her family and working out. She writes young adult and new adult fiction in a variety of genres, including Sci-Fi, urban fantasy, romance, paranormal and horror.

Her favorite outings involve a trip to the library or bookstore where she immediately gravitates toward the YA section. She’s an avid reader and fangirl of many amazing books. She is a dreamer and a fighter who believes perseverance and hard work can make dreams come true.

She lives in Birmingham, AL with her husband, two kids and a cat named Ossie.

Reviews

[Ingrid Seymour · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad to say goodbye to my beloved characters :`(

[Marta Pascual Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually 4.5 stars.
I recived an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
So I have just discovered Ingrid Seymour as an author this year, but I think she is going to stay on my radar for quite a while.
Three Words Promised was the perfect conclusion for the trilogy. I have highly enjoyed the reading experience and the story was just perfect. Reading this trilogy I have remembered how much I love to read paranormal romance and the fact that this one was particulary well written helps a lot.
Regarding the book let me tell you that you will highly enjoy it. It´s hard to find conclusions that live up to the expectations but Three Words Promised did and overcome them; at least for me.
The writing style was magnificent I love the way in which the author use different points of view to tell the story and even when two od those point of view are in the first person she managed to create such vivis characters with differences and strong personalities.
The plot as I have say was magnificent.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It's amazing how, in hardship, people come together, and how the things we are used to taking for granted suddenly become precious." ~ Marielle

This quote summarizes "Three Words Promised" perfectly. In this third and final installment of the "Djinn Empire" series, Marielle and Faris's continue to face hardships in an attempt to finally rid the world of the evil Akeelah. This powerful Djinn's powers and desire to do away with humanity increases greatly, making it harder for Marielle and Faris to be together. Who will succeed in the end?

Reading this book was so bittersweet. I couldn't wait to continue the story but was sad knowing that it was the last one. It is filled with intense action from the beginning! Marielle and Faris, along with Abby, Maven, and the others, must confront not only Akeelah and her growing army of djinns, but also demons that must be summoned. Akeelah continues putting her mark on humans, in hopes of having them eventually annihilate each other. Meanwhile, her djinns continue their search for Marielle and Faris, hoping to lure her by holding her father captive. Marielle and Faris's only desire is to finally be together, but with Akeelah on the loose, that is impossible. Their only hope is to perform a spell that will conjure a demon stronger than Akeelah, to finally be rid of her.

Three words, three words that envelop the feeling that Faris has for Marielle. Three words that he is anxious to bring to life, but can't, because if he does, he becomes human. Being human would mean he wouldn't be able to use his powers against Akeelah. Luckily, there are some unexpected characters that come to the rescue, adding even more excitement to an already fantastic plot line!

[amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Mother of Djinn, where do I even start? That last 30% kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Like ignore everyone around you, if the house was on fire so were you. That's exactly how I would describe it. The minute you thought things were going correctly, Ingrid "Gibbs'" you and throws in another curve ball.

I have absolutely loved this series. I gave this 4.5 stars, only because the middle kind of loses it for me. It slowed down a little and with the momentum it had going, it was tough to get back with the pace. Nonetheless I still enjoyed this read.


I was gifted this as an ARC, this is my honest review!

(A Gibbs' is a smack to the back of the head, in case anyone was wondering. NCIS. Love it.)

[Tachina Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great end to the series.

I loved it. Absolutely satisfied with the story :) This really kept me at the edge of my seat! Loved it!

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great ending to the series. My biggest complaint is still the poor editing (or maybe just lack of it entirely), but I enjoyed the books enough that I was able to overlook it.

I think the author created an interesting idea surrounding how Djinn (or, I guess, half-Djinn) are made. Granted, this is only my second Djinn/genie series, so I'm not sure what the norm is--each of the series has had very different ideas.

Marielle and Faris are both likable characters, and I liked reading about them. Sure, there was a little Romeo & Juliet action going on, but I can forgive it. I'm glad that Abby was more in the 2nd and 3rd books than she appeared to be in the 1st.

I also really liked the redemption aspect of the story, but I don't want to give anything away by saying more than that.

How it ends: Akeelah creates an army of half-Djinn that can harm humans, and then she gets people all over the world to fight against each other, resulting in lots and lots of death.

Marielle & co. return to New Orleans from Dubai, not using magic (to avoid Akeelah's notice) and try to find their friends and families. People brought to Live Oak: Javier, Anita, Benito, Samuel, and Helen (Maven & Samuel's mom). They can't find Robert because he's been taken by Akeelah and is being held captive.

Akeelah turns Gallardo into a half-Djinn so she can force him to tell her how a Djinn can be banished/destroyed.

Marielle & co. try to make a plan to banish/destroy Akeelah, using the spell in Gallardo's book. They search for and find a woman who frequented Jardin Noir, whom Marielle is pretty sure is a witch. She was expecting them and goes with them. Apparently they were somehow followed, as they are attacked. Faris splits from Marielle & Ma' Gee to draw the half-Djinn army away. M & M make it back to Live Oak, but Faris has to go to Akeelah's lair, where he discovers Robert. He tries to rescue him, but it doesn't work. Eventually he just has to escape.

Marielle is understandably upset and takes it out on Zet's stone, yelling at him and blaming him for what's happened. Faris makes it back home, and Marielle is relieved but mad at him because he broke his promise when he separated from her.

With Ma' Gee's help, Faris summons the demon necessary for the spell against Akeelah (practice). Except something goes wrong, and the demon pulls Faris back with it. Zet emerges from the stone, having forgiven Faris and himself. They tell him what happened.

Marielle goes to Akeelah's lair to find her father. Akeelah turns Robert into a half-Djinn and then has him start the process on Marielle. Only she decides Marielle will just die.

Meanwhile, Zet and Ma' Gee summon the demon and get Faris out. They show up to the warehouse in time to save Marielle from dying. But during their attempted escape, she's impaled and dies anyway. Faris tries to pull a Romeo and says he loves her (trying to become human) before stabbing himself. Zet convinces him to play dead and tells Akeelah he's going to put their bodies to rest and return.

In reality, he takes them to Jardin Noir, where he and Faris are barely able to turn Marielle into a half-Djinn. They return to Live Oak, where they make a new plan to defeat Akeelah.

Marielle disguises herself and visits a few of the places Akeelah started her chaos. She performs a few "miracles" and convinces people to stop their fighting. They decide to lure Akeelah to New Orleans and banish/destroy her together (Faris, Zet, Marielle, and Ma' Gee). Akeelah & co. wrest control of the demon they summon and send it after them. It starts to pull Faris under, and he tries to convince Marielle to leave him. Then it manages to get ahold of Akeelah, preventing her from using her magic and causing her to lose control of her half-Djinn (Andy, Robert, and Gallardo).

Marielle wishes her father away to safety, but she stays with Faris against his wishes. He finally tells her he loves her, and that somehow frees him (as a human) from the demon. She wishes to be human (that's all it took for her, thanks to Zet's binding spell), but it's not soon enough, and she gets half stuck in the hole through which the demon went. But Zet (still a Djinn) uses his magic to free her. The demon takes Akeelah, Gallardo, and Andy.

They find Robert and the rest of the half-Djinn in the warehouse, back as humans. Zet helps every get back home, and they all get to work putting things back together.

Two months later, Marielle and Faris get married. And they didn't have sex before that. Yeah!

Note: Some swearing, including one f-word.

[B. Sinsational · Rating 5 out of 5]

The straight forward bit: In it self this book holds a entertainment value that is high, with clever intrigue, vivid characters that aren't flatly just good or evil but sometimes a bit of both. Plus it has relatable way of character reasoning and thinking. To put more mental yummy-yum filling onto this Schwarzwald-cake of excellence; Its multilayered to blissful excellence, with a dialogue that makes you wanna chime in: " Yessssss, thats right! Take that you....!!" (No spoilers) or what ever else is called for in that situation (including: "NOOOO!!!" [With exasperation], and "OMG!!OMG!!!" [with notable perturbation in oposite to the normal equilibrium]. Bringing about the emotions subtly, but oh so skillfully. Conveyed like a highway express-lane directly into your heart!
Let me state honestly, on the subtle part: Very few are the treasured occasions when a reader encounter books that are so outstandingly unique, so rich and special. You feel it almost as a physical touch down into your core, clearly as if it was spoken; "THIS is a timeless piece! One that will give you a unforgettable read, and be well dearly remembered".
And upon Reading it, you feel that this is a book that has given you something...even if its not obvious what, the feeling persist.
Hats of and high salute to this amazing Creator of amazing stories, Storyteller of unforgettable proportions, and Author of book-treasures that is truely timeless.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Conclusion To Djinn Empire Trilogy

Hmmm.... This is the conclusion to Marielle's and Faris' story. Whilst it has an inevitably predictable ending, getting there was a very enjoyable and on the edge of your seat read. For me it started a little slow, but then it picked up speed and didn't end. It got really exciting towards the end, not knowing what is going to happen, and for a minute you just can't think that just happened. Then, poof, surprise and happiness. No twists in this book, but a good dose of action. Personally, I don't think it was as exciting or as adventurous as the first two books, but it was still a good read. For me both the main characters perturbed me a little due to their neediness for each other, but it wasn't so bad you couldn't read it. There is one surprise I was glad to see, maybe this turn of events will lead to a spin off series for this character.

Overall, it was a good conclusion to this trilogy. It was well written, and all plot lines were wrapped up. The prose flowed smoothly and was very easy to follow. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

[Destiny Bridwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as an ARC for my honest opinion and review. I have read the books that came before this one. I got so excited when I go this book, but then it dawned me that it was the last book in the series. I did not want it to end. Akeelah has a half djinn army that is hell-bent on killing every human on the planet. Marielle would love nothing more to just run away with her love Faris, but her guilt is to heavy on her heart to her part in all of this. Marielle and Faris are the only ones who know how Akeelah got her army so they are the only ones that can destroy it. Will they be able to conquer their fears and save the world and destroy Akeelah and her evil plans? You will have to read this out of this world conclusion.

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this is the best out of all the three books in this series. The main character Marielle is more mature compared to the first two. She did have her moments in this book, but she admitted herself that she was acting like a brat.
We get a lot more action and suspense in this story. I was kept on tenterhooks to see whether they'll make it or not. I have to admit that I thought they wouldn't but help arrived from someone I wasn't expecting.
There is a happy ending, I am glad to say! There are twists in this book that I did not see coming.
I found this book to be a bit more violent but it wasn't graphic.

[Christina Luberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three Words promised in the Djinn Empire Series continues where the second book left off. I will say that it started out a little slow in this book, but as you read it became very suspense full and you wanted to know what was going to happen. Was the world ever going to be safe? Was Marielle and Faris ever going to be together? Will they ever find Marielle's Dad? Will they ever defeat Akeelah? I think this is a good read for all teenagers and young adults that they can fight their fears and help others. I think that there could be a runoff on Zet?. I received a arc copy for my honest review.

[Noxwitchbooklife · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great conclusion to the Djinn Empire trilogy!
Is love truly the cause of all of the destruction in this world or not?! We get to find out in this the last book of the series.
This is sort of what I imagined what would happen if gang warfare ruled towns and cities.
There's one event in the book that if the terrorist attacks at the various gig venues over the world really upset you I wouldn't recommend reading this story...
This book is really quite darker than the first two in the trilogy and it was hard to imagine that after the second book.
Not suitable for children or those adults that don't like a bit of gore thrown in with their supernatural romance.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marielle, Faris and Akeelah are back and even better. Although a bit darker story then the other two books, it was a good story and great ending. Hooked me from the beginning and had to see how Akeelah would be defeated. I loved the twists and turns and enjoyed hating Akeelah. It started a bit crazy and just got better and better. Kind of wanted to slap or roll my eyes Marielle and Faris for being too lovey dovey but I guess they really did earn their love fest - Ah new love, OK it did fit into the story. I received a free copy and my honest review is - Great ending to the series.

[Candy Laine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's time for Faris and Marielle to face the terror that is Akeelah. No matter how he tries Faris can't keep Marielle out of trouble till the evil is wandering their world. The action is superlative, the characters all grow and come into their own. The twists and turns make you wish for a seat belt. Plenty of little thrills and surprises sprinkled in the story. Witches, demons, djinns, oh my! Overall I loved the story...best part ever...he finally gets to say the three words. Not quite the way one imagined them the first time, but totally awesome all the same.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was filled with violence and grief as Marielle and Faris tried to find a solution to the devastation Akeelah and her followers were reeking on the Earth. The storyline kept the reader on an emotional rollercoaster as evil forces surged forward while Marielle, Faris, their family and friends paid dearly for attempting to stop the slaughter. I felt only frustration as again and again throughout the entire story either Marielle or Faris was placed in imminent danger of dying. Good story if you don't mind the violence.

[Raina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end to a great series. If you like action, magic, jinn and some sweet romance, then read this series. Just make sure to read in order. I love that what kept the two main characters going was love for each other. Both faced death multiple times but with courage and a lot of luck they survived. This is a HEA but you still won't guess the ending.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of the book.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a marvelous end to an amazing trilogy. Heart stopping, heart pounding, suspenseful and thought provoking in every way. Good vs. Evil. Love vs. Hate. The light vs. the Dark. Consequences and righting wrongs. This book has it all. Step into the world of the Djinn Empire and I promise, you will not be disappointed.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great ending to the the trilogy . Faris and Marielle have been through so much to be together . This was no exception and they battled with all they had . They had some unexpected help and some that was a surprise . This story has everything action , drama , evil and love . Was a very fitting end . If you like magical beings and a really great story you will loved this one .

[Linda Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the a satisfying conclusion to Marielle and Faris' story. It has been an action packed ride as they fought to prevent mass destruction. I highly recommend the series to those who enjoy fantasy and paranormal stories. The romance between them has straightened and they have a strong relationship that grounds them as they fight the battle.

I am voluntarily reviewing a copy I received,

[Ola Adamska · Rating 4 out of 5]

The World is ending - Akeelah is creating Djinn's Empire with help of the people that want to kill other people.
Join Marielle and Faris in their final battle against Akeelah - I promise fast action, a lot of love, surprises, and turns.
I gave 4 stars as I had some problems with following the events.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

My fifth read from Author Ingrid Seymour continuing the story begun in One Wish Away and continued in Two Hearts Asunder. A well-written, well-developed story with well-developed characters. As in my first four reads from the author I couldn't wait to turn the next page and what a twist the authors throws at the reader in this book!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received an ARC and voluntarily reviewed. Just loved this book. Too bad it's the last in this series. Shows what love can do and how much people will come together to help if the need arises. The characters were just super.

[Michelle VanDaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three Words Promised was a great ending to this trilogy. This was a great series that continued to get better with each book. I became invested in book 1 and stayed invested until the end, The journey is worth taking

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this read, it really drew me in, this is the 3rd book in the series and I do recommend reading them in order. The story is fast paced with lots of suspense and drama, I was hooked from beginning to end.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was the best one of the trilogy. Lots of action, angst, and twists I didn't see coming. Just when I thought all was lost, there came help from an unexpected source. This was a great conclusion to a satisfying series!

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great series. Each book was better than the one before!

This book was full of action. I had been anxiously awaiting this last book in the series. I was not disappointed. Action packed with a little romance. I have already been telling friends they need to read this series.

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book wonderful series

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for a honest review

Loved it

Absolutely a wonderful ending to a beautiful series. Wonderfully thought out with plenty of action.

[Debbie Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the best one yet. Akeelah has started a war that Marielle and Faris have to somehow stop. It's time to save the world and the human race. With the help of old friends, new friends and even some old enemies, promises broken and promises kept, they work towards doing just that. It is an amazing end to an awesome series. Ingrid Seymour does not disappoint. Thumbs up to a great read.

[Joanne H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good continuing story. I loved this author's writing! Finally, Faris and Marielle together, maybe? If you like djinn, witches, demons and armies of very bad people in storyland subjects, then you need to read this book! Is there a hell? Is there any good people left? Love this book! I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary review consideration.