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Alice Skye #5

Knight's War

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A betrayed witch. A broken secret. A malevolent destiny.

Paladin Agent Alice Skye is desperate to get back on a case, and it doesn’t take long until she gets exactly what she’s asked for. Alice is thrust into a horrific homicide, one that tests her limited knowledge in dark magic, and threatens to destroy not only her, but those she loves.

Still in mourning, Alice is trying to get her life back together. However, nothing is quite like it seems when she receives a letter from Dread’s estate. She uncovers a secret, one that should have remained buried. But fate is ticking, for there are those waiting for her in the dark, ready to stop the prophecy that has shadowed her since birth.

Can she survive her greatest challenge yet?

Or will The Knights, a secret guild of assassins follow their simple, but deadly creed?

Protect the innocent; Slay the corrupt; Defend the realm.

Because unfortunately for Alice, she’s their number one target.

Knight’s War is the fifth instalment in this nail-biting, action packed Urban Fantasy series by Taylor Aston White. Follow Alice as she battles her Daemons and unveils dark secrets in a modern world of magic.

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 11, 2021

338 people are currently reading
179 people want to read

About the author

Taylor Aston White

23 books378 followers
Taylor Aston White writes deliciously dark fantasy & romance, where tension burns, secrets break, and love always wins. Based in the UK with her childhood sweetheart and their two children, she's the author of several bestselling series and loves to explore mythology and European faerie tales to create her own, modern twists.

Follow her on Instagram - @taylorastonwhite, and join her newsletter on www.taylorastonwhite.com

Be sure to follow Taylor on BookBub for the latest on sales https://bit.ly/3rNVVlm

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
Profile Image for Debbie Eyre.
5,893 reviews116 followers
March 11, 2021
This is a great series. It’s action packed and will have you on the edge of your seat the whole read. Well written and fast paced there’s so much going on that your head will spin. There’s murder, magic, a complex storyline that grabs you and keeps you hooked and friendship. Throw in twists and turns and revelations, it’s engaging and exciting and that makes this one hell of a rollercoaster ride!
Profile Image for Scarolet Ellis.
7,445 reviews53 followers
May 8, 2021
Knight's War (Alice Skye series Book 5) by Taylor Aston White is a fantastic story to read. This is book number five in this fantastic series that I have been so hooked on. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about fantasy and paranormal romance.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
2,996 reviews43 followers
February 13, 2022
This is book five of the Alice Skye series and the main character, Paladin Agent Alice Skye is thrust into a horrific homicide case.. Alice is still in mourning from the death of her father figure and mentor Nahaliel Dread, a vampire, and has been waiting two months just for an appointment with D.E.A.D., the office dealing with the Death, Estate and Assets of the true Dead. Apparently the estate of a vampire who dies under capital punishment goes back to their sire or master, as far back as they need to search for someone still living, as such for an undead, and they receive everything from their progeny’s estate. Alice wants to access his estate for something and is finally granted a supervised visit. As she was not legally adopted by Dread, as he was trying to keep her identity hidden, she cannot inherit anything. She doesn’t want anything, but wonders if he might have left something for her. She is an earth witch whose powers and abilities in the arcane have been increasing and she trains with the Guardians. She trains with Guardians Riley, Titus and Axel and her arcane powers are developing much faster than they expected. She still has the strength from her ancestor’s power, close to the original Elementals and also is in a prophecy for the end of the world. Axel calls her his little doomsday due to this!
She can also use wild magic, which is usually fae in origin. She only had it before due to her shared bond with Peyton, in a witch, fae pairing that was said to be impossible. She thought it had gone dormant since she worked with Peyton to remove their familiar connection. Whilst training she is distracted by a loud and consistent sound and eventually is drawn to it, finding what looks like a broken fae portal and something may have come through it. Something dangerous! Riley wants to see her that night, they are in a relationship now, but taking it slowly as both have a lot of stress in their lives making a normal life difficult. She lives with her friend Sam, a leopard shifter, and finds that hard, whilst Riley shares a home with six others. She is busy preparing a birthday surprise for her older sibling Kyle, who is still suffering from the memories of what he was forced to do for so many years, by a master who manipulated him with dark magic and abuse. He is finding it difficult to adjust to a life with freedom, He had come to the house to warn her about her stalkers, the Knights, and to reveal that they are in fact professional assassins and she is their number one target. They want her dead, but not just yet, which is a strange comment from one of their number. The Knights live by their motto, ‘Protect the innocent, Slay the corrupt, Defend the realm’.
She is War, one of the horsemen of the apocalypse, not that she knows much about what that means, as well as a Draco due to her ancestors. Someone wants the four horsemen to break the seal which has been used for millennium to temper their full powers, and thus break the seal between the Earth realm and the Nether, the prison like realm bad people were sent to. One of the horsemen has already had their seal broken and another is being controlled by her father, in a state that isn’t quite what you would call living. The items she finds in Dread’s hidden office, show he was investigating something and that something was War! She doesn’t have her seal, so the Knights are left wondering how she has controlled her tendency towards becoming War, for so long without it! That, I presume, has all been down to Dread. The murders she, Peyton and Brady are investigating are all of shifters, killed mid shift and then bound in a very particular way. Somewhat gruesome to look at. The person or persons doing this are using black magic, which is so much more powerful than dark magic, and comes at a cost to the wielder. The more they find out, the more bodies they realise are going to drop in their laps, posed in a strange manner and akin to a piece of fiction. They have their world cut out for them with this case for sure.
On top of this, Alice’s visit to Dread’s house is disturbed when she and the representative of his estate come under attack. Her relationship with Riley is causing him issues with his beast and the others are against it continuing, causing her angst. And amid all that she is called to the wolf compound, where the Alpha Rex tries to force her into a certain action, blaming her for the disarray his pack are in. Never believing for one moment that he could be the problem. Alice needs to find her seal, which may be hinted at by one of the items Dread arranged to be sent to her after his one true death. The veil between realms has been weaken due to the breaking of one seal already and when she touches hers, she starts to hear a voice commanding her to do things. The figure behind the plans to break the seals, is someone who has no memories of what they used to be, but knows they need to break the seals of the four horsemen, to get their lover out of the Nether. They don’t care what really happens to the horsemen, but pretends they do, as they trick them to do what they ultimately want. Each break brings ore of their memories back. The Knights are there to stop the seals being broken and to stop beings and creatures managing to come through, causing havoc on Earth! The homicide case turns personal for Alice, as someone she loves is targeted and they finally find out who is behind the killings, but not necessarily why. Lots happening for Alice in this one and she has to adapt to a range of new powers, thoughts and feelings all at about the same time! Loads of action and danger all round for our heroine and her friends. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next and last book of the series, as celestial beings are added to the mix. I received an ARC copy of this book form BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Profile Image for C. Erani Kole.
1,709 reviews51 followers
October 28, 2021
end did it for me

3.5 for me

The last bits made this better in the end.

SO. I can safely say that the writing is its own thing… one I’m not completely joyful about, but it isn’t bad. It’s the weird transitions for me. The lack of pauses, the run-on feels. Alice’s thing with Riley is swoon-worthy but the lack of spotlight on it makes it more “secondary” than it really feels… if that makes sense.

The characters grow on me. I like them, a lot. Alice still bugs me sometimes but everyone else makes up for it.
Profile Image for Kaye.
7,177 reviews69 followers
March 14, 2021
✴️✴️ONE SENSATIONAL THRILL RIDE✴️✴️
Busting bumpers boo! Taylor hit the motherload, unleashing one helluva boot-stomping smackdown with this tumultuous rock-our-world rollercoaster ride, jetting this bad boy to staggering heights. Delivering up one action packed, hard hitting, fast paced, heart pounding, pulse racing, adrenaline pumping, block busting tilt-our-world, wrapping this gem up sleek, shiny and tight. Rushing headlong into uncharted territory overflowing with riveting drama, gripping intrigue, underlying currents, escalating danger, electrifying suspense and nailbiting situations converge, putting our characters through their paces, launching this baby to life flawlessly. Unexpected events and surprising fiasco's descend in a tempest of perceptive strategy, brilliant calculations and expert deductions, showcasing the perilous struggles and formidable triumphs, while attentive to the dangerous twists and wicked turns unfolding as secrets are revealed, revelations disclosed and vows are pledged, launching this baby to life spectacularly. The characters, interactions and charged atmosphere along with relatable qualities and individual traits add depth and diversity, transforming into amazing personalities. The scenes are abundantly descriptive with colorful details that blend and flow, creating a majestic backdrop that's so rich and lively it feels as though you're part of the story instead of on the sidelines, feeling everything the characters feel. Fabulous job Taylor, thanks for sharing this little treasure with us.
Profile Image for Katheyer.
1,557 reviews25 followers
February 26, 2021
„Knight’s War“ by Taylor White is the fifth installment in the “Alice Skye Series”, whose main character (Alice Skye) is a Paladin Agent for the SIB (Supernatural Intelligence Bureau), who in the course of her adventures becomes an independent Paladin agent, working with the so-called Spook Squad, the supernatural squad in the local police department, and in special with Detective Brady.

In this fifth adventure Alice is desperate for action, to try to put her life together and overcome her grieving, and usually you just get what you wish for, just not exactly wished. The case Alice is assigned test all her knowledge and then some. A gruesome dark magic murder, whose repercussions threaten to destroy everything, because Alice has just stumbled into a secret that should best remained hidden.

This is the most intricate Alice Skye adventure in the series, a mix of plot that blend together into a single string, all of them wrapped into the captivating, crisp writing of Taylor White, and garnish with fast-paced action, a very high dose of mystery and dramatic tension, and the right amount of romance and character chemistry to highlight the adventure without overshadowing the story. This series still offers, even after five books, a fresh, original, brand-new take on classic urban fantasy elements, with unexpected twists and turns, and one of the most compelling heroines in the genre.

Profile Image for Spinneretta.
2,854 reviews20 followers
June 17, 2023
Good

Things aren’t going so well for Alice; she has people after her, and enemies in high places determined to use her. She’s lost people important to her, and now there is a murderer who is targeting the shifters…

So much happens in this one again, but telling all makes spoilers! Alice has come to embrace her heritage, and she has been training with Riley. She has some new, unusual connections that help too, and then there is the information she gets from what Dread left behind for her. There are some interesting, and even heartbreaking revelations in that.

Once again, this is a fast paced, action filled story, picking up from where the last book left off, and ending with a small setup for the next book. There’s some romance, angst, and battle (after all, Alice can become War!), and plenty of magic- good and bad.

An engrossing read, this series (and the spin-off tales) are sure to keep an urban fantasy enthusiast busy reading.
378 reviews2 followers
March 8, 2021
Paladin Agent Alice Skye is desperate to get back on a case; her foster father has dies-true death- his estate is complicated, she will be homeless. She gets drawn in on a case that really wasn't what she is comfortable with. Alice is thrust into a horrific homicide, one that tests her limited knowledge in dark magic, threatens to destroy everyone she loves. Her friends have issues, Her "real" brother is MIA or dead, her magic is growing out of control sometimes- not helping. As the murder unravels, her life goes sideways, her friends problems have interfered-so not needed on top of this. Her love life is a mess, she would really like a.......This is a fast paced, hard to put down story, with twist, turns, and reveal that leave you......
Profile Image for Nickole.
1,477 reviews9 followers
March 26, 2021
Rcvd an advanced reader copy from the author for giving my two cents. We meet Agent Alice Skye who is knee deep in murders and finding out the truth. However it's more complex bc her mentor was executed and now she is trying to find out what he was researching. Fear is a big motivator and Alice has seen too much death to last a lifetime. Her family lineage has set her fate in motion and breeds are at each other's throats so to speak. On top of that, the Knights are after those like Alice. But she's kept it on the downlow of who she really is. Will that be her downfall or will conflicting parties have their way and what else will Alice learn about her lineage that could possibly destroy them all?
Profile Image for Sandra.
3,341 reviews12 followers
July 2, 2022
Read books 2-6 in 3 days so kind of hard to separate them out into individual books so will talk about series as a whole. I really enjoyed the series - it had all the elements of what makes a truly enjoyable UF series for me. There is an overarching or bigger storyline to do with Alice's destiny of which we learn more in each book, along with a separate case for Alice to solve and romance, but the romance doesn't overshadow the plot and it is not the only relationship, Alice also has friends & colleagues. Alice is suitably kickass but not in an annoyingly Mary Sue way. She is relatable and the relationship between her and her best friend leopard shifter Sam is probably my favourite thing in the whole series.
19 reviews
March 10, 2021
I give a book 5 stars when I know I’ll read it again. The entire series is 5 stars and Knight’s War keeps delivering. I envy those who have not yet read any of the Alice Skye books because you can binge on 5 of them now and take a wild ride! There are always new twists and turns in the books. This one adds dimensions to the exiting storyline; it’s like a blossom that shows more and more petals as it opens. The plots get more complex while adding new characters and turns you don’t expect at all. The characters are realistic within the realm of fantasy; the plots are twisty and engaging - building and building.
Profile Image for Billie.
5,783 reviews72 followers
March 7, 2021
This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series!
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
Profile Image for The Mysterious Reader.
3,588 reviews66 followers
March 9, 2021
Taylor Aston White was unknown to me when I tried out Witch’s Sorrow, the first book in her Alice Skye series (separately reviewed). Rapid addiction followed thanks to the wonders of KU. So now along comes Knight's War (Book 5). Yes, this is the advertised “Witch Detective Urban Fantasy” but it’s also a dark complex and wonderfully written story that pulled me in and kept me reading deep into the night. Wonderful stuff really, and very well done indeed. Also very easy to highly recommend.
4,469 reviews21 followers
March 12, 2021
Alice is back and trying to recover from the last book and trying to solve a case finally but of course things do not go as planned. Twists and turns, secrets, fun characters and an enemy out to get her - The usual. Was entertaining and kept me reading to the end to see what would happen this time and what else might be revealed that should have stayed burred. Lots of magic, funny scenes, Sam, and the crazy. Enjoy Alice and her crazy life as never know what will happen to her next.
Profile Image for Maghon Thomas.
1,541 reviews1 follower
March 14, 2021
Holy Moly!

I was NOT prepared!! I’m shocked and was not prepared for all these revelations and surprised and omg. Like now I have to wait again for the next book but holy moly was this one worth the wait!!! I can’t say enough about how awesome this series is and this book was absolutely excellent!! It was emotional in so many different ways- shock, grief, anger, sadness, love, laughter, more shock, suspense. Sooooo worth it!! Phenomenal job!!
Profile Image for misty Belcher.
20 reviews1 follower
April 17, 2021
Excellent read. This series kept me hooked

This series kept me hooked through all 5 books. I can't wait to read book 6 this winter. This series is well written and entertaining. I loved how the timeline stayed fairly true throughout the separate books. I did have one drawback which was that some of the characters had very similar names which caused me some confusion. This didn't take away from the main story. I give this series 5 stars.
91 reviews
March 11, 2021
Amazing book, watching Alice and Riley’s relationship develop and heartstopping at least two places. Murder investigations and development of the continuing story of Alice as War. This book has a bit of everything.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Dana Faulkner.
287 reviews1 follower
March 11, 2022
Alice’s story continues

Another wonderful book in Alice’s story. All the characters we love return and we learn more about Alice’s past and the people that hunt her. The story building is great, wonderful characters and a different take on the myth of the 4 horseman. Great reading.
11 reviews
June 2, 2024
Interesting, but flawed

As I am finishing book 5, I am noticing more and more editing errors. Taught instead of taut. Misuse of effect and affect See last page of chapter 12. And so many missed words and extra words. Who edited this book? I was a technical editor in my past life . It is distracting to read with so many errors. but I still want to read book 6
Profile Image for Katherine Elley.
552 reviews27 followers
May 21, 2025
Since Dread’s passing, Alice is in mourning. She receives a letter and has gained access to his property. Dread had kept a secret which Alice is finding out.
A lot of secrets have been unveiled during this book.
Also, Alice gets thrown into a homicide investigation, which tests her limits of dark magic.
This book has you on the edge of your seat.
Profile Image for Laura.
23 reviews
April 9, 2021
I can nit wait till the next one! The plot is getting so THICK! The characters feel real! I love the periodic side views between chapters. The world building is really good. The fact that we ate learning along with the MC keeps it interesting. ❤❤❤
25 reviews
April 16, 2021
Fantastic Alice Skye

Absolutely amazing and captivating books. Riveting read kept me on the edge of my seat all the time,but the ending in knights war seriously let it down, unless there is another one due soon
656 reviews
July 19, 2021
What a fab read

This series get a better and better the more you read. Poor Alice getting arrested and kept in prison . I loved how she told Riley she loves him . I wonder what the fallen angel will do with the councilmen .
111 reviews1 follower
November 5, 2021

Book 5 of the series and so hard to put down can’t wait fir the next one! Alice has grown in strength as she struggles to find answers and keep from being killed for just existing. Together with her bestie Sam and lover (?) Riley she battles to overcome her destiny
97 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2021
Great

I really enjoy this series. It is pretty dark overall but there are a couple characters and relationships that elevate a lighter side. Hopefully this last book will show that good will prevail!
8 reviews
January 10, 2022
The series is a cracking good read!

Really like Alice, she's a great hero. I'm really enjoying the series. I'll soon be waiting for the next book. I will then be looking out all other books by Taylor!
Profile Image for Alyssa.
24 reviews
June 23, 2023
Was an interesting book. Got the action, plot twists, "damsels".
Onto the next!! Glad to see how this ends.
Also after this series check out the other books about the guardians- I've read 1, they're good!!
Profile Image for Teresa.
1,120 reviews6 followers
April 12, 2024
Closer to War

Pestilence has been freed. Famine is vanquished, Death as yet unfound, and War is fighting her fate. Alice has to keep her seal unbroken or have the strength to fight it if it breaks. Or, end the world as we know it.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
1,625 reviews6 followers
September 21, 2024
Amazing

Another amazing book in this series with big reveals! The different people that keep challenging Alice seems to keep getting bigger, can she keep it up without breaking? Love the Riley moments, they are special together.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews

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