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Gilded Scars #4
The Shadow Queen
"You can't save everyone."
This means war.
And Fifth is about to find themselves allied with those they least expect.
Kenzie and Morden have been taken by the King of Third, and it’s not looking good for them. With little to do but persevere, they can only hope for a daring rescue – or a one-in-a-million chance of escape.
The rest of Fifth finds themselves very much challenged by Kenzie’s absence. Some push to discover their inner strength, whereas others find themselves crumbling. Political alliances are hanging on by a thread, and with the threat of war on the horizon, the Shadow Court can’t risk letting a single tenuous advantage slip through their fingers.
In Third, Orym and Morrow find their relationship tested. Conditioned to bow down to his father and king his whole life, Orym finds his heart calling for someone else. Forced to watch Morrow’s cruelty, he wonders if he’s chosen the right side.
Worlds collide and continents unite in this fourth and final installment of the Gilded Scars series, drawing Kenzie and the rest of Fifth’s story to a heartbreaking and vengeful conclusion.
This means war.
And Fifth is about to find themselves allied with those they least expect.
Kenzie and Morden have been taken by the King of Third, and it’s not looking good for them. With little to do but persevere, they can only hope for a daring rescue – or a one-in-a-million chance of escape.
The rest of Fifth finds themselves very much challenged by Kenzie’s absence. Some push to discover their inner strength, whereas others find themselves crumbling. Political alliances are hanging on by a thread, and with the threat of war on the horizon, the Shadow Court can’t risk letting a single tenuous advantage slip through their fingers.
In Third, Orym and Morrow find their relationship tested. Conditioned to bow down to his father and king his whole life, Orym finds his heart calling for someone else. Forced to watch Morrow’s cruelty, he wonders if he’s chosen the right side.
Worlds collide and continents unite in this fourth and final installment of the Gilded Scars series, drawing Kenzie and the rest of Fifth’s story to a heartbreaking and vengeful conclusion.
502 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2022
1 person is currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
M.S. Murphy
8 books40 followersM.S. Murphy hails from Montreal, Canada, though she claims many cities and countries as home thanks to her sateless wanderlust. She studied creative writing in university with the dream of becoming an editor or copywriter. While her 9-to-5 took her down a very different path, her 5-to-9 keeps her well immersed in numerous fantasy worlds—her own included.
M.S. Murphy was an avid reader through her pre-teen and teen years, and this only exploded into a full-blown fascination as she got older. Armed with the credit card of a working woman and a highly curated TikTok FYP, Murphy spends too many hours every year diving into beautiful, fantastical stories. While she is more than willing to dabble in other genres, Murphy’s preference remains fantasy-romance, and this thematic preference very clearly bleeds into her own written works. Well—that and a slew of very angry, very passionate women who are willing to do whatever it takes to rule the world.
M.S. Murphy was an avid reader through her pre-teen and teen years, and this only exploded into a full-blown fascination as she got older. Armed with the credit card of a working woman and a highly curated TikTok FYP, Murphy spends too many hours every year diving into beautiful, fantastical stories. While she is more than willing to dabble in other genres, Murphy’s preference remains fantasy-romance, and this thematic preference very clearly bleeds into her own written works. Well—that and a slew of very angry, very passionate women who are willing to do whatever it takes to rule the world.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 14, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶
This is the best series I’ve ever read. I’m not even joking when I say the books maintain the quality throughout the whole series, if not get better. I’ll recommend this book till I die. It absolutely captured my attention from the first one until the very last sentence, and deserves so much more recognition.
“Kill me, then,” I challenged him. “It doesn’t matter. I know how this ends. And when you lose, I will know. Even if I am dead, I will know. I promise you, King of Third, I will know.”
There was so much character development and growth in this one, we got to see a lot more of the side characters and their lives/thoughts and I really vibed with it. Usually I groan when I have to read a new POV but all of them are amazingly written. The 4th book picks up much heavier than the last 3, and we aren’t spared knowing what goes on when everything goes to shit.
“he murmured. “I know you like to think that you hold all the power in this marriage. You might be the Shadow Queen, but you were mine first. You were mine long before you set your sights on ruling the darkness. When I decide to fight my battles with you, I know just…how…to…win.”
This one focused less on the romance and more on the plot, which I usually HATE, but I found I loved it. We still got the spice but it wasn’t rushed, or just randomly placed in the story. It was INTENTIONAL and had more of an impact when it did happen. I love their banter and humour, and they feel more connected in this one.
“Sure, she got pushed around by the tahk for a couple of minutes. But she also made that tahk her bitch when she rode it around like her personal steed.”
“You said you didn’t ride the tahk,” Dren yelled, pointing a finger at Kenzie.”
🌶🌶🌶
This is the best series I’ve ever read. I’m not even joking when I say the books maintain the quality throughout the whole series, if not get better. I’ll recommend this book till I die. It absolutely captured my attention from the first one until the very last sentence, and deserves so much more recognition.
“Kill me, then,” I challenged him. “It doesn’t matter. I know how this ends. And when you lose, I will know. Even if I am dead, I will know. I promise you, King of Third, I will know.”
There was so much character development and growth in this one, we got to see a lot more of the side characters and their lives/thoughts and I really vibed with it. Usually I groan when I have to read a new POV but all of them are amazingly written. The 4th book picks up much heavier than the last 3, and we aren’t spared knowing what goes on when everything goes to shit.
“he murmured. “I know you like to think that you hold all the power in this marriage. You might be the Shadow Queen, but you were mine first. You were mine long before you set your sights on ruling the darkness. When I decide to fight my battles with you, I know just…how…to…win.”
This one focused less on the romance and more on the plot, which I usually HATE, but I found I loved it. We still got the spice but it wasn’t rushed, or just randomly placed in the story. It was INTENTIONAL and had more of an impact when it did happen. I love their banter and humour, and they feel more connected in this one.
“Sure, she got pushed around by the tahk for a couple of minutes. But she also made that tahk her bitch when she rode it around like her personal steed.”
“You said you didn’t ride the tahk,” Dren yelled, pointing a finger at Kenzie.”
August 11, 2022
Wow just amazing 👏 such a perfect way to end the series.
Heartbroken that it's ended but having the characters you fall in love with get to the end goal was just so worth it. This one was just beautifully written aswell; having Cayla become her own person, Kenzie and Dren's romance became even stronger somehow, Tatec's raw emotions
Plus having to read Kenzie go through and recover from her traumas just hurts so much but makes her into such an amazing character that draws you in just as she is in the book.
Will recommend this series till I'm in the grave, I'm obsessed. 💙
Forever grateful for the ARC's so I could read them again and again.
Heartbroken that it's ended but having the characters you fall in love with get to the end goal was just so worth it. This one was just beautifully written aswell; having Cayla become her own person, Kenzie and Dren's romance became even stronger somehow, Tatec's raw emotions
Plus having to read Kenzie go through and recover from her traumas just hurts so much but makes her into such an amazing character that draws you in just as she is in the book.
Will recommend this series till I'm in the grave, I'm obsessed. 💙
Forever grateful for the ARC's so I could read them again and again.
July 18, 2024
Mourning the losses in here as if they were my own but I am content to say that I loved every book in this series and could not have asked for a better ending 🥹
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews