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Farbonnur Elves #4
Tower of Lies
A glass pyramid. A dying goddess. A brother back from the dead. Oh, and a true love with amnesia.
Alvarick thought blood mages were the worst of his problems. Now, he's enmeshed in tower intrigue between his brother and his top advisors, all while trying to keep everyone from claiming Velden as their favorite playmate before the prophesied Yule bonding ritual to unite elfkind. Alvarick has two months to convince them true love is more important than magic when battling a blood demon.
Worst of all, Velden has no memory of the last two centuries, let alone the time they've spent together. The key to repairing his memory is the only thing keeping their goddess alive.
There are two ways to complete the bonding ritual. Will the fate of all mortal life rest on a brotherly bond crafted from prophecy instead of love? Or will Alvarick and Velden's true bond be the first stone cast at this glass tower of lies?
Tower of Lies is 93k words of m/m romantic fantasy goodness and should be read after Hives of Sorrow and before Tree of Secrets in the Farbonnur Elves series. ToL introduces a spoiled brat king and his sassy but sweet fated mate. ToL also has found and real family, brotherly hate/love, a pyramid full of powerful idiots, a newborn queen, sunshine/grumpy banter between fated mates, and more ritual spice than a Yule fruitcake.
This fantasy series contains scenes that may depict, mention, or discuss fantasy violence, including assault, blood, death, decapitation, magic and the occult, murder, skeletons/zombies/ghouls, terrorism, torture, violence, and war. Tower of Lies mentions/discusses past physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. For full content warnings, see the author's website.
Alvarick thought blood mages were the worst of his problems. Now, he's enmeshed in tower intrigue between his brother and his top advisors, all while trying to keep everyone from claiming Velden as their favorite playmate before the prophesied Yule bonding ritual to unite elfkind. Alvarick has two months to convince them true love is more important than magic when battling a blood demon.
Worst of all, Velden has no memory of the last two centuries, let alone the time they've spent together. The key to repairing his memory is the only thing keeping their goddess alive.
There are two ways to complete the bonding ritual. Will the fate of all mortal life rest on a brotherly bond crafted from prophecy instead of love? Or will Alvarick and Velden's true bond be the first stone cast at this glass tower of lies?
Tower of Lies is 93k words of m/m romantic fantasy goodness and should be read after Hives of Sorrow and before Tree of Secrets in the Farbonnur Elves series. ToL introduces a spoiled brat king and his sassy but sweet fated mate. ToL also has found and real family, brotherly hate/love, a pyramid full of powerful idiots, a newborn queen, sunshine/grumpy banter between fated mates, and more ritual spice than a Yule fruitcake.
This fantasy series contains scenes that may depict, mention, or discuss fantasy violence, including assault, blood, death, decapitation, magic and the occult, murder, skeletons/zombies/ghouls, terrorism, torture, violence, and war. Tower of Lies mentions/discusses past physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. For full content warnings, see the author's website.
- GenresParanormalMagicFantasy
370 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 26, 2022
2 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 7, 2022
Tower of Lies was phenomenal! I seriously adore this series. Tower of Lies is the fourth story in the Farbonnur Elves Book series. It really should be read in order. Alvarick and Velden’s story continues. Velden has no memory of the last two hundred years. Alvarick must convince Velden they are true mates. There are some fantastic secondary, new characters we meet in Tower of Lies. Overall, a fantastic read! Well written with pacing that just flows. It sucked me in right from the beginning and didn’t let go. Highly recommend.
September 28, 2022
growing on me
While I was pretty harsh in previous reviews, I think the world building makes up for the angst. Bonus points for slow reveal about the world, rather than an infodump prologue (gotta work to piece together stuff, highlights include: gay immortal elves, magic armor forged from magic metal, dragon goddess, a demon trapped in the world of dreams).
Granted, half of this book was still “I’m unworthy of you” moping, in spite of your literal goddess telling you love trumps power.
The other parts are sibling rivalry, and slow reformation of a former spoiled brat (with his own brand of trauma). Not total reform (still an arsejack), but enough to let down his guard.
While I’m all about the m/m, I do wonder where the female and nonbinary elves go, are there towers where they can be all powerful and immortal, or is magic just sexist like that? Shapeshifting is possible with enough magic, is the goddess really female, or is she a shapeshifting male with an unlimited well of power to fuel her shift?
While I was pretty harsh in previous reviews, I think the world building makes up for the angst. Bonus points for slow reveal about the world, rather than an infodump prologue (gotta work to piece together stuff, highlights include: gay immortal elves, magic armor forged from magic metal, dragon goddess, a demon trapped in the world of dreams).
Granted, half of this book was still “I’m unworthy of you” moping, in spite of your literal goddess telling you love trumps power.
The other parts are sibling rivalry, and slow reformation of a former spoiled brat (with his own brand of trauma). Not total reform (still an arsejack), but enough to let down his guard.
While I’m all about the m/m, I do wonder where the female and nonbinary elves go, are there towers where they can be all powerful and immortal, or is magic just sexist like that? Shapeshifting is possible with enough magic, is the goddess really female, or is she a shapeshifting male with an unlimited well of power to fuel her shift?
September 11, 2022
I am one of those people who hates spoilers, so I am going to limit my review to be somewhat nonspecific. What I will say (and I don't consider it a spoiler as it's in the book description) is that Alvarick and Veldani finally get their HEA! It's not quick or easy, as they still face the prejudices, intrigue, and subterfuge of the tower and its elves. To make it harder and more complicated, Veldan has amnesia and doesn't remember his time with Alvarick or their true bond. How will Alvarick defeat the prophecy and secure his true love? What about his brother? Yeah, as I said, it won't be easy. And this isn't the end. Alvarick and Veldan may get their HEA, but the blood demon and his blood mages are still out there and the world is still at risk. I loved this continuation of the story, and I can't wait for the next book, which I believe will carry on with Faraki's pursuit of his bonded mate.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
March 27, 2024
Good
I'm starting to have a love/hate relationship with this series. Well hate is too strong of word but I definitely have moments of frustration with it. This one mostly focuses on Alvarick trying to get Davri to see that love is better than power and dealing with Velden's memory loss. I thought Davri's POV was interesting and while I understand how what he went through made him who he was, he still had made a lot of bad choices. Some of his choices were because of Gerlix but not all. I found him redeemed by the end of the book. And honestly, Velden is probably my biggest source of frustration. He's not a bad character but I just wish he had a little more hope. I am hoping Faraki's true bond is right around the corner or I might lose my mind. I also hope that the next books can focus more on this final battle with Hurouth and less on all the Celastes drama. I don't need any of that information repeated to me again for a fifth time.
I'm starting to have a love/hate relationship with this series. Well hate is too strong of word but I definitely have moments of frustration with it. This one mostly focuses on Alvarick trying to get Davri to see that love is better than power and dealing with Velden's memory loss. I thought Davri's POV was interesting and while I understand how what he went through made him who he was, he still had made a lot of bad choices. Some of his choices were because of Gerlix but not all. I found him redeemed by the end of the book. And honestly, Velden is probably my biggest source of frustration. He's not a bad character but I just wish he had a little more hope. I am hoping Faraki's true bond is right around the corner or I might lose my mind. I also hope that the next books can focus more on this final battle with Hurouth and less on all the Celastes drama. I don't need any of that information repeated to me again for a fifth time.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews