House of Pounding Hearts

The Kingdom of Crows #2

by Olivia Wildenstein

I meant to capture the prince's heart... and ended up with a king's.

My desire to sit upon the Lucin throne led me to revive an ancient, winged monarch; one I deemed a friend until that friend duped and imprisoned me.

Lorcan claims he’s holding me captive for my own safety, but then he also claims I belong to him. Slumbering for five centuries has evidently given the Crow King severe delusions.

We may share an unfortunate mind-link, but we are still masters of our own destiny, and I intend to steer mine away from the Sky Kingdom and its prophecies . . . away from him.

I quickly find out there is no escaping the possessive male. In all honesty, I’m no longer certain I want to.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fae, Fantasy Romance, Magic, Enemies To Lovers

444 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 2023

About the author

Olivia is a USA Today best-selling author of romantasy. When she’s not swooning over her characters’ steamy escapades, or plotting their demise, you can find her sipping wine and crafting her next twisted, romantic masterpiece, all while trying to convince her children and leading man that she loves them more than her laptop.

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Reviews

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

where the first book was all plot and exposition, this sequel definitely prioritises character development.

which would have been an enjoyable change of pace had the MC not driven me up the wall. i have no idea what happened to the growth fallon went through at the end of the last book, but shes suddenly very bratty and childish. shes just not a strong character who is enjoyable to read about at all.

that being said, i am still eating up the world building. the atmosphere of medieval italian kingdoms and the magic of celtic folklore is a great combination. and i think the overall story arc is still engaging, even though there is significantly less action and plot (more of a filler installment).

so yes, i will continue the series. i just hope fallon gets a major personality transplant and the plot kicks it up a notch in terms of speed in the next book.

↠ 3.5 stars

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 20%

I’m so frustrated because I really wanted to like this book! I just can’t understand why we’re supposed to be rooting for Fallon to end up queen and mate with Lore. Since the books are told entirely from her perspective, can any honest reader say they would want Fallon to be their ruler? Does she consider other people’s needs and display any sense of thoughtfulness about her actions and their consequences for others? No! She is completely self absorbed, petulant, and petty!

She freed her future mate Lore in the first book for selfish gain (to become Queen and marry Dante) and when her actions have consequences she didn’t anticipate (because she never even took a single moment to consider what might happen if she accomplished what she set out to do), she blames everyone around her instead of taking ownership of any of it! It’s infuriating!

As far as Lore being her mate, I feel sorry for him. I have no idea how someone that’s been alive hundreds of years would be attracted to a 24 year old that acts like a 14 year old spoiled brat, but the fact that he is became too unbelievable for me to continue. Are we supposed to believe that a good leader who cares about his people wouldn’t be concerned at the level of naivety and thoughtlessness displayed by Fallon?

Fallon constantly complains Lore is keeping her prisoner and won’t let her be free. Free to waltz home like an idiot to a kingdom she’s an enemy of since she freed Lore? How does she think that’s going to go? She just walks home and gets her waitressing job back and everyone acts the same as they did before she left?!? Again, the most galling part is that someone who is incapable of predicting the actions of people with power who have threatened her TO HER FACE, (like her grandfather and other powerful people in the military) thinks she deserves to be Queen!

Anyway, these things annoyed me in Book 1, but the fact that Fallon displays not an iota of ownership over the consequences of actions she herself set in motion made the story too irritating to continue. I don’t want to read a story where she ends up with a HEA.

[rania · Rating 2 out of 5]

fallon is, simply put, a moronic ignorant brat. she has no desire to learn, doesn’t understand social cues and has the common sense of a lobster. inside fallon’s pretty little head are only two roaches playing dominoes and they’re both losing.
my only thought throughout both of these books was that i truly hoped she would’ve had a brain altering sickness where she was either reduced to a vegetative state where i wouldn’t have to read her lame-brained words and actions OR where her personality changed entirely to the point it was a whole new character.

either way, it’s actually impressive how despite this pea-brained imbecile of a main character, the plot was entertaining enough to make me read the second book. definitely not strong enough to make me read the third one though. this thing lost its point after the first book, she freed the crows, that was her entire purpose, now what? also the things that were obviously copied from acotar were honestly hilarious to look at.
i could say that i liked lore, cause i know i would’ve, if only they had given him at least a bit of depth. his only personality trait was being obsessed with fallon for absolutely no reason, considering she treated him like absolute shit from the moment they met. i liked phoebus, but they also reduced him to his sexuality and that’s it, “ah yes look at the hot gay man who only thinks about fucking”. the female characters were just…there, there was no emotional connection to them whatsoever.
disappointing, annoying. i truly hope i never have to hear about fallon ever again. the good thing is that i know no other main character will ever bother me as much cause this girl just hit rock bottom and absolutely obliterated that bottom, she went straight to the earth’s core and was incinerated. not even ashes were left. thankfully.

[Kota Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not think the main character could be more naive and stupid than she was in the first book, but I was wrong.

[SHOMPA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second book in the series is better than the first in every way. I was totally amazed. After the book "House of Beating Wings", the story takes off like a rocket, soaring through the skies with incredible momentum. The world is expertly expanded. The witty and engaging banter we've come to love remains a cornerstone of the narrative, and the slow-burning tension is skillfully stoked until it finally explodes into a thrilling crescendo. which was super hot....🥵🌶🌶! The concept of communicating through the MC's mind link was my favorite here.

All in all, it was a really enjoyable read for me, and now I'm eagerly awaiting book 3.

[Audi Archer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m getting really tired of plot that’s driven almost solely from lack of communication. Specifically one character withholding information from the other. The kind where, if characters were just forthright half the book’s plot would instantly vanish.

And I’m not talking about baring everyone’s feelings right out the gate. There’s a lot of cutesy drama around ‘I don’t think he likes me so I’m gonna do XYZ’ and ‘she’s doing XYZ so she clearly doesn’t like me’ back and forth. I’m not necessarily here for it but I take as par for the course.

I’m talking about, spoilers below:
Him not telling her where her family was, what she would have to look forward to in Luce, what happened to her childhood home, what the Nebbian king was planning, where he thought her biological mother was, where Meriam was, that he had no intention of going through with his betrothal, etc.
I’m not even finished with the book yet and I almost don’t want to. Which sucks because I fucking LOVED the first one.

A few times she stops and calls Lore out for making a fool of her or waiting for her to find out the ugly truth of something herself as a means of manipulating her. And I gotta be honest here. He never gives me a satisfactory response that makes me think that he’s not doing exactly that. There was no reason to not tell her he wasn’t getting married EXCEPT to manipulate her.

I feel like I’m taking my frustrations out on this book. I’ve been getting more and more fed up with these manufactured cheap plot devices. And I was SOOOOOOOOOO excited for this book

[Taylor Taufalele · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first book was intriguing enough. I liked all of the side characters and the storyline.

This book however, was not for me. I could not connect with Fallon at all, her personality annoyed me the whole book.

At first she was annoyed she was "locked up" and didn't leave her room, it was like she was throwing a tempertantrum... Then she kept saying she wanted to be free and wanting to get away from the sky kingdom, even though everyone says it better and safer there for her.

But she finally goes to fae lands again, and everyone is pissed she's there and wants her to go back to the sky kingdom, but she just ignores everyone. She claims to have a "plan" as to why she left, but literally no one tells her anything so she makes half assed plans in her head that don't pan out.

Everyone is hiding stuff from her, no one trusts her with the truth because she is basically a child whining the whole book.

I mean literally what is her point in the story other than she's the only one who can save the crows?? That in itself does not make a character.

[Silvy · Rating 5 out of 5]

*michael scott voice* — my heart soars with the eagle’s crow’s nest.

on every level — physical, emotional, spiritual — i am unwell. this book killed me. it simultaneously had me soaring through the clouds on the back of a sexy crow man and also buried 200 ft below the earth in a deep, irretrievable grave. i loved every second of this. EVERY SECOND. and i may never recover from it.

i hate drawing comparisons to other series, but when i first read HoBW, i said that it reminded me of ACOTAR — NOT in terms of plot, but in terms of how it made me feel. house of pounding hearts? ACOMAF embodied. ACOMAF energy exuding from its every pore. and not in the ‘copy + paste the plot’ way — in the BANTER. in the ANGST. in the TENSION. in the SEXY OLDER MAGICAL SHADOW MAN IS PROFOUNDLY IN LOVE WITH FRUSTRATINGLY OBLIVIOUS ORNERY FMC. in the ways that it kept me up all night squealing and smiling and blushing at every single motherf*cking piece of dialogue between the two characters. if you’re a rhysand fan — and of course you are — you will love the MMC of this series. the only downside to this installment is that fallon, our FMC, goes from charmingly naive in HoBW to bratty and childish in this one — at least for the majority of the story. it’s grating, but it’s an intrinsic part of her character, and though i wanted to punt her off the cliffs of monteluce more than once, i love her all the same.

i died. i’m dead. do not bring me back until house of striking oaths drops, please, because i have suffocated to death on the sheer amount of butterflies that lived in my stomach and esophagus over the 48 hours i devoured this.

this book picks up almost immediately after HoBW ends, and is chock full of all of the will-they, won’t-they teasing, patient-but-possessive flirtations from our MMC, and 'i hate you but i can’t stop thinking of you' stubborn refusals from our FMC that you could ever want. the tension it creates is literally so thick and delicious you could eat it with a spoon.

there are a few surprises in this one that i struggled to make sense of, but that could easily be my one-track-mindedness when it came to the romance. because while this story has a solid musical-chairs type of plot when it comes to the various kingdoms’ thrones, it is predominantly a romance. the entire countries of luce and nebba could sink into the sea for all i care, as long as lore and fallon are mind-flirting.

and for those of you lamenting the spice levels in HoBW (me, most ardently), pick up some gatorade before you dive into this one. for electrolyte replacement. for all the sweating you’ll be doing.

5 stars, easily, happily, and with eternal gratitude to my crow queen olivia for the ARC because truly if i had to wait one more day to read this book i would have combusted from anticipation. immediate add to favorites shelf.

if you see me on here rereading this next week, mind your business. i am but a moth to a flame crow to a shiny, pretty object.

[❀ Rose ❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔹 Overall feelings:
〰 Hands down one of my favorite books I’ve read recently. I don’t know what it is about this author’s novels but they’re always just so damn fun for me. I always think of her works as my “guilty-pleasure reads” because while she uses plot points and things that would normally make me hate the book, I can’t help but not care when it comes to her novels because they’re always just a fun reading experience.

🔹 The plot:
〰 There is none. Plain and simple. I would love to tell you that there’s a whole lot happening in this book and that we get a lot of world building but the truth is, that would be a lie. Frankly, the first book had a lot more world-building than this one. At least in House of Beating Wings we had some fight scenes and we had a lot of political issues and power games going on. In this installment however, there is none of that. We’re only following Fallon around the Sky kingdom and getting to know more characters. That said, you might be wondering “but Rose, if this book had no plot then how the hell did you give it five stars?��� I did that for one reason and one reason only and that is….

🔹 The Romance:
〰 The goddamn Romance you guys. That’s exactly why I tell you that these books are guilty-pleasure reads for me. Because while I would normally need an actual plot to sustain me and keep me interested, that’s not the case with this author’s works because I’m just simply able to stay incredibly engaged thanks to the swoon-worthy romance. And the romance in this one was just top-tier in my opinion. Not because of Fallon by any means, but because of the incredible, mind-meltingly delicious Lore😩 This man y’all… this freaking man🫠

〰 I wish I could tell you that I was joking when I say that I highlighted every single thing that came out of this man’s mouth. I don’t know what it is about him but every thing he said was just so freaking romantic to me that I couldn’t help but be obsessed with me. The banter in this series (this installment especially) is top-freaking-notch. Some interactions between Fallon and Lore were just so well done in my opinion that I couldn’t help but disregard whatever issues I might have had with this book and just give it a full 5 stars (based on the romance alone I would have given it an even higher rating if I could). Here’s a few quotes showing instances where Lorcan would say something and I would just die:

“Don’t touch me” “My hands are at my sides, Behach Éan.” I turn to scowl at him. “With any part of your body” “Then do not touch other men”

“ I don’t like touching people, and I don’t like being touched” “ Could’ve fooled me. About the touching people part.”[…] “I don’t touch people, Behack Éan. I touch you. “I am people.” “You are not people.” His throat dips. “You are my…crow”.

“Does he want me dead?” “No.” “Then I don’t see the problem with me seeking out his company—“ “You’ve got me. You’ve no need for him.”

“I think I’m dying.” “Would I ever let that happen?” “You may control many things, Lorcan Ríhbiadh, but you surely cannot control the rhythm of my heart.” “I control all that belongs to me, Behach Éan.” “My heart belongs to you?” “It’s always belonged to me. I’m hoping that soon you’ll understand this, so you stop wasting its precious beats on males who aren’t me.”

〰 Bleh okay, I feel like these quotes are really not representative but you’ll get the full scope of this man’s swoon worthiness when you actually read the book, I promise. That said, I do have to admit that I was a bit disappointed when the characters finally got together. I felt like their chemistry suddenly vanished and all the angst and pining that had led to that moment were not really played out in any way. That’s actually something I’ve struggled with with some of this author’s other works as well. Where I’d feel like the relationship buildup is quite good but the payoff is just not there. Maybe that’s just me though so let’s move on and talk instead about the characters individually.

🔹 Characters:

Lorcan:
〰 We already know I love him. Did I like that he let the whole “fiancé” thing go on for so long? No but I can understand why he thought it could help Fallon accept the bond. Another thing I didn’t really like though is how often he hides things from Fallon. I get that she’s much younger than him but if you’re not going to see her as a future queen then you also won’t be able to treat her right as your partner because the two kind of go hand-in-hand in this scenario. That said, I’ll admit that Fallon doesn’t always make it easy to see her as a mature, grown woman.

Fallon:
〰 Not gonna lie, this girl does some stupid things at times and I can understand why she gets on some people’s nerves (I’ve been seeing that a lot in the reviews for this book lol). As for me however, I actually still like her quite a bit. She’s very funny but I’d be lying if I said that I don’t hope to see a more mature side of her in the next installment. I’m also really hoping we get more scenes with her trying to get closer to both her dad and her mom. I’d love to see the relationship between them develop.

Side characters:
〰 I’ll riot if Gabriel ends up dying. As for the rest of the side characters, they’re all pretty well developed. They all serve a purpose and although I feel like there are a lot of side characters, I also think that they’re all very well written and pretty unique (so I’m thankfully able to distinguish them very easily- which is sometimes hard to do with such a large cast).

🔹 Final thoughts:
〰 I loved this and I absolutely cannot wait for the final installment. The characters were well written and the banter between the MCs was top notch in my opinion. In the next installment I’m hoping to see more of Fallon’s relationship with her parents, I’m hoping to see a more mature side to our female heroine and I’m hoping to see a bit more trust between the MCs. Also, I wouldn’t mind if the next book had an actual plot lolll. And hopefully, the romance in it gets even better, especially since Fallon has finally accepted the mating bond and has stopped being stubborn about her relationship with Lore.

〰 Anyway, let me know what you guys thought of this book, I’d love to hear your opinions (you can also DM me on Instagram, I’d love to chat about this with you! My insta handle is in my bio)💕

🔹 Tropes:
❣️Forced proximity
❣️Hate to love
❣️Fish out of water
❣️Soulmates/fated mates
❣️Possessive hero
❣️Different worlds

First book also had:
❣️Secret identity
❣️Strangers to friends to somewhat hate on the heroine’s side.

[Leonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars

"You may think me a monster, and perhaps fighting monsters has turned me into one, but as you said, you´re shackled to me Little Birld. Do you know what that makes me in regards to you?"
"My ball and chain?"
"That makes me YOUR monster. The one who will fight off all the others in order to keep you safe."

This is a one POV book, told by the POV of Fallon.

Why are all men named Lorcan so damn sexy!? He´s broody, he´s dark haired, he´s charming, he´s all "touch her and I´ll kill you" and all possessive. He´s the stereotypical book boyfriend and we all love it. Lorcan will definitely go into my top ten of book boyfriends. I love Fallon as well. She´s smart, headstrong and brave. She isn´t your typical warrior woman but she is always standing up for herself which I loved. The slowburn in this series is so delicious, I love when it´s as drawn out as it is here. There is some smut in this book, although one of the scenes felt a bit weird and a bit unrealistic to me.

I really liked Syb in here and I loved how she got her side story as well. I´m a bit sad that there wasn´t as much of Pheebs in here, I definitely feel like he is the comedic relief character to this story and I hope he will be more involved again in the third book. I´m also hoping to get some more information on Catriona. I feel like her storyline was left with some loose ends that I would love to see tied together.

I really enjoyed how the plot thickened and the story got more intense. The pacing was good, it´s a fast paced book with many action scenes and also some character development. I love the serpents in this story and how the world building expanded. I hope that we also see Shabbe in the next book. The romance aspect is really good, like I already mentioned it´s a drawn out slowburn with enemies to lovers vibes and some good loathing and trying to avoid it all together. There is a bit of miscommunication in here, but it was well written so it didn´t really bother me and it also added to the drama effect of the drawn out slowburn and since I am a sucker for that I accepted it. This book leaves in a rather big cliffhanger, so if you aren´t a fan of those I would suggest waiting for the third book to be released until you start up this series. There is also some politic scheming involved as well as many intrigues and a possible war.

Overall it was a great read and I think it´s safe to say that this series will be one of my favorites of 2023.

trigger warnings: bullying/hate speech, animal abuse/death of an animal, murder, kidnapping

[winotka.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

No do ch*ja wafla, jak ja nienawidzę cliffhangerów 💀

Fallon to nadal Fallon, lekko irytująca, ale w tym tomie zdjęła już te różowe okulary. W jakimś sensie w sumie pasuje mi to jej zachowanie, nadal jest sobą, nie zmieniła się nagle w inną osobę, ale nabrała charakteru.
Lore!! Kocham typów co władają cieniami. A jak jeszcze wykorzystują je w ten sposób 😩 no spicy sceny były całkiem ciekawe
Ja się wkręciłam, co prawda były momenty gdzie był lekki przestój i niektóre wątki mnie trochę nudziły, ale nie przeważały.
Chyba mam po prostu jesienny mood teraz na takie książki 🖤

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly this could have been so much better if Fallon wasn’t such a bratty, childish, overly stubborn, frustrating asshole. I really enjoyed the first book but this character just really went downhill and I don’t even mean for a small portion of the book, I mean legit the entire book.

The 3 ⭐️ are for the world building and Lore 🖤

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

rating: 3.5

i'm disappointed with how this turned out. after such a banger first novel this sequel fell flat for me. i found that i had the same issue with this as i did last novel, which is that the beginning was so slow going. it took until almost halfway through for me to get pumped about anything that was going on. also i feel like fallon somehow devolved into a much more immature character since book one.

i really like lore but i have a lot of issues with fallons role in their relationship. for example, he sets her up with a wardrobe specifically sewn for her and a huge room in his house and yet she mopes and acts like shes a prisoner even though she knows she would likely be killed if she went back to luce. that was super grating for me. as the story progressed fallon seemed to go back to normal and i started enjoying her character again but im not sure what was going on with her for the first portion of this novel.

i wish we had more developments with meriam and shabbe. we get so little plot from this. the last 10 percent contained all of the excitement for the entire novel. we have a quick plot point with catriona that is pretty interesting but other than that it's a lot of politicking and lore/fallon fighting. i have really high hopes for book three since we have so much unresolved plot wise. i also think that ending sets up the next novel to be very interesting.

[vi.isreading]

there had better be pounding in this book.

[Sab · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so so mad because this could have been so good but it was absolutely ruined by faulty execution. This had so much potential but my god was it frustratingly annoying. This book and the first book should be edited down and turned into one. The biggest driving factors behind this book is miscommunication and frustration.

This series could have been so so good. The world building is great, the characters have so much potential, and the ideas are unique and amazing. But oh my god I wanted to scream at all the unnecessary situations that kept happening. I would have given this 3 stars but when we find out that something the FMC was doing for 60% of the book was pointless and if her and the MMC would have just had a 5 minute convo it never would have happened, I just about threw my kindle. LIKE WHY. Suuuch a waste of time.

Fallon was such an annoying brat is was actually embarrassing. The whole “I hate you” plot point should not take 1.75 books to get resolved. It took entirely too long and it ruined the whole book. MISCOMMUNICATION SHOULD NOT DRIVE A PLOT. Like my god. Lore could have been top tier but his entire personality became being obsessed with Fallon but also not telling her a single thing and letting her insane imagination run wild. Like sir, you’re 700+ years old, if you can’t communicate now, you’re a lost cause.

This book felt like I tried to copy the timeline/characters of ACOMAF in an embarrassing way. If the author didn’t try to be like SJM and stayed with her original unique idea, this could have been so good.

I wish I could have DNF’d this series but the few parts that were good were so dang good that I was invested. But I shouldn’t have to get through 12 hours of BS to get to those parts.

Honorable mention, the fact that the author actually had Fallon say to Lore “tough day at the office?” When he was gone all day. This was a high fantasy novel that does not take place in modern times and there aren’t any offices. I was instantly enraged.

I am begging this author to get an editor because this has so my potential and could be actually amazing.

[Alessa ✪ ( on semi hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF AT 36%

What happened here 🥺
I was SO excited to begin with this second book, and it had everything to be like ACOMAF ...( A Court of Mist Fury ), and I'm so sorry to dnf this.. but first the why's:

🔸️the first book ended in a satisfying cliffhanger with lots to expect for this second book.
🔸️ I didn't find the heroine particularly annoying in the first book, but in this one, I just couldn't stand her anymore . No character grow whatsoever.
🔸️I liked where the plot was going, but the execution didn't convince me . Like I said, I was expecting some sort of acomaf plot because the story totally could pull one, but instead, I got the typical second book where nothing happens.

I gave it 2 stars and not one because I MAY return to the book if I see a good spoiler and to read the spice that was promised 🤣🤣

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️ (rounded to 5 ⭐️ for GR)
Spice: 2-3🌶️

“I control all that belongs to me, Behach Éan.”
“My heart belongs to you?”
“It’s always belonged to me.”

Tropes/Themes:
- Adult fantasy romance
- Slowburn 🔥🔥🔥
- Possessive, alpha MC 🥵
- Headstrong FMC
- “Touch her & die”
- Fated mates
- Banter🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻
- Prophecies, curses, deceptions, & secrets
- Political intrigue
- Unique magic system
- Supernatural creatures (shifters, fae, witches, halflings)

This was one of my most anticipated new releases for 2023, and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

Overall Plot:
Olivia did a great job expanding on the important plot points that were introduced from Book 1. We are finally introduced to the Sky Kingdom and its people. We get a glimpse of how Lucin is holding up with Dante as the new reigning monarch, and how the Lucin society is adapting. Additionally, we learn more about Nebba, as well as the mysterious Shabbins as well. I wish I can go into more details, but I don’t want to spoil anything! However, the new information we learn is not overwhelming, and does not drag or slow down the overall storyline. All of this fits well within Fallon’s character arc and development.

Characters:
A new mix of interesting supporting characters have been added to the story in addition to those that were introduced in Book 1. I always worry that with such a large cast of characters, some would either be relegated to the background, or outshine the main characters, but I didn’t think that was the case at all!

We see the return of Sybille and Phoebus in this book, and I loved that Olivia gave them their own personal struggles and journeys, instead of just having them be “the best friends”. I loved seeing more of their personalities come forward in this book, as well as their vulnerabilities and motivations as they navigate through this period of strife and change in their world.

Additionally, we see more of Antoni and his gang of rebels return as well. I’m crossing my fingers for a happy ending for them 🤐, especially Antoni because the poor man has been through a lot!

Moreover, we also see the return of Caitriona and learn more about the Nebban royalty, including Princess Eponine.

Lastly, we are introduced to the Crows! I loved reading about them, and seeing how they fit into not only the story, but within the previously established character groups as well.

As for our main characters…. ☺️

Fallon really goes through A LOT in this book, both physically and emotionally! She is still our stubborn queen, and is REALLY fighting her feelings for Lore for most of the book. Something I like about Fallon is that SHE KNOWS that she is stubborn, naive, and impulsive…. But I know there will be readers who may not like her because of those qualities. At least she is self-aware 😅! Even though Lore is the most patient man ever, he really does not make it easy for Fallon at times, with all his secrets and scheming, even if he THINKS they are for her own good. I’m not sure if I find all his reasons justified, but for the most part, he does allow Fallon the freedom to figure things out for herself, make her own decisions, and come to her own conclusions in regards to certain characters and events. It was certainly a frustrating road for Fallon (and the readers!), but I think it was necessary because we all know that Fallon needs to see/do/discover things on her own terms for her to really accept everything that eventually unfolds, even if she was initially wrong about something. This is especially important because Fallon really loses her sense of belonging in the world after the events from Book 1. I can also sympathize with her and the way she reacts to certain events/reveals because MANY people, including Lore and her friends, are intentionally keeping important information from her throughout the book. Something that is really important to Fallon is that the Crows (along with everyone else) can see her worthy as being Queen, and I really hope that she has an epic moment in Book 3 where that is established!

I loved seeing more of Lore in this book! Olivia gave us such a tease in Book 1, but he’s more than I expected him to be 😍!We see him as a fair and trusting ruler. He loves his people and his kingdom, and will stop at NOTHING to claim his rightful throne. He is slightly morally grey (and I love it!), and extremely POSSESSIVE of Fallon, but also reluctantly understands that he cannot control her every move (as much as he would like to 😅). We all know that Lore would rather just keep Fallon locked away in a safe bubble of the Sky Kingdom, but he knows that for their relationship to work, he must grant her the freedom to venture beyond her (and his!) comfort zone and make her own discoveries/mistakes. However, that doesn’t mean he isn’t secretly keeping tabs on her from afar though…. 😏.

One thing I wanted more from this book was Fallon and Lore interactions (in human form!), and we definitely got it!! Their relationship was the slowest of slowburns, but all the built up tension between them and lead up was SO WORTH IT! The spicy scenes were *chefs kiss* 😮‍💨🥵 and were included in a way that was natural in the progression of their relationship.

There is also a big reveal in regards to their mind link or connection. The reveal was fairly obvious to me, especially after learning early on that it is not unique to every Crow. Still, it was nice to get the theory confirmed (look at the list of tropes above again if you want a minor spoiler 🤭) and I can’t wait to see how this plays out for them in the future.

I do want to mention, the reason I did not give a 5⭐️ rating is because I felt like Lore deliberately lies to or misleads Fallon about certain things, and it really brought her a lot of guilt and anguish throughout most of the book…. The reason he gives for doing so is spoilery, so you will have to read the book to make your own conclusions on if he was justified or not!

Because I don’t want to spoil anything, I wanted to leave these little tidbits:
- I continue to dislike Dante immensely & most of the Lucin fae males
- Secrets & Lies….
- There are (small and big) plot/character reveals I didn’t see coming! I’m not sure who to trust anymore
- Minimus returns! ❤️
- Bronwen 👀 & more prophecies
- Lore POV 😊
- THE ENDING?! ☠️☠️☠️ When they were calling out each others’ names… 😭

Overall, the story blended perfect amounts of action, humor, tension, intrigue, and twists that kept me engaged until the very end!

I’m so excited for Book 3, and to finally see the conclusion of this story!

An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@nicole_thereader
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolethere...

[mag_book_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recenzja patronacka

Z pewnością nie to wyobrażała sobie Fallon, gdy usłyszała przepowiednie o zostaniu królową.
I z pewnością nie wyobrażała sobie jego u swojego boku. Dziewczyna czując się zdradzona, nie ufa oraz nie akceptuje więzi z Królem Wron starając się ochronić swoje serce przed ponowną krzywdą. Próbuje przejąć inicjatywę walcząc nie tylko o siebie ale i przyszłość i los królestw. Czas, by wybrała swoją ścieżkę.

W tej części mamy szansę poznać bliżej lud Wron, ich język i kulturę w którym zadbano o najdrobniejsze szczegóły (słowniczek na początku książki ułatwia to zadanie). To czas na odkrycie korzeni Fallon oraz jej roli w tym nowym społeczeństwie. Jestem zauroczona spójnością kreacji tego świata i zachowań jednostek gdy postacie z dwóch różnych środowisk spotykają się ze sobą.
Określiłabym ten tom mianem "polityki serc". Każdy z bohaterów walczy nie tylko o autonomię ludzi na których im zależy ale i czyjeś uczucie. Lore rozkłada swoje szpony na sąsiednich ziemiach, starając się odbudować swoją potęgę, a Fallon, cóż... stara się nadążyć. Jej wysiłki są godne podziwu ale realnie niezbyt wspierające, co sprawia, że gra toczy się o coraz większą stawkę. I to doprowadzało mnie do małych zawałów.
Czułam, że autorka przygotowała coś wyjątkowego w kwestii romansu i się nie myliłam. Ten tom, niczym wąż zrzuca skórę kolejnych sekretów i wątków, które wpływają na naszą parę. Zaaranżowane małżeństwo mając swoją bratnią duszę, podsycone ponownie trójkątem romantycznym? Co może pójść nie tak? Przysięgam, że do końca życia zapamiętam scenę z wykorzystaniem cieni, w które zmienia się nad bohater. Chemia między postaciami oraz ich pełne napięcia sceny sprawią, że serce wam zabiję pary razy mocniej. To jak złożona i zmienna jest ich relacja jest nie do opisania! Sami musicie to poczuć.
Oczywiście nie zabrakło też specyficznego dla tej serii lekkiego humoru zakrapianego podtekstami oraz barwnych postaci pobocznych, które dolewają oliwę do już rozgrzanej fabuły. Oczekuję na widowiskowy finał tej trylogii.

[Farrah | Hello, Darkness Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a big Olivia Wildenstein fan, I wholeheartedly wanted to love this book. I had really been looking forward to reading it and continuing Fallon and Lore's story and banter, but I am sad to say, this was a huge miss for me. 

I noticed a shift in Olivia's writing style with the first novel, but it made sense for romantasy and was something I easily adjusted to. However, from the beginning of HoPH the writing was a turn off. It seemed overwritten and frankly, rushed. There were multiple things I caught that should have been remedied during the editing process. If you can look past this, by all means give the book a try, I just could not get past this enough to enjoy the story. 

One other thing that I'll mention is that I've seen several reviews compare this book to ACOMAF. While the ACOTAR series is the standard for romantasy, I cannot help but cringe when authors try too hard to emulate that series. That was the case for me with HoPH. Within the first quarter of the book I could name multiple similarities to ACOTAR/ACOMAF. As a reader, it would be nice to see authors change it up a bit with more original ideas and stop trying so hard to give us ACOTAR 2.0. 

All of this said, I am glad to see people loving the book, it was just not for me. 


𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigh. I LOVE this author. But I cannot love this female lead. I forced my way through book 2, hoping there’d be a turning point. But no, this girl is an idiot through and through. What a cliffhanger, though. Will I read book 3? Probably. Will I rank it any higher? Maybe if the main characters stop making me want to throw my head through a wall. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Jordan Fischer | julietfoxreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness gracious, this follow-up to House of Beating Wings did NOT disappoint. House of Pounding Hearts was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I think MY heart is literally still pounding over it. I’m obsessed with this series and begging everyone I know to read it!

Fallon had some MAJOR revelations about her past and her future at the end of Beating Wings, and early in this book she discovers even more. There’s more to the prophecy making her the key to breaking the curse on the Crows. The crown of Luce is on the line. And Fallon FINALLY realizes what Lore is to her. She is understandably upset about all of it, and makes a LOT of terrible decisions as a result. Though she eventually starts coming around and accepts her fate, her efforts are thwarted in a major way in the EPIC cliffhanger I’m still reeling from.

I highly recommend reading the prequel novella, House of Rising Sands, before reading this book. A lot of the events discussed in Pounding Hearts come from the actions that actually take place in the novella, and I’m really glad I read it for context (there’s also some spice!).

Fallon is pretty insufferable for a lot of this book. She’s already snarky, stubborn, and impulsive, so her reaction to the events of the story make sense, but it was frustrating to read. I LOVE Lore, he’s got a permanent spot on my book boyfriend list from now on. His mental conversations with Fallon are often hilarious. In addition he goes full “touch her and die” level overprotective in this one, and I’m here for it. All that to say, if he hadn’t been so set on withholding information from Fallon, everything in the story would’ve gone a lot smoother. I was mentally yelling at both of them for about 75% of the book.

The spice in this book is *chef’s kiss* when it finally shows up. This series is a real slow burn so far, but it’s totally worth it in the end. And I’m so glad Fallon finally gets what she deserves after the lackluster activities in the first book.

I absolutely love this world, and ALL of these characters. With that cliffhanger ending, I’m DYING to know how this story comes out. Hopefully I won’t be waiting too long? A girl can dream…

[Michele G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with my rating and review for this book. I certainly didn’t struggle because it was bad. I struggled because of my own expectations for this book. I expected a strong romance. I even expected it to come with a delicious slow burn. I was actually craving that slow burn. I guess you can say that the slow burn was there, but, in my opinion, it was overshadowed by an overly intricate plot with too many side characters and an exasperating main female character.

House of Beating Wings set me up for what I thought was an epic romance to come. I was anxiously awaiting more of Lore and Fallon. After pretty much zero romance in the first book, I was very dissatisfied in having to wait for roughly 75% of this book for that romance. There were bits and pieces throughout of the two together that was intended to add to the slow burn, but Fallons irrational thoughts and feelings towards Lore made the appeal of a romance between the two seem so unrealistic. Fallon hated Lore. It didn’t feel like a typical enemies to lovers type of hate that flips into desire. Her level of immaturity ruined that aspect. She made ridiculous decision after ridiculous decision to keep away from him - and keep away from him she did; they were apart for a majority of the book. Lore seemed to only like her because she freed him or because of their mated bond as she literally gave him no other attractive qualities.

Overall, how you feel about this book depends on your expectations. If you’re looking for a big fantasy plot with good world building and amazing writing, you won’t be disappointed. Olivia has been a favorite author of mine simply for her writing style alone. But if you’re looking for a fantasy romance, you’ll have to wait for over 800 pages of story to get it. Although the long wait was worth it, my frustration over getting there took away from the connection that I should have felt when Fallon and Lore finally got together.

3.5⭐️

[Teresa (The BFF Bookclub) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Put me in a medically induced coma until the next book releases because I am not well.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

"Ha’rovh béhya an ha théach’thu; ha’raì béih"

"Tell me—what it means."

"That until I met you, Little Bird, I was merely living; I was not alive."

The first half was more of a character development and I loved seeing Fallon finally grow and mature. She was still making a lot of bad decisions in the first half of the book but it got better…
I also really loved the plot and can’t wait to read the final book in the series ✨

[Books_and_Crafts · Rating 5 out of 5]

THAT FLIPPING CLIFFHANGER

my entire being is raging wanting to rip apart that mountain too!

[Aleesha · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Fair warning, I'm pissed the hell off and there's gonna be a bunch of expletive-slinging in this review. Also probably spoilers.]

You know how sometimes a book/series gets so hyped up and you've got such HIGH expectations, but then you read it and it's fucking godawful and you start to distrust people's opinions on everything?

That's me, right now. I have lost faith in humanity.

This series got so much good press. Its scores here on goodreads are super high. People on TikTok RAVED about it.

And here I fucking am wishing Fallon was real so I could skin her alive for being the most annoying thing in this whole blighted world.

God damn I hate stubborn, bratty, immature, bitchy main characters. Fallon is a whole ass toddler having the world's biggest tantrum for the first 65% of this stupid book.

I found myself hoping beyond hope that Lore would get sick of her shit and kick her ass out of Monteluce permanently. (And maybe shack up with Pheebs.)

We're probably supposed to be on Fallon's side because Freedooommmmmm or whatever the fuck but honestly? I really don't care because she's being pampered and treated like an absolute queen by Lore and every one of his Crows. Boo-hoo, so sad, she's sooooooooooo oppressed.

Give me a fucking break.

It's really telling that literally everybody in Fallon's friend group is constantly telling her to quit being a whiny little bitch from the very first chapter (and it takes her 40+ chapters and a near-death experience to come to terms with the fact that she's a fucking imbecile who's put everybody she's ever cared about in mortal danger). Literally everything they say to her revolves around her needing a goddamned attitude adjustment. Every single conversation is them mediating her foul mood to try and make peace with the folks who are just trying to get to know her. Or they're trying to stop her from popping off at the mouth and saying or doing something idiotic out of spite for Lore. All while she's stamping her feet and showing her ass like a child.

Fuck her.

Seriously, fuck her.

22 years old going on 3.

How is it this 700+ year old Crow King wants anything to do with her? Mates be damned.

The first half of this book had me HOPING someone would come along and snatch a knot in her ass. The last half I didn't give a shit about because she doesn't deserve an ounce of happiness.

We spend over half the book following miss "I want to choose everything for myself and I know better than everybody" around while she's being jealous as fuck of every woman mentioned in the same sentence as Lore. She also doesn't fucking listen to ANYBODY when they tell her she needs to GTFO--until it's too late and people are dead because of her.

She's so oblivious to her own fucking emotions and the reality of the world around her it makes me want to shake her. Or punch her in her stupid fucking face.

And when the romance (finally) started...I couldn't enjoy it because Fallon had made me loathe her to the point of no return. Not to mention "the shift" comes out of God's blue nowhere. And suddenly she's a different person, willing to acquiesce to Lore's requests. Why do writers do this? Why change a characters whole personality so they can fall in love. If she's a soggy cuntrag for the first 2/3rds of the book, she'd better still be a soggy cuntrag for the last 1/3rd, even if she's getting laid on the reg.

I'm GLAD she ended up where she did at the end of this book. I hope she stays there forever. She'd fucking deserve it.

I don't think I'll be picking up the third book after all because Fallon's in hell at the moment and that's justice enough for being a stupid fucking bitch for the first 2 books in this series. I'm quite happy that she's separated from her lover, and I can imagine that the world moves on pleasantly without her.

Oliva what have you done to me? The Angels of Elysium series was so fucking fantastic. I believed in you and you've betrayed me!

[nela.reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Współpraca reklamowa]
Kochani, ależ ja przepadłam dla Podniebnego Królestwa. W przeciwieństwie do Fallon nie potrzebowałam do tego dojrzeć i zdecydowanie szybciej odkryłam swoją miłość do Wron. Druga księga podobała mi się bardziej niż pierwsza, chociaż ciężko jest mi je do siebie porównać. Pierwszą część określiłabym jako ryzykowną wędrówkę, ważną misję i wielką niewiadomą, natomiast drugi tom skupia się na rozwijaniu relacji głównych bohaterów w nieco spokojniejszych warunkach. Ale nie dajcie się zwieść, bo w "Domu bijących serc" temperatura chwilami wzrasta bardzo, hm, gwałtownie.

W tej książce czytelnik ma okazję poznać Królestwo Wron
oczamj Fallon, która początkowo postrzega nowe miejsce jako więzienie, a samego władcę jako kogoś, kto ją zdradził i oszukał. Jak w poprzedniej części dziewczyna, o dziwo, mnie nie irytowała, tak przez pierwszą połowę książki kręciłam z politowaniem głową na jej chwilami dziecinne, "buntownicze" nastawienie i lekkomyślne zachowanie. Z drugiej strony w przypadku tej bohaterki widać, jak bardzo zmienia się na przestrzeni całej historii i stopniowo zaczyna akceptować zarówno swoje pochodzenie, jak i przeznaczenie.

"Dom bijących serc" nareszcie ukazuje Lorcana w jego pełnej postaci. Czekałam na to odkąd skończyłam czytać "Dom trzepoczących skrzydeł" i dokładnie tak wyobrażałam sobie króla Podniebnego Królestwa. Bawiło mnie jego pogrywanie z Fallon, imponowała inteligencja i przebiegłość, wzruszały relacje z innymi Wronami. Natomiast magiczne zdolności przyprawiały o szybsze bicie serca.

Uważam, że w Królestwie Wron jest jeden z lepiej przedstawionych wątków enemies to lovers. Mamy słowne potyczki, przejawy buntu, testowanie granic i całą masę napięcia między przeznaczonymi. Żyłam dla tej relacji i piszczałam z ekscytacji, bo naprawdę... Nie napisałam o testowaniu granic bez powodu. Fallon to przebiegła bestia i jeśli ktoś może jej w tym dorównać to tylko Lore. A co się dzieje, kiedy w końcu przestają się kryć z uczuciami? Pozostawiam to Waszej wyobraźni. Jedno jest pewne: jeśli w pierwszym tomie narzekaliście na brak scen zbliżeń, tutaj powinniście być usatysfakcjonowani.

Książka nie obfituje w ogromne plot twisty, ale posiada parę asów w rękawie. Jednym z nich jest wprowadzenie do fabuły kilka nowych postaci i rozwinięcie historii tych, które pojawiły się już wcześniej. Phoebus to mój numer jeden, ale każdy na swój sposób zdobył moją sympatię i stanowił świetne dopełnienie książki.

Samo Królestwo Wron oraz panujące w nim zasady, zwyczaje czy skomplikowany język były dla mnie szalenie interesujące i Olivia wykreowała świat, który można pokochać od pierwszych stron. Kiedy akcja książki przenosiła się właśnie tam, moje podekscytowanie potrafiło drastycznie wzrosnąć i absolutnie nie jestem tym faktem zaskoczona.

Nie zamierzam wspominać o kluczowych zdarzeniach i postaciach, aby nie zdradzić zbyt wiele, ale znajdzie się tutaj parę tajemnic do odkrycia i bohaterów, których znienawidzicie. Miejcie jedynie na uwadze, że drugi tom kończy się cliffhangerem i zaczniecie z niecierpliwością wyczekiwać kolejnej części. Ale jak kocha to poczeka, prawda? Więc czekam.🤭

[Luce · Rating 5 out of 5]

House of Pounding Hearts was an incredible sequel in the Kingdom of Crows series. I honestly wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did.

Fallon was such a petty arsehole in this book and I loved her for it! She spends 70% of this book hating Lore and it's hilarious, since Lore just ignores her behaviour. Plus, I love books where the tension and angst is consistent throughout. I did find myself rolling my eyes at some of Fallon's decisions but she was still an interesting main character to follow. I'm glad her obsession with Dante is done with, as that was the worst part of her character.

Our MMC Lore played a bigger role in this book and honestly... what a great role he plays. Lore has very strong "touch her and you die" vibes which I'm always here for. A lot more of his character is revealed in this book and I loved learning more about the Crows.

This book has similar issues with pacing as book 1 did, but I enjoyed it a lot more because of the developing relationship between Fallon and Lore. I could read a 1,000 pages of Fallon being petty and Lore just accepting it with a smirk.

I'm excited to read book 3 and see where this series continues to go!

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐

Was Fallon a whiny asshole for most of this book? Yes.
Did she finally pull her head out of her ass? Also yes. Thank fuck.
Did I still love this despite wanting to strangle her dumb ass? Yeah, yeah I did.

House of Pounding Hearts is definitely a faster paced and a quicker read that the first. Lore is still my favorite character by far, but Phoebus is a pretty close second.

AND THAT ENDING!!!?!?!?!!??!!
KUSAFASGBIUGBGBSA;UVBKSJRVBAIPSUGBGAPWIVAEPIVK OMFG

[slavic_zelva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naciągane 3★, bo z jednej strony czułam znużenie, a z drugiej chciałam wiedzieć, co będzie dalej.

Jestem lekko skonsternowana, i przyznam szczerze, że nie do końca wiem, jak ocenić ten tom. Ponieważ czuję, że mogło być lepiej, a tymczasem wyszedł (trochę) zmarnowany potencjał. Fallon przestała być naiwnym, zapatrzonym w fae dziewczątkiem, jednak zaczęła ukrywać swoje myśli za ciętym językiem. Który swoją drogą bywa męczący. Ponad połowa dialogów pomiędzy nią, a Lore jest niedojrzała i po kolejnym rozdziale ich rozmów, byłam w stanie głównie przewracać przy nich oczami. Dodatkowo decyzję Fallon bywają tak dziecinne, że naprawdę podziwiam Lorcana, że jeszcze nie wykopał jej na stałe z Podniebnego Królestwa.
Brakowało mi szerszej "budowy świata" względem Królestwa Wron. I tutaj autorka poszła raczej na łatwiznę, pokazując czytelnikom głównie 2-3 lokacje w których dzieje się większość spotkań bohaterów.
Złoto za najlepsze charaktery tej historii (szkoda, że drugoplanowe!) leci do Phoebusa oraz ojca Fallon.

Poza tym, książka przypomina kalkę relacji Feyry i Rhysanda... I ogólnie, II tom Dworów.