Star Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 - 4 stars (see my rating system)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Genre: Romantasy, Fantasy
Check out the summary if you’re interested in re-freshing your memory before reading the next books in the series!
Items beyond the synopsis and review contain spoilers.
In the highly anticipated third installment, Prisca's discovery of the hourglass catapults her into a gripping struggle for freedom and justice for the hyrbdis. As she and her companions plot to topple Regner's reign of terror, the narrative delves deep into the complexities of their personalities and relationships. Against a backdrop of escalating political intrigue, alliances are forged, secrets are revealed, and loyalties are tested. As the stakes grow higher, Prisca and her friends must navigate a perilous journey filled with twists, turns, and of course just a little spice.
I’ve become quite the fan of this series and am early awaiting the final installment of the series at the end of this year. A few thoughts on this specific book:
Overall I will definitely be finishing out this series, this series is a quintessential enemies to lovers with a dash of found family that is an easy read.
My favorite quotes from the book!
“Thol’s problem was that he could never love her enough. Your problem is the opposite. You may just love her too much. - Pg 91
“Because I knew I wasn’t worthy of being a mate. I could never be worthy of you. By the time the knowledge had truly hit me, I was in love with you. And I knew I would never recover if you stayed with me simply because of our mating. I needed you to choose me, Prisca. Because I would choose you ten thousand times over, every day for the rest of my life.” - Pg 188
Spicy Chapters 🌶️: 10, 12, 17, 19, 21
The third book kicks off right where the second one left us hanging! Prisca finds herself in a tight spot underground, all thanks to Cavis’ inadvertent double-cross, having turned out to be one of Regner’s spiders. Turns out, he's from Jadynmire, and Galon’s crew found him after his village went up in flames.
Meanwhile, Lorian, Asinia, and Demos are still in the labyrinth of caves being chased by an unknown creature. Demos fortunately has the hourglass in his posession. Madinia receives word from the queen about gathering Gromalian forces. After some nail-biting encounters, our trio manages to give that creature the slip. Regner and the Queen find out that the hybrid heir has been captured.
Prisca undergoes interrogation and witness to Cavis' suffering at the hands of Eadric and Soltor. Beyond the caves, Lorian dispatches his hawk to enlist aid from Galon and Valdoria, planning a journey to Hemiarath in pursuit of a healer.
Prisca and Cavis endure ongoing torture, with Cavis pleading with Prisca to end his suffering. Adinia's intel, courtesy of the queen, proves invaluable as the hybrids successfully push back the Gromolian advance. Madinia overhears that Misturn was burned. We discover that Pelysian, the queen’s spy, is the pirate queen’s/ Daharak’s sister.
Lorian, Asinia, and Demos reach Valdoria who finds a healer, Jyris, for Asinia who has passed out. Lorian admits to Valdoria that Prisca is his mate. Lorians leaves to find a battalion of Regner’s soldiers to question them on Prisca’s location.
Prisca and Cavis’ torture continues. Cavis breaks free and in the commotion, Eadric kills him. Prisca vows to take Soltor and Eadric’s life. Eadric alludes to the fact that Zathrian is potentially behind this.
Tymedes questions the Queen’s loyalty to see if she had alerted the hybrids to the Gromolian forces.
Regner returns back to Demos and Asinia after having wiped out an entire battalion of Regner’s soldiers. Demos confronts Regner telling him he knows she is his mate. Devastated by Cavis' death, Prisca plots her escape. Asinia receives another cryptic note from the queen with an indication of where Prisca is being held. Asinia and Demos have a moment. Is anyone else hoping they get together?!
Rythos, Galon, and Marth meet up with Lorian, Demos, and Asinia. They receive word from Madinia on Prisca’s location. Prisca escapes her prison cell by using chicken bones to pick her locks. Prisca frees another prisoner, Calysiasn during her escape and he offers her a life debt. As she flees, she unexpectedly encounters Madinia, who, guided by the queen's intel, has been searching for her. Drakoryx reveals he didn’t come into the caves because the cae wards would have trapped him.
Amidst the chaos, Tibris falls into the hands of Gromolian rebels during his mission from the Gromolian king. Lorian, desperate to find Prisca, arrives at Prisca's supposed location only to find an empty cell. Prisca and Lorian share a long-awaited reunion, marked by both relief and simmering intensity. 🌶 Need we say more?
Prisca wears the hourglass that Demos kept for the first time. They make a plan to rescue Tibris. Lorian apologizes to Prisca about keeping the news from Tibris from her. Prisca asks Lorian if she is his mate. Prisca doesn't hold back, demanding answers about their bond, and—drumroll, please—she ultimately accepts Lorian as her mate. About time, right? 🌶🌶🌶
Calysian finds Madinia and offers his services because Prisca gave his life debt to her. We find out that he is from across the waters. Madinia says that she wants a meeting with Caddaril the Cleaver. She gets her meeting and talks to him about creating chaos in the city.
Prisca has a bad dream remembering Cavis’ death and throws up in the middle of the night. The queen tells them they are running out of time to rescue Jamic. Prisca practices with the hourglass. Tymriel comes and warns Prisca that the elders will try to take the hourglass from her. She dares them to, not backing down.
Meanwhile, Demos pulls off a daring stunt, slipping into the Gromolian camp unnoticed and locating Tibris safe and sound. The crew finds Rothnic and finds where Jamic is being held. Vicer compels Rothnic to forget they ever saw them. We find out that Vicer’s power is the ability to alter people’s memories. Lorian steals Prisca away to a private room for some 🌶.
Prisca and Madinia pull off a stealthy rendezvous with the queen, only to be hit with a gut-wrenching prophecy from the seer: for Prisca to save her people, Lorian must meet his end. In a bold move, they make their exit from the castle, leaving a fiery statement behind as they torch the throne room and sanctuary.
Lorian and Galon find Jamic who has the last amulet. Lorian and Prosca reunite after each of their missions. 🌶 obviously. We learn about Brynne, the Gormolian King’s former wife. She fell in love with Althor who was a fae ambassador, whom she made plans to escape with. On a visit to her sister Losorlik; Brynne became ill and died a poison called valeo. Prisca makes plans to try to sway Prince Rekja with this story.
As Prisca and Lorian journey to the Fae lands of Aranthon, they face an unexpected attack on the hybrid camp Prisca tells Lorian about the seer prophesy. 🌶 obviously, because why argue when you can 🌶.
Asinia has clearly caught the feels for Demos. After Demos is gravely injured in the attack she hauls him back to the camp so that Tibris can heal him.
Two healers, Metral and Notris are brought to try to take the amulet from Jamic. Metral turned out to be a spider and tried to kill Jamic. Thankfully, Madinia intervenes just in time, thwarting Metral's attack and securing the amulet safely. With the amulet in hand, Jamic agrees to lend his support to Prisca's efforts to dismantle the barrier. Prisca and Galon train together. Prisca finally meets with Sybella and Piperia and cries. Lorian reveals that Prisca is his mate to Conreth. Prisca negotiates with Conreth to ally with her.
Lorian tells Prisca that he has left Conreth. Rythos, Galon, and Marth also pledge to leave with Prisca. Lorian proposes to Prisca. 🥰
As negotiations unfold with the other fae rulers, Lorian drops a bombshell: he's bidding farewell to the Fae kingdom, knowing that Conreth will enforce the boundary of blood, barring him from returning home for a full century. Despite this,Thorn and Romydan pledge support to help fight. However, Caliar, Verdion, and Sylvielle opt out of the fight, leaving the crew facing an uphill battle.
Amidst the turmoil, the crew comes together to bid a final farewell to Cavis, honoring his memory with a solemn funeral and the ceremonial burning of his body. Things get a little steamy between Asinia and Demos. Maybe they’ll finally get together in the next book.
Prisca takes matters into her own hands and meets with Daharak, forging a plan to retrieve a weapon stolen by Regner. In a bold move, Prisca and Daharak make a solemn vow: Prisca will bring down the barrier, and in return, Daharak will pledge her troops to the cause.
Joined by Lorian, Prisca locates Daharak’s ships, with Lorian unleashing an attack of lightning to an unsuspecting crew of Regner’s ships. With Prisca's time-freezing abilities, they successfully recover the ships, narrowly escaping an ambush and fulfilling the first part of the prophecy Prisca was foretold.
Meanwhile, the queen flees the castle, only to stumble upon a cave teeming with monsters, adding a new layer of danger to the unfolding chaos.
In a cunning maneuver, Prisca, Lorian, and Daharak orchestrate a deception, leading Regner to believe that Quorith has attacked his fleet. This strategic ploy will force Quorith to abandon neutrality, shifting the balance of power in the conflict.
Meanwhile, Prince Rekja confronts his aunt and uncovers the truth about his father's role in his mother's demise. Fueled by rage and betrayal, Rekja takes swift and decisive action, turning his fury towards Eryndan in retaliation.
In a climactic showdown, all forces unite against Regner, their collective efforts focused on bringing down the barrier. Amidst the chaos of battle, they succeed in their mission, but not without tragic consequences.
Conreth strikes Regner’s ship but they realize they have the mirror with them and the mirror redirects that strikes at Lorian who is killed. In a desperate bid to defy fate, she harnesses her time-freezing abilities one last time, trying to reverse the course of events and altering destiny itself (though at the start of the book she was expressly forbidden from doing this0.
With the book ending on a heart-stopping cliffhanger, readers are left on the edge of their seats, eager to discover what fate has in store for our heroes.
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