Star Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - 4.5 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.
The second book picks up immediately where the last one left off with Prisca and Lorian fleeing with the escaped hybrids. They journey into the Fae lands to reclaim the hybrid throne for Prisca amidst a backdrop of political maneuvering and mystical encounters. Prisca faces a series of perilous trials and unveils secrets about her past which have been hidden from her and the world she inhabits. From forming alliances to battling Regner, Prisca's journey is a rollercoaster of emotions, where love (enter Lorian), betrayal, and destiny intersect.
This series has really grown on me and has pulled me out of a recent reading slump. The storyline keeps me engaged, and I'm always eager to find out what happens next.
While the pacing might feel a bit slower compared to the first book, it's because the story delves deeper into character development. With several new characters introduced, it can be a challenge to keep track of everyone—I found myself jotting down notes to stay organized. However, as the story unfolds, the pace picks up significantly in the final quarter, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.
The dynamic between Lorian and Prisca remains just as captivating as in the first book. There's something undeniably intriguing about a morally ambiguous love interest with a touch-her-and-die aura. Learning more about Lorian’s past throughout this book adds depth to his character and makes him even more endearing as a love interest.
My favorite quotes from the book!
“Because in all these years, my brother has been committed to two things. Our people and my crown. Within days of knowing you, he was making decisions that prioritized you—whether he would admit such a thing or not. Never before has he disregarded an order the way he did when he brought you here. That makes you dangerous, Nelayra Valderyn. Dangerous not just to my brother, but to my people.” - Pg 221-222
“I’ve gone my whole life feeling like I’m holding my breath. Like my lungs are burning. Like I’m desperately fighting for each gasp of air. But when you’re around, I can…breathe. And I’m furious at you, because when that ends…when we’re forced apart, I don’t know how I’ll take a full breath without you.” - Pg 320-321
Spicy Chapters 🌶️: 10, 14, 16, 21, 25
Prisca is on a ship away sailing away from the city trying to come to terms to what she fled from and the fact that Lorian is actually the blood thirsty prince.
Lorian's brother, Conreth, the king of the Fae, has been urging Lorian to return home. Meanwhile, aboard the ship, Prisca battles seasickness but refuses healing to prioritize the hybrids. She receives a crash course in Fae history and politics, preparing for her upcoming encounter with them. A shocking revelation emerges about the Eprothan king, Sabium, whose true name is Regner, as he has prolonged his life for centuries by stealing magic from children. The complex political landscape of the Fae is unveiled, with five kingdoms ruled by Romydan, Thorn, Caliar, Sylvielle, and Verdion, alongside their spouses.
We are introduced to Daharak, the pirate queen, who forms a blood vow with Prisca, who promises a favor in return for the protective transport she will offer through Gromalia.
Prisca discovers a note from Lorian hinting at his potential knowledge of the hourglass's whereabouts, leaving her deeply unsettled. She wonders, however, if Lorian intentionally left the note for her to find having previously said that he couldn’t tell her. Lorian and Prisca are attack by the iron guard while traveling through the woods.
Prisca is shot by an arrow containing fae iron which renders her abilities useless. Lorian and Prisca get into an argument where he proclaims that he did not kill her parents, which she does not believe.
Madinia takes off from camp with the jewels, leaving everyone puzzled about her sudden departure. Demos fills Prisca in on the growing doubts about her ties with the Fae, especially from skeptics like Roran, who questions her magic and royal status. Demos suggests a fight between them as a way for Prisca to prove herself and legitimize her claim as the air.
Conreth shows up unexpectedly after Prisca has just won her fight against Roran. His arrival catches everyone off guard.
Conreth and Prisca make a blood pact, binding them to tell the truth. Prisca questions Conreth about their meeting, and he admits he's assessing whether she's worth the trouble of forming an alliance with. Prisca learns from Conreth that the Fae didn't intentionally reject the hybrids when they were trying to flee; it happened because the queen lost possession of the hourglass which didn’t let the hybrids through the Fae wards.
A shocking revelation surfaces: Lorian wasn't responsible for devastating Prisca’s homelands; it was actually Regner, who poisoned Eirathia and transformed her into a spider when she was young to steal an amulet from Lorian's uncle.
Conreth lays out his conditions for allying with Prisca: she must turn the Gromolian king against Regner and demonstrate her people's support for her.
The spy sent after Prisca's cousin Zathrian is found dead, leaving a note for Prisca to seek him out if she dares.
Prisca, distressed, seeks solace by the water where Lorian finds her and reveals the truth about the massacre at Crawyth. Regner had sent a puppet with powers from an amulet to impersonate Lorian, causing chaos and death in the town. Lorian defeated the puppet, but the townspeople mistook him for the culprit. Despite this, Coneath decides to uphold the reputation of the "Bloodthirsty Prince," allowing rumors to spread to deter anyone from attacking his kingdom.
Conreth tasks Lorian with investigating the wildkin's migration into villages, trying to separate him and Prisca.
🌶️🌶️🌶️.
Madinia returns with a bag of gold, and we find out she had gone to barter them out instead of running away with the money. Madinia and Prisca reconcile, Prisca agrees to send Madinia away in search of Jamic.
Lorian comes back after dealing with the Wildkin and is furious at Conreth for letting Prisca leave to go to her homelands. Conreth orders Lorian to stay and Lorian disobeys his brother and states that he is going to go after Prisca. Conreth reluctantly agrees and gives him three weeks to return.
Prisca and Lorian reconnect, Lorian recognizes that she left to protect him. Lorian shows her letters to his brother proving to her he was always going to bring her even before he knew who she was (cue heartstrings).
🌶️🌶️🌶️.
Rythos' backstory unfolds, revealing his people were called the Arslan. They are highly skilled as scholars and engineers.
We meet Fendrel, and the gang decide to steal his father’s ship to navigate the waters. When they reach the island they are attacked by the iron guard. Prisca is suddenly captured, falling into a pit. Meanwhile, Regner dispatches his forces to Prisca's village, ordering it to be razed to the ground.
In captivity, Prisca encounters the Drakoryx and, drawing from tales her father shared, she manages to tame the creature. Its acceptance of her suggests her suitability to rule over the hybrids. Prisca is then brought before the hybrid elders: Tsara, Tymriel, Gavros, and Slyphina
The elders provide Prisca with visions showing the tragic fate of the hybrids. She witnesses the attack on her old city, Celstara, by humans from the Cursed City in Eprotha. In her grandmother's final moments, she cursed the city from which the human ships came. Despite her grandmother's valiant efforts, she was ultimately slain by one of Regner's guards, forcing their people to flee through the pass.
Disheartened, Prisca fails to secure an alliance, as the elders believe she's not yet ready to assume the role of queen. Disappointed, she departs, followed by the Drakoryx, which pledges protection to her. Reunited with Lorian, Prisca realizes that her cousin Zathrian had influenced the elders against her.
🌶️🌶️
Prsica and Lorien are taken to see the Gromolian king. There is tension building between the two as the Gromloian King has no reason to turn against Regner and fight him.
Prince Rekja invites Prisca for a stroll. Sensing the Eprothan ambassador's eyes, Prisca plays up her closeness to the prince.
Later, Prisca attempts to persuade the prince to extend their stay, but when diplomacy fails, she resorts to blackmail, leveraging his relationship with his father's guard to get her way.
The king is furious as he receives word that the Eprothans crossed into Gromolia and were killed by guards wearing Gromolian colors. Additionally, rumors swirl about Prisca's supposed engagement to Rejka, a political maneuver orchestrated by Prisca the night before.When Lorian senses Prisca's safety is threatened, he summons fae fire to shield her inadvertently
Back at the inn, Prisca encounters Thol and learns that her village was burned to the ground by Regner's orders, leaving her distraught. Meanwhile, Lorian realizes Prisca is his mate but decides to keep it to himself, preferring her love to be a choice rather than predetermined by fate.
The Gromolian king offers Prisca an alliance in exchange for help dealing with rebels who've seized control of an area of his lands. Prisca chooses Tibris for the mission, banking on his healing skills for success. To solidify their trust, Prisca and Lorian make a blood vow, ensuring Lorian's allegiance to her over his brother so that she can share information on the hourglass with him. Thol also makes the same blood vow. With their alliances sealed, they devise a plan to locate the hourglass.
Entering the cave believed to house the hourglass, they encounter a maze of traps and an onslaught of iron guards. They quickly realize the cave is covered with fae iron, sapping their powers over time. 🌶️ by the springs (why not, YOLO right?)
They run into another set of the Iron Guard, Prisca freezes time but it is not enough and Thol dies.
Prisca is heartbroken by Thols' death, but they push forward to find the hourglass. After finally reaching their destination, they encounter a protective ward around it. Suddenly, Cavis grabs Prisca, his face covered in spiderweb revealing him to be a spider under Regner’s control.
In a moment of desperation, Prisca silently urges Demos, who shares her bloodline, to retrieve the hourglass. Lorian throws a dagger at Cavis' face, causing chaos as the ground gives way beneath them. The chapter ends with a massive cliffhanger.
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