ABOUT THE BOOK
Darrow has so many secrets that even those closest to him don’t know them all, but she’s about to become his favorite. He is powerful, ruthless, and her sworn enemy. The wickedly good-looking elf is also cursed never to love.
Aella should stay far away from him, especially considering he could kill her from a distance with little effort. Except that someone close to her is dying, and he is the only person in the realm with the means to help. She has strong powers of her own to offer in exchange, but to her dismay, Darrow wants a secret marriage as part of the bargain. Fae marriages are forever, so she’d always be his.
With other factors pushing her toward it, she agrees to a private wedding that the king himself officiates while hiding the ceremony from her disapproving family. Aella suspects there is far more to Darrow’s motives if Zadrya’s monarch is involved. It isn’t long before she discovers that dark forces are circling, and it’s her rare magic they want to use or eradicate by any means necessary. Her new husband has drawn her into a dangerous conflict started centuries ago that could either end in the salvation or destruction of their world. If she wants to survive, she’ll need to trust Darrow with her body, but never her heart.
MY REVIEW
It’s been a hot minute since I plunged into the dark and twisted realms of fantasy books, and boy, did I pick a good one to sink my teeth into. The dynamic between Aella and Darrow had me rooting for them through every twist and turn. The backdrop of their turbulent relationship? A brutal war between the rival kingdoms of Therress and Verona that has raged for almost five hundred years. Talk about an epic stage!
Aella is a half-elf, half-druid amalgamation of bravery and magic. She’s captivating, armed with a garden full of deadly plants that like to protect her (adorably fierce, am I right?). Aella’s journey is heartbreaking. She’s caught in a web of family betrayal as she battles against her evil uncle’s merciless curse. Her strength and resilience shine through as she often finds herself a pawn in this senseless war. The stakes rise when she strikes a deal with her worst enemy, Darrow, to save her young cousin by marrying him in exchange for her powers. The complexity of her resolve to save her people while guarding her heart from a dark elf cursed to never love adds depth to her character that I couldn’t help but admire.
Darrow is an enigma wrapped in a conundrum. With rumors swirling around that he possesses no soul, his dual heritage as a half-light elf and half-dark elf makes him a dangerous force. He’s lethal to his enemies but surprisingly kind to those he cares for. When Aella comes to him, desperate for help, he sees it as a way to leverage her power to break his own curse. But ugh, is it just me, or does his ruthless demeanor make it hard to love him at first glance? I found myself wavering between liking and disliking him. His jealousy and unexpected protectiveness over Aella were fascinating, considering how muted his emotions are due to that pesky curse.
Aella and Darrow’s chemistry is off the charts! There’s a remarkable tension as Aella attempts to set boundaries—good luck with that, right? And when these two fierce adversaries finally embrace their connection, it’s explosive.
Of course, we can’t forget the surrounding cast—friends, family, and those loyal side characters that took their sweet time coming around but ultimately had Aella and Darrow’s backs. When they did rally, it felt like a true victory!
On the note of world-building and character development, Susan Illene doesn’t disappoint. The depth of the characters really drew me in, although I did find the portal hopping a bit repetitive. There were moments I wished the story would just pick up the pace, but the unique idea behind the curses and the hope of breaking them kept my interest piqued. Though there were some things solved in book 1, I have a feeling there is much more dark, sinister things to come.
So, if you’re a die-hard dark romantasy lover with a passion for fae wars, thorny secrets, complex curses, and sizzling fated mates, then this book is definitely for you. I’m already looking forward to the next installment in this series!
Thank you to Ms. Illene for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
Realm of Zadrya Series
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan Illene served in the U.S. Army for eleven years, working first as a human resources specialist and later as an Arabic linguist. She served primarily in Airborne units and did two deployments to Iraq. After leaving the army, she studied history at the University of Oklahoma. She currently lives with her husband and two sons.
Follow Susan on her website, Newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.
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