Symphony for a Deadly Throne is the third novel in the Mousai series where each novel follows one of the sisters (Arabessa, Niya, and Larkyra) in the world of Aadilor. I had every intention of reading this series in order, but I ended up reading this as a standalone. It read well by itself, but as the two characters were in the previous stories, there was some brief foundation that I was missing. This story follows the eldest Bassette sister, Arabessa, and her childhood sweetheart Zimri D’enieu in the Thief Kingdom where her father Dolion Bassette presides. His feelings for her are known, but she has a sense of duty to her family and the kingdom.

The story not only follows the complex political dynamic of the Thief Kingdom, but it also navigates the complicated possible romance between Zimri and Arabessa. This was well-done through the dual POV of the two main characters, and I loved how the reader was able to delve deeper into the internal workings of each of them. Throughout the story there was some repetition that I felt was not needed as it bogged down some elements instead of keeping the main story moving forward. The characters themselves are complicated and make mistakes, so I enjoyed that their relationship development was not straightforward.

The story begins with flashbacks that help to set up background for the characters. The relationship between Zimri and Arabessa is a nice will-they-won’t-they with great chemistry. The pacing of the novel is slower in feeling, which I think came from the more lyrical approach to the writing. Compared to a lot of stories of this genre, the stakes did not seem high enough at times. There is some tension, but it felt less than I expected. The story was still captivating, and it intrigues me where I cannot wait to see what happens in the first two novels. Overall, this novel was interesting, and I enjoyed the author’s style. I cannot wait to see how all three stories fit together after trying the other two next.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Montlake, for the opportunity to read this novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

I am OH SO HAPPY I picked up this series last year and am so proud to have received an arc for the third and final book in the Mousai trilogy.

Symphony for a Deadly Throne is INCREDIBLY well written, so tightly bound in layers and layers of feelings and history and heat and longing and everything that you just love in a romance.

You don’t need to have known either Arabessa or Zimi very well to be completely and utterly invested in their life and their love from the first couple of pages. The dual POV in this book is chef’s kiss. I already adored this series and now I think this one is the very best of the three.

I would recommend this to absolutely everyone, give it a read and send your love to one of my all-time favourite authors.

Symphony for a Deadly Throne is the third and final book in The Mousai series and I found it to be a perfect wrap up of the Basset sister trilogy. Throughout the series you get very consistent and immersive world building and I love that while you get a taste of the Thief Kingdom, the first two books take you on adventures outside of the world that the Bassett sisters grew up in, whereas Arabella and Zimri’s book really dives deep into the mysterious world of the hidden kingdom. I thought the magic system in this series was great, I love that each person that had ‘the lost god’s gifts’ had an individual gift like Arabessa and her abilities with music or Zimri’s with emotion. Something that really stood out to me in this book was that while the first two books were really zeroed in on the sister that the book focused on, with occasional insight into the love interests point of view, I felt this book was pretty evenly distributed between Zimri and Arabessa, and I felt this made a lot of sense because they were already in love, and now we were watching as their love struggled and evolved. This book had a much darker and sexy vibe than the other three and had much higher stakes which made the ending extremely satisfying. I liked that Arabessa remained true to herself even while faced with some extremely tough choices. The author didn’t wimp out and make things easier for her characters and I really appreciated that there were lasting consequences to the choices characters made in this book. Without giving anything away, I think E.J. Mellow gave the readers a perfect ending to a fantastic series.

Wow, what an amazing end of the series and this by far is my favorite book. I feel like I’m in a book hangover after that. I don’t know what can even compete with this book. The author captures each scene beautifully and I fell in love with the Thief Kingdom. Although I will miss the series it ended in such an amazing fashion that I am ok with it now. Arabessa and Zimri have been going back and forth since Larkyra’s book. It was so much entertainment seeing how they met originally and of course the bangers between Ara and Zimri and also between all the sisters. Once you start you won’t want to put down til the end.

WHOA was this book good! A perfect finale to this series!

As a writer, I've often heard the advice that a character's weakness should be an extension of their strength. This was the first time I've truly seen that advice put into action so effectively! Arabessa is so strong, decisive, and determined. However, that also makes her very stubborn. She's also very selfless, which leads to both loving her family, and hurting herself and those around her in a well-meaning attempt to do the right thing for others.

And don't get me started on Zimri! As a child, he lost his parents and his life as he knew it, instead coming to stay with the Thief King and his family. He's a quiet guy, but very impactful to those who know him. I can't say much else without spoiling his story, but WOW I love him and his character development.

This book had a dash of magical competition, secret relationships, marriage of convenience, and musical magic, all in a wonderful secret magical world setting.

It was also great to see Alos & Niya and Darius & Larkyra in this book, following the completion of the Bassette's story. I would absolutely love to see more stories in this world, even more stories about the Bassettes, but they're not needed to make the story feel complete.

So happy that I discovered this one on NetGalley and decided to read the entire trilogy.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing I need to note is that I was given an ARC (Advanced Readers/Reviews Copy) of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts are my own and have not been influenced by being gifted this book.
Mellow rounds out this tale of sisters with a story of growth—learning how to breathe and find oneself after living for others for far too long. Highly recommend for someone who wants a fun fantasy action/adventure with a large helping of romance.
I have conflicting feelings about this book. Writing my review seemed to take me forever (it comes out tomorrow) because I’ve been trying to organize my thoughts.
I loved reading Symphony for a Deadly Throne, I read it in one day—I was ensnared by the story and loved reading the conclusion to the trilogy of stand alones. After finishing the book I was left wanting more, not an unusual feeling after finishing the book. But as the days went on I realized that I had really wanted more from the book itself. The same few things seemed to be happening over and over again in the book. Looking back it didn’t seem like much happened in the manner of progression. Which I think is supposed to be how we’re to feel.
Arabessa is stuck in her life. She’s the oldest sister and has grown into the position of mom for her sisters, and in some ways her father as she manages the tasks he gives her for not only her sisters, but herself. She’s trying to grow and go places, but ultimately she’s stuck right where she is, her life is almost the same thing day in and out. The story reflects that as she fights for the right to become the next Theif King and sit on the throne.
Her relationship with Zimiri also seemed to run in circles around her, she isn’t sure if she can commit herself fully to him with all the other things she has going on, and it’s a problem that’s brought up time and time again.
The book feels like it repeats itself. And as I said, I think that’s on purpose. We get to feel the frustration Arabessa has as the same situations come up for her to handle that she wants to stop. She wants to be able to move forward. While I didn’t really enjoy it the most, the writing was well done and I see the purpose of it—it’s well done! I can recognize that fully and I can say that it works for the book. I don’t have any real problems with that, it’s just not something I really enjoyed, I would have wanted more movement, different things to be happening, but there was nothing actually wrong with how it was written. Just not my favorite.
The things I did love about this book are endless though.
Mellow’s descriptions are stunning. I love how she describes things with just enough details to make them feel real, while allowing the reader's mind to fill in the rest. I love how she’s fleshed out the thief kingdom in this book. Getting to explore more of the kingdom was a lot of fun.
While I didn’t love the repetitive nature of the book I loved watching Arabessa go through the same situations time and time again, I loved seeing how she was frustrated with what was going on, but didn’t have any way of changing it. And when she finally did, the pain she went through to grow. Watching her character develop through the book was great. As an older sister myself, I recognized a lot of her struggles as the same ones I went through with my younger siblings (and even some of my older). She may end up being my favorite of the sisters, though Lakyra may be a close second, or tie, haha.
I have mixed feelings about Zimiri, I don’t know if we clicked as much, and I wasn’t always fond of his treatment towards Arabessa, but he’s a person himself, and is deserving of his own feelings and emotions. He pulled a few things that I didn’t like, but he grew from them in the book. I think he suffered a bit (and as he admits himself) of only thinking of himself and what he wanted that he wasn’t seeing the effects that had on Arabessa. By the end of the book I think they both grew to realize that they needed to think of themself and the other—finding that balance is hard. Reading his POV was hard, and like I said he did a lot of things that I wouldn’t have accepted him back after. Thinking about him more, he really grinds my gears a bit. By the end I think he grew, and I can acknowledge that, but for the majority of the book I couldn’t stand him. I don’t know if I would say he’s toxic or abusive, but I also can’t say that he 100% isn’t. This IS a DARK FANTASY ROMANCE though, that’s one part of the genre. He’s character fits the genre and the book, wasn’t my favorite, but it fit, I think.
On Instagram Mellow noted that Arabessa was the hardest sister to write, as Arabessa is the oldest and had a role that Mellow herself didn’t have. I don’t think that translates into the story at all. I think Mellow did a great job capturing the pain and struggles of the oldest sibling trying to figure out what they want to do and be outside the role of a second caregiver. I think her life as a mother helped her write Arabessa, as Arabessa herself is not only the eldest child, but really had to step into the role of mother after hers passed when Lakyra (the youngest) was an infant. Again, I said earlier that I loved reading Arabessa’s character and watching her grow. That was likely my favorite part of the entire book. She struggles with admitting that the actions others do against her as wrong, she struggles with allowing herself to breathe and do what she thinks is necessary for herself to stay alive.
My star rating is about a 3.5/5, rounded up to 4 on Goodreads.
My pulled star rankings are for Zimiri’s character (because again, I think he could have been written in a different way, slightly less toxic, but I get it. He did pull some really CRAZY stunts with Arabessa that I have a hard time looking past), and I felt the book was lacking in content at times, I would have loved some more action or something other than the same three things happening.

I loved this so much , it’s the perfect end to great trilogy, the first two books of The Mousai were so addictive, fast paced and entertaining and this did not let me down at all. Brilliant characters, a great story and really good writing, this has been a great fantasy and I’m sad (in a good way) to see it end. Wonderful

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an honest opinion

“Interesting people do not come from easy living”

Me: after two books that destroyed my heart, let me read a fantasy with less romantic pain 👀
The new book: 💔❤️‍🩹😭🔪🗡️🫠

But worry not. The good thing about hitting rock bottom in the first chapters of a book is that the only way is up. And what a glorious ascension it was 🤌🏼

Ara prove herself to be as amazing as her sisters and took residency in my heart along with the singer and the dancer. 🥹 and this series closed out with a bang because that ending was superb 🤌🏼 I must say this series has one of the most original fantasy worlds/plots out there. The Thief Kingdom is a dream for every fantasy lover and I wish we could get more of it 🖤

The weight of our parents expectations is not easy waters to navigate. Fantasy or not, we can all relate one way or another. And E. J. Mellow made that journey pure magic. A symphony of feelings. Music to my soul. I’m going to miss the Mousai. 😭

What’s inside:
🖤fantasy romance
🖤friends to lovers
🖤trials and secrets
🖤marrying another

Adult. 4.5 stars ⭐️

I didn't realize this was book three in a series when I requested this arc. I had to read books one and two so I could give this one an honest review. I really enjoyed this series. This one was a nice completion to this series. I love Ara and Zimri's friends to lovers relationship. They had excellent chemistry and I felt their heartache. I loved the sibling relationship as well although I thought it odd how the other sisters' partners never showed up in this book. I love the unique world this is set in as well although with this book, it felt like a very isolated setting. This one was much more character driven than the previous books. I didn't particularly enjoy Ara's trials because I knew she would win. When that is a given it takes all the action and suspense out of the scene. I thought it would have been more impactful if she hadn't won and would have stuck out more in my mind. Overall I gave it four stars and enjoyed my time with it

wow !!!...just looking at that amazing cover art i should have known i was ready to be transported to a place like no other. For me it was a long time without reading such a good fantasy book
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Arabessa is the eldest daughter of the Thief King, while her younger sisters chose different paths, she is the one who stayed with her father and the duties of the kingdom, keeping her only love close and secret.
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Zimri has been in love with Arabessa since the first time he saw her and over the years that feeling grew to the point of being something he couldn't contain. But he also has obligations that take him away from her
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When the much-sought opportunity to reclaim his family's legacy comes in the form of an alliance that jeopardizes their relationship with Arabessa, they must make their hown choices and accept the consequences even if that separate them forever
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I don't know how to describe the book that I just finished reading in one day, today as matter of fact, without telling too much
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The plot was so good and the magic system along with the world around it was exquisite, I kept imagining those masks and magic wafting like smoke enveloping the characters and the intensity of the dialogues transported me to the best and most passionate regency romance I've read.
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Now I need to read the others, which I already have on my list of books to read, because with those beautiful covers it was impossible not to have bought them, I just didn't imagine how incredible they were and what an amazing Journey i was missing
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Thanks to E J Mellow and Montlake for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

A great ending to the Mousai trilogy. This book focuses on Arabessa and her choice between her ambitions and her heart. All of the books were fun to read and I’m sad to see this series end. Will definitely check out future books from E.J. Mellow! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC.

this is definitely my fav out o the Mousai series, EJ just knocked this series out of the park! such an underrated fantasy author

4.5 ✨

Let me start by saying The Mousai trilogy it’s one of the most beautiful, lyrical and underrated currently out! Symphony for a Deadly Throne it’s a beautiful and fitting conclusion following Arabessa and Zimri adventures.

I loved Arabessa’s character arc. Her growth is just magnificent and her relationship with her sisters it’s one of my favourite elements of this trilogy. As for her relationship with Zimir, you will love this if childhood friends to lovers is your favourite trope. But, I will say it’s full of angst and a hint of forbidden.

The world building keeps getting better, the incredible creative magic system and the breathtaking storyline will keep you at the edge of your seat.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and EJ Mellow for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!!

What a awesome finish to a gorgeous series! I have enjoyed every book in this series and this is no exception! While I have found the previous books to be more of a slow burn, the already established relationship between Arabessa and Zimri jump starts the story in a way that I love. I probably read this one the quickest! While I listened to the last two, it was a treat to read this ARC instead.

Watching Arabessa grow as her own person, separate from her sisters and The Mousai, was a journey, filled with twists and turns and some steamy moments. I also loved learning more about Zimri and his past and present and how him and Arabessa can't help but collide.

This book was absolute perfection! From start to finish you embark on this incredible journey of a woman who knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it even if it means possibly leaving the man who’s had her heart for years behind. With being the older sister Arabessa had to take care of everyone else’s needs before her own and in this book she finally does something for herself and it was amazing to read. But I have to say Zimri stole the show for me and his love for Arabessa had me swooning.

Rating: 5/5
Pub Date: 02.14.23
I received a copy of eARC for my honest opinion.

Wow! I can’t believe this trilogy is all done, because I do not want it to be. However Mellow did a wonderful job with wrapping everything up in this book.

If you love books with fantasy, magical other worlds, drama/action, childhood friends to lovers and second chances to lovers, then I recommend this trilogy.

Last year was my first time reading the first 2 books of this trilogy and I was hooked with this beautiful world and the characters. The characters are what really bring these books to my top list. Mellow does have a way of putting beautiful lyrical words on a page, it will have you wanting more and more and before you know it the ending is already here.

In this book we get to learn the story of Arabessa and Zimri. I loved that we really got to know more about the older sister of the Bassettes. I loved everything about her character and to see the growth from the beginning to the end. The way that the author made all the characters have flaws really helped me to connect with them, and I connected the most with Arabessa. I know the struggles of having so many responsibilities and knowing that it is only me that gets them done. I loved Zimri, he is one of the top 25 book boyfriends, I liked how he knew he messed up and didn’t apologize right away instead he thought of all the ways he was doing things wrong and how to make it better.

The world building is what drew me in and kept me coming back for more and more. I love how Mellow really brought the Thief Kingdom to life but not only that everywhere that the characters went I could picture it. I loved that when the 3 sisters got together as the Mousai they really all shined bright but together they were the sun. I loved the plot where it did have more of an info dump but it was done just so that it wasn't heavy, you can tell that Mellow really took her time figuring/executing so that it wouldn’t just drag on and on. There is some spice to this book for me it 2/ there are two spicy scenes in this book but they’re not that explicit so that is why I rated the spice level at a 2.

I really hope that we will see more from E.J Mellow soon because I have another favorite author and trilogy to recommend to my fellow readers.

I want to thank NetGalley and MontLake for the opportunity to review this book.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝑮𝒐𝒅'𝒔 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒔.

First off gaah! Thank you netgalley for providing me with an ARC! So happy 😊

The final book of the Mousai trilogy (all standalones, btw) takes us to the story of the Mousai's eldest sister, Arabessa, and her childhood sweetheart Zimri.

Already in book 1, Song of Forever Rains, I marveled at Mellow's ability to paint an enticing world with enough mystery to hold my attention in its own accord. This was the case here, too, but while the prior 2 books only gave us blinks of the thief kingdom's workings, here you'll get the full package. 🧐 Which is, plainly, world-building at its best.

But, you're probably also here because of the romance (duh). Sadly, in book 1 (haven't read 2 yet) the romance felt a bit flat, rushed and like it had few chemistry buuuut here? Nope, nuh uh, absolutely amazing!

I'm general, I'm a big fan of the friends-to-lovers trope. And while I don't really like the miscommunication trope, the way the blossoming romance and relationship was handled throughout the book was amazing. Both, Arabessa and Zimri, have their package to carry, which one's you'll learn through the dual POV. And I loved how despite their individual struggles, they overcome issues, in par alone or together, to grow their relationship throughout the book in a beautiful way.

All in all, this might be favorite of the Mousai books.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ /5 – A beautifully atmospheric end to a series! 🖤🖤🖤🖤😭😭😭😭 I couldn’t have loved this one more, and I definitely think it was my favorite of the entire series for the character-building alone.

SHORT PREVIEW:
In the third and final book of the Mousai series, Arabessa finds herself torn between following her heart and falling in line with a duty set in the stars long before she was born. Follow her journey as she takes on trials for the good of the kingdom and trails of a more personal nature.

THOUGHTS:
- I think I always go into a book looking at everything from the female’s perspective because that’s what I typically identify with. It’s natural for me to mentally fall into those femme roles, especially in fantasy novels where the men tend to be outstandingly heroic, sexy, and dark knights ready to sweep us off of our feet. What’s interesting about the third book in the Mousai series – I 100% identified with the MMC’s perspective! That hasn’t happened to me in a while, and his (Zimri’s) character was so well-written that I mentally found myself rooting for him at every turn.
- The other beauty of Mellow’s writing is that characters fall into allegorical roles like the martyr/hero, the cunning/promiscuous woman, and the lover/dreamer who wants to throw the world away and take risks. But even within their pre-defined roles, I found myself loving them all for their motivations and inner thoughts. While this definitely has a decent amount of plot, the fact that I know the characters so well makes me feel like I can effectively categorize this as a ‘character-driven’ novel.
- This series has been my favorite magical system in the fantasy genre for a while!

CHARACTER BUILDING:
- Arabessa: I loved seeing inside her mind. I think we’d all like to believe ourselves the hero in our stores, but I know I’m not the hero! Reading Arabessa’s inner monologue was so fun because it forced me to read a character I couldn’t agree with – but respected.
- Zimri: Ahhh.. my sweet Zimri. I’m a big believer that it takes a lover and a realist to make a relationship work and Zimri is the best example of an MMC dreamer that I’ve read in a long time. So often, we read about big strong hero’s falling on their swords, but what if the MMC isn’t the martyr and the kingdom’s savior? What if he dreams of following his heart more than anything? I absolutely loved how he was written – and I felt every single emotion he felt. His character was the first one in a while to lead me to feel his grief truly.
- Arabessa’s Father (The Thief King): This book most definitely has the best representation of his character and motivations and I love him for that. He’s harsh but gentle, strong but emotionally distraught all at the same time. He’s easy to love as a father figure.

FAVORITE QUOTE(S):
- “Interesting people do not come from easy living” – If I had a wall of my favorite book quotes, this would probably be at the top!!! 🖤
- “…you will survive it as we must all things. One sunrise at a time.” – such beautiful writing!

NOTES:
- 🌶🌶🌶/5 – While there are quite a few open door s3xual situations (maybe not appropriate for young readers) there isn’t a ton of smut between the main characters, more that the world they live in is very sexualized as a whole.
- HEA Ending
- 416 pages – not a short read, but a quickly engrossing story with heavy world-building.
- 3rd in the series and *can* be read out of order, but I definitely think you’ll enjoy them more if you read in order 🖤

**I received this book as an advanced reader copy, but all reviews are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for the ARC. - SLR

True Rating: 3.5, rounded down

And so we have come to the third book of the series.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley for an e-copy of this book. I would not have read this series otherwise.

Now, for the novel. This, just like the previous two, has wondrous and endearing writing. The world is so magical and lovely, and the setting is one of my favourite aspects of this series. I do have to admit Ara was not my favourite from the start, but she grew on me greatly in this book. Her struggles, her triumphs, her fears, are all so very real-- and quite different from that of her sisters.

The thing that was lacking here was the plot. Two plots were supposed to be happening together, but the plot of the competition was simply not there enough. I would have ate a action-packed fantasy competition story up, but it was, unfortunately, described in not-enough detail and didn't take as much of the story as I would have wished.

I knew from the start that the ending would be happy-- the romantic plot does mirror the other two books. This did end as I expected, but the predictability of the romance made Zimri and his story slightly uninteresting.

All of that said and done, I did enjoy this series a lot, and I'm glad I didn't realise that this was the third book before I requested it on NetGalley. I'd give this a 4 for Ara, her sisters, and the setting, and 3 for the plots and romance, averaging to a 3.5 stars.

This review is based on an ARC I received from Netgalley.

I think this is my favorite of the trilogy. I love the FMC Arabessa much more than her younger sisters. She strong and brave and made for a fantastic FMC.

Overall this book made for a beautiful conclusion to the trilogy.