This is the first book of the Shadowborn duet and follows Mische’s character. It was a slow read in the beginning with all the world and character building but about the last third of the book, it was a page-turner. Now I have to wait for the other half of the duet to see what happens next.

Speechless.

If you have been following me for any amount of time you know just how much I love Broadbent’s books. She has this amazing ability to suck you into her stories and fall in love with her worlds. Her characters are cemented into my soul and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This story follows Mische. A woman of fierce bravery and hidden talents that have an origin story of their own. We get to see her hit rock bottom, pick herself up and go head to head with the many faces of death. She gains an ally in a man who has more secrets than even she does. Together they must complete an impossible task for their Gods or face a fate worse than death.

This book ripped my heart out and left me questioning the meaning of life. From the first to the very last page I adored every word. The epilogue left me completely speechless. I had to sit there and just contemplate the magnitude of this story and how sad I was that I had no more pages left to turn. I will anxiously be waiting for the next!

This is a book you are not going to want to miss!

Huge thank you to the author herself for sending me the ARC to enjoy early. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thank you for the advanced copy! This book was so so so good! I love the relationship between Mische and Asar! Carissa is such a fantastic writer and each book she writes gets better and better! Cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!

This isn’t just a story. It’s an epic, heart-pounding odyssey that flips the script on fantasy romance and leaves you breathless. The fierce dynamic between Mische and Asar is electric and impossibly complex. Their journey, fraught with gods, trials, and forbidden love, is as enchanting as it is relentless. The narrative twists expectations with every turn, delivering a story that’s both hauntingly beautiful and thrillingly unpredictable. It’s a bold, original romantasy that grips you from start to finish and seriously I can’t wait for the next instalment already.

The chemistry between Mische and Asar crackles with intensity as they navigate a treacherous journey through the underworld. Broadbent’s masterful blend of epic fantasy and emotional depth makes this a gripping, unforgettable read. If you love intricate plots and steamy romance wrapped in myth and magic, this is your next obsession. I can’t wait enough to read more.

There’s a thousand things I want to say right now and I will have to literally hold myself back to not say anything that might spoil this masterpiece for anyone

Carissa you have somehow outdone yourself, you took a series that already hit home in so many ways and then just made it brutally slap me in the face with my own traumas and force me work through them along side Mische.

This book is nothing short of spectacular. Asar is such a deeply wonderful character that I was not expecting. Everything about him screams melancholy and painful beauty. I loved his character progression, I seriously cannot wait to see where he goes after that insane ending and how it will tie into the other houses and his own.

I will definitely need to re write this review in November with spoilers so I can get my full thoughts and emotions about this book out there. I can’t wait for everyone to get this read this wonderful story.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc, thank you Tor and thank you Carissa for writing this. I’m so excited for everything in the future 🩷

This book broke me in the most beautiful way. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. 20 stars is what this book deserves, even more than that! Be aware, this book ends on the cliffhangers to end all cliffhangers, but even though I'm gonna be suffering for MONTHS for the continuation of Asar and Mische's story, it was worth. A beautiful pain for an absolutely beautiful book!

I was going to give this a 2.5⭐️ but the last little bit with Asar pov bumped it to a low 3

Positive:
- I enjoyed the world building of the under world. I liked how it wasn’t just fire but had many many layers

Cons:
- they kept having the same fight scene over and over again.

- the amount of times each chapter ended with the girl “going to the darkness” “the darkness taking her” “it going dark” was way too high! They’re are other ways to end a chapter and still have it be suspenseful without saying the same words in a different pattern

- where did the gods come from? That was never explain or maybe I didn’t get it. Because they all wanted to kill Nayxia because she was runaway and came to them

- I felt zero chemistry between the male and female leads. Zero. Then at 50% they have feelings all of a sudden 😑

- the book felt too long and incomplete all at the same time

- the single POV 👎🏼


I’ve read the first two books in the series and really enjoyed them. This felt like it was trying too hard


Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

Loving the series continuing from other character's POV. Great pacing and romantasy elements. EXCELLENT CLIFFHANGER !