This is the first book in the Ever Seas series, a new adult romantic fantasy about Fae and pirates. This series is based on the world established in the author’s Broken Kingdoms series and includes a few characters from that series. While you don’t have to have read The Broken Kingdoms series to understand this series, this first book would spoil some pretty major plot lines from that original series. Tropes include found family, touch her/him and die, who did this, enemies to lovers, forbidden love and hurt/comfort. This book does include adult spicy content, and, if you’ve read Broken Kingdoms, much much more spice.

The Lovely: I loved the characters and their relationships. All, even the secondary characters, came across as so multifaceted and conflicted. I loved experiencing their journeys with them and learning their backstory.

Also Lovely: I enjoyed the plot and the tension all the way through the book. Some was a bit predictable, but that is likely because I just recently read all of the Broken Kingdoms series and have become familiar with the author’s tells when she drops some foreshadowing. The MMC’s reaction to what happens at the end did surprise me though. Warning - the ending is a pretty big cliffhanger!

Rating: 5/5 Stars 3/5 Flames

Recommendation: I think I loved this book even more than the first trilogy in the Broken Kingdoms series (which was by far my favorite of that series). This is definitely darker and more mature than that series, and I felt like the characters were more realistic. If you like romantic fantasy with a amazing characters and plot, and a focus on relationships, I think you would like this book.

If you are looking for a story with pirates, swords, magic, witches and a hot love story of all times, this story is for you. The story gripes your heart and your attention until the very last page. Enjoyed seeing characters from the Broken Kingdom. Also finding answers to some questions from the earlier book series. LOVED this book!!!!!!

4/17/25 - Bonus scene to be included in the re-release of The Ever King hardback copy on 8/5/25 🩷

The Fleshripper

One of my wishes came through - the story of Sewell with his wife,Yulla and the younger two littles, Gavyn and Celine. It was a wonderful tale of love, courage, heartache, betrayal and survival. This tale ends and the story of The Ever Kings begins.

Thank you LJ Andrews and NetGalley for the ARC and I’m leaving my review voluntarily.

I didn’t think I’d get sucked into this sorry as much as I did. It’s starts out a bit slow…a lot of character and world build like all good fantasies, but once that train starts moving it doesn’t stop. Honestly, the last time I enjoyed a fantasy like this was Throne of Glass. Definitely a solid Romantasy with swoon.

I definitely love that the MC is morally grey and a little scary. The FMC is not exactly a maiden who needs saving, she’s in it for the villian! (I mean, come on, who doesn’t want a pirate king, right?)

Excellent writing, story is engaging and exciting. The side characters are interesting and really make you want to learn more about them.

A little bit of slow burn (spice is about 🌶️ to 🌶️.5), enemies to lovers, and forbidden love. This book is a great time!

“I am at your command, for you have made me love you, and you will be my destruction because of it.”

Erik is the King of the Ever Kingdom and has been trapped beneath the waves by a blood spell. When Livia, princess of the Earth Fae, unknowingly breaks the spells and becomes a pawn in his vicious plan for vengeance. There is a mysterious curse on his land and he is trying to save his people. He will do whatever it costs to take back what is his, unless she steals his heart first.

Livia is kind, compassionate, protective of those she loves, but has a hidden darkness about her. Even though she is an outsider she starts to earn the respect of the Sea Fae around her. She is identifiable as someone who struggles with anxiety, nightmares, and under estimating herself. Erik is morally grey, was raised to be ruthless and unforgiving by a father who seemingly didn’t care about him. He has a tragic backstory that helps you understand why he is the way he is. The angst between these character is perfection.

The supporting characters added in great witty banter and support for these two. I am looking forward to more of Jonas, Celine, Gavyn, and Sewell.

That cliffhanger at the end! I have never been so glad that book 2 is out so I could keep reading.

I previously read LJ Andrews' Curse of Shadows and Thorns, and while this was set in the same general world as that series, I don't think that you necessarily need to read the entire other series first.

This starts off a little slow, with some establishing the general world. It may not have felt as slow to someone new to the overall universe this series is set in. Once it starts to pick up, I enjoyed the tension and banter between the two main characters. I appreciated the depiction of Livia's anxiety, though I wish she was a little more independent and stood up for herself a bit more.

Great for fans of darker fantasy, very morally grey MMCs, and fast-paced action.

This is a tale of revenge, magic, pirates and lust. The Ever King will do whatever it takes to avenge himself and the abuse he received at the hands of the other kingdoms. After kidnapping the enemy's daughter he will have to make a choice, continue on his current path of spite and revenge or allow her into his orbit. Either way he is not letting her go...
This story was written in a way that was so engaging, it felt as though I was also on the ship to Ever. I loved the different elements of magic and characters that were so fun to get to know!

This has been a highly anticipated read for me and it delivered 👏🏼 I loved the pirate vibes and the author does such a great job of creating that atmosphere for readers!

Erik was top notch and it was honestly refreshing that he was as dark as he was made out to be! It kept the story raw for the characters and I loved it!

Livia grew so much and I think she still has a lot to go through in book 2! I felt like she was the perfect blend of innocent but also an adult & coming into a new world.

The political scene was really just getting started in this book and I have high hopes it’s all expanded in book 2. There are definitely some twists and the cliffhanger was so good I am having to start book 2 immediately!

Enemies to lovers. Pirates. Found family. Sirens. Unique magic. Kidnapping/captor-captive tension. He calls her "love". A morally dark gray MMC. Fae. And a HUGE cliffhanger.

This book was fantastic. A swoon-worthy, high-stakes romantasy that absolutely delivers. If you're craving a story that blends heart-pounding romance with dark, magical adventure, this one is a must-read.

Let’s talk about Erik Bloodsinger—because wow. Possessive, jealous, and walking the line between dangerous and irresistible, he is morally gray perfection. The way he calls her “love”? Instant chills. Livia, on the other hand, is the perfect balance to his darkness: strong, compassionate, and undeniably fierce. Together, they spark.

Favorite Quotes:
“Such a beautiful little bird. What a pity it was that her serpent had come to ruin her.” – Erik
“You’ve become my most prized possession.” – Erik
“I am in your hands, I am at your command, for you have made me love you, and you will be my destruction because of it.” – Erik

A dark fantasy romance that blends pirates, fae, and Viking-inspired lore, The Ever King is an intense, atmospheric read. The world-building is immersive, the tension crackles, and the slow-burn romance keeps the pages turning. If you love morally complex characters and high-stakes intrigue, this one delivers.

This is one of my favorite spin-off series ever. I love that we have new characters, but some of our OG loves from The Broken Kingdom make cameos. Erik Bloodsinger is part pirate and part Viking and 100% swoonworthy. I love the romance, the adventure, the tension and the spice. It's a slow burn, but well worth the wait.

I love a good fantasy and this one was above average but not in the realm of the greats. It was slow to get started and I felt that I was expected to know so many of the characters. It was as if I had chosen book two in a series. I can see that LJ Andrews has a solid following so maybe I was just having a bad reading day.
I am sure it will be a hit with many.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

This book was absolutely magical! The romance was swoony, the fantasy world was so vivid, and I fell in love with the characters right away. I loved the tension between the two main characters, they had amazing chemistry kept me hooked the whole time.

The story had just the right mix of action, and emotion. There were twists I didn’t see coming, and the ending left me wanting more!

If you like fantasy with strong romance, and characters you can’t stop thinking about, this is a must-read. I’m already counting down the days until the next one!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓔𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰
ᴮᵞ ᴸᴶ ᴬᴺᴰᴿᴱᵂˢ
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

ᴅᴀʀᴋ ғᴀɴᴛᴀsʏ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ | ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇs ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs | ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅɪᴇ | ᴘɪʀᴀᴛᴇs | ғᴀᴇ | sɪʀᴇɴs | ᴠɪᴋɪɴɢs

"𝓢𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓲𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓫𝓲𝓻𝓭. 𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓪 𝓹𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓲𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓹𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓻𝓾𝓲𝓷 𝓱𝓮𝓻."

ʙᴇʟᴏᴡ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴀ ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴋɪɴɢᴅᴏᴍ... ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀɴ ᴀᴅᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴡᴀs!!

"𝓗𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓶𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓽 𝓶𝓮. 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓮 𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽."

ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʟɪᴛᴇʀᴀʟʟʏ ɢʀᴀʙʙᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ... ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ɪ ᴡᴀs ʜᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅs.

"𝓦𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓭𝓪𝓻𝓴𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷 𝓾𝓼 , 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓾𝓻𝓿𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓪𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓻𝓾𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓹𝓲𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓼 ."

ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴇɴᴅ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀs ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴅʀᴀɢɢᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ. ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴀɴᴅ sᴇᴛ ʙᴜɪʟᴅɪɴɢ ᴡᴀs ᴅᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛʟʏ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇsᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴs sʜᴇ ᴜsᴇᴅ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴘᴜʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ ʟᴇᴀᴠɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴏʀᴇ.

ɪᴛ ᴅᴏᴇs ᴇɴᴅ ᴏɴ ᴀ ᴄʟɪғғʜᴀɴɢᴇʀ. ʙᴜᴛ ʟᴜᴄᴋʏ ᴜs, ʙᴏᴏᴋ 2 ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀ sᴇᴀs, 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓔𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓠𝓾𝓮𝓮𝓷, ɪs ᴅᴜᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴊᴀɴᴜᴀʀʏ 26ᴛʜ!

"𝓜𝔂 𝓶𝓸𝓾𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓪 𝓼𝓶𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓰𝓻𝓲𝓷. 𝓨𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓲𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻"

“I am in your hands, I am at your command, for you have made me love you, and you will be my destruction because of it.” 4.5/5 ⭐ 2.5/5 🌶️

I am so down bad for a bad boy pirate king
SOOOOO DOWN BAD!!!!!!!
Put me out of my misery, LJ Andrews. I need this man to have the happiest of happily ever afters.

There’s something about this type of character that is quite literally a drug for me
He’s ruthless. He kills anyone who threatens you. He’s been broken and traumatized into this version of himself… but deep down? He’s a softie with a huge heart who would burn the world to protect the people he loves.

Erik Bloodsinger is that exact drug. Inject it DIRECTLY into my veins

And then we have Livia sweet, innocent virgin with earth replenishing, flowery powers… but don’t let her gentle nature fool you. She will absolutely wreck anyone who messes with those she loves. Soft but lethal. My favorite kind of FMC 🔥🔥🔥

I LOVED THIS BOOK.
The tension. The pining. The powers. The pirate vibes. The banter.
Everything

I’m jumping straight into book two like it’s my full time job
Pray for me

"A tale of a serpent who befriended a songbird."

Elise and Legion Grey are one of my favorite romantasy couples, so as soon as I heard there was a book starring their daughter, I knew I had to read it!

The Ever King takes everything I love about the Broken Kingdoms series and ups the stakes. Erik Bloodsinger has been trapped behind the chasm for years, plotting how he'll get back at the people who imprisoned him and killed his father. A drunken dare leads to an opening where he can get through and enact his revenge by kidnapping Livia, his enemy's daughter.

The two are no strangers. When they were younger, Livia would visit Erik and tell him stories. They forged a bond that reached through to the Ever and sealed their fates years later.

Erik and Livia have a rough start, but I absolutely love their banter. She's a spoiled princess, but she tries so hard to be tough like her mom. She tries to throw her titles at Erik, and he uses constant variations of them to pump up her confidence throughout the book. He truly is the worst kidnapper. Rather than torture and starvation, he helps Livia realize her inner strength and is obsessively protective.

"I'm not the broken hero you wish me to be. I'm the one who slits the hero's throat."

Erik is less morally grey than he wants to be. Underneath that gruff, scarred exterior is an ooey gooey center who's been waiting for someone to love.

This review honestly doesn't do the book justice. It's one of those rare reads that stays with you long after you're done. The cliffhanger at the end will make you want to throw your book and scream in rage, but the wait for book two will be worth it. I can't wait to see what happens when Erik and Daddy Legion go head-to-head!!!!

I’m so excited to be a part of LJ’s arc team for the new published editions from Berkley Publishing! This was the first book I ever read from LJ Andrews and will forever be one of my favorite books. This book led me to The Broken Kingdoms Series and now LJ will always be an automatic read for me!

What can I say other than Pirates meets Vikings! Which happens to be two of my favorite things. The characters and world building are absolutely incredible. This was such a fun read with a very interesting plot, as this series takes place after The Broken Kingdoms series. I love following the next generation following their parent’s stories. One of the best things is that you can start with The Ever King of TBK series. I personally loved starting with The Ever Seas and then going back and reading the original series.

Erik and Livia ,or Serpent and Songbird, quickly became one of my favorite book couples! I love their shared past and the instant connection that has stayed with them into adulthood. Everything about their relationship was perfect and I loved every minute of their interactions. This book is full of action, adventure, romance, and so much more. It really is the perfect start to a new series of books following the next generation!

As far as fantasy genre books go this one doesn’t have TOO much going on all at once, but you are introduced to a ton of characters within the first chapter which was hard to keep up with. I was kinda confused at the end about who Livia’s parents were until I realized they are the main couple from the first three books of the Broken Kingdom series (IYKYK).

So I had high hopes for this one. As far as spice level goes it’s not exactly high I’d give it 🌶️🌶️🌶️. There weren’t many actual 🌶️ scenes which is fine with me, but the ones that were there were done well.

I honestly prefer the MMC over the FMC. I hope in the second book she shows her strength because in this one you can tell she has great power but she’s afraid to use it.

Overall, definitely enjoyed this one!

"𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝑰 𝒗𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒚, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒚. 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅"

♾⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️ The Ever King is everything I want in a fantasy romance—feral, emotional, magical, and immediately an infinite star read. I loved it so much that I read it twice and will probably read it a few more times before I die. LJ Andrews is one of my god-tier authors, and literally everything she writes is a masterpiece.

"𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒘𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒄𝒉. 𝑨 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒘𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒄𝒉. 𝑾𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎?"

If Erik Bloodsinger were real, I would gladly meet my end at his hands. His blood may be literal poison, but my obsession is incurable. 😂 I would literally slit my own throat for this man.

"𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔. 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒙𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔. 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉, 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓. 𝑰 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕'𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒏. 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝑬𝒓𝒊𝒌 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉."

If I could magically trade places with a character in a book, I'd be Livia Ferus so I could have The Ever King all to myself. Did you read that quote? UHG 😍😍😍😍😍😍

"𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝑰 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒚. 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒚. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒛𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒏"

I originally read The Ever King alongside The Ever Queen, before I realized The Broken Kingdoms series existed. While The Ever Seas focuses on the children of TBK, you can read them in either order, but TBK is much more intense and makes a lot more sense to read first, giving the background for The Ever King with snippets of Erik as a boy, the wars fought for the Earth Fae lands, and the twisted legacy his father left behind.

"𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔. 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒑𝒐𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓."

This was a reread for me, and yet it felt just as fresh and powerful as the first time. Erik Bloodsinger remains my untouchable #1 book boyfriend—I have so many quotes highlighted it’s embarrassing. I also had the pleasure of reading the newly revised edition via NetGalley now that the author has signed with a traditional publisher. The bonus material was a treat, and while I noticed a few edits, the heart of the story remains intact.

"𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒅 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔, 𝒂 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒑. 𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝒘𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚"

The plot: Erik Bloodsinger, a young Sea Fae prince is captured during his father’s war and imprisoned in enemy territory. An Earth Fae princess, Livia, visits his cell, bringing him comfort and stories—creating a forbidden bond that outlasts kingdoms. A chasm was created to prevent The Ever folk to come to the Earth Fae lands for over 10 turns (years). Years later, the prince, now the fearsome Ever King, returns to kidnap her when their realms are reconnected by the pull she felt for him which unknowingly opened the chasm. He wants revenge for his father's death at the hands of Livia's father and threatens the worst for her, despite their connection. Regardless of her situation, she has always felt a strong connection to The Ever and to Erik, and she wants to help heal The Ever's cursed lands if she can. She is revealed to be his mantle—a magical amplifier and emotional anchor. As their bond grows stronger and he opens his heart to her, they start to heal the land giving hope to the Sea Fae. As they navigate assassination attempts, betrayal, and dangerous curses, they slowly begin to believe that their love might be strong enough to heal not only a cursed land, but a broken boy who was forced to be brutal and unloving. His heart beats for her, and he would destroy the entire world to get to her.

"𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏 𝒏𝒐𝒘"

There’s a stormy beauty in this world that I love—everything from the lore and elemental magic to the layered, morally grey AF characters. This is a book about vengeance, trauma, and hard-won tenderness and healing. It’s got teeth and heart in equal measure. The cliffhanger ending hit me just as hard the second time—this series is not afraid to go there. It's wild how much of this story I forgot, so my reread was literally magical and still had me shocked at times...it's really THAT good.

"𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓" 😂Livia is funny AF. I LOVE her sass and her boldness speaking to The Ever King the way she does even as a captive who he could kill at any moment.

My only (very minor) gripe? A character name: Blister Poppy. I have questions. 😂

Add this to your TBR, or start reading immediately if you love:

🤗Found Family❤️
⚔️Enemies to Lovers😍
🏴‍☠️Pirates, Fae, and Sirens🧜
✨Cursed Lands🔮
⛓️Morally Grey MMC
🔪Touch Her & Die☠️
😡Who Did This To You?⚔

Why have I waited so long to read this book? This one has been on my TBR since before it was announced that it would be trad. published and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read it! This was a fabulous enemies to lovers romantasy that I cannot wait to continue reading. There are so many scenes that will stick with me but the throne scene gave me goosebumps. The slow burn buildup of the romance, the adventure, the magic and the worldbuilding had me longing to finish this book quickly while simultaneously wanting to read it slowly just to savor it. The ending had me on tenterhooks and I will be feverishly waiting to jump into the next book as soon as I possibly can.

I wasn't aware that this book is a spin off series from The Broken Kingdom series, but I'll definitely be reading that series as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a joy to read, like every one of her books! Do yourself a favor and read this book also! I recommend starting the broken kingdoms first though! Having said that you certainly don’t have to read the broken kingdoms first but it was perfect this way in my opinion. You love and meet the first generation of this series. Sorry to ramble, the serpent and songbird, I genuinely love nicknames in fantasy books. Erik is a great mmc, a little grumpy and dark but fantastic. The songbird had to grow on me a little, and she did. I enjoyed reading their path forward in this book. If you are a fan of the author then you already love this book and her others.