The writing and the audio combined make this series a must read ❤️‍🔥 the tension, the romance, the banter… chef’s kiss. I loved the characters. The world is a perfect fae x human world. I truly enjoyed this series and did not want to put it down. All my chores and tasks were done while listening to this book nonstop.

Very cool! I think this will be a new booktok favorite.

The plot was amazing, as was the world building. I felt like I was inside the story itself.

I liked this one! I love the narrators, and the story is good, though I will say I liked Until the Stars Fall a little bit better (I’m a little biased, Connor and Lieke are just my favorite). Matthias is still an absolute gem though, and I love Calla. She’s a badass, and I’m excited for the next book in the series to continue some of the subplots.

I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own, and a review was not required.

I devoured Once the Skies Fade from start to finish. Calla, our FMC, stole my heart with her fierce shadow magic and raw grief. Mathias, our MMC, is a sarcastic general with just enough charm to melt that darkness. The slow burn between them feels electric as they face deadly trials and court intrigue. Even when the pacing dipped I stayed hooked on their sizzling banter and high stakes.

The audiobook narration by Zura Johnson and Shane East brings it all to life. Zura’s performance captures every nuance of Calla’s rage and vulnerability. Shane’s dry humor and deep tone make Mathias leap off the page. Together they nail the tension and fun.

After reading the first standalone in Vanessa’s Immortal Reveries series, Once the Stars Fall, I knew she could serve a delicious slow burn romance, and thjs one was STEAMING 🔥

I will always love a morally grey male character, but Once the Skies Fade was refreshing with our morally BLACK queen, Calla. Talk about being in our FEMININE RAGE era! Calla is absolutely terrifying at times, but also so relatable while she processes her grief. She is a wonderful balance of vulnerability and strength (and she can do some pretty cool things with her shadows 😉)

I loved Mathias since the first book, and Shane East did his character justice! His dry sense of humour and grumpiness makes him a perfect reluctant hero. His inner dialogue during the trials had me chuckling, and I loved how he could stand his own in the face of Calla.

As a couple, I love how Mathias and Calla complement each other - they in a way smooth out the roughness from each other’s flaws. They also have great banter, chemistry and spice 🌶️

This audiobook was so well done and the narrators did a phenomenal job. Thank you so much to Vanessa and NetGalley for the gifted ALC 🫶

This was my first book by Vanessa Rasanen. I had not read the first book in the series and while this is listed as an interconnected standalone, I think it would’ve enhanced my experience to have read the first book before this one. Although I did really appreciate that she put a recap of book 1 in the beginning of this book!

I enjoyed the authors writing style and I always enjoy a Shane East narration! Some things that didn’t work for me was that I felt like the structure of their society and the powers that the fae had were not clearly outlined. I just know that the men were not allowed to use their powers during the trial but no idea what powers they each had. Additionally, I was not a fan of the FMC. It actually felt like we weren’t supposed to like her. I understand that she was grieving but her reasoning for her decisions and lack of remorse made her unlikeable in my eyes. I did like the MMC and many of the side characters though.

I would definitely read this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

What a fantastic audiobook. The narration was top notch. I was so invested in the story and the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

The Bachelorette meets Hunger Games... but make it dark, deadly, and deliciously romantic.
I devoured Once the Skies Fade and now I need Matthias to personally ruin my life, thanks.
Romantasy girlies: this one’s for you.

Vanessa Rasanen delivered a story that felt like falling into a dagger-sharp dream: lush, deadly, and unexpectedly tender. I wasn’t ready for Calla—a shadow queen battling loss, lies, and lethal politics. And definitely not ready for Matthias, the charming general who shows up with a grin and a sword, and somehow manages to steal your heart before you realize it’s gone.

The romance? Tension you could bottle. The plot? Full of twists, blood, and betrayal. And the banter? 10/10, I laughed out loud and blushed like a Victorian maiden. This book isn’t just a romantasy—it’s a battlefield of emotion. And I’d gladly lose again.

If you love morally grey queens, reluctant heroes, deadly competitions, and slow-burn chemistry with the perfect amount of spice… add this to your TBR right now. You won’t regret it.

Queen Calla is being forced to remarry soon after the murder of her husband. Calla just months before she lost both of her parent and becomes lost in her grief. Although she is not ready to remarry, she must or forfeit the throne. General Mathias gets sent to her kingdom to compete at a chance for the throne in order to investigate if the accusations are true. Did Calla murder her husband Brennan? Mathias is charming and sarcastic and does not cower when challenged no matter the cost. Even when he learns the Calla is a shadow wielder.

Shane East reading the letter in the beginning is everything.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Vanessa Rasanen for an advanced copy. Both narrators are fantastic!

This story delivers a thrilling mix of romance, political intrigue, and fantasy. Calla, a queen accused of murder, must remarry or lose her throne. Enter Matthias, witty, loyal, and impossible to resist. Their chemistry crackles as they navigate betrayals, deadly trials, and the weight of their pasts. The audiobook, narrated by Zura Johnson and Shane East, brings the story to life beautifully. Matthias’ charm and banter are irresistible, while Calla’s strength and vulnerabilities make her journey compelling. The world-building is immersive, with dragon shifters and intense action keeping me hooked. Though a standalone, it’s a captivating, emotional listen, I laughed, cried, and couldn’t press pause.

I was excited to read this since I really enjoyed Matthias’ character from the previous book in the series. I can’t help but laugh at myself because I typically go in blind in books and I totally missed a key piece of info from the synopsis that, when I got to it in the book, it gave the effect of this huge twist and I was just like WHAT!? AFTER ALL THAT. Lesson learned – read the synopsis and maybe I won’t have to scrape my jaw off the floor. Calla is an interesting and complex FMC - I didn’t find her to be the easiest to relate to but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel for her. She undergoes tremendous character development in this book and I loved watching her slowly come out of her shell both with her shadow powers and with Matthias. Matthias is great – he is a bit of a reluctant hero but we love him all that much more for it. He also made me laugh and had great banter the entire book! The deadly games in this one were interesting given it was the males that had to compete. I did have several facepalm moments though thanks to the shenanigans that occurred.

Rating: 3.75 rounded to 4 out of 5.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I ate up the first book and this one kept up the pace. I love the banter and the ability to relate and feel for the FMC. I find her being the “shadow mommy” and broody absolutely amazing. The shadow skills 👏🏻👏🏻the she saves them trope and the ability to heal from the lose of previous love. The flow of the book is good and there is a sprinkle of mystery to it. The only issue so had was that I guessed the person that was behind it all. The ending was so sweet too. Definitely a good series to read.

4.5 stars
I have been absolutely loving this series. When I requested this audiobook from NetGalley, I didn't realize it was book 2. So I went and listened to book one, it was really great, then came back to this one.

When I say, chapter one is DEVASTATING!? I was NOT expecting that and was utterly floored by what happened in the FIRST CHAPTER (clearly I didn't remember the blurb of this one after going back and reading book one before diving into this one). While I know how Brennan is perceived in the first book, I have such a soft spot for him, and I assumed this book was going to be diving more into his story. So to say I was shaken is an understatement.

I always love a good romantasy with trials, but I can sometimes be picky about them. They can't seem too easy, or so difficult and I don't want them to drag out too long either. This had the perfect balance of plot, character development and relationship development woven throughout the trials while also not feeling like it was dragging the trials out too much. I also loved that the MMC - showed so much character depth through his interactions with the other competitors between and during the trials.

In book one, we didn't get to learn much about the FMC in this one, and I'm kind of glad we didn't, because I feel like the beginning of this book really changed who we would have perceived her to be going in. The author allowed her to lean heavily into her grief and the complexities of being a queen with powers she has tried to hide her whole life on display for her people - her people who fear these powers and believe rumours that she is responsible for the death of her husband.

The attempt at a political coup was well executed in the plot. I found myself trying to make connections to how the humans killed the king, while also empathizing with the queen for having to deal with the annoying advisory council.

The relationship between the Queen and her General was wonderful. The Queen was navigating a lot of loneliness, but I loved the friendship they shared.

The FMC & MMC's chemistry was perfect. She just wanted to feel something, anything. While he was an absolute charmer who was always willing to oblige her and give her exactly what she needed. Whether that be companionship, some 0rga$ms or protection. I appreciated that they both had opportunities to be the hero.

One thing I would have liked more of in this series is a better explanation of the magic system. I feel like that would have heightened the experience of reading these books a bit more.

Even though this book is only 100 pages longer than book one, it felt a lot longer than that for some reason? While I felt the pacing of the book was good, it still felt longer than necessary, which is interesting to me, because often stand alone romantasys are even longer than this one. But, I was surprised to see the audiobook still had over 1 hour and 20 minutes left when I was at 92%.

That said, I really enjoyed the narrators. I'm not always a huge fan of Shane East, but I loved his performance in this one. Zura Johnson also delivered an excellent performance, capturing all the conflicting emotions and grief of the character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the Advanced Copy audiobook.

IT WAS INSANELY GOOD !!! Full review for the entire book :

“If you aren’t careful, general, you’re going to out your work before your heart for so long you’ll eventually forget you even have one”

“Grief is different for everyone. It’s personal and private.”

“Easy there, Killer. I’ve got you”

This book was … I’m lacking the rich words to describe how deeply and truthfully this books effected me on an emotional level. This book was grief. It was pain. It was sadness. It was a morally grey FMC. It was a witty, funny and cocky MMC. This book was finding love when you think you’ve lost it or you’re not worthy of it anymore. This book was about finding your own voice despite what other’s thing of you. This book was power. It was weakness. It was spicy romance. And it was sweet family. It was EVERYTHING. I didn’t even realise when I started reading it that it could have had such a deep impact on me. I started it with tears in my eyes. I kept reading with excitement and enthusiasm (every time Connor and Lieke were mentioned I was giddy) about the main characters and not only them. With quickly falling in love with Matthias because I could I not!!! With trying to understand Calla and her decision and feeling empathy towards her for every thing she was feeling. With feeling hot and not here by their interactions and their banter. And I ended it with tears in my eyes once again because of how amazingly the author ended the whole thing. This story was not the story of a perfect couple of people. It was raw. It was intense. It was cruel and it was real. And it was one of the strongest I have ever read. Calla is the morally grey characters who would stop at nothing to protect those she loves. And Matthias is the same. Only he is the hero of the story who could forsake everything for her. Oh, how I loved them. How I love them still and always will!!! As for usual this author has a way to reach through my heart with her stories and her characters. And I truly hope this will never stop!! I can’t wait for more !!!

“As long as you draw breath, pain is possible - perhaps even inevitable - but life isn’t about avoiding hardship; it’s about being the good in someone else’s life , so they don’t have to admire any of this shit alone. You cannot avoid heartache, but you’re not alone in it either”

“There’s my Killer”

“Give me all your hate, Killer”

ALL THE MCFLIPPING STARS. I enjoyed this *almost* as much as the first book, Until The Stars Fall, but not quite as much. But HEAR ME OUT: UtSF was the ever-elusive 6-star-read for me. It is one of my “favorites of all time” books. So the fact that this one is close to it sitting at 5 stars is still an amazingly awesome book.

I *loved* Matthias and Calla. Calla was complex, mysterious, stubborn and so independent. She was crushed by her heartbreak (losing both of her parents, then her husband), but doing what she could for her country and people (for the most part… the humans are another story entirely). Being forced to marry, knowing she would not find a love like the one she had with her husband.

And Matthias. Cocky, sweet, not-in-it-for-love Matthias. Going to this tournament for her hand in marriage, fully planning on not winning it at all. Doesn’t think he needs or wants love, until the stars seem to be pushing him to her.

This one is definitely one of my top 3 for the year so far, and I’ve read around 30 books or so. I’m fairly liberal with my 4 stars, but I hope I’m more discerning with my 5 stars. This was hands-down a 5 star read for me! I have yet to find anyone who regretted picking up this series.

I voluntarily read a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Vanessa has done It again with book 2 in the Immortal Reveries Series, One the Skies Fade. Her writing brings you into this world and gives you such a vivid picture. The romance was top notch the story even more so. I loved Matthias in Until the Stars fall but in this book, He was PERFECTION. I laughed and cried with some of his antics. He is the tough general with a heart and that is what made him so special. Calla was the hardened widow who wanted nothing to do with anyone, until she sees Matthias again. Their romance was beautifully written to develop over the entire book. I enjoyed their banter and the tension was hot. I have read everything Vanessa has put out there and this is her best yet! You can tell that Vanessa put her heart and soul into this book to give us everything we want and need in a fantasy romance.

I listened to this book on audio with the Narrators being Zura Johnson and Shane East. Both are perfect voices for these roles and I could tell that they enjoyed their story. Zura has that strong voice that is perfect for Calla when she is needed to be fierce and strong but also has that vulnerability. I have loved Shane 's voice for a long time and this performance was amazing. His deep timber made Matthias seem so real and his comedic tone had me rolling. I will say that he gave one of the best recaps I have ever read in the beginning and it just made me want to listen to this book faster!

Well done to Vanessa for writing an amazing book 2 and to the narrators for their performance. This series is one not to be missed for lovers of fantasy romance and Vanessa is an author you do not want tossup because she writes brilliantly.

This was a really good story and audiobook. I requested this book without realizing that it was the second book in the series. So I was a bit confused in the beginning and had to pause to go listen to the first book. But once I did and came back to it, I loved it. The narrator was phenomenal! I was so invested with the characters and the story and was so anxious to see how this book would end. I would definitely recommend this series and narrator.

2.5⭐️
I was really wanting to love this book. The characters from Until the Stars Fall really won me over and despite parts of the storyline not being the most believable, it was easy to read and engaging enough to pull me in. I was especially eager to get more character development from Brennon because even though parts of his personality were questionable, the fact that he had formed such a bond with Lieke at an early age made me want to see him get his happily ever after. Obviously, that was not to be. I honestly hated the way that he was killed off right at the beginning of the book without showcasing all the ways that his character had grown and the alleged happiness that he had found for himself. I really feel like there should have been a book or even a novella before Once the Skies Fade to highlight Calla and Brennons union. Maybe I could have forgiven that, but I couldn’t find anything that I liked about Calla. Between her temper tantrums and the despicable behavior that she justified with grief, her chapters read like a villain origin story. I am still not convinced that she deserved Brennon or Matthias. In fact, Matthias was the only main character that I actually liked. As far as the plot goes, Once the Skies Fade was a bit drawn out, but otherwise just as smooth as the first book. There was plenty of action to go around and more than enough tension to keep me entertained. Im enjoying the world and I'm trying to be hopeful that the next book will make me fall for the characters again.

The narrators for the audio book both did a great job in bringing the characters to life. Shane East was fantastic as Matthias and the only thing I didn’t like about Zura Johnson’s performance was her male impressions.

Once the Skies Fade is a beautifully layered tale of resilience, love, and hope in the face of darkness. Vanessa Rasanen crafts a world that feels both epic and deeply personal, with characters who stay with you long after the final page. Emotionally rich and quietly powerful, it’s a story that lingers like a memory.

I really hope there will be another release in this series! I love the world that Vanessa has created for this series. I think there's a lot of room for the story to continue building with future releases.

The author's character development is fantastic and she wasn't afraid to start the series with an unexpected, and maybe even controversial, move. Her MMCs are confident and cheeky, and her FMCs are brilliant and strong. In Once the Skies Fade, Vanessa turns the damsel in distress trope on it's head and has her FMC do the rescuing. There is more spice in book two than there was in book one and I was here for it. The shadows be shadowing!

The audio was very theatrical, particularly the female narrator, and it did take some getting used to. I really enjoyed Shane East's deep, gravely voice as the narration for the male POV.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Vanessa Rasanen for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.