⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⚡️/🌶️🫑
This book is set in the same world as Kingdom of Lies (A Court This Cruel and Lovely), but in a far off kingdom 3 years later.

Medinia manages to get access to the dark power of the grimoire and escape the tower at the same time someone from her past shows up.

Together they search for the grimoire she hid. But he needs it for another purpose. As they get closer to the hiding place, they are being tracked by the queen’s troops and an evil witch, all while he begins to loose his humanity to the dark power of the Grimoire

There are actually 3 grimiores, he must find all 3, and Medinia must get to them first to prevent another war; a war between the gods.
🔥
I enjoyed it a lot. There is a major twist at the end that was very unexpected.
🔥
I think it is helpful to read Kingdom of Lies series first. A few characters show up in this series and it obviously has spoilers to how the other series ends. A lot won’t make sense if you haven’t read KoLies.
🔥
This is the same narrators for the audiobook as the Kingdom of Lies series.

Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the ARC and Dreamscape Media for the ALC!

This is book one in a spinoff series of Kingdom of Lies, which explains a lot because I thought it was a brand new series and I thought the worldbuilding was a little light. It didn’t bother me that much, I have a high tolerance for being lightly confused, and would vastly prefer to learn the world as the book goes along than to have a lot of infodumpy exposition.

This Vicious Dream starts strong and the plot never lets up, there is constant action and twists and turns, which makes it really bingeable. We got a lot of time with the lovers having will they / won’t they moments, sharing beds and body heat, but with solid tension about why they shouldn’t be together. I love romantasy books that read like romances!

The audiobook was good, but the tone was very serious which sometimes is hard for me to stay focused on. I like my narration to be a little faster with more dynamic tone changes. However, this narration style matches the tone of the book, so many readers may enjoy it.

I’m hoping to go back and read Kingdom of Lies now, and I think I might enjoy this one even more once I know all of the context!

This Vicious Dream
By Stacia Stark

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another incredible book from the amazing Stacia Stark. I was sucked in from chapter 1 and was hooked until the very end. With flawless world building, superb character depth and a plot that flows effortlessly, this book is a journey you want to be on. Madinia is entrusted with guarding an ancient grimoire, when she awakens with virtually no memories on a strange continent Madinia has only one choice; trust the handsome dark stranger. We’re flung into a wild hunt around a strange new continent in search of these dark powerful grimoires with burning tension and chemistry between Madinia and Calysian, all we can do it watch the story unfold. I cannot wait to find out what happens next!

Wow. Truly wow 🤯 Stacia has done it again with Madinia’s story. I absolutely LOVED A Court This Cruel and Lovely… BUT THIS BOOK!!! Aghhhhh! I want book #2 like… NOW!

I love that you already know Madinia from A Kingdom of Lies series. So you already have a great backstory of her. I mean.. who doesn’t wanna grow up and be a bad bitch like Madinia?! She knows how to manipulate, looks down her nose that would make the biggest men second guess their actions, and if that doesn’t work?? She’ll burn you with her fire magic. 🔥🔥

I also like thats we briefly meet Calysian in the Kingdom of Lies series. He’s much more mysterious and I enjoyed getting to hear his story.

I will say, I did listen to the Kingdom of Lies series through audiobook and LOVED them. This was no different!! They kept the same narrators and I am sooooo happy they did. I love Meg’s voice as Madinia. The audiobook was perfection 🤌🏼

Audiobook review, narrated by Meg Sylvan and Tim Paige.
I loved this audiobook. Meg Sylvan had the silkiest voice in the world, so I can't wait to listen to more of her work!
Here's me not realising the FMC Madinia was a character in the Kingdom of Lies series, which I have still to read!
But I don't think I lost anything, I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the romance, and I can't wait to see how this series continues. Stacia Stark is becoming a must read author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🔥
This Vicious Dream
by Stacia Stark

So so grateful to have gotten an audiobook version of The Vicious Dream from Stacia Stark 🫶🏻 as I mainly listened to the original series, Kingdom of Lies.

I absolutely loved Madinia in the original series and was so excited that she was getting a spinoff. And book one of this duology did not disappoint 🔥

The tension between Madinia and Calysian kicked up like 10 notches and I am so here for it. I love their constant back and forth. Madinia is such a badass - she doesn’t need anyone to save her, but that doesn’t stop Calysian from trying.

I’m so glad we learned so much more about Calysian after the brief glimpses we got of him in Kingdom of Lies. He’s such an interesting character and I’m so excited to see what’s next for him.

And, of course, I always love when you get cameos from some folks in the original series 🥰

The ending to this book was jam packed with information and changing circumstances. With how things left off, I cannot wait to get my hands on book 2 and see what Calysian and Madinia get up to next 🥵

Y'all... STACIA DID IT AGAIN!!!

I was hooked on this book FROM THE VERY START!! Having loved Madinia in Kingdom of Lies I was so excited to learn more about her and get her story after the events of KoL. This book is basically a 300 page roller coaster filled with the most intense slow burn, feminine angst and OH THE TWISTS!!!
And when I tell you the last 10% will leave you with your heart racing I AM NOT KIDDING!!

Recap: This book follows the story of Madinia Farrow after the events of Kingdom of Lies. After having saved a continent and helping to free her people Madinia sets off with the goal of getting away and exploring the world. But Madinia has a target on her back. There are those who want her dead and those you just want her.
Madinia is 100% an independent badass woman. She's used to keeping her walls up and her feelings shut down. And all that's true until she meets Calysian... again. He's a powerful man with no recollection of his past... but he remains drawn to Madinia and found her yet again. The slow burn between these two is simply delicious but the TWISTS AND TURNS in their story will leave you breathless!

Thank you Stacia Stark and the BookSprout team for the opportunity to review this book prior to its release.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

First and Foremost: Extreme Gratitude to Stacia’s team for sending me an advanced copy of this Audiobook!

I have been a fan of Stacia’s work since I picked up the first book in the Kingdom of Lies series. This story, This Vicious Dream, follows Madinia, a literal fiery red-head, with an anger problem. I LOVE MADINIA. I relate to her deeply, and I love her relationship with Calysian.

Madinia is given a grimoire to protect and told not to let it fall into the hands of someone who would do ill-intent with it, especially its original author. Unfortunately for her, it seems everyone on her new continent wants that grimoire.

Calysian is looking for something, but he can’t remember what it is. When he reunites with Madinia, he knows that she will lead him to what he lost. They reluctantly agree to help each other and embark on a dangerous quest. What could possibly happen?

-One Horse
-One Bed
-Banter
-Mental Health Rep (self-loathing, depression, anxiety, PTSD)
-Gods/Fae/Witches
-Magical Artifacts
-Vengeance
-Soulmates
-Hidden Identities

I was provided a physical copy by the author and an alc from Netgalley ( thanks to dreamscape Media), all thoughts are my own.

Honestly, this is the story that I didn't know I needed, and I am so happy the author decided to continue on in this world and write about one of my favorite side characters, Madinia. This is her book, and she shows us both how strong she is and how much she keeps her past and feelings bottled up. We follow Madinia and Calysian throughout the story as we search for an object (no spoilers) and learn both of their backstories and how it impacts the world around them. The ending had me in a chokehold, and I was gasping in my car while listening.

I was lucky enough to read both the physical book, which has beautiful chapter headers, and also listen to the alc, which is narrated by Meg Sylvan and Tim Page. Both are incredible narrators and use a wide range of vocal skills to depict the various characters in the story, giving them each their own voice.

I would highly recommend reading the Kingdom of Lies series prior to starting this book, as there's so much backstory and characters that cross over along with a lot of the world building as well, but you don't necessarily have to.

Madinia, who’s been through so much trauma, sees herself unworthy and keeps everyone at arms length to protect herself from abandonment. I ached for her. Yet she’s a protector, fierce, determined.

Calysian is our broad-shouldered, protective (but not undermining), hunk of a god who is a perfect match to Madinia’s fierceness. And when the 2 are forced to work together? The chemistry and banter had me all giddy. .

The world building, the sky-high tension, the action, gosh I just love Stacia’s writing style and how she fully immerses you. And after that ending?! I’m a mess.
“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞.”

WOW. I was not ready for this book, in the best possible way.

After finishing Kingdom of Lies, I wasn’t sure where Madinia’s story would go next. I avoided the blurb (because I love going in blind when I can), and let me tell you, I definitely wasn’t expecting this. And I loved everything about it.

While you can read this series without having read Kingdom of Lies, I highly recommend starting there. It gives you a deeper understanding of Madinia’s character and makes her journey hit so much harder. She’s a complex, layered heroine who’s been through hell and back, and knowing where she came from made her arc in this book all the more emotional. It also adds to the reunions with characters from the previous series.

I love how Stacia Stark expanded the world she built in Kingdom of Lies. The world-building, the banter and the chemistry between Calysian and Madinia? Perfect. I felt everything—pain, tension, heartbreak—and I never saw the twists coming. The emotional depth was off the charts. I’m dying to see what happens next for these characters.

I split my time between the audiobook and the ebook, and I absolutely loved by the narration. The narrators brought Madinia and Calysian to life with so much emotion and intensity, I felt every second of it.

Huge thanks to Stacia Stark and Dreamscape Media for the ARC and ALC. This is my honest review.

This audiobook is giving fire, strength, romance, courage and tenacity. I loved every minute of it. True determination shown through with Medinia. I loved that she got her story and her adventure. I feel as though her character continues to just grow and she is easily a top FMC for me. I love the story and the cliffhanger it ended on was insane! I am waiting patiently for the next book in the duology. This is a masterpiece, Stacia. True masterpiece! An epic romantacy.

Now that’s what I call romantasy!

If you’re looking for tension & yearning, banter, enemies to lovers, one bed trope this will scratch all those vibes.

I learned after reading other reviews that the FMC & MMC are characters from a different series and that this can be read separate from that. However knowing this now I want to go and absorb the main series (Kingdom of Lies) so I can learn more about these characters. I enjoyed this book but do think I would have enjoyed it even more had I known more about them.

The audiobook was a duet narration by two popular book narrators: Meg Sylvan & Tim Paige.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media & Stacia Stark for the ALC.

𝓣𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓯𝓪𝓬𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓪𝓻𝓴𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓮—𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭𝓮𝓭. 𝓚𝓮𝓮𝓹 𝓫𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰.

If I had to resume my thoughts about This Vicious Dream, it would probably be something like : « woooww ». It was one of my most anticipated read of 2025 and it did not disappoint.
To say I loved that book would be an understatement. I already had a soft spot for Madinia and Calysian in the Kingdom of lies and I quickly became obsessed with them on a whole new level.

This book was everything we love in a romantasy. Amazing plot with adventures, battles, plot twists and tons of intrigue but also sweet and funny moments and the perfect amount of romance, not overwhelming but still there.

I thought Lorian would be my fav Stacia Stark MMC. Boy I was so so wrong. * ℂ𝕒𝕝𝕪𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟 𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕥 * and I was DONE FOR. He climbed the ranks and secured himself a spot as one of my favs MMC really damn fast.

Madinia is such a badass icon, I absolutely love that woman. Seriously… the thorns ? FABULOUS idea, wish I could steal that one. She took more time than Calysian to warm up to the idea of … well, them, but once she did, they were phenomenal.

The banter was hilarious and sometimes … hot as f#ck I’m not gonna lie. Every single one of their interactions made me cackle or swoon, and sometimes cry a bit, but who am I kidding, wouldn’t be a Stacia Stark book if I didn’t cry at least a bit. Seriously this book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. And that cliffhanger ? Yeah. Typical Stacia fashion. But we love her for it.

All the characters in this book were so well crafted, each with their own complex backstories. Seeing some characters from the kingdom of lies series made my heart really really happy.
The Kingdom of death duet could be read by itself, however, If you have the time, I would recommend reading the Kingdom of lies series as it would give you a bit more insight on some characters you read about in This Vicious Dream.

ARC review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for This Vicious Dream by Stacia Stark

This Vicious Dream is a spinoff romantasy following Madinia from the Kingdom of Lies series. This book is action packed and the world Stacia Stark created is enormous. This Vicious Dream can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading the 4 previous books first. If you are just being dropped into this world without the background, it can be overwhelming and confusing. Even though I recently read the last book of the series, I had a little trouble remembering at first. After that initial confusion, the book found its pace and never let off the gas. I found this to be a fun, quick, and spicy read. Madinia’s character is one of my favorites and continuing her journey while getting to experience more of her ruthless pragmatism was just what I wanted. Calysian also returns in this book and he and Madinia’s relationship is shaping up to be pretty epic. I was lucky enough to get an advance audio copy of this book from Dreamscape and Netgalley, and I’m so thankful. The narrators Tim Paige and Meg Sylvan absolutely nailed the audio in Kingdom of Lies and returning to continue this story was the best choice. As usual they brought this book and its characters to life. Cannot wait for book 2!

This Vicious Dream is out now, it’s also available on KU.

Do not sleep on this author! Stacia knows how to tell the most interesting stories packed with action, romance, intrigue, war/battles, heart break & healing, and the best kind of character growth! I loved Madinia’s rage, independence, and her strong sense of self preservation but I loved seeing her growth while she learned to open up to people and allow herself to care for others (disclaimer: you get more of this if you’ve read the Kingdom of Lies as well).

I was excited to read more about Madinia and Calysian after getting little Easter eggs in the KoL series but I had no idea what to expect, since I felt like things got wrapped up so nicely in that series. But Stacia did not disappoint! This story kept me entirely engaged, I cannot wait to read more, and I will never stop recommending these books!

loved Kingdom of Lies and was so excited to read Madinia’s story. My expectations were high and Stacia Stark blew those expectations out the water.

We see the Madinia that we knew from the Kingdom of Lies series - the standoffishness and slight coldness she had, but we also see more sides of her and I loved those sides. She’s a well rounded character with so many facets and and the author doesn’t shy away from showing the reader them.

I also adore Calysian - there’s just something about him! Again he’s well rounded and we see so much of who and what he is.

Absolutely amazing read!

My most recent and favourite read of Stacia’s, This Vicious Dream.

Should I have finished the Kingdom of Lies series before diving into the prequel series, Kingdom of Death… probably! But I just couldn’t resist snagging an ALC from @netgalley and I am so glad I did! The dual narration was absolutely EVERYTHING! I can’t recommend the audiobook enough, the story was already so addictive but the narration really pulled me in!

This book has it all; epic battles, forgotten gods, loveable characters, a badass found family, magical forests, dangerous Grimoires, prophecies, plenty of tension, and heartbreak.

I can’t wait for book two, and will definitely be picking it up via audio!! Audio narrators can really make or break a book, and these two MADE it!

I enjoyed Kingdom of Lies so I was excited for this book. This book was entertaining. It wasn't the most exciting book I've ever read but it was good. I'll read the next one in the duology.

The audiobook of This Vicious Dream (Kingdom of Death #1) by Stacia Stark, narrated by Meg Sylvan and Tim Paige, is a true treat. Tim and Meg delivered captivating performances, bringing the characters to life with their narration and kept me fully immersed in the journey from start to finish.
This Vicious Dream captivated me, and I'm eager to continue listening to the audiobooks to fully immerse myself in the Kingdom of Death series.