Come and let the earth swallow you, follow a ragtag group of people who have very intense emotions for each other and no therapists, while the world as they know it falls apart. It will be intoxicating and infuriating.

Patrick Colson is the ultimate human being, he says so many beautifully sweet things in this book (they are all said with a gun to someone's head). And Nina grows more and more real to me with each word. I think what I love about these books is the pressure I feel when I am reading them, like I am in the tunnels too, listening and praying that the earth around us isnt hungry.

I AM UNWELL. I LOVE PATRICK COLSON. I NEED A MINUTE.

If you couldn’t tell already, this is officially a Patrick Colson fan account.

I loved (and stressed through) every second of A Forsaken Prophesy, and now I’m sitting here with a very real, very inconvenient hole in my life where this book used to be.

Stacey… what the fk.
No literally - WHAT.
Also: thank you???
See also: I love you.

This book picks up immediately where A Forbidden Alchemy left off, and it does not slow down. The pacing is relentless in the best way - every chapter feels like something is unfolding, unraveling, or about to emotionally wreck you.

And Patrick Colson???
If you thought he yearned in book one… he somehow said “I can do worse” and then DID. (He actually said, "yet I was devoted to keepin' ya" and so many other things but that's neither here nor there...) This man is operating on a level of longing that should honestly be studied.

What I think this series does so well - and what really sets it apart - is how HUMAN it feels. You’re not getting overly polished declarations or poetic monologues. There are no grand, flowery speeches. But somehow, you feel everything more. The tension, the resentment, the care, the conflict - it all feels grounded and real in a way that makes it hit harder.

This book expands the world in a way I didn’t even realize I needed.
More rebellion. More villainy. More politics. More magic. And yes - more LORE. The layers that get peeled back here add so much depth to everything we thought we understood in book one.

(No we literally get more villains and I'm UPSET)

We also get multiple POVs this time, which I loved. Nina remains in first person, while the other characters are in third, and it works really well. It adds scale to the story without losing that emotional closeness to her.

And the dialogue???
Still living rent-free in my head. Entire conversations are just… stuck there.

This book doesn’t just continue the story - it deepens it!!!!! The relationships get messier, the stakes get higher, and everything feels like it’s building toward something massive in the final book.

And now I have to wait???

Respectfully, I will not be okay.
(Stacey, I'm begging. I'm yearning. I'm pleading... and I know Patty would like that.)

Holy crap! The wait for book 3 is going to be torturous!!
Stacey McEwan is one of my favorite story tellers and this sequel is no exception. This book will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time you’re reading it.

I WOULD THANK STACEY MCEWAN FOR THE ARC BUT I’M A LITTLE PISSED AT HER RIGHT NOW ACTUALLY BECAUSE WTF WAS THAT ENDING (complimentary) 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ AGAIN UGHHHHHH

If you haven’t read book 1 — A Forbidden Alchemy — please don’t read this review. It’ll contain spoilers for book 1.

PLOT
This takes off right after the events of book 1 with Nina & Patrick on the way to the House, to be weapons used by those in charge. This book has:
- tension & yearning SCREAMING OFF THE PAGE OH MY GOD
- nonstop stress
- Peaky Blinders vibes still
- themes of power maintenance & control
- rebellion
- low (but hot) spice

PROS
- The romance in this fucking rules. The yearning oh my GOD. The way the betrayals were navigated was so well done. So often in series, it can feel like book 2 conflict is reaching for book 1’s romantic tension & it doesn’t quite hit… LEMME TELL YA THIS HIT.
- Patrick Colson is a top 5 book husband for me. I fucking LOVE HIM. He’s even better in this book my god Patty Daddies so hard.
- Nina, I love you. I like how she’s evolving quite a bit & her female rage is satisfying to watch.
- I reallllllly hate the goddamn villain GUHHHHH.
- More POVs & they were all so good.
- The spice hit.
- The cliffhanger? Criminal. Omg I am so ready for book 3.
- The exploration of the magic & its lore was SO fascinating. This is truly how you expand on world building in book 2.
- There were some themes that really resonated with me & OOOOOOOOH I can’t really say them without spoiling but feeling seen y’all.

CONS
- None, truly. I can’t wait for book 3.

OTHER NOTES
- “I HATE YOU [person name] YOU LITTLE DIRT RAT BITCH” was the first thing I wrote on this review so, let’s just say I’m reeling. 😆