Book: A Crown of Darkness (The Lost Queen #3
Author: Jessica Thorne
Pub Day: October 8 2024
Buy Link: Amazon
About the book:
The enemy has her. And the man she loves seems intent on using her dark magic to destroy her kingdom…
In the chaos of the magical assault on Pelias, Wren has been swept far from home. She is now a prisoner, in the heart of enemy territory. At least she has the man she loves beside her, keeping their passion alive during the cold nights in this unfamiliar place.
Or so she thought…
Finn has changed since returning to his father’s kingdom. Instead of serving the princess he’s proven his loyalty to time and again, he is keeping her under guard in a tower. Desire still lights up his eyes when he looks at her. But is he enamoured by Wren, or her power?
With the unfamiliar castle calling to her dark magic, Wren is fighting every minute to keep her growing power in check. And she struggles to ignore the still-smouldering heat between her and Finn every time their fingers touch – even as he keeps her under lock and key…
Is everything she believed about Finn a lie? Or is he under the influence of the dark power here too? And will she have time to figure it out before she’s forced to turn her magic on her own kingdom?
You will not be able to put down this gripping and unputdownable romantic fantasy! Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Stacia Stark and Rebecca Yarros.
I liked the first book in the series, A Touch of Shadows. I loved the final book in the trilogy, A Crown of Darkness! This book wraps up the story of Wren and Finn and their struggle to find the balance between light and dark, duty and love, in wonderful fashion.
Wren has been kidnapped and is being held captive in Ilanthus, and Finn is the one responsible. Or so she thinks, and it breaks her heart. Wren now has to question whether Finn ever truly cared for her, or whether he just wanted the power of the Nox that she could access and control. Roland and two of his knights seek out the College of Winter, hoping to find help and healing for Elodie, who is trapped in her mind, fighting the Aurum that she was raised and trained to serve. Treachery and betrayal lurk in unexpected corners.
This story, y’all. Wren, while still a young woman, has grown so much since the first book. She wrestles with situations and questions that could have broken her. There were times I wasn’t sure how she would make it past something, and yet she did, time and again. She was bloodied but unbowed, even when she thought Finn was committing the most heinous betrayal of her love and trust. She has to resist the temptation to give over to the Nox completely and find a way to use her dark magic without being altogether lost to it. I wanted to reach in the book and hug her.
And Finn has some growing and learning to do, too. Is the Aurum, the light he has followed and sought to serve as a Paladin, truly the force for good he’s always been taught it was? Is it as simple as light good, dark bad? How can he reconcile the Nox with the Wren he knows and loves?
Jessica Thorne answers all these questions and more in glorious fashion. We see more of the rebel witchkind here, and the old magic has a part to play. We learn more about how the divide between Ilanthus and Asteroth, dark magic and light, came to be. It’s a fascinating world she creates, and she fills it with characters you can love and hate.
I felt like I was bidding farewell to friends when I finished the book. I hated to see it end, but I adored the ending. (Spoiler: If you want a HEA, you get one. I won’t tell you the details, but when the book is breaking your heart, KEEP READING.)
Jessica Thorne has added herself to my list of must-read authors. I’m here for anything she writes. Wren and Finn and Elodie and Roland have won my heart.
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy from Second Sky Books and Netgalley. All opinions here are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t actually like.
About the author:
Jessica Thorne watched far too much sci-fi and read far too much fantasy at an impressionable age. And it was awesome. She writes fantasy and sci-fi romance with a steampunk edge and just refuses to face reality.
