Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.5 stars

Wow. What a ride! I devoured this book in two days and can’t wait to start reading the next book The Ever Queen. This book is set in the same world as the Broken Kingdom series, which I haven’t read, but can be read without having read that series first. I, however, will be adding that series onto my TBR immediately. This book was first published in 2023 but somehow I missed it. It was just re-released on August 5, 2025 in hardcover format by Ace Books with exclusive bonus content.

The book is inspired by Norse mythology and is set in a world that pitches earth fae against sea fae. The various houses in the fae kingdom each have their own unique magical abilities and the author did a great job by including the worldbuilding throughout the book so you didn’t have to slog through a 50 or more page info-dump just to get to the characters and storyline. The more I learned about the ruthlessness of the various faes, their abilities, and the brutalness of the world, the more I realized I would never want to get captured by a rival house.

Livia is an earth fae whose magic can heal the land and create life in it. She’s a princess and heir to her father’s throne. Her family is happy and loving and she’s surrounded by a supportive extended family and friends. She’s a bit sheltered and naive, but that doesn’t make her weak. She’s fierce, brave, and independent – qualities she will need in abundance when she meets Erik, King of the Ever Kingdom. He’s the young boy she connected with while he was held captive in her kingdom during the last war. He’s all grown up and looking for vengeance for his father’s death since being trapped in his kingdom by a great chasm at the end of the war.

Erik comes from the opposite happy loving family as Livia. He’s been brutalized by enemies and family alike. He’s scarred. He’s ruthless. His blood is poison, and he’s desperate to find a way to heal the rot that is overtaking the Ever Kingdom. If he can win back the mantle keeping his full power at bay, he knows he can heal his land. All he needs to do is challenge Livia’s father for it and defeat him. When Livia unintentionally breaks the chasm keeping the kingdoms apart, Erik seizes the chance to reclaim what is rightfully his. Who knew it could also include her?

Erik makes the perfect antihero. He’s cunning, ruthless, decisive – but also noble, devoted to his kingdom, and secretly kind. Despite having no parents or siblings, he’s created a found family of loyal supportive crew members that would die for him. He kidnaps Livia as a pawn to reaching her father, but there’s no denying the attraction they both feel toward the other. They fight their feelings because it makes no sense to feel that way toward the enemy, but once in awhile we see glimpses of the young girl and boy they used to be and the bond they formed. Before long, their teasing words and embraces turn passionate until they can’t ignore their feelings.

You can imagine how “popular” Erik attaching himself to Livia is with his people and the nobles, so it’s no surprise that treachery, deceit, assassins, and traitors wait around every corner. The fighting is fierce and you should definitely check the trigger warnings if you’re squeamish. The author does a great job of doling out secrets and keeping the reader off-balance and guessing about what is going to happen next. You KNOW something bad is going to happen, you just can’t figure out WHAT and by WHOM. The cliffhanger will have you racing to get your hands on the next book – which is exactly what I did. Come join me. That water’s just fine.

I received a complimentary e-copy from NetGalley and Berkley. All opinions are my own.