Synopsis:
Tell me, little butterfly, what would you do for love?
In the wake of a crushing defeat, Tisaanah and Maxatarius have been ripped apart. Tisaanah is desperate to rescue Max from his imprisonment, even as her people’s fight for freedom grows more treacherous. But within the walls of Ilyzath, Max’s mind is a shadow of what it once was… leaving his past a mystery and his future at the mercy of Ara’s new, ruthless queen.
Meanwhile, in the Fey lands, Aefe has been dragged back into this world by a king who vows to destroy civilizations in her name. But even as her past returns to claim her, her former self is a stranger.
Tisaanah, Max, and Aefe are thrust into the center of a cataclysm between the human and Fey worlds. The unique magic they share is key to either winning the war, or ending it.
But that power demands sacrifice. Tisaanah may be forced to choose between love and duty. Max cannot forge his future without confronting his past. And Aefe must decide between reclaiming who she was, or embracing who she has become.
The choices they make will either reshape this world forever…or end it..
In the harrowing finale of the War of Lost Hearts trilogy, a tale of romance, magic, vengeance, and redemption comes to a close — perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Miranda Honfleur, and Danielle Jenson.
Review:
I was sent an early copy of Mother of Death and Dawn by the publisher.
Mother of Dawn and Death’s best character arc is Aefe, hands down. In Children of Fallen Gods I was very fond of her, and then over the course of Mother of Death and Dawn I went through so many emotions with her. From seeing her as a villain, to seeing her just as a broken, used person who makes the wrong choices for love, to making the right choices for herself. Her growth and change is what carried the emotional side of this book for me.
I’ve said it before but The War of Lost Hearts series is a lot more on the fantasy-side of romantasy than romance. Max and Tisaanah have a great romance arc, but I don’t think it’s nearly as strong as some of the couples in Broadbent’s other series. With Max losing his memories it was a really heart-breaking thing to watch him know deep down he loves Tisaanah, but not be able to understand why. It gives a ‘fated mates’ vibe without that being an actual thing in this world. I spent so much of this book hoping Max would get his happy ending. His and Tisaanah’s plots do start to get similar, she loves to get herself kidnapped and for him to save her and vice versa, but that didn’t bother me while reading until I thought about it afterwards writing this review!
Being able to see both sides of the war and the reasoning behind them added a real wonderful morally grey veil to everything. Yes, you do know who is ultimately the ‘good guys’, but the addition of Aefe to the ‘bad guys’ makes you understand why she is doing what she does, or how she gets manipulated into doing it. There’s some seriously messed up creatures and moments in her chapters and it added a whole new layer to this series.
The War of Lost Hearts has been a wonderful ride, and while I have to admit that I think book one is the strongest of the series, I did enjoy the series as a whole. Carissa Broadbent is an author I will always read, and this series proves that she has many a great story to write.
Leave a Reply