Synopsis:
In the heartbreaking finale to the War of Lost Hearts trilogy, a tale of romance, magic, vengeance and redemption comes to a close. Perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent’s Crowns of Nyaxia series.
Tell me, little butterfly, what would you do for love?
In the wake of a crushing defeat, Tisaanah and Maxantarius 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 centre 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 for ever . . . or end it.
Review:
Book one remains my favourite.
Max is left with limited memories of his past. His relationships, his part in the war, basically the essence of what makes him him, have been locked away. Behind walls he doesn’t let himself knock down.
This creates tension and suspense between the main characters as they all struggle to reconcile themselves with who they knew as Max and what this new version of Max may mean: for them, the war, but also for himself and his sanity.
I miss our couple’s easy banter and exchanges. Tisaanah lost some of that spunk I found so fun and addictive that she had in the first book; the parts of her that reminded me of Celeana from Throne of Glass.
I feel that tropification sometimes overtakes relationships or plots as authors try too hard to play into them, perhaps the fault of a heavily TikTok-influenced book culture we see nowadays. However, Broadbent manages to toe the line most of the way through. Occasionally, it does become cheesy, but that seems to be a staple of romantasy.
I had fun reading this series. Anything with found family, banter, and sly commentary will always keep me engaged and rooting for the cast when the gang gets together. If there was just a bit more development in the secondary characters, this could have been a found family reminiscent of, you guessed it, Throne of Glass.
I was impressed by the world-building and expansive plot and cast, but I wish there was more downtime, instead of prioritising fast-paced, convoluted plots.
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