Rain of Shadows and Endings; A Review by Mary
⛈️ ⛈️ ⛈️ ⛈️/.5
673 pages
Publication: Kensington
Publication Date: May 27th, 2025
This was my first dark romantasy book that I actually enjoyed… for the most part. The story is about a kingdom called Devram, where there are 6 kingdoms that rule and where those descended from the Gods are called Legacy and their servants are Fae. This is the first time in all the kingdom where each kingdom has an heir that came of age, where they are now allowed to pick a fae to become their source. The source has a duty to serve their legacy in many ways, from lending them their power to helping them in more intimate ways. There are elemental powers that the fae can posses either Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, or Air. Theon is the heir to the Arius Kingdom who picked Tessa to be his source. Tessa was never prepared to become a source especially to the heir of Arius Kingdom who is known to be a descendant from the God of Death and Endings. In the book Tessa and Theon navigate their intertwining lives together as more and more unfortunate events arrive.
The story telling was at its finest. There were no plot holes, the story flowed magnificently, you coudn’t help but want to know what happens next. I read this book with an open mind, I was never the one for romance let alone a romantasy. For me, the story telling not only has to wow me, but also how the characters are written. The author did not write characters who come out of the story has being perfect. Each character has their flaws, and their strengths. However, the main character Tessa, I felt like she did not have much character development. Tessa, is very shut off, she does not open up to Theon, or Luka (Theon’s advisor/best friend) or Axel (Theon’s younger brother) no matter how hard they try to allow her time to get used to this change of her fate. One moment I feel as if Tessa is finally allowing her to trust and be open, then next thing you know she is throwing a fit and being difficult. I also saw a lack of character development with Theon, he is in his own world, thinking he needs to be the one to fix things, and thinks by keeping Tessa in the dark on a lot of things is best, even though as the story progresses that proves to be the opposite. However, these characters along with Luka, and Axel, they are characters that you want to continue to learn about. I am intrigued and hooked on where the relationship/bond will become as the series continues.
There is magic, dragons, political intrigue, morally gray characters, villains, and lots of twists and turns. I cannot wait to continue the story.
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