⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ''Pain is a lesson we never forget'' Safety warnings: SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️ SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️ SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️ SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️ Have I waited almost 2 years for this book? Yes. I will say that the first 30% or so of the book is Aria in the Kingdom of Fire where she left in the last book to go find answers and her father. This entire section was a lot of information dump and giving us a much broader and massive new side of things. We get answers to a lot of the questions that have been raised since book 1. It's a lot to process and I cannot even begin to write them down. All I can say is that: We meet a few new people in this book, but a few will stand out to most of us BUT before we get started on that I will mention there is a MASSIVE EASTER EGG scene in this book so if you have NOT read the Fae Chronicles and all the side books then it would have gone straight through over your head. Aria is able to see images of different places in another world and that world is the Fae Chronicles world. We see (not by name) Synthia/Ryder, Lucian and Lena, Spyder and a few more! It was such an incredible moment especially out of everyone she was petrified of Lucian and just yeeted out of there haha BACK TO IT Like I mentioned we meet a few new people, one noticeable new person is Zyion aka Vicious aka Dragon Killer. He was Aria's grandmother’s (Scylla - Phoenix Queen) bodyguard for ages. He spends a lot of time while Aria is in the Kingdom of Fire saving her and giving her advice on what to do and not to do. It was all suspicious, but we get answers, and it basically stamps the approval to trust him. Other people we meet? Well let’s say Knox has more brothers who have been stuck in that world, cut off from the Nine Realms, believing the worst of the fates of the brothers we have known throughout the series. A few of them look just like Knox and Basilius being almost his twin and the best part is that he is Esme's mate, and she hates it lol she kept asking Aria to help her kill him and bury the body haha Once they are able to get out of that place after an attempt to kill Aria happens, they are reunited happily with their brothers in the Nine Realms but there is a problem. Knox is nowhere to be found. And this, this was the moment I knew nothing was going to be okay for a while. Aria finds out that Knox traded himself in after Lore was tortured to the brink of death by Hecate. He willingly left and is now filled with her darkness, and it's been 4 months since it happened, and 6 months since Aria has been missing. 6 months? It was only maybe a week for the reader and Aria herself so yeah time moves very differently. Knox is not himself (obviously) and the things he says and does are all evil. He is horrifying at his attempts to kill Aria and destroy everyone but of course this is the book where Aria finally admits she loves him and will DIE for her. I will say we get only 2 chapters or so from Knox's POV and in both of them he is so obsessed and in love with her. He is remorseful of everything he ever did to her and wants her to be his queen, mate and forever. It was nice to see him be this way after so long! Though the ILY words were never said to each other, you know that it's happening soon. Aria finds a way to get Knox trapped but it goes badly and instead of him being technically saved, he literally shoves his claws into her heart but doesn't go further as the land itself is healing her and in proxy heals him, but he is in a coma. I will say Knox was showing himself in times when he thought Aria was with other men and was really possessive towards her (as he always has been), showing that our Knox was still inside him and not all was lost. Aria then goes into his mind to see what is happening in there and if it’s Hecate who has a hold on him but it's not. Knox, in order to survive the evil, she possessed him with created his own mind palace fantasy where he is with Sven and Aria and his twin girls, playing and happy. This chapter was heartbreaking because there is a moment where Knox literally shaken by the ''nightmare'' he had where he is hurting her and killing her, he basically says he is not worthy of her or worth going back to her if it’s true. NOW WAR Hecate needs to be stopped and Aria finally has enough power, help and control to face her and it's good. It's time to get her out of her picture since we have other sh*t to deal with in the next book. Hecate is defeated (not killed as they cannot kill her YET) but she is stopped, her army is destroyed, and she is entombed until further notice. Aria is still waiting for Knox to wake up but it's not happening, and did I mention she is pregnant??? Yeah surprise! Lennox and Ember did not listen and let it happen anyway! The last scene in the last chapter is Aria confessing once again her love and need for him and then we get the moment his eyes open and it's back to normal. That's it. Well until King of Chaos! Amelia has revealed that Aria x Knox's story will somewhat end in King of Chaos and Reign of Chaos will have whatever is left to wrap up and pairing of couples in this world. She is hoping to release King in Spring 2024 so hopefully it happens! Couple pairings we got in this book: 1) Esme and Basilius are mates as mentioned and they are hooking up Slight OM drama: There are moments when back before Knox was just himself where he thought Aria was with the men in her world (out of fear and jealousy) but it's all not true, just his fear coming to light, his fear of losing her that is. Slight OW drama: If you have read the series then you know Hecate is OBSESSED with Knox and the fact she got him trapped in her darkness was all she could do to get him, she does kiss him but it's one sided as he is unresponsive but we also get a few scenes where Knox tells her of all the things they have done sexually and (I got sick so did Aria) but then Aria realizes everyone who is infected by the darkness is basically impotent and so was Knox, confirming it never happened and her one sided kisses was all that it was. I'm missing a lot from this book in my review but honestly, it's a lot in itself. Like I mentioned in the beginning the first 30% or so was info dump but everything gets back to what we love and admire afterwards and especially gets so good around 70% onwards. Something to remember forever if you love Knox: A few quotes to cry about: ''You are my sweetest ever-ending of cruelly savage, brutally endless eternal love. You are my evermore'' ''I forgive you for your broken, sharply-cutting edges. I love you, and that'll never change. Not even in death.'' ''And lord have mercy on anyone who disrespects her, for her mate will not'' ''Without that girl, the world held no value to me'' ''If given the choice between her life, and saving this world? I'd choose her. If I couldn't have her, so be it, then'' ''I rather live in ruins than spend eternity without at my side''
- No cheating
- Slight OM/OW drama (well this part is complicated but explained in the spoilers)
- Violence/d*ath
- Torture
- Mention of r*pe/assault
- Mention of miscarriage/d*ath of child
- Mention of loss of loved ones
- Cliffhanger
Was it worth it? Yesss.
Did Amelia decide to rip our hearts during this book? Definitely.
Will she be receiving my therapy bill? Uh yah.
Will this review be long? Absolutely.
1) Aden was an actual bitch and crybaby. He is the worst, and truly believes that he is entitled to Aria and the crown. Also, they are distant cousins so incestuous much??
2) Her father Griffon seems to be good in a way but weak
3) Even her Phoenix family is well out to kill her for the crown so not much of a difference then the witch side
2) Brander and Soraya are sleeping together
3) Killian and Siobhan too (but he is ignoring her outside of it)
4) Eva who we met in previous books is possibly still in love with Zyion and they might be getting together too.
Also, during the time they were trying to capture him, Zyion needed to get him angry enough for Aria, so they alluded that they were together, KNOX WAS NOT HAPPY.
He killed Garrett for Aria after she went to the Kingdom of Fire, and then had his skull placed upon the throne he had created for her - His Queen. He also wrote out Garrett's crime and it was because he touched her. OH, and he also wrote on the back of the throne Aria's name and title.
