Synopsis:
Elorie has never known anything beyond the magic-void prison island of Alyssium. She tends to the dead who are sent to the shore for burning, while living among the humans who help guard the Fae prison.
Until one day, she rests her hands on a dead Fae prisoner’s chest and accidentally wakes the most lethal warrior in the constellation of realms.
Fascinated by Elorie’s unique ability to resurrect such power, the King summons her to the Ley Court. He declares her to be his chosen, promising a union that will restore magic to a dying land.
But the Fae she woke has other plans.
As the rightful heir to a rival crown, Wilder doesn’t want to heal the kingdom that locked him in a cell for a century, he wants to destroy it. And to do so, he’ll claim Elorie for himself.
Except magic can’t be stolen, only offered. And in a war between crowns, Elorie is the only one who can choose how to bind her untamed power.
If only the same rules applied to her heart.
Review:
The worldbuilding centres on a moment centuries ago when two worlds quite literally collided. At first, the rulers of these realms coexisted peacefully and even considered each other allies. That changed once they realised the rift between the worlds was draining their magic. What started with cooperation quickly turned into suspicion, and former friends became enemies as the balance of power began to shift.
Elorie grows up in a world shaped by the consequences of failing magic. As a human, she lives a relatively simple life -until everything changes overnight. Suddenly, she becomes someone crucial to the future of both worlds. Thrust into a position of importance, she is forced to question her beliefs and rethink who she can truly trust.
The idea of a young woman becoming the key figure in a magical conflict- or the hero of a prophecy – is certainly not new. That said, the way it’s handled here felt fresh enough to stay engaging. The worldbuilding introduces some interesting concepts and elements that I haven’t come across very often, which helped the story stand out. The use of gates for travelling between worlds immediately made me think of Stargate, which I enjoyed more than expected. The idea of worlds colliding works both as a literal event and as a metaphor, setting up plenty of conflict and room for character development. The friendships that form, the betrayals along the way, and especially the slow-burn romance were all highlights and left me eager to continue the series.
It wasn’t a perfect read, but it kept me engaged from start to finish, and that’s what mattered most.
This was my first time switching between reading and listening to a book, and it turned out to be a very different experience than I expected – in a good way. I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did, but it worked surprisingly well for this story.
🌙 Recension: The Hanging Heart (Realm of Beating Hearts #1) by Eva Simmons
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Romance
📅 Release Date: April 24, 2026
📗 available in various formats – included in Kindle Unlimited
📱 Read as: Kindle + Audiobook
💸 I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 484 | Length: 13h 6min
⭐️ 4/5
Interested in more?
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