Synopsis:
A king should know better than to make an enemy of his wife.
Hours after her wedding, Aurora stood over her husband with a blade to his throat. Desperate to slay his beasts before they doom her world, she made a reckless bargain—become a pawn to a despicable queen in exchange for royal status and an army. But even a princess’ tiara might not be enough to destroy the beasts her husband created.
Theron has been outplayed by his traitor bride. He should be furious that he’s returning home with an enemy army nipping at his heels, except he can’t fully hate the beautiful new wife who outwitted him. Convinced he can win Aurora back and turn her army around, Theron offers her something irresistible—help mastering her time magic.
Neither Aurora’s insolent soldiers nor her cunning husband can be fully trusted. Yet the closer she gets to Theron’s kingdom, the blurrier the line between friend and foe becomes. All Aurora knows for certain is that if she fails to master both her magic and her heart, the tragedies of history are doomed to repeat themselves.
Review:
This one starts right where the last one ended. Aurora is not a happy person, which is understandable. Her husband kept something important from her despite knowing how much it meant to her. That is not a good start to a marriage, and her keeping her distance is something I can understand. She has an important role and a mission to fulfil, and she made that clear from the beginning. Watching him not trust her and refuse to believe her was heartbreaking.
On top of that, we get a lot of political scheming and, sadly, Aurora being used as a means to an end. It was one of the things that made me root for her. All she wanted was to prevent millions from dying. Someone looking out for her was all I was hoping for.
The premise of the book promised a lot, and while it delivered on many of those promises, there were also moments that felt a bit dragging. The constant back and forth between Aurora and Theron felt a bit overused. When he finally believed her and stepped up, it felt somewhat overdue and not as satisfying as I had hoped it would be. The ending sets the stage for what’s to come and keeps me interested.
🌙 Recension: The Midnight King (Cycle of Calamity #2) by Elyse Thomson
📚 Genre: Romantasy
📅 Release Date: June 24, 2026
📖 Publisher: Two Laurels Press
📗 available in various formats
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 471
⭐️ 4/5
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