Romantasy

Review: Dynasty of the Damned by Chloelia Salome

August 14, 2026

Synopsis:

“If my existence led — however unknowingly — to yours, then I would make the same choice again and again. Every. Single. Time. Even if all I gained was one moment with you, fleeting in a dark corner. I would never change it for the world.”

Peace was an illusion Carserae had clung to while a war was brewing. As ancient magic stirs and long-buried truths rise to the surface, the fragile balance between the Blessed and the Damned begins to unravel. Bloodlines once thought extinguished prove dangerously alive, and the sins of history threaten to repeat themselves across centuries.

Bound by love, sacrifice, and a destiny written in blood, Sashki is pulled into a final reckoning that will decide whether magic is erased forever… or reborn in darkness. But the battle is not only against the Damned. It is against her own heart. Torn between the king she swore herself to and the man to whom her soul is undeniably tethered, Sashki must decide which future she is willing to lose. And perhaps the cost of ending the Damned is greater than Sashki is willing to pay.

In this breathtaking conclusion to the Sword of Hadrian series, fate comes full circle as past, present, and future quite literally collide… proving that dynasties are not ended by war alone, but by the choices made in love.

Review:

What a wild ride it was to get to the final book in the series. I was looking forward to seeing how it would all end.
This time, we got multiple POVs, which added to the overall storytelling, and we got a lot more time travel.

In the previous instalment, I mentioned that I appreciated the fact that we did not just gloss over what happened to Genevieve, and I did not expect her to have such a prominent role this time around. Being held hostage in the past was not what I had in mind for her. There were moments when I questioned her wellbeing, even if we were led to believe that she enjoyed parts of it. This poor woman had to adapt to what was happening to her, and to me, it felt like a constant battle between being very clear-eyed about the situation and keeping herself sane. The reality of what she had to endure was traumatic, and Justin remained the clear villain in my eyes, even if I was led to believe that he started to care about her at a certain point. It did not change the overall situation.

I wanted Sashki to be happy in her timeline, but it became clear quickly that it was not in the cards for her. Her acceptance that the hopes and dreams she had of finally being reunited with her husband would never come true felt very sad to me. She was holding on to a version of her life, and once she realised this, she had to stand up for herself and become the woman she was always meant to be.

I appreciated seeing how everything was connected in the end, and while the ending felt a bit rushed to me, it showed that there is no perfect ending for any of our main characters and that difficult decisions had to be made. Each book felt connected to the overall plot, but also unique in how it told its story.

🌙 Recension: Dynasty of the Damned (Sword of Hadrian #3) by Chloelia Salome
📚 Genre: Romantasy
📅 Release Date: August 14, 2026
📗 available in various formats – included in Kindle Unlimited
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received a free copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 497
⭐️ 4/5