Synopsis

The war against the ruthless Wraith King has been brutal and bloody, and it has cost the light fae far more than innocent lives. Una Hartstone, Princess of Issos, finally learns what the Wraith King wants in exchange for ending the war for good: her. To keep her people safe, she agrees to hand over her life, and her body, to her greatest enemy.

Gollaya Verbane is set on fulfilling his destiny and his god's prophecy. When his seer names the Princess of Issos as the key to the rise of the dark fae, he demands her surrender. But once she yields, Goll realizes Una is worth far more to him than any weapon.

An old mystery that has haunted Una for years resurfaces when she is kidnapped and dragged back to Näkt Mir. The palace is full of dark secrets, and at least one traitor who wants King Goll's throne and everything that belongs to him. What the traitor doesn't know is that Una's magick is stronger than he could ever imagine, and that Goll would burn the entire world to save her.

The protagonists

My review

Friends, I'll admit this book took me a while to get through, but I enjoyed it so much. Because when the main characters get married to end a war and end up falling completely in love, that's exactly my kind of story.

Una and Goll meet in the worst place possible, both locked in the dungeons of the dark king, Goll's cruel father. When Goll senses that Una is in danger, he manages to break the spell holding him, tears down the barriers and they escape together. What neither of them knows is that they're enemies, or that they're the princes of the two kingdoms at war.

Years later, they meet again. Goll, now king, is determined to fulfill his destiny and his god's prophecy, and he knows Una is a key piece in all of it, so he forces her to marry him to seal the peace between their kingdoms. Una, still on her mission to find a cure for the sickness affecting her people, agrees to join him without imagining everything this new life is about to offer her.

What I loved most is how their relationship unfolds. Goll starts out seeing her as a piece of a prophecy, and little by little he realizes Una is so much more than that. He's a dark, intimidating and possessive king, but with her he's pure care and devotion, and that contrast is the best part 🥰 Una holds her own too, she carries very deep scars from her time in those dungeons and still stands up to him with a strength that's a joy to read.

I'm usually not a huge fantasy fan, because what I enjoy most is the romance, but this book builds a really well-crafted world, with fantastic plotlines, palace intrigue and an excellent romance between the leads 🤭🥰 And yes, there are spicy scenes and a happy ending for them.

It's the first book in The Rise of Northgall series, but it can be read as a standalone, so if you're in the mood for a gothic romantasy with dark fae, a forced marriage and a king who would burn the world for his queen, this one is for you.

Who is this for?

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