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The Winter Dark #1
While the Dark Remains
In an icebound palace of magic and menace, a young woman plots to outwit a cruel king in a bracing fantasy about love, found family, and immeasurable revenge.
Brynja spent her childhood as a captive performer in Tenebris, the imposing mountain palace of King Kallias. Every night she risked death for the king’s entertainment until his rebellious son, Prince Ballast, helped her escape. Now twenty, Brynja has never forgotten the brutal king. Or forgiven him. Under the cloak of a three-month-long Winter Dark, Brynja is returning to Tenebris for revenge.
Accompanied by a rival court, including the alluring Prince Vil, Brynja poses as diplomatic royalty to barter peace between nations. No one is better equipped to infiltrate the palace than Brynja―she remembers every hidden passage like a bad dream. But her quest to destroy Kallias is complicated by her feelings for Prince Ballast, whom she isn’t sure she can still trust. And Kallias’s own quest to mine a catastrophic weapon of war buried in the mountain’s heart will threaten them all, and force Brynja to face the darkest parts of herself.
The lives of everyone she loves depend on the choices she must make. So, too, does the fate of the world.
Brynja spent her childhood as a captive performer in Tenebris, the imposing mountain palace of King Kallias. Every night she risked death for the king’s entertainment until his rebellious son, Prince Ballast, helped her escape. Now twenty, Brynja has never forgotten the brutal king. Or forgiven him. Under the cloak of a three-month-long Winter Dark, Brynja is returning to Tenebris for revenge.
Accompanied by a rival court, including the alluring Prince Vil, Brynja poses as diplomatic royalty to barter peace between nations. No one is better equipped to infiltrate the palace than Brynja―she remembers every hidden passage like a bad dream. But her quest to destroy Kallias is complicated by her feelings for Prince Ballast, whom she isn’t sure she can still trust. And Kallias’s own quest to mine a catastrophic weapon of war buried in the mountain’s heart will threaten them all, and force Brynja to face the darkest parts of herself.
The lives of everyone she loves depend on the choices she must make. So, too, does the fate of the world.
450 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2025
3302 people are currently reading
10481 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Ruth Meyer
8 books886 followersJoanna Ruth Meyer is the author of five YA fantasies, including the critically acclaimed ECHO NORTH. She lives in Mesa, AZ, with her husband, son, two orange cats, and a giant grand piano named Prince Imrahil. She loves forests and rainstorms and stories that make her feel things, and in all likelihood, she’s drinking tea right now.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 229 reviews
July 13, 2025
I spent the majority of this novel comparing it favourably to The Winner's Curse trilogy. Just as much angst, court intrigue, and world building with multiple religions/worldviews, but less gore and (for me) frustration at the forbidden teen romance. Then I hit a certain point and realised it has a lot in common with Megan Whalen Turner's masterful and layered The Queen's Thief series.
So right off the bat, if you love either of those series, I would say grab this one immediately.
So far, so good, and I was mentally giving it a very solid 4 stars for being well-executed modern epic romantic fantasy.
Then came the final third of the novel. For me, there was a point in the luminous, metaphysical, eucatastrophic third act when I cried tears at the beauty of several descriptions, and (for me) the book moved out of the realm of well-made popular novel and into the realm of something more. Here is one example (non-spoiler):
"The Blue Lady comes forward, butterflies and bees tangled in her curls, a lion pressed against her hip, a falcon on her shoulder."
Those who have read Spenser or MacDonald will understand. There is much more imagery that had everything from Francis of Assisi and Saint Cuthbert, Ramandu from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and (of course) Tolkien's Valinor humming in my head in beautiful harmonic overtones. This is what I come to literature for, really. To hear the echo of all of these stories, mingling in counterpoint.
I don't know if it will do that for you, but at the very least you'll enjoy a page-turning epic romantic fantasy with action, court intrigue, and magic.
Things to know:
While this is Meyer's adult fantasy debut, the heat level is just kisses, so don't let that scare you off if you prefer no-spice. In fact, though the romance/kissing is intense, the heat level is milder than I've encountered in many YA novels. Romance levels, of course, are extremely subjective, so results may vary!
I would think this novel would be very hard to read if you've experienced sustained abuse by a parent or spouse. There is a sadistic authority figure who physically and psychologically abuses everyone around him, including murdering some of them. No SA but some sleazy overtures.
Finally, I have followers who prefer non-magical or low-magic fantasy and I wouldn't recommend this for them. Be aware there is an entire fantasy pantheon integral to this plot, though there is disagreement among the characters as to whether they are actually gods or simply very old immortals.
So right off the bat, if you love either of those series, I would say grab this one immediately.
So far, so good, and I was mentally giving it a very solid 4 stars for being well-executed modern epic romantic fantasy.
Then came the final third of the novel. For me, there was a point in the luminous, metaphysical, eucatastrophic third act when I cried tears at the beauty of several descriptions, and (for me) the book moved out of the realm of well-made popular novel and into the realm of something more. Here is one example (non-spoiler):
"The Blue Lady comes forward, butterflies and bees tangled in her curls, a lion pressed against her hip, a falcon on her shoulder."
Those who have read Spenser or MacDonald will understand. There is much more imagery that had everything from Francis of Assisi and Saint Cuthbert, Ramandu from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and (of course) Tolkien's Valinor humming in my head in beautiful harmonic overtones. This is what I come to literature for, really. To hear the echo of all of these stories, mingling in counterpoint.
I don't know if it will do that for you, but at the very least you'll enjoy a page-turning epic romantic fantasy with action, court intrigue, and magic.
Things to know:
While this is Meyer's adult fantasy debut, the heat level is just kisses, so don't let that scare you off if you prefer no-spice. In fact, though the romance/kissing is intense, the heat level is milder than I've encountered in many YA novels. Romance levels, of course, are extremely subjective, so results may vary!
I would think this novel would be very hard to read if you've experienced sustained abuse by a parent or spouse. There is a sadistic authority figure who physically and psychologically abuses everyone around him, including murdering some of them. No SA but some sleazy overtures.
Finally, I have followers who prefer non-magical or low-magic fantasy and I wouldn't recommend this for them. Be aware there is an entire fantasy pantheon integral to this plot, though there is disagreement among the characters as to whether they are actually gods or simply very old immortals.
July 10, 2025
so so much political intrigue and a really effective structure. also, I when I got to the part where [redacted] I wanted to scream but I couldn’t bc I was on a plane so I gasped and told my three-year-old instead
August 20, 2025
4.5 stars
I cannot think of a single fault in While the Dark Remains, and yet, I can't quite bring myself to give it five stars either. In my opinion, this book is perfectly conceived. The pacing is good, the politics are engaging, the romance is bittersweet, the magic is fascinating, and the twists are top tier. And yet, I didn't have that emotional attachment to the story that I normally do with five star reads. But regardless, I was really impressed by Joanna Ruth Meyer's writing. I've been wanting to get into her books for a while, and I'm glad I started here. I really fell in love with her voice and writing style in While the Dark Remains. I can't wait for book two, especially after that ending, and I'm excited to pick up some of her older novels as well. If you like the setting of books like The Bear and the Nightingale and East of the Sun, West of the Moon, or liked the politics and twists of The Prison Healer series, I'd recommend picking While the Dark Remains up!
Thank you to Brilliance Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I cannot think of a single fault in While the Dark Remains, and yet, I can't quite bring myself to give it five stars either. In my opinion, this book is perfectly conceived. The pacing is good, the politics are engaging, the romance is bittersweet, the magic is fascinating, and the twists are top tier. And yet, I didn't have that emotional attachment to the story that I normally do with five star reads. But regardless, I was really impressed by Joanna Ruth Meyer's writing. I've been wanting to get into her books for a while, and I'm glad I started here. I really fell in love with her voice and writing style in While the Dark Remains. I can't wait for book two, especially after that ending, and I'm excited to pick up some of her older novels as well. If you like the setting of books like The Bear and the Nightingale and East of the Sun, West of the Moon, or liked the politics and twists of The Prison Healer series, I'd recommend picking While the Dark Remains up!
Thank you to Brilliance Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Want to read
September 26, 2024I loved this book when I read an early draft of the manuscript, so I am very excited that it's going to be published soon! A darkly epic, romantic, numinous fantasy that will appeal to fans of Megan Whalen Turner and Juliet Marillier.
July 23, 2025
Read it if you want to hear about the main character gnawing her lip and cheek 40 times.
Read
July 13, 2025DNF at 13% 😭 I wanted to like this, I really did, but something about the way this book is written just felt so…off to me that I couldn’t even make it a quarter of the way through.
The premise of this book is that the FMC, her best friend (who's also a princess) and many other children with various talents were held captive in cages for years as part of some evil king's "Collection" to entertain himself and other court nobles. In theory, this is an interesting backstory. But then.
1. After a brief flashback, the book suddenly opens with FMC, the princess, the princess's brother (who also happens to be a prince and FMC's sort-of love interest?) and 2 guards going on a road trip, in disguise, to the Evil King's kingdom to overthrow it. This is following several instances of FMC going "I don't want to go, wah", the MMC replying "you're going", and the FMC saying "ok" (honestly, relatable). There is also an unspecified plot for the MMC/Love Interest Brother to assume political control of the king’s territory after they dispatch him. (???????)
2. About the MMC/Love Interest Brother: I realize I didn’t get very far into the book but his personality is kind of insufferable. Maybe this was intentional, but the way he pines over FMC and is pretty pushy about making his feelings known for her more than once when she clearly isn’t interested in a relationship was SUPER ANNOYING!!!!! Speaking of annoying, Saga (the bestie) somehow felt even more insufferable.
3. Some convoluted and poorly introduced god system that, granted, may be better fleshed-out later on in the book.
4. The story of how the FMC and Saga broke free of captivity was basically described as “we burst into the castle during family dinnertime, everyone hugged (including the princess’s parents who up until now are not mentioned) and then everyone looks at me like who tf are you”. Okay!
Reading the reviews, a lot of people state the book is very slow up until 75%. I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt, but yikes, should’ve listened on this one. I love the idea of a Nordic-inspired fantasy but everything about the pacing, plot, and characters immediately felt wrong and I wasn’t connecting to the book at all. Maybe I will return to it another time when I’m in a better headspace for it, but for now I’m DNFing.
The premise of this book is that the FMC, her best friend (who's also a princess) and many other children with various talents were held captive in cages for years as part of some evil king's "Collection" to entertain himself and other court nobles. In theory, this is an interesting backstory. But then.
1. After a brief flashback, the book suddenly opens with FMC, the princess, the princess's brother (who also happens to be a prince and FMC's sort-of love interest?) and 2 guards going on a road trip, in disguise, to the Evil King's kingdom to overthrow it. This is following several instances of FMC going "I don't want to go, wah", the MMC replying "you're going", and the FMC saying "ok" (honestly, relatable). There is also an unspecified plot for the MMC/Love Interest Brother to assume political control of the king’s territory after they dispatch him. (???????)
2. About the MMC/Love Interest Brother: I realize I didn’t get very far into the book but his personality is kind of insufferable. Maybe this was intentional, but the way he pines over FMC and is pretty pushy about making his feelings known for her more than once when she clearly isn’t interested in a relationship was SUPER ANNOYING!!!!! Speaking of annoying, Saga (the bestie) somehow felt even more insufferable.
3. Some convoluted and poorly introduced god system that, granted, may be better fleshed-out later on in the book.
4. The story of how the FMC and Saga broke free of captivity was basically described as “we burst into the castle during family dinnertime, everyone hugged (including the princess’s parents who up until now are not mentioned) and then everyone looks at me like who tf are you”. Okay!
Reading the reviews, a lot of people state the book is very slow up until 75%. I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt, but yikes, should’ve listened on this one. I love the idea of a Nordic-inspired fantasy but everything about the pacing, plot, and characters immediately felt wrong and I wasn’t connecting to the book at all. Maybe I will return to it another time when I’m in a better headspace for it, but for now I’m DNFing.
Read
April 8, 2025Darkness and light, cruelty and kindness, love and enmity are just some of the vivid contrasts that characterised this book when I read an early draft of this book, roughly eighteen months ago! I'm so thrilled that this rollercoaster ride of a story is getting to see the light of day at last!
Read
June 22, 2025Political intrigue abounds as nations, gods, and hearts are all at war within the heart of the mountains. If you like your fantasy worlds lush, your characters conflicted in delicious ways, and romance emotionally tense but lightest of spice, you’ll enjoy this one :)
MY FRIEND IS VERY TALENTED!
MY FRIEND IS VERY TALENTED!
July 22, 2025
This was actually pretty good and interesting until the twist and then I felt like it went completely off the rails. Found myself power reading at the end because I just wanted to know what happened and then be done.
July 3, 2025
So many thanks to Joanna for sending me an ARC. All opinions are my own.
4.5 stars
OMG this was so good! I binged the entire thing in a day. It's a departure from her fairy tale-esque books, but the excellent world building and character work are the same. This is a book full of hidden agendas, politics, plotting, morally grey characters (and one really evil one), hard choices, and an insane climax with some really cool moments.
Bryn, our FMC, has been terribly abused by Kallias, the monster of a king for 8 years. She finally escapes and is in a position to depose him and free the others he has abused. But it's not all so simple. Her allies aren't exactly all on the same page, plus they're not the only ones that show up to his castle with an agenda. She also has to work through the PTSD of being back in the place of her abuse, and confront the prince that used to be her friend.
There are deep examinations of cupability and guilt here. If a monster abused you and made you do monstrous things, how much of that is your fault? Is any of it? Characters I liked in the beginning fell out of my favor by the end because of their inability to separate the monster from his tools.
And then there's the twist that had me screaming and my jaw on the floor. The last 30% of this book is incredible. The action, the twists, the reveals, and some really cinematic moments. (See if you can spot the nods to LOTR).
I am really excited to see where the next book goes. This ends with a satisfying conclusion to the arc, so you don't feel as if you've been left hanging. But there are tons of threads to wrap up in the future. Highly recommended!
4.5 stars
OMG this was so good! I binged the entire thing in a day. It's a departure from her fairy tale-esque books, but the excellent world building and character work are the same. This is a book full of hidden agendas, politics, plotting, morally grey characters (and one really evil one), hard choices, and an insane climax with some really cool moments.
Bryn, our FMC, has been terribly abused by Kallias, the monster of a king for 8 years. She finally escapes and is in a position to depose him and free the others he has abused. But it's not all so simple. Her allies aren't exactly all on the same page, plus they're not the only ones that show up to his castle with an agenda. She also has to work through the PTSD of being back in the place of her abuse, and confront the prince that used to be her friend.
There are deep examinations of cupability and guilt here. If a monster abused you and made you do monstrous things, how much of that is your fault? Is any of it? Characters I liked in the beginning fell out of my favor by the end because of their inability to separate the monster from his tools.
And then there's the twist that had me screaming and my jaw on the floor. The last 30% of this book is incredible. The action, the twists, the reveals, and some really cinematic moments. (See if you can spot the nods to LOTR).
I am really excited to see where the next book goes. This ends with a satisfying conclusion to the arc, so you don't feel as if you've been left hanging. But there are tons of threads to wrap up in the future. Highly recommended!
July 7, 2025
4.5 stars.
The author kindly gave me an ARC of her upcoming book, and I'm very hyped to see it getting published! It definitely has all the Megan Whalen Turner vibes if that's your jam, with a very unique feel I've seen in the author's previous books. I will say the book's pace is slow in the first 70% - and get ready for a lot of politics, a lot of intrigue, a lot of diplomacy, and characters who are wonderfully complex and who all made me want to shake them by the shoulders at some point. Which, mind you, is a net positive, because I was here begging for the story to not go in a certain direction in terms of resolution, the hard questions of "what makes a monster?" and "how complicit can you be in a monster's deeds?" and THEN IT DIDN'T, WHILE ALSO SWINGING A PUNCH AT ME IN THE FACE WITH THAT PLOT TWIST
(I yelled at the author about that plot twist. Very joyfully.)
Anyway, all the romantasy vibes without some of the usual tropes you see too often. You might enjoy this one.
The author kindly gave me an ARC of her upcoming book, and I'm very hyped to see it getting published! It definitely has all the Megan Whalen Turner vibes if that's your jam, with a very unique feel I've seen in the author's previous books. I will say the book's pace is slow in the first 70% - and get ready for a lot of politics, a lot of intrigue, a lot of diplomacy, and characters who are wonderfully complex and who all made me want to shake them by the shoulders at some point. Which, mind you, is a net positive, because I was here begging for the story to not go in a certain direction in terms of resolution, the hard questions of "what makes a monster?" and "how complicit can you be in a monster's deeds?" and THEN IT DIDN'T, WHILE ALSO SWINGING A PUNCH AT ME IN THE FACE WITH THAT PLOT TWIST
(I yelled at the author about that plot twist. Very joyfully.)
Anyway, all the romantasy vibes without some of the usual tropes you see too often. You might enjoy this one.
August 4, 2025
I enjoyed how the author did their world building, and the creativity behind it but it just felt very drawn out.
Very repetitive, too many different gods, lack of chemistry, and none of the characters were super loveable.
Maybe if it was half the pages it would have been better? Power read alot of it after 60% just to find out what happened, and didn't seem to miss much of anything.
Very repetitive, too many different gods, lack of chemistry, and none of the characters were super loveable.
Maybe if it was half the pages it would have been better? Power read alot of it after 60% just to find out what happened, and didn't seem to miss much of anything.
July 13, 2025
Not for me I'm afraid. Too many names I find hard to pronounce. Not enough romance with no chemistry whatsoever. Too much filler about different gods. Too many inner monologues. Didn't finish it.
August 25, 2025
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
I'm at a time in my reading life where YA is so hit and miss for me. I struggle with teenage drama that is exasperated by not speaking to one another and some of the other pitfalls YA seems to fall into. While the Dark Remains suffers from a few YA pitfalls, like a character excessively biting their lip or check and there are a few communication issues, but for the most part it is a solid political intrigue with satisfying surprises eventually.
The story unfolds in present past format. Brynja, now safe and embedded in the Skaadna court is about return to the horrors of her past, in disguise, to help the Skanndnaians take the throne away from the evil man who kept her in a cage for ten years. In the alternating time chapters, we learn of how Brynja survived as an acrobat in the evil kings 'collection' for all of those years. She escaped once taking Saga, the Crown Princess of Skaadna, with her. The last thing she every wanted to do was go back to Daeros and the court where her torment took place, even if the evil Kings son, Ballast, still holds a place in her mind and possibly her heart. Reluctantly she agrees to help her found family to save her new home.
Because of the dueling time chapters and the political intrigue plotlines of the story the set up it took awhile and so the first half of the story was not as interesting to me as the last half. Multiple players in the bid to ally with or overtake the Daeros. Brynja sneaks around the palace as a spy to gain the information needed for her friends if they are going to be able to finally free Skaadna from the ongoing war between the two countries. But she is torn by the feelings and loyalty she feels towards Ballast, as he too has plans for the court and deposing his father.
Overall, I liked Brynja and as she is the only PoV the reader gets your enjoyment of the book will heavily depend on if you connect with her. She is torn between her past and present and trying to figure out who to trust and who she wants to back. There was a big reveal I didn't see coming but once it happened it explained a few things that I had niggling questions about. It made her character more complex than I originally thought and added yet another layer to the story in retrospect.
While the Dark remains is the first book in The Winter Dark Series. The nice thing about this book is it had a clear ending so if you didn't want to carry on with the series you could stop right here and be fine. The main drawback to the story is time it takes to get anywhere. You will need to be a patient reader to reach the meat and heart of the story that made it better than the 3 star story it felt like until about 65%. After that point it was closer to a 4.5 star rating.
There is a smidge of a love triangle as there are two contenders for Brynja's heart, but it was not the focal point of the story and never overtook the plot. There are also some very cruel parts but not a lot of horrific violence, to be expected though since the King was a man who kept children in cages for his entertainment. This is going to work the best for readers who enjoy political intrigues and don't mind waiting for that gotcha moment to come.
Narration:
Performance: ★★★★
Character Separation: ★★★★
Diction: ★★★★
Pacing/Flow: ★★★★
Sound Effects: none
Kimberly Woods is a new to me narrator. She was a good choice for Brynja's character sold her story really well. I liked would have little a little more variance for the characters but she did a good job with making each distinct. The pacing and cadence of the storytelling fit the kind of story it was. She was able to sell the emotional conflicts Brynja was facing being in the court of her tormentor again. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
I'm at a time in my reading life where YA is so hit and miss for me. I struggle with teenage drama that is exasperated by not speaking to one another and some of the other pitfalls YA seems to fall into. While the Dark Remains suffers from a few YA pitfalls, like a character excessively biting their lip or check and there are a few communication issues, but for the most part it is a solid political intrigue with satisfying surprises eventually.
The story unfolds in present past format. Brynja, now safe and embedded in the Skaadna court is about return to the horrors of her past, in disguise, to help the Skanndnaians take the throne away from the evil man who kept her in a cage for ten years. In the alternating time chapters, we learn of how Brynja survived as an acrobat in the evil kings 'collection' for all of those years. She escaped once taking Saga, the Crown Princess of Skaadna, with her. The last thing she every wanted to do was go back to Daeros and the court where her torment took place, even if the evil Kings son, Ballast, still holds a place in her mind and possibly her heart. Reluctantly she agrees to help her found family to save her new home.
Because of the dueling time chapters and the political intrigue plotlines of the story the set up it took awhile and so the first half of the story was not as interesting to me as the last half. Multiple players in the bid to ally with or overtake the Daeros. Brynja sneaks around the palace as a spy to gain the information needed for her friends if they are going to be able to finally free Skaadna from the ongoing war between the two countries. But she is torn by the feelings and loyalty she feels towards Ballast, as he too has plans for the court and deposing his father.
Overall, I liked Brynja and as she is the only PoV the reader gets your enjoyment of the book will heavily depend on if you connect with her. She is torn between her past and present and trying to figure out who to trust and who she wants to back. There was a big reveal I didn't see coming but once it happened it explained a few things that I had niggling questions about. It made her character more complex than I originally thought and added yet another layer to the story in retrospect.
While the Dark remains is the first book in The Winter Dark Series. The nice thing about this book is it had a clear ending so if you didn't want to carry on with the series you could stop right here and be fine. The main drawback to the story is time it takes to get anywhere. You will need to be a patient reader to reach the meat and heart of the story that made it better than the 3 star story it felt like until about 65%. After that point it was closer to a 4.5 star rating.
There is a smidge of a love triangle as there are two contenders for Brynja's heart, but it was not the focal point of the story and never overtook the plot. There are also some very cruel parts but not a lot of horrific violence, to be expected though since the King was a man who kept children in cages for his entertainment. This is going to work the best for readers who enjoy political intrigues and don't mind waiting for that gotcha moment to come.
A monster cannot become a man, but a man can become a monster, and perhaps that's what makes humanity so frightening: You cannot tell, just by looking, who is monstrous, and who is not.
Narration:
Performance: ★★★★
Character Separation: ★★★★
Diction: ★★★★
Pacing/Flow: ★★★★
Sound Effects: none
Kimberly Woods is a new to me narrator. She was a good choice for Brynja's character sold her story really well. I liked would have little a little more variance for the characters but she did a good job with making each distinct. The pacing and cadence of the storytelling fit the kind of story it was. She was able to sell the emotional conflicts Brynja was facing being in the court of her tormentor again. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
August 20, 2025
2.5 stars, I round up.
I was initially roped in after having read the concept of this book. Brynja is an acrobat, locked in an iron cage, forced to perform before a cruel court. If she falls? She dies. If she doesn’t please the king? She may be thrown into the sea of bones. This book has political intrigue, world building, a magic system, and a love triangle.
When we meet Brynja she has escaped the clutches of the king, and the book alternates between present and past, slowly giving the readers more tidbits into what exactly Brynja endured during her time in captivity. We meet a potential love interest, Vil, and a close friend, Saga, who plan to infiltrate the place and take down the king once and for all. However, I felt as if there wasn’t enough building behind these two relationships. We get descriptions of how they were built, but rarely are there scenes that display their connections fully. It was hard to feel torn between the two love interests because I did not feel the connection between Brynja and Vil.
There was a lot of world building within the book explaining the different countries, the magic system, gods and goddesses, but it was hard to mesh myself in with it. At times it was an overload of information, I had to go back and re-read some parts to make sense of it in my head. I tend to prefer when it is more dispersed, but that could be personal preference. It took me out of the story, disengaging me from picturing the world itself.
The writing at times felt disconnected, it is written in first person, but rarely do we get insight into Brynja's thoughts, plans, and feelings. Instead there are descriptions of her physical reactions, often which are anger, fear or sadness, but little warmth towards her Saga and Vil. It made it hard for me to feel connected to her as a reader, though this element did contribute to the surprise of the plot twist at the end. The sentences depicting her actions also at times felt disconnected from each other, more so like reading a list of actions written in order than a story.
The last 30% of the book is where I did start to enjoy it more. The plot twist did genuinely shock me, and the writing seemed to flow much better during that point in the book. The sentences felt more connected and the reader finally gained more insight into Brynja’s mind. The pacing was faster, we gained access to some of her thoughts and memories, finally learning more about what was going on inside of her head. It tied in with some of the earlier mentions in the book as well, a nice “aha!” moment. Overall, I did enjoy the concept of the book, though I do not feel the writing style was the best fit for me.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I was initially roped in after having read the concept of this book. Brynja is an acrobat, locked in an iron cage, forced to perform before a cruel court. If she falls? She dies. If she doesn’t please the king? She may be thrown into the sea of bones. This book has political intrigue, world building, a magic system, and a love triangle.
When we meet Brynja she has escaped the clutches of the king, and the book alternates between present and past, slowly giving the readers more tidbits into what exactly Brynja endured during her time in captivity. We meet a potential love interest, Vil, and a close friend, Saga, who plan to infiltrate the place and take down the king once and for all. However, I felt as if there wasn’t enough building behind these two relationships. We get descriptions of how they were built, but rarely are there scenes that display their connections fully. It was hard to feel torn between the two love interests because I did not feel the connection between Brynja and Vil.
There was a lot of world building within the book explaining the different countries, the magic system, gods and goddesses, but it was hard to mesh myself in with it. At times it was an overload of information, I had to go back and re-read some parts to make sense of it in my head. I tend to prefer when it is more dispersed, but that could be personal preference. It took me out of the story, disengaging me from picturing the world itself.
The writing at times felt disconnected, it is written in first person, but rarely do we get insight into Brynja's thoughts, plans, and feelings. Instead there are descriptions of her physical reactions, often which are anger, fear or sadness, but little warmth towards her Saga and Vil. It made it hard for me to feel connected to her as a reader, though this element did contribute to the surprise of the plot twist at the end. The sentences depicting her actions also at times felt disconnected from each other, more so like reading a list of actions written in order than a story.
The last 30% of the book is where I did start to enjoy it more. The plot twist did genuinely shock me, and the writing seemed to flow much better during that point in the book. The sentences felt more connected and the reader finally gained more insight into Brynja’s mind. The pacing was faster, we gained access to some of her thoughts and memories, finally learning more about what was going on inside of her head. It tied in with some of the earlier mentions in the book as well, a nice “aha!” moment. Overall, I did enjoy the concept of the book, though I do not feel the writing style was the best fit for me.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
gave-up-on
August 12, 2025I feel like some of the reviews tagged this book right on the nose.
The prince is absolutely "the worst". I made it 20% into this book before throwing in the towel. There were THREE times the female lead attempted to express her issues / feelings and he compared himself to her. It wasn't even in the same vicinity. At one point, someone literally tells him that his life issues don't compare to hers or they're two different things, and he responds by saying "I was told to do this and therefore it does". What? I'm sorry, this guy's princely tea-dates, fighting, etc. doesn't compare to the female lead who was captured, abused, and escaped.
The female lead while not completely annoying did nothing but repeat and bemoan. It became annoying, and with the two of them together I just didn't want to read any further.
I am refraining from rating this due to not finishing.
The prince is absolutely "the worst". I made it 20% into this book before throwing in the towel. There were THREE times the female lead attempted to express her issues / feelings and he compared himself to her. It wasn't even in the same vicinity. At one point, someone literally tells him that his life issues don't compare to hers or they're two different things, and he responds by saying "I was told to do this and therefore it does". What? I'm sorry, this guy's princely tea-dates, fighting, etc. doesn't compare to the female lead who was captured, abused, and escaped.
The female lead while not completely annoying did nothing but repeat and bemoan. It became annoying, and with the two of them together I just didn't want to read any further.
I am refraining from rating this due to not finishing.
August 8, 2025
DNF at 63%.
I really tried to read as far as I could but I just can’t with the FMC. Someone please get this girl some anxiolytics because I never saw someone as scared and anxious as her. Every 3 seconds (I’m not even being dramatic) she is having the scare of her life or being sick with something happening (when she is not too busy « dying inside »).
And the love story ? I saw more chemistry between water and oil.
I really tried to read as far as I could but I just can’t with the FMC. Someone please get this girl some anxiolytics because I never saw someone as scared and anxious as her. Every 3 seconds (I’m not even being dramatic) she is having the scare of her life or being sick with something happening (when she is not too busy « dying inside »).
And the love story ? I saw more chemistry between water and oil.
July 10, 2025
For the first 25% of this I wanted to DNF, I was so bored.
And then things picked up.
Well written, despite the first quarter, this was a dramatic and fine start to this duology.
While the BIG twist really didn’t surprise me (and unfortunately, I see that a million of these Metal Slinger copycat “plot twists” are going to be a thing for the foreseeable future), the world-building was interesting and well done.
However, I read a lot, a lot a lot, and never, ever have I almost thrown my book because a secondary character was as absolutely hateful as Saga was. She almost, single-handedly ruined the book for me. Selfish, HORRIBLE person. I just kept hoping someone would shut her UP. UGH.
Once you get past the plot twist at about 75%, things (like why no one told Saga to shut UP) make a little more sense. Did that absolve the pain it caused me, no.
I found this through an Amazon first reads, and may not have found it otherwise. But all in all I am glad that I read it and the author deserves a slow clap for a job well done…mostly.
The book ends almost as a standalone would, no cliff hanger (huzzah). Will I read the next, perhaps, as long as I don’t get too annoyed too soon.
And then things picked up.
Well written, despite the first quarter, this was a dramatic and fine start to this duology.
While the BIG twist really didn’t surprise me (and unfortunately, I see that a million of these Metal Slinger copycat “plot twists” are going to be a thing for the foreseeable future), the world-building was interesting and well done.
However, I read a lot, a lot a lot, and never, ever have I almost thrown my book because a secondary character was as absolutely hateful as Saga was. She almost, single-handedly ruined the book for me. Selfish, HORRIBLE person. I just kept hoping someone would shut her UP. UGH.
Once you get past the plot twist at about 75%, things (like why no one told Saga to shut UP) make a little more sense. Did that absolve the pain it caused me, no.
I found this through an Amazon first reads, and may not have found it otherwise. But all in all I am glad that I read it and the author deserves a slow clap for a job well done…mostly.
The book ends almost as a standalone would, no cliff hanger (huzzah). Will I read the next, perhaps, as long as I don’t get too annoyed too soon.
July 6, 2025
ah, this one was hard to rate. By the end, I was definitely leaning more toward a 2, but I did enjoy the beginning and I could see other people liking this way more than me. The worst part was definitely the plot twist. I felt a little betrayed by the author. There are ways to have big reveals like that without the reader feeling like they were lied to, subtle hints and foreshadowing, but that isn't what happened here. And ultimately, what let me down in this book is usually what would make me love a book: how realistic some of the decisions were. I can sympathize with the MC's, can understand why they would fight to save themselves even at the expense of others, can appreciate how badly they wanted to escape. They describe themselves as cowards at various points, and I don't think that's correct, but I still find myself disappointed with some of their decisions. And, to be blunt, I didn't actually like most of the characters. I think the only true good person in this whole book was Gulla. (Though, I suspect if we had actually gotten to know any of the other children, they would have been good characters.) After everything, I just feel a little down, and that's not how I like to end a book.
July 28, 2025
3.5*
[Disclaimer: I haven't read the book that everyone compares this one to, and that the author herself said greatly inspired this one. It's possible that it entirely matches the tone and quality in that other story, and thus has a built-in fan base. I can't compare.]
Tough to put a 1-5 rating on this one. As others have noted, the pacing is very slow up until the big moment right around the 70% mark. Through about 80% of the book, the story is told with alternating chapters of present and past, but the main character, Brynja, is the narrator throughout the whole timeline. Like others, I found the "past" chapters more engaging than the "present" chapters, and I really had a hard time getting hooked on the story until that moment at the 70% mark. It's a long time to stay invested in a book to get to the reward (but to be fair, I felt the same way about Sanderson's The Way of Kings, and that book is 3x the length... so I think it's hypocritical of me to knock a book for requiring some investment).
The #1 thing that I think detracts from this book are the deuteragonists Saga and Vil (or maybe they're tritagonists? I'm not sure where one might rate them compared to Ballast). They are both toxic friends, consistently emotionally manipulating Brynja throughout the story, and it's infuriating that she never seems to notice that they're doing it (and no, it's not subtle). When your so-called friends are demanding you constantly tend to their feelings, telling you who you can and can't love/date/bond with because it should be them, duh, and then breaking down or having emotional outbursts that they expect you to drop everything and get them through... that is your cue to get the heck out of that relationship. I kept thinking that maybe the flashbacks would reveal exactly WHY their bonds were so strong, why Brynja kept feeling some kind of obligation to them, but frankly most of the backstory just showed me that they had never ever, not once, shown Brynja any real trust or friendship that wasn't in service of their own political goals - and to the very last page I couldn't figure out why she made the decisions she did to stay with them and support them. Maybe I was supposed to feel that way, but it was frustrating and felt like a clumsy plot device to interject conflict for the sake of conflict, drama for the sake of drama.
Also, Vil is just completely cringy. Gross. The fact that Brynja is actually struggling with resisting attraction to him knocks her down several pegs in my opinion.
My second issue was that the big reveal seemed like it had been deliberately planned for shock value. There's a difference between building in a bunch of believable red herrings and intentionally misleading and lying to the reader. Brynja is an unreliable narrator - duh. But after that moment, it took another several chapters of more flashbacks to try to explain why the big reveal actually made sense in the context of everything she'd told us before. And I don't think it was entirely successful. I can't get into specifics without spoiling the story, but it left me feeling like it was a bit contrived.
And my third major issue - the magic system. It was revealed in bits and pieces, slowly at first where the story is mostly focused on non-magic users, and then in the active back third of the book we suddenly get a much bigger glimpse of all the various abilities. I liked the idea of it - but the problem was that the author doesn't really stick much to her own rules. When she needed a particular character to do something remarkable, but they'd be limited by the type of ability they possessed, that character was suddenly able to do something that no other magic user of that particular type was ever able to do. I had the sense that there were no checks and balances - pretty much anyone could do anything to overwhelm anyone else if the plot required it - complete with godlike abilities. The last conflict was just a giant escalating mess with everyone more powerful than the last. Blood, flame, earth, vibrations, beasts everywhere.
(Minor issue - there is A LOT of vomiting in this book. Brynja throws up pretty much every time the bad guys do or say something that triggers a trauma memory, or sometimes even on walking into a place. Saga does some vomiting as well. I get it - they're extremely traumatized from their pasts. But I personally loathe vomit. I don't like it in real life, and I definitely don't like picturing it in stories. Once or twice - ok, I get it. Every other chapter... can we find another mechanism please?)
Despite all of that, I really did like the last quarter of the book. I felt invested in Brynja's story at that point, and despite all of her questionable decisions and annoying childish weaknesses along the way, I wanted her to win. I liked that the ending was not just "everyone got what they deserved and lived happily ever after", but that it was left in a sort of tenuous situation. And the emotions of the last few scenes stayed with me like after-images - which IMO is the mark of a good story. Would I read it again? Probably not, given all the wading through the slow bits in the first 70%. But I have to give it the credit it deserves for being a good and engaging story in the end.
[Disclaimer: I haven't read the book that everyone compares this one to, and that the author herself said greatly inspired this one. It's possible that it entirely matches the tone and quality in that other story, and thus has a built-in fan base. I can't compare.]
Tough to put a 1-5 rating on this one. As others have noted, the pacing is very slow up until the big moment right around the 70% mark. Through about 80% of the book, the story is told with alternating chapters of present and past, but the main character, Brynja, is the narrator throughout the whole timeline. Like others, I found the "past" chapters more engaging than the "present" chapters, and I really had a hard time getting hooked on the story until that moment at the 70% mark. It's a long time to stay invested in a book to get to the reward (but to be fair, I felt the same way about Sanderson's The Way of Kings, and that book is 3x the length... so I think it's hypocritical of me to knock a book for requiring some investment).
The #1 thing that I think detracts from this book are the deuteragonists Saga and Vil (or maybe they're tritagonists? I'm not sure where one might rate them compared to Ballast). They are both toxic friends, consistently emotionally manipulating Brynja throughout the story, and it's infuriating that she never seems to notice that they're doing it (and no, it's not subtle). When your so-called friends are demanding you constantly tend to their feelings, telling you who you can and can't love/date/bond with because it should be them, duh, and then breaking down or having emotional outbursts that they expect you to drop everything and get them through... that is your cue to get the heck out of that relationship. I kept thinking that maybe the flashbacks would reveal exactly WHY their bonds were so strong, why Brynja kept feeling some kind of obligation to them, but frankly most of the backstory just showed me that they had never ever, not once, shown Brynja any real trust or friendship that wasn't in service of their own political goals - and to the very last page I couldn't figure out why she made the decisions she did to stay with them and support them. Maybe I was supposed to feel that way, but it was frustrating and felt like a clumsy plot device to interject conflict for the sake of conflict, drama for the sake of drama.
Also, Vil is just completely cringy. Gross. The fact that Brynja is actually struggling with resisting attraction to him knocks her down several pegs in my opinion.
My second issue was that the big reveal seemed like it had been deliberately planned for shock value. There's a difference between building in a bunch of believable red herrings and intentionally misleading and lying to the reader. Brynja is an unreliable narrator - duh. But after that moment, it took another several chapters of more flashbacks to try to explain why the big reveal actually made sense in the context of everything she'd told us before. And I don't think it was entirely successful. I can't get into specifics without spoiling the story, but it left me feeling like it was a bit contrived.
And my third major issue - the magic system. It was revealed in bits and pieces, slowly at first where the story is mostly focused on non-magic users, and then in the active back third of the book we suddenly get a much bigger glimpse of all the various abilities. I liked the idea of it - but the problem was that the author doesn't really stick much to her own rules. When she needed a particular character to do something remarkable, but they'd be limited by the type of ability they possessed, that character was suddenly able to do something that no other magic user of that particular type was ever able to do. I had the sense that there were no checks and balances - pretty much anyone could do anything to overwhelm anyone else if the plot required it - complete with godlike abilities. The last conflict was just a giant escalating mess with everyone more powerful than the last. Blood, flame, earth, vibrations, beasts everywhere.
(Minor issue - there is A LOT of vomiting in this book. Brynja throws up pretty much every time the bad guys do or say something that triggers a trauma memory, or sometimes even on walking into a place. Saga does some vomiting as well. I get it - they're extremely traumatized from their pasts. But I personally loathe vomit. I don't like it in real life, and I definitely don't like picturing it in stories. Once or twice - ok, I get it. Every other chapter... can we find another mechanism please?)
Despite all of that, I really did like the last quarter of the book. I felt invested in Brynja's story at that point, and despite all of her questionable decisions and annoying childish weaknesses along the way, I wanted her to win. I liked that the ending was not just "everyone got what they deserved and lived happily ever after", but that it was left in a sort of tenuous situation. And the emotions of the last few scenes stayed with me like after-images - which IMO is the mark of a good story. Would I read it again? Probably not, given all the wading through the slow bits in the first 70%. But I have to give it the credit it deserves for being a good and engaging story in the end.
August 14, 2025
Spoiler free review
While the dark remains by Joanna Ruth Meyer is the first book in The Winter Dark series. This is a (adult) high fantasy with an amazing structure and political intrigue. It Is a roller-coaster and an adventure on paper. The romance is a sub plot and the spice level is as hot as just kisses. The world building is immersive and the character development is incredible. This book is full of politics, hidden agendas, interesting characters, and hard complicated choices.
Bryn is our FMC, who is an absolute legend, from a captive to an amazing woman that grows and blossoms in every way.
This story has a bit of a slow pace, however you gain so much information building the world, the gods and the politics. The plot is well layered with an amazing build up.
I can't wait to see where the next book is taking us.
Audiobook: narrated by Kimberly Woods, this book and character was brought to life beautifully. Her voice has an amazing versatility and performance.
Thank you Joanna, Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for acces to this ALC and ARC, it was truly a pleasure to be immersed into this world!
While the dark remains by Joanna Ruth Meyer is the first book in The Winter Dark series. This is a (adult) high fantasy with an amazing structure and political intrigue. It Is a roller-coaster and an adventure on paper. The romance is a sub plot and the spice level is as hot as just kisses. The world building is immersive and the character development is incredible. This book is full of politics, hidden agendas, interesting characters, and hard complicated choices.
Bryn is our FMC, who is an absolute legend, from a captive to an amazing woman that grows and blossoms in every way.
This story has a bit of a slow pace, however you gain so much information building the world, the gods and the politics. The plot is well layered with an amazing build up.
I can't wait to see where the next book is taking us.
Audiobook: narrated by Kimberly Woods, this book and character was brought to life beautifully. Her voice has an amazing versatility and performance.
Thank you Joanna, Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for acces to this ALC and ARC, it was truly a pleasure to be immersed into this world!
July 21, 2025
While the Dark Remains was a fantastic book! The world-building was rich and immersive, and the characters felt so incredibly developed and real that I truly cared about them. The writing style was epic and drew me in from the very first page.
The story is packed with danger, adventure, and high stakes, and the plot was phenomenal. Layered, gripping, and full of heart.
I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven fantasy with depth, emotion, and a twist you won’t see coming.
The story is packed with danger, adventure, and high stakes, and the plot was phenomenal. Layered, gripping, and full of heart.
I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven fantasy with depth, emotion, and a twist you won’t see coming.
September 10, 2025
I really got into this fantasy tale with a great plot twist I didn't see coming!
August 19, 2025
*I received an arc from the author and publisher for review. Thank you for the opportunity! All thoughts are my own*
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I adore Joanna Ruth Meyer and have been a fan since her debut Beneath the Haunting Sea. Where the Dark Remains is her adult fantasy debut, and it was fantastic! It’s a bit of a departure from her previous works, but no less mesmerizing. There’s amazing world building, political intrigue and beloved characters.
Brynja has spent most of her childhood as a captive performer in the collection of the evil King Kallias. Every night she risked death for the King’s entertainment, until his rebellious son, Prince Ballast, aided in her escape. Now at twenty years old, Brynja has never forgotten or forgiven the cruel King. Under the cover of a three-month long winter dark, Brynja is returning to the palace for revenge.
Brynja, accompanied by a rival court, including Prince Vil, poses as royalty to barter peace. She is the best choice for infiltrating the castle as she knows every nook and cranny and every hidden passage. Her quest for revenge becomes complicated by her feelings for Prince Ballast, whom she doesn’t know if she can trust. King Kallias is also searching for a weapon of war that could destroy them all. Bryna must face the darkest parts of herself as her choices will impact those she loves and the world itself.
There is a lot of beauty in this story, but there is a lot of pain and suffering as well. I felt SO many emotions reading this one, and that is one of the things that I loved most about it. I actually was screaming in the last third of the book and almost threw it across the room. It was THAT good!
Highly recommend! I can’t wait for book two!
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I adore Joanna Ruth Meyer and have been a fan since her debut Beneath the Haunting Sea. Where the Dark Remains is her adult fantasy debut, and it was fantastic! It’s a bit of a departure from her previous works, but no less mesmerizing. There’s amazing world building, political intrigue and beloved characters.
Brynja has spent most of her childhood as a captive performer in the collection of the evil King Kallias. Every night she risked death for the King’s entertainment, until his rebellious son, Prince Ballast, aided in her escape. Now at twenty years old, Brynja has never forgotten or forgiven the cruel King. Under the cover of a three-month long winter dark, Brynja is returning to the palace for revenge.
Brynja, accompanied by a rival court, including Prince Vil, poses as royalty to barter peace. She is the best choice for infiltrating the castle as she knows every nook and cranny and every hidden passage. Her quest for revenge becomes complicated by her feelings for Prince Ballast, whom she doesn’t know if she can trust. King Kallias is also searching for a weapon of war that could destroy them all. Bryna must face the darkest parts of herself as her choices will impact those she loves and the world itself.
There is a lot of beauty in this story, but there is a lot of pain and suffering as well. I felt SO many emotions reading this one, and that is one of the things that I loved most about it. I actually was screaming in the last third of the book and almost threw it across the room. It was THAT good!
Highly recommend! I can’t wait for book two!
July 29, 2025
2.5
I was excited to read this book before it's publication date as my Amazon First Reads pick. However it took me almost the whole month to get through it. I honestly should have probably DNF'd it but I wanted so badly to like it.
First off, the world building is too challenging. I couldn't keep up with what god's drove what magic and what countries believed what. Secondly, it was honestly just boring. I didn't get even remotely interested until about halfway through and even the "plot twist" which should have been enough to hook me fell flat. Lastly, the characters are not likable. They are all cowardly, hateful, indecisive and backstabbing.
But I would be remiss if I didn't share the good as well. The different timelines was intriguing and the political aspect was strong. The trauma was incredibly sad and pulled at heartstrings as well. But I don't see myself reading the second book in this duology.
I was excited to read this book before it's publication date as my Amazon First Reads pick. However it took me almost the whole month to get through it. I honestly should have probably DNF'd it but I wanted so badly to like it.
First off, the world building is too challenging. I couldn't keep up with what god's drove what magic and what countries believed what. Secondly, it was honestly just boring. I didn't get even remotely interested until about halfway through and even the "plot twist" which should have been enough to hook me fell flat. Lastly, the characters are not likable. They are all cowardly, hateful, indecisive and backstabbing.
But I would be remiss if I didn't share the good as well. The different timelines was intriguing and the political aspect was strong. The trauma was incredibly sad and pulled at heartstrings as well. But I don't see myself reading the second book in this duology.
May 15, 2025
Whether it's more of a lyrical prose like in Echo North, or a narrative immersive tale like Beneath the Haunting Sea, Joanna Ruth Meyer weaves so much emotion into her characters that readers cannot help but be pulled into a new world!
While the Dark Remains is full of complex emotions, and reflects the spirit of The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner (which is incredible!). Meyer gives proper homage to this type of mesmerizing fantasy in her writing! I do admit the first part was a little slow in pacing, but that is part of the rich worldbuilding and character development that is critical to essence of the story. And OMG THAT LAST THIRD of the book was so engaging and riveting with every turn unimaginable happening that I couldn’t put it down and slept much, much too late. 😅 That chunk demonstrates again how Meyer delivers full circles into her writing!
While it isn’t a flaw, I didn’t jive with Brynja’s personality for the first part: her constant tension for Ballast wasn’t something that I liked so much. At the same time, I do understand that her terrifying, abusive time as part of the Collection connected her deeply and intimately to him, and it is not something that can be disregarded. AFTER a big turn of events about two-thirds of the way in, everything makes much more sense to us as readers and to herself too; this truly reflects her own self growth throughout the journey. I also LOVE that Saga is such a multi-faceted person who has to reconcile with deep hurts that happen and see the strength she exhibits through her own experience and am so excited that Meyer is writing a sequel to this!
I love that Meyer can convey such deep feelings without spice - it shows the skills of a writer who can tap into the core of your emotions in such a masterful way. I think this is listed as an Adult Fantasy versus YA due to violence, physical and emotional abuse, and internal struggles that the characters go through. She doesn’t ignore true consequences of choices made in the novel, and I really do appreciate that. I love that no matter if it’s YA or Adult, I know that the storytelling by Meyer is always full of deep complexity in so many levels of being a human being, and she nails it in the heart.
I was given an eARC to read ahead of its publishing date and I’m so excited for this to be out into the world!
Note - I love maps and love referring to them. There is one in the front! As I was reading it, I was a bit confused about all the different gods. As it was an eARC, I couldn’t flip back and forth, but at the end, there is an index of the characters which I found super helpful. There aren’t any major spoilers in the quick descriptions there, so if the book is published with the index in the back, I recommend flipping to the first page of the index to see the 12 gods if you find that helpful. Everyone else, you can look at the end. 😉
4.5 stars, rounded up to 5!
While the Dark Remains is full of complex emotions, and reflects the spirit of The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner (which is incredible!). Meyer gives proper homage to this type of mesmerizing fantasy in her writing! I do admit the first part was a little slow in pacing, but that is part of the rich worldbuilding and character development that is critical to essence of the story. And OMG THAT LAST THIRD of the book was so engaging and riveting with every turn unimaginable happening that I couldn’t put it down and slept much, much too late. 😅 That chunk demonstrates again how Meyer delivers full circles into her writing!
While it isn’t a flaw, I didn’t jive with Brynja’s personality for the first part: her constant tension for Ballast wasn’t something that I liked so much. At the same time, I do understand that her terrifying, abusive time as part of the Collection connected her deeply and intimately to him, and it is not something that can be disregarded. AFTER a big turn of events about two-thirds of the way in, everything makes much more sense to us as readers and to herself too; this truly reflects her own self growth throughout the journey. I also LOVE that Saga is such a multi-faceted person who has to reconcile with deep hurts that happen and see the strength she exhibits through her own experience and am so excited that Meyer is writing a sequel to this!
I love that Meyer can convey such deep feelings without spice - it shows the skills of a writer who can tap into the core of your emotions in such a masterful way. I think this is listed as an Adult Fantasy versus YA due to violence, physical and emotional abuse, and internal struggles that the characters go through. She doesn’t ignore true consequences of choices made in the novel, and I really do appreciate that. I love that no matter if it’s YA or Adult, I know that the storytelling by Meyer is always full of deep complexity in so many levels of being a human being, and she nails it in the heart.
I was given an eARC to read ahead of its publishing date and I’m so excited for this to be out into the world!
Note - I love maps and love referring to them. There is one in the front! As I was reading it, I was a bit confused about all the different gods. As it was an eARC, I couldn’t flip back and forth, but at the end, there is an index of the characters which I found super helpful. There aren’t any major spoilers in the quick descriptions there, so if the book is published with the index in the back, I recommend flipping to the first page of the index to see the 12 gods if you find that helpful. Everyone else, you can look at the end. 😉
4.5 stars, rounded up to 5!
July 25, 2025
I’m conflicted with this one. The world-building was so complex - on one hand I was impressed with the author’s creativity but on the other hand I was overwhelmed. It would have been nice to know there was a full glossary/ character list at the end of the book but that’s on me.
Speaking of the characters… none of them are super lovable. Hopefully we get some redemption (every single person needs it) in the future books. I feel like the story could just end here but I’m interested to see how the author continues to grow the characters and the world they live in.
Speaking of the characters… none of them are super lovable. Hopefully we get some redemption (every single person needs it) in the future books. I feel like the story could just end here but I’m interested to see how the author continues to grow the characters and the world they live in.
June 10, 2025
I received an ARC.
OMG. It was amazing. Beautifully written. Loved the whole atmosphere of ice and cold and dark.
And wow, that twist. Loved it all.
OMG. It was amazing. Beautifully written. Loved the whole atmosphere of ice and cold and dark.
And wow, that twist. Loved it all.
September 9, 2025
honestly, the world building and political intrigue were pretty great. I just kept getting bored with the length of the book, and i absolutely could not stand the supporting characters. the plot twist did raise it from a 2 to a 3 starts, however. I just wish i felt any connection to these characters what so ever. incredibly aggravating in a non-purposeful way
update a week later: its a 2 star.
update a week later: its a 2 star.
July 6, 2025
“Don’t dwell in the darkness , Bal. Not anymore. Stay in the light” “In the light, Brynja”
Wow, wow, wow. I ate this book up, there was so much beauty and pain and betrayal and redemption and just so many feels. This is by far one of my favorite reads, the amount of feelings that were felt during this…just a beautiful story.
Wow, wow, wow. I ate this book up, there was so much beauty and pain and betrayal and redemption and just so many feels. This is by far one of my favorite reads, the amount of feelings that were felt during this…just a beautiful story.
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