A Crown of Blood and Magick by. Amy De La Force | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: A Crown of Blood and Magick (Fated for Hael, #2)

Author: Amy De La Force

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 9/15/26

Publisher: Canelo Romance

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Canelo Romance for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Now Empress of Hael’stromia, Cahra is supposed to be ruling the three kingdoms. But Ozumbre is seceding, Kolyath’s nobles sow division and King Thierre of Luminaux is lost to grief. Her only solace is her magickal protector Hael, their bond deepening into something… forbidden.

When Kolyath and Luminaux are attacked by an unknown enemy, Cahra dispatches Hael, leaving her exposed. He never returns, and Wyldaern is granted a vision: Hael, beaten to within an inch of his immortality, has been captured.

Cahra must master her power if she’s to find Hael in time, but there are traitors in her midst who will do whatever it takes to strip her of her title. As friends and allies drift further out of reach, who can she rely on to save Hael – and protect the kingdoms from an enemy so mighty, it could change the fate of her world forever?

Content Warning: violence

Book two in this series follows Cahra on her rise as an Empress, with Hael backing her and protecting her. There is a lot more political intrigue in this sequel but I felt like it took me a little longer to get into this book than book one. There is a large cast of characters and it took me awhile to remember who was who.

I didn’t really feel connected to Cahra in this one, and I’m not sure why. It could be that I didn’t believe she was ready to be an Empress over three kingdoms but there was enough to show her struggles and challenges. I did enjoy her relationship with Wyldaern though, I was invested in that.

The romance between Cahra and Hael finally go somewhere after so much yearning between them, and they even get a spicy scene.

Though it does start slow, the story picks up in the second half.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I think I liked book one better than this one. It took me awhile to get into this sequel. The world-building is still interesting and I did enjoy the friendship between Cahra and Wyldaern. I was happy to see the romance move along with Hael, but for some reason I had a hard time connecting to this one. If you liked book one, I do think you will enjoy this one.

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