Caged by Fallen Crows: Part One by. Ava Larksen | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Caged by Fallen Crows: Part One (Of Crows and Thorns, #2)

Author: Ava Larksen

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 635

Publication Date: 2/11/26

Categories: Romantasy, Dark Romance, New Adult, Series

Living together? That’s a war Graysen was never trained for.

Imprisoned in Graysen’s tower, Nelle Wychthorn finds herself ensnared by something far more dangerous than chains.

The sway is awakening. His tamer influence bleeds into her thoughts, seizing hold of her will—and he doesn’t even know it.

If he ever discovers the hold he already has… she’s lost.

Escape is her only chance. Convince him to open the door, find the hidden tunnel, and run.

Graysen Crowther walks a knife’s edge. He defies his family by keeping Nelle in his tower instead of the dungeon. She’s a pawn to force her father’s hand—surrender the god‑forged weapon, or lose his daughter.

But living together?
He’s utterly out of his depth.

Nelle wages war, tormenting him mercilessly, upending his carefully ordered world. Yet within the intimate chaos as roommates, fury and heat collide. Wild. Consuming. Ruinous.

When Graysen is ordered into the catacombs to hunt an elusive beast, long‑buried memories resurface of his mother’s secret life—and a mysterious Horned God who may know the truth about her final day.

To right the terrible wrong that haunts him, he must find the Horned God to unlock everything he desperately needs… if his family doesn’t uncover his true intentions first.

Content Warning: violence, death

This is book two in the Of Crows and Thorns Saga, so I’m not sure why this one is called Part One?

~ I gave book one three stars because though I was intrigued with the characters, I thought book two would have more world building which it needed badly in book one. Once again, this story is focused on the characters and there is no new world-building at all. I need world-building. This story mostly stays in the Crowther family fortress or keep. Graysen does leave and we sort of follow him on a mission but again…it needs more world-building.

+~ This is a very character-driven story. Graysen is stuck between a rock and a hard place, either to save his mom, or save Nelle. He knows what he and his family is doing to Nelle is wrong, but he needs to find a way to appease everyone, which sucks. Nelle is a prisoner at the Crowther’s fortress and they plan to auction her off in order to find their mother. I liked learning more about Graysen’s home life, but I need him to step it up big time and do the right thing and let Nelle go. As for Nelle, I wish she was older than 19, because she does act like a teenager. The bickering should be funny, but they were just like two kids fighting at times. So I’m still waiting for Nelle to grow, but I know there isn’t much she can do stuck at the fortress- actually I want to see her carry out her promise and burn the place down but nothing like that happened. I do love her wolf-wraith, Sage.

+~ I can’t believe I’m happy about a book having LESS smut, but yay, it has less smut than book one. Though Graysen and Nelle are forced to be together, there is the issue of him betraying her and her being a prisoner that keeps them apart emotionally and physically for most of the book. There is eventually some spice because she’s a Wyrm and he’s her Tamer and it is a kind of mating bond that is hard for them to deny. I feel like they finally get to know each other better in this book but I still want to see more of an emotional connection between them. And speaking of smut…it felt so comical at times! I think it’s supposed to be funny because these two are always fighting. I was laughing at times but also rolling my eyes at these two – I could not take them seriously.

~ At this rate, I want to learn more about Silas Boone and less about the Crowthers. 😒. The story barely budged forward and this is a 635 page book (but it does read quickly because I kept waiting for something to happen). We learn a lot about Tabitha, Graysen’s mom, but I want to learn more about the Horned Gods – what is their deal? I mean, can Nelle have another romance option, like maybe Silas? I’m open to it because Graysen needs to lose her and hurt about it. 😅

~ I wanted Graysen to grovel, but he hasn’t even said sorry…it’s the only reason I read this book actually. To see how Nelle would punish the Crowthers…but except for some pranks she pulls on Graysen, there is no punishing happening, except to Nelle. I actually haven’t read a book that’s made me so mad at the characters before 😂.

~ And speaking of lack of world-building…I have no sense of what this world is, but they name drop brand names a little too much.

Final Thoughts:

This book feels like filler, because nothing much happens to move the story forward. I still want more world-building, character growth, and emotional connection in the romance. I want to see Nelle enact her revenge and leave Graysen actually, which I know won’t happen – maybe that’s why I’m mad at the story 😅. She’s going to forgive him and help his family out, isn’t she? I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Bound in Inked Flame by. Ava Larksen| Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Poet Empress by. Shen Tao | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Poet Empress

Author: Shen Tao

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 1/20/26

Categories: Dark Fantasy, Historical Fantasy

Debut author Shen Tao introduces readers to the lush, deadly world of The Poet Empress, a sweeping, epic and intimate fantasy perfect for fans of The Serpent & the Wings of Night, The Song of Achilles and She Who Became the Sun.

In the waning years of the Azalea Dynasty, the emperor is dying, the land consumed by famine, and poetry magic lost to all except the powerful.

Wei Yin is desperate. After the fifth death of a sibling, with her family and village on the brink of starvation, she will do anything to save those she loves.

Even offer herself as concubine to the cruel heir of the beautiful and brutal Azalea House.

But in a twist of fate, the palace stands on the knife-edge of civil war with Wei trapped in its center…at the side of a violent prince.

To survive, Wei must harden her heart, rely on her wit, and become dangerous herself. Even if it means becoming a poet in a world where women are forbidden to read—and composing the most powerful spell of all. A ballad of death…and love.

The Poet Empress is an epic fantasy that explores darker themes, subjects, and scenes that may not be suitable for all readers. Please see the author’s content note at the beginning of the book.

Content Warning: violence, death, self-harm, abuse, torture

I heard so many good things about this book and was happy to see it on Kindle Unlimited.

+ Wei, her family, and their whole village is starving. There has been a famine for years, and there seems to be no help from the emperor. So when the new heir for Emperor needs concubines, Wei tries her luck and is totally rejected because she’s a peasant. Until she makes a bold statement. Her life changes from then on but it’s relative to say that her life improved for the better because now she got to love in Azalea House, the house for concubines and she has food. But her fiancé tortures her every night. He hurts her physically and then heals her. To top it off the concubines want her gone so Wei has to learn quick how to survive.

+ Wei is an amazing character. She’s strong because of her poor upbringing, but quick to learn when she sees the royals are a different beast to deal with. I love how she realizes learning to read and write will give her power. Wei goes from a peasant to the one who has the most power in the story. She may not have magic like the Princes but she is smart and strong (mentally). Terren, her soon to be husband, kills people for fun. He hurts Wei, for amusement, but wow is his backstory heartbreaking. I hated him but he was made into the monster he is and half of this story is about learning how it happened. Wei has some choices to make at the end of this story because she can change the course of history…but will she do it? There are a lot of morally gray characters in this story which is only fitting with so much at stake.

+ There is so much court political intrigue and there is a lot of violence too. But it’s a sad story when you see how the court turned brother against brother. How power corrupts, and how power can be a mask for fear. Or how power is limited to only men, by denying women things like learning how to read. This is another book that is timely for what is happening in the world today – especially when it comes to women’s rights, how women are treated, and the abuse happening to women at the hand of elites.

+ The magic system was very interesting, it had to do with poetry. To have power you needed to know how to read and write.

~ It may seem like a slow read at first but it’s building towards an epic ending. It’s necessary to learn the background of Mao and his brother Terren. But don’t expect romance in this story, this is not that type of story! The love story is the one between Mao and Terren and how they are torn from one another. Also this is a dark story so check any trigger warnings.

Quotes From This Book:

“What is the point of suffering if we have nothing to gain?” – The Poet Empress by. Shen Tao

“How often was it, I wondered then, that the path we took was one forced upon us?” – The Poet Empress by. Shen Tao

“Why are women always expected to love those who would hurt us? To take care of those who would use us, however they please, without the slightest regard for whether we lived or died?” – The Poet Empress by. Shen Tao

“So you see now, Lady Yin, power is such a wicked thing. Razing everything it its path, consuming all, leaving none untouched. Not even the kindest of souls among us are spared, once they have had so much as a taste.” – The Poet Empress by. Shen Tao

“I don’t know how much suffering is normal. How much was ordinary, expected, the price we paid to live. How much was created by us, needless.” – The Poet Empress by. Shen Tao

“It could be the greatest nation in the world, the most magnificent empire there ever existed. But if it could not keep its own children safe and fed, was it really something worth fighting to save?” – The Poet Empress by. Shen Tao

“To grow a tree was not easy, the wait until it bore fruit long. But if the seed was not planted in the first place, nothing would ever grow.” – The Poet Empress by. Shen Tao

Final Thoughts:

This is a powerful story about power and the love between two brothers that is ruined. It’s about women and their lack of power, but the high expectations put upon them. There is so much to unpack in this story and it is a dark one. It’s violent. The court political intrigue kept me in invested and though Terren was a villain, I still needed to know how he came to be this villain. I felt like it was a slow burn of a book, and yet it’s hard to put down because Wei’s story is compelling. Can’t wait to see what this author writes next!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Wicked Onyx by. Debbie Cassidy | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Wicked Onyx (The Veritas Legacy, #1)

Author: Debbie Cassidy

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 410

Publication Date: 2/10/26

Publisher: Page & Vine

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Dark Academia, Paranormal

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

Thank you to Page & Vine for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In a ruthless magical academy where she’s cursed and powerless, the last Onyx must unravel dark family secrets and navigate dangerous alliances to reclaim her legacy and make those who betrayed her pay.

You don’t graduate Nightbridge Academy—you survive it.

Born into a sorcerer bloodline, cursed, and cut off from my power, I was accustomed to being an outcast. For generations, my bloodline carried the weight of a crime committed by our ancestor. But my mother’s death changed everything. She left a clue that could prove our an ancient text hidden deep beneath Nightsbridge Academy.

The Academy is a fortress of power, housing the most dangerous incantors and sorcerers, conscripted to keep Horrors and Echoes at bay. And as the last surviving Onyx, I’m owed admission.

My plan is simple—find the book and expose the Imperium as the liars they are.

But I didn’t plan for the whispers that haunt my dreams. Or the complication of feelings I shouldn’t be capable of—stirred by two men bound to the very institution I’ve come to destroy. One sees too much yet says too little. The other is steady, protective, and always in my corner.

I can’t have either.

Yet when I’m in their presence…my curse begins to crack.

If they discover my true purpose, I’m dead.

But some truths are worth dying for.

The Imperium cursed my bloodline. Stripped us of our magic. Branded us as traitors. And now they will pay.

Content Warning: violence, death

+ I love the world building of this story and the dark vibes from start to finish. Set at Nightsbridge Academy where magic wielders like Incantors and Sorcerers study alongside future Hunters. Hunters are made up with shifters and dhampirs. I really loved all the supernatural and paranormal elements of this story. I like the magic system and everything just work well together. I was hooked on the story!

+ Not only was the world building lush and intriguing, the characters really got me invested in this story. Anamaya’s bloodline has been cursed and stripped of magic because something her ancestor did long ago. Now she wants to prove her innocence and get her power back but many people at the academy don’t like her because of her bloodline. But Ana is tough with a little sass, oh I loved it. She’s smart and funny too! I also loved her new found friends, Dori, Clary and Benedict – such a fun group and they get under Ana’s barriers. I loved to see it!

+ I also loved all the action we get at the ending.

+~ There is also a cast of characters that could be potential romances for Ana but by the end of the book, there was no MMC for her. There was barely any spice (there was a fantasy), but lots of sexual tension. I wanted spice in this story because it had all the perfect elements for it! I respect that Ana said multiple times she wasn’t there for romance, but the romantic in me wanted something to happen!

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this one and it was so hard to put down! I loved the FMC and the characters we meet. I love the world building, the dark academia, the action, and magic. All I want is the romance to develop more and hope we get more of it in book two. This was a fun read and I can’t wait for the next book!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |Author Website

Bound to the Broken Crown by. Astoria Hope | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Bound to the Broken Crown (Magebound Courts, #1)

Author: Astoria Hope

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 441

Publication Date: 1/27/26

Publisher:

Categories: Romantasy, Dark Fantasy

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

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

A prince cursed to destroy everything he touched. Until he touched her.

Isca never dreamed her gift for sensing emotions would draw the eyes of princes—let alone the Assembly of Mages. Brought to court under the guise of diplomacy, she quickly learns her secret task: soothe the beast raging under Prince Emrys’ skin and deliver his heir back to the Assembly to forge into a weapon. Refusal means her family’s ruin.

But Emrys is not the monster she expected. Yes, he’s volatile. Yes, he’s destructive and dangerous. Beneath the curse, she glimpses the man—giving, fiercely protective, and unbearably lonely.

To the Assembly, Isca is a tool. To Emrys, she’s a temptation he cannot afford. He pushes her away to protect her, even as his eyes betray the truth: she is the only thing keeping him from drowning.

He could break her with a touch. She could bind him with a heartbeat. While their enemies scheme to use them as pawns, desire threatens to undo every wall they’ve built.

Together, she and Emrys could shatter the Assembly’s chains. But that would mean laying bare her betrayal—the one thing with the power to destroy both the man and the monster.

Bound to the Broken Crown is book 1 of the Magebound Courts Trilogy featuring a tormented cursed prince, the empathic mage sent to calm his inner beast, and their slow-burn romance. This book contains spicy content and graphic combat violence, Suitable for readers aged 18+

Content Warning: violence, death

Bound to the Broken Crown has all the elements usually found in a romantasy: magic, enemies to lovers, a Prince with a curse, and a woman to save him.

Isca, has magic that can sense and manipulate emotions, so she is tasked by the Mage Assembly, to be a diplomat and help two princes rule their kingdom of Darreth. They also want her to procreate with one of them because she has magic and the line of royal mages is dying out. Isca knows that if she doesn’t do this, her family will be threatened.

Isca turns out to be really good at diplomacy. It helps that one of the twin princes, Nisien is actually nice. Where as Emrys is grumpy, violent and cursed. He’s prone to killing people when he loses control of the beast inside of him. Of course Isca’s drawn to Emrys. What happens between them is a slow burn, enemies to lovers romance. I enjoyed their tumultuous love story, which ends in a happy ending. He becomes obsessed with her but loathes the curse within him so he tries to stay away. There is spice, but not a lot of it.

I did like learning about Isca and her family. She really grows when she leaves them and is in Darreth. There is a found family there for her with the princes and her lady’s maid, but the people also gravitate to her and she has really found her footing as a diplomat.

I do wish there was more world-building and political intrigue. I also wanted to know more about Emry’s curse but there was barely information on what it is. Despite all that I think this was enjoyable as a light fantasy read. It’s a quick read and the focus is more on the romance. But I did get invested in the side characters like Nisien and another prince, Owain, from another kingdom so I hope there will be books about them.

Final Thoughts:

This was a quick read which was kind of nice, without too much heavy world-building and a story focused on the enemies to lovers romance between Isca and Emrys. Overall, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the other books in the series.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Wolf and the Crown of Blood by. Elizabeth May | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: The Wolf and the Crown of Blood (The Broken Accords, #1)

Author: Elizabeth May

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 560

Publication Date: 1/27/26

Publisher: Aria

Categories: Dark Fantasy, Dark Romance, Romantasy

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

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

A thrilling and incredibly sexy new dark romantasy series from Sunday Times bestselling author Elizabeth May.

A princess and a war-weary god met in the ashes of a broken city, forging a pact in blood and sacrifice.

Now, centuries of fragile peace are on the brink of collapse…

Bryony Devaliant was born to die — again and again. In Vartena, royal blood is the currency of peace, with every monarch sacrificed and resurrected to appease the gods. But when rebellion stirs, the god-king sends his deadliest weapon to restore order: an immortal assassin known only as the Wolf.

Evander has perfected the art of killing over centuries — until his latest target becomes the one person he cannot destroy. When forbidden desire burns between the assassin and the sacrificial princess, their connection threatens the fragile boundary between gods and mortals. And when that boundary shatters, empires crumble. Because when gods fall in love with mortals, mortals are always the ones to break.

Content Warning: violence, knife-play, death, torture, gore, trauma

+ I went into this one without really reading the synopsis and once I started reading, I was hooked. Now the prologue had me worried that I was going to read another romantasy, with all the same tropes – and sure that is clearly all there – but the love story in this one gripped me and didn’t let go.

+ The world building is interesting – mortals and Eternals have been at war for ages, until a mortal, a Devaliant and, Alexios (an Eternal), make a pact to end all the killing. The accords require a Devaliant to give a blood tithing to Alexios to keep the Shroud (veil between god and human realms) intact. So Devaliant heirs bleed on the altar and try not to go mad, but now something else is at play – the humans have a black market selling immortal flesh and consuming them to gain a little bit of power. And the Eternals are mad as hell and trying to figure out who is in charge of this operation. But this world is violent and I liked that it was. The Eternals are ruthless!

+ There is a bunch of characters in this story but it’s told mostly in Evander (Wolf) and Bryony’s (Devaliant) POV. There sometimes a break in that and we get Alexios POV but very rarely. I loved Bryony! She’s a sacrifice, she bleeds when the tithing is due and she’s been used, hurt, killed, repaired again, since the age of five. Her parents are gone, so she and her older sister, Theodora, have their uncle as their guardian but he’s doing a bad job of running things. The people love Bryony, so much so, that Alexios gets mad when they start to worship her and not him, and the tithings from the people get less and less. Bryony’s story is one of survival and I loved seeing her grow! I love seeing her strength and bravery. Evander has had his own trauma – his family and friends have been gutted by the mortals and in that grief and rage has turned into a killing machine. He is morally black, but when he meets Bryony, things change, even though he doesn’t want to admit it.

+ I loved the secondary characters and hope all of the eternals we met in this book get their own book! I love Theodora and really loved her bond with Bryony. And Amara, love her too! All the Eternals have a story that needs to be told. I kind of hate Alexios but I see why he’s so deranged, will be nice to see how he opens up.

+ The romance…it’s dark and it’s spicy! It’s the kind of enemies to lovers romance I’ve been craving. It’s very villain gets the girl, and touch her and die…like no, he is ready to burn the world down for her. But because they both have such trauma, and his hate for her family is deep – I really wanted to see how she was going to get beyond his hate and grief. I love that she stood her ground on some things with him. And I like that the romance didn’t happen right away, yes he’s contracted to kill her, but he reaches a deal with her that allows her to grow and train enough to take down who hurt her, and then he would step in and end her. Also, the spice? Yikes! It starts slow, and he doesn’t force her but once they give in, it’s a blazing inferno. There is some knife play, even some M/M kissing, a lot of times it’s rough play, but I felt like this couple’s bedroom play complimented them as a couple. It’s totally who they are and wouldn’t expect anything else!

+~ There is a whole trigger list for this book because there is a lot of trauma going on in this story. This is a dark story, with dark themes. There is a lot of death and killing on both sides, there is so much violence, but I think that’s why I like Bryony’s journey so much. She was put on an altar to bleed, she had no choices, no bodily autonomy, and knew this would be for her whole life…and yet she fought and got her power back. It’s why I loved the book so much, outside of the romance…it’s Bryony’s personal journey that is relatable.

~ I think the only thing that made me wonder what type of world the mortals were in is the language. It’s a bit modern, sometimes too modern, when they say things like “catch feelings”. But for the most part, I thought the modern speech was okay, though I know there will be some who won’t like it. They ride in carriages but I think Bryony mentions a train also so I feel like it’s giving a sort of industrial age kind of world.