Between Tides & Thunder – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Between Tides & Thunder

Author: Leena Kazak

Pages: 496

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Publication Date: 3/31/26

Categories: Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy

She was raised to hate him. Now she shares his bed.
Princess Mayah of Tundrayn isn’t allowed to want. Not freedom. Not love. Not even her own future. Instead, she’s spent her life healing others’ pain and swallowing her own. But when her father strikes a fragile alliance with enemy-kingdom Arbinj to crush a rising rebellion, she is bartered into a marriage she didn’t choose for a crown she doesn’t want.

She expects a prince. She gets the Dark Commander.
Zevayr is ruthless, unyielding, and a stormwielder with a reputation soaked in blood. He is everything Mayah was taught to fear. Yet as they race across rebel-torn lands, the less certain she is of where the monster ends and where the man begins.

In Arbinj’s glittering courts, the Rebellion surges and dangerous secrets stir from Mayah’s past—secrets that could shatter her kingdom, and her heart, if she lets them.

The question is not if Mayah will betray, but who: her people, her love, or herself?

Content Warning: violence, death

World Building: Two warring kingdoms, Tundrayn and Arbinj, have a choice – unite now against the Rebellion or keep killing one another. Mayah is a princess of Tundaryn and her father has arranged for her to marry Faramir or Arbinj but it’s his brother, Zevayr that comes to fetch her. In this world there are non-wielders of magic who are just known as commoners and each kingdom has a way of dealing with them. There are also magic wilders of elemental powers, Mayah can hearl, Zevayr can call storms. So I did enjoy the magic system and the different kingdoms. There is one other kingdom though that gets mentioned but we don’t see much of.

Characters: Mayah is very outspoken, she’s a healer but we also find later on that there is more to her than what she portrays in the first half of the book. There were times I was frustrated with Mayah and I did not blame Zevayr for his anger when things really go down between them. Zevayr, is the Dark Commander who’s killed so many people during the war, but he’s a good guy who is patient with Mayah and gives her all the space she needs. Both of them have had trauma because of the war.

Romance: This is low on spice, but high on steam! There is so much yearning and angst between Mayah and Zevayr because they are enemies, but during their journey to Arbinj they get sort of close. It is such a slow burn I almost thought there would be no time for any spice between them but I think what made up for it was their relationship journey. There is betrayal, and it’s a hump they have to go over and work through but it does feel like there is no chance for them. But their declarations of their feelings are intense and made up for the lack of spice I think. I did love them together.

Story: I was kind of addicted to this story, it really does take you on an emotional journey. And there was a moment where I was totally mad at Mayah. 😅 I loved Zevayr, but Mayah tried my patience at times. The plot twist did feel like it was for shock value because it comes out of nowhere, but I went with it. As for the story, it was more light on the world-building and political intrigue also. It is a standalone and things are neatly tied up at the end when it comes to the villains, but I think I wanted more from the villains. Kind of wish this was a series!

Now some of the writing starts kind of bothering me in the second half. I’m having a “thing” right now about the nicknames characters use for one another. And “baby” was used a lot in this book because he teases her that she’s a big baby…but then it becomes a nickname, and for some personal reason of mine, it just felt too modern speech to me. It kept making me cringe. And then the battle scenes at the end where everyone has to use their powers but food is the fuel for their magic –I thought it was hilarious that they were fighting and then Zevayr would should bread in her mouth to help keep up her energy to use her magic! 😂. It’s not supposed to be funny but it was kind of crazy how they were eating and fighting. I was like, what is going on?!

Final Thoughts:

This is a standalone romantasy that has magic, a slow burn romance, yearning, betrayal and I found it addictive even though at times the FMC was frustrating. I do wish it was a duology at least so that the wild ending didn’t seem rushed, and there were some things about the writing that I didn’t gel with but overall, it’s one of those books that I just found entertaining despite the issues.

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