Shattered Crown – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Shadow and Son (Shattered Crown, #3)

Author: Gretchen Powell Fox

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 561

Publication Date: 10/20/26

Publisher: Hopewell Media

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, 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 Hopewell Media for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Scorch the realm. Bring the dawn.

Throne of Glass meets The Return of the King in the highly anticipated conclusion to the Best of #BookTok Shattered Crown trilogy.

A Fractured World

The fragile peace forged in the wake of the Crucible is unraveling. With the rise of an old foe and ancient magic stirring, the scars dividing Arcanis have begun to bleed anew, and the future of the realm hangs by a thread.

A Queen of Shadow

Elyria Lightbreaker has paid a devastating price to save her loved ones. Now, she faces a whole new darkness—and must decide how much more of herself she is willing to give to save a world that has already taken so much.

A Man on the Brink

Rocked by the secrets of his past and the truth behind his power, Cedric Thorne scours the continent in search of the woman he loves. But as enemies emerge from hiding and Elyria is pulled ever farther from reach, he must face the terrifying possibility that saving her may mean becoming something unforgivable. And once his fire is unleashed, there may be no putting it out.

A Final Reckoning

Bound by love but burdened by prophecy, Elyria and Cedric stand at the crossroads of Arcanis’s future. Together, they will confront a truth neither can Not all wounds can be healed, and the price victory demands may not be worth paying.

SHADOW AND SON is the third and final installment in the Shattered Crown trilogy, perfect for fans of realm-shattering high stakes fantasy, character-driven plots, rich world-building, a diverse cast of characters, elemental and shadow magic, and steamy, tension-filled romance—as well as authors like Carissa Broadbent, Penn Cole, Helen Scheuerer, Raven Kennedy, and Sarah J. Maas.

Content Warning: violence, death, torture, suicidal ideation

+ Shadow and Son picks up right after Splintered Kingdom ends and it’s a race to find Elyria and end Malakar. And Cedric, is determined to carry this mission out. Thank goodness he has a lot of help from his friends and found family.

+ This series has a big cast but it has amazing characters I cared about and I love how they all work together to find Elyria, and take down the enemy. There is so much growth for Cedric! I was lukewarm to liking him in book one but wow…from book two to book three, he really transforms which I love. I’ve always loved Elyria – she’s fierce but also a likable person.

+ The romance is so beautiful, I absolutely adore Elyria and Cedric’s love story. I hated them being apart, but the reunion was everything. I love how they are there for one another and got each other’s back. And the way she teases him – I love her funny nicknames for him and he is so patient with her.

+~ Lot of loose ends are tied up wonderfully in this conclusion – seeing Cedric coming into his power was really special. The found family trope was fantastic, I love all these characters and what they bring to the story. But I think I wanted more from Nox, I love them, but just wanted to know more of what they were doing in some parts of the story because they kind of go away and then come back again. And the thing with Kit and Tenny at the end was kind of a surprise because I didn’t feel like it was developed but thrown in? Is there going to be a spin-off? I love this world so I wouldn’t mind more stories in it.

Final Thoughts:

What a conclusion to a series I didn’t even know I was going to continue after book one – not that I didn’t love book one, but I thought it would be a series I’d continue eventually just not right away. I’m actually glad I got to read book two and book three back to back! I love the main characters, secondary characters, the world building, and the found family trope. The romance is epic and full of yearning and love ~ I adore Elyria and Cedric together. And Cedric growth from book one to book three was a satisfying journey. This is a great conclusion to the series!

Read if you like:

epic romance
found family
great world building

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Splintered Kingdom by. Gretchen Powell Fox | Book Review – 4.5 stars/ 2🌶️

Smoke and Scar by. Gretchen Powell Fox | Book Review – 3.5 stars

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice:

Title: Smoke and Scar ( Shattered Crown, #1)

Author: Gretchen Powell Fox

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 466

Publication Date: 3/10/25

Categories: Fantasy, Romance

Birthed in shadow. Forged in fire.

A Splintered Kingdom

An ancient grudge has kept humans and the magical races of Arcanis at odds for centuries. The Arcane Crucible, a legendary series of trials that occurs every 25 years, offers a chance for peace.

A Haunted Warrior

Elyria Lightbreaker, once a celebrated fae war hero, is a shadow of her former self. Drowning in grief after losing the man she loved to the previous Crucible, now she must rise to stop his sister from falling to the same fate.

A Vengeful Knight

Hardened by loss and fueled by hate, Cedric Thorne’s lifelong goal to conquer the Crucible on humanity’s behalf is finally within reach. The only problem? Getting through the trials alive means working with Elyria—the very fae he blames for his parents’ deaths.

An Unwinnable Challenge

With alliances fragile as spun glass and betrayal lurking at every turn, Elyria and Cedric must navigate deadly trials that test their strength, spirit, and magic… as well as their increasingly complex feelings for each other.

This is the Arcane Crucible.

Content Warning: violence, death, grief

+ This story centered fully on a group of warriors taking on a quest to undertake the Arcane Crucible which is a series of deadly trials. No one has every survived but this time Elyria is entering to help save her ex-bestfriend Kit from killing herself. Cedric, a knight, also has his own motivations for entering the trials. Humans and Fae do not get along in this world so it was interesting to see how they would make it through the crucible. There is a lot of action during the trials and even a growing found family.

+ There is a very, very slow burn romance. I’d say the romance isn’t even a focus in this story until the very end. So this story is very fantasy heavy. The romance is enemies to lovers but I’m thinking book two will have a little more of it. Cedric is a knight but he’s the “damsel in distress”! Elyria is always saving him which I thought was a nice reversal.

+ I loved the twist and turns in the second half of the book!

~ Because it’s fantasy heavy and barely had any romance (and I was looking for it), I did feel like some parts of the story for me lagged. I wanted a little more from Cedric but I think that changes in book two after what happens at the end of this one!

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was pretty good except for the parts that lagged for me, but it was really because I was looking for the “romantasy” parts of this book! There isn’t much romance so the story felt slow at some parts but if you are into deadly trials and a quest, with little romance, you will definitely enjoy this one. I enjoy the story twists and turns at the end! I’m going to read book two as an audiobook and see if I enjoy the series better that way.