Carissa Broadbent

Mother of Death and Dawn

One of the best series, if not THE best. It goes in right from the first book, theres no slow paced or boredom from the start. 

Max and Tisaanah are actually top tier, and the magic system is superb. Do wish they went into more detail about it though. It is very political and war plotted, very little happy moments lol the epilogue was so cute though 

grayson gruber

One of the best series, if not THE best. It goes in right from the first book, theres no slow paced or boredom from the start. 

Max and Tisaanah are actually top tier, and the magic system is superb. Do wish they went into more detail about it though. It is very political and war plotted, very little happy moments lol the epilogue was so cute though 

love love love love love 

Genevieve 

"That’s what we are fighting for, today. For a better, imperfect dawn after a long, imperfect night. I want to see that sunrise with you. Meet me there.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is it, this is my new favourite fantasy romance! All around 5 stars, each book was 5 stars and the series as whole is 5 stars - I am in love. 

I find it hard to write reviews about these books because they are just so huge and so much happens in them, each one is just jam packed with the most vivid action scenes, the most horrifying violence, the most heart-wrenching and heartbreaking confessions, truths and stories and also some of the creepiest, chilling things you can think of. 

"Tell me, little butterfly, what would you do for love?"

The love story in Mother of Death and Dawn is so beautiful, it's beautiful in all of the books, but in this one particularly because of the absolute highs and lows Max and Tisaanah go through. For the first half of the book I was sure that my heart was irreparably breaking along with them and then in true Carissa Broadbent style, I have learned, there is a massive life-changing event and absolutely stunningly written prose about the power of love and just what these characters will go through in the name of it. 

“One hundred and eighty thousand days, and I thought of you in every one.”

What I love about these books as well as that there is no clear "bad guy", every single side of this war is waged by people simply trying to do better for their people, each bad decision a character makes is fueled by trauma that is understandable and relatable - the moral grayness on all sides of the story is what truly makes this a 10/10 read. Caduan and Aefe's story is probably the single most heart-breaking, agonizing tale of loss and love that I have ever read. So much wrong was done to both of them, especially Aefe, that you can't help but root for them even when they're saying and doing the most horrific things. (view spoiler)[I am so glad they got some semblance of a happy ending, it may not have been the life together that they deserved after all that heart ache and damage - but I truly believe that death really is a door and they're on the other side together. (hide spoiler)]

"It was the beginning of an end, brought upon by mortal hubris. Hands reaching into forces that should not be wielded, and thinning boundaries that should not be torn.

Tisaanah and Max continue to blow me away with their perfectness - if there is one thing I could criticize in this series it is that Tisaanah is almost too perfect. She's the character that can seemingly do no wrong, she's always so wise and so smart and so heroic that none of the other characters can seem to live up to her, it almost feels like she has no flaws. Regardless, I absolutely love her and think she is the most badass FMC that I have ever read and I cried, sobbed, happy tears for her in this book. The ending just absolutely devastated me, in a good way. I am ruined.

"Tell me, my ashen son, do you know how much a million memories weigh? How about one? It weighs enough to break a spine. It weighs enough to break a soul." 

I have to say this book was pretty spooky as well, so this was a perfect October read for me - got to love that touch of horror. The absolutely terrifying creatures that were described in this book and the creepiness of the magic that they were trying to overcome really shook me. Nura is probably the scariest witch you could ever imagine, she was giving me proper Scarlet Witch vibes, and excuse me, but (view spoiler)[an army of the living dead, are you kidding me? I truly pity the person who can be made to stoop so low in the name of love for her country to create literal zombies, oh my word. (hide spoiler)]

Now excuse me while I go and shout from the rooftops, to everyone who will listen, that they have to, they MUST, it is IMPERATIVE every fantasy romance lover goes and reads this series. I am in awe and I am not sure if I will ever recover.

Mother of Death and Dawn

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