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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Really liked it! Highly recommend.
This series has OWNED me from book one, and A Dawn of Chaos and Fury by Melissa K. Roehrich still delivers the emotional chokehold… even if it overstays its welcome a bit. Let’s get into it.
Summary:
A Destiny to Defy
Tessalyn Ausra has been betrayed at every turn, but she’s also dealt betrayals of her own. With the consequences of her choices hanging over her, she’s done letting others define her purpose, but choosing that path could prove costly. Theon has sent her away, and Luka is wrestling with his own destiny, unsure if that still includes her. The rest of Tessa’s companions are wary now that everyone has tasted her vengeance and experienced her chaos. Maybe they should be. Maybe balance has always been an illusion. And maybe she stands at the same crossroads she has been at from the very beginning: salvation or destruction?
A Fate to Outrun
Theon St. Orcas is no stranger to sacrifice. He has spent his entire life ensuring the ones he loves are safe. Preparing to face the Fates and the destruction of their realm, he only wants to spend the time he has left with the family that remains in Devram. But as he prepares to find his brother, more than one secret comes to light that has him questioning everything. Were the sacrifices all for nothing in the end?
A Future to Change
Just when he thought he was adjusting to his new life in the Underground, Axel St. Orcas finds himself thrust into a battle with the dark and depraved. With Kat at his side, they set about building alliances with the other Districts. But everywhere he looks, there’s sabotage, not to mention the kingdoms fracturing beyond the Underground. He refuses to bend a knee to injustice, but can he really change the future for those who have been wronged?
Who will be left standing when Chaos comes to reign?
📖 What’s Inside:
- “My wife.” (said with chest) 💍
- Multi-POV chaos
- Magical bonds
- Dragons 🐉
- On-page intimacy 🔴
- Messy politics
- Found family
- 🌈 Inclusive
- Pregnancy plotlines
- Plot twists that sneak up on you
✨ Vibes:
Tessa has major Gollum energy and I stand by this comparison.
💭 My Thoughts:
This book came into my life like it KNEW I needed to be feral about something. I was in a pit — a true fantasy slump — and this story pulled me out by my hair. The emotional messiness? The trauma? The bonds? The impossible choices? DELICIOUS.
I adore these characters. Every last flawed disaster of them. And not the “I’m flawed because the plot needs me to be” fake stuff — the real, layered, relatable kind. You get why they’re hurting, why they’re angry, why they’re loyal, why they’re messy. You feel for them even when they’re making catastrophically bad decisions. It’s believable and human and honestly so GOOD.
But let’s talk POVs.
Tessa and Luka? Inject them straight into my bloodstream.
Eviana’s chapters? I stayed invested… but my grip got a little sweaty. I drifted. The momentum dipped.
What Melissa K. Roehrich always nails, though, is consequences. Nobody gets away clean. Nobody grows in a straight line. Mistakes repeat, not identically, but in new forms, the way real trauma and real healing actually work. Chef’s kiss.
BUT… this finale wasn’t my favorite in the series.
Books 1–3? Five stars across the board.
Book 4? Not quite.
Here’s why:
1️⃣ It’s too long.
Yes, I can inhale a 900-page beast. Happily. Gleefully.
But ONLY if the pacing has me sweating.
This one didn’t. Not consistently. I wanted edge-of-my-seat intensity, and instead I got long stretches of… not that.
2️⃣ Some plot twists were dropped through casual conversations instead of high-tension moments.
Lower impact → lower stakes.
3️⃣ “Baby girl.”
I physically recoiled. Instant ick.
4️⃣ The ending felt rushed after 900 pages of buildup.
Like… HOW.
I still really liked this book. I still HIGHLY recommend the series. But this finale dragged the series rating from a perfect 5 down to a 4 — and I am devastated about it.
Should you add A Dawn of Chaos and Fury to your TBR?
Yes. This finale may wobble, but the emotional punches? Still elite. Finish the series, just don’t be afraid to skim when the pacing slows.
Final Chaos Check
Okay, fantasy fiends, tell me this:
Are you the type who powers through a series finale even when it’s dragging its feet? Or do you nope right out the second the pacing goes limp? Because I was DETERMINED to finish this beast, even when my eyeballs were begging for mercy.
Honestly, I’m dying to know…
Do long, lore-heavy finales thrill you? Or make you reach for the skim button like it’s a survival tactic?
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