Week 9 Review: The Dragon Queen

From Goodreads:

Talon says the most horrible thing—that he doesn't expect to survive the war.

It's an outcome I don't want to consider. My whole life has been an endless reign of suffering until I found him. He was the one who caused this misery—but he' also the one that healed it. Happiness is a terrifying joy, because once you have it, all you can think about is the moment you lose it.

It's been decades since Talon has been to the Southern Isles, the place that had been his home for most of his life. Ethan says the place has changed, that the citizens are locked inside the kingdoms, that sailors can't get into port without an inspection, that the people are starving from a mysterious plague.

Before the battle can commence, we need to know what we're up against, so I volunteer to enter the castle as a maid and report everything I know. I'm not there for a week when I see that Barron is exactly the swine that Talon says he is. It's there that I discover a horrid list of truths.

It's there that I discover the Southern Isles has been destroyed by a dictator—and Barron is already prepared for war—because he knows exactly who the Death King is.

My Review:
Oh, loved reading this book! I've really enjoyed this series, and this was a great conclusion to their story, though I know the series isn't done yet, we're getting at least 1 book with their daughter's story, which I'm excited for! 

There's really only one thing left to do-battle with Talon's uncle, taking back the Southern Isles. That we got to see where he grew up, and where he lost so much...yeah, it was hard. To see just how the people have suffered, well, at least the hope that things are going to get better when they overthrow them is there.

The fact that he wasn't telling her about the bargain that he made, yeah, that was pretty frustrating, it was eroding trust in their relationship, and causing a lot of drama. It was something pretty important, and he wasn't conmmicating about it, which doesn't sound like it's part of a healthy relationship. 

But the way that the story went, when the big battle was done-there was still a good chunk of the book left. So of course there was most to happen. Watch as it was, and seeing what happens, yeah, it really has me excited for book 5, since it sounds like that's going to deal with the consequences of this. 

This was such a fantastic read and a great conclusion to this part of the story, and I can't wait to read more by Penelope Barsetti! 

Author: Penelope  Barsetti
Series: Death #4
Read: February 27th, 2025
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book! 
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Published: January 7th 2025

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars