Lord of Silver Ashes: Rowan Blood, Book 2

Much the same as the first book, it’s a jaw-dropping, gut wrenching, twisting, topsy turvy ride. Intrigue, mystery, mayhem, chaos, love… Join Saffron, an incredibly nerdy human servant and his Fey lover, Cylven, the prince of Feydom, on the second installment of their turbulent journey. Plot twists sharper than a hitman’s knife, this book is perilous to our young human protagonist battle against all odds with realistic consequences, mind rending agony, and an absolute devotion to his found family. What the spice lacks, makes up for in truly magnificent plot. This queer romance is certain to have something for everyone: Love, devotion, action, strong depictions of violence, enemies to lovers, mutual pining, pronoun friendly, humor, heartache… Outstanding. 10/10. Can’t get enough. (As someone who reads fanfiction on a daily basis, this book itches that hard to reach spot.)

The second book in the Rowan Blood series is even better than the first (don't get me wrong though, they're both phenomenal). I absolutely loved every second of this book and can already feel the post-book depression hitting me now that it's done. Definitely an emotional rollercoaster, as another reviewer described. I was laughing, smiling, crying, raging (mainly at Taran and Kaelar lol), and everything in between. I honestly would have finished the book faster than I did, but I wanted it to last as long as possible so I managed to stretch it out to almost a week and I'm still left wanting more. Asche is definitely my favorite character aside from Cylvan and Saffron. I absolutely adore them and relate to them. I hope we see more of them in the third book. I could go on and on about how much I adore this story and the world and lore building and everything else, but instead I say buy these books and experience it all for yourself. You definitely won't regret it. Rowan Blood is one of my top favorite series now and Saffron and Cylvan's romance is one of my top faves as well. They're so cute together I can hardly stand it! Lol I desperately want more of them and can hardly wait for the third book. It's gonna be hard staying patient until October.

Like most sequels, I found this wasn't quite as good as the first book. However, still immensely enjoyable and I devoured the over 500 (!!!) page book in just a few days. It was well paced and easy to read so it didn't feel like it was quite so long. There were a few instances that felt like the scene or time had shifted out of nowhere or scenes that could have been parsed down or removed entirely, but that's just down to editing. The ending was left wide open so obviously there's going to be a sequel but it did feel a bit unsatisfying, especially that, after EVERYTHING, Taran still got away. I assume the 3rd book will be more about their family and the consequences of all the actions in the first two books. If you have any interest in fae lore or this kind of fantasy setting, this series is highly recommended. Graves is a very welcome addition to the genre.

If you thought Prince of the Sorrows was spectacular in both plot, world-building, and relationships... yes, it was, but Lord of Silver Ashes takes it all to a whole new level. Prince of the Sorrows was so enjoyable that I was already expecting something great going into book 2 of Rowan Blood, so imagine my surprise when, not only was I not let down at all, but was gripped even tighter by everything Lord of Silver Ashes turned out to be. While reading, I audibly reacted multiple times to what was happening in the book. The story pulls you in and makes the world around you disappear as you watch things unfold. Every moment felt valuable, important, and made sense. Everything that was written mattered and I truly cared--a lot--about every single world of it. Thank you so much to Kellen for letting the world read this absolutely stunning series. I am very excited for book 3, whenever that may be!

First off, a GIANT thank you to Kellen for sending me an arc. Although, now I have to wait even longer for the next book so I guess I too have flown too close to the sun... I've been patiently waiting for volume 2 since I finished Prince of the Sorrows back in April, and folks, it did not disappoint. Lord of Silver Ashes builds on all the things that made POTS amazing. Expanded world building, a deeper understanding of the magic system, more Cylfron (is that a thing? yeah? yeah? no? oh...) chemistry, more Cylvan being ADORABLE - all I have to say is "Ribbit", and more twists & turns than you can imagine! It's hard to write a spoiler free review for this series, so I'll just say this - Kellen is a fantastic writer and managed to make me laugh, gasp, cry (read: sob), and stay up late reading "just one more chapter" and really, that's all I can hope for in a book. Just read this series already and I'll shut up about it, okay?* *no I won't