Blade and Crystal Thorns

by Kay L. Moody

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He never listens. But maybe a little betrayal can change that…

Chloe knows it’s a mistake to be in love with an immortal fae warrior who will never die of old age like she will. But she’d much rather be distracted by a war in a newly discovered Faerie court than think about that.

But war is complicated when it’s mortals against fae. When her powerful and protective fae warrior makes an unforgivable mistake, she pushes him away once and for all.

Chloe’s actions lead to unintended and dire consequences, and now she’s gravely injured and has nowhere else to go.

Even with a terrifying dragon on her side, Chloe might not have the strength necessary to save this new court. If she can’t find a way, both her life and her heart may be destroyed forever.

Enter this romantasy enemies to lovers if you love books where he protects her without hesitation, she has nowhere else to go, and it can never work but they keep falling for each other anyway.

SERIES READING ORDER

Book 1: Flame & Crystal Thorns

Book 2: Shadow & Crystal Thorns

Book 3: Blade & Crystal Thorns

Book 4: Curse & Crystal Thorns

Book 5: Wrath & Crystal Thorns

Standalone: Nutcracker of Crystalfall

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Book Details

Genre

Fantasy/Science Fiction Romance

Subgenre

Action/Adventure, Fae / Elf, Fairytale, High Fantasy, Medieval, Mythology-Based (Greek, Norse, Celtic, etc.), Royal

Series

Fae and Crystal Thorns • Book 3

Audience

New Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

2 Mild

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

1 None

Publication Date

March 21, 2023

Language Versions

English

Fiction Form

Novel

Sensitive Themes

Depression or anxiety, Murder or attempted murder, War or battle scenes

Representation

BIPOC main character / cast

Thrilling Third Book!

The series continues with Chloe and the others, still facing off against the mortals despite their accomplishments. This time, they must protect a new court, with the help of a special dagger and a crown. They enter a quest to find the crown, all whilst battling unsure feelings and morals.

I love the cover for this one! The dagger is gorgeous! It would make a beautiful bookish decoration on the shelf!

This was a fun, delightful read. It picked up well from the second book. I enjoyed Chloe’a character more. She has truly grown a lot from the first book. She’s intelligent, thoughtful and always keeps her morals in check, even despite her feelings.

I’m glad we also got to see more Mishti, some of her feelings and fragments of her backstory. She’s an amazing character, so strong despite everything.

This was a fun read and I definitely recommend it to those who love fantasy, fae and incredible series with action, romance and more!

Thank you Booksirens and Kay L. Moody for the chance to read this incredible third book in a fun series!

an exquisitely wrought bejeweled blade is still a dangerous weapon

Bitter thorns can hold exquisite beauty and glittering gems can hide cruel danger. The beautiful court Chloe and Quintus have discovered has some dangerous secrets, but also some desperately sought answers. Joined by Ludo and Mishti, the 4 have very different and often conflicting ideas about what should be done. High off of her recent successes, Chloe is confident, maybe even arrogant and makes some decisions that lead to quite unexpected consequences. Quests, battles, relationship angst - even a visit with some characters we haven't seen in a while.

I appreciate that Moody's characters aren't the typical YA romantasy leads and Chloe even more so than most. She struggled in this book though - like really lost her way. It was an exciting book, but oh that made it hard to read. When you've seen a character grow and learn so much - and then they seem to forget everything and go against the core of who they are - it hurts. I mean I get her reasoning so not totally out of character in the given situation but she makes decisions that remind you just how young she is regardless of how mature she might seem. Well written character to pull that off.

This is book 3 of 4 in the Fae and Crystal Thorns series and I do think it suffers from middle book syndrome a little. It was pack to the gills with action and angst and clues and reveals, but at the same time it felt rushed and contrived at times. Like the purpose was to move the characters and plot from A to B more than this was an integral part of the story. This is a series that must be read in order as each book follows directly on the preceding and yeas, there is a huge reveal/cliff hanger at the end of book 3 leading in to 4. This is an honest and voluntary review of an ARC

Blade & Crystal Thorns

fabulous book by an amazing author!

More from Chloe & Quintus

The first thing that draws you to Blade and Crystal Thorns is the wonderful cover. It held me with tastefully done imagery, which is not merely beautiful, but stands out amongst many others in this genre.

Within the story you are reunited with Chloe and Quintus. They set out to recover missing pieces to the Crown of Crystalfall. As they go, the pair is accompanied by their friends, Mishti and Ludo. The group traverses different lands and becomes embroiled in treacherous encounters along the way. The author has built a wonderful Fae / Faerie world concept and can certainly build upon it in the remaining editions. (I love Faerie stories.)

To that end, this particular story did not pique my interest. From the opening pages the prose holds numerous editorial issues. Those issues kept me off-balance leaving me with little connection to the characters or their quest.

I received an ARC copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily and without compensation.

Absolutely in love with this story

I absolutely adore the story. I have fallen in love with Quintus and Chloe followed them through the entire series so far I am so anxious for the next one to come out.