I received this book via the author, Robin D. Mahle, Elle Madison. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Of Beasts and Vengeance by Robin D. Mahle, Elle Madison Series: Twisted Pages #2
Published by Whiskey and Willow Publishing on 2021-01-22
Length: 297 pages
Reviewing eARC Rating:
Zaina thought she could run from her secrets, but they have finally caught up to her.
She’s willing to risk her life for those she loves, but even that might not be enough to stop what’s coming.Einar has finally let down his guard, but when the woman he trusts takes off in the middle of the night with his people's only hope for a cure, he realizes what a mistake that was.
They have been living under the shadow of the same monster for longer than either of them realize. But it’s up to them to decide whether that makes them enemies or allies.
You’ve heard it asked, who could ever learn to love a beast? But this time, the question is, could a beast ever learn to love?
Of Beasts and Vengeance by Robin D. Mahle, Elle Madison is the sequel to Of Thorns and Beauty and picks up right where the first left off. There is more of everything in this book: more Zaina, more Einar, more action, more romance, just more! Of Beasts and Vengeance takes the reader on a redemption story that shows how love always wins.
Please note that if you have not read book one of this series, there are spoilers in this review.
The story begins with Zaina. Having fled the palace with Einar’s rose, Zaina has a plan. Not a good plan, but a plan nonetheless. Zaina is at the end of her rope. She knows it. She cannot and will not hurt the ones she loves, but she loves people on opposite sides of this fight. She makes a plan that will ensure the survival of all she loves, but at the cost of her own life. My heart sank as she made her plan. She was so sure no one would miss her save her sisters. She refused to think what it might do to Einar. Zaina is loyal to a fault, yet refuses to trust anyone with the lives of those she loves except for herself. And so she goes.
Einar awakes to find Zaina gone. At first, he refuses to believe she would leave him and take the rose. The rose is his only hope of saving his people, she knew that and she wouldn’t take it. But she did. Now Einar is stuck believing the worst of his new wife which goes against everything he’s learned about her in their short time together. Einar’s struggle I empathized with. He wants to believe her and wants her to trust him. Yet his treatment of her when she arrived in his kingdom haunts him. Now he must walk the line of ruler and husband and find a balance between them.
Overall I loved Of Beasts and Vengeance. The authors deliver on Zaina and Einar’s story, filling it with surprising twists and wrapping up any loose ends from the first book. I love the slow build of their relationship, but I perhaps enjoyed the character growth for Zaina the most. I can’t wait to read more of this series! If you enjoy retellings, fantasy, and of course romance, I highly recommend Of Beasts and Vengeance be added to your shelf.
About Elle Madison
Elle Madison is a faerie disguising herself as an author in the human world.
When she isn't wrestling her children, she's busy baking cookies for her husband and becoming a regular at every taco shop she comes across.
After hours, when she puts the kiddos to bed, you can usually find Elle working on creating new fantastical worlds or playing Stardew Valley.
Elle enjoys watching the sunset, trying new wines, the occasional raccoon, and being with people who make her laugh.
About Robin D. Mahle
The name Robin D. Mahle represents a dynamic husband and wife storytelling team. They've travelled the world for both love and war, and a tale began to form between the two of them that just had to be told. One's love of anime and comics collided with the other's love of fiction novels to produce a story with action, captivating dialogue, and riveting prose.
The female piece to the puzzle that is Robin spends her days as a captioner for the deaf and hard of hearing. She loves to read, write, and loves all things Doctor Who. A Marine Corps veteran, her husband homeschools their offspring, lovingly nicknamed Thing 1 and Thing 2. He loves to write and spend time in his garden.They also have two fur babies: a standard full-sized poodle and a persian cat. Their family lives in Colorado after a lifetime of being way too hot in Texas.
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