The Night Realm

This review MAY contain spoilers. Read at your own risk. All of the gods and stars in the sky shine down on me! This book is such a masterpiece! This book has rattled my heart. (But each and every Annette Marie book that I've read has shaken up my heart. And for the better.) Annette Marie's Steel & Stone series is one of my all-time favorite series! And her Red Winter series was just as heart-shattering. Every single thing that this glorious woman writes is magical. She has truly been blessed by the gods and we the readers get to reap the glory with all of her memorable stories. -sigh- I really loved the world building. It is so complex and absorbing. Having already read Annette Marie's Steel & Stone series, I was already familiar with this world. I love that this new series set in the same universe built upon what I already knew. It was a deeper look into the underworld. We get a glimpse of Crysalis inside of Asphodel, where this book primarily takes place, in the Steel & Stone series, but we delve in so much deeper in this book. I also love that while this series is part of a greater universe, it was also self-contained so that a new reader that has not read the Steel & Stone series could easily pick up the feel for this world. The plot was completely flawless and expertly crafted. The flow of the story was so fluid. The story is absolutely riveting. I read this in one sitting because I simply could not put the book down. I had to know what was going to happen next. I literally could not stop reading. I have never been so grateful to miss a full night's sleep. This book is well worth the sleep-deprived headache that I received as a result. The intricacy of the plot is really what made me keep reading. The plot twists were surprising and the foreshadowing was layered into the story incomparably. The author has a genuine talent for storytelling. The characters in this book are so distinctive and I was easily drawn to them. Lyre was a character in the Steel & Stone series and it was an absolute delight to get to know him more intimately in this series. After reading the Steel & Stone series I was so curious about Lyre's past and this book clears all of that up and really expands upon his character for the universe as a whole. I adored Lyre in the Steel & Stone series and reading this book has only strengthened that feeling. He is immediately likable and evokes so much emotion in the reader. Clio is a new character and she is just as delightful. She is so innocent, thoughtful, and it is completely easy to fall in love with her. This book has set up what I can only expect to be an incredible character arc. I can't wait to see how her character grows throughout the rest of the series. This book contains the best kind of romance. It is a slow burn romance and the characters come together naturally. They get to know each other and they share a common interest/talent. They also come together because of circumstance and fate. It was really beautiful because they both realize that the other is the only person in each of their lives that has ever really done something for them without wanting anything in return. There is not much in terms of physical romantic scenes, but the scenes where they are together have so much romantic tension that it will make you swoon. I cannot wait for more! Overall, it was such a pleasure to revisit the Steel & Stone universe. I have such a hankering to reread the Steel & Stone series. It is literally gnawing in my stomach with want to reread the series. I can only assume that this feeling is akin to being under the influence of an incubus's aphrodisia. I will forever be a fan of Annette Marie! I will read everything that she writes. If you have not had the pleasure of reading any of her books then I highly recommend doing so because you are definitely missing out. I am going to promptly start the second book of this series. After I finish this series I am definitely going to reread the Steel & Stone series. I just want to live inside this magically delicious world.