Oh, the voice was mad now.
Smoke and Scar
Gretchen Powell Fox
Shattered Crown, book one
ebook
Hardcover, 468 pages
Published March 10, 2025
ISBN 9780988468931
ASIN B0FDJF3SCF
A Splintered Kingdom
An ancient grudge has kept humans and the magical races of Arcanis at odds for centuries. The Arcane Crucible, a legendary series of trials that occurs every 25 years, offers a chance for peace.
A Haunted Warrior
Elyria Lightbreaker, once a celebrated fae war hero, is a shadow of her former self. Drowning in grief after losing the man she loved to the previous Crucible, now she must rise to stop his sister from falling to the same fate.
A Vengeful Knight
Hardened by loss and fueled by hate, Cedric Thorne’s lifelong goal to conquer the Crucible on humanity’s behalf is finally within reach. The only problem? Getting through the trials alive means working with Elyria—the very fae he blames for his parents’ deaths.
An Unwinnable Challenge
With alliances fragile as spun glass and betrayal lurking at every turn, Elyria and Cedric must navigate deadly trials that test their strength, spirit, and magic… as well as their increasingly complex feelings for each other.
This is the Arcane Crucible.
This one had a rough start for me. (And a rough middle and end as well) Taryn, I support you, lass, but you got to do better. Elyria, you can't glory in something then be offended by the label of it.
So our morally grey FMC is on a path of learning, by my standards, and I could easily see the two females becoming friends by the end. (I was wrong on all counts.)
Also, Elyria appears to be at the point where she's beyond done with everyone's bs. (And before the end, I would be as well.)
The Revenant. The solution to all their problems. The one that could finally put an end to the war between humans and faeries. Become the champion of Nyrundella and be all that and more.
Elyria just wants to drown herself in cider.
She is offended by the humans' lack of creativity in their slurs. As if her own bigotry is so refined.
Wtf am I reading, I asked more than once. Considered a DNF half a dozen times before making it even a third of the way through.
But things can only improve, right? Couldn't possibly get any worse. Right?
I could only choose to believe the cast would enlighten and save each other. But being flooded with a world of hate and disgust was not how I envisioned starting off 2026.
After about half way, the slurs and outright disrespect wane a bit but the story never truly improves.
Cedric is a rather pathetic character. Never really accomplishes anything other than suffering and inevitably sacrificing himself. Always apologizing. So accepting of the others' contempt for the humans. The way he sat there, testifying to the pain and suffering of his people, only for them, Ellyria included, to dismiss him with a "everybody suffers" response.
No one listens. Elyria certainly doesn't. She has had her mind made up from the beginning and the story only serves to justify her resolve and her predjudice.
And I am not a fan of those kind of stories.
I read books because they make me happy. They inspire. They open eyes by crafting new lenses. They pierce the heart and help shape the soul.
This book did not make me feel happy. Nor did it do any of those other things.
This book—this story—felt like a punishment.
But I'd be damned if my first read of 2026 would be a DNF.
So I pressed on. Ten percent here. Five percent there.
Until it was ultimately over. The long prophesied betrayal had occurred, and it was glorious, and the villain's secret identity was revealed to the reader, setting up a nice surprise in sequels to come.
I'll give credit where it's due: Zephyr was the best part of this book. By far.
2 out of 5 stars. When the fmc doesn't even want to be a part of the story, what hope does the reader have?
Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook
2026/01
