Shadow Rules the Land: Chronicles of Radelea

by Samara Saward

DARKNESS

After enduring torture by the hand of Summer and betrayal from within her home, Bria Sutherland's life is one of chaos and heartache. She cannot determine friend from foe. Perhaps she could if the Mother Star would rise and grace Radelea with her warmth once more.

WRATH

The High Lady of Night brought war to the shores of Dusk, and the court struggles to rebuild in the wake of the Gloom. Rage fuels Bria now, and every decision she makes rests on the back of her inner demon. The crimson haunting her soul remains.

MELANCHOLY

Bria is not the only fae with a new outlook, but one of many in Radelea who mourn. Wyn is not herself — Bria will go to great lengths to uncover Wyn's burden, including forming an alliance with her tormentor, the High Lord of Summer.

SACRIFICE

In her plight to save Wyn, Bria fights alongside Vander for the return of the Mother Star, and they reveal Radelea's true enemy along the way. If they wish to bring peace to their beloved realm, they must learn to trust in others.

Join the Dusk Court as they battle darkness, secure alliances, and fight for peace in the third and final instalment of the Chronicles of Radelea.

339 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2024

About the author

Samara is a fantasy author from Melbourne, Australia, where she lives with her three kids, partner, and an English staffy named Boots. While she loves Melbourne, she grew up surrounded by a large family in north-west Tasmania, and misses the quiet life. When she's not writing, you'll find her reading, drinking coffee, camping, or playing Monopoly with her kids.

Reviews

[Jodie Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ Book AND 5⭐️Series

The Chronicles of Radelea was a truly amazing trilogy which had me completely invested from the first chapter of the first book all the way to the final chapter of book three where I sobbed my way to the end.

This binge worthy trilogy had everything I need in a fantasy:
- Detailed world building which was so realistic that I felt like I could just step in
- Endearing cast of characters who felt like my friends
- An eoic character arc for our female main character which felt so deep, raw and powerful
- A chosen fated mates romance where they still remained their own person
- Evil villain who felt unbeatable as she surprised us with so many unexpected plots
- Action packed storyline where each moment felt real, purposeful and flowing naturally towards the finale
- World leaders coming together for a brighter future

Shadow rules the land was the perfect finale to a trilogy that will forever have my heart with a deeply satisfying, yet emotional ending. I am sad to say goodbye to Bria and her friends but the journey was wonderful and one that I will continue to revisit many times…

…I wonder if we ask our author nicely whether she would write a second trilogy in The Chronicles of Radelea (yes I loved it that much that I’m prepared to beg!)

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5)

In the third and final book of the series, we return to the Fae kingdom of Radelea to re-join Bria and Vander (FMC and MMC – Lady and High Lord of Dusk) in their battle against the previously unseen enemy that is Maude (Lady of Night). With many of our well-known characters acting out of sorts and continuous attacks raining down on them, it is up to our beloved pair to rally the other Courts to overcome the impossible.

I continue to be in love with this world, its characters/creatures and the devastating hair-pin plot twists that Samara unashamedly throws us around right from the off and until the last page. I have laughed out loud and sobbed hysterically while reading this book. I adore the massive green-flag relationship between Bria and Vander (and the well-placed spice), which only grows stronger as Bria becomes more self-reliant. Bria continues to grow throughout this series, overcoming her youthful arrogance and heart-breaking trauma. Here, she is a confident and considered warrior coming into her power ready for the final battle. I also enjoy the small but disastrous influence of the human world on this story and the continual betrayal the ungrateful mortals commit against the Fae dying to protect them. Be prepared for a full emotional rollercoaster with this one. Just when you think you are safe, tragedy strikes in the most heart-breaking way.

My only issue with this book is that the pacing for the first half was a little out of step with the previous two books. We spend a lot of time waiting and training, and not a lot of time doing anything. Then, all of a sudden there is a flurry of action (somewhat predictably fighting against a reappearing army of harpies in the process), and then we are waiting again. The logic is that it is better to be prepared, but it feels very out of character for them to be completely in reactive mode (and not even that, because they don’t do anything to help Wyn until it’s too late, despite suspecting her conflict). That said, they definitely get their act together in the second half after receiving a royal whooping from Maude on more than one occasion. I also wish we had more banter from Torin, who get cut off repeated and is lost without Wyn to bounce off.

In searching for the theme of this book, I suppose it would be that you can’t win them all or that war, while completely unnecessary, if undertaken is a marathon not a sprint. Certainly, I feel like I’ve fought an emotional battle in completing this series. It is everything I hoped it would be and I love the characters as dearly as those of the most booktok raved about series. I would very happily recommend this book and the series as a whole to lovers of ACOTAR, romantasy, political intrigue, slow-burn and a story that keeps you guessing until the very last page.

For transparency, I was delighted to receive an e-ARC copy of this book for review and look forward to supporting Samara’s future work.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final battle.

I had the absolute pleasure of receiving an ARC of Shadows Rule the Land, and let me begin with: WOW.

From the moment you step foot back into Radelea, preparing for the most gruesome battle imaginable, you're engulfed in emotion. Bria has finally overcome her haunted crimson hands and has accepted that war will come. Vander is her stationary post, bringing her comfort and stability when her mind races. Protecting the realm is all they can do.

Throughout the story, you have the unfortunate pleasure of seeing what all Maude - the Lady of Night - can carry out with her powers; turning a key character into an enemy. The absolute betrayal made me yell at my Kindle.

The plot twists, turns in the story that I did NOT expect, made it all that easier to devour. There are so many key moments, world-building that you may not usually find important, that come together in the end. Any question I had from book 1 + 2, answered by the end of this installment.

✨️ epic conclusion
✨️ fae politics
✨️ mental health representation
✨️ betrayal + love
✨️ found family
✨️ absolute heartbreak

I'll never tire of Samara's writing. Her attention to detail, world-building and wringing on your heart strings is phenomenal.

Highly recommend the Chronicles of Radelea triology!

[Chelsea Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝓦𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓱𝓸𝓶𝓮.”

Now that I’ve dried the tears, I can finally write my review. What an ✨ excellent ✨ conclusion to an epic trilogy.

The story of Bria, from a naive and jaded fae, to a powerful leader, was beautiful to read. Having her friends alongside her, helping in every way. Vander, always the absolute green flag, was an ever present love in all three books. He was present in the last book of course, I just wish I got a bit more of Vander time.

This book was full of battles and war, and was excellently depicted. The way Samara describes the magic wielding is epic, especially the folding. I especially loved the one scene where Bria slices a fae with winter magic, the way it was described was incredible. I enjoyed reading more of each court and the alliances that were able to be made. And I very much enjoyed the last few pages and that last paragraph…. Oof, an excellent ending.

I will say, I wasn’t expecting to feel bad for Tohminic, but here we are 😂

This story, although devastating (you know what you did Samara) was beautiful and I am sad that it is done. But I’m happy I read it.

If anyone needs an epic trilogy with magic, fae, soul mates, found family and watching a fae discover herself, then the Chronicles of Radelea is for you!


4.5 ⭐️ 1.5 🌶️

[O'Livia Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the concept of “Shadow Rules the Land: Chronicles of Radelea Book 3 of Chronicles of Radelea” by Samara Saward, it was very well written and thought out. I love how in this book we get to see what is going on with Bria now that The High Lady of Night has brought war to the shores of Dusk, and the court is struggling to rebuild in the wake of the Gloom. Bria now has a new outlook and it is rage fueled. Bria is not the only fae with a new outlook, Wyn just isn’t herself lately. Bria will go to great lengths to uncover Wyn’s burden, including forming an alliance with her tormentor, the High Lord of Summer Vander. Bria fights alongside Vander for the return of the Mother Star, and they reveal Radelea’s true enemy along the way. If they wish to bring peace to their beloved realm, they must learn to trust in others. Will Bria and Vander learn to trust one another? Will they be able to bring Mother Star back to the realm of Radelea? Will they reveal the true enemy of Radelea? I guess that you will have to read “Shadow Rules the Land” to find out what happens. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy enjoyed this series. It has a lot in it some harder to read than other parts (the torture scenes were particularly well described and vivid in my mind while reading them!). That said there is no torture in this one. Bria is an interesting character who has a lot of character growth through the series. She is surrounded by a lot of other strong characters and we see the others grow alongside her.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review..

[ajscenic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series has been brilliant. My emotions went through the gauntlet when reading this book. I felt for Bria, trying getting through her betrayal. The highs and lows. The losses. They all added to the tension and made the ending, all the more powerful.
This has been a wonderful, epic series.
Thank You Samara for writing it!

[Charmi Zielinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book ripped out my soul and put it back together. I loved Samaras writing and she had me coming back for 3 books now. The world building is amazing.

It broke my heart when certain events happened towards the end of the book and I don’t know if I’ll ever truly recover.

But this book Is worth a read

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic ending to an absolutely exciting and captivating trilogy. This book definitely lets you experience a lot of emotions, which is particularly highlighted by the wonderful writing style. I absolutely loved the characters and their development. The storyline is just fantastic!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Just finished reading ARC copy and it's late at night. Full review to come*

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this fantasy book. This book had the same great fantasy story with some good action and spice. Was a good ending to this trilogy.

[Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

this would have been 5 stars but I feel killing Torin wasn't necessary for the story at all and put a sour note to the experience.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

And we’re back to Radelea for the final instalment in Bria’s story (I really need to learn to stick with one series at a time, my poor brain just can’t remember all the things) and what a conclusion it is. I’m so glad I found Samara and her writing!

Bria and her friends are in darkness after the Mother Star turned her back on Radelea when the fragile peace between the courts fell apart. Now they must work together with their allies before the Night Court can inflict more suffering with their mind control magic.

I felt the pacing was a slightly slower with this book, after the continuous action of the first two. Combined with a couple of minor events that I had some difficulty wrapping my thoughts around (might have been because I stayed up late to read 🤭), I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the other two but the last 20% or so absolutely made up for that. There were so many twists and turns and moments that had me squealing and moments that had me teary.

I loved Bria’s character arc over the course of the trilogy and by the end of this book we see her embracing the crimson that’s haunted her for the better part of the story and how it’s made her into the warrior and leader we leave her as. Reading her journey has been such a pleasure.

Also, the last couple of paragraphs. YES. That is how a series should end 👌

Thank you Samara for providing me with a copy of the wonderful conclusion to Bria’s story. You’ve gained a new fan in me and I’m so keen to read your new series!

[Satviki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's start with the pros. I liked the mcs even more in this book. Bria is finally ready for war; She has finally become the woman she was meant to be. As for Vander, he is so supportive towards Bria, it's nice to see. The ending being bittersweet with an edge of hope was also quite nice.

While SRtL is a wonderful conclusion to the series, no book is without its cons. The main con for SRtL was the pacing. The plot was slow at times, and some moments dragged a bit.

Overall, Shadow Rules the Land was a lovely epic fantasy romance, and a decent conclusion to the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[TJ | TheEclecticBookFairy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third and final instalment in the chronicles of Radelea series, samara has out done herself with this one.

Continuing off from the last book we see the war take multiple turns and the connection between mfc and mmc heat up in every way.

With plot twists, turns and unexpected losses, you will laugh, scream and even get teary and down right cry with this one.

Told in multiple POVs but mainly FMC you fall deeper into the Radelea world where there is a HEA but at the cost of your emotions.

A perfect but also heartbreaking ending to the series.
Congratulations on an incredible trilogy Samara. ❤️