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A Tale of Two Crowns #2
The Moon Blessed King
Not yet published
Expected 28 Apr 26In the daring sequel to The Sun Blessed Prince, Elician and Cat must confront the goddess of death to save their nations – unless it's already too late.
Elician, a Giver with the power to raise the dead, is crowned King of Soleb, but it’s forbidden for Givers to rule. However, Elician is determined to end a generations-long war with the kingdom of Alelune – and will marry Alelune's rightful heir to do so.
But Cat is a Reaper, able to kill with a touch, and is therefore feared by his own people. His claim to the throne is a gamble at best, until his tyrannical brother, Gillage, seizes power before Cat can lay his claim to it – and now the conflict Elician had hoped to avoid seems inevitable.
Just as the war between nations begins anew, the goddess of death releases a devastating plague across the continent. To stop it, Elician and Cat must confront Death herself, leaving Elician's rebellious sister, Fen, to do what she can to heal the sick in their absence. But when a coup threatens to upend her brother’s reign, Fen must decide exactly what she is willing to sacrifice to help her brother succeed.
With the death toll rising and the struggle for the Alelunen throne in the balance, it’s a race against time to appease the wrath of a god with the monarchies of both countries at stake.
Elician, a Giver with the power to raise the dead, is crowned King of Soleb, but it’s forbidden for Givers to rule. However, Elician is determined to end a generations-long war with the kingdom of Alelune – and will marry Alelune's rightful heir to do so.
But Cat is a Reaper, able to kill with a touch, and is therefore feared by his own people. His claim to the throne is a gamble at best, until his tyrannical brother, Gillage, seizes power before Cat can lay his claim to it – and now the conflict Elician had hoped to avoid seems inevitable.
Just as the war between nations begins anew, the goddess of death releases a devastating plague across the continent. To stop it, Elician and Cat must confront Death herself, leaving Elician's rebellious sister, Fen, to do what she can to heal the sick in their absence. But when a coup threatens to upend her brother’s reign, Fen must decide exactly what she is willing to sacrifice to help her brother succeed.
With the death toll rising and the struggle for the Alelunen throne in the balance, it’s a race against time to appease the wrath of a god with the monarchies of both countries at stake.
448 pages, Paperback
Expected publication April 28, 2026
3 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
About the author
Lindsey Byrd
5 books41 followersLindsey began writing stories at a young age, enjoying the escapism of fantasy worlds where anything could happen. When she writes, she focuses on creating complex characters who are neither perfectly good or bad.
She grew up in New York, but moved to Europe to complete her doctoral studies in History. She uses a pen-name to keep her academic publications separate from her fiction work, but her pen-name does have personal meaning.
When she was a child, her mother asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. Lindsey responded: "A Bird," and so this name helps make that dream come true.
Shy by nature, Lindsey does not spend much time on social media. Instead, she can be found taking long walks and looking for new birds to add to Merlin ID.
She grew up in New York, but moved to Europe to complete her doctoral studies in History. She uses a pen-name to keep her academic publications separate from her fiction work, but her pen-name does have personal meaning.
When she was a child, her mother asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. Lindsey responded: "A Bird," and so this name helps make that dream come true.
Shy by nature, Lindsey does not spend much time on social media. Instead, she can be found taking long walks and looking for new birds to add to Merlin ID.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 21, 2026
This book is proof that a romance between two cinnamon roll mcs can work!
The Moon Blessed Prince is book two of the A Tale of Two Crowns Duology. It continues the story of Elician of Soleb, who is a Giver, and Alest (Cat) of Alelune, a Reaper. After being reunited at the end of book one, The Sun Blessed King, Elician and Cat must work together to broker peace between their two nations, and claim Cat’s place as rightful King of Alelune.
I’ll be honest, I loved Elician and Cat. They are both just so…good. Like, good people, deep down. There’s flaws, for sure, but rooting for them is so easy. I just wanted them to be happy.
In fact, there were a lot of well-written characters to root for. Lio was one of my favourites in book one, and while his presence is diminished in book two, he is still so strong and adds so much to the story whenever he shows up. There is a great character arc for Elician’s adopted sister, Fenlia, one of our three voices in the book.
How things begin in book one, with such a wide divide between Giver and Reaper, Life and Death, compared to where we end up in the conclusion of book two is so well done. I loved that journey. The world building really is so interesting.
I would recommend this Duology for people who like fantasy, slow burn romance, and unapologetically queer stories.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing the ARC of this book. This review is my honest and voluntary opinion.
******
Yay my arc request was approved! I’m so excited to see how this story wraps up.
The Moon Blessed Prince is book two of the A Tale of Two Crowns Duology. It continues the story of Elician of Soleb, who is a Giver, and Alest (Cat) of Alelune, a Reaper. After being reunited at the end of book one, The Sun Blessed King, Elician and Cat must work together to broker peace between their two nations, and claim Cat’s place as rightful King of Alelune.
I’ll be honest, I loved Elician and Cat. They are both just so…good. Like, good people, deep down. There’s flaws, for sure, but rooting for them is so easy. I just wanted them to be happy.
In fact, there were a lot of well-written characters to root for. Lio was one of my favourites in book one, and while his presence is diminished in book two, he is still so strong and adds so much to the story whenever he shows up. There is a great character arc for Elician’s adopted sister, Fenlia, one of our three voices in the book.
How things begin in book one, with such a wide divide between Giver and Reaper, Life and Death, compared to where we end up in the conclusion of book two is so well done. I loved that journey. The world building really is so interesting.
I would recommend this Duology for people who like fantasy, slow burn romance, and unapologetically queer stories.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing the ARC of this book. This review is my honest and voluntary opinion.
******
Yay my arc request was approved! I’m so excited to see how this story wraps up.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Massive thank you to Random House Canada and NetGalley for approving me for this ARC!
₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚
After falling in love with Elician and Cat’s story in The Sun Blessed Prince and with the promise of a payoff to the romance that was burning beneath the veneer of the first book, I was anxious to get my hands on the ARC for the sequel, The Moon Blessed King. Four months of trying not to lose my mind later, and the book was in my hands, ready to be devoured whole.
Taking place immediately following the events of the first book, Elician and Cat seal themselves in a political marriage in an attempt to unite their two kingdoms, Soleb and Alelune respectively, and end the war that has devastated both countries for centuries. With Cat’s corrupt half-brother on the throne of Alelune and a plague that has gripped both lands as punishment for angering Life and Death, Elician and Cat must rely on their allies, and on each other, to eradicate the sickness and make a plea with Death to place Cat on the throne. In tandem with our eclipsed princes, we reunite with Elician’s adopted sister, Fenlia, as she fights against everything she’s been taught and everything she is, in order to serve her people and honor Elician’s wishes.
Ultimately, The Moon Blessed King improves upon many of its predecessor’s shortcomings, while suffering from issues that were entirely of its own creation. Nevertheless, it was immensely satisfying to see the conclusion of what is, truly, a beautiful story. A star gets taken away for any damages suffered by the inclusion of Fenlia’s character, but a solid four stars for Cat and Elician uplifting one another, our Sun and our Moon. Our Life and our Death.
₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚
After falling in love with Elician and Cat’s story in The Sun Blessed Prince and with the promise of a payoff to the romance that was burning beneath the veneer of the first book, I was anxious to get my hands on the ARC for the sequel, The Moon Blessed King. Four months of trying not to lose my mind later, and the book was in my hands, ready to be devoured whole.
Taking place immediately following the events of the first book, Elician and Cat seal themselves in a political marriage in an attempt to unite their two kingdoms, Soleb and Alelune respectively, and end the war that has devastated both countries for centuries. With Cat’s corrupt half-brother on the throne of Alelune and a plague that has gripped both lands as punishment for angering Life and Death, Elician and Cat must rely on their allies, and on each other, to eradicate the sickness and make a plea with Death to place Cat on the throne. In tandem with our eclipsed princes, we reunite with Elician’s adopted sister, Fenlia, as she fights against everything she’s been taught and everything she is, in order to serve her people and honor Elician’s wishes.
Ultimately, The Moon Blessed King improves upon many of its predecessor’s shortcomings, while suffering from issues that were entirely of its own creation. Nevertheless, it was immensely satisfying to see the conclusion of what is, truly, a beautiful story. A star gets taken away for any damages suffered by the inclusion of Fenlia’s character, but a solid four stars for Cat and Elician uplifting one another, our Sun and our Moon. Our Life and our Death.
March 14, 2026
ARC provided by NetGalley and this is my honest review.
“The Sun Blessed Prince” was one of my favorite books of 2025 so “The Moon Blessed King” had a lot of hype for me. It mostly delivered.
While “The Sun Blessed Prince” was a slower paced book, its sequel’s plot moved quickly from each development and twist. There was much less time for some big developments to breathe. I found this to be somewhat disappointing, even if I really enjoyed my time reading this book.
However, the story itself was very strong and delivered. Real stakes were present. Everything set up in “Sun Blessed Prince” is wrapped up well here. Elician and Cat are such a good duo to root for. Lio kind of disappeared here after being so present in the first book, which is fine but also a bit disappointing. Fen’s arc is well executed and justified, even if other reviewers dislike her. Her POV really works here. We know Elician and Cat are dedicated to peace and unification, but Fen provides a foil of sorts. We needed to see her growth in order for peace to happen. Kudos to Byrd on her arc.
I think I will need to reread the duology again in the future as one book/story to really appreciate the tale. Due to the quick publication order, I suspect Byrd wrote this as one book that was cut in half for publication.
My final thought is that “A Tale of Two Crowns” Duology is a unique fantasy that is unapologetically queer. You can see some of the inspirations - Paolini’s “Inheritance Cycle” comes to mind - but Byrd created quite an interesting and engaging story. I wonder if we’ll see more from this world. The epilogue mostly wraps things up though a few questions linger.
“The Sun Blessed Prince” was one of my favorite books of 2025 so “The Moon Blessed King” had a lot of hype for me. It mostly delivered.
While “The Sun Blessed Prince” was a slower paced book, its sequel’s plot moved quickly from each development and twist. There was much less time for some big developments to breathe. I found this to be somewhat disappointing, even if I really enjoyed my time reading this book.
However, the story itself was very strong and delivered. Real stakes were present. Everything set up in “Sun Blessed Prince” is wrapped up well here. Elician and Cat are such a good duo to root for. Lio kind of disappeared here after being so present in the first book, which is fine but also a bit disappointing. Fen’s arc is well executed and justified, even if other reviewers dislike her. Her POV really works here. We know Elician and Cat are dedicated to peace and unification, but Fen provides a foil of sorts. We needed to see her growth in order for peace to happen. Kudos to Byrd on her arc.
I think I will need to reread the duology again in the future as one book/story to really appreciate the tale. Due to the quick publication order, I suspect Byrd wrote this as one book that was cut in half for publication.
My final thought is that “A Tale of Two Crowns” Duology is a unique fantasy that is unapologetically queer. You can see some of the inspirations - Paolini’s “Inheritance Cycle” comes to mind - but Byrd created quite an interesting and engaging story. I wonder if we’ll see more from this world. The epilogue mostly wraps things up though a few questions linger.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 7, 2026 Thank you to Netgalley and Panmacmillan for the eARC
'The moon blessed king' is the second book of a duology, following Elician, Cat and Fen through struggles, connexions and discoveries. The author put a lot of work into crafting a world deviating from the classic medieval fantasy, drawing strongly on her historical knowledge, specifically a more germanic/prussian history. It adds a nice touch to story, but I still felt a lack of texture in the creation. The lever of technology and knowledge could have been interesting, but it isn't strong enough to really draw me in.
This is also true for the belief system and the big themes of the book, namely, Sun/Moon, Life/Death. It is a topic I have explored a lot, and I must say I found the way it was treated in this book too familiar and seen. But note this is probably more of a me problem than a general thruth about the story.
The characters have a similar treatment : they're worked to have nuances and depth, tied to their upbringing and culture. Unfortunately, their emotions are explained too much for it to really land for me. I need more shadows and stuff to draw out of context, less descriptions.
If I was invested in the romance, and if the structure for it makes sense and is believable, the way emotions are explained made it harder to swoon when it happened.
I still want to give Byrd credit for her work and what she tried to do. It didn't work for me but it might appeal to other readers. The book is quite well written on a prose level, and I think the characters and world might appeal to other readers.
'The moon blessed king' is the second book of a duology, following Elician, Cat and Fen through struggles, connexions and discoveries. The author put a lot of work into crafting a world deviating from the classic medieval fantasy, drawing strongly on her historical knowledge, specifically a more germanic/prussian history. It adds a nice touch to story, but I still felt a lack of texture in the creation. The lever of technology and knowledge could have been interesting, but it isn't strong enough to really draw me in.
This is also true for the belief system and the big themes of the book, namely, Sun/Moon, Life/Death. It is a topic I have explored a lot, and I must say I found the way it was treated in this book too familiar and seen. But note this is probably more of a me problem than a general thruth about the story.
The characters have a similar treatment : they're worked to have nuances and depth, tied to their upbringing and culture. Unfortunately, their emotions are explained too much for it to really land for me. I need more shadows and stuff to draw out of context, less descriptions.
If I was invested in the romance, and if the structure for it makes sense and is believable, the way emotions are explained made it harder to swoon when it happened.
I still want to give Byrd credit for her work and what she tried to do. It didn't work for me but it might appeal to other readers. The book is quite well written on a prose level, and I think the characters and world might appeal to other readers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First things first: I loved having a recap of the first book in the duology at the beginning! I definitely didn’t remember all of the plot details of The Sun Blessed Prince, so I appreciated a chance to refresh my memory. More of this in fantasy series please!
I have my issues with this book, but overall it kept me invested — I always wanted to keep reading. Still, at times it was slow. A lot of the opening scenes were political conversations; these are fine, but they don’t exactly draw in the reader. I also think that the budding, super-slowburn relationship promised in all descriptions of the book should actually be de-centred a bit. While I loved the dynamic between Elician and Cat, most of the time it’s more on the sidelines than you might expect it to be. This is mostly because of the overwhelming amount of chapters from Elician’s teenage sister, Fen’s, point of view. I tried my best to be understanding of her character arc, but for most of the book she was still frustrating.
I enjoyed the conversations around life and death and how they balance one another. The world was very well built. It probably could have been a bit shorter, especially the last fifty or so pages. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.
I received a free digital ARC via NetGalley.
I have my issues with this book, but overall it kept me invested — I always wanted to keep reading. Still, at times it was slow. A lot of the opening scenes were political conversations; these are fine, but they don’t exactly draw in the reader. I also think that the budding, super-slowburn relationship promised in all descriptions of the book should actually be de-centred a bit. While I loved the dynamic between Elician and Cat, most of the time it’s more on the sidelines than you might expect it to be. This is mostly because of the overwhelming amount of chapters from Elician’s teenage sister, Fen’s, point of view. I tried my best to be understanding of her character arc, but for most of the book she was still frustrating.
I enjoyed the conversations around life and death and how they balance one another. The world was very well built. It probably could have been a bit shorter, especially the last fifty or so pages. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.
I received a free digital ARC via NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC!
Byrd’s prose is the sort you can just sink into, it feels like someone reading a story to you, totally immersive yet gentle.
The romance between Cat and Elician is so tender and slow burn—the most romantic political romance I’ve ever read. I also enjoyed seeing it from Fenlia’s perspective.
The plot is slow-paced, but still fascinating, and the depth of detail to the politics, especially the impact of a pandemic is impressive. This duology is perfect for readers who love nuanced characters, lyrical storytelling and a mixture of dark and light—or are they really one and the same after all?
Byrd’s prose is the sort you can just sink into, it feels like someone reading a story to you, totally immersive yet gentle.
The romance between Cat and Elician is so tender and slow burn—the most romantic political romance I’ve ever read. I also enjoyed seeing it from Fenlia’s perspective.
The plot is slow-paced, but still fascinating, and the depth of detail to the politics, especially the impact of a pandemic is impressive. This duology is perfect for readers who love nuanced characters, lyrical storytelling and a mixture of dark and light—or are they really one and the same after all?
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Life is death and death is life. Givers can be reapers and reapers can be givers. I really enjoyed this. I like the way that each kingdom represents either life or death and how they eventually become one through their kings as you can’t have one without the other.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews