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The Endless Dark: A Dark Fantasy Romance
The truth will be their undoing.
Six years ago, the Shattering broke the world. It was born from the Reaper King’s cry of despair—a sound so fierce it reduced cities to rubble. Though Amara bound the King in human form, his echo still scars the land, and the darkness he unleashed has never truly faded.
Now, it has turned its gaze upon her son.
Sevryn’s magic is unraveling. Unstable, dangerous, and slipping beyond her control.
To save him, Amara must journey into the Witchlands, where reality frays and aether drips from a dying sky. There, the Sanryla—an ancient Endless veiled in silence—is her only hope. Because if Sevryn falls, he will not be the only one lost.
Her sister Vesna—once her closest ally—is now a merciless predator twisted by shadow. Bound to the darkness Amara helped unleash, she cannot be freed by steel or spell.
As aether bleeds into the world like a slow poison, the stakes become agonizingly clear. Amara must cross the barren snow.
To save Sevryn. To save Vesna. To save what remains of the world.
But the path to the Witchlands leads her straight to Rhordan, King of the Werewolves—the man she once loved. The man she betrayed. His hunger for her still burns, but her life is built on the lies that broke him. Trust may be impossible—and if he chooses to follow her into the dark, a chilling prophecy looms: he will die.
At the heart of it all, the Reaper King waits. Still bound. Still whispering. Growing stronger with every breath.
The darkness lingers—not always enemy, not always friend. The Dark Moon rises, ancient and angry. The war begins again.
Some destinies cannot be outrun. And some bonds—no matter how broken—were never meant to be severed.
Six years ago, the Shattering broke the world. It was born from the Reaper King’s cry of despair—a sound so fierce it reduced cities to rubble. Though Amara bound the King in human form, his echo still scars the land, and the darkness he unleashed has never truly faded.
Now, it has turned its gaze upon her son.
Sevryn’s magic is unraveling. Unstable, dangerous, and slipping beyond her control.
To save him, Amara must journey into the Witchlands, where reality frays and aether drips from a dying sky. There, the Sanryla—an ancient Endless veiled in silence—is her only hope. Because if Sevryn falls, he will not be the only one lost.
Her sister Vesna—once her closest ally—is now a merciless predator twisted by shadow. Bound to the darkness Amara helped unleash, she cannot be freed by steel or spell.
As aether bleeds into the world like a slow poison, the stakes become agonizingly clear. Amara must cross the barren snow.
To save Sevryn. To save Vesna. To save what remains of the world.
But the path to the Witchlands leads her straight to Rhordan, King of the Werewolves—the man she once loved. The man she betrayed. His hunger for her still burns, but her life is built on the lies that broke him. Trust may be impossible—and if he chooses to follow her into the dark, a chilling prophecy looms: he will die.
At the heart of it all, the Reaper King waits. Still bound. Still whispering. Growing stronger with every breath.
The darkness lingers—not always enemy, not always friend. The Dark Moon rises, ancient and angry. The war begins again.
Some destinies cannot be outrun. And some bonds—no matter how broken—were never meant to be severed.
361 pages, ebook
Published October 13, 2026
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Review of advance copy received from Author
The Endless Dark: The Light Was Worth The Wait
ARC received in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Rose R. Briar for the opportunity to read her debut novel.
Spice: 4/5
Content warnings: Character death, graphic violence and gore, child endangerment, grief and loss, brief suicidal ideation, and explicit sexual content.
TLDR: A slow start, a massive fantasy world, characters who actually hold each other accountable, and a twist I genuinely did not see coming. It took me a while to get invested, but by the epilogue? WELL FUCK ME SIDEWAYS. I need book two.
Six years after the Shattering broke the world, Amara Lockhart is still living with the consequences of the magic she used to bind the Reaper King. Her son, Sevryn, is running out of time, and saving him means venturing into the Witchlands to find an ancient Endless. The problem? Her journey leads her straight back to Rhordan, the werewolf king she loved and betrayed, and a prophecy warns that following her into the darkness will cost him his life.
I went into this with high hopes for the premise, and I was intrigued by the world and the questions surrounding its characters. There is clearly a much bigger story unfolding, and I was curious to see how all the pieces would eventually fit together.
The world is HUGE. We have werewolves, vampires, witches, humans, gods, demons, immortals, and an entire collection of other beings and magical elements to discover. There are a lot of names, places, histories and systems to keep track of, so at times I genuinely struggled to remember who was who and what was what. It's an ambitious world, and there is a LOT going on.
The worldbuilding does have some genuinely wonderful moments, though. The Weeping Forest was a particular highlight for me. Initially, I was wondering what the point of it was and why it mattered so much. Then the story showed me exactly why it was dangerous instead of simply telling me it was, and I was sat there thinking, YES. THIS. LET ME EXPERIENCE THE WORLD.
I also appreciated the little touches that made the physical side of this fantasy feel grounded. Shifting hurts. Travelling takes time. Riding for long periods leaves people sore. And no, apparently werewolves don't magically reappear fully dressed after shifting.
Those details made the world feel more tangible to me.
The characters were ultimately what kept me invested. Amara carries an enormous amount of guilt, and I liked that the story explored the consequences of her choices rather than simply brushing them aside. The relationships aren't always comfortable, and not everyone is prepared to forgive and forget just because someone is hurting.
Nori might actually be one of my favourite characters. She's angry, protective, funny, and still deeply cares about the people who have hurt her. Her relationship with Amara felt real because love didn't erase the betrayal. She could care about her and still hold her accountable. More of this in fantasy, please.
Rhordan's devotion to Amara also gave me something to think about. There's a lovely moment involving his hair that carries more emotional weight than you might initially expect. I love when a small character detail can say so much without needing an entire explanation.
That said, around until 30% in, I was struggling to connect with the story. The plot felt slow to progress, and the writing style wasn't quite what I usually gravitate towards. I had so many questions, and while I enjoy piecing things together as I read, I was waiting for more of those questions to start getting answered.
I wasn't disliking the book, but I wanted more from it. I wanted to feel more immersed in the world, more connected to the characters, and more invested in where the story was going.
But things took an incredible turn as soon as Amara and Sevryn began their journey to meet the Endless, and I was all in.
The romance itself was a mixed experience for me. I didn't connect with it as much as I'd hoped to, and some of the dialogue felt surprisingly modern against the backdrop of the fantasy world. The explicit scene’s dialogue, in particular, felt out of place and pulled me out of the story rather than drawing me further into it.
I'm a very sensory reader. I want to feel the atmosphere, hear the sounds, smell the surroundings and experience the world alongside the characters. I naturally visualise as I read, and I particularly love fantasy that gives my imagination room to work. When things are told to me directly rather than allowing me to experience them, I sometimes struggle to connect in the same way.
That isn't to say the writing is bad. It's simply a matter of personal preference, and I don't want anyone to confuse the two.This is a ME thing.
I have a whole entire notebook dedicated to this book. Notes, questions, theories, suspicions. I was actively trying to work things out as I read, and I STILL didn't see that reveal coming.
It's been a while since a twist genuinely surprised me like this. Not because there were no clues, but because when the truth finally landed, it felt so natural that everything suddenly clicked into place. I wasn't left thinking the author had pulled something out of nowhere. I was thinking, OH MY GOD. YES. HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT?
The payoff was absolutely worth the wait. It also altered my feelings on the auralis, initially I wasn’t a fan and it felt out of place… but…“Mama?” Oh my days, stick a fork in me, because I’m done. I take all my notes back, I love the Auralis and that it’s incorporated!
Knowing this is the first book in a planned trilogy also helped me appreciate the larger setup. Not everything is resolved, and I went in knowing this was the beginning of a much bigger story.
For a debut novel, there is a lot here that has genuinely stayed with me. The characters, the emotional consequences of their choices, the family dynamics, the world, and that final reveal all gave me something to think about after finishing. I especially loved the idea that family isn't necessarily defined by blood, and that love isn't simply a feeling but a choice people continue to make, even when it costs them something.
The slow start and some aspects of the writing and romance held this back for me, but the characters, the plot and that ending ultimately earned it a well deserved four stars.
And by the time I reached the epilogue, I was desperate to know what happens next.
The Auralis signal might have been patchy at the beginning, but by the end? Loud and fucking clear.
The Dark Moon is rising, and I am READY.
Spoilers below
xxxxxxxxx
It's never just a book...
ARC received in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Rose R. Briar for the opportunity to read her debut novel.
Spice: 4/5
Content warnings: Character death, graphic violence and gore, child endangerment, grief and loss, brief suicidal ideation, and explicit sexual content.
TLDR: A slow start, a massive fantasy world, characters who actually hold each other accountable, and a twist I genuinely did not see coming. It took me a while to get invested, but by the epilogue? WELL FUCK ME SIDEWAYS. I need book two.
Six years after the Shattering broke the world, Amara Lockhart is still living with the consequences of the magic she used to bind the Reaper King. Her son, Sevryn, is running out of time, and saving him means venturing into the Witchlands to find an ancient Endless. The problem? Her journey leads her straight back to Rhordan, the werewolf king she loved and betrayed, and a prophecy warns that following her into the darkness will cost him his life.
I went into this with high hopes for the premise, and I was intrigued by the world and the questions surrounding its characters. There is clearly a much bigger story unfolding, and I was curious to see how all the pieces would eventually fit together.
The world is HUGE. We have werewolves, vampires, witches, humans, gods, demons, immortals, and an entire collection of other beings and magical elements to discover. There are a lot of names, places, histories and systems to keep track of, so at times I genuinely struggled to remember who was who and what was what. It's an ambitious world, and there is a LOT going on.
The worldbuilding does have some genuinely wonderful moments, though. The Weeping Forest was a particular highlight for me. Initially, I was wondering what the point of it was and why it mattered so much. Then the story showed me exactly why it was dangerous instead of simply telling me it was, and I was sat there thinking, YES. THIS. LET ME EXPERIENCE THE WORLD.
I also appreciated the little touches that made the physical side of this fantasy feel grounded. Shifting hurts. Travelling takes time. Riding for long periods leaves people sore. And no, apparently werewolves don't magically reappear fully dressed after shifting.
Those details made the world feel more tangible to me.
The characters were ultimately what kept me invested. Amara carries an enormous amount of guilt, and I liked that the story explored the consequences of her choices rather than simply brushing them aside. The relationships aren't always comfortable, and not everyone is prepared to forgive and forget just because someone is hurting.
Nori might actually be one of my favourite characters. She's angry, protective, funny, and still deeply cares about the people who have hurt her. Her relationship with Amara felt real because love didn't erase the betrayal. She could care about her and still hold her accountable. More of this in fantasy, please.
Rhordan's devotion to Amara also gave me something to think about. There's a lovely moment involving his hair that carries more emotional weight than you might initially expect. I love when a small character detail can say so much without needing an entire explanation.
That said, around until 30% in, I was struggling to connect with the story. The plot felt slow to progress, and the writing style wasn't quite what I usually gravitate towards. I had so many questions, and while I enjoy piecing things together as I read, I was waiting for more of those questions to start getting answered.
I wasn't disliking the book, but I wanted more from it. I wanted to feel more immersed in the world, more connected to the characters, and more invested in where the story was going.
But things took an incredible turn as soon as Amara and Sevryn began their journey to meet the Endless, and I was all in.
The romance itself was a mixed experience for me. I didn't connect with it as much as I'd hoped to, and some of the dialogue felt surprisingly modern against the backdrop of the fantasy world. The explicit scene’s dialogue, in particular, felt out of place and pulled me out of the story rather than drawing me further into it.
I'm a very sensory reader. I want to feel the atmosphere, hear the sounds, smell the surroundings and experience the world alongside the characters. I naturally visualise as I read, and I particularly love fantasy that gives my imagination room to work. When things are told to me directly rather than allowing me to experience them, I sometimes struggle to connect in the same way.
That isn't to say the writing is bad. It's simply a matter of personal preference, and I don't want anyone to confuse the two.This is a ME thing.
I have a whole entire notebook dedicated to this book. Notes, questions, theories, suspicions. I was actively trying to work things out as I read, and I STILL didn't see that reveal coming.
It's been a while since a twist genuinely surprised me like this. Not because there were no clues, but because when the truth finally landed, it felt so natural that everything suddenly clicked into place. I wasn't left thinking the author had pulled something out of nowhere. I was thinking, OH MY GOD. YES. HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT?
The payoff was absolutely worth the wait. It also altered my feelings on the auralis, initially I wasn’t a fan and it felt out of place… but…“Mama?” Oh my days, stick a fork in me, because I’m done. I take all my notes back, I love the Auralis and that it’s incorporated!
Knowing this is the first book in a planned trilogy also helped me appreciate the larger setup. Not everything is resolved, and I went in knowing this was the beginning of a much bigger story.
For a debut novel, there is a lot here that has genuinely stayed with me. The characters, the emotional consequences of their choices, the family dynamics, the world, and that final reveal all gave me something to think about after finishing. I especially loved the idea that family isn't necessarily defined by blood, and that love isn't simply a feeling but a choice people continue to make, even when it costs them something.
The slow start and some aspects of the writing and romance held this back for me, but the characters, the plot and that ending ultimately earned it a well deserved four stars.
And by the time I reached the epilogue, I was desperate to know what happens next.
The Auralis signal might have been patchy at the beginning, but by the end? Loud and fucking clear.
The Dark Moon is rising, and I am READY.
Spoilers below
xxxxxxxxx
It's never just a book...
Review of advance copy received from Author
Six years ago, Amara did something drastic to stop a god from destroying the world, and it cost her almost everything, including the man she loved. Now her hiding place has fallen, and she's running for her life with her adopted son Sevryn, whose magic is getting stronger and more dangerous by the day. The only safe place left is the territory of Rhordan, the werewolf king she left behind without a word of explanation, and the wounds between them are exactly as raw as you'd expect six years of silence to leave them.
From there the book turns into a chase: a sister-turned-monster hunting them on someone else's orders, a boy who might be more than human, and a darkness spreading across the world that only one ancient being, hidden deep in a mountain, might know how to stop. I went in expecting a fairly standard "hidden royal returns to her old flame" setup and got a lot more plot than that, a genuine curse, a genuine political mess, and a genuine countdown clock in the form of a returning celestial event called the Dark Moon. It doesn't wrap up. The book does not pretend to. It's the first third of a bigger story, and it plays fair about that.
Character Development
Guilt is what drives Amara, and it works, mostly because the book keeps finding new, specific reasons for her to feel it. She sacrificed something enormous to save her people and has spent six years alone with the fallout, raising a child who isn't biologically hers with a fierceness that never once reads as obligation. What got me is how much she keeps trying to leave the people who love her "for their own good," and how the book actually calls that out instead of just rewarding it as noble self-sacrifice. Rhordan and his pack tell her, more than once, that her leaving hurt worse than any monster could, and I appreciated that the narrative lets that land instead of treating her martyr streak as automatically admirable.
Rhordan is the devoted-alpha-king type, and I won't pretend that's a new archetype, but his devotion has actual texture to it. He cut his hair short the moment he let himself believe she might be alive again, which is a small, specific detail that told me more about six years of grief than three pages of backstory could have. His relationship with his pack, especially the running, teasing warmth with Jerace and Nori, keeps him from being just a brooding wall of muscle waiting to be softened by the right woman. He has a real protective streak toward Sevryn too, one that isn't about the boy's parentage or his magic, just a straightforward "he's mine to guard now," and that unconditional claim is honestly one of the sweeter threads in the book.
Nori is the standout side character for me. She spent six years thinking her best friend was dead, and the book lets her stay angry about that for real, no tidy hug-it-out in chapter one. Her scene calling Amara out on the ice, admitting she still loves her stubborn ass anyway, got me more than most of the romance beats did. Vesna, Amara's sister turned into an assassin against her will, is doing something genuinely sad underneath the villain posturing, a woman forced to hurt the people she loves and hating every second of it, and her arc has real momentum by the book's midpoint. Linelle, the grizzled guide who lost his own family to the same catastrophe that shaped this whole world, gives the book one of its best gut-punch moments, and I'm going to leave it there, because how his story actually lands is not something I'm willing to spoil. The kid himself comes across well: scared but never precocious in that grating way child characters sometimes get written, and his bond with Nori in particular is genuinely tender. The rest of Rhordan's pack, Gara, Jonah, Jamison, blur together some. They get individual lines and individual jobs to do, but not individual personalities strong enough that I could always tell them apart without checking a name.
There's also a real power imbalance running under the Amara and Rhordan relationship that the book doesn't shy away from. He's a king commanding an entire border kingdom, and for most of the book she's a fugitive with nothing but a child, a sword, and a secret she won't tell him. He could force answers out of her with a single alpha command and mostly doesn't, and the moments where he almost does, demanding to know why she left, boxing her in against a wall until she finally talks, read as genuinely tense rather than as a romance-novel power fantasy, because the book keeps her agency intact even while she's cornered. That restraint is what makes it work.
Themes
The book keeps circling the difference between protecting someone and controlling them, and it's smart about applying that standard evenly. Amara's whole survival strategy is disappearing "to protect" the people she loves, and the book treats that as a real flaw, not a romantic gesture, the same way it treats Rhordan's instinct to guard her at all costs as something that needs her consent, not just his good intentions. Guilt and self-forgiveness run right alongside that. Almost every major character is carrying something they did that they can't take back, and the book is more interested in whether they can live with it than in absolving anyone cleanly.
There's also a real thread about inherited darkness versus chosen goodness, most visible in how Sevryn's magic keeps threatening to consume him even as everyone insists what he does with it is what actually matters, not what he's made of. It's not a subtle theme, the book says versions of it out loud more than once, but I didn't mind that. Found family runs underneath everything else, Nori and Sevryn's sibling-like bond especially, and it's the one theme that never gets undercut by a plot twist. That consistency counts for something.
Writing Style and Effectiveness
Amara and Rhordan's alternating close-third narration carries a lot of sensory weight, the smell of moonflowers and salt air that marks Amara's presence to Rhordan comes back again and again as a kind of emotional shorthand, and it mostly earns its keep, though by the second half I noticed it enough to start anticipating it. The prose is strongest in its set pieces: the Weeping Forest full of walking regrets, the ice caves beneath the mountain, a floating, gravity-broken landscape near the book's end that I genuinely didn't expect from a story that opens as a fairly grounded court-and-chase plot. Those sequences have real atmosphere.
One small thing that stuck with me: the Auralis, Rhordan's homemade magical walkie-talkie, charged with a flower petal instead of a battery. It's a funny little bit of invented technology dropped into a very traditional fated-mates plot, and I liked it precisely because it wasn't necessary. A six-year-old getting his own radio channel just so the grown-ups stop hogging the line is the kind of small, human detail that made this fractured world feel lived-in for a page or two, even while the plot around it was busy ending civilizations.
Conclusion
The Endless Dark is a big, ambitious debut that bites off more plot than a single book can chew, and mostly gets away with it because the emotional core, Amara's guilt and Rhordan's devotion, is genuinely strong enough to carry you through the parts where the worldbuilding gets ahead of itself. It sits on a crowded shelf of fated-mates, dual-species romantasy right now, and what sets it apart is the sheer scope, this isn't a court intrigue plot or a monster-of-the-week plot, it's building toward something civilization-ending, and it commits to that scale from the first chapter.
Evaluation
Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Writing Style: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5):
Characters: ★★★☆☆ (3/5): a genuinely strong emotional core in Amara, Rhordan, and Nori, though most of the secondary pack blurs together
World-Building: ★★★☆☆ (3/5): ambitious and imaginative, with real atmosphere in its best sequences, but overloaded with proper nouns and systems explained through dialogue rather than shown
Spice Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5): frequent and fairly explicit once the romance turns physical, with two extended scenes
Trigger warnings: character death, graphic violence and gore, child endangerment, non-consensual blood magic, alcohol use and intoxication, brief suicidal ideation, explicit sexual content.
Recommended for readers who love a fated-mates, second-chance romance with real stakes attached to it, the kind of reader who's into Carissa Broadbent's scope or Raven Kennedy's willingness to let a heroine's guilt actually cost her something. It's a strong, ambitious start to a trilogy, even with the rough edges an ARC pass tends to carry. Not the right pick if you want a tightly edited read or a book that resolves anything by the last page.
From there the book turns into a chase: a sister-turned-monster hunting them on someone else's orders, a boy who might be more than human, and a darkness spreading across the world that only one ancient being, hidden deep in a mountain, might know how to stop. I went in expecting a fairly standard "hidden royal returns to her old flame" setup and got a lot more plot than that, a genuine curse, a genuine political mess, and a genuine countdown clock in the form of a returning celestial event called the Dark Moon. It doesn't wrap up. The book does not pretend to. It's the first third of a bigger story, and it plays fair about that.
Character Development
Guilt is what drives Amara, and it works, mostly because the book keeps finding new, specific reasons for her to feel it. She sacrificed something enormous to save her people and has spent six years alone with the fallout, raising a child who isn't biologically hers with a fierceness that never once reads as obligation. What got me is how much she keeps trying to leave the people who love her "for their own good," and how the book actually calls that out instead of just rewarding it as noble self-sacrifice. Rhordan and his pack tell her, more than once, that her leaving hurt worse than any monster could, and I appreciated that the narrative lets that land instead of treating her martyr streak as automatically admirable.
Rhordan is the devoted-alpha-king type, and I won't pretend that's a new archetype, but his devotion has actual texture to it. He cut his hair short the moment he let himself believe she might be alive again, which is a small, specific detail that told me more about six years of grief than three pages of backstory could have. His relationship with his pack, especially the running, teasing warmth with Jerace and Nori, keeps him from being just a brooding wall of muscle waiting to be softened by the right woman. He has a real protective streak toward Sevryn too, one that isn't about the boy's parentage or his magic, just a straightforward "he's mine to guard now," and that unconditional claim is honestly one of the sweeter threads in the book.
Nori is the standout side character for me. She spent six years thinking her best friend was dead, and the book lets her stay angry about that for real, no tidy hug-it-out in chapter one. Her scene calling Amara out on the ice, admitting she still loves her stubborn ass anyway, got me more than most of the romance beats did. Vesna, Amara's sister turned into an assassin against her will, is doing something genuinely sad underneath the villain posturing, a woman forced to hurt the people she loves and hating every second of it, and her arc has real momentum by the book's midpoint. Linelle, the grizzled guide who lost his own family to the same catastrophe that shaped this whole world, gives the book one of its best gut-punch moments, and I'm going to leave it there, because how his story actually lands is not something I'm willing to spoil. The kid himself comes across well: scared but never precocious in that grating way child characters sometimes get written, and his bond with Nori in particular is genuinely tender. The rest of Rhordan's pack, Gara, Jonah, Jamison, blur together some. They get individual lines and individual jobs to do, but not individual personalities strong enough that I could always tell them apart without checking a name.
There's also a real power imbalance running under the Amara and Rhordan relationship that the book doesn't shy away from. He's a king commanding an entire border kingdom, and for most of the book she's a fugitive with nothing but a child, a sword, and a secret she won't tell him. He could force answers out of her with a single alpha command and mostly doesn't, and the moments where he almost does, demanding to know why she left, boxing her in against a wall until she finally talks, read as genuinely tense rather than as a romance-novel power fantasy, because the book keeps her agency intact even while she's cornered. That restraint is what makes it work.
Themes
The book keeps circling the difference between protecting someone and controlling them, and it's smart about applying that standard evenly. Amara's whole survival strategy is disappearing "to protect" the people she loves, and the book treats that as a real flaw, not a romantic gesture, the same way it treats Rhordan's instinct to guard her at all costs as something that needs her consent, not just his good intentions. Guilt and self-forgiveness run right alongside that. Almost every major character is carrying something they did that they can't take back, and the book is more interested in whether they can live with it than in absolving anyone cleanly.
There's also a real thread about inherited darkness versus chosen goodness, most visible in how Sevryn's magic keeps threatening to consume him even as everyone insists what he does with it is what actually matters, not what he's made of. It's not a subtle theme, the book says versions of it out loud more than once, but I didn't mind that. Found family runs underneath everything else, Nori and Sevryn's sibling-like bond especially, and it's the one theme that never gets undercut by a plot twist. That consistency counts for something.
Writing Style and Effectiveness
Amara and Rhordan's alternating close-third narration carries a lot of sensory weight, the smell of moonflowers and salt air that marks Amara's presence to Rhordan comes back again and again as a kind of emotional shorthand, and it mostly earns its keep, though by the second half I noticed it enough to start anticipating it. The prose is strongest in its set pieces: the Weeping Forest full of walking regrets, the ice caves beneath the mountain, a floating, gravity-broken landscape near the book's end that I genuinely didn't expect from a story that opens as a fairly grounded court-and-chase plot. Those sequences have real atmosphere.
One small thing that stuck with me: the Auralis, Rhordan's homemade magical walkie-talkie, charged with a flower petal instead of a battery. It's a funny little bit of invented technology dropped into a very traditional fated-mates plot, and I liked it precisely because it wasn't necessary. A six-year-old getting his own radio channel just so the grown-ups stop hogging the line is the kind of small, human detail that made this fractured world feel lived-in for a page or two, even while the plot around it was busy ending civilizations.
Conclusion
The Endless Dark is a big, ambitious debut that bites off more plot than a single book can chew, and mostly gets away with it because the emotional core, Amara's guilt and Rhordan's devotion, is genuinely strong enough to carry you through the parts where the worldbuilding gets ahead of itself. It sits on a crowded shelf of fated-mates, dual-species romantasy right now, and what sets it apart is the sheer scope, this isn't a court intrigue plot or a monster-of-the-week plot, it's building toward something civilization-ending, and it commits to that scale from the first chapter.
Evaluation
Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Writing Style: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5):
Characters: ★★★☆☆ (3/5): a genuinely strong emotional core in Amara, Rhordan, and Nori, though most of the secondary pack blurs together
World-Building: ★★★☆☆ (3/5): ambitious and imaginative, with real atmosphere in its best sequences, but overloaded with proper nouns and systems explained through dialogue rather than shown
Spice Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5): frequent and fairly explicit once the romance turns physical, with two extended scenes
Trigger warnings: character death, graphic violence and gore, child endangerment, non-consensual blood magic, alcohol use and intoxication, brief suicidal ideation, explicit sexual content.
Recommended for readers who love a fated-mates, second-chance romance with real stakes attached to it, the kind of reader who's into Carissa Broadbent's scope or Raven Kennedy's willingness to let a heroine's guilt actually cost her something. It's a strong, ambitious start to a trilogy, even with the rough edges an ARC pass tends to carry. Not the right pick if you want a tightly edited read or a book that resolves anything by the last page.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I would suggest reading the content and trigger warnings as this is a dark romantasy that contains themes of death, violence and gore.
Ok, so they way the book starts, you know there is going to be drama and intrigue and boy does it not disappoint!!
The action starts from the first page and continues to keep you in its grip. I really enjoyed the world and character building.
You can feel the tension through the pages because there are past histories and relationships where bonds have been broken, betrayals sit at the forefront and hidden secrets.
Amara is a strong FMC, she is willing to make the ultimate sacrifices and betrayals to ensure everyone she loves is kept safe and protected from the Reaper King, including Sevryn, the child she sees as her own, however this is at the cost of her relationship and friendships with her sister, Vesna, Rhordan (MMC) and his werewolf pack and people.
Amara didn’t just break Rhordan’s heart but the whole pack and his people as they accepted her as one of theirs. Now she’s relying on them for their protection and they don’t hesitate. This story shows how deep bonds can go and it doesn’t matter how much you deny it; there are some bonds that just cannot be broken, no matter the time of distance. It’s also about understanding and forgiveness but it’s easier said than done.
Rhordan is a strong, understanding and protective leader and as much as he wants to hate Amara for what she did, he just can’t turn his back on her and he’s willing to make any sacrifice for her and now Sevryn.
The tension and yearning in this book drips out of the pages and not just between the MCs but all the characters. You want to keep knowing what happens to the ‘side’ characters. You also want to know their backgrounds and what's going to happen with them, it’s not just about the MCs.
And that ending…. twists and turns!!! I knew with the number of pages I had left, it was going to be a cliffhanger and again the author did not disappoint. Now to wait for book 2 because I need to know how the story continues
Ok, so they way the book starts, you know there is going to be drama and intrigue and boy does it not disappoint!!
The action starts from the first page and continues to keep you in its grip. I really enjoyed the world and character building.
You can feel the tension through the pages because there are past histories and relationships where bonds have been broken, betrayals sit at the forefront and hidden secrets.
Amara is a strong FMC, she is willing to make the ultimate sacrifices and betrayals to ensure everyone she loves is kept safe and protected from the Reaper King, including Sevryn, the child she sees as her own, however this is at the cost of her relationship and friendships with her sister, Vesna, Rhordan (MMC) and his werewolf pack and people.
Amara didn’t just break Rhordan’s heart but the whole pack and his people as they accepted her as one of theirs. Now she’s relying on them for their protection and they don’t hesitate. This story shows how deep bonds can go and it doesn’t matter how much you deny it; there are some bonds that just cannot be broken, no matter the time of distance. It’s also about understanding and forgiveness but it’s easier said than done.
Rhordan is a strong, understanding and protective leader and as much as he wants to hate Amara for what she did, he just can’t turn his back on her and he’s willing to make any sacrifice for her and now Sevryn.
The tension and yearning in this book drips out of the pages and not just between the MCs but all the characters. You want to keep knowing what happens to the ‘side’ characters. You also want to know their backgrounds and what's going to happen with them, it’s not just about the MCs.
And that ending…. twists and turns!!! I knew with the number of pages I had left, it was going to be a cliffhanger and again the author did not disappoint. Now to wait for book 2 because I need to know how the story continues
October 6, 2026
🐺 After a brutal attack on her kingdom forces her out of hiding, the half-vampire Amara, is thrust back into the life of Rhordan, the werewolf king she had wordlessly abandoned years before. Presuming her dead, Rhordan and his pack are shocked at Amara’s sudden reappearance and at the revelation that she now has a young son. Now, as an apocalyptic threat looms over their world, duty and an inescapable ancient magic force them back together. To protect their people, they must gather trusted allies and stand united against a growing evil. But the weight of their past and long-held secrets might destroy their second chance before it even begins. 🐺
This was an excellent story with epic world building. The world of Avuryn really feels like it has so much history and I’m really interested in knowing more about it. We got to explore a few areas in this book and hopefully we’ll get to see the rest in books 2 and 3.
I also loved the character depth. Each one feels unique with distinguishing traits and flaws. Throughout the book I was trying to pick a favorite… the brave and devoted Rhordan is of course a contender, but perhaps sisterly Nori or the wise and worldly Linelle?
The pacing of the book is pretty quick. Each scene reveals something new and, without spoiling anything, I was shocked by the big twist at the end! 🤯 There are just a few spicy scenes 🌶️ (looking at you Chapter 47 😅) but it’s nothing that can’t be skipped if you’re not into that.
Overall I really had fun reading this one and I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here! I recommend it to fans of fated mates, high-stakes fantasy and epic storytelling.
This was an excellent story with epic world building. The world of Avuryn really feels like it has so much history and I’m really interested in knowing more about it. We got to explore a few areas in this book and hopefully we’ll get to see the rest in books 2 and 3.
I also loved the character depth. Each one feels unique with distinguishing traits and flaws. Throughout the book I was trying to pick a favorite… the brave and devoted Rhordan is of course a contender, but perhaps sisterly Nori or the wise and worldly Linelle?
The pacing of the book is pretty quick. Each scene reveals something new and, without spoiling anything, I was shocked by the big twist at the end! 🤯 There are just a few spicy scenes 🌶️ (looking at you Chapter 47 😅) but it’s nothing that can’t be skipped if you’re not into that.
Overall I really had fun reading this one and I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here! I recommend it to fans of fated mates, high-stakes fantasy and epic storytelling.
October 16, 2026
Thank you so much to the author for giving me the opportunity to receive an ARC. My thoughts are below 💜
Where do I begin, wow. From the first page I couldn't put this one down. I felt connected to every character.
This book takes you on a fantastic fantasy ride. If you could take Selene from the Underworld task her with guarding a child with her life. Add a wolf pack to her crew. Send them on a journey filled with unpredictable adventures and dark creatures to seek answers. All while being hunted by darkness and an old ache between a half vampire and an alpha king. This will be it.
One of my favorite things was how we got to see those raw emotions between Amara and Rhordan. There was no sugar coating what they both felt. It didn't suddenly go away. My heart ached for this alpha male. I felt the anger that he felt, the pain the ache.
The plot twist at the end, I didn't see it all coming. I need the second book because I was left staring at the wall.
If you crave a fantasy story with vampires, witches, werewolves a bunch of different scary creatures in a world that is being destroyed by darkness. A child that has unpredictable powers, an fmc that caries so much guilt and an mc that yearns so hard this one is for you.
Where do I begin, wow. From the first page I couldn't put this one down. I felt connected to every character.
This book takes you on a fantastic fantasy ride. If you could take Selene from the Underworld task her with guarding a child with her life. Add a wolf pack to her crew. Send them on a journey filled with unpredictable adventures and dark creatures to seek answers. All while being hunted by darkness and an old ache between a half vampire and an alpha king. This will be it.
One of my favorite things was how we got to see those raw emotions between Amara and Rhordan. There was no sugar coating what they both felt. It didn't suddenly go away. My heart ached for this alpha male. I felt the anger that he felt, the pain the ache.
The plot twist at the end, I didn't see it all coming. I need the second book because I was left staring at the wall.
If you crave a fantasy story with vampires, witches, werewolves a bunch of different scary creatures in a world that is being destroyed by darkness. A child that has unpredictable powers, an fmc that caries so much guilt and an mc that yearns so hard this one is for you.
October 26, 2026
📚 ARC Book Review: The Endless Dark by Rose R. Briar
⭐ Rating: 3.5/5
🌶️ Spice: 2.5/5
📖 How I Read: ARC eBook
📅 Publication Date: October 13, 2026
💌 ARC Disclosure: Thank you to the author for the free ARC copy in exchange for my honest, voluntary review.
💭 My Thoughts:
This book started out strong! I was instantly intrigued and pulled into the story.
The book poses several questions that will likely leave engaged readers wanting to know what's going on.
However, the story started to hit a bit of a lull, where I needed more than just the main characters to keep me interested.
It was my desire to know what was going on overall that kept me reading, but I found myself skimming some chapters just to move forward.
Toward the end, things picked back up, some of the pieces started falling into place, and then... a cliffhanger ending!
The characters are likable, but Rhordan has the maximum amount of patience for his vampire love, Amara. Maybe a little TOO much. 😂
📖 Would I Recommend It?
Maybe.
If you enjoy books featuring vampires, werewolves, risky journeys, and slow-burn romance, this might be for you!
✨ Next Chapter Energy ✨
⭐ Rating: 3.5/5
🌶️ Spice: 2.5/5
📖 How I Read: ARC eBook
📅 Publication Date: October 13, 2026
💌 ARC Disclosure: Thank you to the author for the free ARC copy in exchange for my honest, voluntary review.
💭 My Thoughts:
This book started out strong! I was instantly intrigued and pulled into the story.
The book poses several questions that will likely leave engaged readers wanting to know what's going on.
However, the story started to hit a bit of a lull, where I needed more than just the main characters to keep me interested.
It was my desire to know what was going on overall that kept me reading, but I found myself skimming some chapters just to move forward.
Toward the end, things picked back up, some of the pieces started falling into place, and then... a cliffhanger ending!
The characters are likable, but Rhordan has the maximum amount of patience for his vampire love, Amara. Maybe a little TOO much. 😂
📖 Would I Recommend It?
Maybe.
If you enjoy books featuring vampires, werewolves, risky journeys, and slow-burn romance, this might be for you!
✨ Next Chapter Energy ✨
Review of advance copy received from Author
Okayyyy I really enjoyed this one!! 😭 I’m such a sucker for a reformed playboy who goes from “I don’t do relationships” to being absolutely obsessed with ONE woman, and this DELIVERED.
This was such a good mix of sexy, sweet, emotional, and surprisingly healing. I loved that both characters had their own shit to work through and that their relationship wasn’t about “fixing” each other, but about growing and feeling safe enough to let someone in.
The chemistry was chemistrying, the spice was SPICING, and there were so many little moments that had me kicking my feet. 😂 It had more emotional depth than I was expecting while still being a fun romance, and the ending was SO freaking sweet. 😭
Thank you so much for the ARC! 💕
This was such a good mix of sexy, sweet, emotional, and surprisingly healing. I loved that both characters had their own shit to work through and that their relationship wasn’t about “fixing” each other, but about growing and feeling safe enough to let someone in.
The chemistry was chemistrying, the spice was SPICING, and there were so many little moments that had me kicking my feet. 😂 It had more emotional depth than I was expecting while still being a fun romance, and the ending was SO freaking sweet. 😭
Thank you so much for the ARC! 💕
Review of advance copy received from Author
3.75 ⭐⭐⭐ …🌶🌶spice scale
Slow burn
Second chance romance
Romantasy
secrets/betrayal
One of my Favorite quotes.
“The further you are from me, the less I feel like Im burning.”
Readers who are big into fantasy romance will likely enjoy this story
Amara (FMC) is driven by loyalty, guilt, and strong determination. Who sacrifices love until the MMC shows her she can’t ignore it any more. Stubborn woman. Lol
Rhordan (MMC) is our werewolf king and the one she left behind. He yearns the hardest in my opinion. Follow their story to battle evil on October 13...Annnnd that cliff hanger ending. UGH!!!
ARC appreciation … Thank you for the chance to read and review :) Best wishes on your writing journey.
Slow burn
Second chance romance
Romantasy
secrets/betrayal
One of my Favorite quotes.
“The further you are from me, the less I feel like Im burning.”
Readers who are big into fantasy romance will likely enjoy this story
Amara (FMC) is driven by loyalty, guilt, and strong determination. Who sacrifices love until the MMC shows her she can’t ignore it any more. Stubborn woman. Lol
Rhordan (MMC) is our werewolf king and the one she left behind. He yearns the hardest in my opinion. Follow their story to battle evil on October 13...Annnnd that cliff hanger ending. UGH!!!
ARC appreciation … Thank you for the chance to read and review :) Best wishes on your writing journey.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The Endless Dark is a dark fantasy set in a dying world. Amara worries for her son and his magic and set outs to learn the truth about his heritage and how she can save him. Along the way, she reconciles with Rhordan, an old love, and sets out on a journey to save her son. Things are not easy and Amara keeps running away from the truth, and what she has done. She must come to terms with the damage and hurt she has caused, as well as trying to help her son, and having a second chance with Rhordan. This was a wonderful story that was written well, and has great characters. I cannot wait for book 2.
October 15, 2026
Briar's writing is incredibly descriptive, and she paints a scene so vividly that you feel like you're standing there. You know what the characters are feeling, what they're seeing, what they're hearing. I kept telling myself "just one more chapter," and the short chapters made that dangerously easy. They also make it convenient when you do need to put it down.
The first half is a slow burn, but it's time well spent. She takes her time building the characters and the relationship between the FMC and MMC, so when things start to happen, you actually care. After the halfway point, the pace picks up and I couldn't stop reading.
If you like atmospheric, character-driven stories with a payoff that earns its patience, give this one a try.
And the ending!!! I need more.
The first half is a slow burn, but it's time well spent. She takes her time building the characters and the relationship between the FMC and MMC, so when things start to happen, you actually care. After the halfway point, the pace picks up and I couldn't stop reading.
If you like atmospheric, character-driven stories with a payoff that earns its patience, give this one a try.
And the ending!!! I need more.
October 25, 2026
You’re in my blood, Amara. In my bones. If fate had written us a different ending, I’d have torn the stars from the sky to find my way back to you.
This was a fun read. I enjoyed the story, the journey the characters went through was really interesting and engaging. There always seemed to be something happening and it definitely keeps your attention.
I recommend this book if you love
- Dark fantasy
- Second chance romance
- Found family
- Epic worldbuilding
- Werewolves and Vampires
Thank you to the author for the ARC!
October 13, 2026
What a fantastic read!
Amara is a half vampire who is trying to do it all after coming out of hiding once her home/kingdom is attacked along with many like her.
Rhordan is the werewolf king who had a previous relationship with Amara and is surprised to find her again. These two are gold -the angst and up and down is perfect.
I really enjoyed the writing style and world building sometimes all the ends and outs become too much for me, but I kept along great and can’t wait to see what’s next!
Amara is a half vampire who is trying to do it all after coming out of hiding once her home/kingdom is attacked along with many like her.
Rhordan is the werewolf king who had a previous relationship with Amara and is surprised to find her again. These two are gold -the angst and up and down is perfect.
I really enjoyed the writing style and world building sometimes all the ends and outs become too much for me, but I kept along great and can’t wait to see what’s next!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received a free ARC copy of The Endless Dark and leave this review voluntarily.
Tropes:
*Second Chance Romance
*He Thought She Was Dead
*Vampires & Werewolves
*Ancient Magic
*Found Family
*Protective Alpha
*Epic Worldbuilding
*End of the World
*Magical Inheritance
"The truth will be their undoing."
"You are my wife; not because of Ancient magic . Because I chose you. Because I will choose you -in every lifetime, every silence and in every storm." - Rhordan the man you are!!!
Rhordan the MMC, the definition of a if man wanted to he would. I absolutely love their story. How both Rhordan and Amara sacrifice for each other. Misguided at times Amara, the FMC, thinks she has to fight this alone to save her people and her son. But Rhordan shows her differently. Standing by her, helping her through thick and thin. I absolutely loved this book. The world building was phenomenal, the characters, and how you experience all the feels during their story.
And how my jaw was on the floor in disbelief when something came to light! I did not see that coming!
I cannot wait to see where their story is heading in the next book!
Tropes:
*Second Chance Romance
*He Thought She Was Dead
*Vampires & Werewolves
*Ancient Magic
*Found Family
*Protective Alpha
*Epic Worldbuilding
*End of the World
*Magical Inheritance
"The truth will be their undoing."
"You are my wife; not because of Ancient magic . Because I chose you. Because I will choose you -in every lifetime, every silence and in every storm." - Rhordan the man you are!!!
Rhordan the MMC, the definition of a if man wanted to he would. I absolutely love their story. How both Rhordan and Amara sacrifice for each other. Misguided at times Amara, the FMC, thinks she has to fight this alone to save her people and her son. But Rhordan shows her differently. Standing by her, helping her through thick and thin. I absolutely loved this book. The world building was phenomenal, the characters, and how you experience all the feels during their story.
And how my jaw was on the floor in disbelief when something came to light! I did not see that coming!
I cannot wait to see where their story is heading in the next book!
Review of advance copy received from Author
"You could break me a thousand times and I would still be yours. I was made to love you. To find you in the storm. My life is yours until the end."
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
🌶️
I liked this book a lot! It has so much depth, and a fantastic and rich worldbuilding. There were two things that kept me completely hooked: the plot (I needed to know what the hell had happened and what was going to happen next), and Rhordan. MY GOD. Rhordan has my entire heart. I kept pausing just to savour his lines because I loved them so much.
I’ll admit it took me a little while to warm up to Amara because she had so many secrets at the beginning, but she grew on me as the story went on. I ended up adoring all the characters, and the chemistry between the main characters was so good! I was rooting for them so hard. And the captivating prose was another thing I thoroughly enjoyed.
I had such a good time with this book. I look forward to book 2!
Thank you so much Rose R. Briar for the eARC!
What to expect:
🖤 Dark fantasy romance
🖤 Vampires, werewolves and witches
🖤 Second chance romance
🖤 He thought she was dead
🖤 Ancient magic
🖤 Dying worlds
September 15, 2026
I was lucky enough to be given an advanced copy of this book to read and am so pleased that I did.
This book definitely sets the scene with well written descriptive writing by the Author. She takes you and her characters through a whirlwind story of turbulent lands, desires, wants, plot twists, discoveries and ensures you feel all the emotions with each turn of the page.
I especially enjoyed the main characters, Rhordan and Amara, who you join on their roller coaster ride of a relationship, leaving you wanting to discover where it heads in the second book. I am hoping and routing for them is all I will say.
The end of the book leaves you ready to reach for the next and continue their story.
In the words of Rhordan: “Love is powerful. Gods, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever known.”
This book definitely sets the scene with well written descriptive writing by the Author. She takes you and her characters through a whirlwind story of turbulent lands, desires, wants, plot twists, discoveries and ensures you feel all the emotions with each turn of the page.
I especially enjoyed the main characters, Rhordan and Amara, who you join on their roller coaster ride of a relationship, leaving you wanting to discover where it heads in the second book. I am hoping and routing for them is all I will say.
The end of the book leaves you ready to reach for the next and continue their story.
In the words of Rhordan: “Love is powerful. Gods, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever known.”
Review of advance copy received from Author
I'd like to thank the Author for this free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I absolutely fell in love with this book as soon as the story began. I was fully invested in Amara and her quest to save her sister and her son and was cheering on the hope that she and Rhordan could rekindle their lost love.
I love the plot of this story throughout and felt character build and the different POV weaved throughout was beautifully executed. The plot twists,the build up and the passion that developed with these characters was superb. I experienced a whirlwind of emotions as I read further into the story and could not put it down!!
I absolutely fell in love with this book as soon as the story began. I was fully invested in Amara and her quest to save her sister and her son and was cheering on the hope that she and Rhordan could rekindle their lost love.
I love the plot of this story throughout and felt character build and the different POV weaved throughout was beautifully executed. The plot twists,the build up and the passion that developed with these characters was superb. I experienced a whirlwind of emotions as I read further into the story and could not put it down!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Loved this book!! It kept my interest from start to finish, which isn't an easy task, I had to force myself to put it down. It kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I am excited for the next one.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The world building is massive but impressive.
✨Vampires
✨Werewolves
✨Witches
✨Gods
✨Demons
✨Humans
We get it all in this one! This book was so intriguing. The possibilities for future books is endless!
There is a lot going on but the storytelling is impeccable. This is one that is good for settling in under a blanket and wiping that schedule clear so you can dive into this world and stay there awhile.
I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next one!
Thank you to the author for letting me read it early!
✨Vampires
✨Werewolves
✨Witches
✨Gods
✨Demons
✨Humans
We get it all in this one! This book was so intriguing. The possibilities for future books is endless!
There is a lot going on but the storytelling is impeccable. This is one that is good for settling in under a blanket and wiping that schedule clear so you can dive into this world and stay there awhile.
I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next one!
Thank you to the author for letting me read it early!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I loved this book. The last half was so intense that I had couldn't put it down. It was full of action and adventure. I loved the main characters and their interactions. The world building was very good as well. I can't wait for the next instalment.
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