C.N. Crawford

Once, Orion and I were lovers. Then, the gorgeous demon king broke my heart. He kicked me out of the City of Thorns, exiling me to the mortal world.

Now, I have plans to get back at him--and save the world while I'm at it. Orion wants revenge on all the mortals. If I steal his crown, I can stop the bloodshed. All I have to do is beat him in a series of trials, proving that the gods chose me as queen.

But Orion seems determined to seduce me with his apologies and sensual charm. And the fact is? He's hard to resist. In the City of Thorns, nothing is ever as it seems, but figuring out who to trust is the most important trial of all. Because if I get it wrong, I'll have the blood of thousands on my hands.

Garden of Serpents

prawnie

I can see why some people feel this book doesn't even feel like it's part of the same series as the first. The writing style is exactly the same but the plot moved so much faster than it did in the other two books and it felt very rushed. We do get to see the story written from the perspectives of both MCs and I honestly preferred that...wish that had been the case for the whole series. Unfortunately, the story all seemed pointless as you can pretty much tell exactly how the story will end from the very beginning. There are some suspense elements to it which kept me invested in the story tho.

There is a stark contrast to who Rowan was in the beginning of the series to who she is now. She's grown as an individual and as a demon and you can truly feel how comfortable she is in her own skin now. I love that! Orion has the most character development in this book than any of the others but it was all foreseeable growth. I also felt like there was possibly a slight set up for a side story focused on Shai but that could just be me.

We do get lots of sexual tension but with a little more sweetness sprinkled in. It's more about the build up and acceptance of their relationship in this one.

amidpages

I can see why some people feel this book doesn't even feel like it's part of the same series as the first. The writing style is exactly the same but the plot moved so much faster than it did in the other two books and it felt very rushed. We do get to see the story written from the perspectives of both MCs and I honestly preferred that...wish that had been the case for the whole series. Unfortunately, the story all seemed pointless as you can pretty much tell exactly how the story will end from the very beginning. There are some suspense elements to it which kept me invested in the story tho.

There is a stark contrast to who Rowan was in the beginning of the series to who she is now. She's grown as an individual and as a demon and you can truly feel how comfortable she is in her own skin now. I love that! Orion has the most character development in this book than any of the others but it was all foreseeable growth. I also felt like there was possibly a slight set up for a side story focused on Shai but that could just be me.

We do get lots of sexual tension but with a little more sweetness sprinkled in. It's more about the build up and acceptance of their relationship in this one.

Sara Gómez 

Bueno, tengo que decir que me vi venir todo lo sucedido; en parte creía que no iban a pasar así las cosas, que me iba a sorprender, pero no. 
Sin embargo, me alegro; otro final me habría desesperado y gustado mucho menos, prefiero haber tenido razón en todo desde el principio.

Estuve con el libro a medias algo más de un mes porque me dio ahí un pequeño parón lector... Y eso me hizo desconectar un poco de la historia, lo cual es una pena porque yo estaba súper involucrada en la trilogía. 
De todos modos, disfruté mucho la lectura.

Kendall

Woah what a ride, Garden of Serpents was a rollercoaster of emotions. The conclusion of an enemies to lover story. Orion and Rowan are absolutely compelling. Their relationship took a turn for the best in this book after being deadly enemies, Im here for it. Although in this book we didn’t see as much angst as the previous books, I was still invested in the story! I love how the author put together hints of future possibilities. 

Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy. All opinions are my own.

Bek Gannon

I was so excited by the first book and looking forward to reading this one. I think the series lost a little of its power over the second and third books. However, I think this was a good conclusion - it got a little confusing and i think the plot got a bit lost toward the end but we got some much needed context and development - especially from Orion. Definitely a series i would recommend if you like an interesting fantasy, easy to read with a bit of romance and magic.

Abigail | 

I liked Rowan and Orion's relationship dynamics throughout this final book- there was more to the trust they'd started building and seeing them truly partner up was an interesting tug-of-war. The battle scenes were intense, and there was a lot of mystery to what was really at play throughout the book.

And I know that so many love and adore this series, but I think it just comes down to a case of it not being my cup of tea. Don't get me wrong, it's full of angst, brooding tension, mystique, and several other things that create a recipe for a fantastic fantasy- so if this all sounds appealing to you, I wouldn't by any means let yourself be swayed by me. I just constantly felt like we were left with more questions than answers, and the like the rug was always being pulled out from under me. 

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

That moment when the epilogue has you craving a whole new series…

It’s strange for me to begin a review talking about the ending, but my heart’s soaring and my interest is piqued. The epilogue gave me so many feels, and at the same time it was like reading the beginning of a whole new spin-off series. If this isn’t a sign that I’m not ready to say goodbye to Orion and Rowan, then I don’t know what is.

This was a great and surprising finale. Seeing how the previous book ended, I was expecting for sparks to fly between Orion and Rowan while their rivalry for the throne was dragged on a little bit longer. Instead, for the majority of the book, the conflict is no longer who sits on the throne, but rather what the winner’s actions will be once they’re crowned official rulers of the City of Thorns. Apart from the missed opportunity for some angry enemies-to-lovers spice, I felt like this took away from the tension a little bit. That being said, I loved seeing Orion especially come to terms with his feelings and see his arrogant demon ways aimed toward protecting Rowan rather than antagonizing her. I also loved uncovering the full story of what went on when he was imprisoned.

The ending was very satisfactory and—as I mentioned above—I adored the epilogue. It seriously is one of my favorites, if not my favorite. I’m really hoping the author will go through with a spin-off because there’s so much promise!

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.

Garden of Serpents

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