Robin Icethorn, King of the Winter Court, must stop The Hand, who threatens to bring forth a time of monsters. The search for the keys to free Duwar, the demon God, from his unearthly bindings has begun. Finding unlikely allies, Robin is thrust into a war of Gods, becoming no more than a pawn on the game board he never wished to be a part of. Whilst new flames crackle with electrifying power and old flames return, equally changed – Robin is forced to make decisions that would change the course of his, and his kingdoms, lives forever.
Book Three in the series, Book Five for me by the author
My journey with this specific series by author Ben Alderson started last December. Back then, the re-publishing of this series at Angry Robots began and due to that, I was able to not only receive these beautiful new editions but also dive into this adventure around Robin Icethorn. A Betrayal of Courts introduced us to a fantastic world and fierce characters through the eyes of our half-human, half-fey protagonist. A Kingdom of Lies broadened our and Robin’s horizon for hat is possible in his world. Other protagonists and stories of the author have intrigued me even before meeting Robin and his allies. The first book of the Court of Broken Bonds series is for all fans of the BBC show Merlin, while Alderson’s Little Mermaid retelling out of his Darkmourn Universe is not only adventurous but also even spicier and more fantastic. Both books introduced me to series that still need to be continued and also allowed me to see Ben Alderson as a genius when it comes to unexpected turns and twists to a seemingly predictable or familiar story.
Back to the Realm of Fey
While we followed our protagonist in the second book into the human lands in search of allies, this third installment leads him back to Wynchwood. Alongside new allies and new foes, he tries to secure those he loves most but also protect his newly established court. Ben slowly but intriguingly expands the fantastic world of this series further. I was amazed by the new revelations and beings that were introduced and took an influential role in this book. Our emotions are taken in a rollercoaster as these new allies allow us to hope, cheer, but also despair over the apparent overpower of the enemy. We experience several fights in enough detail to feel the characters’ tension and worry about his loved ones. In between, we follow their strategic planning as much as their clinging to hope and each other in those dark times.
Unexpected Turns and Reunions
I would not say that this third book and its plot is as unpredictable as the previous one, but it is nonetheless exciting to read. As per usual, the first half felt a bit long again and it took me a while to get back into the story. The second half, in comparison, really made me fly through the pages. I read more than a hundred pages on the last day of reading, willing to neglect other things to get to know the end of the story. I was especially waiting for the cliff hanger, as Ben proved himself to be quite good at those. This one certainly did not disappoint. This third book in general did not. Some events and turns seemed a bit drawn out, where conflicts could have been resolved earlier, but given the high stakes of the whole situation, I can understand some characters’ hesitation or reluctance to act prematurely. Further given the draining and traumatizing times that especially our protagonist is going through, I loved how Ben nonetheless got to balance those intense feelings with positive ones of friendship, love, and new hope.
In conclusion
This third book lived up to the emotional, fantastical and exciting moments of the previous two books, expanding the world more and more and building up to a grand finale forth book. With new foes as much as allies, Robin had to and will have to face great challenges and hopefully succeed.
The author:
Ben Alderson is a #1 Amazon bestselling author and former BookTuber. In 2023, he was nominated for TikTok Author of the Year. An active promoter, Ben is active on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. He has self-published a number of M/M romantic fantasy novels, and his series Court of Broken Bounds is published with Second Sky (Hachette UK). Ben lives in Oxfordshire and, when not writing, can be found reading, taking Winston – his Labrador – out for long walks, or obsessing over Marvel’s The Scarlet Witch. Source