-Sara & Stacy
Website owners

**This newsletter is part of the section of our website called “Clean YA Books for Teens, Tweens, or anyone.” Sign-up to receive our updates if you haven’t already! (This list is different from our general Book Series Recaps newsletter.)

Looking for clean books for teen Christmas gifts in 2025? I’ve got you covered.

A note from Sara:

Hello! I’m Sara, one of the owners here at Book Series Recaps, and I curate the clean book lists on this website. I’m also a writer and a part-time high school teacher.

If you and your kids are looking for clean book recommendations, I’ve got you covered.

In this newsletter, you’ll find:

• Eight hidden-gem books like Better Than the Movies (for teen and tween romance readers and school libraries)
• A few new titles I recently found
• Popular lists – New and Old

And you’ll find even more clean teen reads for young teens and older teens here: Clean YA Books for Teens, Tweens, or anyone.

Happy reading! -Sara

Eight hidden-gem books like Better Than the Movies (for teen and tween romance readers and school libraries)

Check out these romance titles I found: Books like Lynn Painter

Four new clean books for your spring break reading list:

Here are a few clean titles I recently found! Check out Hannah Stone’s sweet romance, The Space Between Our Hearts, The Secret Investigator of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill, Clint Hall’s dystopian novel, Echo Nova, and If We Say Goodbye by Jasmine Little.

The Space Between Our Hearts by Hannah Stone

A sweet YA romance. No language, no spice.

From Goodreads: “Eighteen years. Dozens of houses. Not one place to call home.”

Take me to the synopsis.

The Secret Investigator of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill

From Goodreads: “After high school graduation, Piper Sail isn’t quite sure what her future holds—until a possible murder case lands in her lap.”

Take me to the synopsis.

Echo Nova by Clint Hall

A male protagonist!
From Goodreads: “Dash Keane is about to become the biggest star in history.”

Take me to the synopsis.

If We Say Goodbye by Jasmine Little

A little heavier than the books I usually read. See synopsis.
From Goodreads: “It’s been three months since my brother’s car accident, and I’ve chosen to ignore the world around me.”

Take me to the synopsis.

Non-book gift ideas for the readers in your life

Eva Austin put together a cute list of gift ideas for all the avid readers in your life. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something to add to YOUR birthday wish list! Take me to the list…

Popular Book Lists:

Clean fantasy romance books 
Clean YA rom-com for teens
Best clean romance books for 12 to 16-year-old girls
No-spice Christmas romance for adults
Clean books for boys (or girls!)

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Check out our master list: Clean YA Books for Teens, Tweens, or anyone

More info for new subscribers:

Does it surprise you that thousands of parents, educators, and readers have signed up to receive clean reading suggestions from me, both on Book Series Recaps and other websites I manage? If you’re looking for clean reads for yourself or your kids, you’re not alone.

I haven’t been happy with some of the books big publishing companies are printing for teens, so I started searching in smaller publishing houses and from indie authors. I’ve found some great reads this way. Because of this, some of these may not be at your local library, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get them there. In fact, if you want your library to offer more clean books, you should request more clean books so they’ll know what their community wants. You can request books at your library on their website, in person, or over the phone.

Also, I’d love your feedback and suggestions. You can reply to your email or comment below with your recommendations. Keep in mind that I’m looking for more recent releases of clean books for teens.

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That’s all for now. We’ll write again soon, and thanks again for your valuable suggestions. 

Until next time,
~ Sara and Stacy

The post Clean and wholesome teen books for spring break appeared first on Book Series Recaps.

But what if you want something with fewer mature themes and less language? Finding your next read can be tricky. Many romance novels lean toward older readers or include content that younger teen readers (and parents) would rather avoid.

The good news? There are plenty of hidden-gem YA rom-com authors writing delightful stories that capture the same charm. The books below deliver fun, humor, sweet romance, zero spicy scenes, and much less language, making them perfect for teens who want a lighthearted love story.

If you’re searching for books like Lynn Painter (but with less language…her novel Fake Skating has 200+ F-bombs!), then these authors deserve a spot on your reading list.

*Our site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases….hey, we had to upgrade our hosting due to our amazing number of readers…we’re just trying to pay for it! ;)*

1. Eva Austin

If you enjoy the playful tone and relatable characters found in books like Lynn Painter, Eva Austin writes romantic comedies that hit the same sweet spot, but with zero language or innuendo.

Her stories focus on first love, awkward moments, and hilarious misunderstandings, all wrapped in a teen romance that feels authentic and heartfelt. Readers who enjoy charming settings, witty dialogue, and lovable protagonists will find Eva Austin’s books especially appealing.

Austin’s writing is perfect for readers looking for:

• funny YA romantic comedies
• enemies-to-lovers vacation romance
• lighthearted high school love stories

If you’re trying to find books like Lynn Painter but less widely known, Eva Austin’s no-spice stories are a wonderful hidden gem.

Check out her entire My Favorite Color series.
Get the first book in the series FREE on the author’s website…

2. Sarah Sutton

For readers who enjoy the sweet charm of books like Lynn Painter, Sarah Sutton writes romantic comedies that feel both cozy and uplifting.

Sarah Sutton’s books focus on:

• first crushes
• emotional growth
• high school romance vibes

Her stories have the same feel-good energy and humor that make Lynn Painter’s books so addictive.

They’re ideal for readers who want cute teen romance novels that are fun, funny, and wholesome.

3. Becky Dean

Another fantastic option for readers searching for books like Lynn Painter is Becky Dean.

Becky Dean writes romantic stories that blend humor, heart, and memorable settings. Her characters often find themselves in unexpected, faraway adventures that lead to friendship, self-discovery, and sweet romance.

Dean’s books are perfect for readers who enjoy:

• playful romantic tension
• quirky characters
• feel-good storytelling

Like Lynn Painter’s novels, Becky Dean’s stories balance comedy and emotion in a way that keeps readers smiling from beginning to end.

4. Katrina Emmel

If you’re looking for lesser-known authors similar to Lynn Painter, Katrina Emmel is another fantastic choice.

Emmel’s stories capture the excitement of first love and emotional growth, blending humor and heart in a way that feels authentic to teen life.

Her books often explore themes like:

• self-discovery
• friendships that turn into romance
• learning to take risks

Readers searching for clean YA romance books without spicy scenes will appreciate the gentle, heartfelt tone of Katrina Emmel’s writing.

5. Alexandra Moody

If you’re hunting for hidden-gem YA rom-coms, Alexandra Moody is an author worth discovering.

Moody specializes in fun, contemporary romance stories that capture the excitement and awkwardness of teenage relationships. Her books often feature classic rom-com tropes like:

• fake dating
• enemies-to-lovers
• unexpected crushes

Fans searching for books like Lynn Painter that are fun and funny but still wholesome will love Alexandra Moody’s style.

Her books are especially popular with readers who enjoy fast-paced romantic comedies and charming high school drama.

**This one has more language than I prefer, but it has no spicy scenes.

6. Kristy Boyce

Another author who writes books similar to Better than the Movies is Kristy Boyce.

Kristy Boyce’s YA romantic comedies are known for their adorable humor and clever storytelling. Her books often feature socially awkward protagonists navigating friendships, school life, and unexpected romance.

Readers who enjoy:

• nerdy or introverted main characters
• witty dialogue
• sweet slow-burn romance

will find Kristy Boyce’s books especially delightful.

Best of all, her stories maintain a lighthearted, clean tone, making them great for younger YA readers.

7. Kasie West

When people search for books like Lynn Painter, Kasie West is often one of the first authors recommended.

Kasie West is known for writing sweet, funny YA romances filled with charming characters and swoony but wholesome relationships. Her books frequently feature:

• relatable teenage dilemmas
• slow-burn crushes
• feel-good endings

Readers who love the humor and heart found in Lynn Painter’s romantic comedies will feel right at home with Kasie West’s writing.

Her stories are especially popular among readers who want clean YA romance novels without explicit scenes.

8. Chrissy Q Martin

Finally, readers searching for books like Lynn Painter (but without all the mature themes) should definitely check out Chrissy Q Martin.

Chrissy Q Martin is known for intergenerational books, many of which explore family relationships and learning to be brave.

Her books often include:

• meddling grandmas
• lovable friend groups
• humorous misunderstandings

Chrissy Q Martin’s writing delivers the same laugh-out-loud moments and sweet romantic tension that fans of Lynn Painter adore.

Why Readers Love Books Like Lynn Painter

The popularity of books like Lynn Painter comes from their perfect blend of humor and heart. These stories capture the excitement of first love while keeping the tone light, funny, and uplifting.

Readers especially appreciate that these romantic comedies:

• focus on emotional connection
• feature relatable teen characters
• include clever banter and awkward crushes
• deliver feel-good endings

The authors above—Eva Austin, Kasie West, Becky Dean, Alexandra Moody, Kristy Boyce, Katrina Emmel, Sarah Sutton, and Chrissy Q Martin—all create stories that deliver that same magical rom-com experience, but without all the language, innuendo, and mature themes.

If you’ve been searching for fun, funny YA romance novels without spicy scenes, these writers are some of the best hidden gems to explore.

Books similar to Better than the Movies

Finding books like Lynn Painter doesn’t have to mean rereading the same titles over and over. The YA romance world is full of talented authors writing sweet, hilarious, and heartwarming rom-coms that deserve more attention.

Whether you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy or a wholesome story about first love, these authors offer plenty of wonderful options.

So if you’re ready for your next feel-good read, start exploring these hidden-gem YA romantic comedies—you might just discover a new favorite author.

Want to explore related posts:
Clean YA books for teens, tweens, or anyone
Clean fantasy romance books for teens
Clean summer romance books for teens
Books like Better than the Movies
Romance books for 13-year-olds

Have Suggestions for more books like Lynn Painter?

If you know of any other books similar to Better than the Movies or Lynn Painter’s other titles, add them to the comments!

The post 8 Hidden-Gem Books Like Lynn Painter (Fun and funny YA rom-coms – but without all the language and innuendo) appeared first on Book Series Recaps.

Special thanks to Erica for providing this Alchemy of Secrets summary! Check her out on Instagram at @itsneverthelastchapter or on her book blog or her personal blog.

Author
Stephanie Garber

Ratings
4.3 stars on Amazon
3.9 stars on Goodreads
Add Alchemy of Secrets at Goodreads.

Immortal Dark Series
#1 Alchemy of Secrets summary (this page)
#2 Untitled (Goodreads page)

***** Everything below is a SPOILER *****

What happened in Alchemy of Secrets?

Holland St. James was raised on her father’s treasure hunts, which she loved. During her undergrad, she took Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths. During this class taught by a woman called The Professor, she learned urban myths. This class was exclusive to those who could crack the clues. They were not allowed to divulge the myths they learned about to outsiders. Holland breaks this rule on her third date with Jake when she follows a clue to the Watch Man, who can tell you the exact time you’re going to die. The next day, a man named Manuel Vargas, claiming to be from the First Bank of Centennial City, which seemed very familiar to another urban legend, shows up at Holland’s door. He hands her a package with no return address that was on her doorstep and tells her there’s a security box that’s been locked for 15 years and now belongs to her because the lease has expired. If she doesn’t claim it, it will be destroyed. Holland chalks it up to a hoax.

Holland is working on a thesis that links Hollywood deaths to deals with the devil. Adam Bishop is the new professor, replacing the Professor as her mentor. He strongly urges Holland to choose another topic to pursue, believing the Professor is a fraud. Holland is upset and more determined than ever to prove to him that the devil exists. If she can prove it, she also believes she can prove that her mother never intended to murder her father. She takes it as a challenge and follows another urban legend to the Hollywood Roosevelt, where, if you buy a sidecar cocktail for the devil, he will give you his business card, which can be used once for an appointment. While waiting, Jake calls and tells her he’s going to die in an hour, according to the Watch Man. Holland starts having nosebleeds and conversations that seem to be in her head alone. She wonders if finding the Watch Man has revealed the other urban legends to be true. She calls the bank and makes an appointment. The confirmation call mentions her father left the box for her. Holland calls her sister, Januar, but gets her voicemail.

Holland finds Jake dead outside his apartment. When she searches his apartment, she finds an envelope containing information about her and his assignment to be her perfect boyfriend. The Watch Man calls to warn her that she has 29 hours before she dies. She can save herself if she finds the Alchemical Heart. Gabe rescues her before she gets arrested for Jake’s murder and tells her that January sent him because she owed him a favor. He also tells her that it’s impossible to find the magic object. It reappears only on specific dates, and secret societies are hell-bent on destroying it, thereby destroying the power it bestows.

They head to the Professor’s house for help. But she’s missing, and the house is ransacked. Adam Bishop steps out from the Professor’s office and tells Holland that January sent him. She finds her sister’s business card in the house. Gabe and Adam argue over whom she should trust. Adam shoots Gabe, injuring him. Gabe shoots Adam but warns Holland that he won’t be dead for long. They escape to her house, where Holland opens the anonymous package she had received earlier. It’s the Professor’s journal, with detailed notes on each myth, including a chained book in a church that could be the Alchemical Heart. She realizes that January has secrets Gabe won’t reveal and that she knew the professor, Adam, and him because they all had the same tattoo. She finds letters from the First Bank of Centennial City addressed to her and January. To escape intruders at her house, she puts on January’s shoes and grabs her backpack. 

Holland finds a key to the Regal in January’s shoe. She goes to the bank on Halloween and is surprised to see that the Professor is the manager with the ability to read minds. She offers Holland an ability in exchange for her father’s box. Holland refuses and gives away Gabe’s location after the Professor tells her that he murdered his wife for an ability. Holland finds her father’s last missing script, which contains many clues. Outside the bank, her friend Eileen picks her up. While driving, Holland spots The Regal.

Inside, she meets Adam Bishop again and has a strange feeling of knowing for a long time, but doesn’t know why. She and Adam go to meet the Watch Man. There she tells him that her father was Ben Tierney, the famous filmmaker who was shot by his wife and her mother, Isla Saint. He gives Holland a few more pages of her father’s last missing script and tells her that Adam is the devil. Adam says he used to be, before his brother, Mason, took all their father’s power for himself. Holland has visions and wonders whether she’s seeing the future. They follow the clues in the script to the Jericho Monroe Entertainment. They visit her father’s old bungalow, now owned by his ex, Vic VanVleet, where they find the next clue.Following the clue, they head to the props studio. There, they find a chained book which they cannot unlock. They hide when Gabe appears. He opens the book and finds a pencil. Disappointed, he leaves. Holland understands the clue and heads to one of the houses from her dad’s films. Buried under a tree, they find a jar of dirt with a small scroll. Gabe appears again. Holland tries to run. He tells her the Bank lied about his story and that she should not trust Adam. He takes the clue. 

How did Alchemy of Secrets end? Alchemy of Secrets summary

Holland tells Adam they must go back to the Hollywood Roosevelt. Adam confesses that’s where his brother is trapped, thanks to him. At the Roosevelt, Chance, her best friend, shows her a picture of Adam with celebrities who died under mysterious circumstances. Adam hadn’t aged a day. Chance warns Holland to stay away from him. Following the last clue, she goes to a bowling alley. She meets Mason, Adam’s brother, and learns that he’s a ghost. He tells her they’ve had this conversation before because Holland keeps dying after quarter past midnight, stuck in a time loop. Adam is the one who always kills her. The outcome didn’t change whether she betrayed Gabe or Adam to the Bank. Holland pursues looking for the Alchemical Heart. She finds a chain in her sister’s backpack that joins her necklace. She wonders if this is it. Adam appears, using his ability to charm her, and kisses her. While kissing her, he takes off the necklace and stabs her in the back, then leaves.

Holland struggles to find a room, and as she pulls out the journal Manuel Vargas had handed to her, she feels electricity – a sign of magic. The book transforms into the same man. She’s found the Alechmical heart! First, she demands that Adam take Mason’s place and never leave the hotel or hurt anyone again. Next, she asks for an ability that will reveal itself in two weeks. Lastly, she does what her father had – tells the Alechmical Heart to go to the future. This is when she understands why it disappears and reappears years later; it’s because people sent it to the future. Holland returns to her life. The story ends with Mason handing her his business card and January calling her.

There you go! That’s a recap of what happened in Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber. We hope you enjoyed this Alchemy of Secrets summary with spoilers. Check out this deluxe limited edition!

Ready to read or reread Alchemy of Secrets. Click to buy and help us pay for hosting! (paid links)

Special thanks to Erica for providing this Alchemy of Secrets summary! Check her out on Instagram at @itsneverthelastchapter or on her book blog or her personal blog.

What now?

Follow Book Series Recaps on Instagram and Twitter.
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Oh, and share this with your friends who might like to read an Alchemy of Secrets summary. More summaries of Stephanie Garber’s books…

**Did you find anything incorrect or missing from the recap? If so, leave a polite comment to let us know! We’re only human, after all!

The post Alchemy of Secrets summary with spoilers | Full recap appeared first on Book Series Recaps.

Special thanks to Chinesebun for providing this The Knight and the Moth summary!

Author
Rachel Gillig

Ratings
4.5 stars on Amazon
4.3 stars on Goodreads
Add The Knight and the Moth at Goodreads.

Stonewater Kingdom Series
#1 The Knight and the Moth (this page)
#2 The Knave and the Moon (synopsis)

***** Everything below is a SPOILER *****

What happened in The Knight and the Moth?

Your The Knight and the Moth summary:

Six women/girls known as Diviners serve the abbess of Aisling Cathedral. They are blindfolded by strips of gossamer (shrouds). Every ten years, another cohort of female foundlings (orphans) is taken to the cathedral and raised by the abbess. Each girl also learns a craft in preparation for when they leave the cathedral to live a normal life. Six uses a hammer and a chisel to make art. In turn for being raised by the abbess, the girls drown and dream of portents in a magic spring of fetid water upon a tor. 

The newly crowned young King, Benedict Castor the Third, comes to visit the tor to have his future Divined. The girls hate drowning in the water and dreaming. Six, the main character, draws the short straw and dreams. She is the most faithful of the abbess’ Diviners and takes pride in doing her job well. She has never left the tor despite nearing the end of her service.

Just before Six hurries to the cathedral to drown, she meets a rude knight. He rudely leaves during her drowning ceremony. The abbess says some words and pushes Six under.

There are six Omens, or gods. The lore is that they each come from their own hamlet and have a special object made of stone. The Harried Scribe carries an inkwell, the Heartsore Weaver a loomstone, the Faithful Forester a Chime, the Ardent Oarsman an oar, and the Artful Brigand a coin. Long ago, they used these objects to drive away the sprites plaguing the hamlets and bring peace. With triumph over the sprites, the Stonewater Kingdom rose. Six dreams of their stone objects and thus Divines five ill portents for the king. The sixth Omen is faceless and unknown, its harbinger a moth. 

After the drowning, Six is sick from the spring water. She goes to get fresh water and finds the King and his knights in the common dining room. The rude knight is also there, and he tells Six she hasn’t lived in the five hamlets and seen the real world. He expresses disbelief in the gods. She thinks him the foulest knight in all of Traum. Six smells stolen spring water in the King’s possession. 

Six blackmails the King and his knights into taking them to Coulson Faire, or else she will tell the abbess of the stolen spring water. 

The King challenges the rude knight, Rodrick (Rory) Myndracious, at his craft. Challenging someone at their craft is a test of skill and a challenge to one’s honor. The King urges three tries from an opponent to knock Rory from his feet. If the opponent wins, Rory’s future will be Divined. If Rory wins, the King will howl at the moon naked. Rory agrees, but only if he chooses the opponent. He chooses the Diviners. Six knocks him over.  

The abbess is served by stone gargoyles fashioned after different animals who follow her will. Six is pushed under the water by a peculiar gargoyle. This one is bat-shaped and talks, unlike the others. It calls everyone Bartholomew, regardless of their name. 

Six’s dream is different. She only sees a moth, and none of the normal stone objects. The knights leave for Castle Luricht.  

Six goes to bed, and when she wakes, one of her sisters is gone. Every night, another sister disappears. After three sisters disappear, she runs to the castle with the peculiar gargoyle to meet with the king. She can’t even get through the gate’s guards. 

Six returns to the cottage. All of her sisters disappear except One. One removes her shroud and looks in the mirror and is horrified. She does not say what she saw. 

The next morning, One is gone. The gargoyles try to keep Six from leaving, but Rory appears. Rory uses a coin to transport them outside the cottage. Six sees it is the Artful Brigand’s coin and thinks he is an Omen. The strange gargoyle comes with Six. 

Six travels with Rory to the Seacht, the hamlet of the Harried Scribe. They meet up with the King and Maude, another of his knights. They enter a building and meet the Harried Scribe. His eyes are made of stone. They challenge him to his craft and kill him and take his inkwell. Before he dies, the Scribe licks some of Six’s blood from the floor.  

Six realizes Rory might be right – the Omens aren’t gods, but men elevated to gods. She can’t fathom that she’s wasted 10 years of her life. 

She runs away and wanders for about 2 days on the street, looking for the Diviners. Benedict’s knights catch her. Benedict (Benji) tells Six he wants her help. He wants to kill the false gods and use their wealth to help all of the hamlets and free Stonewater from Aisling’s thrall. He tells her his grandfather also learned they were false gods and killed the Faithful Forester, but never recovered the Chime. He was then killed as a heretic. Benji wants to take up the mantle and finish the job. Benji tells Six that Rory used to be a foundling, and he worked for the Artful Brigand and stole spring water for him. Its magic likely caused the Omens to live so long. The abbess is the sixth faceless Omen. Rory worked with Benji’s grandfather to kill the Brigand. 

Six agrees because she will look for the Diviners with them and lend the power of the faith to Benji’s journey. Benji tells the nobles he is traveling to each Hamlet as part of his new reign. At each hamlet, the nobles hold a ceremony honoring the Omens. Benji attends to appease them. He does not tell them he is killing Omens. 

Rory sculpts hot wax on Six to craft her a suit of armor. There is some sexual tension. 

The group travels to the Fervent Peaks to kill the Oarsman. They fight a hungry mountain sprite on the way. Once they get there, they use stolen spring water to lure the Oarsman out. They follow him to his house and challenge him to his craft. The Oarsman wants Six to fight him. He also has stone eyes. 

Rory trains Six for three days. Maude lets Six wear her armor to the fight. The Oarsman sniffs Six during the fight and bites her and sucks her blood. He can “taste the springwater” in her blood and will have the water by any means necessary. During the fight, Six’s shroud comes off, and the Oarsman is surprised. Six wins. She uses a hammer and chisel to kill the Oarsman, whose body is partially made of stone, but she is injured. 

Six wakes up in Maude’s house in the Chiming Wood. Six wanders the house alone. She finds some of Benji’s grandfather’s writing and realizes no Diviner has even been seen in the hamlets. She realizes Omens killed the Diviners and drank their blood to get the spring water. 

The king and his knights attend a sacred ceremony where they smoke idleweed (similar to cannabis) and a noble bangs on a stone chime. The trees turn out to be sprites and try to eat people. Six recovers the Chime. Maude is injured. Sybil has sex with Rory. She takes off her shroud for him. In the morning, she sees her eyes are stone. Rory tells her he still loves her. She wants him to call her Sybil, not Six.

Benji and his knights travel to the Cliffs of Belllidine. Now they have the Chime, the Coin, the Oar, and Inkwell. They are after the Loomstone. 

How did The Knight and the Moth end? The Knight and the Moth summary

Before Maude, Benji, Rory, and Six leave to search for the Heartsore Weaver, Six sees Benji talking to his other knights. Most knights are the sons and daughters of wealthy nobles and wield power and influence together over Benji. They venture down into a cave system carved out by the ocean. Only Six makes it through the traps. She meets the Weaver, who gave up her Loomstone long ago on the tor. The Weaver is tired of life. The Weaver tells Six she turned into a stone gargoyle because she stopped drinking the spring water. She does not see herself as a god and asks Six to kill her. Per her, the abbess collects money from nobles who seek Divinations and pays the Omens to continue acting as gods. She confirms the Diviners were killed by the abbess and sent to the Omens so they can drink their blood and remain eternal. Gargoyles are former Diviners who stopped drinking the spring water. The peculiar gargoyle is the first Diviner and was named Bartholomew. 

Bartholomew tells Six his story. The Omens were five craftsmen who fought each other and died on the tor. They were resurrected by the abbess and the spring water. The Diviners are also dead foundling girls who were resurrected by spring water. Bartholomew was a boy, but after serving the abbess for a while, he grew questioning, and so the abbess locked him away and turned him into a gargoyle. The servants she liked best, she gave the hammer and chisel to and turned them into gargoyles. The others every ten years she kills because otherwise they question too much. She also picks girls because they are more loyal than boys. The abbess’s name is Aisling. 

The knights and Six go to the cathedral and confront the abbess. The abbess tells them she was stillborn and the fountain resurrected her. She holds the Loomstone and uses it to kidnap the other Diviners and deliver them to the Omens. They kill her and bring down the cathedral, burying the spring.

Benji then betrays everyone. He tells Six she is going to be his new queen. He wants her to Divine for her and lend legitimacy to his rule with Aisling and the Omens dead. He threatens Rory, Maude, and Bartholomew’s life and takes the Omen’s objects for himself. Six/Sybil goes with him to save Rory. The book ends on a cliffhanger with Sybil set up to be a new “god” for the kingdom. 

There you go! That’s a recap of what happened in The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig. We hope you enjoyed this The Knight and the Moth summary with spoilers.

Ready to read or reread Stonewater Kingdom Series. Click to buy and help us pay for hosting! (paid links)

What now?

Follow Book Series Recaps on Instagram and Twitter.
Friend us on Goodreads: Sara and Stacy.
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Oh, and share this with your friends who might like to read a The Knight and the Moth summary.

Special thanks to Chinesebun for providing this The Knight and the Moth summary!

The post The Knight and the Moth Summary | Full recap appeared first on Book Series Recaps.

Special thanks to Chinesebun for providing this As She Ascends summary!

Author
Jodi Meadows

Ratings
4.6 stars on Amazon
4.06 stars on Goodreads
Add As She Ascends at Goodreads.

The Fallen Isles Series
#1 Before She Ignites (recap)
#2 As She Ascends (this page)
#3 When She Reigns (synopsis)

***** Everything below is a SPOILER *****

What happened in As She Ascends?

Your As She Ascends summary:

In the last book, Mira and her friends fled from the Pit in Khulani towards a hidden cabin. Guards are after them now. Hurrok, a former prisoner who hates Mira, fights Hristo and cuts the palmar surface of his hand without amputating anything. There is an unrealistic medical scene where Hristo nearly bleeds out, and Gerel, the soldier girl, cauterizes it. In the cabin, they recuperate. Kelsine, the baby fire-breathing dragon from the first book, arrives at the cabin and becomes Mira’s pet. A hurricane in the night nearly blows apart the cabin, but they survive. 

Some of Aaru’s backstory is also revealed in snippets: he grew up on Idris and was punished if he spoke aloud. Silence above all. One of his neighbors, a child named Safa, is abused by her parents for “not listening.” Aaru discovers she has the power to create silence, an ability only possessed by select men. He keeps her secret. 

Hristo wants Mira and Ilina to leave with him to the city of Lorn-Tah and get on a ship pre-arranged by him. Mira refuses. She wants all of her friends to stay together and rescue the dragons herself. Chenda wants to use politics to force the islands to fight the Algotti Empire and thus free the dragons. They decide they will all stay together for now. Outside the city, they meet a camp of poor, disgraced Warriors and their families. Mira has her pet dragons hunt seagulls to give them hope. Her culture says she cannot refuse to love others. Altan arrives at the city with soldiers and nearly catches them, but Gerel’s aunt hides them in secret tunnels. Altan finds them, and Mira uses magic noorstone power to create a cave-in. Kelsine is trapped with Altan, but everyone else gets away. They promise the captain money if she will transport them to a new city on the island of Harta. 

On Harta, Mira goes to the dragon sanctuary, where she finds that this sanctuary is also shipping away their dragons. They say the dragons are behaving strangely and need to be rehabilitated. Mira returns to the city, disheartened. She learns Tirta is now posing as her. Mira goes to the theater to hear Tirta’s speech, but falls from the rafters. Mira magically draws on the 700 noorstones at the theater and destroys it. Aaru uses his silencing power on Mira, helping her deal with their great power. He claims he saw wings on Mira. 

Chenda and Gerel tell Mira they knew the sanctuary was a bust and wouldn’t take any dragons Mira rescues. Chenda and Gerel leave the group to talk to the Empire while Mira goes to her island. They sneak into the city to try to find Ilina’s parents. Her parents can get them an audience with Mira’s without the Luminary Concul knowing. But Ilina’s parents are gone – arrested or possibly dead. Mira finds her doctor, who gets her into the rich, secure part of town so she can see her parents. 

Mira’s father confirms the Algotti Empire now owns the Isles. He claims it is better since now the Isles won’t fight the huge Empire and die. The people can continue their lives in peace and ignorance while the dragons and noorstones are secretly shipped away. As Mira grabs supplies and prepares to leave to save the dragons, an explosion happens distantly. The majority of the Luminary Council is dead. 

Aaru’s flashbacks continue. In Idrisi, only men can provide for the house. Women must be married off with a dowry. Aaru’s family is full of sisters, with one brother who is too young to work. Aaru works as hard as he can, picking up enough shifts to provide for Safa, too. But Aaru’s father dies in an accident, and Aaru cannot provide alone. Aaru and his coworkers go to the square to protest the law preventing women from working. He is arrested and sent to the Pit. 

In the present, it turns out Khulani warriors attacked Damina. Everyone flees to the cliffs to descend the stairs to escape the boats. The Khulani warriors shoot arrows and hit Mira’s doctor. Mira takes her younger sister, Zara, to keep her safe. It is likely that Mira’s mother, father, and Hristo’s father died since they did not board the boats in time. Mira and her friends board the captain’s boat again to escape. 

A fully grown dragon named Hush, that is flying around Damina, bonds with Mira and responds to her emotions. Mira has a panic attack, and the dragon attacks a black boat chasing them. Gerel and Chenda are on it. They brought a spy from the Empire with them who tells them the islands were sold to Anahera, the Isle of Destruction, not the Empire. The spy dies from his burns, but urges them to verify his info with another spy. Mira finally clarifies with Aaru they love each other and are together. 

It turns out Altan and his Warriors attacked Damina. They catch up to Mira’s ship. Altan threatens Mira and her friends to make her rescue the dragons. Mira tells him he needs her more than she needs him, so she orders him arrested, and then she will do what he wants – rescue the dragons. He agrees. 

On Anahera, the team enters ancient ruins full of noorstones where the dragons are imprisoned. Mira learns her power over noorstones and her connection with the dragons are somehow connected. Dragons also draw power from noorstones. She uses the noorstones’ power to wake the dragons from their slumber. Meanwhile, a giant earthquake occurs. The Isle of Idris has risen from the ocean in the shape of their god. Everyone on Idris is probably dead. The Great Abandonment has begun. 

How did As She Ascends end? As She Ascends summary

A fully grown dragon named Hush, that is flying around Damina, bonds with Mira and responds to her emotions. Mira has a panic attack, and the dragon attacks a black boat chasing them. Gerel and Chenda are on it. They brought a spy from the Empire with them who tells them the islands were sold to Anahera, the Isle of Destruction, not the Empire. The spy dies from his burns, but urges them to verify his info with another spy. Mira finally clarifies with Aaru they love each other and are together. 

It turns out Altan and his Warriors attacked Damina. They catch up to Mira’s ship. Altan threatens Mira and her friends to make her rescue the dragons. Mira tells him he needs her more than she needs him, so she orders him arrested, and then she will do what he wants – rescue the dragons. He agrees. 

On Anahera, the team enters ancient ruins full of noorstones where the dragons are imprisoned. Mira learns her power over noorstones and her connection with the dragons are somehow connected. Dragons also draw power from noorstones. She uses the noorstones’ power to wake the dragons from their slumber. Meanwhile, a giant earthquake occurs. The Isle of Idris has risen from the ocean in the shape of their god. Everyone on Idris is probably dead. The Great Abandonment has begun. 

There you go! That’s a recap of what happened in As She Ascends by Jodi Meadows. We hope you enjoyed this As She Ascends summary with spoilers.

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Special thanks to Chinesebun for providing this Now I Rise summary!

Author
Kiersten White

Ratings
4.5 stars on Amazon
4.2 stars on Goodreads
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The Conqueror’s Saga
#1 And I Darken summary (recap)
#2 Now I Rise (this page)
#3 Bright We Burn (synopsis)

***** Everything below is a SPOILER *****

What happened in Now I Rise?

Your Now I Rise summary:

Radu and his wife, Nazira, conspire to build Mehmed a navy to take Constantinople without the important Grand Vizier, Halil Vizier (formerly Halil Pasha), finding out. If he does, he will sabotage Mehmed. Radu believes Lada is happily on the Wallachian throne until he meets the Danesti boys from his childhood who claim the throne. 

Lada still has her personal Janissary men, but she is not on the throne. The Wallachian nobles rejected her claim, and now she is a vigilante terrorizing the neighboring country of Transylvania. 

Radu meets Urbana, a woman claiming to build cannons big enough to break Constantinople’s walls. Meanwhile, Lada allies with Hunyadi, a famous Crusader from Hungary, to take her throne. He killed Vlad and Mircea, who were supporting the Ottomans at the time. Hunyadi wants Lada to marry his son, but Lada proves in a skirmish she is more useful as a ruling ally than a wife. 

Lada reveals Mehmed means to take Constantinople. She swears loyalty to Hungary’s king. Radu, at the request of Mehmed, pretends to betray Mehmed. He flees with his wife, Nazira, to Constantinople with an ambassador, Cyprian, the emperor’s nephew, and plays spy for Mehmed, feeding them enough information to assuage their suspicions. 

Lada asks Radu to help her persuade the nobility to support her claim to the Wallachian throne. Mehmed sends a reply asking her to keep Hunyadi from Constantinople, and he will support her claim with soldiers. He needs his borders secure to focus on Constantinople. Lada convinced Hunyadi to stay in Hungary and protect it from Mehmed instead. She secretly goes to meet with Mehmed. They have sex. Lada finds there are no soldiers for her. Mehmed lied to convince her to betray Hunyadi and join him in taking over Constantinople. Lada leaves angry, no closer to the Wallachian throne than before. 

Constantinople prepares for siege. They have enough stores to last a year. If Mehmed fails to break the city, he will lose the support of the Ottoman nobles, and his reign will end. Radu sabotages the food stores of Constantinople. Lada begs her mother, princess of Moldavia, for help to claim Wallachia, but she has gone mad after being mistreated by Vlad. Hunyadi catches the plague during a border skirmish and dies. Lada agrees to kill the king of Hungary and the heir to make way for Matthias, Hunyadi’s son. In exchange, Matthias will support Lada’s claim to Wallachia.

In Constantinople, Radu meets Mehmed’s spy and shares what he’s learned. Unfortunately, Italians sail past Mehmed’s navy, giving Constantinople hope and supplies. Lada meets with Toma Basarab, a noble who, at the behest of Matthias, will sway the boyars to Lada’s side. Peasants, tired of being exploited by the boyars, join Lada’s men. Lada kills a boyar and gives the land to the peasants. Daciana, a freed peasant girl, becomes Lada’s maid. She questions when Lada’s last period was. Lada’s period is irregular. She becomes concerned about pregnancy, but later has her period. 

How did Now I Rise end? Now I Rise summary

Mehmed is set to take Constantinople any day. Food is running low. He presses the city on all sides, with raids on the wall, a navy, and cannons. Mehmed’s spy warns Radu away from the wall, and Radu goes to warn Cyprian. He realizes he loves Cyprian. He is torn between Cyprian and Mehmed. Lada takes the Wallachian capital with her army and becomes prince. She tries to kill anyone in her way, with only Toma tempering her behavior with the boyars. 

Thanks to Radu’s treachery, Constantinople falls, and the Ottomans swarm and loot it. Cyprian realizes Radu is a traitor. Radu gets Cyprian and Nazira out safely on a boat, but returns to the city to save Constantine’s young nephews. Mehmed arrives in triumph and rewards Radu with the title of Pasha. Radu realizes Mehmed knew all along he was gay and used Radu. Yet Radu cannot help but love him. 

Lada hosts a dinner with the boyars to discuss changes to Wallachia. She realizes princes come and go, but the boyars remain. They demand she get rid of her men, as princes cannot hold standing armies. It turns out Toma only supported her so he could use her as a figurehead to gain power for himself. Then the boyar’s guard secretly kills one of her men. Lada orders the doors locked and kills the boyars and Toma. Radu writes to Lada, asking her to pay tribute to Mehmed as a vassal of the Ottomans. Lada defies Mehmed and declares Wallachia independent from Mehmed’s empire.  

There you go! That’s a recap of what happened in Now I Rise. Read to read or re-read And I Darken, Now I Rise, or Bright We Burn by Kiersten White. We hope you enjoyed this And I Darken summary with spoilers.

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Special thanks to Emily for providing this The Will of the Many summary!

Author
James Islington

Ratings
4.7 stars on Amazon
4.60 stars on Goodreads
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Hierarchy Series
#1 The Will of the Many summary (this page)
#2 The Strength of the Few (synopsis)

Deluxe hardcover editions

***** Everything below is a SPOILER *****

What happened in The Will of the Many?

Your The Will of the Many summary:

Vis, a seventeen-year-old orphan, works as a guard in the Catenan prisons, where prisoners are sent to be drained of their Will, which is then given to the elites. One night, a man named Hospius (It’s really Ulciscor) arrives to speak to a prisoner named Nateo. Vis thinks something is off with the man. Vis must disconnect Nateo from the Sapper he is attached to so he can wake and speak. The two talk in front of Vis in a dead language called Vetusian. They don’t know Vis can understand. They say something about Veriduis, Careo, Obiteum, and Luceum. The prisoner thrashes when he realizes Ulcisor is not there to rescue him, and Vis is knocked into the Sapper, but it doesn’t affect him. Ulciscor seems not to notice and leaves, after asking Vis’s coworker, Hrolf, about him. Hrolf is deteriorating simply by being around the Sapper, as all Vis’s previous coworkers have, yet Vis remains unaffected. 

We learn that Vis was once a prince of Suus. His family was killed when the Hierarchy took control. His real name is Diago, and he’s been in hiding for almost four years.

Vis sneaks away to fight to earn money. He does this most nights, and tonight he will be fighting a Sextus (someone very strong because they take the Will of over 60 people). To everyone’s surprise, Vis defeats the Sextus. He is kicked out of the fighting club because the owner says he cheated.

After this, he returns to the orphanage, where the next morning, someone comes to adopt a child. To the other kids’ disappointment, Vis is called in to interview with the man. It’s Ulciscor Telimus from the prison the night before, and he is a Quintus. Vis refuses to hand over his Will. Ulciscor saw that the Sapper didn’t affect him and knew he understood the dead language. Ulcisor decides to adopt him because of what he knows, and in exchange, Vis will help him.

As they travel to the capital city of Caten in a Transvect (an enormous vehicle powered by Will), Vis learns that Ulciscor is with the Military and wants Vis to become his spy at the Academy. Ulciscor believes the Religion pyramid is up to something. Possibly looking for pre-Cataclysm weapons to take over the Military. There are many pre-Cataclysm ruins on Solivagus, the island where the school is located. If he’s accepted, Vis would need to investigate the ruins and keep an eye on Veridius (the Principalis of the school).

Before they arrive, part of the Transvect blows up. After they crash, Ulciscor is knocked out, and Vis speaks with an Anguis raider (a group who fight against the Hierarchy). Her name is Sedotia, and she knows who he really is and admits to orchestrating the whole thing: the crash and even Ulciscor finding Vis. She tries to force Vis to come with her, but he refuses. She says he has one month to decide to help her or she will tell everyone who he is. Vis is to meet her at the Festival of Jovan in one month. Vis carries Ulciscor onto the transport, and they leave. 

Vis wakes up in an infirmary at the Academy and is questioned by a physician, who actually turns out to be Veridius, the Principalis. He was fishing for information. Ulciscor arrives, but Vis does not tell him that the Anguis want to recruit him once they have a chance to talk. 

Ulciscor and Vis continue to Caten, and Vis learns that Ulciscor’s brother, Caeror, died at the Academy, and he lets on that maybe it was to hide something. When they arrive at the Telimius villa, Vis learns that he will begin training with Lanistia. Ulciscor leaves, and they begin right away.

Vis is required to do a lot of reading and train in a secret maze. It’s a replica of the Academy’s labyrinth, which may be considered cheating. But Lanistia assures him that he needs the extra practice. She reveals that she lost her eyes at the Academy. She now must imbue the air around her to see. She is teaching Vis to use imbued stones to move the walls in the maze. 

A man named Claudius visits Vis, and he reveals that he knows Ulciscor blames Veridius for his brother’s death. The official story is that Caeror took his own life by jumping from a cliff because he thought he had killed someone. Claudius wants Vis to train with his daughter, Aequa, who is already at the Academy. Vis uses her as an excuse to go to the Festival of Jovan, where he is to meet with the Anguis. 

Vis and Aequa go to the arena, which holds over 100,000 people. It’s been filled with water for a sea battle. Prisoners will fight to avoid the Sappers. Vis hates everything about it. Vis slips away, and the Anguis raider finds him and takes him to Melior, who turns out to be Estevan, one of Vis’s father’s former advisors.

Vis again refuses to join them, and Estevan reveals that the Caten attacked their home in Suus because Suus had a powerful secret. He refuses to explain more. Sedotia cuts Vis’s chest and then gives him the blade to use as protection. Vis goes back into the arena and Aequa.

After the sea battle rages for a while, the lights suddenly go out, and no one can use their Will. Estevan’s voice booms through the arena. He tells the crowd that they are responsible for the corruption happening in their government since they give Will to it.

A stone platform rises from the water, holding Estevan. Any who attacks him dies. An explosion blocks the only way out of the stands. Somehow Estevan evaporates entire sections of people one after the other. The crowd is in chaos. Vis helps Aequa escape through the sewers, but he goes back to stop Estevan. 

Vis is able to get close, and for a brief moment, he has a vision of a black pyramid. Vis begs the older man to relent, but, instead, Extevan falls on Vis’s knife, killing himself. Vis passes out.

Vis wakes up a week later to learn that everyone knows he saved thousands. Ulcisor reveals that Lanistia is the girl his brother, Caeror, thought he killed. Ulciscor’s family took over caring for her after the accident, which is why she lives in their villa. Ulciscor doesn’t believe his brother would jump from the cliff, but Lanistia has no memory of the events in question. 

Vis gets a look at some letters Caeror sent to Ulciscor just before his death. There is a hidden message, and there may have been more in letters that he discarded long ago. The letter talks about Obiteum and Lyceum and mentions that “Only Veridius knows.” 

A Senate physician arrives to check up on Vis and take a blood sample. He also shows Vis a photo of a black pyramid, and Vis tries to hide that he recognizes it from the vision he had just before confronting Estevan. 

Vis heads to the Academy with the goal of moving into Class Three. Veridius escorts Vis to his dorm, letting Vis know that he’s aware that Ulciscor blames him for Caeror’s death. 

Right away, Veridius puts Vis in a position to defend a boy named Callidus against a stronger opponent, Eidhin. Vis tricks Eidhin into accepting a Three-Fold Apology, meaning the boy (from a higher Class) cannot demand he be expelled. Instead, Vis must clean out the stables every evening for two months. 

Gradually, Vis and Callidus become friends. Emissa shows up a few times to help Vis in the stables, and they become friends. Vis tries not to like her more than he should.

Vis is quickly promoted to Class Six with Eidhin. Eidhin ignores him, as does everyone else. Vis should sit with the others in 6, but they are not welcoming, so he continues to take meals with Callidus. The two begin training together every morning. 

Class Six gets a turn at running the Labyrinth, and Vis is paired with Eidhin. Vis loses when he runs, because Eidhin doesn’t give any instructions. When they switch, Vis realizes that Eidhin doesn’t speak Common very well and starts giving instructions in his native Cymr. They make it through, but the leader, Dultatis, who really seems to hate Vis, says they cheated by using another language. 

Later, Vis scales the walls, sneaks out to the ruins, and enters the Domed structure at its center. There are symbols on the wall that mimic the ones in the Labyrinth. He arrives at a chamber filled with corpses. They are missing eyes and are impaled by obsidian daggers. They seem to wake and start chanting, “Obiteum is lost. Do not open the gate. Synchronous is death.”

As Vis is leaving, he sees Veridius and another man. They know someone has set off an alarm, and they are relieved that “they’re all there.”

Vis returns to his room, narrowly avoiding getting caught.

Callidus reveals that he thinks the Military, Governance, and Religion are reaching a boiling point. There will soon be a civil war. Vis and Eidhin slowly become allies, and Vis tutors the other boy in Common.

Most students, including Vis, go to Necropolis for the Festival of the Ancestors, where families gather to honor their dead. A crowd greets Vis. It seems he’s popular after “killing” Estevan. Ulciscor takes him to his family. He is annoyed that he hasn’t moved on from Class Six, but he seems to be forgiven when he explains about the ruins. Ulciscor also admits he knows Vis is not really from Aquira, but Vis reveals nothing. 

Vis meets Ulciscor’s parents and is shocked to find that Ulciscor’s wife is none other than Sedotia. (Her alias is Relucia.) She pulls him aside and tells him that the Anguis need him to get into Class Three and become Domitor by winning the Iudicium.

Vis uses the Transvect that runs between the Academy and the Festival to hitch a ride to the ruins on the other side of the island. When he enters, a man, who doesn’t seem to be quite alive, greets him. He says there will be a test, and to pass, he needs to reach the other end. It mimics the Ladrynth. Vis doesn’t go in, and the man offers to demonstrate. He enters and is attacked and killed by Remnants who guard the way. 

Vis leaves and is on his way when he finds an injured and dying alupi puppy. He saves it and moves on without it. He catches a ride back with the Transvect just in time.

A Class Four student named Feriun has died by suicide. This leaves room for students to move up. Vis should be the one, but Dultatis doesn’t want to give it to him. Instead, Vis must fight Ianix, and whoever wins will be promoted. Emmisa and Eidhin help him train. 

Ianix and Dultatis cheat by disabling the imbued armour. Vis wins anyway and is promoted to Class Five.

Callidus reveals that Class Three and Four students have been dying at an alarming rate, and it’s being covered up. Vis must try to move up anyway, and he does. 

The Class Four Praeceptor encourages Vis to make friends with the others in his class.  Vis and Aequa must run the Labryrinth. They do well enough, though a boy named Iro tries to sabotage him, because he blames Vis for his sister’s death. 

Indol invites Vis, along with several others in Class Three, to train during the break at his family’s vacation home. Vis agrees, then, shockingly, learns they will go to his former home, Suus.

But first, they head to Caten for the Festival of Pletuna. There, Vis speaks with Sedotia. She reveals that she was the one who suggested that Vis go to Suus. Vis is to spy for her.

Vis follows Sedotia for a while and listens to a very confusing conversation between her and a man. Something about Cataclysm weapons. She tells the man she wants a demonstration. 

Soon after, Vis is attacked by two men, only to learn that Aequa had reported her suspicions that Vis was using Will to advance at the Academy, and that the attack was a test. He hasn’t, and Aequa is demoted.

The trip to Suus finally arrives. Vis learns that Indol’s vacation home is the former palace where Vis grew up. One of his father’s former advisors, Fadrique, is working there as a Sextus. Vis believes he’s a traitor.

Ulciscor arrives and introduces Vis to many senators. Ulciscor warns Vis against starting a relationship with Emissa. 

Later, Indol tells Vis that Emissa is going for a night swim. Vis knows how dangerous the lagoon is during the changing of the tide. He runs out and must rescue her. They kiss. Emissa later confides that Indol intends to join Religion when he graduates, which will be a shock to his father. 

Vis tells Ulciscor and Lanistia about the Labyrinth. The older man tells Vis he will need to go through it. Vis doesn’t want to, so Uliciscor threatens the Sapper if he doesn’t. 

Pretending to be ill, Vis sneaks through secret passages in the castle and listens in on the summit. The senators are monitoring certain families. He learns that the Military helped the Anguis attack at the colosseum and have been funding them in other ways. Vis sends what he learns to Sedotia.

Fadrique meets Vis in the passageway and declares his loyalty. He shows the boy things that he has saved that belonged to his family.

Indol later lets on that he knows Vis has been to Suus before, though he hasn’t guessed who he really is. 

Vis returns to the Academy with the goal of moving up to Class Three.

Callidus reveals that he once loved Belli and stole documents from his father to prove to her that students have been dying. Belli kept the documents and has been using them against Callidus ever since, even forcing him down the ranks.

Vis knows how to solve both their problems. Vis challenges Belli to a game of Foundation. He eventually has Belli in a position she can’t get out of. He gets her to give Callidus his papers, which she does, and he will back down and call a draw. Only he doesn’t draw. He beats Belli. She goes to Class Four, and Vis moves up to Three.

Eidhin tells Vis that his father made a deal with the Republic that sent Eidhin to a Sapper for a year, though it saved some of their people.

They start preparing for the Iudicium. Those in Class Three pick two other students from other classes to join them in the test. Vis asks Callidus and Eidhin. Eidhin agrees at first, but backs out after speaking to Veridius. Aequa joins Vis instead. The three start training together. 

How did The Will of the Many end? The Will of the Many summary

When the test arrives, they learn the rules. The winner will return with the Heart of Jovan. To everyone’s surprise, the helpers from other classes can change loyalty or even return with the Heart for themselves, winning something that Veridius secretly promised them. Everyone has a tracker, and some higher-ranking students can even track their competitors. The safety team is also tracking everyone.

When they begin, Vis vomits up the tracker they made him swallow. Iro’s team catches Vis’ team almost immediately. Aequa seems to deflect to the other team, but later comes back to free Callidus and Vis, who have been tied up.

Aequa returns to the other group to retrieve their stolen items, while Vis and Callidus steal a tracker from the safety team. (Vis also steals a bloody cloak.) In the aftermath, they run in different directions, so Vis heads to the dome in the ruins. He runs into the alupi puppy along the way, who has grown a lot. It follows Vis to the dome and doesn’t seem to want him to go in. 

Vis goes in and meets another half-dead guide. Vis learns about the labyrinth as the guide, and then several others run through the maze trying to evade the Remnants. 

Finally, Vis plucks up the courage to run the maze. The sight of Belli’s dead body slows him down, but he makes it through. He comes to a chamber where large spikes make a circle. He passes out, and when he comes to, he sees figures in the fog. The word “wait” appears on his arm. He does as something destroys those outside the circle. The word run appears, and he does, going back through the maze where the alupi (SP) protects him from the undead. (Though some escape the dome.)

Vis meets back with Aequa and Callidus. Aequa tries to treat the awful wound on his arm. They begin following the other teams using the stolen tracker. 

Callidus takes their medallions toward the Academy so that Vis and Aequa won’t be tracked as they go for The Heart, which is hidden in a tower. As they travel, they come across a mass grave filled with body parts from students and the safety team. Anguis have replaced the safety teams, so they decide to warn the other students. 

Aequa looks for Emissa while Vis looks for Indol and his team. When Vis finds him, he explains what’s happening and shows them a bloodied arm. Vis also tells him that his father is working with the Anguis and that Emissa told him Indol planned to join Religion. Indol says he never told Emissa that.

Vis reunites with Aequa. She reports that Emissa and a few teammates have left for the tower in search of The Heart. Aequa heads one way to find Callidus while Vis goes the other to warn Emissa.

Vis runs into one of the Anguis. He implies that he knows Vis ran the maze and that he has, too. 

Vis goes to the top of the tower where a Sextus is waiting. They fight, and Vis is nearly defeated, but Emissa uses Will to kill the man. Vis ends up with the Heart and tries to tell Emissa what is happening. She sees his injured arm and tells him she needs The Heart because she has to win. Vis drops the Heart when she threatens him. 

Emissa stabs Vis in the stomach using Will, and the force pushes him from the tower. As he falls, The Heart flies into his hand, and then he splashes into the river. The fall alone should have killed him, yet somehow he is still alive. The stab wound seems shallow.

With The Heart in hand, he heads in to try to win, running across Callidus, who is near death. Vis carries him back to the Academy, but he dies before they arrive. 

When he reaches the Academy, Vis lays Callidus at Veridius’s feet. He vows revenge. After placing The Heart into the statue, winning the contest, he passes out. 

He wakes to find Veridius in his room and that his arm has been amputated. Varidius wants to know if the writing on Vis’s arm helped him escape, and Vis confirms that it did. Veridius says Vis’s blood is tainted and that Emissa didn’t want to kill him, but that the wound on his arm meant that she had to. Vis is now Domitor, and Veridius urges him to pledge to Religion.

Senators arrive to find out what Vis wants to do. Vis asks to work for the Censor rather than Religion or Military, and Veridius is visibly upset. Vis says he doesn’t want to work for him, but that they can talk later. 

Vis finds a toy ship from his childhood in the room. His real name, Diago, is carved into it.

After this, we, the readers, jump to the Synchronism. We learn that Vis created duplicates of himself across parallel dimensions after completing the test in the Labyrinth. The Vis we know may not realize it happened.

Synchronism 1: We jump back to Vis waking and finding the words “wait” and then “run.” He does and then reads these words on the wall: “Sealed against the tools of the enemy after the rending. The passage to Luceum requires a toll to ensure validity.” Vis pays it, with the loss of his arm. After, he is standing in a rotunda surrounded by snow. Three people rush to help him, saying, “Traveller, stay. The other from your world will be coming.” 

Synchronism 2: We jump back to Vis waking, and a man, Caeror, Ulciscor’s brother, is already there. Vis is in Obeteum. Caeror confirms that Vis knows Veridius and says that Vis has been copied, “the same way the world was thousands of years ago in the war against the Concurrence.” Caeror says they have two minutes to save the Vis in Res. He begins to carve what we assume is the word “Wait” on Vis’s arm.

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There you go! That’s a recap of what happened in The Will of the Many by James Islington. We hope you enjoyed this The Will of the Many summary with spoilers.

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Special thanks to Chinesebun for providing this And I Darken summary!

Author
Kiersten White

Ratings
4.2 stars on Amazon
3.8 stars on Goodreads
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The Conqueror’s Saga
#1 And I Darken summary (this page)
#2 Now I rise (recap)
#3 Bright we Burn (synopsis)

***** Everything below is a SPOILER *****

What happened in And I Darken?

Your And I Darken summary:

Written as an alternate fantasy history where, in 1435, Vlad the Impaler is instead a girl. Begins with the birth of Ladislav to Vlad Dracula and Princess Vasilissa of Moldavia. Vlad hopes for a boy but gets Lada, a girl. 

Her father is supposed to be the vaivode, the prince of the nation Wallachia (modern-day Romania), but his brother rules instead. Lada is not traditionally beautiful, but she wants to earn her father’s respect by being cunning and a powerful fighter. Her tenacity surprises her father, who educates her alongside her brother, Radu, who is one year younger. Whereas Lada impresses her father but is seen as “useless” by others for being a woman, Radu’s father thinks him weak and a crybaby. When Lada is five, her uncle dies, and her father becomes vaivode. They move to Tirgoviste, the Wallachian capital. One summer during plague, Lada’s family travels to the countryside, where Lada falls in love with nature and her country and calls Wallachia her mother. Upon returning to the city, she becomes disillusioned with her father, who swore to the pope he would fight the infidels as a Christian ruler, but who also has a truce with the sultan of the Ottomans, allowing the Ottoman soldiers to occupy Wallachia. Lada is angry that her father has truced with them. She would never allow Wallachia to be a vassal state. He does not care for Wallachia, but for power. 

Lada’s best friend is Bogdan, the nursemaid’s son. He is taken from her after she insults the Ottomans, since they can’t punish her. Her dislike for the Ottomans and her father increases. When Lada is twelve, the boyars (nobles) plot with Vlad’s oldest son, Mircea, who is the heir apparent from a prior marriage. Together, they seize the throne from Vlad. Vlad flees to the Ottoman Empire for help. He retakes his country with Ottoman power, but leaves Lada and Radu in the Ottoman capital as insurance to prevent him from playing both sides. 

In the Empire, Kumal, a friendly noble, takes Radu to a mosque. Radu finds peace in religion and converts to Islam. Lada has her first period and tries to hide it to avoid marriage, but she is discovered and betrothed. They also meet Mehmed, who is third in line to the Ottoman throne but the son of a concubine. They become his companions. He cancels the betrothal and takes them to learn alongside him in the countryside. Lada starts training with the Janissaries and gathers Wallachian Janissaries into her fold. The Janissaries complain about “the little zealot” and dislike the idea of taking Constantinople for Islam because of the loss of lives. 

When Mehmed is twelve, the sultan, Murad, declares peace with the Christians and steps down, making Mehmed sultan since his older brothers are dead. Mehmed was never groomed for the throne and fears the court will eat him alive. Lada drafts a letter to the Christians, telling them Mehmed is untested, and they should crusade. Mehmed’s father returns to lead the army while Mehmed prepares to take over in the capital. Lada’s father sends troops, condemning Lada and Radu to death, but they are surprisingly not killed. When the Ottomans crush the crusade, Mehmed’s father again retires, refusing the throne. An assassin comes after Mehmed, but Lada protects him. The assassin fights like a Janissary, and they realize they can’t trust anyone. They flee into the harem where the eunuchs and Mehmed’s slave mother Huma protect him. As the mother of the sultan, she is the most powerful woman in the harem. The public story is that Mehmed is enjoying his harem, not fleeing danger. Huma reveals she engineered Mehmed’s brothers’ deaths. If Mehmed dies, her efforts are for nothing. Lada and Radu betray Mehmed and engineer a Janissary revolt with Huma so his father returns as sultan. Mehmed is alive, but has lost the throne. 

Radu and Lada return to the countryside, but Mehmed stays in the capital to build support for himself. Huma tells Lada, who is developing into a woman, a story about Theodora, wife and equal to Emperor Justinian, and the power a woman can have if she holds the right man’s heart. She urges Lada to either use Mehmed to gain power or to stop holding him back. Lada kisses Mehmed. Radu realizes she holds Mehmed’s heart. Radu’s Janissary friend, Lazar, hints that both he and Radu are gay. Radu fears this about himself and is jealous of Lada. 

The sultan arranges a marriage between Mehmed and a noble girl. Lada and Radu return to the capital to celebrate. A baby, Ahmet, is born to another of Murad’s wives. Mehmed is again the spare; noble sentiments lean towards Ahmet ruling because Mehmed will ruin the Empire if he tries to take Constantinople. While Lada feels neglected by Mehmed, Radu spends his time politicking. Mehmed confesses he hates his new wife and loves Lada. Lada murders another assassin to protect Mehmed. At this point, Murad questions her identity; she and Radu survived Vlad’s betrayal because Murad forgot them. Radu saves them by confessing they have both converted to Islam. He becomes the sultan’s favorite “son.” 

After the wedding festivities, Lada travels to the countryside. Radu stays in the capital with Mehmed. Lada feels betrayed by Radu choosing Mehmed over her. She tells him Mehmed will never love him. Mehmed gives Lada the power to form her own unit of Janissaries. She chooses only Wallachians. 

Skanderberg, a powerful Janissary, rebels against the Empire with his men. The sultan, along with Mehmed, Radu, and an army, goes to besiege Skanderberg’s city, Kruje. Lada is left behind by Mehmed, jealous that Radu is with him. The siege does not go well. The Ottomans cannot take the wall, and many soldiers fall to disease. Radu promises Kumal he will take care of his sister, Nazira. In the countryside, Lada receives a letter telling her Mehmed is dead, and that she should flee to Wallachia. Lada realizes her power comes only from men. She is determined to carve out her own power and is about to take her soldiers to Wallachia. Mehmed returns before she can leave. The letter was a trick to make Lada leave. Lada realizes she loves him enough to stay, despite Mehmed having a harem and a son. She still holds her maidenhood to herself, though. 

The sultan sickens and is about to die. Halil Pasha, a powerful noble, wants to kill Mehmed and set up Ahmet or a fake heir, Orhan, whom he can use to rule the Empire. He controls the Janissaries. Mehmed uses Lada’s soldiers to sneak into the capital and bribe the Janissary commander to work for Mehmed, not Halil. Mehmed takes control when Murad dies. 

Radu quietly marries Kumal’s sister, who is a lesbian. This way, Nazira can live happily with her maid while appearing married to Radu.

How did And I Darken end? And I Darken summary

Bogdan, now a proven Janissary, joins Lada’s contingent. Mehmed is mildly jealous. While Lada and her friends go out into the city, the Janissaries riot about their pay again. Lada realizes it’s a distraction to kill Mehmed. The Janissaries want to kill Mehmed, so they aren’t sent to Constantinople. Lada defends Mehmed. Radu must kill his friend, Lazar, to protect Mehmed. Huma kills Ahmet, making Mehmed the one true heir besides a touted imposter from Constantinople. No more assassins should come.

News comes through that Vlad has finally died. Mehmed considers installing Radu as vaivode, but Radu refuses. The Empire is his home. Mehmed offers Lada marriage to him to secure Wallachia, but she refuses. She wants to be beholden to no man and no Empire. Mehmed has his own harem, and Lada fears being relegated to what she sees as a powerless wife or concubine. Although she is Mehmed’s equal, she sees that Mehmed does not care for his other harem women and sees them as tools. She chooses to leave Radu and Mehmed and ride for Wallachia with her Janissaries to claim it for herself as prince. Mehmed is heartbroken, but lets her go. 

There you go! That’s a recap of what happened in And I Darken by Kiersten White. We hope you enjoyed this And I Darken summary with spoilers.

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Special thanks to Chinesebun for providing this Before She Ignites summary!

Author
Jodi Meadows

Ratings
4.3 stars on Amazon
3.7 stars on Goodreads
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The Fallen Isles Series
#1 Before She Ignites (this page)
#2 As She Ascends (recap)
#3 When She Reigns (synopsis)

***** Everything below is a SPOILER *****

What happened in Before She Ignites?

Your Before She Ignites summary:

The book alternates between “Before” and “After” when the main character, Mira, was banished to prison. Most of the story occurs “After,” but there are some flashbacks labeled “Before.”

The Mira treaty is a peace treaty among the six island-nations of the Fallen Isles. Each island has its own culture and worships its own god of a pantheon. Their gods are “fallen,” because they “fell” to the Islands a long time ago rather than staying in the heavens. As part of the treaty, no one can be a dragon-riding warrior (Drakon Warrior), and dragons are relocated to sanctuaries. The Hartan people, who used to be bondservants exported from Harta to other islands, now govern themselves as an independent people on their own island. Still, it is primitive compared to other islands due to the Hartans being taken advantage of.

Mira’s father, a politician, named the treaty after his daughter, Mira Minkoba. She is known as the Hopebearer and represents peace. She is from Damina Island. Her parents want her to be a perfect, pretty spokesperson for the Luminary Council, the rulers of Damina.

Mira has anxiety and uses counting as a way to help her. She also used to take medication, but it was taken away when she was arrested and taken to the Pit, a prison for the worst people in the Isles. It is located underground on Khulani. She was sentenced by the

Luminary Council for sharing knowledge of a “secret” they wanted kept quiet.

Her two best friends are a girl named Ilina, whose family runs the dragon sanctuary, and Hristo, her bodyguard. Mira did not tell them her secret to protect them. Mira expects her father to use his political power to get her out. No one knows the Hopebearer is on the bad side of the Luminary Council. She does not share her identity with the other prisoners to keep herself safe.

Mira finds it hard to adjust to one shower a week, little food, and uncomfortable bedding since she is used to living like a rich noble. Noorstones, a glowing stone, light up the underground prison. Every night, they inexplicably go out, and there is complete darkness. Mira really likes dragons and has a small pet dragon named LaLa, whom she thinks of to comfort her.

A boy in the cell next to her uses whispering and tapping (similar to Morse Code) to communicate. His name is Aaru, and he is from Idris, the Isle of Silence.

A prison guard/warrior named Altan somehow knows her true identity as the Hopebearer. He is a Drakon Warrior in hiding, and he will help Mira if she will give up her secret. She refuses. He tortures her, but she still doesn’t relent.

Mira is given the opportunity to work for better food and more showers. She has never worked in her life, but quickly learns to mop and clean. One of her roommates, Gerel, is a disgraced Warrior from Khulani, an Isle known for fighting. Mira copies Gerel, doing exercises in her cell.

A girl named Tirta works in the kitchens. She gives Mira advice on surviving the prison. Aaru teaches Mira his secret tapping language (Quiet Code) so they can communicate without the guards knowing. In a “Before” flashback, Mira and Ilina check on the dragons at the sanctuary because of an earthquake that occurred earlier. They find all of the big dragons are missing from their lairs.

Because Mira won’t give up her secret, Altan leaves her in the dark for four days without additional water or food. Mira’s cellmates are taken away to better cells. She is weakened and nearly dies from dehydration. Someone reprimands Altan because she needs to be healthy in case the Council sends for her. They can’t know Altan is trying to get Mira’s secret.

In another flashback, Mira’s friends discover that the big dragons are being shipped away by Ilina’s parents to the mainland, the Algotti Empire. The gods said the dragons were to be protected, and if not, the gods would leave, and the Isles would be destroyed in the Great Abandonment. Mira tells the Council. They lie and claim it’s for a breeding program, but Mira knows the truth. Mira plans to tell the Priests, but the Council arrests her and sends her to the Pit.

Altan threatens her again because he wants to know where the dragons are. Mira realizes she likes Aaru.

A politician named Chenda from Bopha becomes a new cellmate in the Pit. Mira knows her from politics. The Hartans, who were bondservants on other Isles, are being forcibly deported to their homeland now that they are free. Some Bophans set them on fire because they refused to leave. Chenda stood up for the Hartans and was imprisoned since her boyfriend supposedly killed some Bophans.

Mira decides she will break out of the Pit. Mira shares some food with the other prisoners, so they will want to help her. One of the prisoners says he tried to kill Mira Minkoba because she lives richly, and the Mira Treaty ruined his life.

Altan tortures Aaru to get answers from Mira. Aaru causes the noorstones to explode somehow.

In another flashback, the Isles also ship giant noorestones to the Algotti Empire. Giant noorestones are the key to more advanced technology and large ships that can reach the mainland.

The Luminary Council sends for Mira. They pretty her up and tell her to read a speech for them in Bopha before politicians at a party. The speech says Hartans should be deported to their home Isle. Everyone should be equal, but separate. If Mira behaves, she can return to her old life.

On the way to Bopha, she sees Lex, a big dragon from the sanctuary, who tries to escape a ship. Mira calms Lex, but soldiers recapture her.

At the party, Mira argues Hartans should be able to work wherever they want. The Council stops her. In private, one of the Council’s members cuts her face with a dagger.

Ilina and Hristo visit Mira in the infirmary. They were servants in hiding and snuck into Bopha. They want to smuggle Mira away, but Mira refuses. She can’t leave Aaru and the others.

The Council captures Ilina and Hristo before they can leave and sends them to the Pit as well.

When Mira returns, the others are angry because she didn’t tell them she was Mira Minkoba.

How did Before She Ignites end? The Before She Ignites summary

Altan threatens all of Mira’s prison friends. She promises to tell him everything.

Everyone plans to escape with Tirta’s help. Altan takes Mira to an interrogation room and releases a hungry baby dragon in the prison. It might break down the cells and eat her friends if she doesn’t tell Altan the truth fast.

Altan tells her the Algotti Empire owns the Isles, and the Mira Treaty was a lie. He wants to know where the dragons and noorestones are, but Mira refuses because of his poor methods.

Mira somehow escapes and fights Altan. She grabs a noorestone torch from the wall and finds she can harness power within the stones.

Then she uses Altan’s keys to free her friends. It turns out Tirta is a plant by the Council to spy on Mira. Mira imprisons Tirta in the armory and somehow tames the baby dragon. She releases her friends.

Mira grabs all the noorestones she can find and causes a magic explosion as the guards swarm the prisoners’ cell block. Everyone escapes through the rubble, with the prison guards thinking they are all dead. The book ends on a cliffhanger with Mira feeling empowered to right the wrongs in the world.

There you go! That’s a recap of what happened in Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows. We hope you enjoyed this Before She Ignites summary with spoilers.

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Special thanks to Chinesebun for providing this The Twisted Throne summary!

Author
Danielle L. Jensen

Ratings
4.5 stars on Amazon
4.3 stars on Goodreads
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The Bridge Kingdom Series
#1 The Bridge Kingdom (synopsis)
#2 The Traitor Queen (synopsis)
#3 The Inadequate Heir (recap)
#4 The Endless War (recap)
#5 The Twisted Throne (this page)
#6 The Tempest Blade (synopsis)

***** Everything below is a SPOILER *****

What happened in The Twisted Throne?

Your The Twisted Throne summary:

Begins with Princess Ahnna of Ithicana alongside Aren Kertell and Lara Kertell at Northwatch. Ahnna is the former Commander of Southwatch and held Ithicana together during the Maridrinian invasion and Aren’s absence. Now she is at Northwatch preparing to sail to Harendell to complete her part of the Fifteen-Year Treaty.

Aren tries to convince Ahnna to stay since she is used to being a fighter, not a prim-and-proper princess of Harendell. Aren says he can offer Harendell money or better trade rates for the bridge to avoid sending Ahnna and keep her happy. Ahnna refuses because she needs to convince Harendell to direct trade through the Bridge and pay Bridge taxes to refill Ithicana’s coffers after the Maridrina/Ithicana war. Ahnna also still holds a grudge against Lara for helping Maridrina attack Ithicana. 

Bronwyn, Lara’s sister, and Taryn, Ahnna’s cousin, also come with Ahnna to Harendell. Ahnna brought Taryn because she hates Lara and would have assassinated Lara if Ahnna hadn’t brought her. 

While waiting, they see the Harendellian ship docking. The Harendellians are fighting people who appear to be dressed as Ithicanians. Ahnna sees their fighting style is Amaridian. 

Ahnna saves a man whom she believes to be her betrothed, Prince William Ashford. It turns out he is Prince James, the illegitimate part-Cardiffian son of King Edward of Harendell. 

Ahnna struggles to fit in; she must wear dresses instead of Ithicanian fighting clothes.

The Harendellians theorize the Amaridian attack happened because Queen Katarina of Amarid might be trying to avenge her son, Prince Carlo Serrano “The Beast” after one of his testicles was cut off.  

Ahnna tries to figure out why Harendell is reluctant to ship through the Bridge. There are no northern markets open to Harendell. Cardiff and Amarid are both at odds with Harendell and other smaller nations can’t match the goods shipped through the Bridge. 

Ahnna and James’ escort stops in a noble’s mansion for the night. 

James goes into town and meets his uncle Cormac. It’s revealed James is a liaison between the Cardiff king, King Ronan, and King Edward. Cormac wants James to get rid of Ahnna. If Ahnna marries William, it will spell the end of a Cardiff/Harendell alliance.

Meanwhile, Ahnna sneaks out to try to gather information. James catches her. They talk and return to the mansion. They end up kissing by the hedges. 

They arrive by carriage at Verwyrd, the capital of Harendell and climb a path up to the Sky Palace. 

Ahnna meets King Edward who is very pleased with her as a future bride for William. He sees her as a strong heir, whereas he verbally abuses and puts down his son, Prince William. Prince William is a drunkard and playboy. He spends all his money on wine and horses. Princess Virginia is somewhat blind and uses a cane to ambulate. Queen Alexandra expresses disdain for Edward and James because he dislikes Prince William but praises his bastard, Prince James, for his military acumen and strength.   

James tries to reason with Ahnna on the rooftop and convince her to leave. He sees fear in her eyes when he suggests it. He believes Aren might have forced her to come against her own will. Assassins then appear and try to kill James. Ahnna sustains a mild cut, but the blade is poisoned with a special Amaridian poison. 

James meets with his uncle, who wants to know why Ahnna is still here. He suggests killing her. James learns his uncle sent the assassins, not Amarid. James says they can’t send her back or Aren might marry Ahnna to Carlos of Amarid. 

Ahnna joins Virginia and the young ladies of the court for tea. There, she sees Lestara. The other Harendell ladies bully her. Ahnna leaves. 

It turns out that Bronwyn came to Harendell because she wants to find out what happened to Lestara, the Cardiffian princess who was sentenced to the Harendellian court as a favor to Keris Veliant. 

Ahnna is invited to private tea with Queen Alexandra. She remembers Keris warned her that Alexandra has a lot of power. She’s seen no evidence of this; Edward bashes her any chance he gets. Alexandra tells Ahnna she dislikes her, but if she wanted Ahnna gone, she would be. Ahnna realizes Alexandra spiked her tea with a laxative and runs to the privy. 

Ahnna sends Taryn away to a music university. Taryn loved to sing but couldn’t leave Ithicana before. Bronwyn goes with her. 

William decides he wants to marry Ahnna after all. He gives her a racehorse named Midnight Eclipse (Dippy for short) and claims the horse is too old for the races. It turns out the horse lost at the races. Ahnna wants to ride him but he is a poor saddle horse. Ahnna has never ridden because the Bridge has no need for horses. 

James takes up secretly training the horse for Ahnna. Meanwhile, Ahnna thinks he dislikes her because he is never around. 

Ahnna defends Lestara from one of the noble ladies.  

Virginia wants to protect William’s heart. She thinks Ahnna might be using William. Virginia also starts avoiding Ahnna because she defended Lestara. 

James goes out to protect Cardiffians in Harendell accused of astromancy/witchcraft. They are traditionally burned at the stake by the commonfolk. 

Ahnna goes to the bank and asks for a very large loan. She digs in their records while they arrange it and discovers that Queen Alexandra receives money from jewelers and deposits it in William’s account. William, in turn, pays the exact amount to someone named C.F. She does not find out what market might be competition for the Bridge.

Ahnna goes into town and finds Aren at a bar. Aren tries to convince her to return. She starts crying. James sees and nearly fights Aren. He sends spies after Aren.  

Ahnna learns Amarid wants an alliance between them and Ithicana. Georgie puts a 24/7 guard on her and forbids her from seeing James. He thinks like Lara, she is posed to attack Harendell from inside. 

Ahnna pretends to apologize to Virginia. She invites Virginia to go jewelry-shopping with her. Virginia agrees with ulterior motives. Virginia tells James she thinks Ahnna is poor because she asked for a large loan. Either Ahnna has been cut off by her brother’s riches since she hates Lara, or Ithicana itself is poor. Either way, William’s marrying her would bring Harendell no power. At the store, Virginia suggests Ahnna buy the most expensive necklace there. Ahnna empties her coffers for it, but successfully buys a ruby necklace and Maridrinian wine and sends it to Lara, knowing they will take it as a warning.

On the way, they thought some riders might be after them. James goes to investigate but is ambushed by Amaridians on horses. 

When Virginia and Ahnna leave the store, Ahnna goes after James. A giant tornado comes, and Ahnna and James end up in a basement together while the Amaridians are blown away. Ahnna and James confess their love for each other. Ahnna tells him she blames herself for letting her guard down when Lara’s soldiers attacked. 

Back in Verwyd, Edward tells Ahnna he intends to crown her. He tells her the queen is dead. Ahnna realizes Edward blames Alexandra for the death of James’ Cardiffian mother, and he will make peace with Cardiff. Harendell will then keep Ahnna as leverage, and Ithicana will still be broke if trade flows north to Cardiff. Edward will announce it at a ball. 

How did The Twisted Throne end? The Twisted Throne summary

There, Edward announces William and Lestara are now married and Cardiff is their ally. Cardiff and Harendell now are going to exterminate Amarid for attacking them. 

Ahnna is imprisoned in her room by Georgie and told she can’t attend the ball, per the king. Alexandra is actually alive. She arrives and tells Ahnna she must thwart Edward and save Alexandra and Ithicana. She sneaks Ahnna out of the room and into the ball. 

James confronts Edward. Edward says Lestara is a distraction for Edward and he wants James to be his true heir. Ahnna is to be James’ bride. Edward reveals he was married to a princess of Cardiff, the sister of King Ronan of Cardiff. James is a legitimate son. Edward also “married” Alexandra to appease the Harendell nobility. 

Ahnna decides to leave since her plan to help Ithicana via trade failed. 

Alexandra takes Ahnna’s knife and stabs herself. She blames Ahnna. The guards discover Edward murdered in his bed. 

Ahnna flees as a criminal on Dippy towards Ithicana. At the harbor, she finds shipping crates by Cartwright Foundries, a weapons company. Alexandra was paid in rubies by Maridrina and then paid C.F. with silver to ship sharpened weapons through the Bridge, allowing Keris Veliant’s escort to take over Ithicana. Ahnna realizes Alexandra, Silas, and Katarina were all together on a plot to have Maridrina take the Bridge. She feels betrayed by James since he didn’t tell her about the Cardiffian alliance even though he fabricated it. The book ends on a cliffhanger. 

There you go! That’s a recap of what happened in The Twisted Throne by Danielle L. Jensen. We hope you enjoyed this The Twisted Throne summary with spoilers.

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The post The Twisted Throne Summary | Full recap of Book #5 in The Bridge Kingdom Series appeared first on Book Series Recaps.