Gretchen Powell Fox

Splintered Kingdom is book two of the Shattered Crown Trilogy.

The Arcane Crucible has ended, friendships have been betrayed, the crown has been stolen, the victors have returned to their homes, and now they just wait.

Cedric has returned with a magic he still does not understand, and a heart yearning for a special Fae he didn’t want to leave behind. He reunites with his life long friend and fellow night, and take to research, trying to get any and all information on the lost princess and looking for any information on what his magic may mean and how to control it.

Elyria has also returned with a magic that she has yet to learn how to control, that continues to grow. She spends days thinking about how she could have saved Evander , how she could have done things differently, and then also her thoughts drift to a human Knight.

The two Kingdoms forge an alliance so that the victors can search for the stolen half of the crown and continue to search for the still lost half. When the Fae party arrives in the human Kingdom, things don’t go exactly as planned. Elyria and Cedric have a reunion that starts to tug and grow the unknown bond between them but their magic as well. All the while both are playing the role of the Twin Victors of the Crucible, a role that neither of them want to play.

The slow burn we feel in book one defiantly becomes a roaring flame in book two. The chemistry between Ely and Ric is so well written you will be completely invested, kicking your feet, and giggling with glee.

The banter is top tier, and not just banter to banter. The way the banter is written between Ely and Ric is intentional, there is sass and snark but its not to be mean or hurtful, its done with the tone of caring and understanding , truly understanding each other at a deeper level.

The “side” characters , really find a place in your heart as well. They are so well developed and go through their on journeys along side our main characters. They don’t just play as background characters they truly help the plot move along and help our Victors come together.

The ending will have you sitting staring out a window like an old music video, just watching rain fall , slowly as you try to process what in the heck just happened. It will break you, but in a good way…you’ll understand when you get there.