#Review - Kingdom of Broken Iron by Mallory McCartney #Fantasy

Series: Black Dawn # 3
Format: EBook, 340 pages
Release Date:  September 19th 2022
Publisher: MM Books
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Fantasy

Something sinister is sweeping across Kiero, and war threatens to rip apart the remains of Black Dawn Rebellion.

Distraught by the decisions she made while in the Draken Mountains with Adair, Emory Fae, Queen of Kiero, is hiding a deadly secret, and now, Emory is seeking aid from Marquis Maher, King of the Shattered Isles, in the looming war.

With Brokk by her side, they search for answers and aid from the Shattered Isles, a country that has remained protected from Adair's wrath across the Black Sea. While there, Emory will learn the weight of what it means to be Queen, but what will she sacrifice to save the ones she loves?

Since the Academy fell and the Black Dawn rebellion scattered, Brokk Foster's past and the truth about his lineage has come to light. Brokk and his newly found immortal fey warriors are skeptical of Marquis and his terms to a new alliance. Being torn between love and Brokk's loyalty to the rebellion, he will have to decide whether to remain true to his cause or follow a destiny he never wanted.

Together, can Emory and Brokk make an alliance in time to return to Kiero and aid the rebels?

Nyx Astire, new clan leader to the raiders in the Risco Desert, has lost everything. With no word on if the town of Pentharrow has survived under Azarius Walsh's command, Nyx tries to rally the Dust Clan and prepare them to ally with any remaining members of the Black Dawn Rebellion. But tradition and her past throws Nyx into a dynamic ruling. Will she do anything to ensure Kiero's survival from her new point of power?

Kingdom of Broken Iron is the third installment in author Mallory McCartney's Black Dawn series. I would recommend that readers ensure that you have read the first two books (Heir of Lies and Queen to Ashes) first before jumping into this book or wait until all four books have been released and read them back to back. My reasoning is that unless you've been lucky enough to read the new version books with the new covers, thanks to the author or various blog tours, you will likely have been waiting since 2019 for this book to be released.

 

This story picks up right where Queen to Ashes ended. The Black Dawn Rebellion is in tatters thanks to the Dark King aka Declan. Emory Fae and Brokk Falkov made it to the Shattered Isles hoping for help from Marquis Maher in their fight against the Dark King aka Declan only to be tested upon their arrival and asked to do a task for Marquis before he offers his army to take back Kiero. In the meantime, Emory is being taunted by Declan in her dreams, and Adair is trying to tell Emory about her new magic flowing in her veins. 

 

Even though she is clearly trained on how to fight, she has a whole lot of emotional baggage to deal with, especially after learning about what really happened to her family. Emory will never be free unless she can convince Marquis to stand with her against Declan and the Oilean. Brokk and his newly found immortal fey warriors Kiana and Riona are skeptical of Marquis and his terms to a new alliance. Being torn between love and Brokk's loyalty to the rebellion, he will have to decide whether to remain true to his cause or follow a destiny he never wanted.

 

Brokk has made his feelings known to Emory, but Emory has been keeping secrets, and those secrets are filled with twists and surprises, as are Brokk's origin story which blew my mind. Meanwhile, Marquis has his own reasons for dragging Emory's hopes of an alliance to the final moments and that includes facing internal threats head on. Nyx Astire, who watched her friend die, has no clue where any of the other members of the Black Dawn Rebellion are. 

 

Little does she know that Brokk and Emory, who is supposed to become Queen of Kiero, have made it to the Shattered Isles and are fighting for their lives against much more dangerous enemies from Declan to the Oilean as well as cursed immortals. Nyx has become the new clan leader to the raiders in the Risco Desert thanks to a fight to the death. She is trying to rally the Dust Clan and prepare them to ally with any remaining members of the Black Dawn Rebellion but it not all that it's cracked up to be after meeting a woman who may be immortal.

 

Apparently, we will need to wait until next year for the fourth installment and conclusion of the series called The Cursed Throne to be released. It should be fun since the author left all of these characters in a huge life or death struggles against an evil that seems to be unbeatable. I am curious if the author is going to bring the readers to Daer, where the Fey allegedly came from. It would be a good place for Emory to face off against Declan and has allies. We shall see.

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