Book Review: Vows & Ruin by Helen Scheuerer

Genres: Adult, Fantasy romance
Pages: 536
Format: Audiobook
Rating:  

Goodreads summary: Against all odds, Althea Zoltaire emerged from her trials as a champion. Now, she must train even harder and prepare herself to become a true warrior of Thezmarr.

But Thea’s world is turned upside down as she struggles to navigate her newfound magic and uncover the secrets of her past. Slowly, she begins to untangle the truth about her family, her powers and the evil that threatens to engulf the kingdom.

When Wilder Hawthorne returns to be her official mentor, everything changes. Dark forces are gathering, and he will stop at nothing to prepare her for the challenges to come, even if it means breaking her.

As war looms and their quest for answers leads master and apprentice deeper into danger, the undeniable connection between them intensifies – defying all odds, but also threatening to tear them apart.

With secrets unravelling and evil closing in, Thea and Wilder fight to save the world, and each other. The fate of the realms rests in their hands – will they emerge victorious, or will the darkness consume them both?

Check out my review of Blood & Steel first here

Small spoilers ahead

Once again, this could’ve been a five-deer-star read, but it just keeps missing the mark.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book. It was one of those reads where time just slipped away—I could read for hours and not feel it. Even when I wasn’t reading (thanks to that place called work), my mind kept wandering back to this book, the characters, and how everything would play out.

Plot Overview

Vows & Ruin picks up a few weeks after book one. Thea is training even harder to become a War Sword. We learn her family is of royal descent—tyrants, no less—and her lightning powers mark her as a Storm Wielder. But there’s a complication: Thea can’t be both a princess and a War Sword, yet her sister, Wren, is pushing for them to reclaim their fallen kingdom of Delmira. Meanwhile, the Daughter of Darkness is searching for the lost heirs—Thea and Wren.

I love that this book introduces more fantasy creatures like drakens, sirens, and frost giants. They don’t have much impact yet, but I hope to see more of them as the series continues. So far, the first two books have focused mainly on wraiths and half-wraiths. Wraiths are terrifying, shadow-like creatures with wings, pure evil, leaving devastation in their wake. Half-wraiths, on the other hand, are a blend of human and wraith, constantly struggling to control their darkness and maintain their humanity.

Characters

Thea’s character and training arc were a highlight. At one point, Hawthorne describes her as moving “with the grace of a dancer and the speed of a predator,” which tells you everything about her progress. She earns the nickname Shadow of Death after a battle, and it’s well deserved. Her growth isn’t instantaneous—her development is well-written, showing how she constantly pushes herself to the limit. I loved seeing her defend herself, accept challenges, and put men in their place when they underestimated her.

Blood & Steel ended with Wren revealing to Thea that they have magic, meaning Wren had been lying for years by suppressing Thea’s fate stone. Maybe this makes me a hater, but I’m glad Thea held that grudge for so long. Too often, main characters just get over betrayals, but Thea’s reaction felt real. She was deeply hurt, and I appreciated that the book didn’t rush her forgiveness.

Hawthorne’s brother, Malik, says so much without actually saying anything, and I love it. He wasn’t in many scenes, but the ones he was in really moved the story along. It’s also interesting seeing how Thea interacts with Malik versus Hawthorne.

This book has a dual POV like the first, and while I initially thought Hawthorne’s POV was more useful here, it didn’t fully deliver. Hearing about his jealousy is always entertaining, and finally getting his full perspective of the last battle with Malik and Talemir was great. But I was really looking forward to seeing him interrogate the half-wraiths, and it was disappointing that this wasn’t included. A similar issue happened when Wilder got a cryptic warning from Dratos(?)—it was clearly important, but we got nothing from his POV about it. While the end of the book provided some answers, those gaps made parts of the story feel incomplete.

I’m so glad Thea has friends like Cal and Kip. They balance out the story so well. There’s nothing like a good trio—each person has a role, and their dynamic just works. I also love that they accept Thea for who she is instead of trying to change her. I only wish they were in more scenes because their moments are some of my favorites.

The Romance

Too. Much. Spice. Oh my goshhhhhhh. At one point, it felt like every other chapter. It happened so often that while listening to the audiobook, I’d scroll Twitter (yes, Twitter) or answer texts. I’d physically roll my eyes like, they’re doing it again. No decorum whatsoever. Contemplating it on a pool table? Kissing in public despite War Sword rules? I was so glad they got caught—by Torge the Bear-Slayer, Cal, AND Kip. The day before battle? In the hot springs? Almost before battle again that night? They even thought about it during the battle. I was so happy when there was a fade-to-black moment. The only real reprieve from all the spice was the big battle at the end. They’d constantly say they couldn’t be together, yet the word resist clearly isn’t in their vocabulary.

That said, I did enjoy the romance outside of the excessive amounts of fun. The short-lived forced proximity trope was fun, and while their banter wasn’t the best I’ve read, there were still some great moments. When Hawthorne called Thea his best friend? I melted. Their dance at the ball reminded me so much of the Beauty and the Beast waltz.

Predictions for the Next Books

Calling it now: Talemir is coming back. He’s mentioned way too much not to have a major impact later. This is a romance series, so we know Thea is going to forgive Hawthorne, but I really hope she makes him work for it. (Wouldn’t it be interesting if a new love interest was introduced first? Just saying.) I also think Thea will become a War Sword and rise to the Delmira throne.

Final Thoughts

Like I said at the start, I really enjoyed this book. There were some genuinely funny moments—Torge the Bear-Slayer, Cal, Kip, Thea, Wren, and Hawthorne ending up at the Laughing Fox, and Kip’s comedic relief. The moments where Thea, Cal, and Kip just hang out are some of my favorites. Also, what kind of horse names are Biscuit and Tucker? That had me laughing.

I’m glad Kip and Cal are going with Thea to track Hawthorne down and bring him to justice for his treason in book three. I’m looking forward to reading what happens next and seeing how this story unfolds.

Have you read this book or series? Let’s talk about it!