A Darkness at the Door | Book 3 of Dauntless Path | ARC Review

Thank you to Hot Key Books, Intisar Khanani and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.

I’ve been cursed, betrayed, and sold into slavery – but the truth I carry can’t be allowed to die.

Only Rae knows the extent of the corruption at the heart of the kingdom of Menaiya, from the noble lord who betrayed her, to the Circle of Mages whose wards protect the slavers from discovery. Injured and imprisoned on a slave ship, Rae’s options are quickly running out. When a desperate escape attempt goes terribly wrong, she finds herself indebted to a terrifying Fae sorceress.

Now Rae will not rest until she has rescued her fellow prisoners and freed her land from the darkness that has taken hold. To succeed, she’ll need every ally she can find—including Bren, the thief who may have stolen her heart. But Bren is hiding his own bloody secrets, and the curses that encircle Rae have sunk their claws into her mind. With her debts coming due and time running short, all the truths in the world may not be enough to save her kingdom, or herself.

I am absolutely t(h)orn about ending A Dauntless Path. At the one hand I am so happy for Intisar that the journey of these books with traditional publishing has happened despite running into some kinks. But on the other hand I am just sad to say goodbye to this world for now.

A Darkness at the Door jumps into place where we ended A Theft of Sunlight. Rae is among the taken children on board a ship. But she is older than them and stands out. She manages to escape and then all hell truly breaks loose.

It was a joy to sink into this world again and to see all the good people that are out there, even more so outside of the city. All those that do see the goodness and fierceness in Rae. The story propels forward as we meet Bren and find the true answers to what has been going on. We never truly stand still. Even as the plot seems to stand still a little there is a lot going on between the various characters.

The conversations between Bren and Rae were interesting. From the conversations about who he truly is (while I was shouting, you knew this Rae) and about the future of their relationship. I was happy with how things ended between them.

All in all I think this was a worthy conclusion to the series.