Are you ready to enter into a new realm?

Fight for survival in the deadly gladiator Fae Games.

I shifted into a saber-toothed tiger…but that was just the beginning.
Jax, Cobra, and Ascher are now my teammates.
Once again, we’re fighting for our lives. And our futures.
But nothing is as it seems, and for every secret we uncover, another unfolds.

Under the spiteful watch of Xerxes and the evil Fae Queen, it’s not clear we’re going to survive.
Can we work together? Or will we implode?

One thing is for sure, I’m about to uncover my destiny.

Power is in my veins.

Okay, this series is a wild ride. I am going to enjoy all the twists and turns it has to offer. This book takes place in the fae realm and follows from the events of the last book. The sexual tension is high, and Sadie is so unfulfilled…

The beginning of the book sees a lot of interaction between Sadie, Jax, and Cobra. We learn about Cobra’s past life in the fae realm, and it is varying levels of grossness that had both the characters and me pissed off. The Fae Queen is all levels of swear words; if I listed them all out, I’d offend someone somewhere.

The trio are rejoined by Ascher – SPOILER the trio are not at all happy with him after his betrayal – END OF SPOILER. The four are then joined by a fifth Xerxes. He is a new character. He is part of the Queen’s guards and is tasked with monitoring the alpha group because, apparently, they cannot be trusted.  

Being stuck in another realm with a psychotic Queen was bad enough, but of course, the stakes were much higher. The psychotic fae Queen then announces that the alpha team must compete in the fae games. Think ancient Rome Colosseum meets rabid beasts, meets elemental powers. A complete clusterfuck for the characters to involve themselves in.

In this book, there is a major shift of protectiveness and possessiveness from Jax, Cobra, and Ascher towards Sadie. It was coming to a boil in the previous book, but it exploded here. I think that the reveal of Sadie’s past allowed the three alphas to recognise the power of Sadie, but also recognise that she might be her own worst enemy and needs protecting at all costs. Of course, she does not appreciate the molly-coddling.

They must now share a living space. Ascher and Xerxes share one living room. Sadie shares with Jax and Cobra, the men taking turns to sleep on the floor. When I say the sexual tension is rife, I mean it. Sadie is the most sexually frustrated virgin around.

She has some small sexual interactions with the alpha’s but in a moment where all three fight among themselves, they create a pact to not touch Sadie until after the games. She is not at all happy with this, but the alphas do not budge.

In the first book, I felt like Sadie was out of her element. In this book, I felt that her sarcastic coping mechanism kept her alive. At least there were other characters along for the ride, all suffering the same.

We also learn more about Aran. Much more. Without giving away any spoilers, she is still very much the best friend of Sadie’s. But there was a lot we didn’t know about them in the first book that is revealed in this book.

We also learn a lot about Xerxes. Another incredibly attractive man. Although not an alpha, but an omega. It’s an interesting new dynamic and though his attitude towards the alpha’s radiated anger and distrust, he brings a new vibe to the group.

We also meet the three half-fae warriors, who, incidentally, were childhood idols of hers from a book she used to read. They are equal parts interesting and problematic, and really, I didn’t learn enough about them to form a conclusive opinion of them.

The games themselves are brutal, and I’m amazed Sadie survived as well as she did. She is no warrior compared to the others, but she holds up her own even when she is severely wounded. I think over everything else, she gave the characters multiple heart attacks with her ‘headfirst into danger’ attitude.

There was one moment, and it was during the reveal pages of the book, where I thought ‘I’ve read this before’, and it did disappoint me a little. This is because there is an element in the reveal which is very similar to a plot point in the Blood/Bond of Hercules duo book. I know that this series came before that, but still, repeated powers irk me.

The ending and reveal were again expected and unexpected. Expected because I couldn’t see a way around the plot without certain events happening. I get the impression that this group of characters will be doing A LOT of realm jumping through the series. Unexpected, because I hadn’t put all the pieces together or seriously thought about what could be coming and thus was surprised by it.