While the Dark Remains by Joanna Ruth Meyer
Bookshop.org | TG Jones | World of Books
Blurb
In an icebound palace of magic and menace, a young woman plots to outwit a cruel king in a bracing fantasy about love, found family, and immeasurable revenge.
Brynja spent her childhood as a captive performer in Tenebris, the imposing mountain palace of King Kallias. Every night she risked death for the king’s entertainment until his rebellious son, Prince Ballast, helped her escape. Now twenty, Brynja has never forgotten the brutal king. Or forgiven him. Under the cloak of a three-month-long Winter Dark, Brynja is returning to Tenebris for revenge.
Accompanied by a rival court, including the alluring Prince Vil, Brynja poses as diplomatic royalty to barter peace between nations. No one is better equipped to infiltrate the palace than Brynja―she remembers every hidden passage like a bad dream. But her quest to destroy Kallias is complicated by her feelings for Prince Ballast, whom she isn’t sure she can still trust. And Kallias’s own quest to mine a catastrophic weapon of war buried in the mountain’s heart will threaten them all, and force Brynja to face the darkest parts of herself.
The lives of everyone she loves depend on the choices she must make. So, too, does the fate of the world.
Review
Welcome to my first book review of 2026! This was a book I downloaded from the First Reads which is done by Amazon and I must admit has been really useful since having my baby. My Kindle has been abandoned and I now just use my Kindle app on my phone because whenever I get nap trapped I have my phone with me so I can read a book.
When I started this book I was unsure whether I would like it but I am so pleased I continued with it because I soon became hooked. I loved the world building in the book and learning about the different kingdoms. I did find the whole god system rather confusing and did think that perhaps there were rather too many of them. I did however like learning some of the histories of the gods.
Brynja is a fantastic character who has suffered a great deal in her short life but by her own inner strength and the kindness of a select few she has survived to become a strong and independent woman. This version of Brynja is a big surprise to certain people from her past which becomes clear as the story goes on.
A character I did not particularly like was Prince Vil. Vil always appeared rather false to me and one I found difficult to trust. Prince Ballast on the other hand was a character I always trusted and felt really sorry for as he had such a rough deal in the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read the second in the series when it comes out. Joanna Ruth Meyer is a new author for me but I will definitely return to. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.
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About the author
Joanna Ruth Meyer is the author of five YA fantasies, including the critically acclaimed ECHO NORTH. She lives in Mesa, AZ, with her husband, son, two orange cats, and a giant grand piano named Prince Imrahil. She loves forests and rainstorms and stories that make her feel things, and in all likelihood, she’s drinking tea right now.
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