It's absolutely maddening to be the only person you know that reads fantasy. I've just finished The War of Lost Hearts trilogy and I have so many feelings and not a single soul I know has read the books or even likes this kind of thing.
I love Max and Tisaanah to death, they were both fantastic and I'd read a dozen books with them just living peacfully and happily like they deserved.
But Aefe and Caduan broke my heart completely. Their story was such a gut punch to me. It genuinely takes talent for me to be crying over someone who should be, and is in a way, a villain.
It's like imhotep and anck su namun from The Mummy, but intensified and she went back for him like she should have in the end.
"The vengeance is for you."
Aefe deserved so much better. She deserved a whole full life and to be loved and she was robbed of it so many times and I'm still sobbing over their ending. The writing was beautiful and had me crying on a sunny sunday afternoon.
"Five hundred years is a very long time. One hundred and eighty thousand days, and I thought of you in every one"
He loved her so much. He never stopped reaching for her for hundreds of years and almost tore apart everything just so she would have a life, just so she would exist again with him. To get the chance to have the ending they should have had. It cost him everything and even while it was literally killing him and destroying everything around them he still fought for her right until the end.
'A streak of silver rolled down his cheek. "I cannot save you Aefe." And that I realised, was the cruelest truth of all. He could not save me. And I could not save him.
"Together," I choked out. "We go together."
"Your Story deserved a better end." I kissed him, and it was there, on the precipice of life and death, I felt the final shift in his resolve.
"Nothing ever truly ends" I whispered.'
...
'Together we will cross it. Together we will conquer the next unknown. His hand reaches out for me. His lips curl into a sad smile.
"Come home Aefe," he murmurs.
I love how he says my name.
I take his hand.
...
His eyes were closed as if he simply dirifted off to sleep. His hand was outstretched, as if had been holding something or someone.
I'll never be over it.
Anyways I'm off to go read her other books I haven't got to yet.
Author: I'm going to give you an epic fantasy with a ton of gray areas and nuance.
Me: Great!
Author: I'm going to make you understand both sides of this war.
Me: As is how reality tends to go. Sounds good.
Author: I'm going to give you two heart-wrenching romances and extremely deep characterization that's going to make you fall completely in love with people on different sides of the war.
Me [getting nervous]: Wait...
Author: And they're going to be trying to kill each other.
Me: No...
DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVENT READ DAUGHTER OF NO WORLDS AND CHILDREN OF FALLEN GODS- SPOILERS!
Okay I have so much I want to write but I have about 150 pages left and I just have this horrible feeling that Caduan is this nameless king. I really hope he isn’t because the thought that he can kill all these humans is so not like him. Like yes to destroying worlds to get Aefe back but like if that’s how his character develops? Into this cruel crazy king that would kill millions of people? That would be so sad. Caduan was my favorite character, I was SOBBING when he died. I just really hope there is a happier ending to this :(. He remained so strong when all his people were killed-he still appreciated humans and (vaguely?) respected them? It would make sense that losing aefe might make him a villain after everything, I just really hope not!!!!! I could also be wrong :) so just ignore this rant :) These are the best books I’ve ever read BTW :)
Aefe: Will we kill Tisaanah and Maxantarius?
Caduan [regretfully]:...perhaps, yes.
Aefe: Will it mean killing the queen of Ara?
Caduan: yeah that bitch gone
