Twilight’s Curse by K.M. Wray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Zoe and Nix are elves from the Twilight Realm, both of them have their secrets and a past which haunts them every day, Nix in particular has the same dream where he relives the deaths of his parents, the King and Queen of the Twilight Realm at the hands of Elves from another Realm. He watched them being killed because he wouldn’t come out of hiding at the killer’s request, but now his dreams have changed and he is wondering if now is the time he has been dreading all the years since the event happened. He has been living with this dread for years and has been trained by the elf who helped him to escape and to blend in with the elves living around them so that he wouldn’t be found and killed himself, however reluctant he is to take on the mantle of King when he is older.

Zoe has been experimented on from a young age by her parents when they discovered that she had strong magic running through her veins, but not just any magic, living magic and so they used tattoos to try and subdue and control her, however, their plan didn’t work, or at least not in the way they expected, instead, they have become living things all of their own who help Zoe to deal with the experiments. The last time she was brought in for her mother to complete one of her procedures, something went wrong and now Zoe feels like her magic has been fractured, but the last straw comes when she sees that they are starting to experiment on another young elf like her, so she gathers her things and the child and escapes.

After Zoe escapes from the fortress she grew up in, she comes across a tree which doesn’t look like any other she has ever seen and inside she is welcomed by an old elf who offers her food and a bed to rest in, he appears kind and both her and the elven child are exhausted so she accepts his offer. As the time passes, she stays with the old hermit and helps to rescue street children and give them a home and a new life, but still she is drawn back to her old home despite the dread it instils in her.

One day, Zoe and Nix meet accidentally while listening to an announcement in a local town square, the contents of which shock Nix into a realisation that he will have to confront his past, but while starting on this process, bumps into Zoe again and they get in each others way, however, when they help each other on another night, it leads to them having an open and honest conversation, however, this is interrupted with news that Zoe’s home has been attacked and the children taken back to the fortress. This is where their paths align, but will Nix be able to convince Zoe that they could make a powerful team and that their goals are the same, or will their combined secrets lead to them failing the Realm and its inhabitants in their hour of need? This is a fantasy adventure full of magic and secrets which pulls you into a different world where nothing is as it seems and danger lurks around every corner as futures are fought for while pasts are revealed.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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