Her Blackened Heart by Isra Sravenheart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lady Istra and Astrid the Raven turned man return in the next installment of this series, they are still living in Lady Isra’s tower and they are each others confidant, friend, lover and a match with regards to the darkness within them, the compliment each other and look out for each other and their combined darkness thrills them both. Although over the last year they have been together, some things have remained the same and others have changed, more shades of deep reds have emerged within the castle and Astrid has become more comfortable changing between his raven and human forms, his abilities in the use of magic have improved and he is able to help Lady Isra more than ever with her plans. After their last encounter with the outside world, Astrid insisted on cloaking the tower with a more powerful spell so that Lady Isra could remain safe and protected from the outside world and although she still enjoyed going for her walks in nature, she agreed to the improved security.

One day, the peace they had sought is broken when an unknown intruder approaches the tower, it is a creature magical in nature, but Lady Isra decides that they may find some use for them and so welcome them into their new home, but only with complete understanding that they aren’t trusted and that they must not reveal their situation to anyone in the outside world, these conditions are agreed on and so are shown to their room and left to settle in. On one of this individual’s first tasks, they are sent into the outside world, where they make a mistake which could cost them dearly in the future, but which brings another individual into the lives of Lady Istra and Astrid. This new person is a good witch called Contessia, she beforend the new arrival and when she goes to seek them out with the information she shouldn’t have been privy to, it leads to circumstances which nobody expected. Contessia is welcomed into the household and makes the acquaintance of Lady Istra and Astrid where she has tea and conversations, however when the day becomes late, she is invited to stay, however, this will be a night Contessia will never forget.

As a new day dawns, Contessia is sure that she has made a mistake entering into this tower, however, she is worried about her friend and is drawn back to the place despite her misgivings, this is where Lady Istra takes her under her tutelage of the dark arts and begins to mold Contessia into a new image. Astrid understands Lady Istra’s reasoning and also partakes in molding this innocent young witch, but in a less friendly manner, however, he isn’t the only one, an old acquaintance of Lady Istra’s, Everilda makes a sudden reappearance in her life, however, the reunion is not a happy one and suspicions reign as to what this person’s intentions are. As Everilda and Lady Istra’s bad blood escalates and Everilda’s motives become clear, an all out war between the two is inevitable, will the use of innocents be one witch’s undoing? Who will come out on top in the end and will there be too much collateral damage to deal with? This is another magical adventure of rivalry, a clashing of past and present as memories and realities combine to create a conclusion which you will not want to miss out on.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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