lila ⋆'s Reviews > Lady of the Drowned Empire

— 5++ stars ☆

i'm so fucking glad to be back in this world.

Hello, kitten.

if anyone saw my updates before i started reading, y'all pretty much know this was one of my most anticipated of the year. when i tell you i was FREAKING OUT about getting the arc for this, i really was. (don't ask - i was jumping up and down too much 😂) and the fact that i got to buddy read it with my bestie, koisty? who i incidentally bonded with when i was rereading the first book of this? only made it all the more memorable. (i had so much fun discussing all our notes together, you have no idea 💕💕)

when i tell you this was an ✨e x p e r i e n c e✨, i'm not joking. you can ask about the hundred thousand messages i sent to koisty (and vice versa, tbh).

basically omg, the way i was whimpering and squealing while reading this book - i've not felt that way in some time, i swear. my thoughts were just so incoherent, but this was just EVERYTHING.

i swear, the twists in the first half killed me. i was typing down notes in every para, thinking of every suspicious thing that had happened so far 😭😩 - and then, ofc, puzzling over everything with my bestie - and we still couldn't figure out that twist in the end 😂.

the lore was brilliant. the way everything was written, the way it blended together, seamlessly interwoven - i ADORED reading every single bit of it. and i'm not gonna be talking much about the plot and twists, bc *whispering* spoilers, but. rest assured, that part was more than taken care of. i mean, it was just so lovely, the way everything came together.

each of the characters were so nuanced, so three-dimensionally written, i felt each and every single one of them. i felt Lyr's pure soul, the way she wanted to desperately save her family, Rhyan, herself from everything happening. i adored Rhyan's protective exterior, the way he always, ALWAYS, wanted to guard Lyriana no matter what. and the way i hated certain characters - it was like a burning passion inside me, raging, and wanting to kill everyone who hurt my precious babies 🥰🥺 rhyanlyr.

❝Call me.❞ He gave the chain a light tug. ❝If you need me again. I don't care what hour. I'll be here.❞
I nodded. ❝Even after I fall asleep,❞ I said, my voice small. ❝Will you hold me a little longer?❞
He kissed my shoulder again. ❝I'll hold you until you're dreaming.❞

✨RHYAN HART✨ - i swear he killed me. legitimately, i'm wondering if he killed me with his charm or sweetness or protectiveness or what, but he did. not just him being jealous and cute at the same time, but also the way he loved Lyr so purely and wholeheartedly - it made me feel all warm inside. also Rhyan Hart, i didn't think you had THAT in you- (iykyk 😚)

Lyr. she was such a great main character, and the way she grows into everything - her magic, knowing all the things she does - is absolutely spectacular.

For him, she's brighter than the brightest star in Heaven.

rhyan + lyr = love. they are quite literally, soulmates. 🤩 and this quote? explained their dynamics so very well. he fell for her as soon as he saw her, which was so fucking cute, but then he stayed so infatuated and in love with her throughout and she always lit up and shone for him gahh 😩😭🥰✨. gosh the way they soothed each other, were the balm to each other's souls, were everything to each other?? THEY OWN MY HEART NGL 🤌🥰✨.

❝Mekara,❞ he murmured. ❝Mekara.❞
My soul is yours.
I reached for his face and stroked his jaw, my heart bursting as I answered, ❝Rakame.❞
Your soul is my soul.
He shuddered, a tear in his eye. ❝My soulmate.❞

rhyanlyr are the epitome of THE power couple. they are so hot, so endearing, so adorable, so urgent, so everything they need to be 😭🥰. and i loved it. they were the literal and physical embodiment of - ✨everything is going to shit, but we're okay because we're together - we'll face anything down together✨

Morgana. i love that we got her pov in this book, it made it all the more exciting what with figuring out everything and knowing what was going on in her mind. i swear i grew to love her so so much, her cunning, her brashness. even when she was rude and angry at Lyr, i was never mad at her bc i knew everything that was going on in her mind. (and i want to know more about what is going on between her and a certain *voice*)

that ending was cruel, at least not as cruel as i know it could have been 👀 BUT I NEED MORE. i need my fix of this asap 😭. and i'm just super ecstatic that Rhyan's pov novella is coming out soon.

tldr version, i know i rambled a lot for this: you all need to pick this series up. asap. RIGHT NOW. *insert a threatening face emoji* bc i'm too tired to do anything but type rn. if there is one fantasy series i will always rec, it is this one.

read if you like:
✦ fantasy romance with many shocking twists
✦ a love that'll leave you wondering if you'll ever find someone who'll
- comfort you through everything
- forever keep you safe
- sacrifice literally everything for you
- love you in all the different ways
- take care of you through even the most *ahem* awkward instances (iykyk)
✦ SO MUCH HURT/COMFORT (my utter kryptonite)
✦ KISSING AWAY SCARSS (also another one of my weaknesses 😭😩)
✦ dark-ish themes (check slight triggers)

i received an arc and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

༻✦༺ 　༻✧༺　༻✦༺

31st january
the fact that the arcs dropped just before i have to go to sleep is my worst nightmare 😔 but on the plus side, only 20 hours to go to start 😍
______________________________

not me checking my insta every 5 mins to see if the arcs have dropped for this 💕 BUT HAVE THEY?? she says soon pls someone tell me i'm becoming obsessive and order me to stop
______________________________

17th december
omg idgaf I need more Rhyan and Lyr and they need to have a happily-ever -after 😭😭😭
also this COVERR!! dying it's just SO GORGEOUSS