This Vicious Dream - Gods, Grimoires, and One Bed
First Impression | Synopsis | Book Review | Characters | Favorite Quotes | Book Details | Detailed Recap
First Impression
Our highly first installment of the Kingdom of Death Series set in the Kingdom of Lies world. If you need a re-fresher on the Kingdom of Lies series you can check out my other blog post:
- Book One: A Court This Cruel and Lovely Summary & Recap (Incoming)
- Book Two: A Kingdom This Cursed and Empty Summary & Recap
- Book Three: A Crown This Cold an Heavy Summary & Recap
- Book Four: A Queen This Fierce and Deadly (Incoming)
Synopsis
Trapped and hunted for the secret she swore to protect, Madinia is a former hero turned prisoner, her power shackled and her past haunting her. When Calysian—a dangerously charming stranger with secrets of his own—storms into her life, escape comes at a steep price: an uneasy alliance with a man she cannot trust. As old gods stir, ancient Grimoires resurface, and betrayal lurks around every corner, Madinia must decide whether to protect her heart or the world itself.
Book Review
Another hit from Stacia!
I’m beyond thrilled that Madinia and Calysian finally get their own arc—and selfishly, that we get even more time in the Kingdom of Lies world. While this book can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone, I’d highly recommend reading the Kingdom of Lies series first; it adds so much emotional depth and context to the characters and their history.
Madinia is everything I love in a heroine: fierce, independent, and sharp-witted, but still deeply vulnerable beneath the surface. Watching her navigate betrayal, ancient magic, and gods meddling in mortal affairs was captivating. And then there’s Calysian—brooding, powerful, and unraveling a mystery that could alter everything. The slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers tension between them is so well done. There’s angst, tenderness, banter, and just the right amount of steam 🔥.
This book has it all: epic battles, forgotten gods, dangerous Grimoires, magical forests, prophecies, and heartbreak. The twists kept me on edge, and the emotional payoff was worth every turn of the page. My only gripe? That cliffhanger! Even knowing it was coming, it still hit hard. I’m counting the days until the sequel drops—I need to know how this story ends!
Huge thanks to Stacia and the team for the chance to read this eARC. Fans of rich, romantic fantasy—you won’t want to miss this one.
TLDR
This Vicious Dream delivers an intense, romantic fantasy packed with forbidden magic, gods, grimoires, and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers dynamic between a fierce heroine and the dangerously alluring Calysian. While it can be read as a standalone, fans of the Kingdom of Lies series will appreciate the deeper connections. The plot is twisty, emotional, and ends on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger. I’m already counting down to the sequel!
Characters
- Coming Soon after publishing!
- Madinia - Used to be one of the queen’s ladies in waiting, has fire magic and helped Prisca escape the castle. She is now on another continent following the end of the Kingdom of Lies series, in search of the Grimoires.
- Captain Daharak Rostamir - Pirate queen we met in the Kingdom of Lies series, commanding 80,000 men and 2,000 ships. Her crew adhere to a strict code of conduct.
- Queen Vicana - Evil queen of Sylvarin.
- Kyldare - Queen Vicana’s right hand man.
- Carix - Someone fighting with Madinia
- Carosa - The cook’s daughter, 8 years old
- Neil - Trained Madinia in hand to hand combat.
- Regner - The evil king who enslaved the continent and all hybrids and humans from the original Kingdom of Lies series. Believed to be the great great grandfather of King Sabium.
- Eamonn - Calaysian’s traveling companion, cursed to never use his human form.
- Ostir - Bounty hunter? Hunting Madinia
- Shaena - Seer which tells Madinia a prophecy about the Dark God.
- Calpharos - The Dark God.
- Tronin - The God of Strength
- Faric - The God of Knowledge.
- Creas - The Goddess of Memory.
- Anarthys - A Goddess and Calpharos’ previous lover.
- Fliora - The seer’s daughter.
- Yalanda - Fliora’s aunt living in Ferelith.
- Bridin - Kyldare’s witch.
- Heava - Healer in Nyrridor.
- Haldrik - One of Daharak’s former pirates.
Quotes
My favorite quotes from the book that made me fall in love with Madinia and Calysian.
“ 'Are you sniffing me?' 'You smell good.' 'I smell like dust.' 'Hmmm. And woman.' " This Viscious Dream
Book Details
- Series: Kingdom of Death; Reading Order:
- Book 1 - This Vicious Dream (Kingdom of Death #1)
- Book 1 - TBC (Kingdom of Death #2)
- Genre: Romantasy, Fantasy
- Publishing Date/ Release Date: May 13, 2025
- Format: Book
- Length: 362 pages
- Tropes: Fated Mates, Close Proximity, One Bed, Found Family, Enemies to Lovers, Hidden Identity, Hidden Magic, Only One Horse, Who Did This To You?, Morally Grey
Summary
Spicy Chapters: 🌶️ 15, 20, 29
Steamy Chapters: 🔥12
The story opens with Daharak and Madinia battling Queen Vicana and her right-hand man, Kyldare. Cornered, Madinia is given a choice: surrender and spare her allies, or keep fighting and risk everyone’s lives. She chooses to surrender.
Three years later, Madinia remains imprisoned in Kyldare’s dungeons, her powers suppressed by fae chains. When Kyldare foolishly enters her cell, she attacks—having reconnected with a Grimoire that restores her power. During her escape, Calysian appears and frees her.
At first, Madinia doesn’t remember Calysian. He helps her flee to a village and arranges an inn stay, switching rooms so that Kyldare’s men target him instead. When they arrive, Calysian holds them off while Madinia escapes into the forest.
In the jungle, Madinia tricks Calysian and binds him with the same fae chains. Eamonn soon releases him, and they set off in pursuit. Meanwhile, Madinia consults a Seer for guidance on evading Calysian. The Seer tells her a myth involving the Dark God Calpharos and other deities, and urges her to flee.
Calysian finds her first, binding her in chains. She leads him to a troll, hoping to distract him. Though Calysian defeats the beast, it leaves him weakened. Madinia uses the opportunity to lure him into a trap with the Queen’s men, forcing him to free her to survive.
Fleeing again, Madinia meets Fliora, a girl who escaped a raid on her village. The two hide in the forest and decide to journey to Ferelith, where Fliora’s aunt lives. Eventually, Calysian catches up—Fliora’s concealment magic having faded. Madinia reveals that he is the Dark God, and the Grimoire he seeks is one of three. They reluctantly team up to find them.
After an encounter with a fae tracker, they take shelter in a village (cue “there’s only one bed” trope). They help defend the town from Vicana’s forces before continuing their quest. Soon, they battle Bridin, Kyldare’s black witch. Calysian is injured and sinks into a lake, but Madinia dives in to save him. They escape by channeling Grimoire power through Madinia, and they kiss.
They head to a swamp to recover a hidden Grimoire. Eamonn saves them from danger en route, and they set up camp. 🌶️. Sorrowflies attack, but Calysian saves them again. At the tree holding the Grimoire, Kyldare and Bridin await. Calysian taps into the Grimoire’s power and memories, but while distracted, Kyldare wounds Madinia. Calysian kills the witch and rushes Madinia to Nyrridor to be healed by Heava, a healer warned of their arrival by Eamonn.
Heava heals Madinia, and instead of leaving, Calysian stays to ensure her recovery. Once healed, they set out to find the second Grimoire and meet Haldrik, a former pirate allied with Daharak. 🌶️.
As they travel, Calysian grows increasingly distant, slowly transforming into Calpharos. One morning, he vanishes. Haldrik is revealed to have betrayed Madinia and Daharak years ago. During a confrontation, Madinia kills him. Afterward, she is reunited with Asinia, Demos, and Rythos—Eamonn had brought them. Demos destroys the stone that corrupted Calysian.
Calysian returns, now himself again. The group reconnects, though tension builds between him and Rythos. Madinia breaks up a near-fight between them. Later, Rythos and the others depart to search for Daharak, leaving Madinia and Calysian behind.
They deceive a nearby regiment and make camp. But Kyldare ambushes Madinia and reveals he is god-touched, sent by his goddess to ensure Madinia and Calysian would meet. Calysian forms a reluctant alliance with Kyldare, upsetting Madinia. However, he later reveals he only intended to use Kyldare as leverage for safe passage—Madinia forgives him.
Fliora returns and gives Madinia a potion that reveals her past life. She was once an acolyte of the goddess Anarthys, who coveted Calpharos. Eamonn is revealed to be Calysian’s twin. Anarthys, jealous, kills Madinia—but a prophecy foretells she is Calpharos’ soulmate. Eamonn lost his true form trying to save her.
Madinia and Calysian spend the night together. 🌶️. Before she can share what she learned, he departs to find the next Grimoire. Eamonn appears and offers to help her reach him. Markings appear on Madinia’s back, signifying her bond with Calysian.
At the temple, Queen Vicana appears—revealed to be the goddess who killed Madinia. She severs Calysian’s connection to the final Grimoire and flees. Calysian realizes Eamonn had his own motives: he hoped Calysian’s full power would restore his true body.
Distraught, Madinia flees and reunites with Fliora and Daharak at a dock. They sail off in search of the third Grimoire, leaving Calysian behind.
What a cliffhanger to end on!
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