City of Dawn ♦ Kat Ross | Review

City of Dawn (Nightmarked, #4) ♦ Kat Ross | Review

I am honored to have received and read this fourth and final volume in the Nightmarked series as an ARC.
And damn, Kat Ross did it again and created another deliciously twisty and unexpected ending to one of her amazingly detailed worlds.

Seven keys and seven gates, forged by a god’s rebellious seventh son.

They lead to the fabled City of Dawn.
But is it a treasure trove… or a gilded prison?
Hurled halfway across the world, Malach and Alexei must join forces to stop the body-snatching alchemist Balaur from stealing an elixir of immortality—assuming they don’t end up killing each other first.
To complicate matters, Malach discovers he’s the spitting image of a dead angel who caused both the first and second Dark Ages. Gavriel Morning Star still has a bounty on his head—and the draconic creatures looking for him tend to shoot fire first and ask questions later.
Kasia and the witches are hunting Balaur, too. The trail leads to the Masdari capital, where a new Imperator is about to be named. She will have to confront her own worst fears—and master the art of Dreaming—to finally face her nemesis in the liminal realm.

City of Dawn ♦ Kat Ross

Opinion

City of Dawn was, after I already read the first three volumes of this series, one of my most anticipated books for this year. The final installment City of Dawn did not disappoint but totally captivated me! I cherished each and every chapter and plot twist as each character was molded into a specific role for the ultimate showdown. The way Kat Ross managed to cram in so many narratives while maintaining a tempo that felt urgent without being forced or undermined really astounded me. Everyone and everything is covered, and we learn a lot about the ley, the characters, and the lore.

With how everything turned out in the end, I’m still in awe. Ross issued a lot of answers to questions which built up during the series, and it all made so much sense in the end. The characters were rich and detailed and their stories heartfelt and intriguing. Without getting too deep into the plot as a whole and trying to avoid spoilers as good as I can, I can assure you, that you’ll be cheering for all of our heroes and villains!

While Balaur carries out his scheme to become immortal and manipulate the world to his desires, everyone else is scattered all over the continent. The main hazard to Malach and Alexi as they attempt to return to civilization in order to contact the others while magically stranded in the desert is their animosity toward one another. Following a lead to Balaur, Kasia, Nikola, and a group of priests, magicians, and witches travel south and find more than they bargained for. Before their involvement further intensifies Balaur, Mikail, Lazarus, and Morvana are holding the North and seeking to reach an agreement with the Mages. As they all struggle toward a collective goal, they start to understand that these occurrences were foreseen a long time ago and that everyone, notably Kasia and Malach, has a crucial duty to fulfill.

Conclusion

If you’re in the mood for an epic action-packed high fantasy read that comes with magical and dystopian elements, then I can not only recommend City of Dawn, but the entire Nightmarked series. It was such a pleasure to follow each character.

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Nightmarked – The Series

About Kat Ross

Kat Ross always loved to read more than anything in the world, especially so-called genre stories — mysteries, fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, horror. She likes books that take you by the hand and lead you out of the mundane. That ease back the curtain and show you the wondrous and dark and unexpected lurking just around the next corner. She worked in journalism for a long time before returning to writing fiction. Guess which is more fun for her?

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