I was completely immersed in a unique realm that intricately depicted Hell, the Fae, and the complex identity of being Lucifer's daughter. Our central character, Klara, is the Queen of a forest and is driven by the desire to safeguard both the woodland and its inhabitants. However, navigating this responsibility is far from easy, as ancient rivalries, envy, and power struggles emerge from all directions, leaving Klara questioning whom she can truly trust.
The narrative explores not only anxiety, but also a fun romance between Klara and the Hell's general, Frendall. The chemistry between them ignites the pages, but their relationship is complicated by Frendall's loyalty to her father, creating shadows over their connection. Klara's relationships with her mother and father really make the story complex, involving constant power struggles and a desire to prove her capability to rule independently.

Every time I read something from Kate Callaghan I am blown away. No but seriously this book from the cover, to the characters, to the love and everything in between was just absolutely perfect to me. I keep thinking of things that I could say that could be constructive at all, but honestly there are none beyond READ THIS BOOK. Absolutely adored.

This was an immersive read, good world building and characters. Loved Klara as a character and how she battled everything thrown her way. I really enjoyed this but with the warning that there is a cliffhanger and its not a stand alone. It is intriguing enough that I want to continue in the series.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Where Traitors Fall is the second installment within A Hellish Fairtytale series. Just like the first book, I completely devoured this with zero regrets. With Klara's new role, she has to take on a new game: politics. It also doesn't help that she has to try and maintain the peace throughout the lands as well. Honestly, I do not envy her position at all.

Besides that, we get to see more of the hell and Fae worlds. I couldn't tell you which I enjoyed more because they were all fascinating. Also, if someone is willing to bring me a hellhound, I wouldn't say no to one. Just saying.

The twists and turns kept this a page turner. One couldn't help rooting for Klara because she's not as strong as she would like to be. She's definitely getting there, but it's nice to see someone in power admit to being weak in certain areas. There's always room for growth in my eyes and I'm glad that Klara realized this. I also really enjoyed Lokey because he was entertaining the entire time.

In the end, I'm so excited to get my hands on the next book because I need to know what is going to happen next.

3 ⭐️

This second book in A Hellish Fairytale is an improvement for the first book.

Plot

Klara is now Queen of Malum and there's a new treaty between the Fae lands and Malum to ease the border and a tense peace is holding between these two lands. However, there are rumors of dark creatures who are disappearing in Kalos and when they reach Klara, she worries that this peace is more fragile than what she had imagined.

One problem in this book was the pacing. The plot could have been interesting, but the pacing was supper slow. When I reach the 30% in the book, I noticed the book was still in the same place with the same characters. The ending had more action and it was definitely more interesting.

Characters

Klara

She grew as a character in this book. She has more compassion and she accepted her rule as queen. She tries to do what is best for the creatures in the forest and to try to protect them.

Frendall

Frendall is a character that I don't know how I feel about him. I like how he tries to help Klara and how much he cares for her, but at the same time, he is loyal to Lucifer and that loyalty comes first. I still don't like what he did to her in the ending.

Lottie

Lottie here is now Klara's ward. She is training because she is going to be the alpha some day. I liked her and her personality. I also liked the relationship and the dynamic between Lottie and Klara, which is so different from the dynamic between Klara and the queens.

Lucifer

Lucifer is actually an interesting character. I would have like to see more of him, but more than that, I really want to know what happened in the end for him to react the way he did.

Aemella

For the villain in this story, I found her to be a bit cliche and I would like her to be developed a little bit more.

Writing

I think the writing improved in this book. I liked the dialogue between the characters more here, but sometimes the descriptions were to much for me and that didn't help the pacing of the book that was already slow.

World-Building

The world-building was better here. I liked how she explained the fae culture and how she explained more of the magic system, especially the factory.

Romance

The romance is not the main theme in the book, but the reader still gets some. I liked the romance. It wasn't one of the best I have read, but the couple has some potential and I want to see what will happen between them after the betrayal.

Final Thoughts

It was a good improvement and I'm actually excited to read the third and last book to see what will happen to this characters.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

This one is my fault because I didn't realize or it wasn't clear to me that this book was a sequel. I did really enjoy the world and the magic system though and want to read the first and the rest of the series.

I loved it and would read it again why because it was a good read. I loved the rich storyline and the amazing characters, and I was like wow this book is good. I gave it five stars because the book just as that awesome factor.

This is an excellent sequel for Crowned A Traitor!!

Since the beginning of the book i've been trapped and i couldn't put down this book and it was lovely to follow Klara through Hell and her adventures

Cant wait to read the next book :)

Due to the miscalculation and mistakes on my part while requesting this book; as this is a continuation from a previous book in a series, I won't be able I provide any feedback in the time being until I get a hold of the first book. Thank you.

Where Traitors Fall was a really enjoyable, gripping story. A great sequel to Crowned a Traitor, from the twists that took me by surprise to the well built characters and the world building this book had me hooked.

I can not wait to read more from this world.

Dark and twisted like I love!

-Big thanks to the author and Netgalley for the eARC-

SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH.
It's been some time since Klara claimed her place on the throne of Malum. The peace treaty between the Fae Lands and hers has eased some tensions, but there are rumors of creatures going missing. Klara fears a war coming and when she's invited by the Fae Queen, she takes the opportunity to investigate. When old enemies come lurking back, she will have to be careful who she can trust to save her kingdom.

There's just something about this series that lures me in. It might be because I admire Klara so much. She has her flaws, of course, but she knows herself well enough to understand them and act accordingly, which makes her incredibly strong. I love her for that and it makes her really relatable. I enjoyed the romance in this book a lot. Frendall is...well, he's swoon-worthy and I can't say I blame Klara for falling so hard. I also really liked the tutor role our Queen takes in this sequel. It added some maturity to her decisions and I found it very interesting. The politics of the world are complicated, yes, but the author helps us understand what's happening and what's at stakes, which makes it easy to follow. We feel a lot in this book, it's a real roller-coaster of emotions and I was there for it. It was full of action, humor and danger with all the threats Klara has to face, and I really enjoyed the different subplots, which made the story even more entertaining. I look forward to reading the sequel because that ending had me gaping in anticipation! I didn't expect it and I can't wait to read the final installment in this amazing trilogy!

I definitely recommend to dark fantasy readers all around!

"To sustain life, some must fall. It is the circle in which we live."

There's a lot more politics to go around this book. Klara must figure out ways to avoid war within.
Cam the daughter of Lucifer and a fae queen unite both people?

I received this free eARC novel from the author and NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This book has so much happening, it's non stop action to keep the reader on the edge of their seat! I do feel that the writing was better in this book than the first one, either because the author did some changes or because I got used to her writing style - not sure which.

I feel for Klara. Her parents, both, are awful people and they play so many mind games, that my head is hurting from trying to figure everything out. I want them both to suffer by the end of this series!

I don't know how Klara is a product of these two, because she has heart, she cares about what is right and her parents are only looking out for themselves and what will benefit them the most. It's disgusting.

Frendall disappointed me the most. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation, but I can't get over his betrayal and I really hope that Klara won't forgive him right away... or ever if I'm being honest, though I'm sure that's not the case. She better make him work for it though.

I am very excited to dive into the next book to see how things get wrapped up! And to see Klara outsmart both of her conniving parents, hopefully!

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read books ad give critical feedback to authors and publishers. Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read the eARC of this book.

Apologies for the late review of this book.

I have not read anything from Kate Callaghan before but I loved the writing it is easy and flows well, I liked the fantasy world and all the decisions in the book seemed logical, I liked the aspects of hell, magic and demons etc. I liked this overall and I would recommend the book it is fun and I would recommend to my book club and best friend.

I’ve clearly been missing out because when I stumbled on this book I didn’t realise that it’s a sequel but nevertheless this is a book I’m very happy to recommend. The twists are swift, I had trouble keeping up, in a good way. There's always something, deceit, lies, truth, and all while protecting the future. I love Klara, the definition of morally grey!

The main heroine is a badass and she just wants to help everyone and everything. The story is gripping and there are twists coming up around every corner. This is very much a young adult piece of literature, so keep that in mind. I, unfortunately, came to terms this year with me not being a young adult no longer, but I still enjoyed this!

I can’t believe it’s been a year since Klara became ruler of Malum. It looks like she’s taken to the role better than she thought. She’s still impulsive and has a lot to learn.

I am loving this world. The pacing is good and the characters are interesting. The story seems to be thought out, and even though I didn’t like how the climax ended, it did make sense for the story. (I can’t say more without spoilers, sorry.) This does not stop me from wanting to read more.

#Kate Callaghan #WhereTraitorsFall #NetGalley

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

I've discovered lately I'm really into demons. Not in a weird way. So imagine my delight when I open 'Where Traitors Fall' and found out the main character Klara is the heir to the throne of hell (ooo)! Klara's mother is the queen of The Fae and her father is Lucifer, you had me at Fae. This book is super thick with magical beings, werewolves, vampires, goblins galore! I found Kate Callaghan's writing style clear and very descriptive which I love. The book felt a little slow, hence 4 out of 5.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

This book is a perfect example of "great premise, disappointing execution." At least it was slightly better written than the first in the series--that one was a STRUGGLE to get through.

Final verdict? If you can stick through the erratic pacing and unpolished writing style, the plot and character development is worth it!