Romantasy

Mother of Death and Dawn

Name: Mother of Death and Dawn
Rating: 4.17 (90 reviews)

Carissa Broadbent · The War of Lost Hearts #3 · 2022

The final reckoning: a warrior and her commander stand against the gods themselves for the world and the love they built.

Score: 79.3
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Steamy
POV: first
Ending: HEA / HFN

Tropes

Enemies to Allies Forbidden Love Found Family Morally Grey Fae

Content warnings

Graphic violenceDeathTortureSexual assaultViolenceGoreMajor character deathSlaveryWarGrief & lossKidnappingBloodPTSD

Curated signals, not an exhaustive guarantee.

If you liked this, read

The Empire of GoldS.A. Chakraborty83.6 The Merciful CrowMargaret Owen77.9 FableAdrienne Young77.6 The Bronzed BeastsRoshani Chokshi77.5 Children of Fallen GodsCarissa Broadbent78.5

What readers think

Readers consistently praise the emotionally devastating character arcs — particularly Aefe's redemption journey from rage to full personhood — and the series payoff of Max and Tisaanah's bond across 700+ pages that never feels rushed. The multi-POV structure and cinematic battle sequences are called out as highlights. Criticisms cluster around pacing: many reviewers feel roughly 150-200 pages could be trimmed, and Aefe's chapters are frequently cited as slower and less propulsive than the main couple's storyline. Some readers found intimate scenes tonally misplaced inside the relentless war plot.

Read it if

· Readers who finished the first two books and want a complete, emotionally satisfying trilogy closer
· Fans of high-stakes war fantasy with a central romance that earns its emotional weight
· Readers who love redemption arcs and morally complex secondary characters

Skip it if

· You haven't read The Serpent and the Wings of Night and Daughter of No Worlds — this is a direct series finale with no standalone entry point
· You prefer lean, tightly paced novels — at 700+ pages this is a commitment with acknowledged padding
· You want a light or cozy romantasy — themes of trauma, slavery, and genocide run throughout

If you liked this

· For fans of Sarah J. Maas's sweeping trilogy finales with emotional couple payoffs
· Like An Ember in the Ashes but with heavier Fey mythology and a three-POV war structure
· For readers who loved the romantasy-meets-revolution blend of Danielle Jensen's Malediction trilogy

How we read the room

In this series

Part of The War of Lost Hearts — read in order:

Full series profile & spice/trope breakdown →

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