4.5 hearts

Queen of Dreams is the second book of the Bound to Fire and Steel series focused on the thruple of Ash, Sanci and Zanya. I'm not always a fan of threesome relationships, but I like the way this one was done, it completely worked for me. There is definitely more that could be done in this world if the authors choose but this book wraps up a lot of the threads and could be just a great duology. Sanci is the glue binding Ash and Zanya together, however they will need to find a way to love each other and come together even in her absence when she is kidnapped by the Destroyer if they are going to get her back.

I really enjoyed Consort of Fire, there was a new fantasy world to learn with interesting magic and magical being in it, along with a strong historic base the authors introduced. Add to that a lot of steamy scenes in-between all the traveling through the land while Sanci and Zanya figuring out how to kill Ash to save Sanci and it was a solid romantasy. But I think that Queen of Dreams flows a little better with was less time spent on the sex and more time spent on the actual story. Don't worry there are still a few really explicit and spicy scenes that take their time, but it doesn't overwhelm the story. I would say Bound to Fire upped it's game and the depth of the characters, plot and worldbuilding.
“So many lifetimes ago, the world promised me that I would never be alone again. I waited three thousand years for that promise to come true. And it was worth it.”

Zanya is learning how to handle her power and the newfound strength that has come with it. She doesn't trust herself and is afraid she could hurt Sanci if she can't learn to control it. Ash is trying to develop a relationship with Zanya as a lover, so he is not able to train her like he would another new born god. He will need to trust some of his court with his lover, if Zanya is going to come into her full potential. Sanci wants to help with all the upheaval in the country but has been sidelined for her protection. In a bid to help, she is accidentally captured to be in the betrayers court. She must use all the skill she was taught in order to get close to Ash and kill him, to save her Consort and the woman she loved since childhood. Sanci will need all of her power over the world of dreams to make this happen. One problem, sometimes you have to be on the verge of death to manifest into your full power and Sanci's journey is not easy and will leave some scars.

Ash and Zanya need to get ready, while it is hard to leave Sanci in the enemies' clutches, they must trust her to fight the battle she was trained for while they prepare for the fighting that will come when the right opportunity arises. Sorin, known as the betrayer, was awful and twisted. I liked how Sanci was able to maneuver in his court and the allies she was able to make by playing political games. There are more ways to fight than just the sword. The culminating battle at the end was epic in scope and the conclusion to the story very satisfying. I can see how we may get more books set in this world as there are definitely more stories that could easily be told. I for one would be interested in reading any of them.

Narration:
Victoria Mei, Caitlin Elizabeth and Will Thorne reprise their roles for each PoV in the story. Each did a great job of capturing the main voice of the character they were narrating. I think Will was absolutely perfect for the deep timber I assumed the Dragon would have and his voice was my favorite. Victoria and Caitlin also performed really well and were able to capture both the strength and the vulnerabilities of the characters they were playing. There wasn't a PoV that I didn't like or that didn't carry the story well.

I felt like I was missing something at first. It took some time to get fully emerged in the story because this is not a standalone or a first book in a series.

I loved the characters. That was the magical of the story for me. They came to life so beautifully. The story was a little complex and it took me some time to figure out all the strands but this was one heck of an audio book!

I was really sad when it finished but I have book 1 now so I am a happy camper

As far as fantasy books go, this one should be on your radar!

I don't think I'd ever be tired of reading something from Kit Rocha.

Their character work is just so masterful, and varied, its so good. Sachi's development, Zanya's vulnerability, and Ash's general "Who hurt you?" anger, they're a really great combo of characters, and their writing of all three is brilliant. And because they know how to feed us, the plot was lush and enticing. You were worried for characters, you were upset with people, and the overall badassness that envelops our lady protaganists, was very well done.

Good freaking food.

The narrators did a wonderful job of brining the characters to life. I sincerely enjoyed the audiobook.

Thank you to Montlake, Brilliance Audio, and Netgalley for an audio/e-copy.

I wasn’t aware when requesting this was a sequel so I bought the audio for Consort of Fire. I’ve really enjoyed this very steamy duology. If you are a fan of The Bridge Kingdom, but wished it had more magic and spice then this is perfect for you. The sequel isn’t as spicy as the first book, but it has more action and an epic ending. The narrators did an amazing job bringing the story and its spice to life.

An excellent blend of fantasy, adventure, and romance with a strong plot and character build that stayed at a good steady non draining pace. I instantly loved book one and book two didn't disappoint in the slightest.

Zanya and Sachi must now deal with life after their worlds and entire goal in life now has been flipped completely around. Zanya must learn how to control being a god and Sachi is in more danger then ever because the Betrayer wants to take her from Ash. Ash wants to give Zanya and Sachi everything they need but he doesn't know how to stop trying to just protect them. Zanya is more powerful then ever but her past trauma's are limiting her, and Sachi still doesn't accept she is far beyond what she believes. Ash knows they are the key to saving the dreamworld but can he keep them safe also. When the Betrayer steals and traps Sachi, they all must use the skills they have learned and harness to make things right.

This book gave an excellent ending that left you satisfied but also made it easily abled to continue a series if the author wanted. The thing I praise most is the spectacular plot that was never overlooked or glanced over just so their could also be a strong romance plot as well. I absolutely loved this read. Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity.

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Omg. I really enjoyed book 1, but this was so much better. Not only do we get some spicy spice -- and I do mean SPICY spice -- but we get an amazing development of the relationship between Ash, Sachi, and Zanya. The three of them are absolutely amazing together.

This one had so much more plot than book 1, so much more world building, action... this was everything. I loved watching Sachi come into her own as she takes on the Betrayer after being whisked away into his court. I loved watching Zanya open up and accept love. I loved watching Ash just absolutely dominate across the board.

And I'd like to take a moment to thank the audiobook narrators for doing such an amazing job. The performance was absolutely amazing and I was literally hooked from book 1 all the way through the end of this one.

Actual rating: 4.5⭐️

Honestly, I had high hopes for this one, but it didn’t do it for me. I’m not saying it was a bad book/audio, but for me, it went right into spice quick, no world building, and it was just mediocre at best. I think it was just not for me. The audio quality was ok but i think listening to it in the netgalley app takes away from the audio quality as well. I think for the right listener, this would be good. But it was lacking on the romance and the fantasy for me. I needed more plot, More build up and a better understanding of the characters before we jumped into the spicy scenes.

First of all, I really appreciate the brief summary of the previous book at the beginning.
This was a solid continuation of this series. I'm not sure if it works as a conclusion though. It kind of does but not for me. As a romantasy, mostly focused on the romance/relationship, I would have liked to see more of an emotional connection between certain characters. Instead the main focus is on physical relationship. It's giving me flashbacks to Court of Wanderers, but I enojyed this book more and the plot is less convoluted.
The plot is pretty simple but I wouldn't have minded if there was more relationships building.
In the end, I found this book to be anticlimactic and unsatisfying. And if this is the conclusion then it's quite a disappointing one. I really liked the first book and I still like the characters so I would continue if there would be more books.
Audiobook was excellent, I loved all three narrators.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.