Since the ILVN 2024 Reading Challenge has twelve prompts, I’m completing one prompt a month, like we did last year, but without the book club attached. Instead, I’ll be letting you know WHAT I read and fit it into the prompt accordingly instead of hoping the one I chose matched.

Plus, we still get to talk about it.

For February, I had a book on my holds that was perfect to match this prompt: Four Word Title. Easy enough! It was the excuse I needed to start a new-to-me series The War of Lost Hearts by Carissa Broadbent after LOVING the first in the Crowns of Nyaxia series from last year’s ILVN Book Club.

Daughter of No Worlds is everything I expected from this author. Everything I wanted. An excellent strong female character who uses her femininity and grit to do what she dreams of doing. A strong but sensitive warrior male who can’t help but want to help, even if it is seemingly against his will. Violence and heartbreak and betrayal. The SECRETS!

And that bomb near the end with being the host to this singularly selfish weapon that thinks like a child.

I couldn’t put it down, y’all. Is it obvious that I gave this book 5 stars?

I gave her previous book 5 stars, so Carissa Broadbent is becoming an auto-buy author for me. I know I’m going to like her books when I pick them up. And book two and three are on my waiting TBR. (I almost dove straight into the second one, but I have a habit of prolonging a series. I don’t want it to be over too soon).

The book begins with Tisaanah, our FMC, standing before slavers who have captured her village and offering herself up to be sold as a slave and not sent to mine herself to death. She has magical butterflies and is pretty, even though she has mottled skin. The difference in her skin is pointed out several times, as there are two races of people that possess magic with different natures. This, of course, sets us up for Tisaanah being special.

And she is of course. Her personality does a lot of it for her, stemming in part from her unexplored power of reading what people want from her. It proves useful for her as a slave as she saves up to buy her freedom. As you might expect, she earns what she needs, but her master doesn’t want to release her.

This is what sets off her explosive powers. As her master intends to whip her to death, Tisaanah reaches out to his mind and yanks, killing him. This sets us off on her adventure to get help, earn her freedom, and return to set the slaves free.

The notion that she cannot waste her freedom by merely being free is what endears us to her as the female lead.

After she makes it to safety, she’s healed and thrust upon a retired warrior, Max—the hero from the last war—who’s built himself a solitary life in a lush garden. Even though he refuses to help her at first, the break and development of their friendship is slow and well done. It’s realistic. Their personalities and interactions build excellent tension throughout.

But oh my, the secrets between these two create a whole lot of trouble. The penultimate power is an explosive revelation in this book, and I won’t give it away. I’d rather you go read and experience it yourself. SO GOOD!

Plus, there’s the ability to make flesh rot at the mere touch of a finger. I absolutely love gruesome shit like that.

If you’re looking for some good romance, you’re in for that, too.

Let me know if you’ve read anything by Carissa Broadbent in the comments below, and don’t forget to tag us at @ILoveVampireNovels to share your pick for this month’s reading challenge.