A Rose of Blood and Binding (The Middlemist Trilogy, 3)

Name: A Rose of Blood and Binding (The Middlemist Trilogy, 3)
Price: 17 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.5 (97 reviews)
Author: Claire Legrand

by Claire Legrand

4.5

Published Feb 24, 2026

About this book

War ravages the land of Edyn as the Middlemist fractures under the weight of awakening gods and the encroaching malice of the vengeful Kilraith. As the demigod Ashbourne sisters struggle to hold their world together, Mara Ashbourne finds herself fighting a desperate battle for survival. Bound to the Middlemist and haunted by the loss of her true home, Mara’s focus is tested by the arrival of Gareth Fontaine, a brilliant and charming librarian assigned to assist the war effort.

Gareth is a constant, vexing presence whose reverence for Mara masks a deeper complexity. Beneath his dazzling smile, Mara senses the shadows of Mhorghast—a darkness and violence she recognizes all too well within herself. As the two embark on a dangerous quest to locate Kilraith’s final curse-anchors, the friction between them ignites into a slow-burning passion born of shared sorrow and hidden vulnerabilities.

This connection offers Mara the solace she has long craved, but it also threatens to expose the dark fate she secretly harbors. Caught between the duty to save a crumbling world and the pull of her own unraveling desires, Mara must decide if her alliance with Gareth will lead to salvation or total destruction.

Available Formats

Paperback: $17.00 Hardcover: $17.47

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What readers are saying

Wendy

This was a good conclusion to a good series!

"I have enjoyed following the Ashbourne sisters on their journeys. Mara is the sister in focus for this installment, and it is interesting to finally learn more about her history, is she my favorite sister? Probably not because I felt like we kept coming back to the same issue over and over. However, I think she is a very solid character and compelling in her own way. Her relationship with the Warden and the grooming (for lack of better word) she was subject to growing up was difficult to watch and not rage. I waned to get angry at Mara for her reactions so many times which is a little unfair considering she basically brainwashed. On the other hand, Gareth is probably my favorite MMC of the series! I love his sarcastic, irreverent attitude and how he masks a much deeper side to himself. He’s also a sexy scholar and I am a sucker for that. Witty AND well read? Sign me up! The series long plot line was a little overshadowed in this by Mara’s internal struggles with her relationships and past. It made the buildup and battle against the main villain feel less impressive, and slightly anticlimactic in how it is resolved. Overall I enjoyed the book and I like how it wrapped up all the stories and brought the 3 sisters together in the end. The audiobook was a joy to listen to. Evelyn Roe has a beautiful voice and does a good job bringing the characters to life. I’m always impressed when a single person is able to successfully narrate a book, especially in this duet heavy time, and Rose definitely held their own with this one. ["

May 18, 2026

Books Become My Reality -Alison

Loving yourself is the hardest thing to do

"Mara is such a complicated FMC. She knows how to love, but she doesn’t feel worthy of love herself. You can feel how painful her struggle with herself is throughout the book. It’s heartbreaking to walk alongside her and feel her inner struggles especially when it came to Gareth. You are cheering to loudly for her to finally allow herself to just let herself love herself and let others love her throughout the whole book. The book has a huge twist in it, that you may not see coming. There’s battles, there’s sister time, there’s really good banter, heartache, love, family. It’s checks all the boxes for me! ["

May 12, 2026

Tori H.

So happy with how this series concluded!

"And just like that The Middlemist Trilogy is over. Ending with Mara’s story was a stroke of genius as her connection to the middlemist can truly only be understood and appreciated when the reader understands the world. Legrand builds upon all the groundwork she laid in A Crown of Ash and Ivy and A Song of Ash and Moonlight to create an action-packed showdown between gods, magic, and lovers new and old. This entire series was an ode to women who are fragile and yet so resilient with their quiet strength. The way Legrand portrayed the mental health struggles of each of the sisters and their partners was brilliantly and carefully done. I feel so protective of these characters and am so happy with how their stories concluded. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the e-arc. ["

February 24, 2026

VR

Great Series

"For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this series. Once I began one of the books, I was unable to put it down until I reached the end. I was ever eager for the next book. The characters are engaging, their personalities, and interaction with one another keeps one caught up in the story. The world building in this series was unique to other fantasy reads, and that made the story more interesting. There was always something new and exciting going on. I gave 4 stars because I felt that the last book spent entirely too much time with Mara second guessing and berating herself. It is understandable to have her feeling that way, just to me, there was so much repetition it was hard to continue to emphasize with Mara and the words became redundant. ["

April 25, 2026