The Thorns We Inherit (Tales of Nyxarra Book 1)
Lindsey A. Hart
4.3
Shadow Trials: An Epic Slowburn Romantasy (Heartless Gods Book 1)
by Evelyn Hart
Published Apr 14, 2026
Category
About this book
She’s trained her whole life to kill monsters like him and the dragon he rides. Now, he may be the only one who can save her… Humans are treated like cattle by the Godforged, the terrible creatures created by the gods to wage a never-ending war with each other. Fiona’s spent her life learning to wield magic stolen from the divine, to protect her people from the violence. Now she’s given the chance to become the thing she’s sworn to kill. The God of Darkness’s champion is dead, and he’s holding a series of trials to decide who will be his next, open to anyone, including humans. If Fiona wins, she’d control his army… and how it treats innocent humans. And none of them know of the powers she wields… These trials are filled with the strongest and most ruthless of the Godforged. But if they discover the secrets she hides, it will doom all her people. In this world of magic and violence, there’s one person who truly understands secrets. Azric Cyrus, Death’s champion and first dragon rider, is the most brutal of all the Godforged. And the most beautiful. With wings of bone, shadows, and seduction as his deadliest weapons, even the gods listen when he speaks. It's even more reason for Fiona to be wary when he takes an interest in her. Destiny is not a fixed thing, and as its strings are pulled from behind the shadows, these two broken souls must learn to trust each other. Their lives are the least that hang in the balance. Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Crowns of Nyaxia, and The Games Gods Play, Shadow Trials is the first in a long, epic romantasy series that will follow multiple couples. It does not end in an HEA, but the series will.
Available Formats
Kindle: $0.00 Kindle: $0.00
What readers are saying
Mary Jane JarmanA World Worth Dissecting!
"I was so grateful to receive an ARC of Shadow Trials by the author- my first ever advanced reader copy! This story centers on Fiona Thorne, a fearless and determined young woman who has been trained in the ways of The Order her whole life. Despite being very skilled and capable she is barred from joining The Order for the simple fact that she is a woman. The one standing in her way is her protective life long teacher, her father. Frustrated, she volunteers to enter a series of trials to compete to be the God of Death’s “champion.” The God-forged are gods that walk among humans waging war among each other, often using humans as their champions to lead their respective armies. The Order uses infusions and magical markings on their skin to protect the humans from the god-forged’s never ending conflicts with each other. This magic system is the most fascinating thing to me in this book. I have never read about a magic system like this in any other book. The skin markings remind me a lot of the ruin markings in Throne of Glass, but it’s the infusion potions that caught my attention immediately. While an infusion will give you a certain advantage, it comes with a cost. The infusion of the cat for example gives you the ability to be quick and nimble, even be able to survive falls from a decent distance, but your mind will be scattered like, when your adderall has just worn off and you can’t keep your mind fixed on the task at hand. I found that so unique, so Fiona has to be very calculated in how and when she uses these infusions. I was so captivated by this magic system I wanted to start taking notes and really deep diving into all the different infusions and combinations you could make of them. I feel like you could really nerd out studying it all. It made my little research nerd heart happy. The slow burn romance in this book is delicious, I am a sucker for a really intense build up, but the world building and magic system is what I believe really sets this book apart from other Romantacies out there. I can’t wait for more books in this series! I will be here waiting with my notebook- this is a world worth dissecting. ["
April 9, 2026 Verified Purchase
Kayleigh KonieczkiRomantasy Must Read!
"**I received this book as an ARC for free. Thank you to Evelyn Hart for the opportunity to read and review this book 📖. If you are a fan of Greek Mythology, in the context of the Gods meddling with human affairs, then you will LOVE this book. In Nyth, the Gods have claimed parts of the land for themselves; but instead of ruling it themselves, they name a Champion to be their mouth, head and sword. Nyth has been at war for 80 years, and all the while the Gods hide away in their own Realms. This book took away my breath. I adore Fiona and her snarkiness. She's clever, and caring. But there is tragedy in her story. There's characters I want to throttle, for the pain they've inflicted or just for their personalities. The dragons in Nyth have been there thousands of years. The Gods have been there for less than that. For once, the Gods are not older. I was on the edge of my seat through most of this book. I kept reading it in short bursts because I wanted it to last. Unfortunately, it ended; on a cliffhanger of course! Fans of Fourth Wing, From Blood & Ash, and the Artefacts of Ouranos series need to pick this up and read it! ["
April 14, 2026 Verified Purchase