Dominion of Magic by Eleanor Rose, Chase St. Clare, and August Oliver was one of my top reads last year. In fact, it was my number one read, making its sequel one of my most highly anticipated books for 2025. And it lived up to my internal hype! This book still has the toxic relationships, race against the clock action, and morally gray villain from the first book - but adds in more stakes, the fate of the world, and one seriously pissed off Greek Goddess.
This book takes place nine years after Dominion of Magic, and things have been at a bit of a standstill. Eiren has not been able to fully unlock Hecate's ring and become the world's Universal Coven Master, while Lysette and Bea have been living off the grid. But that all changes one night when a magical surge hits every witch in the world: one that is a warning - Eiren's close to achieving his goal. To protect Lysette and her daughter Aster from the man who is sure to come after them, they go on the hunt for something they hope will be enough to counter her ex's new magic, leading to a new race against the clock - only this time it's against Hecate, who is not thrilled about anyone's magical choices.
Eiren continues to be one of the best-written morally gray villains I have seen within the fantasy genre. I am friends with the authors, and they were wondering what would be the point where I went from "I can fix him" to "he has gone too far" - and ended up guessing right. Eiren's descent into darkness is fantastic, as it leaves the reader wondering how far he will go, only to fall in love with him all over again. It's a rollercoaster of a character arc that pits the flaws and strengths of a very complicated man against each other.
In addition, I adored this book's portrayal of Hecate. Within Greek Mythology, Hecate is one of my favorites - her story is incredibly unique compared to the repetitive nature of many of the other gods. This story gives her a much darker portrayal than many current representations, such as Stray Gods or Percy Jackson. And I ate it up. From the fact that she was secretly within the first book, though I won't say which character, to her plans for the world, I'm so excited to see what else she gets up to in the last book of the trilogy.
Last, but certainly not least, the introduction of the characters Aster and Roisin - Eiren's daughters. Where Aster is the daughter of Lysette, Roisin is his daughter with Siobhan. It was fascinating seeing the way he interacted with both of his daughters, because it was obvious to the reader (though thankfully not to the girls) how differently he treated them based on what he thought of their mothers. Adding children to a story can be a hard layer to add, but the Golden Three incorporated the layers of the girls and what they represent so well that it helped give the story so much more meaning.
Overall, this book emotionally destroyed me - as I expected it to, since these authors continuously emotionally destroy me. And just like every other time they have murdered my soul, I am already chomping at the bit for more. The cliffhanger is one of the ages, and I cannot wait to find out how this trilogy ends.