Already finished Daughter of No Worlds and want to know what happens next? Alright, let’s dive into Children of Fallen Gods — and buckle up because this one is a wild ride. If you thought Daughter of No Worlds was intense, you’re not ready for the chaos and heartbreak that’s about to unfold in the second installment of The War of Lost Heart Series by Carissa Broadbent.
*Aefe*Children of Fallen Gods at a glance
🌶️ Spice Level ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ The reunion after months apart delivers and the emotional intensity between Tisaanah and Max makes every moment between them feel charged. This book doesn’t prioritise spice over plot but what’s there is earned.
💕 Romance Level ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Being separated by war and politics while also being magically cursed together is a very specific kind of romantic torment and Broadbent leans into it fully. Max going after Tisaanah alone when she’s taken is the kind of moment that makes readers feral.
✨ Magic Level ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reshaye sacrificing itself to save Tisaanah, Max’s second eyelids, the Fey King hijacking deep magic, Aefe revealed as the original Reshaye — the magic in this book goes to places that completely reframe everything you understood about the world. Absolutely extraordinary.
💔 Angst Level ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reshaye’s death is devastating once you understand what it truly was. Max imprisoned in Ilyzath. Tisaanah fighting a war that’s killing her slowly. Broadbent piles on the suffering with real purpose and every gut punch lands exactly as intended.
🗡️ Action Level ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ A full political coup, months of military campaigns, a kidnapping rescue, a magical pit battle, and a Fey King takeover — this book is relentlessly eventful. The pace never lets up and the escalation feels genuinely earned rather than chaotic.
🌍 World-building ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The introduction of the Fey, the House of Obsidian, A’Maril disease, Ilyzath prison, and the full history of Aefe and Reshaye transforms this series into something far larger and more complex than book one suggested. The world just opened up completely.
📚 Standalone-ability ⭐☆☆☆☆ Not a chance. The emotional core of this book — Reshaye’s sacrifice, Max’s imprisonment, the curse between Tisaanah and Zeryth — only hits because of everything built in book one. You need the full foundation for any of this to land.
Oliwia’s take: Children of Fallen Gods is the second book that earns its place by being genuinely more ambitious than its predecessor in every direction. Zeryth’s coup reframes the entire political landscape, Nura’s betrayal stings in a way that’s been quietly set up from the beginning, and then there’s Aefe. The reveal that Reshaye was once a living Fey person who was kidnapped and experimented on is one of the most quietly devastating pieces of lore Broadbent has written. The sacrifice hits completely differently once you understand what Reshaye truly was. And Max being dragged off to Ilyzath at the end while Tisaanah is left powerless to stop it is exactly the kind of cliffhanger that makes you pick up the next book immediately regardless of the time. This series keeps getting bigger and darker and I am completely here for it.
Fair warning: This is a FULL SPOILER RECAP of the second book. If you haven’t read it yet, turn back now unless you’re ready for all the major twists and reveals!
Children of Fallen Gods Book Recap
Tisaanah and Max Get Pulled Into Zeryth’s Mess
We pick up with Tisaanah, Max, Nura, Sammerin, and a whole bunch of Threllian refugees making their way back to Ara. Tisaanah is still tied to her Blood Pact with the Orders, which means she’s now on the hook to help them fight a war.
When they arrive in Ara, things go sideways immediately. They’re attacked by soldiers — but not crown soldiers. In the chaos, they’re saved by the Syrizen (the creepy, eyeless magical guards) and taken to Korvius — which just so happens to be Max’s homeland. And this is where we find out that things in Ara have gone real bad while they were gone.
Zeryth has launched a coup.
- Queen Sesri is dead (officially an “accident,” but we all know better).
- Before her death, Sesri signed a contract saying that the Arch Commandant of the Orders would take the throne if she were incapacitated.
- Zeryth and Nura had been working together to make Sesri unpopular during her reign — but Zeryth double-crossed Nura and took power while she was out of the country.
Zeryth is holed up in Max’s family estate (because why not?) and already facing opposition from Atrick Aviness, Sesri’s cousin, who’s making a bid for the throne.
And here’s the kicker: Zeryth tells Tisaanah that she’s going to help him win this war — or else.
- He reveals a mysterious tattoo on his wrist — a curse.
- If Zeryth dies, Tisaanah dies too.
Max is furious. He’s even more pissed when he finds out that while they were gone, Moth (his chaotic apprentice) enlisted in the military. Zeryth insists that Max lead the army. Max agrees — but only if Moth stays with him.
A War We Didn’t Sign Up For
Months pass with Max leading Zeryth’s campaigns and Tisaanah supporting from Korvius. And let’s just say… it’s a rough time for everyone involved.
Max struggles at first to connect with his soldiers, but over time, they come to respect him as a leader. He starts taking down Aviness’s supporters one by one — but the whole time, he’s secretly researching how to break the curse Zeryth put on Tisaanah.
Meanwhile, Tisaanah is wielding Reshaye’s power to create terrifying illusions that force early surrenders. The problem? Using that much magic leaves her extremely sick afterward — and it’s starting to take a toll.
Nura starts stepping in to help Tisaanah recover after these episodes, but Reshaye hates Nura with the intensity of a thousand suns.
Casualties and Dark Magic
Then things start getting messy.
- One of the Syrizen, Eslyn, dies of A’Maril — a disease that happens when humans wield deep magic for too long.
- Zeryth, meanwhile, has clearly been dabbling in some seriously dark magic — and it’s starting to make him look sick and paranoid.
Oh, and speaking of dark magic — the Threllian refugees are not doing well.
- They’ve started receiving threats from the Zorokov family (the Threllian nobles Tisaanah pissed off by killing Esmaris and Ahzeen).
- The Zorokovs threaten to kill their slaves unless they get Tisaanah’s head on a platter.
So, after Eslyn’s death, Tisaanah, Nura, and Sammerin pull a seriously dark move:
- They take Eslyn’s head, magically alter it to look like Tisaanah, and send it to the Zorokovs as a peace offering.
- It’s gruesome — but it buys them time.
Reunited (and a Little Traumatized)
After a major setback on the battlefield, Max returns to Korvius to regroup — and he and Tisaanah finally have some much-needed time together.
They also make a little side trip to Ilyzath — the ancient, haunted magical prison — to meet with Vardir (the guy who originally helped Max bond with Reshaye).
- Vardir isn’t super helpful about the curse.
- But he does drop some cryptic warnings about someone “coming for them.”
- Oh, and Ilyzath itself tries to keep Max there, saying that he belongs in the prison. (Not concerning at all.)
Kidnapping, Suicide, and Betrayal — Just Another Day in Ara
Tisaanah gets ambushed by Aviness’s men and dragged off to captivity. Max, naturally, goes after her — alone.
- Max uses his deep magic (second eyelids and all) to wreck the palace and rescue her.
- Nura, despite Max’s direct orders not to interfere, brings the entire army into the fight.
Aviness — seeing that he’s losing — commits suicide, effectively ending the war.
Victory… Until It’s Not
Back in the capital, Zeryth throws a victory party. But things take a turn when Zeryth summons Tisaanah, Max, and Nura for a private meeting.
Zeryth is completely unhinged at this point. He tries to kill Max — and Tisaanah, desperate to break the curse, begs Reshaye for help.
Reshaye kills Zeryth — which should have killed Tisaanah too.
- But in a final act of sacrifice, Reshaye gives its life to save her.
- Max channels his own magic to keep Tisaanah alive.
Meanwhile, in the Land of the Fey…
Remember Aefe? Yeah, it’s time to talk about her.
Aefe is a Fey in the House of Obsidian — and she’s got some major family drama.
- Aefe is an Essnera — a Fey with the rare ability to steal magic from others by drinking their blood.
- Long story short — humans kidnapped and experimented on Aefe, turning her into Reshaye hundreds of years ago.
And guess who’s back? Caduan — Aefe’s former lover — is now King of the Fey, and he’s on a warpath. He wants revenge on humanity — and he’s coming for Tisaanah.
The Pit Battle and the Rise of the Fey King
Fast forward to Max’s big magical pit battle with Nura for leadership of the Orders. Max opens his second eyelids — bad idea.
- The Fey King hijacks Max’s connection to deep magic and takes control of him.
- Tisaanah reaches into Max’s mind and manages to sever the connection — but it nearly kills Max in the process.
In the aftermath:
- Max is captured by Nura and locked in Ilyzath.
- Aefe wakes up in her Fey body — and Caduan tells her it’s time for revenge.
- Nura becomes Queen of Ara — and she’s not done playing with dark magic.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Max is imprisoned. Tisaanah is recovering. The Fey King is on the rise. Nura’s ruling Ara with an iron fist. And Aefe — formerly Reshaye — is back in action.
The war’s not over. In fact, it’s just getting started.
Interested what happened next? Check our book summary for Mother of Death and Dawn.
Books in the War of Lost Hearts Series:
