'Disillusioned' by Briar Somerset

I went into Disillusioned thinking I’d get a fun mix of dark romantasy with a little bite and a little banter. And while it definitely delivered on the dark part, it was far heavier and more intense than I expected. This is the second book in the A Lay of Ruinous Reign series, and it wastes no time throwing you into Lilac Trécesson’s tangled, dangerous world.

She’s a newly crowned queen trying to keep her throne, caught in deadly bargains with fae courts, navigating political proposals from an emperor she doesn’t trust, and constantly shadowed by Garin, her cursed protector whose loyalty has started to curdle into something more obsessive.

What really surprised me here was how unflinchingly dark the story goes. There’s blood, betrayal, morally gray choices, and a growing sense that Lilac herself is changing in ways that might not be entirely human anymore.

The romance subplot isn’t light or fluffy; it’s complicated, possessive, and often unsettling, which fits the tone of the book but might not be what every romantasy reader is looking for. I also appreciated how the worldbuilding deepened. Fae politics, monstrous envoys, cursed chests, and all that good, eerie stuff, but it sometimes made the pacing feel uneven.

There were moments of breathless tension followed by long stretches of exposition, and I occasionally found myself wishing it would just get on with it.

That said, the emotional stakes were high, and the last act definitely delivers in terms of drama and payoff. I just didn’t love it as much as I hoped to. I admired it more than I was swept away by it. It’s well-written, immersive, and has some genuinely gripping moments, but it’s also heavier and darker than my personal preference for this kind of fantasy-romance. But then again, it's my personal perspective only.

I’m landing at 3.5 stars out of 5. It’s a good sequel that pushes its characters and world forward in bold ways, and I’d still recommend it to fans of darker romantasy who like their stories messy, intense, and morally complicated. Just don’t go in expecting a lighthearted fairytale vibe, this one’s got teeth.

ISBN: 9798987328453

Pub Date: August 19, 2025