Reviews - Storm of Secrets and Sorrow

1.31k reviews for:

Storm of Secrets and Sorrow

Melissa K. Roehrich

4.11 AVERAGE

shealivs2read's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Tropes/Themes: Fae, Gods, Vampires, Dragons, Romance, Enemies to Loves, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Love Triangle, Slow Burn

Ashdjgkehwbkdhf THIS FKIN BOOK MAN

“But it would be nice, just once, to know what it was like to be so important to someone that they chose her above all else”

Holy shit I am obsessed with this story and this world and these characters. Melissa somehow makes me simultaneously root for and against all of these characters and honestly I am in awe of that.

Tessa is an absolute mess and tbh, that's relatable as hell. Witnessing her go through all she did in the first book, I found myself craving vengeance on her behalf and my god is she gonna get it. On the other hand, she deserves so much peace and happiness and a life where she is wanted for who she is and not what people can take from her and I want that so badly for her.

Theon is an absolute fucking idiot who doesn't seem to ever learn that KEEPING SECRETS FROM TESSA = NOT GOOD and while I want to slap him in the face I also hope to fuck that he is able to fix what he broke and help our girl find herself and the happiness she deserves. What can I say, I’m an optimist.

The side characters got fleshed out so much in this book and where I normally find myself impatient with POVs outside of the main characters I found myself actually excited to read their perspectives. Luka and Tessa’s developing relationship had me kicking my feet on multiple occasions and Kat and Axle are the most precious babies. I am so incredibly invested in all of them and hope we get so much more backstory and development.

I love love love this series so much and cannot wait to devour the next installment and see how Fate unfolds…

”If you were my Match, I wouldn’t call you such a thing” “I would call you my wife, my partner, my light. Anything but my Match”

“Our nights would be spent on balconies under the stars talking or on sofas before fires watching a Chaosphere game. Our nights would be more than fucking fruit, cheese, and crackers. Our nights would be soft words instead of barbed ones to deflect and protect. Our nights would be intimate touches rather than frantic ones of uncertainty. Our nights would be my hands in your hair instead of your fingers pulling on the strands”

LUKA THE MAN THAT YOU ARE 😭😭

Content Warnings

kbuttry's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

booksnthreads's review against another edition

3.0

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

lanecleary's review against another edition

5.0

Good for her.

justjamila's review against another edition

5.0

Okay, let me just start by saying… this book was EVERYTHING. Like, I genuinely didn’t think Melissa could top the first book, but she did. She 100% did. The first book was dark, emotional, and twisted—it hurt my feelings in the best way possible. It had all these themes of growth and love while being super gut-wrenching, and the way it ended was this delicious gray area that had me hooked. So when I picked up this book, I was ready for more heartbreak… but what I got was even better.

This book shifts gears in such an interesting way. Instead of Tessa fighting tooth and nail against her love interest the whole time (which she still does here and there because, hello, enemies-to-lovers), she starts to think smarter. She embraces the power of secrets—because in this world, secrets are currency—and begins playing the game. And honestly? Watching her growth was insane. Like, this girl is becoming an unstoppable force, and I’m so here for it. She’s learning how to navigate this chaotic, trauma-filled world with so much strength, and it’s impossible not to root for her.

Let’s also talk about Theon for a second. Listen, I know some people think he’s the big bad wolf, all darkness and whatnot, but hello, are we reading the same book? The man is literally drowning in trauma. The author does such a good job peeling back his layers in this book. You can see that his intentions are good, even if his actions don’t always land that way (hence the tension with Tessa). And when I tell you I cannot wait for the day these two can actually communicate without all the pain and misunderstandings… they are going to be a POWER COUPLE. Mark my words.

Oh, and can we give a little round of applause for Luka? Like, um, excuse me, is he single? Asking for a friend (the friend is me). He is adorable, and the dynamic between him, Tessa, and Theon is everything. I have no clue where Melissa is taking this trio, but wherever it is, I’m ready to follow.

Speaking of relationships, I have to mention Axel and Katya. Their story was heartbreaking yet so beautiful. Melissa has this way of making you care about every single character, and I love that. Usually, I’m rolling my eyes when a book expands its POVs because I’m like, “Who asked for this?” But here? I was eating it up. Every side character, every subplot, every single page was just so good.

Also, the world-building? INSANE. I already loved it in the first book, but this one expanded on it in such a cool way. The gods, the magic, the politics—it’s all so vivid and well thought out. I’m honestly in awe of Melissa’s brain. She weaves in foreshadowing and plot twists so seamlessly that I’m constantly surprised. Just when you think you have it figured out, BAM—she hits you with another twist.

And let’s not forget how plot-driven this series is. Like, sure, the romance and spice are there, but it’s the PLOT that really shines. There’s so much depth and emotion packed into every chapter. It’s an emotional rollercoaster in the best way possible.

I think with this group of people, they’re honestly finding their way. This book dove into why they are the way they are, but trusting after betrayal is so scary. The chaos in this story perfectly mirrors the messy reality of healing, and that’s what makes their journey so raw and real. It’s a total roller coaster of a book, and I’m so excited to see what comes of them in the next two books to come because healing is hard work.

The only downside? I’m caught up now, and I have to wait for the next book. I’m devastated, but also thrilled because this series has officially stolen my soul. If you haven’t started it yet, what are you even doing? Highly recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️