Aeternum by Jamie Applegate Hunter

Aeternum by Jamie Applegate HunterAeternum by Jamie Applegate Hunter
Narrator: Nikki Grey, Gideon Frost
Series: Vincula Realm #2
on October 17, 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Length: 14h 24m
Format: Audiobook
Purchase on: Amazon// Barnes & Noble// BookBub
Add to: Goodreads // StoryGraph


MAJOR SPOILERS below if you have not read book one (The Umbra King).
This is NOT a standalone. It is the second and final book in the Vincula Realm duology and must be read after The Umbra King.Erdikoa
After being released from the prison realm four-hundred and ninety-nine years early, Rory finds herself in Erdikoa with no memory of the last three months and orders to keep her release a secret.
Feeling like an outsider looking in, she tries to acclimate to her new life, but she can’t shake the feeling that something, or someone, is missing.
She begins to question her reality when her sister’s killer plagues her dreams, insisting he’s innocent. But she knows what she saw all those years ago, and she’s faced with a choice: avenge her sister, potentially destroying her life again, or let go of revenge to embrace the second chance she’s been given
Will she be able to retrieve her memories to help her decide, or will she stay in the dark forever, dreaming of a man she should hate?
Vincula
With a haunting prophecy hanging over his head, Caius races against time to break the magic barrier trapping him in his own realm. With the help of unlikely allies, they discover a solution, giving Caius hope for the first time since Rory’s departure, but it comes at a steep price
However, the evil they face cannot be underestimated, and the evil within may become necessary.
For her, he will become a monster. For him, she will remain one.
The last installment of the Vincula Realm duology is filled with mystery, romance, and twists to keep you guessing until the very end. This is book two in a duology and cannot be read as a standalone.
Not suitable for those under 18 years of age due to mature language and situations. Please see the author's website for a full list of content warnings.

four-half-stars

review

Considering the killer cliffhanger the first book left us on, I immediately threw every other book I was supposed to read to the side and picked up Aeternum by Jamie Applegate Hunter. This was a bit slower than the first book. We, as readers, obviously know most of everything that is going on that Rory was forced to forget. It made moving the plot along a bit more challenging because she has to uncover everything AND they all have to deal with Gedeon. Still, it was interesting to see Rory’s topside friends after they realized who she was and what she did. Honestly, Sera, I wasn’t sure about her at first. She kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t know why. Maybe she was just super pushy about Rory being amazing which is what made me suspicious, though we know why she reacted to Rory as she did.

The romance between Rory and Caius was good. It was interesting to see how they navigated the distance as well as the memory loss and distance. The big romance for me, however, was absolutely Sam and Stasi. Okay, there isn’t really a romance. There are sparks of affection between them. And I loved seeing how Sam became so flustered around her and had no idea why. The ending? Killed me. Destroyed me. Enough that I had to send a message on threads to the author begging for another book in this universe.

We also get a little more lore which was so incredibly interesting. I don’t remember if it explained WHY or HOW Caius’ parents ended up having four children instead of three, but it was still great to read the depth of this world. And again, the ending, ugh my heart. I don’t know how we could get so much information and so much promise, only to be devastated in the end. At least I was. This is a happy ending, though – at least for Rory and Caius. I’m definitely happy I picked up this duology as it has only confirmed that Jamie Applegate Hunter is an autoread/autobuy for me!

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