The Fallen Kingdoms Series by K.B. Benson

Two years have passed since Ari was taken as a prisoner to the troll realm. Two years of blood staining her hands, killing as the troll king’s mercenary. In Eida, it’s kill or be killed, and Ari will do anything to survive. But survival does not come easy in Eida, especially for a young woman with fire in her blood.When Ari's sold to one of Eida’s most notorious training masters, her survival comes with a price: unleash the monster she’s buried inside... moreTwo years have passed since Ari was taken as a prisoner to the troll realm. Two years of blood staining her hands, killing as the troll king’s mercenary. In Eida, it’s kill or be killed, and Ari will do anything to survive. But survival does not come easy in Eida, especially for a young woman with fire in her blood.When Ari's sold to one of Eida’s most notorious training masters, her survival comes with a price: unleash the monster she’s buried inside. A very real and very dangerous creature no opponent can defeat.Ari expects to kill. She expects to survive. But she doesn’t expect the growing feelings she has for the man who has claimed her as his. Together, Ari and her master will cut down every opponent in the arena seeking a wish from their king. Until a man from her past challenges her within those walls, and everything Ari has fought for crumbles. All for a man she once loved. But if she is to save her own life, she must take his. After all, everyone dies in Eida. less

Darkness is a vicious evil no mortal can escape. But I’m no stranger to darkness, and I never intend to be free.With new, unfathomable power, Ari won’t rest until she gets her revenge. But she is blinded by her vengeance, and when Caelum arrives in Eida, she never imagined he’d take it for his own.Blood fills the streets. Death lingers in the air. Caelum has come to steal Ari’s power and build an army filled with monsters and magic... moreDarkness is a vicious evil no mortal can escape. But I’m no stranger to darkness, and I never intend to be free.With new, unfathomable power, Ari won’t rest until she gets her revenge. But she is blinded by her vengeance, and when Caelum arrives in Eida, she never imagined he’d take it for his own.Blood fills the streets. Death lingers in the air. Caelum has come to steal Ari’s power and build an army filled with monsters and magic. An army he has every intention of unleashing on the human world.Unless she stops him.Fiercely loyal to the realm he calls home, Graeden will do whatever it takes to protect it. But as an insurrection forms against the Starfallen’s new queen, Graeden finds his loyalty is no longer fixed firmly on the realm or the crown.Unable to douse the fire Ari stirs within him, Graeden finds it isn’t enough to protect her. He wants her. All of her. The one person in the entire realm he can’t have.As Caelum pushes the realm toward its destruction, there is only one way for Ari and Graeden to keep those they love safe, and they must both decide what they’re willing to risk … and who they’re willing to kill.Reign of Darkness is the second book in KB Benson’s The Fallen Kingdoms series, an upper YA high fantasy. If you like slow-burn romance, action-packed battles, dragons and monsters, and unique magic systems, then you’ll love this fast-paced, page-turning series. Grab your copy and reenter Eida! less