Dark Romantasy Book Review: The Ever King

Last September I read an extremely fun book series about pirate fae- The Ever Seas. I LOVED it, I devoured all three books currently available in the series. Unfortunately, I didn’t know until I had already started reading the first book, that it is a second generation series. What does this mean? It means that while you can 100% read and enjoy the series without reading the the first generation books (I did), the experience is SO much better if you’ve read them first.

If you are the kind of person who likes to have ALL of the information in a book definitely start with the first generation series, The Broken Kingdoms. It is a completed, 9 book series that fully explains the world, the side characters, and the war that will be mentioned throughout The Ever Seas. Plus it’s about Vikings! However, if that seems like an awfully long commitment for you and you really just want to read about pirates (maybe Jack Sparrow and Will Turner were your first crushes?) jump into The Ever Seas. The author worked very hard to ensure you could enjoy The Ever Seas without needing to read The Broken Kingdoms.

It is important to remember that this is a dark romantasy book intended for mature readers. The author has provided a list of trigger warnings to help you decide if this is a good series for you.

No. It is a planned 6 book series with 3 books currently available. The Ever King, The Ever Queen, and The Mist Thief are available ONLY in ebook and audiobook format. The fourth book, The Stolen Crown, will be released in the fall of 2026. However, despite being an incomplete series, you can definitely read them now and not worry about cliffhangers or unanswered questions. The first two books are a duology. They follow the story of Erik and Livia, wit their story being completed at the end of book two. Book 3, The Mist Thief , follows a different couple with their story also being resolved by the end of the book. The rest of the books in the series will also follow different couples in the world. However, they must be read in order as they build off of the stories that came before them.

Why are the first three books only available as audiobooks and ebooks? Because the series was originally self-published. Recently, The Ever Seas has book picked up by a traditional publisher. This means that they are re-releasing the first three books in the series. The Ever King (book 1) will be re-releasing in August of this year.

“They stole his crown. So he stole their daughter….

For years, Erik, the scarred king of the Ever Kingdom, has thought of nothing but vengeance against the man who killed his father and trapped him beneath the waves, making him a prisoner in his own realm.

Until his enemy’s daughter unintentionally breaks the chains on the Ever, and Erik makes her the unwitting pawn in his vicious game of revenge.

She’s innocent. He’s vicious. But he will take back what he lost, no matter the price.

Unless she steals his heart first.”

I really did enjoy The Ever King the first time around. It was a fun, easy read. It definitely focuses on the romance in the story more than the fantasy, which is fine with me. I really enjoyed reading about Erik and Livia. However, I kept feeling like I was missing something. There are a lot of characters that are mentioned briefly and a war that I kept wanting to know more about. The book is written in a way that you can definitely enjoy and understand the story without knowing more about these characters or the war, but I’m a reader that likes to know all the details. As it turns, out all of the details were there for me already.

Have you ever wanted to read a story again for the first? After reading The Broken Kingdoms and returning to The Ever Seas, I felt like I got to do just that. The first time I read The Ever King it felt like a mystery I was trying to unravel. However, the second time I knew ALL of the characters. I knew about the war. I knew the parents very well. I had a full understanding of the earth fae realms and how they were formed. I saw the imprisonment of the Ever King and met his father. Suddenly all of the little moments that were not significant to me the first time became very meaningful.

One of the things I loved about this book, and all of LJ Andrews’ books is how genuine her characters feel. They really do feel like different people and different stories. I love watching her characters grow and develop. I also absolutely love that each one of her books is dual POV. It’s always so much fun getting both sides of the story.

Be sure to stick around to the end of each book. If you have an ebook version of her stories there is ALWAYS a link to bonus content.

The Ever King– Book one of The Ever Seas series. Follows Livia and Erik. Set in the Ever.Book one of two of the only duology in the series.

The Ever Queen– Book two of The Ever Seas series. Set in the Ever. Concludes the story of Erik and Livia.

The remaining books in the series will be connected standalones. They must be read in publication order.

The Mist Thief– Book three of The Ever Seas series. Features Jonas and Skadi. Set primarily in the Eastern Kingdom.

The Stolen Crown– Will release in the fall of 2026. Features Tait and Mira.

The Ever Seas is anticipated to be six books consisting of one duology and four standalone romantasy stories.