Smoke and Scar (Shattered Crown)

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A Splintered Kingdom

An ancient grudge has kept humans and the magical races of Arcanis at odds for centuries. The Arcane Crucible, a legendary series of trials that occurs every 25 years, offers a chance for peace.

A Haunted Warrior

Elyria Lightbreaker, once a celebrated fae war hero, is a shadow of her former self. Drowning in grief after losing the man she loved to the previous Crucible, now she must rise to stop his sister from falling to the same fate.

A Vengeful Knight

Hardened by loss and fueled by hate, Cedric Thorne's lifelong goal to conquer the Crucible on humanity's behalf is finally within reach. The only problem? Getting through the trials alive means working with Elyria-the very fae he blames for his parents' deaths.

An Unwinnable Challenge

With alliances fragile as spun glass and betrayal lurking at every turn, Elyria and Cedric must navigate deadly trials that test their strength, spirit, and magic... as well as their increasingly complex feelings for each other.

This is the Arcane Crucible.

Smoke and Scar is the first book in Shattered Crown, an epic romantic fantasy series that follows our heroes Elyria and Cedric through deadly trials, dark magic, and shocking betrayals as they attempt to undo the wrongs of the past and heal their broken land.

This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers story is perfect for fans of epic world-building, a diverse cast of characters, elemental magic, tension, and plentiful banter. This book will appeal to fans of high stakes, character-driven fantasy with a heavy dose of romance, and authors like Carissa Broadbent, Raven Kennedy, Helen Scheuerer, Penn Cole, and Sarah J. Maas.

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Published Mar 11, 2025

496 pages

Average rating: 8.25

16 RATINGS

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Fairies, Fangs, & Filth (Cary)

Sunday brunch book club meeting in the suburbs of Raleigh, NC (Cary/Apex) reading about fairies, fangs, and filth.
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Sassylettucereads
Nov 25, 2025
10/10 stars
Ahhhhhh I another 5 star in my life! I gotta say I was actually shocked a few times which is crazy because I usually can guess the plot twist but I did not see a couple going my way! I absolutely loooove Cedric❤️ such a green flag! Can’t wait till my Libby hold on splintered kingdom is here so I can get started on the next book!
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Rjerald
Aug 31, 2025
9/10 stars
I am utterly obsessed with Smoke and Scar. The characters, the world building, the unexpected twists...I didn't see most of them coming! I am utterly desperate for book two!
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Josie the book goblin
Aug 22, 2025
10/10 stars
Y'all the way I ate this up. I bought this book on a whim because the cover was gorgeous and I saw a review that said it was like LOTR with a shadow mommy and it straight up delivered. You have shadow mommy Elyria and she's a bit emotionally constipated with her magic and Cedric is literally is a damsel in a distress and it was pure magic and perfection. This is filled with some of the best characters main and side. I loved them all. You have puzzles and trails that forced the characters to either grow together or be left behind. Now this one is a sloooooow burn for sure and I lived for those little moments.

One of my favorite things that happens in this book is the way Gretchen wrote the grief and just trying to understand what's happening in your life when you really are fucking clue less. The main example and I'm going to try to explain this without spoilers but the way she wrote the reactions and explained the thoughts of a character literally learning that their entire world was a lie. The reactions and the thoughts literally placed you in their head and I don't often see this in books feel realistic.
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Miffyminty
Apr 11, 2025
10/10 stars
I was hooked from the very first line, which is one of the most memorable book openers I’ve ever read: “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘳𝘰’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.” I love when a book makes me cry, and this one did, several times. I even had to yell about it (at it?) when I finished, and I never do that. This book is such an adventure. It’s exciting and emotional and fun, with great world building, a unique elemental magic system, and lovable (and hateable!) characters. I was invested in the world right away, and I really felt like I knew the characters, even the minor side characters. I couldn’t not get attached to some of them! The way they all interact with each other is so real; the banter, the fighting, the really-trying-not-to-be romance. Our MCs really hate each other at the beginning, but they go through so much together in the Crucible that they can’t help but start to like each other. The burn is sooooo slow but I think it fits the story and our heroes perfectly. I have been telling everyone about this book. I started carrying my Kindle everywhere with me (after having it for over a year) because of this book. I don’t reread books. I’ve only ever wanted to reread three books in my life, and this is one of them. In short, I absolutely loved it, and I can’t wait for book two! If you like fantasy at all, you should definitely pick this up.
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