About the Book:

Title: While The Dark Remains 

Author: Joanna Ruth Meyer

Publisher: 47 North

Release Date: August 1, 2025

Pages: 459

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Adult

Synopsis:

In an icebound palace of magic and menace, a young woman plots to outwit a cruel king in a bracing fantasy about love, found family, and immeasurable revenge.

Brynja spent her childhood as a captive performer in Tenebris, the imposing mountain palace of King Kallias. Every night she risked death for the king’s entertainment until his rebellious son, Prince Ballast, helped her escape. Now twenty, Brynja has never forgotten the brutal king. Or forgiven him. Under the cloak of a three-month-long Winter Dark, Brynja is returning to Tenebris for revenge.

Accompanied by a rival court, including the alluring Prince Vil, Brynja poses as diplomatic royalty to barter peace between nations. No one is better equipped to infiltrate the palace than Brynja―she remembers every hidden passage like a bad dream. But her quest to destroy Kallias is complicated by her feelings for Prince Ballast, whom she isn’t sure she can still trust. And Kallias’s own quest to mine a catastrophic weapon of war buried in the mountain’s heart will threaten them all, and force Brynja to face the darkest parts of herself.

The lives of everyone she loves depend on the choices she must make. So, too, does the fate of the world.

Review:

*I received an arc from the author and publisher for review. Thank you for the opportunity! All thoughts are my own*

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I adore Joanna Ruth Meyer and have been a fan since her debut Beneath the Haunting Sea. Where the Dark Remains is her adult fantasy debut, and it was fantastic! It’s a bit of a departure from her previous works, but no less mesmerizing. There’s amazing world building, political intrigue and beloved characters.

Brynja has spent most of her childhood as a captive performer in the collection of the evil King Kallias. Every night she risked death for the King’s entertainment, until his rebellious son, Prince Ballast, aided in her escape. Now at twenty years old, Brynja has never forgotten or forgiven the cruel King. Under the cover of a three-month long winter dark, Brynja is returning to the palace for revenge.

Brynja, accompanied by a rival court, including Prince Vil, poses as royalty to barter peace. She is the best choice for infiltrating the castle as she knows every nook and cranny and every hidden passage. Her quest for revenge becomes complicated by her feelings for Prince Ballast, whom she doesn’t know if she can trust. King Kallias is also searching for a weapon of war that could destroy them all. Bryna must face the darkest parts of herself as her choices will impact those she loves and the world itself.

There is a lot of beauty in this story, but there is a lot of pain and suffering as well. I felt SO many emotions reading this one, and that is one of the things that I loved most about it. I actually was screaming in the last third of the book and almost threw it across the room. It was THAT good!

Highly recommend! I can’t wait for book two!

About the Author:

Joanna Ruth Meyer is the author of five YA fantasies, including the critically acclaimed ECHO NORTH. She lives in Mesa, AZ, with her husband, son, two orange cats, and a giant grand piano named Prince Imrahil. She loves forests and rainstorms and stories that make her feel things, and in all likelihood, she’s drinking tea right now.