The Emperor of Evening Stars – Laura Thalassa

This book was…wow. Seeing Des’ life story and how he came to be the infamous Bargainer was incredible to see. I loved seeing all of the events I’ve been wondering about unfold right in front of me, and it was so cool to see how he became who he is today. 

Plot

The first part of this story follows Des and his vow to avenge his mothers’ death. As a poor boy living in a small city, Des was constantly bullied and called a “bastard”, not knowing his father is the Night King that everybody fears. 

He takes decades to get inches closer to the all-powerful King of the Night, not only to avenge his mothers’ death but for all of the horrible things he has done to the royal harem and his kingdom. 

In the second part of the book, Des rules the Night Kingdom and ends up spending quite a bit of time on Earth. A prophetess told him long ago how he would get to the king, and that he has a mortal mate. Des spends centuries searching for his mate, knowing she is mortal and most likely on Earth. 

One day, a girl calls on him “Bargainer, I’d like to make a deal.” and something about this call seems irregular. There blood everywhere when he arrives and as soon as he sees Callypso Lillis, the bond sets in and he knows that it is her. His mate. 

Their complicated relationship grows and grows until Des realizes he can’t be away from her, despite trying to keep his distance because she’s only sixteen. He believes that she has to live her life. Be a teenager, hang out with weird friends. Only he can’t stay away and neither can she. 

On the night of the dance, Des looks at Callie and can’t hold his need in any longer. His wings flare out and they kiss. Only she’s still sixteen and has barely lived. 

“From flame to ashes, dawn to dusk, for the rest of our lives, be mine always, Desmond Flynn.”

For seven years Des is forced to keep his distance as his magic betrays him. Seeing her with Eli, leaving his place in the early hours of the morning, her hair messed up. He’s jealous, and he craves her but he is forced to stay away. 

One day the magic lets up and Des is able to get through. Seven years, he’s waited for this moment, and she’s broken over the fact that he left her. 

Almost a year later, in the present, Callie lies in bed in the Night Kingdom after being torn apart completely in the Flora Queens forest. He fed her lilac wine. He can feel their bond in his heart. Something draws Des away from Callie and to the balcony and he can feel his father out there. The one he “killed” centuries ago. It’s only when he turns around and sees a haunting dark figure, a dark figure that is immune to his magic, that he snaps back into reality. 

And then cries sound out around the palace. The sleeping women have woken up. 

Characters

I want to start with Des’ mother. She didn’t have a huge part to play in this book but I feel like she’s one of the most significant characters. Her death drove Des to murder his father and got him where he is. She saved him from death as a baby, and she was such a strong character that really deserved a lot better. I definitely loved her character and she just seems like such a strong role model for a young Desmond Flynn who doesn’t know anything of the world. She really deserved better. 

Desmond Flynn on the other hand, I have nowhere to begin. He’s such an interesting character and it was so cool to see how the events in his life led him to be the Night King, led him to be with Callie, led him to be the Bargainer. I definitely feel like I know him a lot better and this story kind of changes my perspective and how I saw him before. I feel like his character is a lot deeper than I realized and now when I read about him I’ll know him a lot better which I like a lot. 

Callie is seen from a different point of view in this and I loved seeing Des’s side. He pretty much adores her. All of the little things that people might find weird or quirky about her, Des loves. He constantly tries to make her laugh, or cheer her up, using fireflies to give her a crown or giving a llama owner some money for Callie to pet it. Everything Des does is basically surrounded by Callie and his need to love her and please her and make her happy. It’s just such an innocent but deep connection.

I also loved meeting Malaki properly. He was someone that was introduced in the last book, but I feel like I only knew him as the guy who knows right from wrong, not anything else. But, now that I know him a bit better, I can see why he’s such a good friend. He stuck by Des through everything, literally everything. I always love a good best friend relationship between men, and their connection is so strong and powerful. 

Setting

The same as the last two books, we are put into the magical Kingdom of Night. This time I feel like we see the Otherworld as part of an insider, and he shows us exactly what it’s like to be a Night Kingdom nobody. I feel like the world is less beautiful than when Callie saw it, which kind of makes sense because certain places hold certain memories for Desmond. 

We also see a bit of Earth but that wasn’t described much since it’s pretty much just same old Earth. Regardless, both of the settings were beautifully described and I’d love to visit the Otherworld if it was real to see for myself how beautiful it is. 

Writing

Once again, Laura Thalassa blows me away with her magical writing. The sarcasm kills me, and I feel like every sentence held a deeper meaning. It was so cool to experience the story with her beautiful writing style. 

In Conclusion… 

I loved this book! Des will always hold a place in my heart, and now that I know his story, I feel like I can love him that much more. It’s so cool to see how the Bargainer came to be and how he was thrown into the role of the King of Night. 

Rating: 5/5⭐