Published: 30th April 2019
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: 257
Format: ebook
Genre: Dark romance
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars
After Wolf Manor, Fawn vowed to never be weak, broken, or scared again. She has wrenched her power from the Vultures, visiting them under the cover of darkness to deliver the same drug they’d given her. This version has a different side effect: death.
It doesn’t stop the nightmares, it can’t erase what happened, but revenge is the only distraction from Lyon Estate. Tucked in the wilderness, she draws back into herself until Master Lyon demands they make good on their deal. In order to continue her vengeance, he is to be her Owner—really this time.
While it is a small sacrifice to make, Fawn isn’t prepared to be pulled back into Elliot’s world, where the rules of the Order exist, but in a new way. Running from him sends her into the arms of others in House Chimera. People who should be off limits, but they also stir something within her wholly different than the emotions Master Lyon can conjure. Marius is patient, and she finds herself clinging to him more now than ever before. People like them don’t believe in love, but can they choose it?
Fawn is no longer the prey, but beyond the trees, a lone Wolf is hunting…
I am honoured to be part of Nikki Rae’s blog tour to help celebrate the release of her new book Chrysalis. This is the third book in The Order series and it continues the story of Fawn and Elliot and the secretive underground society in which they’re forced to live in.
I was surprised by this story but not disappointed. After an impressive start the narrative slows down as we see Fawn try and find out where she fits in the new world she has found herself. I felt this was a much slower narrative than the others, not the same slow burn as we’ve seen before, I think I wanted more events to happen rather than such a detailed focus on the emotional side. That might be my own hangover from the end of the second book though.
The blurb says Fawn will never be weak, broken, or scared again, and yet I felt she spent a lot of this story just that. I didn’t quite see the girl who wanted to burn down the establishment. We’d come from Wilt and while there were recoveries and emotional drain and turmoil, I still thought there’d be less vulnerability. I had to keep reminding myself that it was about her mental stability and recovery and the aftershock of everything that has happened. Elliot mentions that he needs to rebuild her after breaking her but I didn’t see her as broken at the end of Wilt, I saw her as her own renewed person. If we’re to look at her as being broken, I suppose that explains why this novel is focused a lot on her personal journey to be “rebuilt” rather than more external story.
That is not to say it wasn’t filled with wonderful things within this focus. There is a seductive exploration of trust and consent which only enforces the foreign, new relationship Fawn and Elliot have. There are more moments of intimacy between the two but there are also a few new moments with characters both new and familiar. The theme that you can love more than one person is evident and there is a focus on sorting through new emotions from Fawn rather than anything entirely explicit.
I think this is where Rae is clever with her titles. It took a moment for it to click but Chrysalis is the perfect name for this book. It’s that in-between stage, that moment of preparation and while I’d have loved to have it go full throttle into action, we needed that time of preparation. Fawn needed that time. I think remembering that is important in understanding this story and the role it plays in the series. Even though I felt conflicted over Fawn’s actions, I still admired her for her strength and her bravery despite her fear. Her own armour she shrouds herself at the beginning is from necessity and even as it breaks away again I saw it reform in a gentler but possibly tougher way.
I was surprised when I learnt there was going to be a fourth book. I’m so used to Rae having a three act story with her series so I am hoping for my explosive conclusion with the next book and I think based on the final quarter that this is possible. After such intimacy and emotion the focus shifts as the rest of the world intrudes once more and wreaks havoc. The illusion is shattered and reality and the past has come back with a vengeance. Rae brings this book to an exciting conclusion and leads us into the the end. Hopefully this includes an ending where we get to see Fawn bring down the establishment and seek the vengeance she deserves.
Overall I enjoyed the exploration of these characters I have gotten to know, but I will admit it felt separate as well. I am looking forward to seeing how Rae is going to conclude this complicated, emotionally charged story. I have complete trust she will do the story and her readers justice.
Be sure to check out Bloom and Wilt to get the full, fascinating story of Fawn and her life because if you like dark romances with some bite, then this will be right up your alley.
You can purchase Chrysalis via the following
Follow the links to find out more about Nikki Rae
Snuggling up for a bedtime story. Kissing a sore knee to make it better. Pushing the swing as high as the sky. 
When she was sold to Master Elliot Lyon of House Chimera, Fawn could have never imagined he was the same person as Elliot, the man beneath a well-placed mask. A victim. Just like her. She would have never thought he was grooming her for the Wolf she’d already escaped once. That he planned to deliver her to the beast’s jaws in exchange for his wife. 
I don’t know if I am ready to see this on the big screen because the book was so wonderful and it crushes your soul. I’ve followed Jennifer Niven get excited over the past months as casting was announced and shooting happened so I am keen to see what comes of it.
This was first announced a very long time ago, then it went quiet, then there were rumours of actors who’d play Artemis, then it disappeared again. Now it’s back and it actually snuck under the radar for quite a while. I am very excited about this story. It is combining the first three books into one which I am actually ok with. I just hope they do the story justice. I need cunning, unapologetic Artemis and anything else won’t be good enough.
There has only ever been one Little Women for me and that is the 1994 movie with Susan Sarandon that I owned on video and rewatched numerous times over the years. I have given the 2017 miniseries a go and while I enjoyed it but it was also a bit forgettable. I am looking forward to the new movie because the cast looks amazing and this is a story I’ve always loved so it will be exciting to see how it is retold.
After That Movie which I will never forgive them for, when I heard there was going to be a miniseries done by the BBC it was as if all my dreams had come true. Miniseries and TV shows generally pan better than a movie because there is time to work through the events in the book and establish things better. Each book will be getting a series and with 8 episodes I think there is a fantastic chance of getting a great exploration of the plot. Now, as long as the ending stays the same and they don’t do whatever it was that they did to that poor movie, then we should be right!
The only version I have ever seen of this is the 1993 film. While I own the book I don’t think I ever finished reading it so I might have to rectify that one day. I love this story a lot and seeing it in a new way sounds exciting. Remakes of classic stories like this I am more open to than remaking movies for no reason. Highly illogical no doubt, but I don’t mind.
I’m adding Looking for Alaska because while there is no air date, it has started shooting and I am so excited for this series that I need to talk about it at every opportunity. I have no idea who any of the people in the cast are, their names and faces mean nothing to me, but I am instantly willing to love them all for helping bring Alaska to life. I am in constant fear it will be terrible, but this is a risk all book lovers face when they make movies of their favourite books. We’ve been teased for over ten years this book will be a movie and now it is a miniseries which is even better. I cannot wait to have my emotions and my soul crushed into a thousand pieces.
