Can I say that this book is extremely "her" - JVKE coded? My heart is still reeling at the happily ever after Bjorn finally was blessed with 🥹🩷 Even if it's only the quiet before an inevitable storm, Bjorn & Astrid will certainly make the most of it in this life they built.

I am forever in awe of this world building of Trollveggen and the expansion of the universe!! I absolutely loved the journey to a new land of trolls, and while I hadn't expected the switch of Bjorn having a priestess troll mother, it opened a new pathway to explore different tribes! Ugh, The Kingdom Below series have me in such a chokehold 😩

Astrid has come a long way in finding herself and reestablishing where she stood in life. Like Maia, they both held this initial expectation of who they should be from their kingdom that beat their ideals into them. Even with Astrid bearing such untouched magic, she was made to be docile and to use it for the whims of the men she served. It felt AMAZING to see her come into fruition with it and to grow her voice.

Bjorn...Bjorn, my beloved. No words can ever be enough to describe how I felt reading his journey unfold. I knew his story would hurt, but I was not prepared for the many ways it did hurt me. From the beginning, he was left hopeless in a situation where death was the only mercy to his pain and his berserker. He felt every part of him was a mistake etched into this world, a man who would die a monster all alone 🥺 Astrid truly became his light, his gate to freedom, and then that trial put him to the test. Afterall, how do you live after 10 years of relying only on survival instincts?

His pain was real and it was raw in every awful way. His struggles to pick up life even though the labyrinth followed him and the complex emotions he felt knowing life had continued without him carved at my heart so deeply. Even all the way back as a child, all he craved for was peace and happiness. He hadn't asked for this weight of expectation of the Destroyers before him, and yet, he still carried it endlessly until he found his reason to live. To continue his life. To heal. To love. To be free.

Bjorn & Astrid's love hold dear to my heart. Two unlikely pairs who amplified the best in each other and could see one another for what they were. I would have loved for more yearning, but at this point, I'm just increidbly happy they found each other. I want them forever peaceful on that hilltop in their quaint cabin, with Astrid's new garden and Bjorn's promised pigs. I can only ever wish they have a long life to look forward to and only happiness is in their sights.

There will be some time before Rose & Gunnar's story, but it is always bittersweet to leave each pair's story to an end. Just like with Maia & Ragnar, it hurts me to know Bjorn & Astrid's story has come to a close. Gosh, it was just as lovely as the first book with me loving Bjorn the most. I'm biased, he reminds me strongly of my love 🩷 I can't wait for what The Kingdom Below has in store next.