Ratings15
Average rating3.7
Prequal to the darkly hypnotic Bargainer series! In the beginning, there was darkness. Before he met Callie, before he became the Bargainer, there was Desmond Flynn, the bastard son of a scribe. A boy born to a weak mother, cursed with little magic, and destined to marry a slave. But fate had something else in mind. Till darkness dies. From the barren caves of Arestys to the palace of Somnia to the streets of earth, this is how Desmond Flynn, a fairy who began with nothing, became the Emperor of Evening Stars.
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3 primary books4 released booksThe Bargainer is a 4-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2016 with contributions by Laura Thalassa.
Reviews with the most likes.
I really enjoyed learning more about the events from the previous books from Des' POV as well as his past that was only offhandedly mentioned to Callie before. Des is a far more interesting character and this shed some light on some of the events that Callie's utter denseness prevented from being known in the previous books. Definitely wait until after you've read the first two books before reading as this goes from centuries before all the way up to the very same final scene of book 2. It seems like it will be a great segue into the next book, once that is released.
How can this retelling of the first book have more plot than the second one?
Loved this book as well. It was so interesting learning about Des and his upbringing, and how he actually had a strong sense of humanity before he started using his dark power and it chipped away a lot. I love how he talks about Callie and genuinely appreciates her for the person she is, not just how she looks or how she's a sensual siren. It's definitely a special kind of relationship where people could see their partners at their worst, love them for all of that regardless, and then learn to love them even more when their best rolls in. The world of the Bargainer that Laura Thalassa has created is amazing and I can't wait to see how the story ends. I'm really happy to have both Callie and Des' perspectives, and I hope the last book is alternating POVs.