Under the Iron Sky by A.T. Emerald
Author : A.T. Emerald
Book : Under the Iron Sky
/ Fantasy , Romantasy/
Publication date : October 8, 2026
Blurb:
A fallen empire. A warrior determined to protect her people. And the masked soldier who captures her behind enemy lines. The first novel in a dark, seductive, and all-consuming trilogy where hope is fickle but the fight is never over.
Vordell was beautiful once. Its people lived in harmony, and their civilization flourished as they learned to harness and control the power of Light.
Then the darkness came.
The Iron Sky unfolded dark clouds across the land, thick enough to choke out the light of the suns. The ground cracked, releasing vicious creatures that looked like humanity’s oldest fears. The Dar’rak—an enemy long believed to be buried and forgotten—returned to claim the world above.
Soraya Tollmere has spent most of her life on the front lines of the brutal war that followed. Now a high-ranking commander, she knows loss better than anyone.
By day, she leads troops across ruined landscapes and guides covert teams through enemy territory. By night, she meets with a Dar’rak defector who has kept humanity alive with his steady stream of secrets.
On a mission to investigate his latest lead—one that could turn the tide of the war—Soraya is captured by The Demon, the Dar’rak’s most feared soldier, his true identity unknown.
His orders are break the human commander, uncover where the humans are keeping a weapon that could win them the war, and bring it to the Dar’rak. But as he gets to know the fierce warrior, the lines between interrogator and enemy, prisoner and ally, begin to blur.
As devastating truths surface and loyalties shatter, Soraya must decide who to trust in a world where light is dying—and where her greatest enemy may be her only salvation.
My thoughts:
I am absolutely OBSESSED!!!
It's one of those titles that you throw at someone and say, "That book ruined me emotionally! You HAVE to read it! " 😂😂😂😂😍😍😍😍
First, I loved how suffocating and gritty the world is, with that heavy vibe that makes you feel like you're always short of breath and the walls are closing in around you.
And the heaviest part is that you briefly get to see the BEFORE picture of their wonderful world, which makes living in the aftermath of the war between humans and Dar'rak even more claustrophobic.
Just brilliant worldbuilding, adding even more to the already heavy emotional charge.
Perfectly paced, with action moments that are as intense as a nuclear reactor, especially those between Soraya Tollmere and the Demon 😈🖤.
And here comes the best part: this book is one of the best true enemies-to-lovers stories I've read in a long time, and I mean it! No insta-attraction or insta-lust, which are so common; they go at each other with everything they've got, no holds barred!
The trauma they both carry is like a living thing inside them, guiding their actions on opposite sides of the war, and yet... they're so much alike, with the same goal in the end: protecting the ones they love and keeping them alive through this war.
I loved Soraya's character because her anger wasn't petulant, but you can see the hurt and the events that led her to who she is today and why she acts like this.
You can't help but connect with her and go through the emotional rollercoaster alongside her.
With all the revelations and events that unfolded at the end, I'm craving book two like a junkie 😂😈
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