Author: R.L. Caulder

Series: Defying Fate

First Published: 17 March 2026

“I’ll always find you. There’s nowhere you could be lost to me.”  

I will start by saying that I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. Thank you so much to R.L Caulder & Podium Publishing for sending a copy my way!

In a world in which dreams are guarded and nightmares are unsanctioned, one woman’s unraveling mind may hold the key to everything the empire fears.

Elysia has spent her life thus far beneath the white clouds of the Dromin elves, protected from nightmares and the Nithrin elves that feed on them—until now. Her dreams have begun to twist into haunting scenes of ancient creatures, death . . . and a mysterious figure cloaked in light and shadow. Elysia suspects he’s a Dromin elf breaking multiple laws to appear to her, and his whispered words and lingering touch ignite a spark between them that the gods themselves will soon fear.

When the queen dies and a brutal selection process to replace her begins, Elysia quickly realizes the waking world is fracturing alongside her sleeping one. Women across the empire are offered to the elven high priestess, put forward as potential heads for a crown drenched in blood and lies. Elysia finds herself at the center of the trials, and if she’s to survive them, she’ll have to decide what she’s willing to fight for—and if she can live with the choices she’s forced to make. Because only one will be chosen as queen, but all will be broken in the process.

Elysia eventually ascends into the elven world to find the one who stirred her heart is waiting there, but his true identity is far more dangerous than she ever imagined. Choosing each other will mean forsaking the world they’re trying to save . . .

Where Dreams Fall is a fantastic start to a new series. I can already tell that everything is not exactly what it seems. Elysia is a human caught between the politics of the Elven Kingdom of Dreams and Nightmares. She might need to become the villain to restore the Elven and human lands to order.

The Vothia Empire is ruled by the Elves. The Nithrin elves rule over the west, feeding on the people’s nightmares. The Dromin elves rule the east, feasting on dreams. Elysia has spent her life living under the cover of the Dromin elves, protected from nightmares until now. Her dreams have twisted with images of death and terrifying ancient monsters, but luckily for her, a mysterious elf cloaked in light and shadow saves her, despite the multiple laws he breaks. Elysia’s life is thrown into chaos when the queen dies, setting into motion a brutal selection process. Women across the empire are offered to the Elven high priestess to be tried to see who the new queen will be. But she didn’t know that the path would be drenched in blood and lies. Only one will be chosen, and the rest will be broken. Can Elysia live with the forced choices she made while thrust into Elven court politics? Will she find the mystery elf from her dreams? Will he be her saviour or her undoing?

Where Dreams Fall provides a solid setup for the world and our characters. Elysia has a heart of gold. She’s constantly choosing to do everything within her power to save those around her, though it would be infinitely easier to save herself. This world will try to break her. It will be interesting to see how she rises to meet the challenge. And we have our mysterious elf, Rhune. He’s the unwanted third son. He’s neither a Dromin nor a Nithrin Elf, but a strange mixture of both. Rhune is an outcast. To avoid further alienation, he has spent his entire life concealing his abilities. I am excited to see what pushes him to claim his power and fight his brother, Sorryn’s, tyrannical rule.

Don’t let the gorgeous cover fool you. There are some seriously dark moments here. Especially in Elysia’s travel to the northern point, where a representative for each of the human towns is presented, hoping they will be crowned queen. There is danger everywhere. The girls will stab each other in the back for the chance to bring glory to their people. But that is nothing compared to the brutality of the choosing ceremony. The brutality of this ceremony shows Elysia how the elves see their human bride, not as someone to be cherished but something they are entitled to.

The magic of the Elven lands is beautiful and whimsical, especially the look we get at the gilded Kingdom of Dreams. But looks are deceiving. Behind the glamour and shine of the kingdom, danger lurks. I also love how the elves get their power from humans’ dreams or nightmares. It was an interesting twist on Elven magic.

We get a glimpse at the history of the Elven world and how the Blood War tore the kingdoms apart. Following the war, the Goddess demanded that a human bride be chosen. The bride would need to choose between the King of Dreams and Nightmares, and the bride’s chosen kingdom’s magic will flourish. Given what we learnt in that intense ending, I am sure we are going to learn more about the Blood War and also see that not all is what it seems.

Never fear, my romance lovers, romance hit me with all the feels. The Elysia and Rhune were yo-yoing all over the place. After the horrors she endured to get to the Elven lands, Elysia is thankful to see Rhune. But he’s doing everything he can to keep them apart. Yes, he’s the “unwanted” king, but I wanted to shake him for pushing her away. I was cheering when he finally, FINALLY, gave in, but then it all went to hell with the revelation of Elysia’s fate. Honestly, I have no idea where we are going from here, but this is definitely giving lovers to enemies to lovers. I am here for it!

I have so many questions! I am eagerly waiting for the second book. Poor Elysia and Rhune have a long way to go to restore the balance in this world. And with what we’ve seen here, I can safely say R.L. Caulder will pull no punches, so it’s going to be a painful ride to get there. If you are a romantasy girly, you need to add Where Dreams Fall to your TBR!