Why Eclipsed Empire Is the Fantasy Book You Need Now
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From the moment I turned the last page of Crescent Kingdom, I knew Eclipsed Empire by author Tessa Hale would wreck me, and I was right. Set in the haunting, magic-soaked world of Crescent Creek, this second book in the Wolves of Crescent Creek series isn’t just a follow-up. It’s a slow-burn romance full of tension, betrayal, and longing that lingers long after the final page.
Whether you read it in print or listen to the audio (which is narrated by Shane East and Teddy Hamilton!!!), Tessa Hale’s writing wraps around you like a storm you don’t want to escape. Her books always hit, but this one? It tears into your life in quiet, devastating ways. If you’re looking for your next addictive fantasy romance, this is the moment. Let it take you. Let it ruin you.
Title: Eclipsed Empire (The Wolves of Crescent Creek, 2)
Author: Tessa Hale
Publisher: Independently Published
Format: eARC
Genre: Why Choose, Paranormal Romance, Wolf Shifters, Romance
Release Date: July 16, 2025
Pages: 246
Star Rating: 5 stars!!! This series has me in a chokehold!
Spice Rating: 2 chili peppers
I’m Obsessed With This Devastating Fantasy Sequel
I have been waiting for Eclipsed Empire since the moment I finished reading the ARC of Crescent Kingdom. In preparation for receiving the ARC of Book Two, I spent the weekend rereading the entire Dragons of Ember Hollow series (If you haven’t read my review, you should) and Crescent Kingdom. And all I can say is WOW!
Eclipsed Empire was sweet torture. The kind that puts you in a daze long after reading the last page. Wailing WHY?! Like a ghost roaming the long-dead halls. Shuffling your feet as if you’re on a vacation with grippy socks. I thought, sat, and pondered. Questioning my feelings and debating whether I should reread it immediately. The answer is YES, yes, I should. And I will when it gets closer to book three (who am I kidding? I will be rereading Eclipsed Empire for the foreseeable future.)
Tessa Hale has easily become an auto-buy author for me. One, I would immediately add the book to my cart or click ‘Buy Now,’ like I’m playing a video game, to ensure I secure her books. All of her books (and although I haven’t gotten to her entire backlog) are five stars for me. I always want to flip back to page one the minute I finish the last sentence. Rereading passages that replay over and over in my mind like a movie.
“Let me take care of you,” I gritted out. “I need it.”
Eclipsed Empire is book two in the Wolves of Crescent Creek trilogy, so I won’t tell you too much (you should read my full review of Crescent Kingdom, though), but here’s what I will say. While at times Tessa’s writing doesn’t feel like the best (characters say things like ‘get dead’), it has a way of immersing you into the pull of the words. And Eclipsed Empire is no different. I was halfway through before I remembered, “Oh yeah, I should be taking notes.” And even then, I was so lost in the words that the two sentences I did write found no other friends on the page.
When starting this installment, we land right where Crescent Kingdom has left off. It felt like a natural extension of that book. And while I felt the sting of having to wait to read Eclipsed Empire, you shouldn’t because it releases on July 16th (so now is the perfect time to start the trilogy).
And let me say — it only gets better from there.
This book is a masterclass in character tension. Kingston had me clutching my chest, and Ender — his arc gutted me in the softest, slowest way. We’re not just watching him grow. We’re watching him break open. After the ending of Crescent Kingdom, the men start their well-needed BEGGING to Wren. And she deserves every second of it. The romance is quieter here, but it simmers. Every stolen glance, every almost confession — it lingers. You see the depths of despair within their hearts bruised, and I felt every blow like it was mine.
“Let me make you mine. Let me be wholly yours.”
Plot-wise, this book felt like walking a tightrope, one thread of tension unraveling at a time, taut with possibility and regret. While another winds tighter, pulling you closer to the danger that awaits Wren. Every scene is deliberate, charged with decisions that can’t be undone. You feel it building, not in loud explosions, but in the quiet shifting of loyalty, the slow burn of secrets turning into a wildfire. I kept waiting for the ground to steady, and it never did, in the best way. There’s one moment, about three-quarters in, when everything clicks, not gently, but like a blade sliding home. And suddenly, you’re not just turning pages. You’re bracing for impact.
It’s a character-driven story cloaked in plot, emotions shaping every twist and every reveal. You’re not just watching the consequences. You feel them landing.
“I see you, Little Warrior.”
The pacing is intentional. Measured. It gives the characters room to breathe, to fall apart, and to make terrible yet beautiful choices. There were moments I flew through chapters, unable to stop, and others where I lingered, rereading the same passage twice just to let the grief, the love, and the longing settle in my bones.
That tension? It holds. It hurts. And it works.
Your chest burns with it.
Tears spill quietly.
Your breath comes in short sips.
As for the world, Crescent Creek feels bigger here. Not wider, deeper. It’s magic hums just beneath the surface, quiet and watchful. You catch glimpses of new corners and unfamiliar shadows, but it’s the atmosphere that steals you.
Moody forests.
Stolen nights.
Rooms thick with silence and truths unspoken. Everything feels cloaked in shadow and memory. The danger you know is lurking, circling closer.
It’s haunting in a way that makes you lean in, even when you know it’ll burn.
“That’s a good girl. So obedient.”
Eclipsed Empire didn’t just wreck me, it rewired me. It’s the kind of book that leaves you pacing your room, replaying scenes like memories you lived through. The kind that steals sleep, breath, and sense.
It builds on everything Crescent Kingdom started, but deeper, darker, and achingly more personal. This isn’t just a sequel. It’s a reckoning. A quiet devastation dressed as a love story. And when I tell you I’ll be rereading it until Book Three releases, I mean it.
So, if you haven’t started this series yet, consider this your sign:
- Add Crescent Kingdom to your cart (on Tessa’s website).
- Hit check out.
- Let it consume you.
Go. Read. Obsess.
Start with Crescent Kingdom right now because Eclipsed Empire arrives soon, and when it hits, it hits hard.
Tessa, if you’re reading this, I would like to kindly throw myself at your feet and ask why you did this to me.
Respectfully. And also, not-so-respectfully. I want answers. The brainworms demand book three. There is no peace—only wolves and longing.
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