Stream of thought post with possible spoilers

I am Theresa Van Spankeren and am the author of the War of Destiny series. This series is considered dark fantasy at the core, with elements of historical fiction or historical fantasy, paranormal fiction, and, of course, vampire romance. This post discusses the series as a whole. Be advised that some spoilers may be mentioned in this post.

 Julia's forbidden romance with Adam in Lost Soul, the first book in the series, explores the class societal taboos in history with a fantasy angle. Her subsequent arranged marriage and the marital abuse she suffers gives a voice to those during a time historically where women had no voice, as well as the domestic abuse that is still prevalent today. Julia also hides what happened to her from her soulmate, and this affects her ability to get close to him in romantic settings. Her secrets jeopardizes the relationship she is trying to build with her soulmate just as much as her trauma does. The first book also explores the role trust plays in romantic relationships, and how her past affects possible relationships.

Most of the War of Destiny books center around Julia as she learns to embrace a destiny that is uniquely hers, even if sometimes she doesn't want it. The fantasy setting gives a way to explore some of these dark themes in the edgier genres of dark fantasy horror, or paranormal fantasy without it being completely in our world. However, the War of Destiny series goes beyond the abuse to explore healing and setbacks after Julia becomes a vampire. The Resistance believes she has the dormant power to overthrow Valentino, the Vampire King, but Julia remains conflicted on if she is strong enough to do so. Adam and Julia are soulmates, but their happy ever after is far from guaranteed in this dark vampire fantasy. Paranormal romance readers who enjoy a good dose of romance without it being the core of all the books would find the series an interesting read. Pursuit into Darkness delves into Julia's complicated relationships with both Adam and Samuel, as well as the hidden mental tolls of what she suffered back in Lost Soul. The Vampire King's first appearance is in this book. Although he prefers to fight using proxies and assassins whenever possible, he decides to evaluate how much of a threat Julia may pose. When he dislikes what he sees, he uses both brute strength and twisted games to bring the Resistance to it's knees, but is it only him that uses such dark mind games to achieve such a result?

The vampire romance takes a more subdued tone in Between Darkness & Light, the 3rd book of the War of Destiny series. Julia is coming to terms with her actions and the consequences of them to her ka-tet and budding romances, even as an old threat in a new form rises to challenge her and the rest of the ka-tet. It explores themes like one's worth, self-harm, love, betrayal, and forgiveness that can be quite dark. It blends with the more paranormal fiction angle with not only vampires, but psychics and ghosts coming to the forefront to star alongside the main vampire characters. Between Darkness & Light and the War of Destiny side story An Ember of Hope gives a historical backdrop with the Medici family in this fantasy series. Both books deal with Matthew's friendship with Julia and how it evolves from Pursuit into Darkness, through his struggles with Julia's actions in An Ember of Hope to a resolution with a rekindling of friendship in Between Darkness & Light.

Fallen Soul introduced the second narrator into the series with the introduction of rogue vampire Lane Marlow. Lane has been hunted by his kind for decades, and his gifts have awakened sooner than usual out of necessity. His story is a dark haunting dive into Ireland and becoming a vampire without realizing it. He had discovered how to feed off other vampires, and will feed from another vampire before a human whenever possible. Lane's story goes hand in hand with Between Darkness & Light as a second narrator to events both seen in the 3rd book, and ones that Julia had no knowledge of. It presents the full story of that fantasy arc and sets up Lane as a character that can appear later in the War of Destiny series.

The latest installment of the main series is War of Destiny 5: Soul Redeemed, which finds Julia facing a reckoning with the Resistance as a whole. She learns more about her early manifesting gifts and tries to demonstrate to the Resistance high-ranking members that it was partially responsible for her betrayal in Pursuit into Darkness. Julia is also befriended by Matthew's friend, Alicia, who has helped her ka-tet a few times before. Alicia. having recently been appointed to the Resistance's Council, carries influence with the Resistance members Julia is trying to convince. She attempts to help Julia untangle the twisted dark emotions that she has been trapped in since her tragic mistake nearly cost her everything. In Soul Redeemed King Valentino does not appear himself, but the Resistance faces off with two of his strongest members, ordered to take advantage of the Resistance's weakness. Julia also confronts regrets and worries about her romance with Adam, and concerns she has about her budding relationship with Samuel. Both she and Samuel reflect on the past and face some uncomfortable truths. However, this allows them to strengthen their bond and the love that blossomed from trust and friendship in Lost Soul.

The 6th main book of the series is being written now, and once again follows Lane as he navigates his return back to Ireland and facing off against the demons of his past. The darker themes this fantasy series is known for will be present in this book. Lane will face new and unexpected challenges that will leave him questioning all he believed in since becoming a vampire. He hasn't forgotten Samuel's words about turning to them for help, but will he be able to reach them before the Vampire's King's minions close in, or before Lane himself finds himself more mired in darkness? It is planned to be the first in the last part of the arc to conclude the main series (2-3 books to go, by my planning!)

Emotionally riveting, complex characters give the War of Destiny series it's lifeblood (no pun intended, well, maybe a little) and their darkness, twisted backgrounds, and questionable decisions make up the backbone of the books. Most of the characters are not ones that easily fit into perfectly good or perfectly bad, but instead runs the gray spectrum between good and evil, darkness & Light. This vampire fantasy romance series also shows that there are always flickers of hope in the darkness.