The Lure of Their Graves, Laura R. Samotin
The Lure of Their Graves, Laura R. Samotin
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The Lure of Their Graves
Book Two of The Cursed Crown series

Author: Laura R. Samotin

Series: The Cursed Crown Duology #2

Narrator: Robin Wilcock, Aaron Willis, Danya Chichagov, Laura R. Samotin

Unabridged: 14 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/03/2025

Synopsis

In the heart-wrenching sequel to The Sins on Their Bones, The Lure of Their Graves forces Dimitri and Vasily to confront old ghosts and a new threat: political enemies-turned-suitors, all coveting Dimitri’s throne and his hand in marriage.

A crown reclaimed. A lover at risk. A kingdom on the edge of ruin.

Dimitri Abramovich may have won back the throne of Novo-Svitsevo, but even after defeating his former husband, the usurper Alexey Balakin, he seems no closer to securing lasting peace for his people. Enemies are closing in on all sides, and pressure is mounting for Dimitri to play the one card he has left in a bid for stability—offering his hand in marriage for a second time.

But Dimitri is still healing from the tragedies of the war, his return to the throne, and Alexey's years of torment. Vasily Sokolov is the only person with whom he feels safe, and giving up the comfort of their budding relationship feels unfathomable, even if it's the only way to sever the alliances being formed among the countries surrounding Novo-Svitsevo. So as Dimitri and Vasily reckon with political treachery, the lasting consequences of Dimitri's resurrection, and the sinister legacy of Alexey’s use of the Holy Science, they must also work to understand what it means to love each other even as they prepare to let each other go—which might prove the most difficult of all.

About The Author

LAURA R. SAMOTIN and her spouse live with two enormously large felines. When she’s not pursuing her academic research on military tactics, power politics, and leadership, she relishes her role as a full-time cat servant.

Reviews

Goodreads review by reverie on April 12, 2025

There was a moment while reading this book when I was so distressed—so unbearably miserable—that I had to put it down for a while, out of fear that if things got any worse, I would vomit. That was a real, genuine fear of mine—and the first time I've ever had that kind of reaction to a book. This is a......more

Goodreads review by Courtney on May 29, 2025

4.5 There are many reasons I love this duology, one of the main ones being that it takes place in a world that's fully Jewish. I also love LGBTQ+ representation. The story is so beautiful, and Dimitri and Vasily have my whole heart. This conclusion was both heartbreaking and stunning, and I couldn't......more

Goodreads review by Allison on March 11, 2025

Review TK!......more

Goodreads review by Emmaline on June 20, 2025

The first book in this duology was one of my favorite books of 2024 and sadly I must say this didn’t hit. Book one had this stunning grim atmosphere and that felt entirely absent in this book. I’m constantly thinking of that scene where Dimitri has the name of god carved into his bone by an angel, i......more

Goodreads review by Magdalena on June 08, 2025

This sequel, OH MY HEART. I didn’t realize how much I missed these characters until I was back with them. No one writes a tragic man quite like Laura Samotin. Once again, she proves her ability to craft psychologically complex characters and deliver an emotional impact that shreds your heart. While t......more

Quotes

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE LURE OF THEIR GRAVES:

"The Lure of Their Graves is a master class in writing the conclusion to a duology. Unique, heart-stopping, and utterly brimming with angst, Laura R. Samotin is the queen of drama and romance. This is a book that kept me up all night reading. Once you start, you will not stop. The Lure of Their Graves is a tale of new love, old flames and the growth of friendship between a group of unlikely allies. Never have I read a duology before where I desperately wanted it to be a ten-book series. If you are going to pick any series up and read it, do yourself a favour and make it this one. One word: unreal." —Ben Alderson, author of A Betrayal of Storms

"With The Lure of Their Graves, Laura Samotin has crafted a sequel that is tense, tender, and utterly immersive, balancing a cast of deeply traumatized but stubbornly resilient characters, a rich fantasy world grounded seamlessly in Jewish mysticism, and a plot that never stops moving — and holds fast to the transformative power of love to persevere against impossible odds." —Shelly Jay Shore, USA Today bestselling author of Rules for Ghosting

"A darkly riveting sequel, The Lure of Their Graves dives even deeper into the true-to-life complexities of religion, politics, and trauma, while still offering the smooth balm of hope, found family, and love. An eternal flame of a book." —Maddie Martinez, author of The Maiden and Her Monster

"Tragic and tender and crackling with magic, The Lure of Their Graves is a stellar conclusion to an exceptional duology. As Dimitri and Vasily are torn between duty and desire, Samotin reminds us that that cruelty has lasting consequences–and that love may be the only thing that can save us. Readers will leave Novo-Svitsevo enchanted." —Allison Epstein, author of Fagin the Thief

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