House of War and Bone by. Leia Stone | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: House of Ash and Shadow (#1)

Author: Leia Stone

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 9/26/23

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Fae

“And what if I go dark?” I whimpered.
His face sobered. “Then I will jump into the shadows and pull you back to the Light.”

Seventeen-year-old Fallon Bane was born with a a single touch from another person will always cause her excruciating pain. Thus, she has accepted that she will die without ever being kissed, without even hugging her own father.

But when her beloved father falls ill, she breaks into the magical Gilded City to find a healer fae that can save him. When handsome healer Ariyon Madden agrees to help, everything she knows about herself and her curse changes. Because during her father’s healing, Ariyon reaches out and touches her bare skin. She waits for the agony… but it never comes.

For the first time in her life, she imagines a new future for herself. However, that fantasy is short-lived, because not only does Ariyon flee from her in disgust when he learns of her curse; he also reveals her existence to powerful fae who want to hurt her.

Fallon is then swept away to a magical academy, there she learns the terrifying truth about her family history and her dark magic. Her life and the future of fae everywhere hang in the balance, and all the while Fallon is dreaming of being touched by Ariyon Madden one more time before she dies…

Content Warning: violence

I’ve read a few Leia Stone books off and on through the years but I think the last book I read from her made me realize her books aren’t for me anymore. But I wanted to try out this one because I can’t resist the Fae but reading this has reinforced my stance on her books not being for me because I’m not the target audience.

This is a young adult romantasy and I can usually enjoy anything young adult but for some reason this just felt too young for me. It’s perfect for younger readers, but I’m too old for this one – I kept rolling my eyes and Fallon giggling and falling so easily for cute boys. The romance drama is very much something teenagers will love. It’s full of angst and there’s kind of a love triangle with two brothers but kind of not also because only one of them can touch her without activating her curse so we know who she is going to end up with.

Fallon is a cursed girl, who everyone loves but her mother was a dark magic wielder who hurt and killed people and they are afraid Fallon will be the same. But there are people on her side determined not to let her “go dark”. She goes to an academy where she’s supposed to learn about magic and how to control her powers. The story is pretty predictable and I skimmed through the halfway point to the end. My favorite character surprisingly was a bird name Yanric!

My Final Thoughts:

I’m giving it 3 stars because I would have devoured this book in my 20’s. But at my age now I want a little more depth to the characters and story. This one is good for a quick read, and if you are in the mood for some teenage romantasy. But it’s not for me and I won’t be continuing the series.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Dark Bite (Vampire Hunter Society, #1) by. Leia Scott | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Dark Bond by. Leia Stone | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by. Heather Fawcett | Audiobook Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries (#1)

Author: Heather Fawcett

Narrators: Ell Potter, Michael Dodds

Format: audiobook (borrowed)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 1/10/23

Categories: Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Romance, Fae

A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love, in this heartwarming and enchanting fantasy.

Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party–or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones–the most elusive of all faeries–lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all–her own heart.

Content Warning: violence

I finally got to finish this book by listening to it as an audiobook. I actually enjoyed reading it but I felt like it was going slowly and not in a bad way. I think because it’s such a cozy, slow moving story which I don’t usually like and I was getting bored reading, but not bored with the story. I just felt like if someone read it to me, it would hold my attention more and it sure did. The narrators are fantastic in this audiobook and definitely sounds like how I imagined Emily Wilde to sound like.

I found her interactions with Wendell so funny because they are such opposites. She’s driven, stubborn, headstrong and ambitious to complete this Encyclopedia of Fairies and Wendell is not. But Emily gets into some situations that become dangerous and she realizes she needs help.

The romance between Emily and Wendell is a slow burn and I thought it was cute when they both finally acknowledge their feelings for one another.

I do feel like there was more action in the end of the book so I enjoyed the second half much more than the first.

Tropes: slow burn

Why you should read it:

great narration
Emily’s investigations and researching of the Faerie world
Emily and Wendell’s slow burn

Why you might not want to read it:

might be too slow and boring for people not into cozy reads

My Thoughts:

I actually enjoyed this one more as it was read to be through an audiobook. I actually got 20% into the ebook before I put it down because it was too slow, even though I enjoyed Emily and her adventures learning about the fae. I had a feeling it would work out better for me as an audiobook and I was right. The narrators did a fantastic job and I was much more engaged in the story and even finished it. I adored Emily and Wendell together. I’m not sure if I’ll be reading the sequel but if I am in the mood for a cozy read, then I’ll pick it up.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Review: Even The Darkest Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Review: All The Wandering Light (Even The Darkest Stars Book 2) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Court This Cruel and Lovely by. Stacia Clark| Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies #1)

Author: Stacia Stark

Format: ebook (KU)

Pages: 532

Publication Date: 3/24/23

Categories: Romance, Fantasy, Series, Fae, New Adult

For fantasy romance readers who love Raven Kennedy, Amanda Bouchet, and Carissa Broadbent. This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers series will enchant you…

For years, when I fell asleep, I dreamed of a man with blazing green eyes and a cruel smile.

The day I meet him, the ruthless mercenary leaves me for dead.

Just hours after humans are born, the gods take what little power we have. In return, they protect our borders from the vicious, merciless fae.

The humans who manage to keep their power are known as the corrupt.
And they are burned.

When my forbidden power is discovered, I’m forced to flee my tiny village and the life I adore.

To survive, I make a desperate bargain with the mercenary who abandoned me at my weakest.

Our deal is simple: I’ll help him and his mysterious friends sneak into the city. And he’ll help me learn to wield the strange, dark power I’ve always kept hidden. The power that may just be the key to my survival.

But the ruthless mercenary is hiding secrets of his own. Secrets that threaten the safety of everyone I love. Secrets that could tear this kingdom—and perhaps even this world—apart.

Please note: A Court This Cruel and Lovely is an NA/adult romantasy book with steam. While this series is slow burn, the chili pepper rating will increase for each book.

Content Warning: violence

I was looking for a new adult romantic fantasy so read during my trip and I found this one on kindle unlimited. It has all the tropes I enjoy: slow burn, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, court intrigue, a girl training with warriors, Fae, magic and found family.

I liked Prisca and Lorian’s testy relationship. He’s an alpha-male but surprisingly was patient with Prisca because he admired the fight in her. Prisca also has the secret bloodline, which is another trope I enjoy. I found her interactions with Lorian’s men entertaining and endearing as they become a found family for her on their journey. Speaking of family, there are even touching family moments with her own brother.

Yes, the story was predictable also. The twist in the story I guessed early on but I didn’t care, I still enjoyed the story and will read book two!

Tropes: found family, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, slow burn, secret bloodline, court intrigue

Why you should read it:

you love all the typical tropes in a romantasy book

Why you might not want to read it:

not into romantasy

My Thoughts:

As I said above, thought the story is predictable, it was in every way that I enjoyed. It has all the tropes I love in a romantasy and I look forward to continuing the series.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rule of the Aurora King by. Nisha J. Tuli | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Rule of the Aurora King (#2)

Author: Nisha J. Tuli

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 4/6/23

Categories: Romance, Fantasy, Fae, Adult

“I am not his conquest. I am not his to claim. I am my own castle.”

Freed from the golden clutches of the Sun King, Lor now finds herself in the hands of Nadir, the Aurora Prince. Convinced she’s hiding something, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make her talk. But Lor knows the value of secrets—she’s been keeping them her entire life—and she’s not letting hers go without a fight.

When Lor and Nadir team up to search for a lost item that holds the key to her past and her future, she isn’t sure if she can trust him. All she knows is she won’t fall for his promises and make the same mistakes again.

Lor also hasn’t forgotten her vow to destroy the Aurora King. As Atlas hunts her across Ouranos, Lor plots to bring down the Imperial Fae who took everything. But she soon realizes the future of the continent is about so much more than just her shattered legacy.

Content Warning: mentions of sexual assault, violence

In book one, Trial of the Sun Queen – Lor was sent from prison to a competition to be Queen, and it had lots of action and court intrigue. It had all the tropes I enjoyed. But the ending of that book was a cliffhanger and turned the story in another direction – straight towards Nadir, the fae Aurora Prince.

The thing I loved about this book was the tension between Lor and Nadir who hate each other mutually but want each other overwhelmingly and don’t know why. Plus this is a dual POV book so we get both of their thoughts. I loved their bickering because Lor is never one to back down and Nadir can’t help but edging her on. He’s that type of guy who thinks she’s hot when she’s spitting mad at him! So I wanted the steam to burn but every time they got hot, something would dampen the fire (Lor pulling away). The back and forth between them kind of drove me crazy but she had some stuff to work through mentally. Because obviously she wants him badly physically! There were some steamy scenes but these two still don’t have sex in this book, so I’m expecting book three to be filled with some good spicy scenes.

I think because book one was a competition, stakes were higher. In this one, Lor has time to process some of her trauma from the prison. She’s also trying to figure out who to trust. We learn more about the kingdom of Heart and we even get snippets of the past, which I thought would lessen my enjoyment of the story because sometimes time jumps don’t work for me, but this one was interesting since it’s about Lor’s grandmother and what happened to mess everything up in their world. Lor is in search of the Heart Crown in this book and Nadir partners up with her to try and find it because he needs her power to help defeat his evil dad.

I like the themes about family in this story. Lor and her siblings which makes you realize what she’s trying to fight for (I keep forgetting she’s the youngest of the three!). Also I love Nadir and Amya’s sibling relationship also. Put them all together and they are starting to become kind of a family.

Of course the ending is a cliffhanger and now I have to wait patiently for book three!

Tropes: one horse, pretend lover, enemies to lovers, mutual hate/longing, fated mates, possessive male fae, slow burn

Why you should read it:

frustrating, steamy slow burn – so much tension!
it’s got a lot of enjoyable fantasy tropes and the Fae
family bonds

Why you might not want to read it:

maybe wait for the last book so you can binge the whole thing

My Thoughts:

I was not disappointed in this sequel. I was all in for the crazy tension between Lor and Nadir! Those two are off the charts and the slow burn is making me a little bit impatient but at least there were a few spicy scenes to keep me hanging on. Lor is a Queen in the making who won’t back down and Nadir is a Prince who usually gets his way so we shall see what happens to them in the next book!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Trial of the Sun Queen by. Nisha J. Tuli | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ambrosia by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Ambrosia (The Frost and Nectar, #2)

Author: C.N. Crawford

Format: ebook (KU)

Pages: 350

Publication Date: 2/20/23

Categories: Romance, Fantasy, Series, Duology, Faerie, Urban Fantasy

After the Seelie king Torin nearly froze me to death, I plunged through a portal into my true home. Turns out, my hometown is a wild Unseelie kingdom known as the Court of Sorrows. When Torin follows me and sees my new horns, he quickly realizes that his intended bride is an enemy of his realm. In fact, his name for my kind is “demon.”

But even if I have the horns of an Unseelie, I’m not welcome here, either. Queen Mab and her monstrous soldiers are delighted to torment us, accusing me of being a traitor. If we want to get out of the Court of Sorrows with our lives, the only hope we have is to stay as close to each other as possible–even if it means fleeing in horseback and sharing a bed. Every moment is bittersweet, since it could be our last–and Torin is condemned to kill anyone he loves.

Content Warning: violence

This was one of my most anticipated reads for February and I finally got a chance to read it. Here is what I thought:

+ A lot happens in this story because the series is only a duology. Ava has fallen into the world of the Unseelie and she is not herself. She learns more about herself and that she has powers and why.

+ Torin and Ava finally get to have a steamy scene together which is what I’ve been waiting for.

+ There is a lot of action in this one, especially at the end.

~ Unfortunately I was less connected to the characters in this one and I think it’s because everything was so fast paced and it felt rushed. I think the whole series altogether feels rushed.

~ I actually wanted to learn more about the villains but again, everything came so rushed at the end.

~ Shalini, Ava’s best friend, actually gets more of a part in this book but I wasn’t expecting her POV and was thrown off and I didn’t even remember who she was only because the book focuses on Ava and Torin. I’m glad she has a happy ending also but it was unexpected.

Why you should read it:

you read book one
into Faeries
Ava and Torin finally get a steamy scene

Why you might not want to read it:

the whole series feels rushed

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed book one and was interested in seeing where the story would go and even though it was rushed, there were entertaining moments. I think this story had so much potential, I just needed more from it like maybe a third book. Even though I didn’t really love it, I know others will enjoy this book.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon

Frost by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Garden of Serpents by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review ⭐️⭐️💫

Lord of Embers by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials, #1) by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Mini Reviews | Hades Castle Trilogy by. C.N. Crawford ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mini Reviews | Institute of the Shadow Fae Series (Books #1-4) by. C.N. Crawford ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Mini Reviews | Court of the Sea Fae Trilogy by. C.N. Crawford ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thorn Kissed and Silver Chains by. Shannon Mayer and Kelly St. Clare | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Thorn Kissed and Silver Chains (#1)

Author: Shannon Mayer and Kelly St. Clare

Format: ebook (KU)

Pages: 271

Publication Date: 11/28/22

Categories: Romance, Fantasy, Series, Faerie, Reverse Harem

A continuation in the world of Honey and Ice . . .with new characters, new loves, new enemies . . .

Underhill is my ruthless mother. Her realm is my deadly home. The brutal creatures here are both foe and friend.

But the group of fae that just attacked me? They’re all foe. Dragged from my game of hide-and-seek with a dragon, and my home of twenty-one years, I’m thrust into a weak, ugly realm.

Earth.

Something is taking the fae children of the Irish court, and an Oracle has declared I must find them. Nope. Not my problem. Bye. Except a three-year-old girl they suspect is the next Queen of All Fae was taken too. She’s crucial to the success of my mother’s work and the wellbeing of all, including these simpering fae who’ve forgotten who they are.

Now they have my attention.

The child-snatching darkness flickers in and out of sight, spreading in secret, reaching through cracks and fissures to seize and steal the innocent. Yet I earned each breath in my life by understanding that which seeks to kill me. I will learn the ways of this enemy and find its lair, ideally without the Seelie and Unseelie males who only slow me—even if they’re not quite as stupid as most Earth-dwelling fae.

All I’m sure of is that Underhill is testing me. My mother is testing me in her typical, brutal fashion. And I will not fail.

Well, I wasn’t planning on reading this spin-off but I was bored and wanted to make use of my Kindle Unlimited subscription so why not! Plus I did enjoy Honey and Ice series a lot. So here is what I thought:

+ Our main character is nameless until one of her potential love interests names her Silver. She is feral and her mother is Underhill. If you read the Honey and Ice series you would know who/what Underhill is. Anyway, Silver is not anyone to mess with, she is powerful, strong, brave and reckless but it’s fun to see her kicking butt.

+~ There is a reverse harem situation or menage a trois thing going on with Silver, Aaden who is a Seelie Fae and Cormac, who is an Unseelie Fae. Honestly didn’t know this going into the story, because I was definitely rooting for bad boy Cormac but it seems like for now she’s vibing with both guys. Thing is, I’m not the biggest fan of reverse harem but at least there isn’t five guys for her to choose from, two I can deal with. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending of this book yet – but it’s definitely not what I expected.

+ This is a very quick read at under 300 pages long. It’s definitely pure escapism especially if you love the world of Faerie. By the way I loved her bat companion Orry, she’s funny, she’s my favorite character I think.

~ I really need to know what the deal is with the thorns. There are so many questions and no answers yet.

~ Silver is feral and speaks that way. She doesn’t speak in long sentences until later in the book when she all of a sudden does? I kind of felt like that was distracting because then she reverted back to simple speech. That threw me off.

~ If this is a reverse harem/menage give us some steam. This one definitely is only a teaser of things to come. But there was always something stopping these three. Aaden is okay – he doesn’t intrigue me much. Cormac, definitely is the one I wanted her to end up with but I guess the theme of this book is “balance”…so we will see what will happen with this threesome.

Tropes: feral girl, reverse harem

Why you should read it:

you liked the Honey and Ice series
there is a reverse harem romance brewing with a feral girl, alpha male and a sweet male

Why you might not want to read it:

not into any mentioned above

My Thoughts:

I found the start of this series quite entertaining but I’m not sure how I feel about the romance aspect of it yet. I like Silver and her being feral, but it would be nice if she stayed in character especially with her speech. Orry was my favorite part of this book for sure. I’ll definitely give book two a try and see what happens after the cliffhanger ending we got in this book.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A Court of Honey and Ash by. Shannon Mayer and Kelly St. Clare | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A Throne of Feathers and Bone by. Shannon Mayer & Kelly St. Clare | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Crown of Petals and Ice by. Shannon Mayer, Kelly St. Clare | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Stolen Heir by. Holly Black | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Stolen Heir (#1)

Author: Holly Black

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 374

Publication Date: 1/3/23

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Faerie, Series, Young Adult

A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.

Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.

Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.

Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black returns to the opulent world of Elfhame in the first book in a thrilling new duology, following Jude’s brother Oak, and the changeling queen, Suren.

Content Warning: violence, child abuse, parental neglect, foster parents

Holly Black is my Queen of Faerie. She was the author who made me love the Fae and will always be hands down the one who will make me want to live in their world and yet make me feel terrified to do it. Here’s is what I thought about The Stolen Heir:

+ Wren. Suren gutted me. Her story is not easy. A foster child who is then taken away by her “true” parents but then abused at the hands of them. A girl who only wants a family, to be loved, and not to be hurt and yet she’s surviving and scavenging the world alone, hurt, afraid and her story broke my heart. I wanted to help her and keep her safe and I couldn’t ~ Wren made me so emotional. She is raw and real.

+ Oak has turned into a golden boy with a penchant for violence! He is honey-tongued and Wren doesn’t know if she can trust him. I want to trust him but he is Madoc’s son and Jude’s sister. He and Wren are really fascinating characters. He’s that boy you love because he makes everyone feel amazing, he really is like a golden light. Is it weird he has hooves and antlers? Nope! I think it lent to the pure fantasy of this book, that’s what I expect from Holly Black. If she’s taking us to Faerie, taking us to Faerie and all the strange creatures there! Yes.

+ I did not come to this book looking for Jude and Cardan. I was happy with their series and didn’t see a need for them to appear and I’m glad they didn’t because this is Wren’s story. But I love that this love story is going to be all Wren and Oak. Their relationship is wrought with mistrust and who can blame either of them, especially Wren. I found Oak becoming his own man very fascinating with the way he was raised – so to see how he has turned out is really amazing.

+ I read this slowly over a few days because I was savoring it. The way Holly Black tells a story about faerie is beautiful, dark, lush, addictive and exactly the way I like it. I like the betrayals, I like the mistrust, I like the backstabbing and imperfect characters. All of them is flawed – isn’t that why Jude made such a compelling character? Even Madoc who is all about violence – Oak is trying to save him even though his dad is a murderer hundred times over. I like all the morally gray characters. I like that Wren can break curses, but she’s afraid of power. I like that she runs when she’s afraid but helps people who shouldn’t be kept prisoner. I like that she’s learning to realize she can learn to use her power.

Why you should read it:

you love Elfhame and the world Holly Black created
you want to see how Oak is, all grown up
Wren/Suren’s story

Why you might not want to read it:

if you are looking for Jude and Cardan, they are not in this book

My Thoughts:

I didn’t have high expectations going in but I can honestly say if Holly Black is writing something about Faerie, I will love it. I loved it when she first wrote Tithe and she made me aware of this world called Faerie and here I am 20 years later loving her world of Elfhame! I can’t even believe I’ve been reading her books for 20 years. ❤️ I can’t wait for the second book!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Trial of the Sun Queen by. Nisha J. Tuli | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts or Ouranos, #1)

Author: Nisha J. Tuli

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 11/14/22

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Fae, New Adult

The Bachelor meets the Hunger Games. Ten women. A deadly contest. Only one can win the Sun King’s heart.

Lor has endured twelve long years of torment under the Aurora King’s rule. Her only desire is to get free and pay him back for every moment of misery.

When a surprise release finds her in the hands of the Sun King, Lor is thrust into the spotlight when she competes against nine other Tributes for the role of queen. If she wins his heart, she’ll earn her freedom and finally get her revenge.

But Lor doesn’t belong in the Sun Queen Trials. She doesn’t understand why she was freed, and she isn’t a citizen of the Sun King’s court. The other Tributes resent her presence and will stop at nothing to ensure Lor is wiped off the gameboard, permanently.

Now Lor must win, because if she loses, she dies. Or worse, she’ll be sent back into the hands of the Aurora King.

This glittering fae romance is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer Armentrout, and Raven Kennedy. Trial of the Sun Queen is the first book in a trilogy with an eventual happy ever after.

Content Warning: sexual harassment, mentions of sexual assault

I needed something easy and quick to read. I also wanted something with romance and a fantasy so I decided to borrow this one on Kindle Unlimited and this is what I thought:

+ It had everything I was looking for at the moment. I wanted to read a romantasy and it has the Fae. It is similar to a lot of popular romance fantasy books out there – kind of like a mash up – but for the most part it worked for me. It’s got many tried and true tropes!

+ Lor is a prisoner in the Aurora court but she’s hiding a secret, of course. I like that there is more to uncover about her. She’s had to live as a prisoner and do things to survive.

+ One of the tropes in this book is the competition to marry the Sun King. So it’s got some violent trials between fae women and Lor. She’s clearly the underdog, but she’s favored by the Sun King. There is an attraction between them because he’s a gorgeous fae but this seems to be a fated mate kind of story and I think it’s safe to say we know who her fated mate is going to be. I wasn’t into the Sun King, but there is a little spice, just not who I wanted her to get spicy with.

~ Because I know and love all these tropes – the story is predictable but I don’t mind it at all. I still want to read the second book plus it’s an easy, quick read.

~ The story is told between two perspectives, Lor and Nadir. Nadir is the prince of the Aurora Court and a disappointment to his father, the king. But for the first part of the book – his perspective seems a bit out of place. We don’t really get to know him until way later. He’s actually investigating the missing prisoner (Lor) but they only meet at the end of the book.

Tropes: hint at fated mates, secret identity, revenge, competition for a husband, deadly trials

Why you should read it:

full of tropes I enjoy in a romance fantasy
addictive, quick read

Why you might not want to read it:

definitely a series that I think or hope will get even better with the second book – so maybe wait to binge the whole series

My Thoughts:

This was giving everything I wanted minus maybe the romance part – it did have spice, but not a true romance yet. Its hinting two characters are going to be fated mates and I hope we see that all in the sequel. I’ll definitely read the next book because it’s an easy series to get addicted to with all the tropes I was looking for at the moment.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

House of Beating Wings by. Olivia Wildenstein | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: House of Beating Wings (Kingdom of Crows #1)

Author: Olivia Wildenstein

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 490

Publication Date: 9/27/22

Categories: New Adult, Fantasy, Fae, Romantasy, Magic

Free the crows, Fallon, and they will make you queen.

Until an oracle predicted my regal future, I’d never imagined myself rising above the curve of my round ears. After all, I was the magicless halfling loved by beasts but loathed by every pure-blooded faerie at court. Well . . . by all but one.

Dante Regio, prince of Luce, had owned my heart since he gave me my first kiss. If gathering a slew of iron relics could help me overthrow the current monarch and crown his brother to rule at my side, then treasure hunting I’d go.

If only the oracle had warned me what winged demon I was releasing into the world.

And that I’d become this demon’s obsession.

Content Warning:

I was in the mood for a romantasy so I picked this one up on Kindle Unlimited because I was curious about the crow storyline. Here’s what did and didn’t work for me:

+ I wanted a romantasy and I got it for sure. Seems like everyone in this kingdom wants to be with Fallon. There are a few guys she kisses in this book but we will see what happens in book two.

+ Fallon works at a tavern, which is cool that she helps her family out that way. She also has the power to bond with a water serpent animal. Her bond with the serpent is why the King wants her in the first place but apparently Fallon’s fate is tied to something else – waking up crows. I did like the secondary characters, especially Fallon’s best friends, they are fun.

+ The crows are fascinating, they seem to speak to Fallon through her mind. And the leader of the crows, Lore, is intriguing.

~ I think there may be a love triangle brewing? Fallon is in love with Dante, the prince and her old friend, but I do not like him at all. He’s the worst. She also spends some time with Antoni who’s slept with all her friends it seems, but she breaks his heart. And now Lore? Who knows what is going to happen there.

~ I felt like there were two separate stories going on. The first part was purely Fallon and her love-life. The second was her waking up the crows. So to me it felt a bit disjointed.

~ Fallon was not someone I connected with – actually she started to annoy me, maybe because she acted young and naive for her age. It could be because the story is disjointed or the writing isn’t my style?

Tropes: girl with secret powers, love triangle, family with secrets,

Spice Level: 🌶🌶

Why you should read it:

looking for a romantasy read which includes crows
interesting world-building

Why you might not want to read it:

annoying main character

My Thoughts:

My favorite thing about this book is probably Fallon’s best friends who brought humor into the story. I think the world building is interesting and it has so much potential but Fallon was annoying at times and I felt like the crows needed to be introduced a bit earlier into the story. For me the story didn’t flow well and I found myself skipping some parts to the end. I’m not sure if I’ll be reading the second book, if I do it’s mostly to find out all about this crow kingdom.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Edgewood by. Kristen Ciccarelli | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Edgewood

Author: Kristen Ciccarelli

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 3/01/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary Fantasy, Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

No matter how far she runs, the forest of Edgewood always comes for Emeline Lark. The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.

When her grandfather disappears, leaving only a mysterious orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. She enters the forest she has spent years trying to escape, only to have Hawthorne Fell, a handsome and brooding tithe collector, try to dissuade her from searching.

Refusing to be deterred, Emeline finds herself drawn to the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal—her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of this eerie world she’s trapped in, along with the devastating boy who feels so familiar.

With the help of Hawthorne—an enemy turned reluctant ally who she grows closer to each day—Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.

Haunting and romantic, Kristen Ciccarelli’s Edgewood is an exciting novel from a bold, unforgettable voice in fantasy.

Content Warning: Dementia, Alzheimer’s

This was an interesting story and at first I wasn’t sure it was working for me. It’s about a girl who’s a musician but she comes from a place called Edgewood where everyone knows the woods are enchanted – she grew up with stories about the forest, even neighbors had visited the court of the Wood King so this is very much contemporary fantasy.

As a character, Emeline is a musician and independent. She is on her own trying to make a big splash in the music world. She seems to have issues with guys, always having a new boyfriend to push away whatever memories or feelings she feels like she is running from. Her grandfather is her only living family and he has Alzheimer’s. When he is tithed to the Wood King, Emeline goes to rescue him but bargains with the Wood King herself.

My favorite part of this story though was how it unraveled and the romance between her and Hawthorne Fell. It at first starts off as an enemies to lovers romance but then we dig deeper and find out the truth of what happened and it comes full circle. The reveal at the end was magical and unexpected.

World-building wise I thought it was pretty good but lacking on details of the faerie court, which I generally look forward to because I love the Fae. But it’s a standalone book so I can understand why it wasn’t so detailed.

The beginning was slow as we get to know Emeline and her musical ambitions but it definitely picks up when she returns to Edgewood to rescue her grandfather.

Why you should read it:

contemporary fantasy with a forest that takes you into the world of the Wood King
Emeline and Hawthorne’s love story
love how music and memory was entwined with the story

Why you might not want to read it:

slow beginning

My Thoughts:

This story grew on me and I couldn’t put it down even though I was doubting how I felt about it at the start of the book. But by the end I was captured by the romance story of Emeline and Hawthorne and how it was revealed.

📚 ~ Yolanda