Reviews

The Faceless Woman by Emma Hamm

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nakareads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny fast-paced

4.5

Almost a 5 star. It kept me engaged all the way through. But the ending was a little confusing/okay for me.

_barb's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed reading this book so much more than Heart of the Fae and Veins of Magic by the same author.
The story begins with a fairy tale that beautifully foreshadows the plot and the ending of this fantasy novel. The story is very well structured and written, the character dynamics were fantastic and really engaging to read.
I especially enjoyed Lorcan, who was not present throughout majority of the book but brought so much fun banter to the table.
If you're looking for some fae aesthetic, enemies to lovers trope with a tiny speck of horror, I would say that this is the book to pick up.

rose0305's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

in_which_she_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

mwhitney's review against another edition

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5.0

First of all, I want to say Thank You to Emma Hamm for an opportunity to read an ARC for this.

It's been a very long time, over 15 years since I've come across another author who can capture this kind of heartbreakingly beautiful, otherworldly magic in words. I'm so glad for this tale, and series and especially this author for bringing these to life. It's everything I wanted and more.
I have a soft spot for Irish folklore and mythology (ever since I picked up a copy of Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier). This rings so close to that vein of story telling, it crafts these wonderful characters and weaves absolute spell that stays with you long after you've finished reading. It really feels like a miracle to read something that made me feel like that again.

I felt so much for Aisling- this strong, fiery woman who would not let even fate temper her, and for Bran. Our Unseelie Prince, who just wants to find his own way around what other's expect him to do and be. Both are anchored by their pasts, by family, by curses, and see each other for exactly as they are, and what they could be together if they just let down the walls they've carefully built around themselves.

The ending sucked the air out of the room. I can't say much more or I'll ruin the surprise. I had tears running down my face for that last chapter. Urgh, it was so beautifully crafted. I never saw any of that coming. I cannot wait to see how their tale will play out. I surely hope there will be more on these two. I feel so full of hope for them.
(I hardly ever gush about a book, but this one deserves all the gushing!)

Thank you Emma, so much for this incredible world!

see_sadie_read's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5, round up

I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I love that almost every time I thought it was going to fall into some PNR trope it subverted it. Here's an example (I'm paraphrasing), during the only (mild) sex scene Bran trotted out the common "say 'no' now, I won't stop after this." I hate when heroes do this and you hear it all the time in PNR, like the hero he isn't saying "I'll just go ahead and rape you if you try and stop me past this point" and the reader is supposed to feel it's something else, romantic even. I groaned when he said it and then cheered when her response was, "I don't want you to stop, but if you think I couldn't stop you if I wanted to, you don't know me well."

That's Aisling in a nutshell, never afraid to call someone out, never making herself smaller, never dulling her shine for someone else, but also never falling into harridan or shrew. I so much appreciated that both she and Bran were as honest with each other as they could be, never faulted the other for what was out of their control, and Hamm never took the easy 'misunderstanding' or 'angry over secrets' plotting path.

I look forward to reading more of this series, maybe going back and starting at the beginning. And if I can get the audio, even better, because Siobhan Waring did a marvelous job.