Reviews with content warning for Animal death - The Fae Keeper

Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

The Fae Keeper by H.E. Edgmon

10 reviews

saracat's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. More so in that it made me feel so many things I’m not sure what emotions really were the most prominent.

Some things that Edgmon did differently in this book from the first I liked. Others I’m not sure if I like simply because it broke pattern. Which is just a personal preference.

I really liked how certain things finally clicked into place as more was learned. But I also wish that at least a few small things had answers to them before the close.

While the fates and decisions of some characters made sense, there were one or two that still felt out of sync with everything else.

All this being said. I am still so glad I listened to this audiobook and finished the duology. But, there are a lot of heavy, heavy things that happen in this book. I would say this is definitely heavier then the first. So please practice self care and awareness when reading.

Content Warnings

teddie_valetine98's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

olivialandryxo's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The best sequel—and conclusion—that H.E. Edgmon possibly could’ve given us.

While the whole book was entertaining, the second half was especially thrilling, with many a revelation and plot twist keeping me on my toes. I love that the final showdown included a handful of chapters narrated by various side characters, thus giving us more insight into all that occurred. It really rounded things out, allowing for more detail without risk of the conflict being stretched on for too long. And the ending itself was lovely, so hopeful and honestly just perfect. ❤️

(My potential new ship—Briar/[A Newly Single Side Character]—might not have sailed, and I can see why, but I feel like it could still happen at some point in the future… Here’s to hoping.)

Also, I just want to say that I listened to this duology on audio, and I’m convinced I enjoyed the story more for it. Dani Martineck is a seriously talented narrator, and they did an incredible job with these books. While Wyatt’s chaotic gay inner monologue is hilarious in every format, this one absolutely takes the cake. I’ve never reached the end of an audiobook and wanted more, from it specifically, until now. If I reread, I’m coming back to the audiobooks; if you can get your hands on them, I highly recommend doing so; and if Dani has done any other books, I’m about to go look for them.

Representation:

gay trans (FTM) protagonist
Black queer demisexual love interest
fat indigenous biromantic asexual side character
nonbinary lesbian side character (they/them)
various queer side characters & side characters of color (includes a Black character that uses a wheelchair)
achillean couple (m/m)
MMF side throuple
minor sapphic side couple (f/f)

Content Warnings

stardustandrockets's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Content Warnings

karcitis's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

broccoli_j's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

„I have already faced myself and it turned out: I‘m not my worst enemy, I‘m yours!“

This book is equal parts fantasy and queer liberation. It’s about a young trans men who finds love, friends and home. Both with the people who loved him from the beginning and with those who had to learn to love him. Not because he was trans, but because relationships need care and growth to work. This is a coming of age story of multiple teens from different minorities.
They are finding and defending their homes, curing their religious trauma and learn to set boundaries.

This story is so relatable to the everyday life of queer teens and young adults, based about the feelings, everyday life and relationship of the characters.

I cannot recommend it enough!!!

Content Warnings

just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Reading (well, listening to) The Witch King last year was an experience of magic and anger and queerness and social justice that just really hit the spot. So, I was excited to get to this second book in this series pretty soon after it came out.

Just a few weeks after the dramatic ending of book one, in which Wyatt brought Emyr back to life and Derek and Clarke Pierce tried to take over, things haven't really calmed down at all in Asalin. Wyatt, Emyr, Jin, Tessa and Briar are all working in their own ways to make this country of theirs (or not theirs, in Briar's case) better. They have closed the door to Faery, are hunting down Derek and Clarke, have abolished the corrupt Guard and are trying to get other Fae kingdoms to follow their lead in revamping the way fae magic is used in order to save the literal land they live in. But there is no rest, or time for reflection and emotional assessment, for this group, as a secret from Faery about the witches real role in society is unearthed, and the split in Fae society over it threatens an inter-kingdom war. Plus, the amount of relationship turmoil amongst the group is intense, and will eventually need the space to be sorted out or it's all going to come to an emotional interpersonal head.

This sequel absolutely lives up to the first! It was actually kind of an exhausting read, with its breakneck pacing and intense emotional reckonings (there are a number of content warnings, with violence and sexual manipulation/trauma big among them - they are listed out in detail in a forward from the authat as well), but in the [good] entertaining reader way. There was so much action in almost every chapter, I could barely catch a breath between dramatic reveals, battles, high stakes decisions, and more. And when there was any kind of downtime from that, the characters used it to start to converse through past (and ongoing) traumas and try to figure out what their relationships with each other are in light of everything that has happened or been disclosed. On that note, I really liked the way Wyatt and Emyr are given page-time to figure out what they mean to each other, the place they hold in each other's lives, separarte of external expectations and on their own terms. (The ending, in relation to this, was perfectly written to close the story and allow for furthering of this emotional path in a believable way.) And, in one of the major exploratory moments on this theme, I loved the conversation about being someone's mirror vs being their mate, the concept of decentering procreation and biological compatibility in partnership in favor of making each other better. It just really rang true, on a profound level, for me. And again, Wyatt and Briar's platonic/friendship love was beautiful, in both its highs and lows, in how they are choosing each other, even past a time of needing each other and the unique challenges and strengths that leads to. Just generally, with all the relationships on page, the way that Edgmon highlights, over and over, that a family can look like whatever you want it to, is so heart-filling.

There were so many other things I loved as well, so here I go trying to list them all out. The narration. The audiobook narrator was the same as the first (Dani Martineck) and they crushed it. There was also a super cool effect to Vorgaine's voice, when they had on-page dialogue, that was super fun and added a great dimension to the audio. The magic itself remains awesome, the witches and the fae are generally two magical groups I favor in fantasy and I enjoy having them both centered here. Plus, the addition of background on changelings and the unveiling of the origins of witch magic and the truth of Faery were great in an epic-fantasy-aspect. And I appreciate still, very much, that the primary conflicts are between fae and witches, and that all the gorgeous queerness of our characters is accepted at face-value, just a part of them the way their wings, height, etc. are. This series is amazing for showing us how things could be in real life if we would just...accept who people are.

I forgot how much I was into some of the small details, like the colored energy auras and Wyatt's daily tarot card pull (I mean, I've always had a soft spot for tarot cards too), and in that case, the way it was integrated even further into his personal and magical growth was awesome. Speaking of Wyatt's growth, while his anger is still front and center, it is a bit more honed here, focusing the "burn down the establishment" vibes (and at least a little less on his own friends/allies) in a more purposeful and productive way. I assume this is at least in part related to the supportive family/friends situation he has now, as well as the work of self-discovery/confidence that he's been doing. Past that, the social justice messages remain a sledgehammer. They're spot on (like the entire illustration of how supremacy of one group hurts everyone by putting arbitrary limits on the majority in order to keep a small few in power - oooof), and important, but deeply un-subtle. Whereas the emotional introspection pieces are much more nuanced, with very insightful points about boundaries, and how sacrifice and martyrdom are neither healthy nor romantic, even when for "the greater good."

What a metaphor this whole novel/series is. The explorations of power and empowerment are deeply delved into, in a very affecting way. The relationships, of so many different kinds, are all so authentic in their love and their flaws. The plot itself was fantastic, fast-moving and compelling, with lots of larger messages and emotional moments mixed with straight up action, and the wrap-up was very fitting. Overall, I was just super entertained and fired up the whole time I was reading.

“Maybe it’d be nice to have skin that didn't feel marked by the things the world has done to me.”

“Becoming a better person is so draining. I've made one single mature decision and I feel like I need a nap.”

"You fight like hell for each other, in whatever world you're in. You fight for a better future. And you use your privilege when you can. That's all you can do."

"There is a difference between equality and justice. [...] Majority rule might sound fair, but it still isn't the right choice when the majority decides to hurt people."

“I can scorch the whole world, but that won’t save the people I love.”

“But anger as deep as mine can never go away. Not really. Not entirely. It just waits to be needed. Forcing myself to be smaller than I am and calling it self-growth isn't the grand solution to my problems I've been acting like it is.”

"Because if we're going to commit to tearing down the systems that hurt innocent people, we can't keep using them to hurt the ones who deserve it, either. [...] Sometimes justice is complicated like that."

"Guilt is such a useless emotion. I can't do anything good with it. Anger gets shit done. Grief helps move me from one place to the other. Envy shows me what I want. But guilt? It's just there, hanging out in my body, making me feel like shit, with nothing to show for it."

"...they're all just afraid. Because they see something different from themselves, and they're terrified of what that thing is going to do to them. They think, because their inclination is to hurt anything they don't understand, everyone else's instinct is the same. They think they'll get knocked down the hierarchy, because they can't understand the concept of a world where hierarchy doesn't exist. [...] They can't separate the the ideas of ---- equality and ----supremacy, because they can't imagine a world where someone doesn't rule - and someone else isn't ruled. And because of that, they treat us the way they do. [...] And they did that. They created their own worst fear."

“If I learned anything about religion in the human world, it's that a lot of people love the shield of a god more than they'll ever love the god themself."

Content Warnings

queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

5 ⭐ CW: (provided by author) violence, murder, descriptions of blood and gore, body horror, panic attacks, dissociation, discussions of infanticide, cannibalism mention, off page rape, child sexual abuse mention, animal death, gender dysphoria, discussions of homophobia/transphobia, discussions of racism

The Fae Keeper by H.E. Edgmon is book two in The Witch King series. This book was just as good as the first one! For a book that covers a lot of intense and serious themes, Edgmon has done an excellent job of not making the story too heavy.

We pick up with Wyatt where the last book left off. Emyr has abolished and dismantled the Guard, and is now trying to navigate how to get more equality for the witches among the Fae. Our gang learns pretty quickly that systematic oppression doesn't just go away over night, nor does the generations of learned bigotry go away so easily. Wyatt and Emyr try to get the other Fae kingdoms to follow their lead and abolish their own Guard and implement equality for Witches.

Wyatt gets some much needed character growth this book. As much as I love that angsty little goblin, he tends to be a self centered, sarcastic asshole. He and Briar get into it, and he gets a reality check. Wyatt also finally gets a handle on his powers, but I do wish we had spent more time on that. I felt like he figured it out too quickly without trying too hard. I love the revelations the inhabitants of Faery bring! Turns out the witches aren't an accident of nature (just like queer people aren't an accident), but instead were created to compliment and balance out the Fae magic. Fae magic takes away, while Witch magic brings it back.

Edgmon has created a dynamic world with amazing and diverse characters, and tackles some difficult topics with grace and enough dry humor and sarcasm to make the story feel lighter. I don't think this series is getting another book, but I would love one just about Faery. Just read this queer, angsty book.

Content Warnings

sliceofsav's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

perpetualpages's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

CWs: murder and violence; some gore and body horror; on-page descriptions of panic attacks and dissociation; graphic discussions of infanticide and cannibalism; off-page instances of rape and assault; discussions of childhood sexual abuse; some animal death; explorations of dysphoria, racism, and transphobia; and some fade-to-black sexual content

Content Warnings

More...