nikkisbooknook's review
adventurous
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.5
I've not read a fantasy book in ages. I just felt that sometimes they were all style no substance. Well, this book blew that theory out of the water. Whilst there is world-building and an overarching plot, you're not bogged down in made up languages and you don't have to refer to the world map every 5 minutes to remember where you are!
All your favourite fantasy figures are represented: fae, witches, humans. There are fated mates (of all variants not just MF), magic and quests. it feels a bit like Dungeons and Dragons come to life and I really enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for a hidden identity type trope and this delivered.
Remy, a red witch, is hiding in plain sight amongst Brown witches (Healers), trying to stay under the radar of witch hunters. Enter Hale, of the Eastern Court, who is on a quest for some fabled artifacts, and his posse of Fae warriors. Remy is strong, emotionally and magically. She loves her found family and would do anything for them. Hale and his team interrupt their plan of being incognito though. Hale himself has a compelling backstory and I enjoyed learning more about him during their journey. Hale is equally compelling, and I loved learning more about him and his backstory. Don't be too quick to judge some of the characters - allies may be found in some very overlooked places!
The characters are all fully formed and have distinct personalities. They are not "perfect" and have their flaws. What I loved most about the world was its inclusiveness. It's LGBTQ+ friendly, has all sizes of people represented and love is love, no matter who or what you are. Each area has a distinct feel and the descriptions provided really cement the vision of them in your head.
Whilst there is prejudice between the races represented it doesn't mean that Fae/Witches/Humans can't or don't work together to overturn the High King. They just have their own strengths and weaknesses.
The banter is on point and you know that this team may take the pee out of each other but they are in this together.
Onwards and Upwards to book two!
All your favourite fantasy figures are represented: fae, witches, humans. There are fated mates (of all variants not just MF), magic and quests. it feels a bit like Dungeons and Dragons come to life and I really enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for a hidden identity type trope and this delivered.
Remy, a red witch, is hiding in plain sight amongst Brown witches (Healers), trying to stay under the radar of witch hunters. Enter Hale, of the Eastern Court, who is on a quest for some fabled artifacts, and his posse of Fae warriors. Remy is strong, emotionally and magically. She loves her found family and would do anything for them. Hale and his team interrupt their plan of being incognito though. Hale himself has a compelling backstory and I enjoyed learning more about him during their journey. Hale is equally compelling, and I loved learning more about him and his backstory. Don't be too quick to judge some of the characters - allies may be found in some very overlooked places!
The characters are all fully formed and have distinct personalities. They are not "perfect" and have their flaws. What I loved most about the world was its inclusiveness. It's LGBTQ+ friendly, has all sizes of people represented and love is love, no matter who or what you are. Each area has a distinct feel and the descriptions provided really cement the vision of them in your head.
Whilst there is prejudice between the races represented it doesn't mean that Fae/Witches/Humans can't or don't work together to overturn the High King. They just have their own strengths and weaknesses.
The banter is on point and you know that this team may take the pee out of each other but they are in this together.
Onwards and Upwards to book two!
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Genocide
cassie12_21's review
adventurous
funny
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
4.0
I enjoyed this book, and definitely recommend it to any fae book lovers. I liked that the heir to the south court existed outside of the gender binary. This book is spicy, their are a couple scenes, nothing extravagant though (unfortunately 😭)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Sexual content, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Torture, Confinement, Violence, Alcohol, Child death, Animal death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/injury detail, and War
ka_ke's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a safe fantasy-romance to read. It’s kind of like if Throne of Glass and FBAA had a love child. The cast is diverse and filled with lovable characters. I would have liked to see more banter between Remy and Hale though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Classism, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Injury/injury detail, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Genocide
Minor: War, Vomit, and Trafficking
finnickdeservedbetter's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
3.0
It initially feels like it's setting up to be an enemies to lovers but it was very much an insta-love which I'm not a fan of at all. Their relationship feels a flat and underdeveloped too. Because of that I felt no connection to the love interest. He's just kind of...there. Besides that, all of the plot twists were also very predictable. I guessed most of the big ones in the first few chapters which was kind of disappointing. I like unexpected reveals and nothing was unexpected. Getting a little nitpicky here, I didn't really like the main character that much. I didn't hate her but she felt very judgmental. Not in a "my life's in danger and I need to be wary of everyone way" but more so an "I'm better than everyone" way. It also seemed like she just instantly fell in love and started doing everything for a man. It wasn't the worst book I've ever read by any means but I definitely struggled to get it finished. I was really excited to read this book so I'm kind of bummed that I didn't like it as much as I thought.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Genocide, Confinement, Cursing, Torture, and War
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, and Child death
pengustorm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Witches, fae, love, found family, secrets galore! And so much more! Remy and her found family team up with Hale and his to hunt down two talismans to take on the evil Northern king. They have some fun along the way. But there's danger around every corner. And very little is actually what it seems. This book will repeatedly break your heart. With just enough of the good stuff to keep you going! Truly fantastic and I can't wait to read more about Okrith.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Grief
bottleblondebookworm's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Remy is a red witch in hiding. Hale is a Fae prince. The two team up to track down some lost relics that will help them reclaim the land from the evil Nothern Court King. We have some classics tropes here, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, one bed, but honestly, I’d say enemies to lovers is a stretch, and is it really a one bed trope if he actually sleeps on the couch?! I felt like the romance developed quickly, but it made sense considering other factors that I won’t get into here. I loved the side characters. Specifically, Bri and Carys. Bri is getting her own book, and I’d love to see a story centered on Carys too. There is a lot of action! From the start, it’s a fast paced book with plenty of fighting and fantasy court drama. But the last 70ish pages is where it really picked up! Some may argue that the ending was rushed, but I quite enjoyed how everything came together! I’m looking forward to reading book two, though, if I’m completely honest, I’m not a big fan of the two characters the second book is focused on. But Bri’s book isn’t out yet, so I may as well read it while I wait for that one, right?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, and Death
abhss's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Blood
talislibrary's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
You can feel the love of fantasy as you read this book. It has tropes woven throughout but deals with them in a new way that makes you want to read more. Remy is a red witch, in a world where being a red witch is dangerous. When she is thrown into an adventure she never anticipated, Remy wonders if she could change the world for the better!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Murder, Child death, Death of parent, and Violence
emilypete17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, War, Sexual content, and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Genocide, and Grief
Minor: Cursing and Slavery
delvie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.75
It's fast paced ACOTAR with representation. The only reason I knocked half a star was because the book favors its pace at the loss of the characterization/interactions. If it was drawn out just a bit more (campfire scenes, couple excursions, etc) the book would have been an easy 10/10. As it is, it's already in at least my top 10 for this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Death
Minor: Death of parent and Murder