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A review by agrippinaes
A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova
3.0
Rating: 3 stars
What I Liked: I enjoyed reading this. I liked the concept of it and how the plot played out, and the worldbuilding had some good, interesting ideas to it.
I really liked the main character, Luella. I liked her determination and her bravery, and how she took the situation she was in and made the best of it. I also liked how she stood up for herself, no matter what or who was threatening her. I warmed up to Eldas as the novel went on and grew to quite like him by the end. As a couple, I liked their dynamic, for the most part, and I thought they had some sweet scenes together.
What I Didn’t: Whilst there was some lovely writing in this - particularly the descriptions - there were some parts that felt a bit clunky or stilted and some usages of modernisms that I found jarring. I’m not opposed to authors using modern terminology or phrasing in fantasy books like this but it did take me out of the story a little bit sometimes.
I also thought it lagged a little bit around the middle - it just felt a bit slow.
Overall: I enjoyed a lot of this and thought it was an enjoyable fantasy romance with some nice worldbuilding. The central romance wasn’t my favourite, but there were some lovely and sweet moments between Luella and Eldas that I quite liked. I just wish that the middle part of the story had been a bit faster-paced, because I really enjoyed the beginning and the final denouement.
Would I Recommend It?: Yes, if you want an arranged marriage, forced proximity fantasy romance with some intrigue.
Would I Read Something By The Author Again?: Yes.
Content Notes:
Other: On page sex (not very explicitno graphic descriptions of sex acts - it’s quite vague ), virgin heroine.
What I Liked: I enjoyed reading this. I liked the concept of it and how the plot played out, and the worldbuilding had some good, interesting ideas to it.
I really liked the main character, Luella. I liked her determination and her bravery, and how she took the situation she was in and made the best of it. I also liked how she stood up for herself, no matter what or who was threatening her. I warmed up to Eldas as the novel went on and grew to quite like him by the end. As a couple, I liked their dynamic, for the most part, and I thought they had some sweet scenes together.
What I Didn’t: Whilst there was some lovely writing in this - particularly the descriptions - there were some parts that felt a bit clunky or stilted and some usages of modernisms that I found jarring. I’m not opposed to authors using modern terminology or phrasing in fantasy books like this but it did take me out of the story a little bit sometimes.
I also thought it lagged a little bit around the middle - it just felt a bit slow.
Overall: I enjoyed a lot of this and thought it was an enjoyable fantasy romance with some nice worldbuilding. The central romance wasn’t my favourite, but there were some lovely and sweet moments between Luella and Eldas that I quite liked. I just wish that the middle part of the story had been a bit faster-paced, because I really enjoyed the beginning and the final denouement.
Would I Recommend It?: Yes, if you want an arranged marriage, forced proximity fantasy romance with some intrigue.
Would I Read Something By The Author Again?: Yes.
Content Notes:
Spoiler
Warnings: Intimidation / harassment / bullying, vomit, scenes of illness, mild violence, magic used to control / coerce.Other: On page sex (not very explicit