A review by beckyyreadss
A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book has been on my TBR for a while, and it was on my wishlist so it was bought for me for my birthday this week. This book was all over the book community when it was released, and I was looking forward to reading it. For a first book, it was a bit weak, and I was wanting more.  

This book is based on Luella, she thought she’d known everything about her life and herself, but it is all a lie. Three thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young moan from Luella’s village to be their Human Queen. To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the local townsfolk. Luella has dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town’s only healer, but now the Elf King unexpectedly arrives for her. Luella is forced to be the new queen to a cold yet blisteringly handsome Elf King. Once there, she learns about a dying world that only she can save. The magical land of Midscape pulls on one corner of her heart, her home and people on another . . . but what will truly break her is a passion she never wanted. 

This book had such potential to be amazing and it just fell flat in some areas. I know that this was the first novel in the series, but that is supposed to get you hooked and keep you hooked. This book had something in it which I'm blaming entirely on wanting to know these brothers more – Eldas, Harrow and the other brother who only appeared to more the story along. The brothers are the reason I read to the end. Harrow was all dark and mysterious and broken which is what we girls love to love. Eldas was a typical broken male who had a heart of gold in the middle. I will admit I was rooting that Lucella would fall in love with Harrow rather than Eldas, but the love story was the main concentration and to save the Lucella from dying. Luke was a complete asshole and I'm glad he wasn’t the focus of this story. 
 
The world building didn’t feel complete, and it could have been done over the 300 pages. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers with the forced marriage aspect, but also felt could have been more. I feel like if there was dual POV, this could have been the thing to solve this. I felt like it went from Eldas treating her as property to loving her within a couple of chapters, what changed? He saw her as more than the human queen, I don’t know.  

I loved the aspect of retelling beauty and the beast, and I will probably read the next one in the series, but I just wanted more from this book.  
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