A review by constant2m
Realms of Fae and Shadow, by Joanna Reeder, Alison Ingleby, Valia Lind, Clarissa Gosling, Kay L. Moody, Tessonja Odette, Hanna Sandvig, Stacey Trombley
5.0
I don't like fae stories. We can blame Holly Black for that. But then Kay Moody wrote one. And I love Kay Moody's books. So I read it. And I loved it. Then I saw an anthology that included Kay Moody's fae story. So was like, sure, I'll give it a chance. Fast forward an additional seven stories. I love fae stories.
#1 Night Bringer by Stacey Trombley 4 stars
I won't lie; I felt so bad for Caelynn. She loves her homeland, although she is one of the weakest clans of the fae. And when she learns that her parents plan to marry her off to another land, she grows desperate. Unfortunately, she is tricked and trapped and left with no choice for freedom other than killing a fae prince. It doesn't matter that he's evil. He is the brother of the first fae she thinks she might be able to love. And now he will hate her forever. And if she's caught, well, will she have the ability to escape a second time?
#2 Heir of Bitter Thorn by Kay Moody 5 stars
Elora, the oldest daughter of a swordsmith and former tournament champion, longs for adventure. But the best her father can promise her is marriage to a good man who will allow her to continue practicing her sword fighting. So she decides to go on one last adventure on her own, which leads to her meeting a dryad, going to Faerie, poisoning a queen, rescuing a prince, and defeating a troll. At least that's what it will lead to if all goes well. Or is it only just a dream?
#3 Fae Bargains by Clarissa Gosling 5 stars
Evan, Faerie prince and heir of the Moonlight Court, would rather be doing anything than ruling, so when he is caught but a huntsman and given the punishment of guarding the gates between other realms and Faerie, he is actually quite pleased. His mother, however, refuses to let him leave until he accomplishes two small tasks for him - kidnapping two royal fae infants. The things that are set in motion throw Faerie into chaos. Can Evan live with his decision and leave the fates of the Faerie kingdoms to chance? Does he even have a choice anymore?
#4 To Rule a Fae Throne by Tessonja Odette 5 stars
King Aspen has made his share of mistakes, but he doesn't seem to he a villain. Still, between his mother, his brother, and his impending marriage to a human stranger, who knows what it would take to turn him. In a surprising turn of events, Aspens meets a human who disdains him and who fascinates him. Too bad she's not his betrothed. But...why is he even thinking that?
#5 Exiling a Fae Queen by Joanna Reeder 5 stars
This story absolutely blew my mind. Due to a war between the full fae and the star fae (those with both human and fae ancestry), Faerie is currently ruled by the star fae. However, when Aria, one of the crown princesses, makes a startling discovery that the fae are enslaved and mistreated by the star fae, she decides a reformation of the kingdom is long overdue. She allies with Iris, a full fae, Sterling, her childhood best friend, and Tien, Sterling's older brother and one of her father's captains. Now, she just needs to convince her father and her sister to be compassionate and risk everything they believe in or else she must turn against them. The stakes are high. Aria can't trust anyone. But she also needs allies. Who should she trust? And will she be able to repair everything that is destroying Faerie?
#6 Crown of Darkness by Alison Ingleby 5 stars
Crown of Darkness tells the story of how Ciaran, prince of the unseelie court and son of a human mother, chose who he would be. It's in many ways a coming of age story. After the death of his mother, Ciaran spent much of his life in the Deep Earth Court in training to become the next unseelie high king after his father. However, the last thing he remembers his mother saying to him is "Never forget who you are." Does he really want to be the next unseelie high king? Or what his mother wish for him to return to the world of mortals? To further complicate things, there was a prophecy made at Ciaran's birth and war is coming. I'm not usually into stories of courtly intrigue and dark fae, but this one drew me in from the start and made me very excited to see where the story will go.
#7 Marked by Fae by Valia Lind 5 stars
Avery has her entire life planned out. She's at a new school with a prestigious internship, set to land the job of her dreams upon graduation. But then she finds an ancient book and suddenly fae and human alike are hunting her. While the first chapter or two are a bit slow to start and give a lot of background, once the action begins, it's nonstop. And I loved it. Avery is fascinating as is her fae mentor, Hannah. I'm curious what her parents know about this situation and if they'll be able to help her. I also wonder how in the world (and where in the world) she will be able to hide. This is a fantastic prequel to what looks like an original and exciting fairie tale.
#8 The Wolf Gate by Hanna Sandvig 5 stars
After her boyfriend dumped her just before prom, Audrey dated the next boy she saw. That turned out to be a mistake as they had nothing in common and he couldn't even be bothered to show up on time for their dates...sometimes he didn't show up at all. After waiting long enough, Audrey's best friend sends her on an errand to bring cupcakes to her aunt's book club. The aunt gives Audrey a beautiful red cloak to deliver to her friend. And before you know it, Audrey is being chased by wolves. Sound familiar? Audrey made me laugh out loud with her snark and her Star Wars references. I guess that's how it works when you throw a modern teenager into Faerie with no warning. Gavin was mostly charming and delightful except for a few well-placed misunderstandings. The story had plenty of twists to keep you guessing and even the ending doesn't resolve everything, but I think things will be just fine.
Most of these novellas were long enough to consider a full story. Of course, the beautiful cover art didn't hurt either, but all of the prequels in this collection were worth reading, which is not something I generally say about anthologies. Several of the authors have also migrated to my "must follow and read everything they write" list.
I was given a free ARC and have reviewed it willingly.
#1 Night Bringer by Stacey Trombley 4 stars
I won't lie; I felt so bad for Caelynn. She loves her homeland, although she is one of the weakest clans of the fae. And when she learns that her parents plan to marry her off to another land, she grows desperate. Unfortunately, she is tricked and trapped and left with no choice for freedom other than killing a fae prince. It doesn't matter that he's evil. He is the brother of the first fae she thinks she might be able to love. And now he will hate her forever. And if she's caught, well, will she have the ability to escape a second time?
#2 Heir of Bitter Thorn by Kay Moody 5 stars
Elora, the oldest daughter of a swordsmith and former tournament champion, longs for adventure. But the best her father can promise her is marriage to a good man who will allow her to continue practicing her sword fighting. So she decides to go on one last adventure on her own, which leads to her meeting a dryad, going to Faerie, poisoning a queen, rescuing a prince, and defeating a troll. At least that's what it will lead to if all goes well. Or is it only just a dream?
#3 Fae Bargains by Clarissa Gosling 5 stars
Evan, Faerie prince and heir of the Moonlight Court, would rather be doing anything than ruling, so when he is caught but a huntsman and given the punishment of guarding the gates between other realms and Faerie, he is actually quite pleased. His mother, however, refuses to let him leave until he accomplishes two small tasks for him - kidnapping two royal fae infants. The things that are set in motion throw Faerie into chaos. Can Evan live with his decision and leave the fates of the Faerie kingdoms to chance? Does he even have a choice anymore?
#4 To Rule a Fae Throne by Tessonja Odette 5 stars
King Aspen has made his share of mistakes, but he doesn't seem to he a villain. Still, between his mother, his brother, and his impending marriage to a human stranger, who knows what it would take to turn him. In a surprising turn of events, Aspens meets a human who disdains him and who fascinates him. Too bad she's not his betrothed. But...why is he even thinking that?
#5 Exiling a Fae Queen by Joanna Reeder 5 stars
This story absolutely blew my mind. Due to a war between the full fae and the star fae (those with both human and fae ancestry), Faerie is currently ruled by the star fae. However, when Aria, one of the crown princesses, makes a startling discovery that the fae are enslaved and mistreated by the star fae, she decides a reformation of the kingdom is long overdue. She allies with Iris, a full fae, Sterling, her childhood best friend, and Tien, Sterling's older brother and one of her father's captains. Now, she just needs to convince her father and her sister to be compassionate and risk everything they believe in or else she must turn against them. The stakes are high. Aria can't trust anyone. But she also needs allies. Who should she trust? And will she be able to repair everything that is destroying Faerie?
#6 Crown of Darkness by Alison Ingleby 5 stars
Crown of Darkness tells the story of how Ciaran, prince of the unseelie court and son of a human mother, chose who he would be. It's in many ways a coming of age story. After the death of his mother, Ciaran spent much of his life in the Deep Earth Court in training to become the next unseelie high king after his father. However, the last thing he remembers his mother saying to him is "Never forget who you are." Does he really want to be the next unseelie high king? Or what his mother wish for him to return to the world of mortals? To further complicate things, there was a prophecy made at Ciaran's birth and war is coming. I'm not usually into stories of courtly intrigue and dark fae, but this one drew me in from the start and made me very excited to see where the story will go.
#7 Marked by Fae by Valia Lind 5 stars
Avery has her entire life planned out. She's at a new school with a prestigious internship, set to land the job of her dreams upon graduation. But then she finds an ancient book and suddenly fae and human alike are hunting her. While the first chapter or two are a bit slow to start and give a lot of background, once the action begins, it's nonstop. And I loved it. Avery is fascinating as is her fae mentor, Hannah. I'm curious what her parents know about this situation and if they'll be able to help her. I also wonder how in the world (and where in the world) she will be able to hide. This is a fantastic prequel to what looks like an original and exciting fairie tale.
#8 The Wolf Gate by Hanna Sandvig 5 stars
After her boyfriend dumped her just before prom, Audrey dated the next boy she saw. That turned out to be a mistake as they had nothing in common and he couldn't even be bothered to show up on time for their dates...sometimes he didn't show up at all. After waiting long enough, Audrey's best friend sends her on an errand to bring cupcakes to her aunt's book club. The aunt gives Audrey a beautiful red cloak to deliver to her friend. And before you know it, Audrey is being chased by wolves. Sound familiar? Audrey made me laugh out loud with her snark and her Star Wars references. I guess that's how it works when you throw a modern teenager into Faerie with no warning. Gavin was mostly charming and delightful except for a few well-placed misunderstandings. The story had plenty of twists to keep you guessing and even the ending doesn't resolve everything, but I think things will be just fine.
Most of these novellas were long enough to consider a full story. Of course, the beautiful cover art didn't hurt either, but all of the prequels in this collection were worth reading, which is not something I generally say about anthologies. Several of the authors have also migrated to my "must follow and read everything they write" list.
I was given a free ARC and have reviewed it willingly.