Review Detail

Quintessential fae romance, complete with forced proximity, unresolved secrets, centuries old fae who act like they’re twenty, and the scent of something distinctly male.

I’ve seen this advertised as an independent series, but I’d highly recommend reading These Hollow Vows first. The whole nature of the world, with humans and fae and realms side by side, isn’t fully explained, and the main plotline is a direct result of that original duology.

Alas, not all is well in the land of the Unseelie. Queen Abriella may have got her happy ending, but her sister Jasalyn remains trapped by memories of what happened before she was rescued from the dungeons. Her only escape is a magical ring which allows her to take vengeance on those who do harm, at a secret cost to herself. A sudden kidnapping derails her vigilantism and sets her on a path to helping old allies defeat dark forces returned from the grave. Common girl Felicity takes the princess’s place until her return, but this simple job uncovers more secrets and heartache than she could ever have known.

I love the new magic introduced in this series. Jas has a magic ring that gives her strong powers of persuasion and a deadly kiss (neat!), and mysterious scars that have begun to appear all over her body (not so neat!). Felicity can turn into anyone if she falls asleep with a lock of their hair, with the useful (and sometimes distressing) bonus of glimpsing that person's memories before she wakes. These abilities are interesting in their originality, and also in how the various drawbacks affect the story.

The writing style remains very similar to the first series, with fast-moving scenes and straight-forward narrative that says exactly what it means. I like when there's more ambiguity, and the author leans more on the reader's inference to convey themes rather than having the characters directly spell them out. In terms of the messages themselves though, I applaud this book for so honestly taking on heavy topics revolving around living with trauma and the complicated process of healing.

Pick this up for romance, revenge, and a rather big cliff hanger.