Fae's Prisoner (Crimes of the Fae)

This is the book I didn’t know I needed! Fae’s Prisoner by M. Lynn & Melissa A. Craven is the first book in their spin-off series Crimes of the Fae. Taking place roughly ten years after the events in Queens of the Fae, the authors take us into the prison realm where the fae prince we all hate to love is making amends by helping those who can’t help themselves. Fae’s Prisoner is a dark redemption tale that will leave you begging for more.

Oh Griff, my poor misguided fae! Griffin O’Shea is one of those characters that you love and hate yourself for loving all at the same time. If you haven’t read Queens of the Fae yet, I highly suggest you do because that is where you will get Griff’s backstory. Sent to the prison realm after helping Queen Regan try to take over the Fae kingdoms, Griff accepted his fate without argument. In fact, he was the one to suggest it. His time in Myrkur, the kingdom the Fae have forgotten, has allowed him to evaluate his actions and start over with a new purpose. He’s dedicated his life to protecting the Dark Fae he calls family from their tyrannical king. Yet he still questions himself, what he did, who he hurt, and believes that nothing he has done since then can ever atone for those sins. Truly, he breaks my heart, and at the same time I want to reach through the pages and give him a good smack on the head! Broody male….

The story follows Griff in his new life. We meet several new characters, all of whom I love, though Gulliver is my favorite. I love this little dark fae who absolutely steals the spotlight! But I digress, the plot begins when Griff’s true identity is revealed to the king of Myrkur. The king wants the barrier down, and he plans to use Griff to do it. Blackmailed into helping the king, Griff finds himself back where it all began, facing the demons that have haunted him for the last ten years.

But he isn’t alone. With Griff is Riona, the king’s champion. She’s a rare dark fae, and I’m not really sure how to feel about her. At times, she’s brutal and cunning. At others, she’s kind. This leaves Griff’s head spinning. I’m curious to see where the authors are going to take her character because Riona could be a force of evil or be the ultimate hero.

Overall, I loved Fae’s Prisoner. It was great seeing all the familiar characters and revisiting the world the authors created in the first series. Though I’m definitely seeing it in a different light. Griff was one of my favorite characters already so I was so excited when they announced he was getting his own series. I love seeing the changes in him, and this redemption arc is going to be epic! I highly recommend this one to anyone that enjoys fantasy, especially fae.

After reading Queens of the Fae, I had such mixed feelings about Griffin... but now I love him! This book caught my attention early, and I could not stop reading. For those who've read the other series, it builds off the world we already know and love, but you can read this without the others. (Although, I highly recommend all the books.)

Griffin is such a unique character. It's very much a redemption story, and it's well done so far. I love seeing this new, more mature side of him. We even see him caring for a young boy like a son (not a spoiler, it's shown in the very beginning). I'm also very intrigued by some of the new characters brought into the story.

It's really hard to talk about the book without spoiling things, but just know that it's fantastic and I cannot wait for the next one!