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sewster314's review against another edition
3.0
This book had potential. Like others have stated, it’s like the MC stayed with Tamlin in some ways (from ACOTAR). I kept expecting the Rhys-like character to turn from bad guy to good guy, and that didn’t happen.
3 stars because it was easy to read and I read it straight through in a day, but it wasn’t a book I super loved.
3 stars because it was easy to read and I read it straight through in a day, but it wasn’t a book I super loved.
betharanova's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5, a balm to my spirit, my long watch for good fae romance is over.
First, our protagonist. Lia is a modern twenty-something whose life was derailed when she injured her baby sister in a car crash. She loves her sister dearly, and guilt triples her desperate protectiveness over May. She's unfamiliar with the Faery realm's rules and unsure who to trust, which makes her inclined to look for her own answers. At heart, she's good; she wants to help the people around her. But she struggles to find the right way to do that, and to choose between them and May with a clean conscience. I enjoy Lia because she's doing her best. She's largely sensible! She has a sense of self preservation and saves her bad decisions for moments of high emotion.
Rivenean, the love interest and titular fae king of Forest, has been haunting Lia's dreams since the crash. In those conversations, he was a confidant, learning more about her and gaining her trust; meeting him in the flesh makes him rather more complicated. He knows far more about her than she does about him, and she doesn't know which of his faces are masks: the Riven she met in her dreams; the cocky, rakish king who made a bargain with her; or the grim commander leading fae forces against the Unseelie. Leaving off my overall opinion of Riven because finding out is quite fun, but know that this is not a villain romance with a true nastyman.
The true nastyman king is present, however. What's a questionable love interest without a worse love interest? That's the fae king of Air, who causes problems on purpose and flirts with Lia and with chaos. I wouldn't dream of spoiling you about what his Deal is; let's just say I want that sequel. He was enjoyable every time.
The dynamics among the characters were equally solid and fun to watch. Lia and Riven knowing each other beforehand, especially in an unequal way, made for an interesting start. It also made the spice start (but not conclude) early, which was a boon to me. Other members of the Forest court got to shine. Everyone had different priorities regarding the stakes of the plot, and it caused friction in ways that made the plot more interesting.
The world did feel fae-like with a helping of elven. The descriptions painted an interesting picture of architecture blending with nature, of definite borders and strange landscapes. I liked the explanation for why Lia was of such interest, and what humans could or couldn't do in Faery. Part of the .5 stars off is that I could have used more description and in-depth explorations of the worldbuilding. It was largely a matter of liking what I saw and wanting more. I could have used more book, to be honest. I hope to be satisfied by further books in the series.
Galen: I love you, man. MVP. Light of this world. I hope you're in every sequel and short story.
First, our protagonist. Lia is a modern twenty-something whose life was derailed when she injured her baby sister in a car crash. She loves her sister dearly, and guilt triples her desperate protectiveness over May. She's unfamiliar with the Faery realm's rules and unsure who to trust, which makes her inclined to look for her own answers. At heart, she's good; she wants to help the people around her. But she struggles to find the right way to do that, and to choose between them and May with a clean conscience. I enjoy Lia because she's doing her best. She's largely sensible! She has a sense of self preservation and saves her bad decisions for moments of high emotion.
Rivenean, the love interest and titular fae king of Forest, has been haunting Lia's dreams since the crash. In those conversations, he was a confidant, learning more about her and gaining her trust; meeting him in the flesh makes him rather more complicated. He knows far more about her than she does about him, and she doesn't know which of his faces are masks: the Riven she met in her dreams; the cocky, rakish king who made a bargain with her; or the grim commander leading fae forces against the Unseelie. Leaving off my overall opinion of Riven because finding out is quite fun, but know that this is not a villain romance with a true nastyman.
The true nastyman king is present, however. What's a questionable love interest without a worse love interest? That's the fae king of Air, who causes problems on purpose and flirts with Lia and with chaos. I wouldn't dream of spoiling you about what his Deal is; let's just say I want that sequel. He was enjoyable every time.
The dynamics among the characters were equally solid and fun to watch. Lia and Riven knowing each other beforehand, especially in an unequal way, made for an interesting start. It also made the spice start (but not conclude) early, which was a boon to me. Other members of the Forest court got to shine. Everyone had different priorities regarding the stakes of the plot, and it caused friction in ways that made the plot more interesting.
The world did feel fae-like with a helping of elven. The descriptions painted an interesting picture of architecture blending with nature, of definite borders and strange landscapes. I liked the explanation for why Lia was of such interest, and what humans could or couldn't do in Faery. Part of the .5 stars off is that I could have used more description and in-depth explorations of the worldbuilding. It was largely a matter of liking what I saw and wanting more. I could have used more book, to be honest. I hope to be satisfied by further books in the series.
Galen: I love you, man. MVP. Light of this world. I hope you're in every sequel and short story.
wondereads13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
The main character of this novel was so absolutely insufferable. Her entire character revolves around constantly beating herself up and blaming herself for everything...and then proceeding to never change anything and do things people actively warn her not to do. It's a bit unfortunate because there was some good romantic chemistry, but every time she and the love interest did anything, it was ruined by her inner monologue harping on about the same things over and over. Despite that, I still might have given this a 5 or so, but the love interest absolutely ruined it. He did something absolutely atrocious, the red flag of all red flags, and the main character forgives him almost instantly. Girl, run!
aliasaurora's review against another edition
2.0
ACOTAR without the charm.
Frustrating to read. FMC is too stupid to live, running right in the thick of danger when specifically asked not to, trusting people who shouldn’t be trusted. The bulk of the MCs falling in love takes place offscreen and is referenced over and over—FMC often mentions “my Riven” vs the mask he wears in front of others—but it would’ve been so much better to put that chemistry on the page… Except that I don’t think the MCs really have that much chemistry, tbh. They spend most of the book barely talking to one another, and MMC is red flag city. Maybe that’s fine because he’s obviously the Tamlin here and we all know how that goes…
Frustrating to read. FMC is too stupid to live, running right in the thick of danger when specifically asked not to, trusting people who shouldn’t be trusted. The bulk of the MCs falling in love takes place offscreen and is referenced over and over—FMC often mentions “my Riven” vs the mask he wears in front of others—but it would’ve been so much better to put that chemistry on the page… Except that I don’t think the MCs really have that much chemistry, tbh. They spend most of the book barely talking to one another, and MMC is red flag city. Maybe that’s fine because he’s obviously the Tamlin here and we all know how that goes…
yayitskristin's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
czelaya's review against another edition
4.0
There was just something about how she would get a little bit happy then force herself into depression about her sister. And idky but the fact that she didn’t know anything about far kinda pissed me off lol.
agiraffereads's review against another edition
5.0
First off I want to thank the wonderful Megan Van Dyke for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I absolutely loved this book, the world building is incredible, I'm so jealous of Lia that she got to be there because it literally sounds like a dream, reclaimed nature that is also a luxury palace and a whole court of nature, sign me up! The world is amazing, I liked that traditional faery things like the hatred and distrust between the seelie and unseelie, and the inability to lie are still used and a web of half truths and secrets are woven in this story. I really liked Lia as a mc, she's imperfect and doubts herself, and that makes her human, she blames herself for all the mistakes that happened in the past and for all the ones along the way, but her character grows. The same with Riven, he's desperate to help his people, has multiple masks he wears just to get through the day and to try to be a good king that his people and allies respect, he's trying, he's imperfect, but learns from his mistakes! I love this, such clear character development. I also loved the side characters, they are loyal and loveable and I hope we get more of their story in the next book. And then I haven't even started talking about the plot itself, lots of twists and unexpected things happen throughout the book, I literally wanted to throw this book across the room at some parts!
If you're thinking of reading this book then please do, you will not be disappointed!
I need more, and I'm super excited that the second book is coming next year!
I absolutely loved this book, the world building is incredible, I'm so jealous of Lia that she got to be there because it literally sounds like a dream, reclaimed nature that is also a luxury palace and a whole court of nature, sign me up! The world is amazing, I liked that traditional faery things like the hatred and distrust between the seelie and unseelie, and the inability to lie are still used and a web of half truths and secrets are woven in this story. I really liked Lia as a mc, she's imperfect and doubts herself, and that makes her human, she blames herself for all the mistakes that happened in the past and for all the ones along the way, but her character grows. The same with Riven, he's desperate to help his people, has multiple masks he wears just to get through the day and to try to be a good king that his people and allies respect, he's trying, he's imperfect, but learns from his mistakes! I love this, such clear character development. I also loved the side characters, they are loyal and loveable and I hope we get more of their story in the next book. And then I haven't even started talking about the plot itself, lots of twists and unexpected things happen throughout the book, I literally wanted to throw this book across the room at some parts!
If you're thinking of reading this book then please do, you will not be disappointed!
I need more, and I'm super excited that the second book is coming next year!
tawnyad2004's review against another edition
3.0
This book is rather hard for me to rate. I just didn’t connect with it. With the characters, the world, all of it. To start the characters were by far the hardest thing for me to like. Riven is as an ass throughout the whole book. With moments of goodness but overall just not the kind of hero I want to read about. His betrayal and deceptions (cause he can’t lie) was disturbing and rather obvious. His mask for the court and other fae isn’t a good one. It’s cocky and condescending and frankly puts the King of the Forest Court in a bad light. Why he would keep up the act is beyond me. Moving onto Lia. I couldn’t stand this character. She was so utterly self-absorbed. Not selfish, I think those are 2 different things. Yes she was doing everything for her sister, her concerns were always for Ma and her dad and step mom but amidst all that concern, worry and thought for others was her constant need to be the center of it or the center of the problem. Always blaming herself always feeling guilty. It’s like nothing important could happen without her poor me, I’m the one to blame, I always mess everything up. Like damn girl take a breathe and maybe instead of concentrating on your guilt REALLY think about your sister and what she needs or what you can do to get her back. Her character was tiering and predictable.
Then there’s this world that was created. Honestly it didn’t draw me in. Didn’t make me want to read more. It was lacking in world building in my opinion. It mentions fae can have different magic and talents. That’s basically what we are give. One guy can turn into a bear. Riven can get claws on his hand. Did it go into other detail about Rivne’s magic or why it was dying to much. No not really. Just eh.
Last thing that bothered me about the book. The ending was so fast and so happy yet unresolved in so many ways. What happened to Siguard (who’s an absolute jerk and I can’t believe she ever listened to anything the slime ball said) after he fled. He was just gone, nothing else. I realize he gets the next book but you’d think something would have been resolved between him and the court he betrayed. Then there Galen, who I liked. WTH: what happens with him? NOTHING! The HEA goes on like what happened with him wasn’t important. He was just left out of it.
Then there’s this world that was created. Honestly it didn’t draw me in. Didn’t make me want to read more. It was lacking in world building in my opinion. It mentions fae can have different magic and talents. That’s basically what we are give. One guy can turn into a bear. Riven can get claws on his hand. Did it go into other detail about Rivne’s magic or why it was dying to much. No not really. Just eh.
Last thing that bothered me about the book. The ending was so fast and so happy yet unresolved in so many ways. What happened to Siguard (who’s an absolute jerk and I can’t believe she ever listened to anything the slime ball said) after he fled. He was just gone, nothing else. I realize he gets the next book but you’d think something would have been resolved between him and the court he betrayed. Then there Galen, who I liked. WTH: what happens with him? NOTHING! The HEA goes on like what happened with him wasn’t important. He was just left out of it.
brons_books's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you so, so much Megan Van Dyke for sending me a copy of A Bargain with the Fae King for review.
Ohhhhhhh I loved this book (unsurprisingly) and I cannot wait for the rest of this series!
Lia ends up in Faery after her sister is kidnapped and she is desperate to get her back. She teams up with Riven, a Fae king, to bring her sister back home. However, as with most faeries, Riven is not just as he seems. She must go through with that bargain to get her sister back.
There are plenty of twists and turns. There is plenty of spice, although perhaps not as intense as her debut novel Second Star to the Left. This book is EVERYTHING I could have asked for, with gorgeous settings, beautiful imagery, lovely side characters and of course, some sauce between Riven and Lia.
This book, as it is a series, is a bit more meandering and could be a bit tighter in places. However, with more novels ahead of us I trust Megan will bring it all together.
I adore this book!
Ohhhhhhh I loved this book (unsurprisingly) and I cannot wait for the rest of this series!
Lia ends up in Faery after her sister is kidnapped and she is desperate to get her back. She teams up with Riven, a Fae king, to bring her sister back home. However, as with most faeries, Riven is not just as he seems. She must go through with that bargain to get her sister back.
There are plenty of twists and turns. There is plenty of spice, although perhaps not as intense as her debut novel Second Star to the Left. This book is EVERYTHING I could have asked for, with gorgeous settings, beautiful imagery, lovely side characters and of course, some sauce between Riven and Lia.
This book, as it is a series, is a bit more meandering and could be a bit tighter in places. However, with more novels ahead of us I trust Megan will bring it all together.
I adore this book!