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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
<i>Blood of my blood
And bone of my bone,
I shall not permit thee
To wander alone.
Give me your heart
And let it be known
That then, now, and after
You are my home</i>
Rating: Loved It, 4.5 Stars, rounded to 5, Updated to a full 5 stars after a few weeks.
A Feather So Black is Lyra Selene's adult debut. It is a retelling/reimagining of the Swan Lake fairy tale, and it is absolutely brimming with fae, magic, sharp edges, and eldritch forest vibes. I had a fantastic time with it, and I am eagerly anticipating the rest of this trilogy!
We follow Fia, the changeling child the fae left behind when they spirited away the High Princess, Eala. Fia has been shaped and trained to be the queen's assassin, a tool that has been honed by the queen and her druid, and she is given the chance to prove her value by breaking the curse on Eala and returning her home. She is also tasked with stealing away the treasure of the Sky Sept holding her hostage, and to return magic to the human realm. She is sent with Prince Rogan, Eala's betrothed and Fia's childhood best friend and first love, but Fia finds herself intrigued by the dark fae prince, Irian who wields the Sky Sword and holds Eala and 12 other girls hostage.
This book is dark and atmospheric. There is a gorgeous and somewhat eerie setting, curses, bargains, stories, tangled family dynamics, and enchanting prose. Overall, it is really Fia's journey of self-discovery. And I really enjoyed following Fia though her story. There is an air of mystery to everything as Fia discovers more about the fae world, the magic, the curse on the princess, and what exactly is at stake. She is willful, a little sharp around the edges, but so very earnest. I would say that she is definitely naive and makes some really terrible decisions, but it makes sense to me why she makes those decisions, so it didn't bother me.
I think that the weakest part is probably character development. I feel like we have a good understanding of Fia and who she is, but Rogan, Irian, and Eala who are probably the most prominent characters aside from her are less well-developed. Ultimately, that didn't bother me too much though. I will say that Corra, a little fae household beastie living in Fia's new home, was probably one of the best parts in terms of characters for me. There is a strong romantic element in this one, and that is a big part of the plot. There is technically a love triangle, but it wasn't an obnoxious one, I don't think. And Irian has major "who did this to you?" energy, but I'm always here for that.
I think that the thing I loved most about this book was the vibes. I would say that this is the closest I have felt to the way I felt while reading The Shepherd King Duology, which was just absolutely the pinnacle for me in terms of vibes. It is dark and eerie, and the botanical magic, and the monstrous Celtic inspired fae and beasties were absolutely on point.
I also think that the writing was beautiful. There were so many lines that I just wanted to sit in and enjoy. And writing is not something that I typically notice.
I think that the main thing that held me back from a full 5 stars was that the ending felt a bit rushed. I feel like we were moving along really well, and then all of a sudden all the things happened without the time to process it. Also, I just had no clue what happened in the very end, even after reading it twice. I didn't fully understand what was being conveyed until I read the sneak peek of the next book, which tells the same events from another perspective. That provided a lot more clarity, and I think without it, I would have been left questioning a lot.
So overall, I had a fantastic time, and I am really looking forward to continuing. Thank you to Orbit Books for an advance readers copy and to Netgalley for an eARC. A Feather So Black is available now.
And bone of my bone,
I shall not permit thee
To wander alone.
Give me your heart
And let it be known
That then, now, and after
You are my home</i>
Rating: Loved It, 4.5 Stars, rounded to 5, Updated to a full 5 stars after a few weeks.
A Feather So Black is Lyra Selene's adult debut. It is a retelling/reimagining of the Swan Lake fairy tale, and it is absolutely brimming with fae, magic, sharp edges, and eldritch forest vibes. I had a fantastic time with it, and I am eagerly anticipating the rest of this trilogy!
We follow Fia, the changeling child the fae left behind when they spirited away the High Princess, Eala. Fia has been shaped and trained to be the queen's assassin, a tool that has been honed by the queen and her druid, and she is given the chance to prove her value by breaking the curse on Eala and returning her home. She is also tasked with stealing away the treasure of the Sky Sept holding her hostage, and to return magic to the human realm. She is sent with Prince Rogan, Eala's betrothed and Fia's childhood best friend and first love, but Fia finds herself intrigued by the dark fae prince, Irian who wields the Sky Sword and holds Eala and 12 other girls hostage.
This book is dark and atmospheric. There is a gorgeous and somewhat eerie setting, curses, bargains, stories, tangled family dynamics, and enchanting prose. Overall, it is really Fia's journey of self-discovery. And I really enjoyed following Fia though her story. There is an air of mystery to everything as Fia discovers more about the fae world, the magic, the curse on the princess, and what exactly is at stake. She is willful, a little sharp around the edges, but so very earnest. I would say that she is definitely naive and makes some really terrible decisions, but it makes sense to me why she makes those decisions, so it didn't bother me.
I think that the weakest part is probably character development. I feel like we have a good understanding of Fia and who she is, but Rogan, Irian, and Eala who are probably the most prominent characters aside from her are less well-developed. Ultimately, that didn't bother me too much though. I will say that Corra, a little fae household beastie living in Fia's new home, was probably one of the best parts in terms of characters for me. There is a strong romantic element in this one, and that is a big part of the plot. There is technically a love triangle, but it wasn't an obnoxious one, I don't think. And Irian has major "who did this to you?" energy, but I'm always here for that.
I think that the thing I loved most about this book was the vibes. I would say that this is the closest I have felt to the way I felt while reading The Shepherd King Duology, which was just absolutely the pinnacle for me in terms of vibes. It is dark and eerie, and the botanical magic, and the monstrous Celtic inspired fae and beasties were absolutely on point.
I also think that the writing was beautiful. There were so many lines that I just wanted to sit in and enjoy. And writing is not something that I typically notice.
I think that the main thing that held me back from a full 5 stars was that the ending felt a bit rushed. I feel like we were moving along really well, and then all of a sudden all the things happened without the time to process it. Also, I just had no clue what happened in the very end, even after reading it twice. I didn't fully understand what was being conveyed until I read the sneak peek of the next book, which tells the same events from another perspective. That provided a lot more clarity, and I think without it, I would have been left questioning a lot.
So overall, I had a fantastic time, and I am really looking forward to continuing. Thank you to Orbit Books for an advance readers copy and to Netgalley for an eARC. A Feather So Black is available now.