Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
funny
relaxing
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
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the gifted eARC!
A loose Cinderella retelling with an evil witchy godmother. A dangerous bargain and an obsessed prince. Forbidden love and fae.
Needless to say, I really enjoyed this one! I was feeling a little over fantasy but this one got me back into the genre. It was easy to read but full of intrigue. The only part that I was upset about was the cliffhanger because I wanted more of the story! Raewyn was a great FMC and I am definitely interested to see how this story continues!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Court Bright and Broken by Amy Patrick
Thank you to the author and the publisher for this gifted ARC.
Having been a fan of Amy's prior books, I was super excited about this ARC, and I was not disappointed!
This book has all the elements of an excellent fantasy romance, beginning with an impossible love between Stellon, the upper-class Elven crown prince, and Raewyn, the lower-class human poor girl, who, as different classes of citizens, never really mix socially. Raewyn, as a lower-class citizen, suffers from poverty and is resentful of the Royal family for their excessive tithing requirements. Stellon, the Crown Prince, admits that he doesn’t think about the lower-class humans much at all.
The story begins in the market where Stellon notices a group of rough guys planning to rob Raewyn, and he feels the need to intervene. This scene ends with Stellon getting a beating from the guys, Raewyn saving him, and helping him get home.
As a gift of gratitude, Stellon gives her an invitation to a ball at the palace.
Raewyn has no plans to attend, but when she goes to the Earthmother to ask for pain medicine for her father, the old crone talks Raewyn into attending with the promise of food for her starving family and medicine for her father in exchange for a favor that Raewyn does not know about ahead of time. But because her sisters are starving and her father's health is failing, this seems a powerful motivator for Raewyn, and she takes the bait. The crone magically transforms her to fit in and look more Elvin-like for the ball, complete with a gown, shoes, bag, and carriage.
This whole story turns into a wild ride of new experiences for Raewyn and awakenings for Stellon. Both of them fall for one another before they realize what is happening. Yet, each has secrets that need to be revealed if trust is to be found. This story offers a rich cast of characters and diverse social settings. The ending was left in such a way that I cannot wait for the next book to be released.
Thank you to the author and the publisher for this gifted ARC.
Having been a fan of Amy's prior books, I was super excited about this ARC, and I was not disappointed!
This book has all the elements of an excellent fantasy romance, beginning with an impossible love between Stellon, the upper-class Elven crown prince, and Raewyn, the lower-class human poor girl, who, as different classes of citizens, never really mix socially. Raewyn, as a lower-class citizen, suffers from poverty and is resentful of the Royal family for their excessive tithing requirements. Stellon, the Crown Prince, admits that he doesn’t think about the lower-class humans much at all.
The story begins in the market where Stellon notices a group of rough guys planning to rob Raewyn, and he feels the need to intervene. This scene ends with Stellon getting a beating from the guys, Raewyn saving him, and helping him get home.
As a gift of gratitude, Stellon gives her an invitation to a ball at the palace.
Raewyn has no plans to attend, but when she goes to the Earthmother to ask for pain medicine for her father, the old crone talks Raewyn into attending with the promise of food for her starving family and medicine for her father in exchange for a favor that Raewyn does not know about ahead of time. But because her sisters are starving and her father's health is failing, this seems a powerful motivator for Raewyn, and she takes the bait. The crone magically transforms her to fit in and look more Elvin-like for the ball, complete with a gown, shoes, bag, and carriage.
This whole story turns into a wild ride of new experiences for Raewyn and awakenings for Stellon. Both of them fall for one another before they realize what is happening. Yet, each has secrets that need to be revealed if trust is to be found. This story offers a rich cast of characters and diverse social settings. The ending was left in such a way that I cannot wait for the next book to be released.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the gifted eARC!
3 ⭐️
This was a fun read and a great pallette cleanser! I enjoyed the chatacter Raewyn and the Fae elememt with the twist of Cinderella theme! It is a bit more dark and twisty then Cinderella. I look forward to the next book.
3 ⭐️
This was a fun read and a great pallette cleanser! I enjoyed the chatacter Raewyn and the Fae elememt with the twist of Cinderella theme! It is a bit more dark and twisty then Cinderella. I look forward to the next book.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75 💫
I am nothing if not a person that goes into every book blind and this was mostly this case with this one. I knew it was a romantasy that involved forbidden romance and that is all I needed to know 🫡
The story follows Raewyn, a human, & Stellon, a high elven fae prince. These two are quite literally from two opposite worlds and could NEVER be in cahoots with one another without tragic repercussions.
Let’s say an earthwife and Raewyn walk into a bar and some drinks are had, stories are told and next thing our FMC knows, this pairing may not be as impossible as she thought just as long as she partakes in a little bargain with said earthwife…
Raewyn comes from a family that is not well off living in a village ways away from the palace so she is willing to do just about anything just to ensure her family has the essentials that they need.
Stellon is absolutely immediately smitten with Raewyn and cannot get her out of his mind. This just can’t end well can it?
Tropes you’ll find inside:
• instalove-ish
• forbidden romance
• touch her and die
• cinderella-esque retelling
• closed door-ish, maybe the door is cracked?
Other non-tropes you’ll find inside:
• elven fae
• high fae court
• royal balls
• glamours
• bargains
🧝🏻♀️ I requested this ARC because the cover is stunning AND the short bit of the synopsis I read drew me in “A dangerous bargain. An obsessed prince. A forbidden love that could split the Fae court... and break the world.” I mean cmon? I really enjoyed the story and getting to know these characters but I just wish we got to know them a little better. I feel like these characters could have been a bit deeper than they were. We truly only skimmed the surface of them I feel. I also wish we got a chance to learn more about the magic system in this world because I’m obsessed with it! We always see fae, but not always elven fae (or not specified as elven anyways).
💫 I will say that this book is for my romantasy girlies/besties/friends who prefer romance as a major piece of the story and the overarching story/plot/action what have you as the subplot. We absolutely get some court politics but the novel truly focuses on Raewyn & Stellon’s story.
✨ A Court Bright & Broken comes out 2/14/25!! Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the gifted eARC. I have kept my review 100% honest. #acourtbrightandbroken #thenerdfam !!
I am nothing if not a person that goes into every book blind and this was mostly this case with this one. I knew it was a romantasy that involved forbidden romance and that is all I needed to know 🫡
The story follows Raewyn, a human, & Stellon, a high elven fae prince. These two are quite literally from two opposite worlds and could NEVER be in cahoots with one another without tragic repercussions.
Let’s say an earthwife and Raewyn walk into a bar and some drinks are had, stories are told and next thing our FMC knows, this pairing may not be as impossible as she thought just as long as she partakes in a little bargain with said earthwife…
Raewyn comes from a family that is not well off living in a village ways away from the palace so she is willing to do just about anything just to ensure her family has the essentials that they need.
Stellon is absolutely immediately smitten with Raewyn and cannot get her out of his mind. This just can’t end well can it?
Tropes you’ll find inside:
• instalove-ish
• forbidden romance
• touch her and die
• cinderella-esque retelling
• closed door-ish, maybe the door is cracked?
Other non-tropes you’ll find inside:
• elven fae
• high fae court
• royal balls
• glamours
• bargains
🧝🏻♀️ I requested this ARC because the cover is stunning AND the short bit of the synopsis I read drew me in “A dangerous bargain. An obsessed prince. A forbidden love that could split the Fae court... and break the world.” I mean cmon? I really enjoyed the story and getting to know these characters but I just wish we got to know them a little better. I feel like these characters could have been a bit deeper than they were. We truly only skimmed the surface of them I feel. I also wish we got a chance to learn more about the magic system in this world because I’m obsessed with it! We always see fae, but not always elven fae (or not specified as elven anyways).
💫 I will say that this book is for my romantasy girlies/besties/friends who prefer romance as a major piece of the story and the overarching story/plot/action what have you as the subplot. We absolutely get some court politics but the novel truly focuses on Raewyn & Stellon’s story.
✨ A Court Bright & Broken comes out 2/14/25!! Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the gifted eARC. I have kept my review 100% honest. #acourtbrightandbroken #thenerdfam !!
Great start to a new series! I really enjoyed this fantasy novel features Raewyn and Stellon in a tale of star crossed lovers and a forbidden romance. Then you have the meddling of a witch and an overprotective brother, to bring us a story of romance, sacrifice, and political intrigue. Can't wait to see where it goes next! Some elements are a cross between Cinderella and ACOTAR, which I love!
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you NerdFam for an ARC!
This one was interesting. I haven’t read many fae fantasies, I think between 4-6 series. Most of those were really fast paced or action oriented, this one wasn’t though. It was slow to medium paced and had little to no action. It was super interesting and engaging. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen there was a different little twist. It was an expect the unexpected kind of story. The ending left me reeling for more though. It was kind of a minor cliffhanger but more of I really need to know what happens next.
This story was more character focused than plot but I’m thinking there will definitely be more plot and some good character development in the next book due to the way it ended.
Tropes: Rich x Poor, touch her and die, forbidden romance, obsessed, insta attraction, magical powers, high stakes, court intrigue, he falls first, Cinderella retelling
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
A romantasy for anyone who loves Fae, witches, forbidden love, and… is that a potential love triangle I sense? 👀 A Cinderella-esk retelling with Fae prince brothers, and a human girl that is caught up way in over her head. A quick read, with a good mix of plot and romance. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I like the direction that the story is heading in this first installment of a series.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A romantasy for anyone who loves Fae, witches, forbidden love, and…. Is that a potential love triangle I sense? 👀 A Cinderella-esk retelling with Fae royalty and a human girl caught up way in over her head. A quick read, with a good mix of romance and plot. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I like the direction that the story is going in this first installment of a new series.
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