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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
read_game_stitch's review
5.0
The Prince of Prohibition is the first book in the Fae of the Roaring Age trilogy. The series is set in 1920s New York and is described as ACOTAR meets The Great Gatsby with Fae, flappers, speakeasies and magic. The story follows Adeline, who is cursed with visions of dark creatures around her farm in rural Georgia, and every month she has dreams of The Devil. When Adeline moves from Georgia to New York, she soon meets the millionaire bootlegger and gangster Jack Warren. But Jack looks suspiciously like someone she's been seeing in her dreams for a very long time.
The setting for this romantasy Fae tale is what really sets it apart. It is such a unique setting for a Fae romantasy and I found it fascinating. I'd say that the prohibition era setting was particularly explored in the first half of this book, and then it takes a bit of a back seat as it gets into the Fae-heavy plot in the second half of the book. When it starts delving into that, I was so invested. And the reveals at the end of the book are so good! There's hints throughout that not all is being explained, which is intriguing rather than irritating, and it definitely pays off at the end of the book. I won't say anything specific because I don't want to spoil anything at all, but I imagine that much more of the lore and Fae world will be explored in the next two books based on the ending.
The book is also longer than I expected, at around 550 pages but this really worked for me because it wasn't rushed at all. The story was well set up in Georgia, giving us a good look at Adeline's sheltered and odd life before she moves to New York where the plot really gets going. There's plenty of time spent developing the relationships between Adeline and Jack and between Adeline and Jack's friends. If it had been a shorter book, you wouldn't have the time for this detail, and it would have relied more on the bond between Adeline and Jacks. Instead, you get to see them get to know each other.
I don't like characters that I call 'wet noodle protagonists', which is essentially when the female main character has no backbone and is weak willed. Based on her sheltered life, there was definitely potential for Adeline to go this way for me. However, she actually felt like a real person with genuine issues, coping mechanisms and reactions based on her early life and the effect of being made to feel like she was either seeing the Devil or going mad. I should mention as part of this area of review that Adeline does use coping mechanisms such as food restriction and mutism as a child and as an adult, so these could be classed as trigger warnings. Jack and her new friends challenge her regarding her behaviours and coping mechanisms as well, rather than just facilitating it or acting like it's not a problem. In this first book she already starts to feel more comfortable with herself and with support and encouragement, she develops more agency. With two further books in the series to go I think this will only continue.
Books 1 and 2 are currently available on Kindle Unlimited, and Book 3 hasn't been released yet. If you like Fae romantasy and fancy a unique setting, I'd definitely recommend this series. Plus the story is genuinely interesting and the reveals at the end of this book are strong and definitely left me wanting to get straight into the second book.
The setting for this romantasy Fae tale is what really sets it apart. It is such a unique setting for a Fae romantasy and I found it fascinating. I'd say that the prohibition era setting was particularly explored in the first half of this book, and then it takes a bit of a back seat as it gets into the Fae-heavy plot in the second half of the book. When it starts delving into that, I was so invested. And the reveals at the end of the book are so good! There's hints throughout that not all is being explained, which is intriguing rather than irritating, and it definitely pays off at the end of the book. I won't say anything specific because I don't want to spoil anything at all, but I imagine that much more of the lore and Fae world will be explored in the next two books based on the ending.
The book is also longer than I expected, at around 550 pages but this really worked for me because it wasn't rushed at all. The story was well set up in Georgia, giving us a good look at Adeline's sheltered and odd life before she moves to New York where the plot really gets going. There's plenty of time spent developing the relationships between Adeline and Jack and between Adeline and Jack's friends. If it had been a shorter book, you wouldn't have the time for this detail, and it would have relied more on the bond between Adeline and Jacks. Instead, you get to see them get to know each other.
I don't like characters that I call 'wet noodle protagonists', which is essentially when the female main character has no backbone and is weak willed. Based on her sheltered life, there was definitely potential for Adeline to go this way for me. However, she actually felt like a real person with genuine issues, coping mechanisms and reactions based on her early life and the effect of being made to feel like she was either seeing the Devil or going mad. I should mention as part of this area of review that Adeline does use coping mechanisms such as food restriction and mutism as a child and as an adult, so these could be classed as trigger warnings. Jack and her new friends challenge her regarding her behaviours and coping mechanisms as well, rather than just facilitating it or acting like it's not a problem. In this first book she already starts to feel more comfortable with herself and with support and encouragement, she develops more agency. With two further books in the series to go I think this will only continue.
Books 1 and 2 are currently available on Kindle Unlimited, and Book 3 hasn't been released yet. If you like Fae romantasy and fancy a unique setting, I'd definitely recommend this series. Plus the story is genuinely interesting and the reveals at the end of this book are strong and definitely left me wanting to get straight into the second book.
books_and_daydreaming's review
3.0
The Prince of Prohibition is a fantasy debut from Marilyn Marks and the first book in her Fae of the Roaring Age series. The was a good first book to introduce the series and there were many elements I did enjoy. However, I, unfortunately, didn’t love it as much as I hoped to.
“I’m glad it was you,” I whispered.
He nodded. “If you want, it can always be.”
The beginning of the story was well executed and I was very intrigued by the plot and Adeline’s character. However, I struggled with the middle of this book. Felt myself disconnecting from the characters and not as engaged as I was with the first (and last) few chapters.
The enemies to lovers and dark fantasy aspects felt a bit lacking for me. But, I did really like this take on fated mates, and the found family trope was very well done. The Band of Banished dynamic was a lot of fun, especially in the second half.
A highlight in this book was the faerie lore - very Folk of the Air-esque. Another highlight was the 1920’s setting. It was a fresh take on Fae fantasy and such a great choice of era for this story.
The last 20% or so really had me hooked with its twists and revelations and has made me excited to see where book 2 will take us.
Character-wise, I enjoyed reading Adeline’s character development. After spending her life being sheltered and isolated, Adeline grew to a fierce and formidable woman, and her character arc in book 2 is something I’m looking forward too. I liked Jack’s character too and I’d be interested in seeing his POV in future books. Lillian was such a standout character for me and I loved spending time with her.
Overall, The Prince of Prohibition was a good introductory book, with good writing, interesting characters and an intriguing plot.
Read if you like:
✨Roaring Twenties
✨Fated Mates
✨Found Family
✨Faerie Lore
*ARC received in exchange for an honest review
“I’m glad it was you,” I whispered.
He nodded. “If you want, it can always be.”
The beginning of the story was well executed and I was very intrigued by the plot and Adeline’s character. However, I struggled with the middle of this book. Felt myself disconnecting from the characters and not as engaged as I was with the first (and last) few chapters.
The enemies to lovers and dark fantasy aspects felt a bit lacking for me. But, I did really like this take on fated mates, and the found family trope was very well done. The Band of Banished dynamic was a lot of fun, especially in the second half.
A highlight in this book was the faerie lore - very Folk of the Air-esque. Another highlight was the 1920’s setting. It was a fresh take on Fae fantasy and such a great choice of era for this story.
The last 20% or so really had me hooked with its twists and revelations and has made me excited to see where book 2 will take us.
Character-wise, I enjoyed reading Adeline’s character development. After spending her life being sheltered and isolated, Adeline grew to a fierce and formidable woman, and her character arc in book 2 is something I’m looking forward too. I liked Jack’s character too and I’d be interested in seeing his POV in future books. Lillian was such a standout character for me and I loved spending time with her.
Overall, The Prince of Prohibition was a good introductory book, with good writing, interesting characters and an intriguing plot.
Read if you like:
✨Roaring Twenties
✨Fated Mates
✨Found Family
✨Faerie Lore
*ARC received in exchange for an honest review
tisidezzi's review
5.0
This book was cool! It has fae, magic, Prohibition, cool characters, anti-magic templars, jazz, and all around just an awesome concept that kept me entranced! Genuinely enjoyed this read!
st_ve's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
jennygirlreads79's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated
4.5
libraryofaryn's review
5.0
As soon as I saw the description for this book I knew I had to read it (ACOTAR + Great Gatsby, what could be better?). The story immediately sucked me in and it's been all I've been able to think about since I started reading it.
The story is crafted in a way that weaves together fae folklore with the Roaring Twenties and touches on pertinent issues of the time (I especially enjoyed the added detail of absinthe being fae wine).
Addie starts off as a sheltered young woman, and by the end of the book she has found her voice and is really coming into her own power. It took a bit for her to work past the harmful ways she was raised, but it's definitely worth sticking through her journey and seeing her flourish.
Jack gives me major Tommy Shelby/Peaky Blinders energy which I absolutely love, and all of female character interactions in the book are immaculate (we all need a Violet in out lives to give us some tough love).
This book ends on a cliffhanger, making me want the next book available even sooner! I can't wait to see what happens with Addie and Jack next.
The story is crafted in a way that weaves together fae folklore with the Roaring Twenties and touches on pertinent issues of the time (I especially enjoyed the added detail of absinthe being fae wine).
Addie starts off as a sheltered young woman, and by the end of the book she has found her voice and is really coming into her own power. It took a bit for her to work past the harmful ways she was raised, but it's definitely worth sticking through her journey and seeing her flourish.
Jack gives me major Tommy Shelby/Peaky Blinders energy which I absolutely love, and all of female character interactions in the book are immaculate (we all need a Violet in out lives to give us some tough love).
This book ends on a cliffhanger, making me want the next book available even sooner! I can't wait to see what happens with Addie and Jack next.
evethegremlin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
clingingontobooks's review
3.0
Why there were faeries in 1920s NYC was actually really well explained. That was my biggest hesitation with this book. I really liked how the book started in a farm town in Georgia so you got to see the less common faeires too.
The overarching plot was very cool and pretty unique because you really don't find stories where faeires are living with humans in modern day. The start was intriguing and the ending was so good! But almost nothing happened in the middle, it was pretty painful. The summary compares the book to ACOTAR. But this is the most like ACOTAR book I've read. The MMC appearance wise is very similar to Rhys except for the eyes. His friends are the IC with some of their roles swapped around. Honestly the FMC's brother was the character I found most interesting even though none of the characters like him. I don't think he has an ACOTAR equivalent, it probably helped that he felt like an original character. There were a lot of scenes where I could draw a parallel to ACOTAR. The plot was very different from ACOTAR so these scenes detracted rather than added to the story. The weakest part was the characters. There was so much telling about them rather than showing.
I'll most likely continue this series because I want to see the plot and characters developed further and hopefully the next books won't use ACOTAR as a crutch.
The overarching plot was very cool and pretty unique because you really don't find stories where faeires are living with humans in modern day. The start was intriguing and the ending was so good! But almost nothing happened in the middle, it was pretty painful. The summary compares the book to ACOTAR. But this is the most like ACOTAR book I've read. The MMC appearance wise is very similar to Rhys except for the eyes. His friends are the IC with some of their roles swapped around. Honestly the FMC's brother was the character I found most interesting even though none of the characters like him. I don't think he has an ACOTAR equivalent, it probably helped that he felt like an original character. There were a lot of scenes where I could draw a parallel to ACOTAR. The plot was very different from ACOTAR so these scenes detracted rather than added to the story. The weakest part was the characters. There was so much telling about them rather than showing.
I'll most likely continue this series because I want to see the plot and characters developed further and hopefully the next books won't use ACOTAR as a crutch.