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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Oh goodness, this book. I loved it. The world Emberly created, I knew it was gonna be wonderful. It is everything I love. The characters were all drastic, the world was unique. I love the hints of Camelot and being an Author retelling was perfect. I could not help but feel so much for Veyka, everything she went through and the reason why she is a bundle of secrets. Slowly finding herself and her voice with the assistance of Arran. I loved how they both clearly wanted to trust each other at the beginning but clearly was blinded by the hate. Their slow burning and the claiming when they keep thinking mine. *chefs kiss* I am super excited to be starting book 2 soon as I need more. Also, clearly Cheese the cat approved of the cover as she had to make an appearance as I wanted to get a pretty shot of it. Thank you so much for allowing me to read!
“Because some part of me knew him, called for him—even when I hated him with every fiber of my being.”
This book was so good! Very well written. Intense. Captivating. Thrilling. The storyline keeps your attention and at the edge of your seat. The romance was spicy. I wouldn’t classify as enemies, more like strongly dislike to lovers. Ends on a cliffhanger! Really enjoyed it! Cant wait for the second book!
This book was so good! Very well written. Intense. Captivating. Thrilling. The storyline keeps your attention and at the edge of your seat. The romance was spicy. I wouldn’t classify as enemies, more like strongly dislike to lovers. Ends on a cliffhanger! Really enjoyed it! Cant wait for the second book!
Thank you to Emberly Ash and NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for a review!
Key Points:
Arthurian legend retelling
Enemies to lovers-ish
Shifters
Elemental magic
Arranged marriage
Badass FMC
Touch her and die
Spice
Political/court intrigue
I enjoyed reading this book so much! It's a loosely based retelling of Arthurian legend in a fascinating fantasy world filled with fae, spice, and political intrigue.
Veyka, our FMC, endured hell before her brother came to her rescue. She's harboring a secret that she believes makes her weak, and has trained endlessly to hone her body into a weapon. She's stubborn and has some tunnel vision when it comes to revenge, but I loved watching her grow and learn to trust others.
The MMC, Arran, known as the Brutal Prince, is unexpectedly betrothed to Veyka upon her ascension to Queen. He honors and upholds his duty to the kingdom, doing whatever it takes to protect the realm and Veyka. It was amazing to witness him learn more about Veyka and realize just how cunning and protective of the kingdom she is as well. He's broody and has an inner beast with a fierce temper, but Veyka matches him in every way.
I would definitely recommend this book for romantasy readers. It ends on a cliff, but thankfully Book 2 is out!
Key Points:
Arthurian legend retelling
Enemies to lovers-ish
Shifters
Elemental magic
Arranged marriage
Badass FMC
Touch her and die
Spice
Political/court intrigue
I enjoyed reading this book so much! It's a loosely based retelling of Arthurian legend in a fascinating fantasy world filled with fae, spice, and political intrigue.
Veyka, our FMC, endured hell before her brother came to her rescue. She's harboring a secret that she believes makes her weak, and has trained endlessly to hone her body into a weapon. She's stubborn and has some tunnel vision when it comes to revenge, but I loved watching her grow and learn to trust others.
The MMC, Arran, known as the Brutal Prince, is unexpectedly betrothed to Veyka upon her ascension to Queen. He honors and upholds his duty to the kingdom, doing whatever it takes to protect the realm and Veyka. It was amazing to witness him learn more about Veyka and realize just how cunning and protective of the kingdom she is as well. He's broody and has an inner beast with a fierce temper, but Veyka matches him in every way.
I would definitely recommend this book for romantasy readers. It ends on a cliff, but thankfully Book 2 is out!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
it would physically pain me to continue.
dark
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
This book has a slow start and I found it quite tricky in the beginning but after a few pages I was fully invested in it. We have a slow-burn romance, full of politics, magic and just the right amount of spice in a fae retelling of King Arthur legend. As you might know I adore the King Arthur’s legend and I’m so excited that it’s getting more attention and new story’s with very interesting twists.
One of the highlights for me was the subtle details of the classic tale that we see through the story while we have a whole new world being developed. I really enjoyed Veyka’s development through the book, she evolved quite much since the beginning of the book with the help of Arran and I must admit that I loved the tension between them. The spice in this book was quite something and it takes place very early in the story.
I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see what will happen in book two. The politics that we follow through the storyline was fantastic because of the intrigue it created making me fell more immersed in the plot. I recommend to all that enjoy a steamy, dark fantasy with intrigue and a classic legend brought to a whole new light.
Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
This was a roller coaster! I almost gave up after the second chapter because the language really takes some getting used to. And I think the world building in the beginning needed some work because it was a little confusing within the first 30% or so.
But after that? Once things started making more sense? I couldn’t put it down! The character development was easily the best part. Vekya was a perfect MC. She fought hard to make up for her flaws and in the end she grew even more. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next! The relationship with Vakya and Arran was complicated from the beginning but they're turning into a power couple.
Plot-wise things moved at a decent pace. I was never really bored once I got into the language and the world. I think the author mixed the revenge plot with the romance plot quite nicely. And the smutty scenes were fun to read (though I’ve had quite enough with the description of Vekya’s boobs). There were a few instances where the author tried to surprised the reader with a little twist but they didn't quite hit (usually with Vekya's revenge plot). It was a little messy at times but still enjoyable to read.
Fair warning, lots of triggers in this book! But the author nicely has a list of them at the beginning.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
But after that? Once things started making more sense? I couldn’t put it down! The character development was easily the best part. Vekya was a perfect MC. She fought hard to make up for her flaws and in the end she grew even more. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next! The relationship with Vakya and Arran was complicated from the beginning but they're turning into a power couple.
Plot-wise things moved at a decent pace. I was never really bored once I got into the language and the world. I think the author mixed the revenge plot with the romance plot quite nicely. And the smutty scenes were fun to read (though I’ve had quite enough with the description of Vekya’s boobs). There were a few instances where the author tried to surprised the reader with a little twist but they didn't quite hit (usually with Vekya's revenge plot). It was a little messy at times but still enjoyable to read.
Fair warning, lots of triggers in this book! But the author nicely has a list of them at the beginning.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Rape
Unfortunately, this was such a slog for me. Two stars because it is just so long, and I know that the issue was my taste as a reader. But for me, the writing was just too tedious, and I didn’t love the first-person narration (though I usually do like dual-POV), and I found it difficult to connect with either Veyka or Arran.
In Crown of Earth and Sky, we follow Vekya, the unwilling Queen of the Elemental fae, as she struggles to deal with the new responsibilities of a life she did not ask for. Arran, the Brutal Prince (I’m not sure if he’s actually a prince or if he earned the title, but I’m sure it was explained, and I just missed it in between the passages and passages of his lust for Vekya’s massive honkers), joins Vekya at her court as her betrothed and thus begins what is at least 400 pages of mass confusion.
I was never really sure where the author was trying to lead me in the plot, it felt like so many subjects would be brought up with very little relevance to the story overall. The writing was very matter-of-fact, with very little showing and mostly just telling. Additionally, as this is first person, there were several times when Arran or Vekya referred to their abilities as “fae”. But seeing as they are fae, these enhanced abilities should be their norm. For example, Arran refers to the ability to hear well and calls his ears “fae ears”, disconnecting them completely from the fact that they ARE fae. There were times when Arran/Vekya would explain their abilities in a way that was almost insulting to the reader. We are aware they are not humans. Again, there needed to be less telling and more showing.
Now, let’s talk about it. If I had a nickel for every time I had to read the word “buxom”, I would have two nickels. Which is not a lot nickels, but it is weird that it happened twice. The word breasts appears exactly 50 times throughout the novel, 42% of these times is Arran discussing Vekya’s curves. In conjunction with this, the word “my beast” appears 74 times. Very few of Arran’s opinions regarding Vekya were separate from his appreciation of her physical features. Listen, I also love a great pair of tits, but it makes Arran’s POV so aggravating to read.
All in all, for me, the slow pacing was excruciating, and the characters were too annoying to be likable. And while this is definitely not my style of fantasy, it is one that I can see being appealing to others.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
In Crown of Earth and Sky, we follow Vekya, the unwilling Queen of the Elemental fae, as she struggles to deal with the new responsibilities of a life she did not ask for. Arran, the Brutal Prince (I’m not sure if he’s actually a prince or if he earned the title, but I’m sure it was explained, and I just missed it in between the passages and passages of his lust for Vekya’s massive honkers), joins Vekya at her court as her betrothed and thus begins what is at least 400 pages of mass confusion.
I was never really sure where the author was trying to lead me in the plot, it felt like so many subjects would be brought up with very little relevance to the story overall. The writing was very matter-of-fact, with very little showing and mostly just telling. Additionally, as this is first person, there were several times when Arran or Vekya referred to their abilities as “fae”. But seeing as they are fae, these enhanced abilities should be their norm. For example, Arran refers to the ability to hear well and calls his ears “fae ears”, disconnecting them completely from the fact that they ARE fae. There were times when Arran/Vekya would explain their abilities in a way that was almost insulting to the reader. We are aware they are not humans. Again, there needed to be less telling and more showing.
Now, let’s talk about it. If I had a nickel for every time I had to read the word “buxom”, I would have two nickels. Which is not a lot nickels, but it is weird that it happened twice. The word breasts appears exactly 50 times throughout the novel, 42% of these times is Arran discussing Vekya’s curves. In conjunction with this, the word “my beast” appears 74 times. Very few of Arran’s opinions regarding Vekya were separate from his appreciation of her physical features. Listen, I also love a great pair of tits, but it makes Arran’s POV so aggravating to read.
All in all, for me, the slow pacing was excruciating, and the characters were too annoying to be likable. And while this is definitely not my style of fantasy, it is one that I can see being appealing to others.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Emberly Ash outdid herself with Crown of Earth and Sky. This book hits the ground running from the first sentence and does not stop from there. I couldn't put it down and I can't wait for the next one.
This book is a refreshing and fun read with lots of spice and tension between the MCs. I love our main characters, both Veyka and Arran are dynamically written and captivating. Their relationship is complicated and I loved watching it grow and change throughout this book.
The world building that Emberly created here is wonderful. I enjoyed the different kinds of fae and their powers and customs. I think the magic system is succinct while being interesting.
If you like your romantacy books with fae, enemies to lovers and an age gap I highly recommend this book. Thank you Emberly for a great read.
disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a refreshing and fun read with lots of spice and tension between the MCs. I love our main characters, both Veyka and Arran are dynamically written and captivating. Their relationship is complicated and I loved watching it grow and change throughout this book.
The world building that Emberly created here is wonderful. I enjoyed the different kinds of fae and their powers and customs. I think the magic system is succinct while being interesting.
If you like your romantacy books with fae, enemies to lovers and an age gap I highly recommend this book. Thank you Emberly for a great read.
disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Even though this one took me a little bit to get into, once I did I was hooked. It was such an interesting and unique spin on such a classic tale.
Veyka, the newly appointed queen of the elemental fae has only one thing on her mind, revenge for her brothers murder. She has no time or interest in anything else unless it numbs the pain of her loss, so to say she's not welcoming to Arran would be a bit of an understatement. These two HATE each other but there's something brewing beneath the surface that neither is ready to admit.
Let me tell you the ending will kill you, when I got there I literally screamed in frustration with that cliff hanger. So so so well done and I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Veyka, the newly appointed queen of the elemental fae has only one thing on her mind, revenge for her brothers murder. She has no time or interest in anything else unless it numbs the pain of her loss, so to say she's not welcoming to Arran would be a bit of an understatement. These two HATE each other but there's something brewing beneath the surface that neither is ready to admit.
Let me tell you the ending will kill you, when I got there I literally screamed in frustration with that cliff hanger. So so so well done and I can't wait for the next book in the series.