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A review by read_game_stitch
The Prince of Prohibition by Marilyn Marks
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.