A review by courtneystrong
The Forest King's Daughter by Elly Blake

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

I really enjoyed this book! I would definitely call it an upper YA fantasy - while the spice was minimal to nonexistent, it definitely read in a more mature tone than I was expecting (and enjoyed). I was expecting it to be more along the same vibes as The Cruel Prince, which may have been a misassumption on my end given that it states "for fans of Holly Black", but it was quite different though I could maybe see how some of the worldbuilding and enemies-to-lovers angle could be considered comparable. 

That being said, I liked the worldbuilding a lot and the friends to enemies to forbidden lovers was really fun, though I do feel like their feelings progressed a bit too fast for my liking. However, the romance was wholesome and enjoyable. I loved the side characters Gutel and Voz. I wish we got a little bit more about the sisters but I am suspecting that will come in book 2 (which I am really looking forward to). I am really hoping for some character development for the father, though based on the ending, I am worried he is doomed to be the villain.

Definitely a fun read, and I highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley, Little Brown, & TBR & Beyond Tours for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!