A review by itsnotalakeitsanocean
A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova

emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I'm surprised I ended up liking this as much as I did considering I'm not normally one to reach for romantic fantasy books. It's by no means anything groundbreaking but if you're looking to get into the genre it's a solid pick. Now, as usual, here's a list of things that made me rate it so lowly if I supposedly liked it:

  • I felt the book itself could have been a bit longer to develop the romance slightly more. It feels a bit rushed to the point I managed to predict when the main couple would kiss 3 pages before it actually happened.
  • The magic system is very vague and apart from "oh x species can do y magic" I don't really know how it works. Also this is a personal gripe but I feel like the fae and elf magic types should have been swapped around seeing how
    rituamancy is the magic that ends up saving the day
    .
  • The use of modern day idioms and such took me out. Specifically Willow and some of the other characters calling Hook "the goodest boy".
  • Everyone needs to stop chuckling and smirking so much in response to anything mildly amusing!
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