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A review by parkerkg
A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
If you're a fan of Elise Kova's work, you'll enjoy this one, too--though it does struggle a bit more than some of her others do with character logic and plot reveals. There were times where it felt like Katria's emotional backstory/issues reared its head abruptly and others where it seems like it was too easily dismissed to speed up the romance, which made the relationship development feel a bit too jerky. The plot twist could also be seen from a mile away--even before she leaves for Midscape (the scars on her back? The "mysterious" book and Fae songs that came from her mother, who mysteriously dies with little other known detail?). I also wish the reveal on the scene from her youth on the roof had been handled a little more smoothly--there's a lot of hinting toward it throughout the book, but the red herring attempt felt a little flat. Maybe because the idea of cauterizing a deep wound from "falling off the roof" with a ~shovel~ didn't seem to make that much sense until the later reveal comes around?
The ultimate outcome from that scene also hits weird because of the implications it has for her father and his role in what happened in that moment. We don't really get to see her come to terms with her feelings about him (if it changes how she feels about him at all as Katria's written, not quite clear tbh), and if anything, it might have worked better to have this moment as more of a mid-plot reveal to create some space for Katria to process it. This reveal would also give greater depth/meaning to her issues with love and what it can lead seemingly otherwise good people to do to themselves/others. But maybe it's easier to say that in hindsight.
Overall, worth a read if you're into the Married to Magic series and looking for something relatively quick to read. It has all the usual hallmarks --enemies (ish) to lovers, found family, traumatized heroines that dally with Mary Sue tropes, and a HEA.
The ultimate outcome from that scene also hits weird because of the implications it has for her father and his role in what happened in that moment. We don't really get to see her come to terms with her feelings about him (if it changes how she feels about him at all as Katria's written, not quite clear tbh), and if anything, it might have worked better to have this moment as more of a mid-plot reveal to create some space for Katria to process it. This reveal would also give greater depth/meaning to her issues with love and what it can lead seemingly otherwise good people to do to themselves/others. But maybe it's easier to say that in hindsight.
Overall, worth a read if you're into the Married to Magic series and looking for something relatively quick to read. It has all the usual hallmarks --enemies (ish) to lovers, found family, traumatized heroines that dally with Mary Sue tropes, and a HEA.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Abandonment, and Bullying
Bit more visceral descriptions of child abuse in the latter third of the book remembered by the main character from her childhood: discussions of being mutilated (having Fae wings sawed off) and cauterized with a shovel.
It's not overly gory and it isn't a total surprise (heavy hints leading up to the scene), but may still be difficult/triggering to readers, so proceed with caution.