floofymoosereads 's review for:

Crown of Earth and Sky by Emberly Ash

4.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Crown of Earth and Sky by Emberly Ash is the first book in the Secrets of the Faerie Crown series. This is a dark romantic fantasy and is a King Arthur retelling with some twists, and fae. Tropes and themes include touch her and die, a badass FMC, mental health rep, court intrigue, found family, enemies to lovers and fated mates. This is a spicy book for adults only, and please check content warnings for dark topics and themes.

The Lovely: I loved the plot - quite possibly my favorite part of the book (closely followed by the magic/Fae world building). There were so many plot concepts that were flipped from what we normally see in romantasy - from the characters to gender norms. The story kept me engaged as I tried to mentally solve the puzzle right along with the FMC. It kept me guessing up until the end and then we had a massive cliffhanger.

The Mundane: I liked the characters but didn’t necessarily love them or their relationship. Their physical attraction felt insta-lovey without substance behind it. Their emotional relationship though is slow burn and still didn’t feel totally there by the end end. So, I’m hoping that it develops more in the next book.

The Dreadful: The biggest downside for me was the pacing. It started off strong with action and angst but then faltered. We spend a lot of time hearing the FMC’s somewhat apathetic and one-track internal monologue. To be clear, I don’t disagree with her actions or feelings, given her past, but those monologue scenes were too frequent and long.

Rating: 4/5 Stars 3/5 Flames

Recommendation: I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I can’t wait for book two in December. One, to find out what happens after the cliffhanger ending, and two, because I hope we see the MMC and FMC’s relationship develop more. I’m also excited to see how certain pieces of the plot fit together. If you like Fae romantasy with angst and lusting where both the FMC and MMC are strong characters, and don’t mind a bit of darkness, I think you would like this book. I definitely recommend this book for you #tbr.