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A review by betharanova
A Bargain with the Fae King by Megan Van Dyke
5.0
4.5/5, a balm to my spirit, my long watch for good fae romance is over.
First, our protagonist. Lia is a modern twenty-something whose life was derailed when she injured her baby sister in a car crash. She loves her sister dearly, and guilt triples her desperate protectiveness over May. She's unfamiliar with the Faery realm's rules and unsure who to trust, which makes her inclined to look for her own answers. At heart, she's good; she wants to help the people around her. But she struggles to find the right way to do that, and to choose between them and May with a clean conscience. I enjoy Lia because she's doing her best. She's largely sensible! She has a sense of self preservation and saves her bad decisions for moments of high emotion.
Rivenean, the love interest and titular fae king of Forest, has been haunting Lia's dreams since the crash. In those conversations, he was a confidant, learning more about her and gaining her trust; meeting him in the flesh makes him rather more complicated. He knows far more about her than she does about him, and she doesn't know which of his faces are masks: the Riven she met in her dreams; the cocky, rakish king who made a bargain with her; or the grim commander leading fae forces against the Unseelie. Leaving off my overall opinion of Riven because finding out is quite fun, but know that this is not a villain romance with a true nastyman.
The true nastyman king is present, however. What's a questionable love interest without a worse love interest? That's the fae king of Air, who causes problems on purpose and flirts with Lia and with chaos. I wouldn't dream of spoiling you about what his Deal is; let's just say I want that sequel. He was enjoyable every time.
The dynamics among the characters were equally solid and fun to watch. Lia and Riven knowing each other beforehand, especially in an unequal way, made for an interesting start. It also made the spice start (but not conclude) early, which was a boon to me. Other members of the Forest court got to shine. Everyone had different priorities regarding the stakes of the plot, and it caused friction in ways that made the plot more interesting.
The world did feel fae-like with a helping of elven. The descriptions painted an interesting picture of architecture blending with nature, of definite borders and strange landscapes. I liked the explanation for why Lia was of such interest, and what humans could or couldn't do in Faery. Part of the .5 stars off is that I could have used more description and in-depth explorations of the worldbuilding. It was largely a matter of liking what I saw and wanting more. I could have used more book, to be honest. I hope to be satisfied by further books in the series.
Galen: I love you, man. MVP. Light of this world. I hope you're in every sequel and short story.
First, our protagonist. Lia is a modern twenty-something whose life was derailed when she injured her baby sister in a car crash. She loves her sister dearly, and guilt triples her desperate protectiveness over May. She's unfamiliar with the Faery realm's rules and unsure who to trust, which makes her inclined to look for her own answers. At heart, she's good; she wants to help the people around her. But she struggles to find the right way to do that, and to choose between them and May with a clean conscience. I enjoy Lia because she's doing her best. She's largely sensible! She has a sense of self preservation and saves her bad decisions for moments of high emotion.
Rivenean, the love interest and titular fae king of Forest, has been haunting Lia's dreams since the crash. In those conversations, he was a confidant, learning more about her and gaining her trust; meeting him in the flesh makes him rather more complicated. He knows far more about her than she does about him, and she doesn't know which of his faces are masks: the Riven she met in her dreams; the cocky, rakish king who made a bargain with her; or the grim commander leading fae forces against the Unseelie. Leaving off my overall opinion of Riven because finding out is quite fun, but know that this is not a villain romance with a true nastyman.
The true nastyman king is present, however. What's a questionable love interest without a worse love interest? That's the fae king of Air, who causes problems on purpose and flirts with Lia and with chaos. I wouldn't dream of spoiling you about what his Deal is; let's just say I want that sequel. He was enjoyable every time.
The dynamics among the characters were equally solid and fun to watch. Lia and Riven knowing each other beforehand, especially in an unequal way, made for an interesting start. It also made the spice start (but not conclude) early, which was a boon to me. Other members of the Forest court got to shine. Everyone had different priorities regarding the stakes of the plot, and it caused friction in ways that made the plot more interesting.
The world did feel fae-like with a helping of elven. The descriptions painted an interesting picture of architecture blending with nature, of definite borders and strange landscapes. I liked the explanation for why Lia was of such interest, and what humans could or couldn't do in Faery. Part of the .5 stars off is that I could have used more description and in-depth explorations of the worldbuilding. It was largely a matter of liking what I saw and wanting more. I could have used more book, to be honest. I hope to be satisfied by further books in the series.
Galen: I love you, man. MVP. Light of this world. I hope you're in every sequel and short story.