Guys I think I’m addicted to reading fantasy books and talking about them. There are worse things to be addicted to. It could be cocaine!

Whatever. You know the drill. Part five is here, and you can follow the chain to all the parts before it. As always, enjoy!

Hemlock and Silver – T. Kingfisher – 4 Stars

Of course, everything needs to change for us to have a plot. Anja is visited by the king, who tells her that his daughter has fallen ill ever since losing her mother and sister. While many may suspect it to be grief, he fears it could be poison, and no one else he has consulted has been able to discover the origin of her sickness.

Anja is whisked away to the castle, where she befriends a pair of guards, gets to know the princess, and learns about a mysterious reflected world on the other side of the mirrors in the castle. How is it all connected, and can Anja find the answer to the mystery before the princess is too far gone?

(On a side note, I was a bit scared when I started reading, because the beginning of the book is eerily similar to one of my current projects, The Changeling Prince. An expert in a niche magical/scientific field is summoned by the king because of their unique skillset to find a way to save their child/grandchild? Luckily, I think there are more differences than similarities, but it did give me a little bit of dread initially.)

I think the mystery was done really well here, and I enjoyed the characters quite a bit. The book is a very loose Snow White story, but it wouldn’t be too obvious if Kingfisher wanted to keep it unique. A princess named Snow, a wicked queen, magic mirrors, and an emphasis on cursed apples are really the main connecting points. The rest of the novel is very unique and reads as its own tale, which can be interpreted as both a good thing and a bad thing.

While I liked most of the book, I had a hard time wrapping my head around all of the mirror mechanics. Maybe that’s just a me thing. I also wanted more of the book to be about the cures for poisons and the almost-magic of antidotes and the like. The ending also felt a bit rushed and almost disconnected from the rest of the book, which is understandable when you’re dealing with two mirrored dimensions. When it became more about the other side of the mirror I lost a bit of interest, but still liked the book.

Anja was a great protagonist. It was nice to have an older FMC who isn’t young and helpless and younger than 23. Anja is also described as tall and awkward and brawny. She isn’t small and dainty and fair. It was nice to have a FMC who breaks the mold. I’ve seen some complaints that Kingfisher does this with many of her FMCs, but if authors can get away with a million Mary Sues, I think Kingfisher can have her awkward spinsters. It’s refreshing.

So yeah. Good premise, good FMC, unique take on the elements of Snow White, and overall, an enjoyable read.

The River Has Roots – Amal El-Mohtar – 4.5 Stars

This story is about two sisters, whose job it is to sing to the magical willow trees at the edge of a river, that marks the point between the human realm and the fae realm. These sisters are inseparable and do their duty willingly and lovingly, happy so long as they have each other.

But when one of the sisters, Esther, rejects a wealthy human suitor, he doesn’t take kindly to it. Jealous of Esther’s fae lover, he takes matters into his own hands, breaking the bond between sisters and separating them.

But all is not lost. Through the bond of their song, aid from Esther’s beloved, and the magic of the willows, the sisters will find their way back to one another again.

While short, I really enjoyed this book. The singing in the audio version is lovely, I enjoyed Rin, the fae lover, and I liked the concept of words and music as magic, referred to as grammar. I think it was a unique adventure, and while I wish it were a little bit longer, I can appreciate the simplicity and heart behind the words.

Really my only complaint is the length. I think there is more that could have been fleshed out, like the relationship between Rin and Esther, or how the magic is used in ways other than song. Wanting more is a good crime for a book to have.

A Study in Drowning – Ava Reid – 4 Stars

Since she was a child, Effy has been in love with fairy tales, finding solace in Angharad, a story about a mortal girl who is in love with the Fairy King, but must destroy him due to his wickedness. It’s kept her hopeful through her life, as she struggles with seeing and hearing things that aren’t there. She tells herself that is Angharad can defeat the darkness, then she can, too.

When the author of her beloved fairy tale dies, a contest is posted to all students to redesign Myrddin’s old manor into a museum of his life, and Effy of course has to enter for the chance to honor the man who she feels she owes her life to. In a surprise turn of events, Effy’s design is accepted, and she heads to Hiraeth Manor to see her designs through.

At the manner, she meets the son of Emrys Myrddin, Ianto, who is keen for her to work on his father’s estate. Also staying in the manor is Preston Héloury, a student of the literature college and Effy’s self-imposed rival.

Here we get into some of the politics of the world, and where some of my issues with the overall plot lie. Effy is from Llyr, while Preston is from Argant. The two countries are in an on-and-off conflict with the other, and there is quite a lot of animosity between the two countries. Effy fears that Preston, being from Argant, is poking his head into Llyrian business to try and dig up dirt on Llyr’s beloved author. Plus, he gets to be a literature student and she can’t, simply because she is a woman.

While I really appreciate the discussions of sexism and political tension/prejudice within the novel, I wish they had been given a bit more attention. Mostly the political aspects. I think that there is a lot of room for more to come into play in the sequel, and I hope that more attention is given to the implicit biases they both face. It would have been nice if this was one of the bonding points between the two, but I fear it wasn’t talked about enough for my taste.

Anywho. Things aren’t as they seem at the manor, and Effy reluctantly agrees to aid Preston in his quest to find the truth about Myrddin. The manor serves as a unique setting, Ianto has secrets that may be better off left in the dark, and Effy and Preston grow close as they begin to uncover the truth.

Another quick thing I wanted more of was a bit more world building. It was a little hard to determine what was myth and what was reality in this world. There is talk of selkies and merfolk and changelings and fairy kings, but it’s unclear what is true or not. Part of the point is likely that Effy herself wants these things to be true, but I wanted some more concrete knowledge about the mythology here.

I think this book had a great mix of gothic elements, dark academia, and fairy tale magic. And while I had some questions about the plot as I read, most of them were answered in satisfying ways. Learning more about Myrddin, seeing the secrets of the manor unlocked, and figuring out if there is truth behind the things Effy sees all at once makes for a great adventure.

If you like gothic romance and scholarly adventures, try this one out! I’m excited to jump into the sequel soon.

Enchanting the Fae Queen – Stephanie Burgis – 3.5 Stars

I’m being dramatic, but it is true that, in my opinion, it didn’t shine like the first one did. While the first one played with a lot of tropes and felt like it had a unique twist on them, Enchanting the Fae Queen felt a bit… stale? Rote? Predictable? Let’s get into it.

Where we left off in book one, war was narrowly avoided by Felix revealing his identity as archduke and requesting the General of the Empire, Gerard de Moireul, stand down. Gerard complied, and war between the two sides was avoided.

Now, in book two, the Fae Queen Lorelei has a scheme to win over Gerard and remove him from the equation. For years, she and Gerard have danced around one another, flirting and teasing and enjoying their status as arch rivals. Lorelei kidnaps him from his tent in the army camp and forces him to be her partner in a series of Fae Trials, in hopes that he will finally accept that they work well as a team. A simple enough plot.

Let’s break down the characters.

Lorelei annoyed me. It’s fun when a flirty, silly, exaggerated character pops in from time to time to cause mischief, but when it’s your FMC? It gets a little bothersome. The constant teasing, banter, and mention of sparkles got old fast. She does have some decent character development, but I did not particularly enjoy her.

Gerard is her opposite in almost everyway. He wasn’t grating like she was, but he was a bit bland. He’s stoic, strong, protective, blah blah blah. I felt like I had seen it all before. He also has some character development as he learns to let go of this image for love. He was alright.

The plot. It felt very boring when compared to the first one. Since most of this book takes place in the fae realm, it feels very disconnected from the rest of the world. I understand it was the plot device to bring Lorelei and Gerard together, but I just wish it didn’t feel so disjointed. Time was even in flux during these events, so the book itself only lasts for a few days, which in context makes so much of it feel rushed.

The romance. It was fine. I felt like I had seen it all before. The banter. The sass. The fierce protectiveness for someone you supposedly loathe. Only for it all to turn to love and passion and yadda yadda. It wasn’t egregious, but again, just felt like nothing super new. Also, Burgis kept describing how big Gerard was. Like, in the span of a few pages, called specifically his hands big and strong like, four times. It was weird and a little gross. I get that he’s a big strong dude, but it always makes me uncomfortable when size differences are almost fetishized in books. It wasn’t to that extent here, but it still wasn’t great imo. There was some okay spice but I wasn’t wowed.

The politics. I’m glad there was at least something interesting going on besides the boring trials that I won’t even get into. Gerard’s allegiances and sense of honor make for some good political tension here. He has made an oath to defend the kingdom and protect its citizens, and in his eyes, the way he needs to do this is to continue to serve the empire and be the voice of reason to the emperor. A noble cause. I like that he sticks to his values in this complex scenario, but is able to see logic at the same time. Of course, it backfires when the emperor decides he needs to die for voicing an opposing position, and he’s able to fully join Lorelei’s cause without breaking his oaths. Good stuff here.

The book wasn’t bad, just most of it wasn’t that great. But! I’m excited for the third installment, which will be from the POV of the third queen. And with the reveal in the epilogue of this book, I think it’s going to be well worth the slight dip in quality from book two.

If you like the series, keep going. If you like enemies to lovers, you’ll probably like this one more than I did. And if you want what hopefully will be a promising sapphic romance, stay tuned for book three.

The Binding – Bridget Collins – 4.5 Stars

Books are made when magic users called Binders take people’s unwanted memories and trap them within the pages. Many consider this unnatural, and some exploit this magic for their own gain. Regardless, there is a lot that can happen when you can have your heartbreak, your misery, or even your fondest memories taken from you.

Part one open with our main character, Emmett Farmer, who is recovering from a strange illness that has left him bedridden and weak. He knows it was no ordinary sickness, but is scared it could mean he’s losing his sanity. Until one day, he’s called upon to be the new Binder’s apprentice. His illness is Binder’s fever, a sign that he can be a great Binder himself one day.

Honestly, this book was so great that I don’t want to give too much of it away. Emmett slowly learns more and more about books and Binding, including the fact that there are some who sell books for profit, sharing them as novelties instead of respecting the memories trapped within. Along the way, he meets Lucian Darnay, a young man around his age who seems familiar, even though Emmett swears he’s never met him.

Part one is Emmett’s training and first experience Binding. Part two is a flashback that reveals the nature of Emmett and Lucian’s strained relationship. And part three is the struggle of Lucian, as he tries to grapple with his past Binding, and if he wants to burn his book to recover his memories.

The magic of Binding was very well done. I appreciate the mythology of sorts behind it, including the stark contrast between those who treat it as an art, and those who treat it as a way to profit and manipulate others. The relationship between Emmett and Lucian was SO well done. Part two had me giggling with delight as the pair grew closer together. If you like heartbreak, drama, and a relationship that turns out well in the end, you’ll like this one.

There are just a few things that keep this book from a five. Firstly: Emmett only does one Binding throughout the whole book! I wish we saw a little bit more of our MC actually practicing the magic. It makes sense in the context of the book, but I still wanted a little more. There were also some parts of the book that dragged a smidge, and while in the end I really liked the differences between the three parts, it was initially a little jarring to be thrown into backstory for all of part two.

Of all the books on here, this is probably the one I’d recommend the most. What a great read.

---

I feel like this happened last time, but all the books here were 3.5 stars and better! I’m on a roll with my selections lately …or maybe I just started DNFing more. Either way, good books!

Stay tuned next week for something really exciting related to this series! I’ve been working on it for MONTHS now, and I’m excited for you all to get to enjoy it.

---

This content was written and created by a human, without the use of any artificial intelligence tools. The authors do not authorize this article’s usage in training AI tools. We proudly support the original works of creators and individuals over technology that steals and manipulates original content without consent of creators.