I don't know that I've read a book quite like Lava Red Feather Blue and I think that's fantastic. Ringle writes with a lyrical voice, immersing readers in a fairy tale that doesn't feel too fantastical, with characters that feel as fleshed out as people in the "real" world. The abundant casual queerness made my heart soar in particular, as there was no big coming-out scene, nor characters questioning themselves in emotional agony. Instead, the simplicity of being queer in this world was just as regular as the necessity to breathe, and I loved this book all the more for it.

Lava Red, Feather Blue was a book I didn't dislike, but it also didn't quite manage to grip me. In fairness to the book, I have been exceptionally tired this past week, so that could be a contributing factor, but it took me twice as long to get through this as it normally would for a work this length. I enjoyed the premise of the story, and the world building was, for the most part, nicely handled. I got enough of a sense of the world and its magic without any info dumping or boring exposition. Merrick and Larkin were interesting characters; however, I would have liked to have gotten to know Merrick a little better than we did, and their relationship felt a little too swift for me, at least in the sense of them deciding it was true love. So, overall, I am giving this book 3.5 stars. It has a fun story and memorable characters; it simply didn't capture my heart enough for 4 stars.

Not to my taste, personally. It read like a camp high fantasy novel with far too much extraneous detail and choppy tone. The ARC quality was particularly atrocious, which likely added to my dislike.

Interesting premises. Basically a retelling of sleeping beauty “but make it gay!”.

I enjoyed most of the writing and the characters. The plot was different. I liked all the LGBT characters, it was refreshing

My issue was the format and all the typos, even for an ARC. It threw off my reading experience and i got super confused sometimes because chapters would cut out, POV would change, and pages would cut off

This was such a good LGBTQ fairytale retelling. I have to admit that I was drawn to this because of the mention of witches, princes and Fae and I am so glad I picked this up because it was very interesting. The world building was unique and refreshing. The characters were likeable and well fleshed out.
The author's writing style appealed to me and I am looking forward to reading more from them.

I loved the concept of the story, but struggled a bit with the pacing and world building/ character building. I thought the romance was okay and the dialogue felt a little weird. The representation in this book was well done. I think if you are newer to fantasy or prefer lighter fantasy, you'll probably enjoy this book a bit more than I did.

I feel like I'm always going to love a book that involves Fae, and this was no exception. It's also LGBTQ. Now I just need a special edition to add to my collection!

This is less an LGBTQ focused book than it is a fantasy book with good LGBTQ characters. That being said, it is a really enjoyable fantasy story about fairies and witches. The world building and dialogue was fascinating but the pacing felt a little off to me, often either too fast or too slow. Still an enjoyable fantasy with a wide variety of representation.

Why are there not more fairy tale retellings featuring LGBT+ characters! There needs to be more, immediately. I am so glad to find the field expanding to a point where narratives focused on identity angst aren’t the only options available. Sometimes you really just want a story where people like you go on a magical adventure where their problems aren’t just a result of who they love. Sometimes you just want to overcome curses cast by vengeful fae, instead.

I love fairy tale retellings. It is my absolute weak spot when it comes to favorite oddly specific genre subsets. I particularly love when they manage to turn your expectations on their head. Everyone knows the gist of Sleeping Beauty — let’s see what can happen if you dive head first into the premise until you’re so deep immersed you can no longer see what’s supposed to come next.

This book features some fascinating world building along with complex fae society, modern witches, and the complications that accompany a a nap that lasts over a century.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for approving my request for a review copy of this book!

This was a nice story. In the beginning the characters felt kind of flat and Larkin and Merrick behaved a bit too immaturely for my taste. Their romance was cute, though. I didn’t enjoy the way the fantasy meshed with the modern world. I much preferred it when the story progressed into the fae realms. And even just in general I felt like the book got better as it went on.
This book had LGBTQ+ rep, but I wouldn’t exactly characterize it as a LGBTQ+ book, because it wasn’t really a central point in the story.
Overall, this was a quick fun book with lots of magic.

I thought this novel had an interesting premise and charming characters, It is also great to see more representation in the fantasy/romance genre! I did feel that my enjoyment of the story was hampered by issues specific to my own preferences; I had a hard time getting into the writing style and the contrast between the more modern dialogue and the more traditional fantasy setting felt jarring to me.

This book isn’t perfect but it’s enjoyable, it has LGBT representation, it has incredible worlds, it has various interesting and diverse characters and creatures from the fae realm and the plot is easy to get into and get carried away with.

What I struggled with is the pacing, at times certain areas felt very rushed, other times felt a but unnecessary (sorry, I didn’t read the poems that were slipped in) and while I applaud LGBT rep, it didn’t feel developed enough for me, it went from immediate lust to then something more, which, considering everything going on, lacked a little depth. Larkin has been asleep for 220 years, haunted in dreams throughout by a family that has since died and left him, he also lost his lover to the battle with Ula Kana and watched him die horrifically. And yet in a very short period of time he is flirting with Merrick and fixating on his desire. Similarly, Merrick has awoken a fae that is set out on destruction, people have died, more are in peril, and yet in every scene with Larkin, he can’t not focus on his looks or what it makes him feel, even in a scene where he is distraught his family might be dead he’s smiling a few paragraphs after and I always find it bizarre in fantasy books how in the worst situation, characters are distracted so easily by romance. I would have just liked more gradual progress, because I did enjoy them as a couple and how they weren’t perfect and bickered and bounced off each other but balanced each other pretty well, I just would’ve liked build up. I did enjoy Larkin more as a character to Merrick, although I wish I had known more about him, he was just a more interesting and likeable character to me so I wish the chapters had swayed more towards him. Larkin has the battle between who he was in the past and what he now has to be without everything he knew, he has the conflict between what he believes about magic and his part in it, he has class changes and grief and so much that I wish could’ve been explored, he was noble and brave and I found him a very charming character. I also liked how the author let this be a constant battle for him to endure, the loss of his past and family, and subsequently Merrick is given scars too. Merrick though I found more difficult to relate to, he was mostly driven by either guilt at what he had done or lust for what he wanted, that was mostly what summed him up. What I did really enjoy was that both characters were in their late 20’s, which is rare when it’s usually 16 year olds saving the day, although that said a lot of the decisions made, particularly by Merrick, felt like the reckless, impulsive actions of a teenager.

Finally, and maybe I just missed this, if Rosamund could just make a charm that would vanquish any fae, why couldn’t it just be used on Ula Kana? Genuinely I may have just missed that bit but it confused me ...

Ultimately this is an enjoyable read, with fae creatures and characters aplenty, it has adventure and love and action and I would recommend it.

New to the author, and thank you for the ARC. This was a fun read though not perfect. I would have loved to have had a bit more backstory in the two main characters. Part of the book felt rushed, where others felt as if they were missing some vital information. It's a good read, don't get me wrong, but it could have been more, in my opinion: good world-building, OK character development, good story. Overall, 3.5-stars out of 5.

While I enjoyed the diverse representation and unique concept of the story, this book just wasn't for me. First of all, I think the title doesn't fit the book well. I would've preferred the book to be titled after one of the characters' names or a specific setting. The current title feels out of place. Usually, I form emotional connections to all the characters in a book, but I couldn't this time. What impressed me was how the author paid attention to all the ways Prince Larkin was struggling in a new time period. Everything from explaining updated clothes, to plumbing, to laws, and species relationships, it really added depth to the story. This caused me to feel so much empathy for Larkin's character and it made me feel invested in the book's outcome.


I would've loved to see more of Merrick's backstory since I feel his only personality traits are feeling conflicted about his parentage and being attracted to Larkin. While I appreciate Merrick finding someone who loves him, I thought the relationship was too rushed. Larkin had such a difficult time adjusting to his new life so was it really a wise move for him to jump into a relationship with someone from a different time period? It felt more like lust than love. This novel is essential lgbtq representation, but if the novel was longer and if it developed the romance over time, it would be more worthwhile.

Faeries and romance!! This book exceeded my expectations in almost every way. The characters in this book were brilliant and feel fully realized.

There is a special place in my heart for tales of far-off, magical lands, complete with witches and fae, heroic princes and brave, imperfect peasants. This story, which has them all, was the best modern fairytale retelling I've read in a very long time.

I loved the fantastical island of Eidolonia, with its half human, half fae citizenry, tricksy time frames and eclectic collection of creatures. I was captivated by the shifting scenery as the heroes journeyed throughout the fae realm, encountering unique spells and customs in each new territory.

The romance was well-paced and realistic, and the themes of friendship, harmony, acceptance and understanding were palpable throughout, warming the heart as all good fairytales should.

For those seeking an escapist fantasy adventure with beautiful characters and an LGBTQIA twist, I highly recommend this one.

READ THIS BOOK, IT'S AMAZING!!!

Faeries and an LGBTQ+ romance, what's not to love. I have been a massive fan of Ringle since I read All The Better Part of Me so I was equal parts excited and scared to pick up this book. Not only does this book not disappoint but it massively exceeded my expectations. Merrick and Larkin are brilliant characters that the reader is sure to love and their romance feels earned. Each of the minor characters feels fully realised too and you find yourself caring for even the most seemingly insignificant of them.

Ringle has created a really rich world with the island of Eidolonia with the lore effortlessly woven throughout the story and no info-dumping.

A really masterfully written book that I expect to be shouting about until I read the next book from Ringle.