There is a lot of Irish folk lore and mythology woven in which I really enjoyed. The fair ones themselves are, tritonal. As in not nice, mischievous and pick on/ harm humans, I like seeing them less watered down. I hope in the next book we get to see more of the fair ones.
Over all I liked the book, I will look into the sequel when it comes out because it does leave of on a heck off a cliffhanger. I'm just hoping that it will be a bit easier to get through knowing about the world from the first book.

I loved the setting and feel of this one but the characters were not all that good. I think this one would have been better if we would have just had one POV vs all four which really made me feel like I was taking out of the story. It didn't flow from one POV to another. The pacing was too slow for the story and the start of this was just boring.

<b> <I> Thank you so much to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of “Realm of Lore and Lies” by Claire Wright in exchange for an honest review. All of the following opinions are formulated on my own. Any quotes in this review should be cross-referenced with the final copy for any possible edits.</I> </b>

<b> Overall rating: </b> 4 out of 5 stars

<b> My review: I really liked how Irish mythology was included in this. I really loved the characters and it reminds me of the books I was fond of in high school. I loved the found family trope in this. </b>

<b> If you liked the following, you will probably like this book: </b>

<I> Switched by Amanda Hocking</I>

<b> Will I finish the series?: </b> I plan to!

What an absolutely stunning book. I can't explain how magnificent it is. This is a wonderful debut novel set deep in Irish mythology! Claire weaves a fantastical tale of finding yourself, your roots and determining whether or not to step into the roles you’ve been given.

I could not put this book down!! I read it all in less than a day because the story had me wanting more and more! The world building and the story line was so fun and unlike anything I had read lately! The author is 100% going on my must buy list and I can not wait to read more from her in the future!! Also totally need more books in this as a series!

I enjoyed the story but the pacing was a bit much for me. The characters were also very interesting but I feel like they could have been developed further. There wasn't much depth once you tried to delve beneath the surface level.

I'm also not a fan of the insta-love trope, I find it unrealistic and I love it when a couple gets to develop their relationship throughout the story.

2.5 -3 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. :(

This is one of those books that makes me wish I were an editor or co-writer or beta-reader or something, so I could edit and switch things around, there's so much potential here! Sadly, it didn't really work for me.

The 3 stars are for the world-building (a lot of research went into this clearly and I appreciate that, I've always had a soft spot for this type of fae lore -hello, KMM!) and the concept overall, the setting... But I didn't quite connect with the writing, characters and the plot felt a bit all over the place.

*review copy provided in exchange for a honest opinion. I really don't like giving bad reviews to debut novels, but there is potential here, like I said, and I hope others will enjoy it more.

There is action, various POVs, strong connections, mystery, magic, all good things for a Fantasy book.

Aisling was once an active member of one of the travelling Fianna clans but following a disagreement with her mother she walked away from the lifestyle. However she could not walk away from her heritage and her abilities to see what also lurked within the human realm.
When her mother is murdered, Ash has to step up to her heritage in order to even stand a chance of discovering who killed her mother.
This book is written with a wonderful mix of traditional rich folklore and modern mystery. I loved the world-building and strength of character development. I felt that the encyclopaedia of the Irish terms would help many readers get more out of the book, if it was moved to the front as many digital readers would not know about it until completing the story.

Realm of Lore and Lies is one of those books that you know you should be enjoying as you’re reading it, but you can’t quite bring yourself to that level. All the individual parts are remarkable, but something about their assembly feels off. Whether it’s the pacing, the interactions, the decisions, or the rampant instalove, there’s just something working against your desire to enjoy this read. After all, you can’t describe a magical gift as being unique and then by the end of the book, basically everyone can do it.

That said, I believe Realm of Lore and Lies is worth reading for Mae and Mae alone. Her very human desire to be accepted by her mother (and her clan) and her acting out to defend herself when she knows this will never happen was captivating. She is the most grounded character whose actions make sense and made me want to know so much more about her.

I think I would be interested to read the next book in this series. With some editing, I believe there are the bones of something special here. Maybe it will reveal itself moving forward.

Realm of Lore and Lies
Fair Ones Book 1
by Claire Wright
Earc: NetGalley
Publisher: Booksgosoical
Publication Date: 3rd October 2022
Genre:New Adult, Sci-Fi and Fantasy

I really enjoyed the concept of this book what initial attracted me. Throughout reading I have found the pace very slow and I feel going through four different POV is a bit much to keep the story flowing well. Unfortunately for me that characters i didn't connect at all they just felt extremely bland and didn't feel to me to have much of a personality. I feel this world could of been expanded so much with more time and editing.

#RealmofLoreandLies #NetGalley#bookstagram #bookreview #goodreads

Thanks to Negalley for a eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really hoped I would LOVE this book.. Irish folklore, mythology, archaeological sites... yes please! But I just ending up liking it -so not all bad, but there were certain aspects that I was disappointed with.

I was feeling pretty meh with the entire first half of the book, to a point where I was considering DNFing it but my love of Irish mythology kept me hanging in there. The pace was too slow for my liking and having 4 POV felt like a lot to really get the story moving. Once we hit the latter half of the book things did pick up and I became more invested in finding out where the story was going. I really enjoyed the world this book was set in and felt it was pretty well researched. Even though this had a pretty slow start for me I will more than likely read book 2 - purely for Maebh! haha!

Thanks for reading Life is Better with a Book Review! My thoughts are my own.
First let me give a round of applause to the author Claire Wright for her creation, Leannan Press & NetGalley for making this book possible to enjoy and the eARC copy.

Let me preface this review with a fact, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ireland, old Irish lore, stories about the fairie, & a good strong female lead. This book seemed to tick every box from the description. I was enthusiastic to read and immediately dove in when the book was approved and in my inbox.

That said, this book took some time for me to read, and I hate leaving a good book to sit. I am no book quitter! So, when things just didn't seem to be making a forward movement despite the plot being intriguing, I found myself slowing down and reading other books in between bouts of pushing through, I liked the main character, the struggles of her life with the Fianna community, the long lost brother who keeps in touch, the mystery of loved ones disappearing, the other mystery of a murdered mother, the sudden weight of being thrown into a position of authority, the mix of Irish lore (Tír na nóg is wildly under explained) & the tangled/dangerous mix of the Fair Ones. ALL GOOD!!!! Yet the dialog was dry and Ash as a character doesn't seem to know herself at all. I constantly found myself with brows pulls tight when it came to her flip-flopping actions.

Also...what was with the power to read people? I thought it was a rarity.

Moving forward, which was exactly my motto even past the halfway point. I wanted some more movement with solving the mysteries and getting some answers. I will say that in a weird, round about way of getting there, I DID enjoy this book by the end. I found myself rallying behind the relationships formed by the characters and the brilliant backdrop of the Irish/fae world. I even thought the whole loving a man despite his beastly side was very "Beauty & the Beast" esk, and sweet.

I am giving this a 3 star rating, but its more like a 3.6 on the book-o-meter!!! If you like all the elements I listed above, then I recommend you give this book a try and see for yourself.

Ireland isn’t what it seems. The travelling Fianna clans know that it is a land of two realms. One of Fae and one of humans. They alone are granted passage between - knowing the deceit and deadliness of the Fae.

Aisling has left her clan in an attempt to leave a normal life, living with her foster parents and attending university. Everything changes when her true family makes a sudden reappearance in her life and she is led on a hunt to solve a series of gruesome murders and disappearances in her clan. She is forced to team up with an unlikely band of allies that may change everything.

I really enjoyed the ode to Irish lore and mythology in this book. I’ve always found mythology so fascinating and I love to see it in a fantasy novel. Bringing in the travelling clans was an interesting concept to see it made for a lot of character POVs and interactions. I liked the character POVs but in general I felt like there were a lot of unnecessary side characters, I thought the main characters were very well done and interesting to read about.
I loved the high-stakes of Aislin becoming Matriarch and having to compete in the Cath alongside the mysterious disappearances and the death of her mother. There was a lot of interesting plot points to follow.

I feel the writing could be a bit more polished and the dialogue could be more realistic but all in all, I loved the story. characters and world and am excited to see what comes next for this author.

Look I'll give anything with Celtic folklore at least 2 stars. And I do look forward to reading more in this series. Sometimes a first book has a hard time creating the hook I need to continue on, bc I know something is being saved for later. With that in mind, I'll say the world building needs some help and the plot a bit tighter. I put it down to pick it up several times so for some ppl this may be a DNF as it does take some work to engage with.

Only part I appreciated was the Celtic folklore. Pacing felt very dragged out and I was not invested in any of the characters.

Claire Wright’s “Realm of Lore and Lies” is an entertaining first installment of what is sure to be an intriguing series. Set in Ireland and the land of the fairies, the story follows Aisling as she tries to reintegrate into her clan after the tragic and suspicious death of her mother. Immediately she is called into Tir na nÓg in order to prove herself to the human king who dwells there. The Cath, a test to find the best warriors among the Fianna clans, proves to be not what the participants expected, and the clans struggle amid intrigue, murder, and infighting. In this story, all is not as it seems, and a resolution is not promised.

I was excited to read this book. It took me longer than I expected, but that was on me, not the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the world building, and Aisling is a very sympathetic heroine. Unfortunately, going in I expected to be mostly in her head throughout, so the various points of view sort of threw me. I felt there were a tad too many. The ending also didn’t work for me. I realize it is a set up for a sequel, but because of that, the wrapping up seemed to drag a bit. A lot of politics is discussed, and still no firm resolution, even for part one of the epic, is given.

Because I was entertained for the most part and the ending left me wanting more threads tied up, I’ll probably read the sequel. I want to know how this mystery finishes.

Unfortunately, this was a dnf for me.

I struggled to engage with the story, it didn’t have that hook of making me want to know more. In the end, I could only manage a few chapters before my interest tailed off.

I may come back to it another time.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC read.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was instantly hooked from the premise of this and couldn't wait to start. Overall I am bummed I didn't love this more. This was very atmospheric and I loved the world created. I've never been to Ireland but I felt transported there while reading this. This was slower than I anticipated, which isn't a bad thing, I just wished the action and tension started to happen sooner.

Aisling was a decent enough heroine, but her relationship with Setanta felt a little insta-love to me, which was a bit of a downfall for me. I wanted to love this more and I am sad I didn't. I'm undecided on if I'll pick up the sequel.

dnf

I received this book as an arc from NetGalley.

Unfortunately could not get into the story. The writing style was just not for me. The world-building started off confusing.

Would love to come back to this at a later time but it wasn't a match for now.

First let me just say THANK YOU for this lovely book arc!!! Now into the review-

This book hands down was amazing. It started out a little slow, but once you get into it, you cant put the book down. I found myself sneaking away at work just to read the smallest snippets I could get my greedy eyes on. The magic system, world build up and characters are so multifaceted that it was such a breath of fresh air reading this book! I wont give any spoilers up but let me just say I CANNOT wait to see what more this author has to offer and what adventure lies in wait for our crew! If you're thinking of getting this book when it releases...RUN DONT WALK!