I do not like magical realism but this book changed my mind. I absolutely loved this book. It was wonderfully executed with beautiful characters, great world building and a really nice plot. Excellent book! I highly recommend it!

AN INTERESTING FAE-WORLD THAT WAS LET DOWN BY A LACK OF EDITING

The starting point was strong. A wandering people who are able to see and interact with the Fae? Wonderful! However, the potential of the story and the setting was let down by a lack of editing. It was clear to me that Wright is a talented writer with a great story in her heart. But this really did need more editing to really get the story to shine.

👍 What I Liked 👍

Setting: I was immediately attracted to the Irish setting and the world of the traveling folk, the Fianna. They made a living as entertainers while also, under cover, protecting regular people from the Fae. It was a world that fascinated me and caught my interest.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Characters: I don't necessarily think that any of the four main characters were decidedly bad. They were just slightly blah. We have four main characters, each with their own POV (more on that later) - but it was just too many characters for the story to handle. I never really felt like I got to know any of them. Or that they were more than just surface characters. They lacked depth and clarity of personality. The only one I kind of felt like I get to understand and really feel was Maebh.

Pace: This was definitely an editing issue. The pace was simply too slow for my taste. Probably because of the four separate POVs (more on that later). But also because nothing really happened. And then suddenly something happened all in a rush. And then we were back to nothing again.

POVs: Four POVs were too much for this story to handle! The characters and the pacing suffered immensely. But I was especially saddened by the lack of voice in each POV. If you do multiple POVs, my opinion is that you should make each of them unique. Give each character their own voice, their own flair. If every POV is written in the same voice, it creates a distance between the reader and the characters, in my opinion. I believe that this story would have fared much better with only to POV.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this Arc!

I would like to say that I can see the potential of this book and definitely understood the direction that the other was trying to go. With that being said, the biggest thing that I enjoyed was this being based on irish mythology. I am a sucker for mythology period, so it was most fun for me that this book included that. I really loved the characters introduced and this book left me with wanting to read more. The only thing that I was weary of was the editing, but other than that it was still easy to follow along and understand what is going on. I can't wait to see what happens next!

This book has so much potential and I can see it being a huge success for the right audience. I don't believe I'm that audience.
I'm not a fan of "insta-love" but if you like that then you'll most likely enjoy this book.
I did however enjoy the world /fantasy based on Irish folklore. The clan family's hierarchy and the quests after made for a good story. It as just one I wasn't hooked on.
I found the 4 POV's would change at the wrong times, it took to long to get into the main plot of the story, but when you have 4 peoples backstories to do that does take time.
Some of the character behaviours didn't quite match to what was written about them either in the book and that threw me a little. But overall it was a 3 star book for me personally.
I think for the right audience it would do better.

Beautiful story with a beautiful setting. I love a bit of Irish mythology with lots of fun twists and turns along the way. I would have like a little more background on some of the characters but hoping this will be explored in book 2.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC

Always wonderful to read stories set in Ireland. You can tell the author put a lot of care and passion into this work. The worldbuilding was wonderful and easy to follow, the characters were interesting, and the plot was full of fun twists and turns that kept you wanting to read more. I'm excited for the rest of this series!

I received an ARC from NetGalley.
Ash, her brother, a friend and twins from another clan team together to help win the high kings Tournament. This story contains mult POV, magic, mystery, murder and monsters!
Found family and finding power in yourself are two big themes of this book.
This good had a really good story line and characters I really enjoyed. However what brought the star count down was the poor world building in the beginning made it really hard to understand what was going on. The writing needs a little bit more editing as it was also hard to follow at many points throughout the story.
The idea was great and the ending left you curious for more but I think the book could use a few more pages at the start to explain the worlds and hierarchy.
The multi POV was interesting even though each chapter was labeled with the charter the author was going to focus on, the third person narration would give snippets of other peoples views in the same chapter. This could be confusing at times. Therefore, I wish it was wrote in first person.

Thank you NetGalley, for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
*spoiler free review*
l'I start off by saying, going into this I had no expectations. thought the cover was cute and so decided to jump in. Although it definitely gave me some mixed feelings, overall I really liked it.
loooved the found family trope, and so many of the characters quickly captured my heart. You can tell the author really loves the story she is telling, as she did so much research and put so much effort into writing it- I really appreciated that. I loved all the Irish lore that was interlaced throughout the book, and of course anything fae realm related I'm a huge fan of, so naturally I was hooked in fast with this story.
I found myself constantly wanting more, and I'm hoping that some of the characters and side plots get more action in the next books in the series because there was a lot that left me questioning at the end of the book.

I've read a lot of fae-related books this year, but I found this story to be incredibly refreshing because it wasn't the romantasy story I expected. Instead, the book delivers a mystery-filled adventure story, steeped in Irish lore.

It starts with the gruesome murder of the Aisling's mother, setting off a chain of events that leads Aisling back to her family's clan and pushes her into the role of the clan's matriarch, a responsibility she struggles to navigate. The story follows Aisling and her newfound allies as she learns to navigate clan politics and tries to solve the mystery behind her mother's murder.

There are three things I liked most about this book. The first is how the author used the mythology of the Tuatha Dé Danann and Tír na nÓg as the foundation of the world-building. I remember the lore from childhood and it gave me a strong sense of nostalgia. Second, I liked how each of the main characters goes through some major development in the story. It was fun to get to know them as their various motivations were revealed. Lastly, I loved the choices the author made for the ending. I can't say much more without giving it away, but it definitely left me wanting more and looking forward to the next installment!

Thank you for the ARC! This review has been cross-posted on Goodreads.

Realm of Lore and Lies by Claire Wright
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don’t know what I was expecting, but this was very different from many of the fae stories I have read in the past few years. I am guessing this author incorporated more the lore of Ireland, which made it an interesting read. This book focuses on Ash, Maebh, Set, and Tiernan, who are all part of the fianna. The Fianna are traveler people who hold the secret of the fae in the human world. Though the main characters are mainly from two separate fianna clans (Ash had left but is now back), they are working to solve a mystery that saw them losing parents 7 years ago. And now something sinister has caught up to them. They have to work together to try and solve the mystery for their own sakes and for the sake of their world and the fae realm.

I wasn’t crazy about having 4 different points of view in the story at first, but it grew on me as the story progresses. I am invested in seeing what happens next (I somehow missed the words “Fair Ones Book 1 on the cover and didn’t realize it was a series).

Hopefully the author writes fast so I don’t have to wait long to see what happens!

Thank you to #netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book starts out really slow, it almost feels like is dragging. There is a lot going on and a lot of world-building all seen through the eyes of four main characters. All of the characters are very well written and I love the dynamic that the quartet has between them. There is so much good lore about Celtic mythology and honestly learned a few things that I didn't know. The book really comes together when the four characters are working closely with one another so the story starts to feel more cohesive and put together then.

There is so much mystery and intrigue in this book. None of it felt overly tropey or overdone. every character felt right in their various roles. And I cannot stress that its hard to trust even the MCs at times with how much deception is going down in this world.

The ending is a huge cliffhanger that left me needing more because there is still so much to learn about the world and what is going on.

Huge thank you to Claire and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this e-arc!

This book had me right from the get go when I saw Ireland based fantasy! This is a story that follows Aisling, Ash, a girl who ran away from her clan in pursuit of a normal life. Years later after seeing a Banshee, Ash discovers a murder victim and is sent on a whirlwind adventure that brings her face to face with demons from her past. She returns to her clan and faces the challenge of the Cath. Alongside her friends, Ash will have to survive the Cath and solve a murder.

This story captured me from the title, and I was drawn in. I will admit the first part of the book moved a little slow for me, but once you get into it, you're locked in. This book follows four different characters throughout their journeys. Normally I am not a huge fan of multiple POVs, but I rather enjoyed the characters in this book. I think the characters were one of the biggest strengths in this book. I really liked how each of their personalities differed, and how unique each of their stories were. All the characters are very neatly woven together, and I found that this made it easier for me to keep track and really focus on each character. This book is perfect for anyone looking for an enjoyable fantasy read, and anyone who also loves Irish folklore. This is the kind of book that once you get into it, you won't be able to put it down!

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the advance reader copy.

So much potential. I really loved the premise and characters but the pacing threw me off completely. It's almost as if the whole thing (especially the first half) could have done with some fine-tuning.

“Níl sé ach ina thús. It’s only just begun.”

Realm of Lore and Lies had me hooked from start to finish - quite literally I could not put it down! Inspired by Irish Lore, the story follows four teens from 2 different Fianna clans, Aishling, Tiernan, Maebh, and Setanta, as they search for answers about their missing/murdered pare while fighting in the Cath, a time honored tradition. However, the land of Tír na nÓg provides only question after question, with few answers in sight.

Though some reviews I have read were not a fan of the multiple POVs, I actually really enjoyed them. It gave the characters depth that would have been harder to achieve through just Ash's POV. It also allowed me to feel more deeply for each of the four, making this book all the more heartbreaking to read, and the pot twists at the end more shocking.

I don't know how I am going to wait so long for the second book. I definitely need it now!

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Realm of Lore and Lies in exchange for my fair and honest review"
I typically love anything Fae... and this was no exception!
Take a trip into the Realm of Lore and Lies with our wonderfully developed characters: Ash, Maebh, Set, Tiernan, and Conor as they uncover the deep, dark, secrets of the Tir na nOg. I loved the mini backstories of our cast of characters. They helped draw you in and assisted in understanding each of their trauma that molded them into the characters we grew to know and love. The different pov's assisted in learning who they were, where they came from, and why they did the things they did. It was interesting watching Ash's transformation; accepting her role in this tale and the support system she discovered to help get her there.
The world-building was adequate but fell short when it came to the Irish Lore. I felt there was an opportunity to delve a little deeper into the Tuatha De Dannan. For those with little or no background, I feel they weren't given the attention they deserved. Going deeper into the Fae and the Irish side of mythology could've given this book a huge boost. Fortunately, I came into this with barely more than a general knowledge and it just made me want MORE! More Fae. more magic. More explanation.
The story moved with a decent flow. The beginning started a wee bit slow but before long I was submerged in this magic-infused Ireland with murmurs of legend intermixed with present-day.
For the most part, I loved this book. The story. The characters. The setting and the plot/twists. Definitely looking forward to the next installment.

This book has given me everything I want! I was constantly guessing what would happen next and the ending absolutely blowed me away! It got me hooked from beginning to end and I can’t say enough how much I adored reading this! The world it is set in got me hooked and I can not wait to find out more about the characters we met and what will be happening in book 2!

I was so excited to get into this and really wanted to love it. This book had so much potential but unfortunately just didn’t grip me in the way I thought it would.

The pacing seemed off, there was so much going on but it lacked detail and depth. The plot was pushed along more so by dialogue and it left me confused and lost in places due to this lack of detail and depth. The characters also seemed superficial with no real development arc.

I do still want to know more about this universe and this story so I am looking forward to the rest of this series!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing this copy!

I really did try to be into this one, but I felt like I couldn't connect. I'm glad so many people are loving it though!

I liked this book a lot! I love the Irish folklore and that its based in Ireland. It gives the book something unique and different from other fantasy books. The only reason it is getting 4 instead of 5 stars is because it was on the longer side and was slow paced. But, overall i liked it and reminded me of SJM books.

I really enjoyed reading Ash’s points of views, and thought they flowed really well. Ash was a really well written character, and I always looked forward to her POV because of how well rounded and bold she was written.

However, I felt that there were a few characters where their POV wasn’t necessary. It jumbled the story line, and switched POV too quickly to give the reader time to process, and often didn’t have anything to do with the following chapters.