Crown of Earth and Sky is a captivating start to the Secrets of the Faerie Crown series by Emberly Ash. With lush, lyrical writing and a world steeped in fae lore, this book delivers an enchanting blend of magic, danger, and slow-burning tension.

The protagonist is easy to root for—strong but vulnerable, caught between duty and desire—and the unfolding secrets of the fae realm kept me intrigued throughout. Ash’s world-building is atmospheric and immersive, especially for fans of romantasy with a touch of the forbidden. The chemistry between the characters simmers with just the right amount of push and pull, and the politics of the fae world add an extra layer of tension.

The only thing holding this back from a full 5 stars is that some plot points felt a little rushed, particularly toward the end, and I wanted more time to explore certain emotional beats. That said, it’s a compelling series opener with plenty of promise. I’ll definitely be picking up the next book to see where this fae-filled journey goes!

I absolutely devoured this book!!! The world-building is rich without feeling overwhelming, and the character development is genuinely engaging.
What really stood out the most to me was the realistic, grounded relationships they gave a refreshing shift from tropes we often find in romance. Add in some truly unexpected plot twists, and this became a book I just could not put down!!

When I first started this book, I wasn't sure if it would hook me. It seemed like every other romantasy on the market at the moment, and I was worried I'd get bored of it. Boy, was I wrong!!!
I love the Arthurian tale, and this retelling was a refreshing take on it. With fae warriors, court intrigue, and powerful nature magic, this novel ticked all my boxes.
Veyka was a really interesting character, and whilst I definitely got annoyed at some of the decisions she made, I was invested in her story and her growth. She goes from an isolated, selfish girl to a compassionate, emotional woman, and it is amazing to see. I also love that she is plus-sized - more plus size romantasy love interests please!!
Arran is a really MMC (what can I say, I love a dark, brooding fae), and the tension between the characters was well-written and developed. It was like I could really feel the loathing and sexual tension between them through the pages. The pacing of the development of their romance was well-timed; it didn't feel rushed, but I also didn't feel like the story was dragging until they hooked up.
One thing I did struggle with was the constant focus on Veyka's boobs! They are always mentioned, bouncing and bobbing around even at the most inconvenient times. At one point during a sparring session, she even hides a dagger in her cleavage. Not only does this seem completely impractical, but I can't imagine the pain of it! This did take me out of the story for a bit, but once I got over it, I really enjoyed the story.
Overall, a really good start to a series, and I will definitely be reading the rest.
If you love romance, sexy fae characters, cool magic and HOT sexual tension, then I would definitely recommend this book!

What a book full of plus sized representation and childhood traumas bonding people as they grow. This book was gripping to me in so many ways and absolutely loved this first installment and queued up each book thereafter.

Such a great beginning to a series! Such an awesome retelling of King Arthur’s story. I loved that it was a retelling but the main character is a woman and how she not only survives but thrives through the chaos being thrown at her.

The romance between Veyka and Araan is to die for. Can’t wait to read the next book!!!

I actually binged these books SO hard, I haven't read the fourth one yet, but I will get there eventually. The first one was probably only a three star read for me, it had some writing elements that I didn't love, but you could really see the growth in the next two and I really enjoyed them!

Disclaimer: I was given a digital copy of the book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Trigger Warnings: This book deals with several topics that may be triggering for some readers. Trigger Warnings include depression, smut, graphically described torture, death, and violence; grief, rape, and abuse.

Summary: Veyka Pendragon is abruptly crowned Queen after her brother’s murder, and seeks to avenge him. But while she plots her revenge, she must also fulfill her duties as queen and wed the prince of another fae court to retain peace across their lands.

Crown of Earth and Sky has a large cast of characters, and some of them appear on page less than others, but each and every one contributes to the plot.

The main characters are full of emotion and personality, so I found it easy to understand their motives as well as relate to their feelings.

The tension between Veyka and Arran is unmistakable, and they’re the example of a slow burn done right. There’s so much banter between the two that makes this story all the more enjoyable, especially when things start to progress and their interactions get more intense and complicated.

As for the politics, world-building, and magic system, they all start to make more sense after you’ve read a good chunk of the book. I was personally able to figure out some things on my own via context clues but things became much more clear as I kept reading. So this is definitely a story that takes a while to deliver, but it has great potential to be a big hit as the series continues.

Things I Loved:

Crown of Earth and Sky was super easy to pick up from where I left off whenever my eyes needed a break. The pacing was just right and not at all hard to follow.

The main characters both came from different places of trauma and experienced certain forms of growth throughout the story, and it was great to see them change as individuals and a pair.

The exploration of grief hit too close to home for me, but it also helped me deal better with the loss of people I loved.

Things That Could Be Improved

While this is an adult book and there’s bound to be spice, as per noted in the trigger warnings, I felt like it was overpowering the actual plot for the first half of the book. Especially in Arran’s case.

A few things were mentioned excessively, like Arran’s brutality, or Veyka’s physique. And while they serve as their own unique elements of the plot, I felt like this could have been turned down a notch.

Finally, I personally found some chapters to be too long. As a reader with ADHD, I mostly prefer shorter chapters over long ones.

Overall Impressions: The first half of this book is extremely slow paced, but the second half makes up for it. I really enjoyed the premise of the book, but couldn’t find the depth and relatability I was looking for in the characters. There was so much potential behind the idea of this book, and I would be open to reviewing a sequel and seeing how the writing has changed over time. But until then, I’m going to have to rate this a 3.5-4 stars rounded up.

Why did I wait to read this book!? Crown of Earth and Sky is a King Arthur retelling with spicy moments and full of fae elementals and shifters.
Veyka is upset, the job that was suppose to be her brother's is now hers. She is now queen, to rule Annwyn. She wanted to be the spare, but King Arthur is murdered mysteriously.

When the Terrestrial heir comes to try and unite the kingdoms, Veyka soon realizes that she must move on from feeling grief and revenge. For The Brutal Prince, is set on pushing her out of her comfort zone and protecting her from those that murdered the King. With his help and those that she surrounds herself with Veyka is finding the light at the end, maybe even love.

This a great start to a series the characters and the plot definately have me intrigued the romance between the main two characters did happen a little to fast id of definately preferred a slow burn. I absoltely love that the mmc fell first we dont always see that in fantasy romance.I absoltely loved the banter between the characters this was top tier.The mfc is feisty and i loved that about her and i just know its going to get better as the series goes on.I cannot wait to see how the series goes i definately liked the writing style.The spice was a little heavy and i had to skim past it at certain points while i dont mind spice in books i just think in this book the spice went on for to long i dont want to red page after page of spice i would prefer to read more about the plot and the characters.This was still a great read and il definately continue on with the series and id still recommend this book i rated this 4 stars.

3.75 ⭐️
3.5 🌶️

Tropes -
Arranged marriage
Enemies to lovers (obvs!)
Dual POV
Touch her and die vibes
Forced proximity
Plus size FMC

This King Arthur retelling is a fun read albeit it is a dark fantasy retelling. There is enough tension and banter between Veyka and the Brutal Prince to keep you engaged with the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the story line & court dynamics.

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

I really wanted to like this book. I love a fae romance, and I love unique takes on Arthuriana. However, this one just seemed to be missing that “something” to make it really stand out. I think part of it is simply the relationships between the characters feels a bit flat at times. I love a book with great witty banter between characters, and this book tries for that, but it just doesn’t quite hit the mark. The book is well-paced, though I did find my brain wandering off at times. It often felt like a whole lot of nothing was happening. I found the main character, Veyka, to be slightly infuriating. She’s childish, petty, and often seems to be stubborn and obstinate just for the sake of being the “tough” FMC. I think that is where most of my issue is with the book- it just feels forced. My other issue was there was so much in the book that felt like other things I had read. It has very strong vibes of A Court of Thorns and Roses. I guess that was another issue for me, there wasn’t enough that felt different or original to make this one stand out. I hate giving up on a series once I’ve started, so I’m going to push through to book 2 in the hopes that it gets better.

Ok. That ending?? What?!??

Let me back up a little bit here. I have had this book on my TBR for too long. I knew it would be great but I just couldn’t come up from air from my ever growing pile of books to get to it.

Thankfully I was able to make the time and now I’m kicking myself for not reading it earlier!

Thankfully I can jump into book two and see what the heck just happened at the end of this book because I am left with my mouth agape right now!

Crown of Earth and Sky is a new twist on King Arthur and the Knights of the round table. The story focuses on Veyka, king Arthur’s twin sister and next up heir to the elemental fae and Arran the heir to the terrestrial fae.

This is more of a passionately dislike to lovers story and the slow burn tension between Veyka and Arran was done all well! We know early on the pain and trauma that Veyka has gone through but seeing their relationship unfold and them opening up to each other was truly such a great part of this story.

I love that Gwendolyn in this story is a fierce shifter who is there to protect Veyka as much as she is there to also protect her realm.

I want to see more from Pearys, Arthur’s best friend. He deserves some good in his life and I hope it’s coming for him!

Bring on book 2!!

Loved the plot and the writing style, with a nice mix of dual narration, however overall I found the romantic elements just a bit lacking in chemistry. I really liked the subtle hints to the King Arthur legend too, as I've found that this particular myth is hard to get right with retellings. This had enough of its own plot to feel different while retaining the hints of classic fantasy and that allowed me to feel immersed in this world.

I do think the pacing was a little off at times though, as it starts off at a break neck speed and had me gripped at the start, before slowly tailing off as the plot tried to get off the ground before a rushed ending.

Veyka is a hard character to like too. It took me time, and her character to develop, for me to understand that she's more than just a vessel for revenge but I could understand why some readers might not be immediately on board with her unwavering quest for revenge for her brother. Arran needed more development however, as I felt I didn't know much about him other than his hatred, yet irresistible pull, of Veyka. I think that's why I thought the romantic chemistry was a bit off. I needed more from Arran.

A intriguing take on a subtle Arthurian retelling, I'd be interested in seeing where the story goes.

King Arthur retelling (kinda) + Fae + magic = great story line

I loved this book!

Arthur is killed early in this book and his sister (Veyka) takes the throne. To unite the kingdom Veyka must marry Arran a terrestrial fae, they go from enemies to lovers and it’s so cute. There love is has dimensions. This book has a great story line and i was so excited to read book 2.

I struggled to get through this because at times I felt the plot was repetitive. It did get better as it went on though, and I will definitley continue this series to see what happens next.

This was wonderful! Perfect for any fan of Sarah J Maas or Danielle Jensen! It was perfect for getting me out of my reading slump.

this was a fun and exciting fantasy that had a great writing style and very lovable characters. This is a brand new author for me and I will continue looking into their books.

Crown of Earth and Sky was an exceptional read. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, captivated from start to finish by Emberly Ash’s vivid storytelling. The character development, especially Veyka’s, was a highlight for me—I love when characters grow in a way that makes them even more enjoyable to follow. Although the magic system wasn't immediately clear, I eventually grasped it and found it quite fascinating. Overall, it’s a fantastic story, and I’m excited to see where it goes next.

I’m quite conflicted. I thought the book was fairly enjoyable but for some reason I couldn’t get myself to care about the characters, especially the mmc. I liked the female lead at first but, because I didn’t care much for the romance aspect, I found myself liking her less. The writing was good though so I might give Ash’s other books a try.

to be honest, i wasn’t all that familiar with the king arthur tale going into this, but after finishing i went down a little rabbit hole and was completely engrossed.
recently, i’ve been a little tired of how samey romantasy stories can be, but this one had a unique charm to it that kept me hooked.
a little on the spicy side for me but veyka the badass that you are