3.5/5 stars! I love fae stories and ones featuring changlings, so I was really excited to read this book. This also hits the spot as a darker romtantasy retelling of Swan Princess. Most of the characters were likable but I disliked Fia our FMC. She just felt too naive and that she didn't want to learn or grow, even when the truth is right in front of her. Want to see what happens in the next book.

Absolutely stunner of a book. Lyra has a beautiful way with words and the worldbuilding is magnificent.

This story is beautifully written, has some wonderful quotes and a really interesting premise. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it. The way the book is structured so that most of the characters only interacted one night a month made the plot feel a little repetitive and kept taking me out of the story. I'm giving it three stars because it had a lot of good points and will probably work for a lot of people, it just wasn’t for me.

I think I've been having the same problem with a lot of books recently, in that this was a hard read to really get into for the first 100 pages or so, however after that it really started to pick up.

I think the stand out for this book was it's slightly different take on fair, twisting them from what you so commonly read in fantasy and romantasy books at the moment, making them a darker more eerie version of the beautiful creatures. I'm always a fan of a changeling plot line, especially when they are developed well and not just thrown around for the sake of plot. I also have to say that it was refreshing to read a retelling of a less commonly used fairy tale.

A Feather So Black is a captivating fantasy story. Author's evocative prose brings to life a world where magic pulses through moonlit forests, creating an immersive and atmospheric setting. The novel explores complex themes of identity, love, and loyalty, presenting a multifaceted love triangle that adds depth to the characters' relationships. It was definitely interesting book!

The writing in this book was very whimsical, dark-cottage-coresque and I was here for it.

However, I do think I have to agree with a lot of other reviews that said it took about 1/3 to really get into it. I think I would have liked it more if Fia and Irian spent more than one night a month together and if I didn't have to read so much about Rogan. Apparently, I am the only one who didn't find him likeable but, yeah he is not my cup of tea. I don't like people who are unaware of their privilege. And, I really didn't like that he constantly pressured her when she clearly said they weren't going to work. I also hate that he wanted her to agree to be his mistress yet he didn't love all of her - he would ask her to hide her Folk side. I wanted her to turn him into a pinecone.

The creepy, malicious fae creatures were really fun to read about after all of the Fae romantasy books in the last few years. (Corra 🖤🖤)

I would have LOVED if the glossary/pronunciation were at the beginning of the book and not the at the end! Once I realised it, it was too late - my incorrect pronunciations were stuck.

For a relatively long book, not very much happened overall but, I'm looking forward to the next one!

3.5

Another intriguing fairy book and this time with a changeling as the main character, Fia, raised by the queen and trained to be a spy. Together with her childhood friend she is tasked on a rescue mission that encompasses the plot of the book.

The writing is was I liked ended up enjoying most but the characters fell a bit flat for me. It’s traditional romantasy and I already have friend in mind who would definitely enjoy the enemies to lovers and shadow daddy aspect that I personally don’t enjoy that much.

I’ll look forward to the authors other works!

“I was made of earth and sky and endless waters. I was made to be loved fully, or not at all.”

"But if love demands alteration to exist, is it even love at all?”

I LOVED this book 😍
I'm actually annoyed that it has taken me so long to read this. I had heard mixed reviews and it dissuaded me from reading it back when this came out.
This was fantastic, so beautifully written. I couldn't figure out who Fia should trust. I had my suspicions but this was written so well that I could feel Fia's doubt.
I actually despised the Queen, Fia's adoptive mother. I was just waiting and waiting for Fia to realise that she didn't care about her.
I have already jumped into the next one - I just couldn't help myself!

As someone who absolutely adores Swan Lake and fantasy books, this read was absolutely everything to me and I was so excited to finally read it It had curses, betrayal and untimately everything I want in a fantasy romance and more. I adored the characters and the world building was written so beautifully. I was completely enthralled from the fiirst page.

The writing is so undeniably poetic yet so easy to read and the pacing was perfect in captivating me the whole way through. If you love Sarah J Maas and Holly Black, you would absolutely adore this book. This is a solid recommendation for any romantasy lover and I cannot wait for book two!

2.5⭐️

"...And if your love only destroys, let it destroy me. I am already a doomed man.”

What happens when you send a changeling to the fae realm to free a cursed princess and steal a powerful object? Love squares, betrayal, and sacrifice.

Our changeling is Fia. She has powers that involve plants, though im not sure how exactly they work. But to be fair, neither does she. Rogan is love interest number 1, a childhood friend who is betrothed to the lost princess, and so they can not be. Irian is love interest number 2, the fae who cursed the stolen girls.

I can't lie i think the Corra was actually my favourite character. Full of mischief and a hatred for rogan that I shared. Irian was far superior in terms of love interests I'd put him as second favourite character. Eala is our princess, and the second she was introduced, i had an uneasy feeling about her. She's a very well written character. Every time she interacted with Fia, I was on edge.

I struggled with deciding whether I liked the book or not. Part of me likes that it takes place over a year with our duo visiting the fae realm each full moon. Part of me feels like it leaves gaps in the timeline since we have a lot to fit in the page count with those trips and the time between.

As far as the romance goes, I like where it ends up and where it takes the plot. There is one plot point involving black feathers (im trying not to spoil it) that i wish had more foreshadowing because it would have made a more interesting read.

The plot, in general, is a tad predictable though, especially the way this book ends and who the villains of our tale end up being. That being said, I do think we have the setup for a brilliant drama and battle packed second book with a truly detestable big bad.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

3.5 stars!

This story was beautifully written, with the lyrical and descriptive writing really immersing you in the world.

The story was a little slow to start for me personally, potentially due to all of the world-building, which although was beautiful, was also quite slow paced. It wasn't really until 80% in where I really felt the story pick up and actually built much more of a connection to the characters rather than just the locations. I found it tough initially to connect to our MFC, who felt very contradictory throughout, initially being portrayed as a weapon but then frequently struggling to. The character development was slow, but after reading the end I warmed up to her lots and I'm looking forward to see how she progresses in the next book.

Having said this, when it did pick up, it really did, I couldn't put it down for the last 20% and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the story develops in the next book.

“I had to find a way to do all things. To renew the Sky-Sword to its full power without risking Irian’s life. To break Eala’s geas so she might go home. To bring magic to Mother without exposing Fódla to a war no one would win.”

A Feather So Black is an enchanting fantasy romance that draws on Irish mythology from Lyra Selene, the first book in her Fair Folk series.

Raised as a weapon, and taught to despise her own kind, Fia Ní Mainnín is the changeling daughter of the High Queen, Eithne Uí Mainní, left behind when the true princess, Eala, was spirited away by the Fair Folk and trapped in Tír na nÓg after a vicious war. When the Queen learns that a Gate to the fae world is open she tasks Fia with the rescue of Eala, and the theft of a Fae Treasure.

A Feather So Black unfolds over about a year as Fia is only able to cross into the otherworld on the night of a full moon, and must leave before it wanes or be trapped in the hostile landscape. With each incursion she plots the rescue of her sister, who is cursed to live as a swan during the day, and searches for the sword she is to steal, both of which are guarded by Irian, a shadowy and powerful fae, whom Fia is reluctantly drawn to.

In between her scouting trips, Fia camps in an abandoned (sort of sentient) castle, accompanied by Prince Rogan Mòr with whom Fia has been in love since she was a child. Rogan however is betrothed to Eala, and daren’t betray his duty despite his feelings for the changeling.

Cue the obligatory love triangle/quadrangle, though in my opinion Rogan shouldn’t even be in the running. He is weak and annoying in large part, not much more than a spoiled man-boy. I felt we spent too much time with the two of them, even given the constraints of plot. Irian is altogether more appealing, and I liked there scenes together. Irian is also responsible for encouraging Fia to embrace her fae heritage, and therefore herself.

“You are dangerous and intoxicating. You are sharp thorns and bright flowers. You are darkness and the starlight shining within it. You are whatever you wish yourself to be. Do not let anyone tell you what you are or what you are not.”

I do like Fia, she is resourceful, brave and clever, but she’s been blind to how badly she’s been treated. The time away from the kingdom, and her burgeoning relationship with Irian finally allows her to see that, and Selene handles the personal growth of her character well.

Though I felt the author didn’t quite have a handle on the structure her plot dictated, resulting in uneven pacing, I did like the story overall. I thought the world-building was strong, borrowing from Celtic lore, and the tale of The Swan Princess. There’s a good mix of action, romance and magic, with a tense and exciting ending.

While I did enjoy A Feather So Black, I probably won’t go out of my way to continue with series.

A Feather So Black had an intriguing premise, blending Fae and mortal realms with a changeling twist. Fia’s journey, from being raised as a queen’s daughter in place of the human princess to navigating a tense love triangle, had potential, I liked reading the story from a changeling’s point of view, something that reminded me of Tithe by Holly Black, though Fia knows she is a changeling and is manipulated because of that. I also liked the evolving relationship between Fia and the mysterious Irian. Their exchanges through stories gave their bond a fairy tale quality I found engaging.
However, the book dragged for me. The pacing was uneven, and the constant reminders of Fia being a "weapon" became repetitive. While the themes of trauma and manipulative parental relationships were well explored, the plot felt drawn out, and the mortal realm chapters didn’t capture my interest as much as the Fae world. I appreciated the world-building but found myself losing interest halfway through. Overall, this was a 2-3 star read for me—interesting ideas, but the execution didn’t fully draw me in as I would have liked.

First thing first: love triangles are one of my pet peeves and there's a love triangle in this story.
I like romatasy fiction when the author did a good job in balancing the fantasy and the romance part and it worked quite well in this one.
There's a different take on the Fae world and the characters are intriguing.
There's the right part of spicy part that I duly skipped as the spicy scenes usually bore me to tears (except in some occasion).
Curious about the next part
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book was a bit slow to start with and didn't really pick up until closer to the end.

Despite the slow pace I still enjoyed the story and felt that the characters were really well written.

I wish there had been a bit more depth to the world building and romance however this is just my personal preference.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for providing me with this arc.

I thought this was a very fun and fast paced read, and it wasn't difficult to follow along with the action. The book is very character driven which I personally don't enjoy that much, but I still enjoyed the book enough to know that I want to read more of this world.

It's a bit tricky to give a full judgment on this book, but in summary, I'd say: the retelling of Swan Lake is beautifully done, and I really liked the way the fae world is portrayed. However, I would have liked more depth in the romantic storyline, especially in the transition from one love interest to the other, which felt a bit too fast for me (while I really enjoyed the relationship between the protagonist and her first love in the beginning). I'll definitely read the second book, because I enjoy the writing style, the story is intriguing, and the world the author has created is truly beautiful. Plus, after that ending, I need to know what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the advance reader copy,

Firstly the premise and cover of this book are beautiful and then unfortunately there’s the book itself.

I have been struggling for the last couple of months to get past the 7% mark in this book and ha e come to the conclusion that no matter how much time I set aside I won’t finish this.

It feels juvenile and repetitive. There’s already so much angst and we’re barely in the story.

I know I’m probably in the minority but this wasn’t for me.

I’m giving this first book a solid 3.5 stars. The story don’t really pick up until the last 150 pages or so i guess. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by how spicy it got, totally unexpected! The character growth was definitely a highlight, and despite the slow start, I’m intrigued enough to pick up the next installment.
p.s- i'm legit tired of all the ''shadow daddy'' characters i've read

Thank you so much Netgalley and Orbit Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!


#AFeatherSoBlack #NetGalley

“You and I … we were never more than an impossible story. A story we told ourselves so many times, we both started to believe it”

A captivating dark romantasy perfect for fans of Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince series!

This book had everything I’d want in a good romantasy: magic, curses, fae, YEARNING!! I absolutely devoured this book and can’t wait for the next one.

(Apologies for the late review, life got in the way)