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)

This was a deeply immersive, dark-ish fantasy story. I really loved the world and the characters, the story was fast paced and had plenty of action and romance so I was hooked the whole time. I really loved the main character and I can't wait for book 2!

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. There's Fae, there are mortals, a cunniving queen, a self-centered prince, a realm at war with itself. It had potential.

the Good:
- The writing style is fluid and the editing of the book precluded most annoying repetitions.

the Bad:
- If we look past the fact that I'm kind of over the Fae, the book was boring. Almost 500 pages (Fairyloot edition) of boring.
- The mortal realms chapters kep me from getting engaged with the Fae realm stories.
- The constant reminder that the main character is a "weapon" got old, past page 200.
-Rogan is very annoying.
- Bruising kisses everywhere... such a strange concept.

I love faerie stories, and I was so excited to read about a changeling raised in the human world. I enjoyed following Fia, she's feeling torn between the human and fae parts of herself. She's been raised to hate the fae and the magic she possesses, but as she ventures into their realm and discovers the truth abouth them, she questions all she's ever learnt. Her growth was one of my favourite aspects of the story!

The setting of Tír na nÓg was also a highlight. Learning the history and the magic along with Fia as she encountered different people was fun and this combined with the swan princess story surrounding Eala made the book for me!

The romance on the other hand let it down slightly. I'm not a huge fan of love triangles and in this case, I didn't feel myself rooting for a specific interest. I did enjoy scenes with both of them but ultimately, I didn't feel strongly about who she should be with, although it does become quite obvious who it will be. Hopefully I'll become more invested in the romance with the future books!

This book tried to do a lot of things but the execution was only okay. I think too many Celtic myths were happening at once, and being very familiar with them I found the combination at times clumsy. I did have fun reading this book but it’s not one I will return to or read the sequel

I was provided with an advanced reader copy of this book in ebook format in hopes that I would read the book and post an honest review.

For fans of Holly blacks Cruel Prince or Stolen Heir this book will take your breath away.

The Queen and her Mortal armies waged war until The Gentry, the Fae retreated into Tír na nÓg and sealed the gates behind them . The Queen and her people were thrilled with their victory, but then they discovered that when the fae left they took magic as well as The Princess, The Queens only child away with them. And in her place they left a changeling child.

The changeling was given the name Fia and treated as favoured pet. Taught the arts of battle and the ways of the assassin and spy the child grew into a deadly young woman.

Now Fia finds herself on a mission to enter Tír na nÓg free her sister and return magic. Oh and to accompany her the boy she cared for as a child but who is promised to her sister the missing Princess.

Fia never imagined the dangers she would find in the enchanted realm of the Gentry. She also never imagined that she would find herself. Now torn between the mortal world and her duty and the world that she herself partly comes from which will she choose?

This is an epic tale of enchantment and wonder and will keep you up long past your bedtime wondering what happens next. I throughly loved this read every moment of it.

I really enjoyed this, the writing was really fun and easy. A really enjoyable romantasy with great characters and fun dialogue. Some of these scenes really made me feel giggly