Unfortunately a DNF. Even from the first 20%, the book feels too tropey to me, almost as if catered purely to market to a tiktok audience. Although I enjoyed the writing style, the descriptions seemed to drag on and due to the length of the book, I felt I couldn’t continue. Didn’t develop enough attachment to the story or characters to push through.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

“I was made of dusk and leaves and hidden places. I was not made to be loved by men”

This book was a dream. Lyra Selene’s A Feather so Black made me realize how much I have missed traditional faerie and was the first time I have felt re-immersed in its magic since The Cruel Prince. The Celtic folklore was enchanting and gave it a unique twist in comparison to a typical fae romantasy.

I usually hate love triangles, but this is the first time I didn’t. It may have been because I didn’t feel as connected to Fia and Irian as I wanted to be, but the beautifully descriptive writing distracted me. Have I mentioned how much I liked the writing?

Besides the writing, the other main highlight was a character named Corra who describes themselves as ‘We are broken hearts and old sorrows. We are crumbling rocks and empty glasses and forgotten hallways and the tolling of the bell in the highest tower.” **goosebumps** Ominous/creepy side characters will always have my heart.

Recommending this book to fans of The Cruel Prince would typically make me roll my eyes, but it is so deserved. The sequel is going to be one of my highly anticipated books to read in 2025.

Favorite quotes

❀ “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”

❀ “Was it truly weakness to love something that could not love you back? Or might it actually be strength- to love something so selflessly that you did not care whether that love would ever be returned”

❀ “The human part of me didn’t understand how something so beautiful could be so wicked. The other part of me- the part of me crafted from the darkest parts of the forest- understood perfectly”

VIBES: IMMACULATE. This book makes me want to run away into the forest, and let myself become one with the trees and moss. Yearning, magic, masked fetes under a canopy of trees, a dark and mysterious curse… I’m obsessed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

A thrilling romantasy that hooked me from the first page!!

In A Feather So Black, Fia is a changeling that was left in place of the human princess by the Fair Folk. Princess Eala is cursed to stay in the fae realm and spend her days as a white swan, while Fia is raised as the queen’s daughter. Eventually Fia is tasked to return to the fae realm, retrieve the princess, and steal a powerful weapon that will give the human queen the ability to rule over both lands. To do so, she must confront Irian, the mysterious and alluring fae lord holding Eala captive.

This story had a lot of really unique components. I thought Fia and Irian were both very interesting, well-developed characters. I loved how they got to know and trust each other through exchanging stories in the style of fairytales. I also thought the love triangle between Fia, Irian, and Rogan was well done. Rogan’s arranged marriage to Eala added a fun twist.

Overall, a fun read, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

I feel like this book had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it wasn't my favorite.

I've really loved the messaging relating to trauma and toxic parental relationships and that was an extremely important point of the book for me. I appreciate how the theme was portrayed.

The plot itself was interesting, but it had a lot of plot holes and it was very drawn out and repetitive. The romance was also pretty repetitive and I got bored of it to be honest.

I feel like if the book was shorter, I'd enjoy it more. It could have been more polished and edited down in my opinion, as I've overall sometimes felt as if it was a chore to read it.

That being said, again, I appreciate the themes and the atmosphere. I'll check out the author's next release because of that, even if this book wasn't perfect for me.

Wonderful to see Irish mythology placed at the centre of such a truly beautiful yet action packed story.

The plot felt a bit underdeveloped with very strange pacing. The initial story turns into a romance and we had all the world building, with an obvious pick for the LT.

I would have enjoyed more substance to the story and for the initial quest to be a larger role within the storyline.

I liked the Irish language and folklore but I would have liked it better if the words had been called out as Irish instead of a fantasy language. The main character was very interesting and I liked her a lot. I found it a little difficult to keep focus with the timeline of things that were happening. Overall nice imagination and good main character, but the timeline of events took me out of the story a bit.

The vibes? Immaculate. The plot? Pretty good. The romance? Why do a love triangle if you're going to make it obvious who the main character is going to end up with? Leave some suspens to the reader and make both options possible and likable choices. That's why I took out a full star because that annoyed me but otherwise, it was really great, especially if you like Holly Black's faes.

When I read the synopsis of this book I was really excited as I adore Irish Mythology, and there aren’t many romantasy books centred around it , however while this book had great potential, unfortunately for me it missed the mark.

The 3 stars are mainly for the writing style - I loved the poetic style Lyra Selene used throughout for her descriptions , and describing the surrounding areas was a strength for this book.

However for me , I found it hard to connect with any of the characters, I don’t feel they were as fleshed out as they could have been given this was a slightly longer book.

The plot while interesting seemed underdeveloped as the book went in, the quest Fia was initially sent in seems to take a back seat for most of the book with the concentration being on the love interests. I was sad that the 12 “swans” weren’t a bigger part of the story (we hardly meet any of them on page) given the inspiration behind the book.

This pacing was also quite off for me, with much of the book ending up irrelevant to the overall plot, which in turn meant the initial high stakes mission gets forgotten by the time we are at 50% until the last 10% of the book.

Not sure I will continue in this series but as I say, the writing was really pretty so willing to give the author another try.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

A Feather So Black is a fairytale themed tale of a changeling and a prince sent to rescue a stolen Princess from the fairy realm.

The author's almost poetic writing style really brought the fairytale element to life. The world felt ethereal, magical and otherworldly. From house spirits to girls that are swans by day, princes to magical guardians, along with other fairy folk, there are a whole host of truly fairytale-esque characters.

Unfortunately the world building was the best part of the book for me. The actual story itself felt difficult to read because the pacing was all over the place. The gate to the fairy realm only opened for one night a month and this book takes place over at least 8 months. This meant that a lot of filler material between each opportunity to rescue the princess. The story felt like it dragged on until the ending which was incredibly abrupt!

The main character I did like, but the prince was incredibly frustrating and juvenile. The interactions between most of the characters felt a little flat and lacking in chemistry throughout the book and the love square was predictable and boring.

Overall, it had potential to be a truly exquisite fairytale but unfortunately, it just didn't hit the mark for me.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book. From the first chapter, I was interested in the relationship between Fia and Eala. I wanted to see how they would react to meeting each other, mainly as Fia is characterised in opposition to the ideal image of Eala. This scene was brief for some reason, and the swan maidens don’t appear on the pages that much. The plot soon turns into a romance, a love triangle where Fia moves from a romantic scene with one love interest directly to a meeting with the other. I am not opposed to romance subplots in fantasy, but I hate when they take over the narrative. Also, I found it hard to care for any of the characters. This book just wasn’t for me.

Sucked me in and I didn't want be up to 1am reading but I was. Ready for book two for sure! For the most part, I didn't see that ending coming. I saw a couple aspects of it but was, overall, completely satisfied! I will definitely be watching for the next one!

I’m not quite sure how I felt about this. I started out at 4 stars but the more I thought about it, I don’t think it was for me.

I feel the glossary and pronunciation guide would have been useful at the front as I went through the whole book struggling to understand what half of the terms were and not being able to pronounce the names until I got to the end and realised there was a guide..

I didn’t really like any of the characters except for Irian and Corra.

I just feel like this didn’t make a lot of sense, the descriptions were just too much and actually, not a lot happened. Corra kept me interested as they were witty and funny. And Irian was mysterious and I was rooting for him the whole time.

This had a lot of potential with the actual plot but it just fell flat for me in execution.

Wow.....this book is everything I absolutely loved it if I could give it more stars I would this book is beautifly written I will think about this book forever I no this book will be my favourite book of 2024 I no this because I think it's the best book I have ever read this book has everything I loved the plot the characters I loved the story's and the way they were told I loved the atmosphere and all the magic in this book I didn't want this book too end and can't wait for book 2

I had a good time reading this despite the main character being quite frustrated a few times and doing some silly things.

Ultimately, I thought it had a strong message at the end and that the growth the main character had throughout the story was well executed.

I liked the Celtic fae lore that was weaved through this story and while at times it did go over familiar ground with a loved triangle etc I was still with it for the most part.

I do think that it was kind of obvious where it was going with certain elements and that the love triangle was a bit rushed with one side - if you think logically about the most time they could've spent together it doesn't really make sense that they're literally pledging undying love but hey, it was still a good time.

I will be continuing the series.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

"A Feather So Black" by Lyra Selene weaves a captivating tale set in a kingdom where magic has faded and intrigue thrives. The story follows Fia, a rare changeling with fae blood, raised by the queen and trained as a spy. Tasked with a mission to rescue the true princess, Eala, from the clutches of the dark fae lord Irian, Fia embarks on a journey fraught with danger and emotional turmoil.

The plot unfolds with layers of suspense and mystery as Fia navigates the enchanted forests of the Folk, where danger lurks behind every shadow. Alongside her is Prince Rogan, her childhood friend and Eala's betrothed, adding a complex dynamic to their quest. As Fia grapples with her feelings for both Rogan and the enigmatic Irian, she begins to question the true nature of her mission and her own identity.

Selene's writing style is rich with vivid imagery, painting a fantastical world brimming with magic and peril. The characters are well-developed, each with their own motivations and secrets. Fia emerges as a compelling protagonist, torn between loyalty to her queen and the stirrings of her heart.

However, while the story captivates with its intricate plot and vibrant characters, there are moments where the pacing falters, and certain plot points feel rushed. Additionally, some aspects of the world-building could have been further explored to enhance the reader's immersion in the fantastical realm of Tír na nÓg.

Overall, "A Feather So Black" delivers a mesmerizing blend of fantasy, romance, and adventure. It's a tale of love and sacrifice, where the boundaries between good and evil blur, leaving readers questioning the true nature of heroism. As Fia grapples with her destiny and the secrets of her past, she learns that the greatest battles are often fought within oneself.

I liked the idea of the story and I enjoyed the Irish lore woven throughout. However, there were so many aspects that were really hard to enjoy or even comprehend. I do love that Irish can be seen and acknowledged by others (despite the rules of the language being quite difficult to understand) but hated how the author left other words to phonetic spelling. Colleen isn't the literal spelling and I hated it every time Irian said it. It should be cailín which is "girl" in Irish. Anyway, that's just a gripe that is irrelevant to anyone else but me lol.

The pacing was slow, the characters boring. Irian is a copycat of Rhys and every other shadow daddy out there. Not really a complaint because he is still sexy. But the characters were all hard to trust and therefore boring because it was predictable that Fia would be blindsided. Even though she's trained to be a warrior yada yada. So repetitive too.

But despite all that, I still wanted to finish the story to see where it would go. It was good, but it wasn't great. I probably won't read the sequel.

I received an e-arc and audioarc through Netgalley all opinions are my own.

The audiobook was fine. I probably wouldn't have been able to pronounce a lot of the words in this book without the audiobook.

I also dont think I would have finished this book without the audiobook, because it was so damn long.

The book really didn't need to be that long.

I didn't like any of the characters, to me they were all very one dimensional.

Fia is so naive and annoying.
She keeps on talking about how she was forged and made to be a weapon. But we don't actually see her in action.

All romances sucked.

I saw from a mile away who the bad person was.


I didn't like anything about this book. This should really have just been a dnf.