I really struggled to get into this book, and wasn't totally clear what was going on for a good chunk of the story. The world building was quite confusing and I got too frustrated with it to really enjoy the characters. Things did get better later in the book, but I couldn't totally forgive the beginning!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review


First of all wow I loved this book so much it really is a spicy cruel prince meets swan lake.The lyrical and enchanting writing had me hooked and I just couldn't put it down.

If you like:
Enemies to lover
Friends to lovers
A love triangle done in the best way
A shadow daddy
A badass FMC with a unique power
Characters with alot of depth


I honest cannot wait for the next book and love the UK cover it is beautiful 😍

5 stars

I will post this review on goodreads and Instagram once I have a physical copy to post a photo with

A Feather So Black is a gripping epic romantasy. I thoroughly enjoyed this. The vibes of this felt like a mix of Uprooted/Deathless and The Cruel Prince. Without spoiling things, I'll say the use of the linear storytelling following a timeline was interesting and refreshing.

The romantic storylines were well developed and the love triangle, or rather an exploration of experiencing more than one love in life. I'm invested in Fia and Irian, who was such a compelling love interest. The fae folk lore was fantastic worldbuilding and gave a new perspective to what this gruesome world of the Folk can look like.

I was rooting for Fia and Irian and can't wait to see how their dynamic will play out. I just want more of them. Their banter was thrilling. The whole story played out in such a satisfying way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

ABSOLUTE PERFECTION - 5.5 stars!

This book swept me away into a place filled with magic and enchantment. Everything about this was mesmerising - the plot, the words, the characters. I felt this story on a soul level

*****

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

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

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

As an avid reader, I sometimes get a gut feeling that a certain book might really hit the spot for me, and A Feather So Black was one of those. I felt really drawn to it and I just had a feeling I would love it, and luckily, my intuition was right!

I loved this book so much. I've had a decent reading month so far but it had been a while since I found a book that truly got me excited, and I was so happy when this one turned out to be the one to break my slight drought.

It had so many elements that I love: the Celtic mythology and folklore, the magic that is very rooted in magic, a villainous love interest, and dark vibes to accompany it all.
There is a bit of a love triangle, but it is resolved very well, in my opinion, though I usually enjoy love triangles, so if you're a love triangle hater, I might not be the best authority to trust here.

The plot was so intriguing that I was captivated from page 1. I really enjoyed the first half, but the second half blew me away and I could not put the book down. The ending had me in tears. I loved it.

I also really loved the FMC and her development. I think it can be summed up with the quote, "You can't hate yourself into a version of you that you love." It made me feel really seen, and I teared up multiple times. That was another reason why I loved the romance in this a lot, I really loved how the love triangle reflected the FMC's journey.

There were definitely some classic romantasy tropes there and I think they can be hit or miss, but for me, they were definitely a hit in this one.

The atmosphere was so good, I loved the dark forest vibes with all the magic around and the many elements and creatures of Celtic mythology that were incorporated here. I don't know if this book was an accurate depiction of Celtic folklore, but the way it was done got me really interested in it and I would love to read more books that feature it so heavily.

Overall, I really loved this book and it's one of my favorite romantasy novels I have read in a long time.

(3.5 Stars)
For full clarity, I received an ARC copy of this book.
The beginning of this book was quite slow and confusing, to put it lightly you are dumped into it and expected to be able to swim. Filled with what I believe is an abundance of Gaelic terminology for which I clearly missed the glossary that was placed at the end of the book. Also, the overhaul of nature metaphors got to a point that it was almost too much before they eased to a bearable amount.
It took until 30% through that I finally knew what was happening properly enough to be interested and then finally I could connect with the characters, which of course could just be me but I have seen a lot of reviews state the same things.
That beginning aside, the story was unique for me apart from the swan princess retelling, and provided an intriguing path to follow. Filled with a complicated manipulative family and strange dark intrigue I can see the beauty in this world.

"Fine--life and death are simple," he rasped. "Love is not. I have never known a love that did not twist, did not curdle, did not Poison. Life hurts. Death levels. But love--love destroys."

I vivid romantasy retelling of Swan Lake, full of scheming and secrets, betrayals and bloodshed, love-triangles and lore. Its the perfect choice if you fancy a bit of Fae, spice and a dark broody shadow daddy hiding a heart of gold beneath a morally grey exterior (I mean who doesn't want that!)

I loved the world building and the character development. The main character Fia had a great arc, her characters development was steady and I loved her realising her own self worth. The story is intriguing and keeps you turning pages into the early hours and I can't wait for the next installment.

Overall a great fantasy read, sign me up for the sequel because I need more of my morally grey shadow daddy ;)

Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit for a free e-arc

I did not finish this: DNF at 15% and i even regret spending that much time on it.

Yet another romantasy title, with hot faes, tall and dark shadow daddies, and a super-strong-but-have-you-seen-how-tiny??-drop-dead-gorgeous-so-insecure-so-strong teenage FMC. I’m honestly so tired of it!

The world-building was non-existent: spouting Celtic folk names doesn’t mean anything if you don’t explain your take on the lore.

The plot didn’t exist either - most of the page time is smut. The writing is atrocious, purple prose at its finest.

If you enjoy this kind of empty book for the smut part, maybe go for it. I enjoy them from time to time, but i would recommend going for another author who at least knows how to write erotica.

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit Books, for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The world building was great and both the setting and plot at the start of the book really reminded me of From Blood & Ash.
The spice and the love triangle were captivating and I disliked Rogan’s treatment of Fia and enjoyed seeing her switch teams and realise her self worth.
At times the plot felt a little confusing amidst the world building and I was left wondering about the human queen’s retaliation and what actually happened to Eala and the maidens; however I raced through this and was happy it didnt end sadly given the large amount of implied tragedy throughout.
Thankyou for letting me read and review this!

Fia is a changeling - left behind in place of the High Queen's daughter as an infant with no memory before this. Over the years the queen has come to love and care for the fae as her own flesh and blood - or has she? There is a lot of scheming and secrets in this book that do get gradually revealed throughout the story. Her childhood friend Rogan returns from his home town after mysteriously returning there 4 years ago and the two of them are set a task to save the High Queen's true daughter and the 11 other children that were taken as children and kept by a cruel member of the fair folk. But of course all is not as it seems there either. I absolutely love stories about the fae and this one was a good entry into that category. I did find some of the writing quite repettitive (e.g. at the start of the book how many times did we need to be reminded about how Rogan had chosen to leave Fia 4 years ago - apparently the answer was MANY) but the overall story was engaging and I'm interested to know what happens next.

Summary:
In a realm where magic has vanished, Fia stands out as a rare changeling, abandoned by the perceived to be malevolent Fair Folk when they abducted the daughter of the High Queen, Eala, and sealed off the gates to the Otherworld.

When a hidden entrance to the Otherworld is uncovered, Fia is given a task by the High Queen to rescue Eala and dispel her curse. However, she is not alone in this endeavour; accompanying her is Prince Rogan, Eala's intended husband and Fia's childhood companion.

As they venture into a realm where magic permeates the very essence of nature and appearances can be deceivingly perilous, Fia's mission becomes entangled with her conflicting emotions towards the prince and her unexpected attraction to the sinister fae lord, Irian, who holds Eala captive. Despite Irian's monstrous demeanour, he seems to possess an understanding of Fia that no one else does.

Review:
I thoroughly loved this! I couldn’t put it down and it was just the perfect read for anyone who loves Faes, romantasy, spice and a truly captivating shadow daddy! We follow Fia in her quest for love in its many multifaceted forms from self-love to romantic love, as well as in her quest for freedom to be who she truly is.

This story is truly a story of love, with the most important love above all, being self-love – and I think that this message was delivered by the author in such a beautiful and achingly resonant way. I cried during some parts where the writer has woven in themes of belonging, self-actualisation and the need to hide or hate parts of ourselves to conform to society or to feel loved; this really resonated with me and the way that the author has expressed these complex themes through the character of Fia and through her connection with Irian was just so wonderfully intimate, intricate and just beautiful.

This is the kind of story that you will love if you want an engaging, hard-to-put-down and romantasy read that has all the lovely elements found in similar classics like the Cruel Prince and ACOTAR! I loved the characters in this book because they were so flawed, interesting and wonderful to read about. Fia’s character was one that I absolutely adored; she’s strong, yet soft and vulnerable but very flawed and real, which adds to her depth as a complex FMC. I also liked Rogan despite all his flaws, and I found that I could sympathise with his struggles, which were all too human and indeed quite sad – however, I felt that whilst he truly does love Fia, he does not deserve her. Irian, on the other hand, is just an exquisite man and I am utterly in love with him, and he WHOLEHEARTEDLY deserves Fia. I will die on this hill proclaiming that he is one of the best shadow daddies to have ever graced the literary space of fae lords. He is dark and brooding, soft and gentle, protective and exudes that perfect ‘touch her and die’ vibes!! He is probably my favourite character just because I truly loved how he was portrayed as this almost Byronic, fallen hero and his tragic background makes him so much more layered as a character – yet despite all the miseries of his past, he has become this powerful, strong, very loving (in his own way) and passionate man who will protect the ones he cares about with his life.

‘A Feather so Black’ has shown me once more why I love reading stories about Faes, strong FMC and dark brooding men who have a heart of gold underneath their morally grey exterior and has reminded me of all the reasons why I love to read romantasy in all its imperfect yet wonderfully captivating ways!

I recommend giving this book a try if you love all those things and if you want a read that will transport you into another world with whimsically beautiful writing and engaging characters, with romance and spice to top it all off.

Received via netgalley as a free arc to review

The description had me hyped and it met and surpassed expectations!

I will be recommending to friends and be buying a physical copy!

It's 1am and I just finished this book because I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for this ARC but also how could you toy with my heart so much????

This book is stunning. Gorgeous writing. Beautiful, immersive magic. And a love story that had me screaming!

Why I loved it 💕:

*Hidden identities
*Love triangle
*Fierce FMC
*Beautiful world building - gave me shivers!
*So many twists and betrayal
*THAT ending 😭

A feather so black by Lyra Selene
Published by Little, Brown Book Group UK
5/5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I absolutely fell in love with this book! It’s so captivating and beautifully written, I couldn’t not put this down!
Fia is a rare changling who was left behind when the Fair folk stole the High Queen’s daughter, the High Queen took Fia in and created a weapon out of her powers. However, the real princess was bound to Tír na nÓg cursed to become a swan by day. Fia is sent to retrieve the princess with her best friend (who is also the lost princess’s betrothed), adventuring through the Forster of folk and falling for the fae lord holding the princess captive.

I cannot wait for the second book of this series and will definitely be buying the physical copy!!

Thank you to Lyra, the publisher and NetGalley for this gorgeous arc!

I’ve mixed feelings on A Feather So Black. There are aspects of this book that I really loved, and I think the overall idea is just magical. BUT, it all fell a bit flat for me as I just had to suspend my disbelief far too much to be able to really sink into this.

I don’t mind some good old tropes but when there’s so many that everything just becomes painfully predictable I’m out. I feel like I called every ‘twist’ and ‘reveal’ as everything was just so overdone. Plot holes are in abundance here and while I can usually overlook these if the story is engaging enough, I just couldn’t get past them. Some of the prose was a bit corny too - again this wasn’t a major dealbreaker but when you add this into my other issues it was just the nail in the coffin.

I think my biggest complaint is the timeline and how unbelievable it makes everything. They can only go to the land of the fae one night a month?? And in between that we see very little. It felt hard to buy into this knowing there was basically a years worth of events happening and we got to see basically none of it??

I found myself rolling my eyes at things conveniently falling into place to allow the plot to continue unencumbered (e.g. a magic castle that just delivers all they need to survive so they can stay there in luxury yet alone. And the queen just allowing someone so important to just disappear off for a year with barely any updates? Or security? It was just all too unbelievable and I know we’re talking fantasy but the world has to at least make some sort of sense). It's definitely one I can’t think too much about as the more I actually engage my brain the more errors and issues I find with it which is a shame as I did really enjoy it while I was reading it.

Despite all that I did enjoy this, but I definitely won’t be reading the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

Thankyou to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

I loved this whole heartedly. It was everything i wanted it to be and more. Going in a didn't have many expectations, i hadn't heard much about it but it intrigued me non the less.

Things i loved:
-Swan lake retelling
-Fae world in the traditional way
-Everyone is a villain
-Love triangle/square
-Sentient dwellings
-Heartbreaking growth of our FMC
-Lyrical metaphorical writing
-Vividly descriptive
-Magical
-Betrayal

I honestly cannot wait for the next instalment of this!
One of the easiest 5 stars for me.

4 stars

Enjoyable for the most part. I would have preferred more focus on the plot compared to the romance, but the story we did get was engaging, involving curses and magic and even a bit of intrigue and betrayal.

The writing style was good but kind of corny? The MC loves to describe herself as "made of x and y and z", so many times. Here's a small sample:

I was made of rocks and bones and stinging things.


I was made of dusk and leaves and hidden places.


I was made of weeds and dark water and unbreakable ice.



I just find it a bit cringe when it's in first person (sometimes she even says it out loud). No one thinks of themselves in that way.

This book feels like a melting pot of elements from popular fae series. You've got the intrigue and power grabbing from fota (not as well done), the shadow daddy and endlessy horny characters of acotar, and probably others I don't recognise. But it mostly works, so that's fine. There is also a lot of Irish mythology in the book which was great.

I loved Corra, the sentient talking house spirit. Rogan and Irian, the two love interests, were just okay. Same for the main character.

There were some pacing issues. The nature of the story resulted in somewhat repetitive scenes, but the writing style is easy and smooth to read so it didn't drag. The ending was a little too rushed for my liking but it left me very interested in the next book.

If you dont like romantasy or SJM books you probably wont enjoy A Feather So Black, but those who do will find it a comfortable read with familiar tropes handled competently.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I honestly loved this book, I was a little disappointed that the fmc took so long to realise certain things but I still very eagerly await the 2nd book!

It was definitely difficult to know who to trust in this dark, fae read. With everyone seemingly out for themselves, and Fia in the middle of things, trying to save her people without causing any more damage. I really felt for Fia’s character, and all the prejudice she’s faced growing up, even from those closest to her, who haven’t accepted her for who she is and instead try to change her or shy away from her fae magic. She has secrets to keep, and parts of herself she’s had to bury deep to please everyone else and seeing her able to rediscover those pieces of herself and her passions throughout the story was great. Her strange relationship with Rogan didn’t sit right with me and I found it a bit uncomfortable, mostly because at the heart of it, he seems to be using her and playing with her emotions, whilst claiming to be in love. Despite how strong and fierce Fia is, she’s also emotionally vulnerable, desperately searching for any kind of love in a world that hates her.

There weren’t many characters to like in this book, though a few certainly were better than others, but this book is full of manipulation, danger and mystery. I didn’t always understand what was going on, as the storyline was pretty complex, and I found it incredibly slow paced. Fia and Rogan entered the fae world once a month and that time passed quickly, and they were back in the human world, skipping through those weeks as well, and it made it hard to engage with the story when so much time it felt like waiting and the plot wasn’t progressing much at all for such a big chunk of the book.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. This was a decent read, there were certainly aspects I liked, including the writing style, character development and world building. However in all of those things I would have liked more depth overall, particular in some of the side characters. The pacing was also a little inconsistent, the ending in particular felt very rushed. Nonetheless I would recommend this to Romantasy fans and I will read the next installment!