— 5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Out of all the punishments I've endured, why is being forbidden to have you the worst of them all?"

📖 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 384 pages
👤 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫:Jennifer Delaney
🏢 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: Gollancz
📅 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 29 August 2024

What you can expect:
— Adult Gothic Fantasy Romance
— First Instalment In A Trilogy
— First Person X Single POV
— Jane Eyre Inspired
— Fey X Scarred Dark Mysterious Lord
— Sentient & Meddling House
— Forbidden Romance
— Close Proximity
— Tending To Each Other's Wounds
— Dark Academia
— Murder Mystery
— Found Family
— 'Who Did This To You'
— Slow Burn Romance
— Morally Grey Characters
— Non-Binary Flirts

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
Tales of a Monstrous Heart is the first instalment in a new trilogy by debut author Jennifer Delaney. Be careful of the dark and those that call it friend. Katherine Woodrow is Fey, and all she wants is to graduate from the Institute of Magic. But when the prejudiced mortal council threaten her position at the institute, she is left with only one option: accept a Mage Partnership with the elusive Lord Blackthorn. Emrys Blackthorn is a riddle Kat is fearful of solving. The mysterious, cursed war hero with his stormy eyes and unpredictable ways leaves Kat with more questions than answers. What she does know is that she is irresistibly drawn to him . . . no matter how forbidden it might be. When a string of murders and fey disappearances herald the return of dark magic, Kat and Emrys are thrown into a world of ancient books that hide hideous monsters, dark fiends who play with nightmares and mortal men who wish nothing more than to see them both burn. But what haunts them both are secrets even ghosts dare not whisper, while insidious shadows lick their teeth and sharpen their claws, waiting for the moment that all tales will come to light - even the monstrous ones.

𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲:
To say I'm thrilled and in awe is an understatement. I've been highly anticipating Tales of a Monstrous Heart for months after following the author on social media and if I could give higher than a five star rating... I would. Knowing this story is a debut publication for author Jennifer Delaney only adds to my delight, and I cannot wait to see what comes next for Delaney as a writer and how she continues to explore in the Tales series. This richly seductive and gothic tale was unputdownable with its compelling narrative, enticing setting, haunting mystery and well-explored storyline. The pacing was steady from beginning to end as we are granted ample time to discover our main cast of characters and divulge into the lore of their world, and I look forward to see what comes next in the story after that explosive ending left my jaw dropped and my heart racing. I devoured this book and its contents in one sitting whilst barely coming up for air... that's how good it is.

𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭:
I was thoroughly submersed into the plot of Tales of a Monstrous Heart from the very first page as we are immediately thrust into an action-packed first chapter. Faced with the prejudice of her heritage and an innate need to fit in amongst her human peers, Katherine Woodrow desperately tries to keep her chaos to a minimum to little success. Unfortunately for her, fate is fickle and in the mood to play games. With her magic at risk of being 'cleansed' and being cast out of the Institute, Kat has begun to lose hope until she receives partnership papers from the mysterious and presumed dead Lord Emrys Blackthorn. Lord Blackthorn provides Kat with the opportunity she desperately needed, until she finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery as her fellow Fey continue to turn up dead with sinister forces at play. At no point did I find the plot to 'lull' or drag as we follow Katherine and Emrys in their bid for answers. The history of their world plays a recurring role in the mystery that they desperately seek to unveil, and I really enjoyed how this was incorporated into the developing plot. It became clear that nothing is said or done without reason, and I look forward to see where the rest of the series will go as more secrets are revealed and mysteries are unravelled.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:
Katherine Woodrow is my kind of main character with her feisty and formidable nature. When we are first introduced to Kat, she is doing everything she can to blend in with her human peers and hide her Fey heritage. All she wants is to be viewed as an equal, and it broke my heart to recognise how strong of a character she is that has been forced with submit to the will of others. Her bravery and resilience manifest in the defence of those who need it... even the undeserving. Kat is willing to do whatever it takes to protect the few people in her life that she cares for, and I had the best time seeing just unhinged she could become in response to that protection. She's intelligent and resourceful, and her loyalty is unparalleled. I felt immense pride for Kat's character as she began to unravel the 'truths' she had been given and analyse the world around her as it is. Kat really comes into herself and her identity as a powerful Fey which was a monumental moment after spending so many years trying to be accepted for who she wasn't. Her trauma broke my heart after slowly learning about what she had endured as the plot progressed, and I'm really eager to see where her character will go after that epic ending to the book. Jennifer... you'll be receiving my therapy bill.

LORD Emrys Blackthorn. Phew. What a man he turned out to be. I've been practically salivating over this man as a result of Delaney's teasers in the last few months, and to say he did not disappoint is an understatement. Dark and broody. Horrifically scarred and mysterious. Check and check. And yet despite his imposing presence, I was pleasantly surprised to see how soft and compassionate Emrys could be. His patience and guardian-like regard towards William was so endearing and special. This bond helped showcase that as secretive and and seemingly unreachable his character is, Emrys is still capable of forming bonds despite how selective he may be. His willingness to trust in Kat from the beginning had me opening up to his character and eager to learn more about his character. His mysterious allure pulled me in, and I completely understand Kat's attraction to him. Also... I love a man with a protective streak that still recognises his woman's ability to defend herself. I was consistently swooning at his protection attempts, just to start laughing at Kat's stubborn disregard as she went on to do what she wanted anyone. This poor stoic man just wanted to find answers on the murder mystery plaguing their lands, just to be left baffled and frustrated (yet attracted) by his stubborn Fey companion. I still very much feel like there is more to Emrys's character than what was revealed, and I look forward to being granted a more intimate insight to his character in book two.

William and Alma were the best supporting characters that I could hope for. William's youthful and positive outlook on life despite how devastating his past circumstances were. Alma's unrelenting and loyal nature. They acted as a perfect balance to one another and I adored their joined page time. I was thrilled to see them forge a solid companionship as the story progressed, and I look forward to see where their roles and character arcs develop throughout the trilogy. And of course, a special mention to the devious and alluring Thean. Whilst I was constantly plagued by the instinct that this is not a character to be trusted, I can't help to admit that I found myself looking forward to their appearance on-page. There's definitely more to this character than meets the eye and knowing what I now know by the end of Tales of a Monstrous Heart, I suspect Thean will have a much bigger role to play in coming books.

𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭:
The relationship development between Kat and Emrys was written to absolute perfection. The pining and the longing. The tension and the forbidden nature to their attraction. I eager to see how their budding attraction would be addressed as Emrys is technically a mentor to Kat, however I was thrilled to see that this didn't make the dynamic in any way uncomfortable. Kat goes into their partnership ambled with knowledge of her own, and even finds herself educating Emrys on knowledge he is not in possession of. This helped to create a balance in their uneven power dynamic and establish a mutual respect long before their attraction is even addressed. Trust was slow to build as both characters had endured their own horrors and trauma which affected their ability to emotionally let people in, and it was a beautiful and slightly chaotic to watch as their tentative trust began to grow along with the story. Nothing makes me more giddy than watching two broken people start to find pieces of themselves in the other, and it was hilarious to watch as a sentient house became their biggest supporter and matchmaker. Also, did I mention that Tales of a Monstrous Heart includes nicknames that are personal to them? Swoon. Kat and Emrys have burrowed their way into my very heart and soul, and I'm really rooting for the series to end with their happily ever after.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
I don't think I could fully articulate just how much I loved Tales of a Monstrous Heart, and I hope I've managed to somewhat do it justice in my review. There is not a single complaint to be found from me, and I think it done a wonderful job setting up the explosive plot that I'm expecting to see in the sequel. I will absolutely be rereading this as I await book two in the hopes of rediscovering the small 'easter eggs' that I have undoubtedly missed during my first read through. I cannot praise and recommend this book any more, and I already know it has solidified a spot in my top three reads of 2024.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲.