Member Reviews

Thank you for the opportunity to read Throne of Air and Darkness by Emberly Ash.
This is the 2nd book in the series, a continuation of the similar Camelot retelling with a Female Main Character.
This was a bit on the slower side, though the spice was there, all over the place.

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This is book two of The Secret of the Faerie Crown. It starts right up where we left off in the last book. Just like book 1, I didn’t want to put this one down. It kept me engaged the whole time. As the book developed I continued to get sucked in. We learn in this book that Veyka does have powers and she was hiding them the whole time. The magic she holds though hasn’t been seen in thousands of years. This is what leads them on a journey to figure out answers to a prophecy. Veyka is still one of my top favorite characters in this series. She continued to win my heart more as I read!

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book and give my honest opinion! Thank you, Emberly Ash, for writing a well-written book. It kept me engaged the whole time and I continued to want more!!!

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Veyka Pendragon is in for another wild time!  The second book in the Secrets of the Faerie Crown is fast-paced with lots of action and drama.  There's a lot going on:

Veyka isn't dead, but she's changed — a lot — in more ways than she can know.  Once again, she proves to be annoyingly stubborn at heeding advice, only realizing her mistake when she accidentally hurts one of her friends.  

Arran and Veyka discover their relationship reaches new heights after the Joining of their blood (at the end of Crown of Earth and Sky.)  Veyka, ever the control freak, fears this new change that she never asked for, and struggles to determine what she really wants from him.

Of course, the challenges to Veyka's throne continue, especially with her mother, the Dowager, working hard to undermine her at every turn.

New information is revealed about Arthur Pendragon and the secrets he kept, and Veyka and her crew race to find the mystical Avalon that may hold the answers they seek.  There's a lot of cool shit revealed, and even more questions that surface, as the book closes out with a heartstopping cliffhanger.


New Characters 👀

Believe me when I say there were many annoying characters introduced in this book.  Veyka and Arran had a lot thrown at them at every turn and corner of their journey.  Maisri, and later Isolde, made things much more bearable for me. 

Here are a few of the new characters on the journey:
- Percival, the weak human with a hidden agenda
- Maisri, the small fae girl who joins Veyka and Arran's party
- Isolde, sweet faerie with the gift of healing
- Gorlois, who I'd gladly see dead a million times over
- Morgyn le Fae, the woman who just can't be bothered


Read this book if you like:
- Strong friendships
- Sweet (and not-so-sweet) friends
- Special magical abilities
- More betrayal 💀
- Fae and faeries and humans
- Mates


Spoiler alert incoming
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- The mating bond!
- You cannot tell me my beloved Parys is DEAD 😭  I had such high hopes for him and Gwen
- Fuck the Dowager (say it with me, fuck the Dowager . . .)

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This is the second book in the series and I found myself even more invested in the journey than the first one! It’s got action, adventure, suspense and steamy romance which made for an enjoyable read

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I liked the book but didn’t enjoy it as much as the first one. I felt like it dragged on in parts. I am also a bit confused as Arran and Veyka’s chapters were in first person and used “I” but Parys’ chapters were in third person

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I knew the potential I saw in book 1 was there, and this book proves how good this series is gonna be! I love the development of the characters, the romantic storyline, but also the prophecy and the entire magical storyline! I love that even thought this book has a ton of fantasy tropes I’ve seen before, it’s keeping me on my toes and surprising me with other twists!

Veyka’s character is my favorite hands down, I love her she is so strong, but also makes mistakes and takes on too much guilt, but she’s an imperfect heroine which is why I love her.

Adding in more perspectives from the other characters was a great addition to see what’s happening at the castle back home, and I can’t wait to see how the storylines all converge!

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Fast paced, action packed, spicy, with another cliffhanger ending. One thing I really love about this series is although there is lots of spice throughout, the plot is never lost. There's always something new happening! On to book 3. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

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This book was slightly better. The spicy felt forced and unlike dark romance. The action felt very familiar and lack luster. The constant mention of “mate” was driving me insane. But it was better than the first book.

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We start off book two with lots of action, turmoil, and misunderstandings between the two main characters. There’s so much at stake and the constant stream of new information is hard for Veyka is process. I understood her thought process at the beginning but didn’t like how mean she was to our poor main man. But given all she had gone through it was understandable.

So that I don’t risk giving anything away, I will say this was a great second book for the series. We had a lot happen in this book that is going to lead us straight into the next one nicely. The character growth was steady and strong, I would have liked to see the same amount of world building in this book that we saw in the first, but it wasn’t a killer for me. I appreciate the political structure that this had and it blended well from the first book.
I love Veyka and Arrans relationship and the power couple that they are. I love the magic, fae, and side characters. Can’t wait to read the second book!

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I gave Throne of Air and Darkness three ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you Net Galley and Emberly Ash for this ARC. These are my opinions.

This book was okay, but wasn’t great for me. The world building was okay and better than Crown of Earth and Sky, in my opinion. Veyka was annoying in some parts, but I think her charcuterie development was good. (Does she have to be so annoying, though?)

The middle part of the book was slow and there seemed to be a lot of things that could have been left out. The ending was good, though! (But, there is a cliffhanger)

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In the second book of the Secrets of the Faerie Crown Series, it picks up where it last left us - with Veyka Pendragon being wrenched away from Arran Earthborn when they joined hands at their ceremony, and being hurled into the void. Arran is what keeps her grounded, and he is what is able to pull her back to their world, because of the tether of their bond. After she returns, they must not only determine how and why she went into the void, but also what this disease is that is spreading throughout the human world that is causing them to kill the fae. Veyka, Arran & a few of their most trusted go on a quest for answers, leaving Parys and Gwen behind, not knowing there is still danger brewing behind the castle's walls.

Before I say anything else. let me say that you should probably read the trigger warnings before reading the book. That said, I loved the book. I think I loved book one just a little bit more, but this one was still excellent, and this one ended on a cliffhanger as well, so I am excited to read the next book in the series. The author does an excellent job with world building and character development, so I can really get a good picture in my mind of everything I am reading. There are some really graphic sex scenes in the book, so this wouldn't be appropriate for under 18's I would think, but anyone else that enjoys a good fantasy series should definitely check it out. These are not designed to be read as a standalone, so you will definitely want to read the first book, Crown of Earth & Sky, first.

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Throne of Air and Darkness does not disappoint. I always start new series a bit slow but now that I have finished and enjoyed book 1, I am very much throwing myself into this series. I finished it in under 48 hours because I just couldn't put it down, I honestly only took a break to sleep and go to work (lame, I know).

This book is written in multiple POVs, which I always enjoy because it helps give breaks from each POV and helps the reader become more invested in every character. The story is so well written, it's like a bag of chips, I just couldn't read only one chapter and had to keep going. I enjoy how Emberly writes Veyka and not just making her the perfect FMC and shows that she is still affected by her grief and has to navigate the new life she never expected she would have. Arran is desperate for the arranged marriage to work for his people but getting to read his reactions to Veyka is very enjoyable to see his personal thoughts and his growing feelings.

But also, that ending, Emberly really knows how end a book with a cliffhanger and I am just so glad I have book 3 ready for me because I need to immediately get to it! Thank you Emberly Ash and NetGalley for the ARC!

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First of all, how dare you end this book like this Emberly Ash :( I need to know what happens next immediately. Straight to the next book!

This book was so good that I read it all in one sitting. I was never bored. It was a constant page turner. I still love the relationships between all of the characters throughout the story as they travel together and Emberly Ash is great at story telling and the chemistry between Veyka and Arran is still amazing.

I also don't usually enjoy multi POV books because it tends to get confusing, however, this one was so well written and was able to convey much needed parts of the story in an enjoyable way.

The only complaint that I have is that I'm still hoping for Veyka to progress more as a FMC and as a queen. She has definitely made progress compared to her actions in the first book, but there are still times where she is the worst person ever :) She doesn't really treat Arran the best, and he deserves better than what he gets from her. Good thing there is one more book for more progression (hopefully).

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-- 3/5 Stars -- ★★★☆☆​

Trigger Warnings for Throne of Air and Darkness: Rape, sexual assault, human trafficking, undead, blood, gore, death

Throne of Air and Darkness is Emberly Ash's second novel in the Secrets of the Faerie Crown series. This novel focuses heavily on the relationship development between Veyka Pendragon, High Queen of Annwyn, and Arran Earthborn, High King of Annwyn. Throughout, we learn more about how their puzzle pieces fit together into the larger faerie realm, and even beyond it.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this Throne of Air and Darkness, but not near as much as Crown of Earth and Sky, the first novel in the Secrets of the Faerie Crown series. There were so many conveniences... too many conveniences. This being said, there was a slight answer given for the exceedingly favorable outcomes Veyka and squad experienced, but not enough. Oh, and what happened to Evander?

Overall, Throne of Air and Darkness was a good continuation in the Secrets of the Faerie Crown series, but not the best. I think that Ash could give so much more and I'm hopeful for the third and fourth novels. I also noticed quite a few spelling errors, such as "met here" instead of "me there." Special thanks to NetGalley, Emberly Ash, and Cara Maxwell Romance Publishing for access to a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

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This was such a great book 2 for this series.
Watching from so many POVs and wanting to scream at the characters what you knew to help them was indescribable but watching them piece together the puzzle themselves was gratifying.
Twists and turns and heart-wrenching emotions galore in this book.
I’m glad I have book 3 after reading that ending though lol.
I’ve also loved learning more about the characters we’re following and seeing how they slot into the Arthurian legend.
Overall just a wonderful story, but I’m gonna go and delve into book three now 🤭🤭

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I had read book 1 and was devastated to be left on such a cliff hanger. Book 2 was amazing! I enjoyed the plot twists and found this to be just “more” than book 1. I was happy to see more action however I understood the need for more politics this time around. There was still bits and pieces of romance as well as SPICE! The characters are a staple that I love and all in all a great fae romance.

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Brilliant world-building, fantastic writing and falling more in love with characters that I just want in my life.

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Veyka and Arran return and now they must battle a malady that threatens all the people of Annwyn. And the answers they seek appear to be found somewhere in the humans realm. Veyka must come to terms with her new found powers and her connection to Arran. But some still plot against Veyka and the newly crowned High Queen and King of Annwyn may lose more than win.

Veyka's new void powers are playing into a prophecy but can she overcome the last vestiges of her selfish outlook and self-loathing tendencies to protect Annwyn? Seeing her overcome more of her past and even her fresher hatred of humans is quite something. My heart was at turns happy and heavy through this book. There were more than a few WTAF moments and I did almost chuck my kindle in disgust at one point. All I'll say is hang on to your favourite secondary characters 'cos they won't all make it to the other side!

The storyline moves at a fair clip, although maybe it only feels faster paced as the world is now settled in my memory and I know who everyone is. My heartbroke at several times when endearing secondary characters didn't make it. The added POV's also added another layer to the story and allowed us to see the mindset and rationale of characters outwith our MMC's.

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This was a pretty solid follow up to “Crown of Earth and Sky.” The plot and writing style match well with the first book. It builds on the Arthurian stories as well. The characters continued to evolve in a linear way. This time we get chapters in the POV of side characters. Veyka continues to embrace her new role and try to build her relationship with Arran rather than avoiding it. It was nice to see her overcoming the grief that crippled her in the first story. The middle of the story spiraled a little but came back around to leave on enough of a cliffhanger to draw me into book #3.

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I received this book from NetGalley. I really keep finding myself wanting to like this series but I keep getting very bored. The character development was a little better but not really. The end was great, but given how long it took them to travel to that one spot the book probably could've been shorter. I liked the surprise ending. I liked having Parys as a third voice, but was hopeful that meant spicier things..ha! The FMC was also unlikable for a good amount of the book with how she treated MMC and even her internal dialogue It was just ok for me overall...

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