This one unfortunately wasn't for me. I do like the general plot and the inspiration for the story, however I found myself frustrated with the FMC far too often. I couldn't really excuse her behaviour even if it was due to grief, and it made her chapters much harder to read. It really felt like her single-minded approach to the issue was hindering the progression of the story. I did enjoy the world building elements. I found the magical system interesting, a lot of the secondary characters were as well. There were some really good points of dialogue too, I just don't think i quite mesh with the writing style overall.

I only made it about 10 chapters into the book. The characters felt very flat, the setting felt like a poor imitation of ACOTAR, and overall I did not enjoy a single minute of reading this book. Just not my style I guess.

I do enjoy Arthurian retellings, and this one was pretty decent, as it was combined with the Fae. I’m also a sucker for enemies to lover romance, and this one delivered on that. I liked how there was mental health rep in this novel. The pacing was fast and kept me entertained from start to finish. I also liked the dual storyline, it worked for the plot, and I find that dual POV is usually a win in fantasy. My only complaint is that I think the world building could have had more detail. But overall an entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

A bit of a mixed bag for me. While I loved the premise of the King Arthur retelling with mental health added into it... it just well, fell flat. The world building was missing so much detail that I found myself losing interest the longer I read it.

Crown of Earth and Sky was an exceptional read. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, captivated from start to finish by Emberly Ash’s vivid storytelling. The character development, especially Veyka’s, was a highlight for me—I love when characters grow in a way that makes them even more enjoyable to follow. Although the magic system wasn't immediately clear, I eventually grasped it and found it quite fascinating. Overall, it’s a fantastic story, and I’m excited to see where it goes next.

This book was great I really enjoyed getting immersed in the world, the character are great a really enjoyable story

Hmm, where to start here.

Crown of Earth and Sky could have been a pure banger of a book, but it wasn't. It made me want to bang my head into the wall. Which is so unfortunate because the premise is exceptional and there were points within the story and the world that could have been chefs kiss if they had been properly developed.

As a King Arthur retelling which combined with the Fae and mental health rep, dealing with depression and grief could have made for such a compelling book but all this book gave me was a headache. The potential in this story was UNREAL, the world which was so minimally built upon was so intriguing, I wish we had more from the world and the lore of the Fae, falling into either Elementals or Terrestrials, their magic and traditions differ and there are long standing hostilities between the two.

We are gifted with a dual POV which is always a win in a romance, fantasy or not. However I didn't like either character enough to care about their POV, Vekya never expected to rule but after a tragic loss she is thrust into power and she is unsure how to deal with it, so her coping mechanism is sex. Arran's POV is just all about Vekya's boobs, I looked it up they're mentioned 50 mines in the book. there is just absolutely no need for him to be so boob conscious, sir are you 15?

Overall this book had the potential to be a truly riveting fantasy romance book, an Arthurian retelling, a potentially vast and complex world with an original magic system, royal politics, enemies to lovers BUT no, we got Vekya's boobs.

Fast paced and interesting Arthurian retelling. I was hooked from the very first pages and couldn’t put the book down.

The dual POV worked well for the storyline. I liked both the FMC and MMC and found them both to be interesting characters. I liked their character development, both individually and together, and would have loved to learn more about their pasts.

The side characters seemed interesting and I would also like to learn more about them.

The storyline itself was interesting and full of action. I’m interested to read the next book in the series and see where the story goes next.

A King Arthur retelling?! Yes!! When Veyka is required to marry a brutal prince to take the throne after her brothers death, she doesn’t plan to stay there for long, only until she can find out who killed her brother.
The tension, the spice, the banter is off the charts in this book and perfect for any romantasy lover

Crown of Earth and Sky is a steamy enemies to lovers fantasy romance with Arthurian flavour. Arthur Pendragon, destined to secure peace and unite the Terrestrial and Elemental kingdoms of Annwyn, is murdered before he can ascend the throne. His twin sister, Veyka has been the spare “Princess of Peace”, sequestered most of her life, becomes the Queen of Secrets. To be Queen demands power, but Veyka’s secret is that she is the only fae without any power at all. Knowing her time is likely short, she crumples under her grief and lives only for the hope of revenge.

A new Terrestrial Heir emerges to unite Annwyn, the Brutal Prince Arran Earthborn, the most powerful terrestrial fae to exist. Thrust into an unexpected destiny together, Arran and Veyka have to overcome well placed mistrust in order to survive a scheming court in a power vacuum, for the sake of their people if not anything else.

The turns with the mystery first offered to Veyka and Arran was really impressive, as someone who has heightened pattern recognition, the foreshadowing sometimes felt imperceptible in a way that delighted me! I didn’t spend half the book waiting to call my hunch which was SO refreshing.

At first I REALLY didn’t like Veyka despite how similar she is to me, but this Queen of Secrets is an onion with layers. Usually I’m turned off by instant attraction, enemies who can’t stop thinking about each other for no discernible reason but I found Veyka and Arran’s relationship played out well with heavy complex feelings from both sides. Huge points for having a powerful, large woman in charge, taking up space apologetically. Bigger points for an alpha male who clearly wants to worship her despite better judgement.

What initially kept me was the world building which is weaved through dual perspectives, enough to provide appropriate structure for the reader to build upon visually. You get dropped right into trouble the second you have your bearings which can be so difficult to time, but I think Emberly Ash nailed it. Both protagonists brought something to the table, the way Ash has structured their perspectives felt like a very natural multiple POV. With a medium pace, I never felt jarred by the change, and there were only one or two points where I had to check whether I was reading from Arran or Veyka’s perspectives.

The spice was everywhere and absolutely delightful, the voices felt comfortable, confident and not cringy. Ash writes proper eye-porn, liberally sprinkled throughout. If it was a slow burn I would’ve chucked my kindle across the room because the sexual tension is just always there even with a robust plot. Though I was left a bit dissatisfied with this first resolution to the threat within the kingdom, the reveal fell a little flat, BUT I feel like that’s for a reason, because I love a good cliffhanger that speaks to the much larger conflicts ahead.

All that to say, I’m enthused about starting the sequel today with high regards, and even higher expectations ☺️

I enjoyed the writing but didn't feel as drawn to the story because the romance wasn't my cup of tea.

The writing style is thrilling and captivating, I didn't even notice how time went by. The only thing that got a little in my way of enjoying the book to its fullest, was how there were so many sensual descriptions about their own appearances that are totally normal when in third person/narrator perspective but seem quite narcisstic when written in first-person perspective.... Especially since it wasn't only once or twice.
I loved the world and character building! And the plot twist!!

I really enjoyed reading this one as I am new to fantasy/romantasy genre. I don't have much to compare this too but it was a fascinating read and would definitely recommend to someone new to the genre as it will give you an insight into the world of fantasy and glad to have discovered a new author.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc

I enjoyed this, definitely one to read if you like a romantasy with some action and mystery.

I did find my self disconnecting with the FMC after a while and I didn't really come back around to her unfortunately but other than that I really did enjoy this.

Devoured all three books of this series in a matter of days! Didn't really think a King Arthur retelling was my cup of tea but I was so, so wrong. Can't wait for the next one!

Ummm excuse me ?? Everything about this was absolutely amazing !!
The characters were amazing ! They are so lifelike. I love that they stick to their convictions despite what is going on around them. The fmc is the same in her mind as she is portrayed through the mmc. I love when characters make their own opinions and are shown to be growing and evolving throughout the story.
The world building was insanely good, I’m left with some questions but they are only from a result of wanting to always know more about the world.
The plot was interesting, there is so many mysteries and different aspects for the characters to figure out. All the twists and turns that take the characters in different directions kept the story so alive and oops but the cliffhanger !! Ugh the cliffhanger !!
As for chemistry, I think it was great, instant but yet still developed super well. The spice was not super frequent so I’m gunna say it’s a 3/5 but I think that level worked really well with the story. It didn’t overshadow it but it was still beautifully spicy.
Overall, I’m keen for book 2, absolutely keen ! I can’t wait to see how the characters work through everything and to figure out the damn cliffhanger. I have to put it at a 4.5/5, It’s an absolutely fantastic read and I would recommend it to anyone chasing a romantasy.

Crown of Earth and Sky

Emberly Ash

4.5 stars

Crown of Earth and Sky is a high fae, imaginative retelling of the King Arthur tale. This very spicy rendition leaves nothing to the imagination in its steamy scenes, this is definitely one to read for the girlies looking for spice. Although I like the saucy chapters as much as anyone else, I was completely entrapped by the plot, which made me unable to put the book down ! This retelling shook up the original story enough that the placement of key artefacts were clever nods to the King Arthur story we know well, but different enough that so much of the plot, intrigue and betrayals caught me by surprise. It helps that this book had so many tropes that I love, including enemies to lovers, forced proximity, elemental magic, found family, fated mates and more! This was an easy read and I will be immediately reading the second book (stay tuned for my review of Throne of Air and Darkness) because that cliffhanger was cruel Emberly! Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be eagerly recommending to my fellow readers, do please check the trigger warnings before reading this one ! Xxx

Thank you to the publisher, author & NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Let me first start off by saying that the TYPOS in this were highly annoying. This is the second book I have read from NetGalley that is poorly edited and feels like I am a BETA reader instead of reading a finished product. Due to this I ended up skimming most of this book and I couldn't get into it as much as I would have liked.

Can we talk about how many times we refer to Veyka's weight..?! Like come ON, we get it!! This also turned me off as it was distasteful and it was her SOLE characteristic. Arran I thought was kinda a dickhead where he was an overall ass... but wanted peace? Wut?

Overall I wish this had been better as there is overall potential but was just lacking in the end.

This book was a nice surprise. Though the cover and the description were interesting, I still had doubts. However, once I got to this book, I definitely fell in love with this world. Veyka's story had me interested from beginning to end, no matter how annoyed I was by Arran, who was to me an actual ass. The concept was interesting, and it was nicely executed, but there is room for improvement. The romance was not necessarily my cup of tea as it was a bit too instant and not what i honestly wanted, but that didn't take from my enjoyment. Overall, it's a really nice book with a unique concept even though I couldn't be bothered to read once more about her soft belly. Instead of being inclusive, it ended up unflattering her. This book is definitely worth a try.

This book was just fascinating. I loved the retelling of the Arthur legend. I love reading anything with far and this was fast paced and steamy. There were some plot holes that got me confused but im still looking forward to the next book in the series.