I really enjoyed the Glimmer Falls series by Sarah Hawley, so when she announced her new fantasy novel I was quite intrigued and, overall, I can say I liked it, even though there were a few things that I predicted from the beginning and I think that the pace was a bit off. The protagonist of the novel is Kenna, a human who, in an attempt to help her best friend from being sacrificed to the fae of the underground kingdom of Mistei, finds herself taken and made a servant. Not only she has to help her mistress pass six dangerous trials, but she is also thrown in the middle of the political intrigue of the various courts. Even though I found Kenna very smart and resourceful, especially as a human in a court full of vicious and sadistic fae, there were times when I found her annoying, but I liked how she developed in the end. There is spying, rebellion, scheming, betrayal, secrets, and romance and an unexpected ending that makes me want to see what happens next.

I didn't enjoy this, which is a shame as I did enjoy Sarah's other series! I feel like there was a lot of info dumping with very little in the way of real information for the world building, and I just didn't enjoy the characters themselves.

Magic, Death, and Rebellion in the Fae Realm

Kenna has had a solitary existence the last few years.  With the exception of her friend Anya, she's pretty much had a solitary existence.  When Anya is selected to walk the swampy land and enter the Fae Realm, Kenna ensures that she doesn't go in alone.

But Anya's fate is changed and Kenna must once again navigate a world on her own, learning what she can about magic, the Fae and the trials that she has found herself in.  Along the way she's made herself useful as a gossipmonger and information gatherer but will this be enough to save her?

Oh I love a good rebellion in a fantasy read and Kenna gets caught up in not one but two!  There are some harrowing scenes she observes and gets caught up in.  She soon realises how little power she has amongst these beautiful but cruel fae. This book was twisty and full of morally grey fae and I had exactly zero clue who to trust the entire time. Aside from the trials, there’s a war and rebellion brewing and Kenna wants to make sure she’s on the right side of that.

Trials and tribulations aside, Kenna also finds a dangerous attraction and betrayal.  There are twists and turns galore and those morally grey MC make everything murky! The grand finale was epic and it has set up the second book beautifully.  I cannot wait to see what happens next.

All hail the House of Blood!

This was everything you want and more. I was obsessed with this book and read it so quickly. I loved the court intrigue and honestly cannot wait for the next one!

I have recently enjoyed the Glimmer Falls trilogy by this author, and I loved the light rom com fantasy feel, they were definitely cosy fantasy. Servant of Earth is not what I expected at all, but it's occasionally nice to be surprised (even when that is a complete about-face in writing style).
What you have with this book is a story that feels very targeted towards the ACOTAR/Crescent City/Foxglove King fan (which sadly I am not). Luckily, there are lots of people who love the "mortal girl goes to fae world and falls for deceptively beautiful and handsome man" story.
This book has great potential to become an incredible series, especially targeting that (very large) audience.
Not one for me, but the main characters are well-crafted in a world that is structurally sound - we get enough of the history to make me (a world-building nut) happy, giving us a great foundation for a strong series that readers who enjoy visiting an intriguing fae-world will love.
If this review were purely about the writing rather than subjective opinion it would be a high four...

REVIEW
cw: violence, murder, torture, SA and sexual harassment, self-harm, death, grief, slavery, mention of bullying, PTSD

Growing up in Tumbledown, the closest human village to Fae territory in Enterra, Kenna Heron has always lived an impoverished existence. After her mother's death, the only person who understands her is her best friend, Anya. During the human solstice ritual, four women are chosen to cross the bog to Mistei every six years, assuming they'll find a better life, perhaps even marriage to a fae prince. But when Anya is chosen, Kenna decides to help her and the others cross the perilous bog. When she becomes the sole survivor, she's sent to Earth House to serve Lara, one of the candidates about to take place in the coming-of-age deadly trials for potential heirs of the six houses, which are linked to the six branches of magic: Fire, Earth, Light, Void, Illusion, and Blood. If Kenna succeeds, Lara will gain immortality. If she doesn’t, the punishment is death—for both mistress and servant. With nothing but the mysterious and sentient dagger found in the bog, Kenna must face monsters and magic, all while becoming caught up in a secret rebellion against sadistic King Osric, and trying to manage her growing feelings for the rebellion’s leader.

I love Sarah Hawley's writing, so, even though I'm not an avid fantasy reader, I was excited to read this different style from her. But, full disclosure, that also means I can't compare this story to its contemporaries. Still, for the most part, I enjoyed the story and the world-building. Some of my review will be intentionally vague so as not to spoil any of the major plotlines.
Kenna was an interesting character, but I can't say I particularly liked her. She was both wise and wily, yet SO oblivious at times, and I often found it hard to believe she was quite so capable, or that she was able to go undetected in so many ways, particularly in the trials, and that none of the other competitors or houses detected her. I also found her a bit oblivious when it came to her love interest, who I really didn't like or trust even early on. However, the themes of grief and loss were beautifully observed, particularly when related to her mother and best friend, as well as the confidences shared with her by some of the faes. I loved Caedo, the sentient homicidal dagger with a sassy mouth, and appreciated it when they eventually had a more candid dialogue. I loved the inventiveness of the trials, although I'd have loved even more details of them.
There were some interesting supporting characters, many of whom had intriguing story arcs. Lara really grew on me. It was unfathomable how stoic she was made to behave, so I loved how she and Kenna briefly bonded in chapter ten. Though she still made mistakes, often at Kenna's expense, I loved how freeing Beltane was for her. I also loved how their friendship continued to develop, and her gifts for Kenna's new collection were sweet and thoughtful. I absolutely ADORED Lara's brother, Selwyn. He was so sweet and caring, and I'd have loved to have seen even more of him. My heart broke for Triana and Maude, and the reality of the humans kidnapped from Enterra. I also loved Aidan, immortality trialist Edric's servant, and Kenna's friend, but his seemingly unrequited pining also broke my heart
There were two Noble fae men who Kenna shared time with during the story. One becomes her love interest for most of the story, and the other is the detached, cold King's Vengeance, spying on behalf of King Osric. I adored c.33, which only confirmed my suspicions. The final few chapters revealed no surprises to me, but were still deeply satisfying, yet also left me veering between fist-pumping, sobbing, and wanting to scream. Still, I LOVED how it ended.
There were some dark themes as noted in my content warnings, so please be aware of any potential triggers. While I knew it would be a darker read, I would still have loved a bit of the author's trademark humour. There were only the faintest glimmers of it in this story. Overall, there were parts I really enjoyed and some characters I loved, but I found the pacing a bit slow at times. I'm hoping that was because there was a lot of world-building as well as backstory, particularly early on. So, when I read the next book (and I do want to see what happens next) I'm hoping we jump straight into the action as well as spending some more time with other characters.
Though this wasn't my favourite story, there was enough to keep me turning the pages.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️.5 (rounded up to 4 for the ending)
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥

*Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. Servant of Earth is published on 14th November in the UK*

Favourite Quotes:

There was something comforting about carrying a weapon. Women weren’t supposed to unless they were hunting. Was this how men felt? Bold and brave, like no one could hurt them?

I stroked the dagger’s outline at my thigh, thinking about what it might be like to live in a world where women didn’t have to depend on people they feared for safety.

I had escaped the bog, but I was still surrounded by monsters.

I knew from losing my mother that grief had countless small traps like this— not just the big ache of missing someone, but the small cuts of memories or wishes. People vanished all at once, but the things you wanted to tell them or do with them or show them didn’t.

In that moment, the way I saw my mistress began to shift. Despite her harsh attitude, despite the vast gulf between our stations, we had become reluctant allies in the same fight.

“So we are both ill-suited for our positions.” When she didn’t respond, even to snap at me, I smiled at her in the mirror. “That’s why they’ll never expect it when we succeed.”

“Six Shards, six trials, six virtues.” Six years between sacrifices of innocent human victims, too.

“Bold but clever is a rare combination.”

“I find the Fae are perpetually surprised by what humans can do,” I said. “You’d think they’d start learning.”

It seemed some of the monsters of King Osric’s court were more complex than I had realized.

That was what King Osric did to us. He made us witness his atrocities, and because he held so much power, we said nothing. We became complicit.

In a way, the death of my hope for escape was a relief— it was one less worry, one less thing to focus on. All my rage and energy could go towards a different cause.

“The danger in looking at the wrong people, Kenna, is that sometimes they want to look back.”

“Every solstice I’m reminded of a fundamental truth. Act like your enemy long enough, and you become them.”

"Even if I won’t see it, I’m happy to know you will not rule forever.”

@mssarahhawley has knocked it out of the park with this one!!! A fantastic new take on the Fae worlds and humans. I loved my time with this story, Kenna was a brilliant FMC and even though I had high hopes for her and Drustan I’m now torn. That ending was superb and even thoigh my thought of who Kenna was turned out to be wrong it still came to fruition. I can’t wait for book 2, just know it’s going to be amazing

This book sounded great, however I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

There is a lot of world building but I don't think it goes into enough detail, it's all very surface level and there is too much info dumping. I would have liked it to be slowed down, so I could get to know more about this world that seems amazing.

The plot twist was predictable and I didn't warm to any characters. Unfortunately I was just bored throughout and if I didn't get an ARC copy I would of DNF'd.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Servant of Earth is an intense fantasy with good characters and a fascinating setting. The plot wasn't my favourite - a bit predictable at points and some tropes I wasn't really feeling - but overall it was a solid start to a series that has real potential!

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

A fantastic new series. I loved the new world of magic and dark fae, set against a poor human world. Kenna is a brilliant lead characters and the many twist are very engaging. Just enough heat for the genre. Loved it.

This is the first instalment in The Shards of Magic series.

Kenna Heron has lived her entire life on the borders between the human and the fae world. She has learned there is little to love about the magical beings and has grown hard and distrustful, some say half-feral, as she has sought to survive in the harsh environs they force upon the humans. This will prove necessary to her survival as she is uprooted into the fae realm and forced to serve under her new mistress. She is set the task of aiding in her undertaking six deadly trials, one for each branch of magical fae house. If she succeeds, her mistress will gain immortality and become the heir to Earth House. If she doesn’t, the punishment is death—for both mistress and servant.

I absolutely adored every element about this book! The trials in the synopsis were what initially piqued my interest and I was relieved to find each one given proper and detailed attention. They were bloody and brutal and the other fae were clever and conniving. Kenna had as much to battle against surviving each battle as she did the court politics that this world thrived upon.

This same close focus was provided to the underground fae world. It was a sprawling labyrinth that Kenna only got to see a fraction of. I'm so eager to learn more about the magic of the fae and the clans they have divided themselves into, as the series progresses. There is so much room for growth, in both geography and history.

The romance was swoon-worthy and I was just as eager to see this enter into the storyline as all the other elements previously mentioned. I was relieved to find that it didn't overshadow these other elements, however. I love my romantasy books, but I also often find myself longing for a stronger storyline to centre the tale, and this definitely delivered that!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Sarah Hawley, and the publisher, Gollancz, for this opportunity.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

No, stop because at this point Sarah is an autobuy author and I'd read her grocery list. This is my favourite fae-focused romantic fantasy since The Cruel Prince. Yep. You heard me. The depictions of the fae as these unearthly, violent and inhuman beings is so well done. The entire world setting had me hooked immediately, especially once we entered the fae realm. The underlying mystery plot and political scheming had me intrigued and thinking about the book at all hours. And even more importantly: the FMC was fun to read about - she was relatable, cunning, clever, steadfast, resourceful. But she wasn't immediately and magically great at everything! She had to learn to navigate this dangerous world, with threats lurking around every corner. I need book two so bad tbh, I don't know how I'm going to wait until next year!

Absolutely brilliant. 

I enjoyed this so much. Loved the plot and world building the characters and the romance subplot. The plot is dark and talk about some hard themes that are timeless. Full or court politics, treason and intrigue, it sucks you in the story from the first page. 

This book has a lot of elements we find in romantasy without being romantasy, many elements make you think of other popular books, but for me, they were improved in this one.
Have you read acotar and loved it, but thought it lacked a true fight for equality and the feminism is diluted? Well, you won't have that problem with this one. Our heroine Kenna do her best not just to survive herself but to help everyone as much as she can. She is a strong-layered character who grows with the story and who you can't help but love. It is probably one of the few times the main character is my favourite instead of one of the side characters. Who are by the way also great and interesting 
I loved the ending and I can't wait for the next book. 
And I am hoping this one gets some nice special edition that I can add to my collection because it is absolutely worth it.

I loved this new romantasy book from Sarah Hawley! It was so twisty & action-packed, I couldn't put it down and read it in a night. Kenna is such a great character and you are really rooting for her throughout the whole book. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I can't wait for the second in this series.

Servant of Earth, was a lot of fun and completely different to Hawley's previous work, the Glimmer Falls series, which I was also fortunate to receive an early copy of.

We start with out main character Kenna, who while trying to save her best friend from being a tribute to the fae, falls through the barrier to their world - The Kingdon of Mistei. Kenna becomes a servant of Lady Lara, the heir of Earth House, who is facing the Immortality Trials and is tasked to aid Lara.

There's a bit of everything in this book. World building with six different houses, Fire, Earth, Light, Void, Illusion, and Blood each with their own magic system, also as you're learning about the world with Kenna, there's no need for heavy background information which makes Servant an easy book to get into. There is also a tyrannical leader, rebellion but also forbidden love and self-discovery. Kenna, especially, makes a transformation, she becomes more self assured and confident in her decision making - especially with that ending, which I am so happy about. I was worried that Kenna would be put on the backburner near the end supporting the decisions of other characters rather than making choices for herself. Which is why I was so happy that Hawley decided to shift the power dynamics near the end.

Servant of Earth is my favourite Hawley book so far, I'm so annoyed about the wait for book two. I just want Drustan and Oriana to take a nice walk off a high cliff and Kallan to make his move.

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group, Gollancz and Sarah Hawley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review is for Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley which will be released in the UK on the 14th November! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Gollancz for giving me an eArc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this authors Glimmer Falls series, and when I heard this was a more serious fae fantasy you know I was in.

First of all I loved the magic system and world building in this book, where you have 6 ‘houses’ all with their own separate magic, trapped in an underground world and separates from the humans. I also loved the fact that you see that fae aren’t actually supposed to be this way, and began with all 6 magics within them, until their own selective breeding turned them this way.

I also loved the characters, even if the tropes and storyline are a little bit overused (no spoilers so I won’t talk about it anymore). I loved Kenna and her dedication to helping the humans she’s found, as well as also wanting to help her mistress (even if forced to at the beginning) and how their relationship forms as well. The character development for both Kenna as well as the other characters you see was pretty great, and I loved Kenna becoming more confident while also keeping to her ‘feral’ and blunt self that she was before she came into the fae realm.

The romance was good, and the spice was great. However with most books these days, you have the brooding dark haired fae waiting in the background, so you know he’s going to be playing a big part (hopefully) as a love interest in the next book.

The ending was also so good, I honestly can’t wait for the second book to see what shenanigans Kenna gets up to next. (I also just want to see her punch Drusten in the face). Loved this book, even if it did seem a little long, and cannot wait to see what comes next!

Servant of earth is an electrifying whirlwind of raw emotion and relentless determination. This isn’t just a story about survival; it’s a powerful exploration of hope, love, and the lengths one will go for freedom. The writing is rich and immersive, drawing you into a world that feels both perilous and seductive. The stakes are unbearably high, but it’s Kenna’s journey of self-discovery that truly grips you. You’ll find yourself cheering for her as she navigates through each challenge, her courage and wild heart igniting a fire within you. If you’re searching for a tale that grips your soul and leaves you breathless, this is it. It’s the kind of story that stays with you, a powerful echo of resilience and passion that you’ll carry long after the last page.

I’ve read a couple of Sarah Hawley’s other books from the Glimmer Falls series and Servant of Earth is a total world away from these! Yes, they are both set in the world of fantasy but, where Glimmer Falls is more current world merged with fantasy and romance, Servant of Earth is most definitely for those lovers of A Court of Thorns and Roses and Cuel Prince. Trust me, if you loved those worlds you MUST get your hands on Servant of Earth!

Kenna is an orphaned human, having been abandoned by her father and recently losing her mother to poverty and sickness, seen as wild and feral by those in her small village, she finds herself in the Fae Realm – The Kingdon of Mistei ruled by the harsh and terrible King Osric. Kenna is forced into service as a servant of the House of Earth; One of the six houses of the Kingdom - Fire, Earth, Light, Void, Illusion and Blood.
We join Kenna as she is forced to become the servant of Lara, an Earth fae who must participate in a series of challenges to ascend from childhood to adult fae, and truly come into her Earth powers and ultimate immortality. No question, this is a pretty classic fantasy plot, a series of challenges that must be completed to achieve an ultimate objective but, Sarah Hawley adds multiple other elements to create more than a few twists and turns that definitely kept me engrossed.

Hawley’s world building is perfect for this world, creating a kingdom ruled by six houses, each distinct from the other, not only in its magical characteristics but, in their architecture and design, despite all being underground and hidden away from the external world. There was no info-dumping, as a reader I felt like I was on this journey of discovery with Kenna, as she discovered and uncovered their distinct magical qualities, features and distinct people.

I also loved discovering more about the many characters in this book, of course Kenna is the stand out character, she is relatable, curious, loyal and has a strong view of morality and loyalty but, Hawley doesn’t stop there, she is careful in shaping and carving out the supporting characters amongst the Noble Fae, the lower fae, the humans and the ‘Nasties’ – you’ll soon work out who they are! And Caedo – oh are you going to love Caedo!

This book ticked all my boxes for a great read, my only sadness was it ending and knowing how long I will need to wait for the next book in the series! And whilst I could write so much more about the plot, the characters, the world, the multiple themes ranging from found family to the more disturbing and dark themes of abuse, and torture, all of which play their part in creating the dark and brooding atmosphere of this book but, that would ruin the fun for you! As I said, it’s a pretty classic plot but, Sarah Hawley executes it perfectly and with aplomb! And if you love a fantasy that delivers fae, action, tension, romance, spice and oh so many secrets, definitely pick up Servant of Earth!

Huge thanks to Gollancz, Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for the arc of Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

hank you to Orion Publishing Group Gollancz for my Arc copy of Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley

Which is The first book in the
THE SHARDS OF MAGIC series

Right from the beginning, I was absolutely enchanted by the world-building! While it takes its time to unfold, immersing yourself in this setting is effortless. The contrast between the human realm and the enchanting fae world is fascinating. This captivating dark fantasy is beautifully layered with profound themes, including the complexities of violence. I adore Kenna's character and her resolves within this book whilst going through the trials. I will say I enjoyed the worldbuilding a lot the romance was nice but the character development is what made this book for me

What a thrilling journey! I wholeheartedly recommend this book and cannot wait for the next part of the series

#ServantofEarth #NetGalley #Fantasybooks #FantasyBooks #WorldBuilding #DarkFantasy #BookReview #SarahHawley #ShardsOfMagic #ARC #BookRecommendation

Oh this was exquisite! You know that feeling when you know you LOVE a book. Not just enjoy it but LOVE it. That's what I got here!

Kenna is a human who gets pulled into the Fae underground world of Mistei and finds herself a servant looking after the Earth Princess, Lara.

Mistei is split into the houses of Fire, Earth, Light, Void, Illusion and Blood and
ruled by the horrible, violent, King Osric.

I won't say anything about the plot apart from there's trials, betrayals, it's dark, violent and full of cutthroat fae, magic and some lovely spice!

The world building and the description of Mistei and all its secrets was written so well, it's like I was there!

Loved Kenna but my utter fave was the Void Prince, Kellan.....yes, it's true. Me liking the shadowy enemy!

Ps...need book 2 please.....ASAP!