This book was so incredibly good. I couldn’t put it down and ended up staying up way too late to continue reading it. The story was so engaging and the writing was incredible. I cannot wait for the second book in this series. Cassandra gained a new fan!

Thank you Netgalley and Cassandra. This was such a great read 🫶🏻

Absolutely loved it, I'm really loving the fantasy genre at the moment and this had everything, loved the friendship between sav and kaspar and cannot wait to find out Jack's story . Can't believe I have to wait now for book 2! New author to me so will definitely be reading previous books. Thanks

Whispers Among Thorns starts strong with a haunting atmosphere and a unique fae mythology that pulled me in right away. Cassandra Aston has a real talent for lush, descriptive writing that makes the world feel darkly enchanting and just a little dangerous—exactly what I wanted from a fae fantasy.

That said, while the premise had tons of potential, the pacing felt off in places. Some scenes dragged, while others that should've packed more emotional punch were over too quickly. The protagonist was interesting but hard to connect with at times—her motivations and decisions didn’t always feel fully earned. The romance subplot was promising but leaned a little too heavily into tropes without subverting them in a fresh way.

Still, there’s enough mystery and magic here to keep me curious about book two. If you're a fan of morally gray fae, forbidden magic, and shadowy court politics, this could be worth a read—just go in with tempered expectations.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing Co-Op for the ARC.

This was my first ARC on NetGalley and by this author. I wasn’t disappointed! This was a great Romantasy! Our FMC wants to save her kind but doesn’t have her magic to help. Cue, fate and she meets the son of enemy #1. He is basically perfect ( in my opinion of book boyfriends), however can we really trust him. There is also a prince that’s makes it hard to know which MMC to truly root for. Team Kasper or Team Jack???? So hard to decide. I really enjoyed the world building through out this book too. There was great slow burn/tension between our main characters. Of course, since there is another story we are left we so many questions ( really just the right amount of questions). I didn’t think the ARC thing through though because now there is so much longer before I can visit this world again! I am looking forward to exploring more from this author!

whispers and thorns

this was SO different to other books i’ve read. the modern setting, urban fantasy, actually enjoyed it a lot?

- the fmc was so refreshing. was great to have her as the older, powerful character and my god some of her internal thoughts had me cackling. she was so funny sometimes!
- i really enjoyed the side characters we were introduced to in hazel, kaspar, there was so much room for more stories & more to find out about the world
- the court system is quite over saturated i feel as a trope but i thought this was done in a cool way
- the beginning & end third definitely paced a lot quicker then the middle, and i don’t think the pay off at the end was quuiitteee worth the build up but i sitll had a great time


keen for book 2!!

Okay I really enjoyed this book! This is my second ARC review ever and my first ARC I finished. Thank you so much for the honor of an ARC!

The story really picked up in the second 3/4 to 2/3 of the book in my opinion. I really like Sav and Kasper and their relationship over so many years. This seemed like a “truer” representation of fairy/fae which was enjoyable to read! Jack is interesting as well and it’ll be fun to learn more about his (maybe?!) magic in the next book. I got immersed in the world more as the story went on too. Great descriptive writing, and I enjoyed learning about how the characters traveled between realms as well as some of the customs (marriage, “true names”, the alliances).

I did think it was a bit strange to have one random chapter in Foxglove’s POV towards the end? But maybe that’s setting things up for the next book. I enjoyed the subtle romance hits without anything explicit either. Very enjoyable and again, I’m honored to have been chosen!!!

This book sucked me in from the beginning! Sav, who has been banished from faerie and has her powers bound and has been sent to earth. Trying to live a normal life until her kind is being kidnapped and slaughtered by none other than Jack’s father, Dane, whom I would love to have just 5 minutes alone with him. He’s definitely the perfect villain and has caused me much anger. Sav is such a badass. Kaspar, whew, I cannot see where this goes in the next book. Hazel is literally my spirit animal I absolutely love her. This book has humor, a little romance, a lot of twists and turns and is not nearly long enough! Lol Thank you NetGalley and Cassandra Aston for the ARC. I’m counting the days down for #2. This book will be living rent free in my head now.

3.75⭐️

The politics!!! AND the romance!!! Everything has been laid out for the second book to be a banger. I’m so excited to see where the characters end up in book 2 and how they get out of the situations they are in. Love love love Jack❤️❤️

This was so good! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
I loved how this was the complete opposite of a lot of popular fantasy trends. Our FMC Sav is the hundreds of years old Fae, and the MMC Jack is the 25 year old kind of helpless but doing his best human.

Set in New York City after Faerie collided with the human realm, the humans are slaughtering the Fae. Sav is doing what she can to help her people. Jack is a super sweet and wholesome MMC. This was a super fun adventure. I loved the side characters as well, I think Kaspar was my favorite! I found the middle to be a bit slow compared to the start and the finish but I still really enjoyed this journey. I can’t wait until book 2 in this duo which I will absolutely be reading as soon as it comes out!

4.25 stars ⭐️

What a great read! I was hooked from the first page.The book totally surprised me—in the best way. I went in expecting a fun fae fantasy, but what I got was so much more. It’s emotional, intense, and full of that irresistible tension between loyalty and love. Sav is such a strong, layered character, and I really connected with her struggle to protect her people while walking this really dangerous line. And Jack? His conflict and slow-burn connection with Sav had me totally invested.

The modern urban setting mixed with fae politics felt fresh and exciting, and the pacing kept me flipping pages late into the night. The twists genuinely caught me off guard a few times too.

If you love fae stories with heart, danger, and a good dose of forbidden romance, you’ll love this one. I already can’t wait for the next book!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Whispers Among Thorns by Cassandra Aston

Review:
Cassandra Aston’s Whispers Among Thorns delivers a lush, gothic fantasy full of atmosphere and intrigue. The world is rich with dark secrets, crumbling estates, and whispered curses—a perfect setting for fans of eerie, fairy tale-inspired narratives. Aston’s prose is immersive and evocative, successfully building a sense of creeping dread without relying on jump scares or cheap thrills.

The protagonist’s arc is satisfying, filled with emotional complexity and a slow unraveling of inner strength. The supporting characters, too, have enough depth to keep the story engaging. Aston excels at painting morally ambiguous figures, where no one is wholly good or evil—a trait I always appreciate in fantasy.

However, the story sometimes gets lost in its own atmosphere. The plot can feel meandering, especially in the middle where certain events feel overly drawn out or redundant. There’s a lot of buildup with only a modest payoff, and readers craving plot-heavy fantasy may find the pace frustrating.

Despite these pacing issues, the novel is a compelling blend of gothic horror and fantasy with strong thematic undercurrents. It’s a slow burn, but one that rewards patient readers with a satisfyingly eerie and emotionally resonant tale.

Rating: 4.2/5