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retrogirlreads's review
5.0
Skye is a Queen in a time where Royals are being hunted, so she keeps to herself and steals to survive. Ilyas is part of the Gentry, but he’s on the run, wanted for the murder of the late Queen of the Vine. When these two vastly different souls meet, they becomes “Soulbonded,” a special type of connection that means they’re tied to each other, which neither Skye nor Ilyas is happy about. But as things start getting dangerous, Ilyas and Skye must get over their dislike of each other and work together in order to survive.
Eeeeeek! I read this book in three straight hours. It sounds like a cliche, but I literally couldn’t make myself put it down. This book is slow burn romance at its finest. And the fantasy elements were spectacular! It’s original, and somehow manages to be completely serious in some parts and absolutely hilarious in others. I really, truly loved this book. 5 freaking stars. Completely recommend!!!
Eeeeeek! I read this book in three straight hours. It sounds like a cliche, but I literally couldn’t make myself put it down. This book is slow burn romance at its finest. And the fantasy elements were spectacular! It’s original, and somehow manages to be completely serious in some parts and absolutely hilarious in others. I really, truly loved this book. 5 freaking stars. Completely recommend!!!
emilye3's review
5.0
I read this because of the SPFBO Round 8. I am NOT a judge. This is one the of many titles that caught my interest and it is the first on my list to be read.
Review below synopsis.
Synopsis: (Enter the nine lander of the Mountain Fell.
Skye has only ever known pain and solitude since waking up with neither memories or magic. Hunted for being a Ruler in a time when they are scarce, she has survived in the wilds near the Rim, always on the run from the rest of her kind. Only starvation could draw her close to a village, but when a chance encounter and a bit of bad luck launch her into the arms of a man whose soul is bonded to hers, hiding who she is may no longer be possible.
Ilyas is a hunted man. Wanted for killing the last High Queen of Vine, he is plagued by his past of wholesale slaughter. He never wanted another Queen, and certainly not a half-feral, distrustful girl who gave up on the Fae a long time ago. Unfortunately, Soulbonds are not so easily walked away from, no matter how hard they both may want to, especially when trapped together in a cave with a pack of Feral Fae right outside.
With long-held enmities breaking out between the besieged villagers and all their lives on the line, Ilyas and Skye must learn to work together and trust each other if they want to survive.)
Everything in this review is solely based on my opinion.
VERY MILD SPOILERS BELOW
First I would like to say that I really enjoyed this book and am so happy to have found it. I would never have learned of it if it weren’t for SPFBO8.
We follow the two POV’s of Skye and Ilyas throughout the book in 3rd person. I found myself sometimes getting confused whose head we were in but something would eventually remind me. For the most part each chapter alternates between them but like I said a few times I questioned whose POV I was reading from.
I found Skye to be a fun character to follow and enjoyed her views on the world and the people. I loved that she cared more for the lesser fae and stood up for them all the time. I also liked that even if they were in danger she always thought of others first and never wanted anyone to get hurt. The fact that Skye had some serious secrets added even more intrigue to her character.
Ilyas is a different story altogether. Forced and tortured to do things in the past by the last High Queen has left Ilyas with some major trauma. I loved how it wasn’t just pushed to the side and we got to see true representation of it throughout the book.
These two characters were so different but in the best ways that when they came together sparks really flew and had me flustered during some scenes.
I’d briefly like to mention a side character that stole my heart. Mycellica was such a fun little creature and great comedic relief when things got tense.
Moving onto the world and magic I really enjoyed both. For the entirety of this book we really only get to be in one location and it just so happens to be a cave. However, the authors did a great job at utilizing every nook and cranny and making it feel like its own world. We were fed snippets of the different places and what they represented and it made me want to know more about each one.
As for the magic I thought it was explained in a way that was easy to understand and I liked that it had limits for the users. I can’t wait to see the magic expanded on even more in the next book.
The plot was thought out and had a clear direction and I could even see where an overall plot for a series may go. I understood what was happening and what the end goal was and all the little twists along the way.
Overall, this book was fun, fast-paced and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. The added bonus is that I got to read from indie authors and help support them and their work. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series. I need to know what will happen to these characters.
I highly recommend this book if you like fantasy romance, fae, humor and good representation of PTSD
Review below synopsis.
Synopsis: (Enter the nine lander of the Mountain Fell.
Skye has only ever known pain and solitude since waking up with neither memories or magic. Hunted for being a Ruler in a time when they are scarce, she has survived in the wilds near the Rim, always on the run from the rest of her kind. Only starvation could draw her close to a village, but when a chance encounter and a bit of bad luck launch her into the arms of a man whose soul is bonded to hers, hiding who she is may no longer be possible.
Ilyas is a hunted man. Wanted for killing the last High Queen of Vine, he is plagued by his past of wholesale slaughter. He never wanted another Queen, and certainly not a half-feral, distrustful girl who gave up on the Fae a long time ago. Unfortunately, Soulbonds are not so easily walked away from, no matter how hard they both may want to, especially when trapped together in a cave with a pack of Feral Fae right outside.
With long-held enmities breaking out between the besieged villagers and all their lives on the line, Ilyas and Skye must learn to work together and trust each other if they want to survive.)
Everything in this review is solely based on my opinion.
VERY MILD SPOILERS BELOW
First I would like to say that I really enjoyed this book and am so happy to have found it. I would never have learned of it if it weren’t for SPFBO8.
We follow the two POV’s of Skye and Ilyas throughout the book in 3rd person. I found myself sometimes getting confused whose head we were in but something would eventually remind me. For the most part each chapter alternates between them but like I said a few times I questioned whose POV I was reading from.
I found Skye to be a fun character to follow and enjoyed her views on the world and the people. I loved that she cared more for the lesser fae and stood up for them all the time. I also liked that even if they were in danger she always thought of others first and never wanted anyone to get hurt. The fact that Skye had some serious secrets added even more intrigue to her character.
Ilyas is a different story altogether. Forced and tortured to do things in the past by the last High Queen has left Ilyas with some major trauma. I loved how it wasn’t just pushed to the side and we got to see true representation of it throughout the book.
These two characters were so different but in the best ways that when they came together sparks really flew and had me flustered during some scenes.
I’d briefly like to mention a side character that stole my heart. Mycellica was such a fun little creature and great comedic relief when things got tense.
Moving onto the world and magic I really enjoyed both. For the entirety of this book we really only get to be in one location and it just so happens to be a cave. However, the authors did a great job at utilizing every nook and cranny and making it feel like its own world. We were fed snippets of the different places and what they represented and it made me want to know more about each one.
As for the magic I thought it was explained in a way that was easy to understand and I liked that it had limits for the users. I can’t wait to see the magic expanded on even more in the next book.
The plot was thought out and had a clear direction and I could even see where an overall plot for a series may go. I understood what was happening and what the end goal was and all the little twists along the way.
Overall, this book was fun, fast-paced and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. The added bonus is that I got to read from indie authors and help support them and their work. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series. I need to know what will happen to these characters.
I highly recommend this book if you like fantasy romance, fae, humor and good representation of PTSD
cinnaron's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
aliasaurora's review
5.0
This book was so good! I was instantly taken in with the worldbuilding, the magic system, the unique geography, the politics of the gentry/high fae/fair folk, the unique connection between the rulers and their soul bonded.
The plot itself takes place almost entirely in one location. A horde of Feral Fae have congregated on a small village outside which resides the solitary MMC in a mountain cave. Call it a twist of fate, or the most literal of forced proximity tropes, but this happens just moments after FMC and MMC lay eyes on one another and realize they are Soul Bonded. The community and the MCs have to come together to rescue as many villagers as possible, make it to the protective isolation of the MMC’s cave home, conserve resources, manage disputes, and work out a means of escape and/or method of contacting the outside world.
Because they’re trapped in this singular location, the whole book feels like a Bottle Episode in the best way—the characters have nothing but time to talk through their drama, to demonstrate their creativity and inventiveness as new problems arise, to learn from one another and come to rely on each other. I complain so often about plots being rushed, important conversations being cut off by action sequences artificially keeping the characters apart for longer than necessary. Well, this is the exact opposite of that!
The MMC has realistic PTSD that takes a long time to work through, and it isn’t going to be healed in one conversation or one lovemaking session with the FMC. There’s gonna be flashbacks and backsliding, and it’s not going to be 100% better by the end of the book, because that is what PTSD is actually like. The characters have to learn his triggers and try to work around them or find ways to unlearn that which was forced upon him by his past trauma.
As much as you’d think this book would be all about this mysterious Ruler on-the-run, we actually learn only a little bit about her history. Much of her memories are shrouded because of some magic that was worked on her seemingly in order to hide her from the world. What we do learn about her is interesting and makes me want to keep reading the series to learn more. She has a unique perspective on the fair folk and the much-feared Elder Fae, a connection with the land even despite her lack of magic, and she has a lot to learn about rulership before she’ll ever be ready to take a throne—something she isn’t even interested in, at this point. What’s that old saying, anyone who WANTS to be king shouldn’t be allowed to rule?
The plot itself takes place almost entirely in one location. A horde of Feral Fae have congregated on a small village outside which resides the solitary MMC in a mountain cave. Call it a twist of fate, or the most literal of forced proximity tropes, but this happens just moments after FMC and MMC lay eyes on one another and realize they are Soul Bonded. The community and the MCs have to come together to rescue as many villagers as possible, make it to the protective isolation of the MMC’s cave home, conserve resources, manage disputes, and work out a means of escape and/or method of contacting the outside world.
Because they’re trapped in this singular location, the whole book feels like a Bottle Episode in the best way—the characters have nothing but time to talk through their drama, to demonstrate their creativity and inventiveness as new problems arise, to learn from one another and come to rely on each other. I complain so often about plots being rushed, important conversations being cut off by action sequences artificially keeping the characters apart for longer than necessary. Well, this is the exact opposite of that!
The MMC has realistic PTSD that takes a long time to work through, and it isn’t going to be healed in one conversation or one lovemaking session with the FMC. There’s gonna be flashbacks and backsliding, and it’s not going to be 100% better by the end of the book, because that is what PTSD is actually like. The characters have to learn his triggers and try to work around them or find ways to unlearn that which was forced upon him by his past trauma.
As much as you’d think this book would be all about this mysterious Ruler on-the-run, we actually learn only a little bit about her history. Much of her memories are shrouded because of some magic that was worked on her seemingly in order to hide her from the world. What we do learn about her is interesting and makes me want to keep reading the series to learn more. She has a unique perspective on the fair folk and the much-feared Elder Fae, a connection with the land even despite her lack of magic, and she has a lot to learn about rulership before she’ll ever be ready to take a throne—something she isn’t even interested in, at this point. What’s that old saying, anyone who WANTS to be king shouldn’t be allowed to rule?
explodingfluffball's review
4.0
I liked the characters and the plot in this story! The little sprite was my favorite, it made me laugh with all its comments
natalie1990's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
willowkerr's review
5.0
4.5 ⭐️ I LOVED THIS BOOK. It was a little hard for me to get into but stick with it, it is so good. I love the relationship between ilyas and Skye, I’m literally so excited to read the next book
ryvenfox's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
storydarling's review
This book was fine and I was interested in the growing bond/relationship between the MCs, but a lot of time was spent of their arguing. And the world building was confusing. I may come back and read this book later because I was interested. I just can’t right now.