Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - A Feather So Black

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
Happy Book Birthday to Lyra Selene!!!!

WHEW! THAT ENDING. I knew from the beginning that I shouldn't trust Eala. She was too.... welcoming of Fia. If I had been kidnapped as a child and replaced by a changeling I would feel nothing but hatred and loathing for my "sister". I didn't believe for a second that Eala liked or even trusted Fia (she obviously didn't trust her because she kept manipulating Fia). Eala constantly talked about how she didn't want to be used as a pawn anymore but then her big plan was "I'm going to make everyone else a pawn in my game". Make that make sense???

I also did not like Rogan AT ALL. I don't understand what Fia saw in the man. He was literally so useless and so damn oblivious. If he was meant to have golden retriever energy (that's what it seemed like and he was blond) then he fell very short of that.

Other than that I truly enjoyed this novel. It had some very vibrant world building and although I was able to see a lot of the plot points from the get-go (besides the whole Eala tearing out hearts bit) I still found the magic and the people interesting enough to continue reading.

I'm also confused though because.... A Folk at the beginning told Fia they were going to ask for a kiss in payment for saving her from some other creepy Folk person and then... that person NEVER came back. Fia only ever interacted with Irian or the maidens so I don't know what happened there. I'm pretty sure this is going to be a series so maybe that will be handled at a later date?

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candyjay19's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

For full clarity, I received an ARC copy of this book.
The beginning of this book was quite slow and confusing, to put it lightly you are dumped into it and expected to be able to swim. Filled with what I believe is an abundance of Gaelic terminology for which I clearly missed the glossary that was placed at the end of the book. Also, the overhaul of nature metaphors got to a point that it was almost too much before they eased to a bearable amount.
It took until 30% through that I finally knew what was happening properly enough to be interested and then finally I could connect with the characters, which of course could just be me but I have seen a lot of reviews state the same things.
That beginning aside, the story was unique for me and provided an intriguing path to follow. Filled with a complicated manipulative family and strange dark intrigue I can see the beauty in this world.

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leahharlann's review against another edition

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After an initially interesting set-up, it just gets incredibly boring when the pace becomes GLACIAL in order to stretch out the pining and angst between the Female Lead and the first Male Lead. There had only been a couple of interesting interactions between the FL and the second ML (who was likely endgame) but nothing else and no real plot progression to even keep me engaged. I was too bored to even skim to the end.

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heathersinkwell's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Fodla has been left magicless and is plagued by disease, failed harvests, and social strife. Fia, a changeling left by the Fair Folk in place of the princess, was left behind before the gates locked to the Fae realm, Tír na nÓg. She has spent her life reviled and ostracized, despite being adopted and raised by the High Queen. After Fia is sent on an impossible quest to break a curse in the Fae realm, she begins to learn that what she has been told is not always as it seems. Time is running out to break the curse and Fia must decide who she can trust: the people she’s known her whole life or the Fae prince who understands her like no one has before.

A Feather So Black has a strong Celtic influence and is set in a high fantasy world. It is filled with mythology and folklore. It straddles the cozy fantasy realm with its focus on character development, relationships between characters, seasonality, and domestic tasks. This book doesn’t fit neatly into cozy fantasy because it contains some gore, isn’t very heartwarming, can feel very bleak and hopeless at times, and explores some of the darkest parts of humanity. So, it has aspects of cozy fantasy but it has TONS of action and dark scenes as well.

Please check trigger/content warnings before reading!

I LOVED this book. It was full of beautiful prose that was a feast for my eyes. The character development and relationship building (or destruction) were incredible and made this book shine. The romance plot was a major focus, but the fantasy world-building did not suffer for it. Romance helped the plot move forward. There were a few open-door scenes, but they flowed with the story and made sense in the moment. They weren’t there for the sake of spice alone.

The tropes are classic but done refreshingly.

Example (possible spoiler): there is a love triangle, but it’s written as leaving/growing out of one relationship and finding a new person who fits who you are better and supports your continued growth.

(end spoiler)

I do think this book would benefit from a more comprehensive glossary/pronunciation guide. Many common items were given a different name, which makes sense in the Celtic context. Many readers don’t know how to pronounce Celtic words or what these terms mean. There is already a glossary/pronunciation guide. It just needs to be beefed up a bit more!

Tropes:

Love triangle

Fae

One horse

Swan Princess influence

Star crossed lovers

Friends to lovers

HFN Ending

Touch her and die

All the seasons vibes

Complex characters

Storytelling and riddles

Monsters

Complicated family dynamics

Morally grey characters

Lyrical writing

Hidden libraries

Content Warnings

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