Step into the world of the #1 bestselling Fae of Alastriona series by J.E. Reed with this prequel collection.
Rion of Bronach is his country's most feared general. Though he works for his brother, the High Lord of Nadair, Alec, he yields to no one and trusts only his eldest sister, Saoirse.
But he wasn't always a monster. Once, he was just a child. A child with a mother. A father. A mentor.
Then it all changed.
Years pass, with Rion using his magic and reputation to bring Bronach's enemies to heel. But when Alec dispatches him on a mission with an alluring female, Rion begins wondering if living a cursed life is truly his only fate.
Because if there's a chance to escape the ancient texts and prophecies, Rion will have to put his faith in her and pray she doesn't stab him in the back. Literally.
A prequel to the bestselling Fae of Alastriona series, this collection of short stories tells the haunting tale of a child born 'wrong' and how even the kindest of hearts can turn deadly when poisoned with hate.
Included in this volume: The Cursed Fae and a Mother's Love The Cursed Fae and the First Loss The Cursed Fae and a Secret Refuge The Cursed Fae and Broken Promises The Cursed Fae and a Shattered Heart The Cursed Fae and a Fatal Mistake The Cursed Fae and Freedom The Cursed Fae and Hope
J.E. Reed lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and two cats. She’s always had an interest in writing, but didn’t explore that talent fully until 2015. Reed works as a Licensed Massage Therapist in the quiet town of Anderson. She graduated massage school in 2009 and has spent the last three years building her small business. She enjoys swimming, yoga and the occasional mud run with friends.
Rion’s backstory is full of heartbreak and betrayal and made me love him even more. This is a Romantasy filled with Rion’s life before Arianna, and I’m so glad I read it. The book was nicely paced with twists. I already knew the betrayal that was coming, and I still fell for the betrayer!! Such a well written story and I highly recommend read this after the Revered and the Pariah, but you could read it after The Divine and the Cursed as well.
I think this my favorite of the 3 I’ve read in this series so far! I appreciated the deep dive into Rion’s backstory, the slow build-up to the person he was when he and Arianna meet in the first book. Even though I understood his history already, the book deepened that understanding and definitely helped me develop more of an attachment to his character. I think I’ll be a bit more forgiving of his tortured-soul personality in the coming books … just a bit.
This book is broken up into to a series of important events in Rion’s life, and while some of them were short or felt a bit rushed through, I don’t necessarily think those moments needed to be expanded upon and still thought they were all well-written - particularly the story of him and Selena (hopefully I spelled her name right, I listened to the audiobook and don’t have a hard copy). The progression of enemies to lovers was a believable slow-burn and the best part of the book for sure, as I feel it got the most attention from the author as a pivotal point in Rion’s life (although if you’ve ever read Throne of Glass, I feel like Selena’s character is extremely parallel with Celaena, even down to the name - which is fine, but I just came off reading that series so it was fresh in my mind and felt like more than a coincidence of similar ideas).
I will say I didn’t realize until I started A Fate So Cruel that there was any prelude to the series, so I’m still left dangling on the big cliff-hanger at the end of The Revered & the Pariah 😅 but I think it would have been interesting to read this book first, before diving into The Divine & the Cursed - then some of the moments that follow would have the proper context to build off of, but I still enjoyed the experience of getting the backstory later to fit all those pieces together into a more complete picture. Just depends if you’re a chronological reader or not, especially if the break on that cliffhanger would drive you nuts.
*I listened on Audible to the second and third books; I do enjoy the male narration for Rion, which probably fed into my enjoyment of A Fate So Cruel a bit. The 4th book is not recorded yet however, so I’ll be returning to the hard copies.
The start of the book is really interesting, but then it just continues on into all the little plots from the first two books but from Rions point of view. It does not continue the series which disappointed me. Hopefully we will see more from this series that continues the story.
3.75 This was rion’s story it’s shows everything that happened from when he was a youngster till the time he met arianna he really has gone through it but you feel like you get to know him more and this was a rollercoaster of emotions I do really feel for him the things he had to go through and overcome this is great character building and it was a good read you get to understand why he is the way he is I’m still not super into this series but it’s still a good time
Why did I put this book off for so long???? It was everything I needed! Rion's back story is so full of tradegy and fight and sorrow and yet it was amazing!
This prequel dives deep into the history and psyche of Rion of Bronach, a character both terrifying and intriguing as he rises to become one of his country’s most formidable generals. Though I haven’t yet read the Fae of Alastriona series that this book precedes, I’m beyond excited to immerse myself in it now.
The storytelling in Fate So Cruel is truly captivating. We’re given a front-row seat to Rion’s journey through pain, a sense of duty, and an inherent lack of choice. The entire book is told from Rion’s point of view, and J.E. Reed masterfully balances his inner thoughts, allowing us to see the depth of his struggle and truly his naiveté without overwhelming the reader with angst or bitterness. Rion’s vulnerability, especially in relation to his inner child, is skillfully woven into the narrative. This glimpses into his past shows us that even the hardest hearts can carry immense grief and wonder.
The timeline spans his life in a way that gives you his transformation from child to feared warrior, and it raises a haunting question: in his place, who would you become?
explore of how ones soul can harden when twisted by hatred and fate. This book sets the stage for the Fae of Alastriona series, and I can’t wait to dive into the main story after such a powerful prequel. Thank you again, J.E. Reed and Book Sirens, for the chance to read this incredible journey of a man bound by prophecy and the scars it left on his heart.
It begins when he is just a small boy, with his mother, father, older sister and brother. It gives really interesting perspective into his life and the challenges he has faced throughout it. How he became “The Demon” everyone came to know and fear. And what an incredibly sad, lonely and heartbreaking tale it is.
He was just a boy who should have been loved, and nurtured even though he was different. Instead, he was betrayed and cast away by everyone he ever knew and cared about. At some point or other, everyone in his life betrayed him or turned their back on him in some way.
It delves into the relationship between him and Selina. The first woman who broke his heart. And how his relationship became so strained with his brother Alec.
Saiorche his sister is probably the only person who ever stood by him and fought for him. However it could be argued that because she let him take the fall for killing their father, for decades, even at his own insistence- it was as an 8 year old boy-hers is the most egregious betrayal of all.
Like the previous books, there is zero spice, but the storytelling is so good that you don’t miss it at all.
It’s an excellent book in the series and highly recommended.
And thank you, J.E. Reed, for giving us an extra book about Rion — my favorite character. 🥹🤍
It was obvious we were going to suffer, since this book is about Rion’s life before the events of The Cursed and the Divine.
We were warned we’d need tissues, and I did, indeed, need them. Baby Rion deserves so much happiness, and he’s just suffered so much. 😭
I thought the book was entertaining and easy to go through, but I did struggle with the whole Selina section (which, much to my dismay, is the longest part of the book 😒). It was hard to keep a quick reading pace because I knew what was bound to happen, and honestly… I just didn’t care about her. I wanted to see her suffer. But that’s a me problem — not the book’s or the author’s fault. I just needed that part to be done.
After that, I went back to my usual pace and finished the book the same day.
So, what can I say about Rion? HE’S THE SWEETEST AND OH MY GOD NOBODY TOUCH HIM. HE’S SUFFERED ENOUGH — LEAVE HIM ALONE. 🥺😭😩
I'm usually hesitant about reading prequel books because I often find that they either change too much of the original story or don't add anything new...but that is absolutely not the case with AFSC.
This book is absolutely essential! It adds so much depth to Rion's character and the events that lead up to The Divine and the Cursed. We already knew that Rion's life was a tragedy but now we get to experience every moment of the betrayal and heartbreak that causes a sweet child to turn into a brutal monster.
This is definitely J.E. Reed's best book so far. Her skill as a writer and story teller has grown significantly since the first book and I am even more excited for book 3. And now I am going to reread the first 2 with this new perspective on Rion's character! 💛💛💛
𝓘𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓮 𝓲𝓽 𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓰𝓾𝔂𝓼... dnf around 50% Dare I say this was better than the romance?
The first half was amazing- great characters loved Rion but then things took a turn when Rion grew up and met that girl who he fell in love with that betrayed him, I would've liked it more if it wasn't revealed she betrayed him and I would be more interested. Love the insight on Rion past it was fun and all...
I've been reading tons and tons of romance where to the point its hard for me to read a book with a minimum amount but now i'm realizing maybe some fantasy books without romance can be good but everyone keeps butchering them and doing them dirty...
The cruel prince was good- not amazing or all 5 star worthy because the Political fantasy didn't hit imo.
I took a break from the 2nd in this series before I picked up the third and now I wish I wouldn’t have cause I want to read the series all over again front to back.
I remember somethings but not everything, knowing his back story now is awesome. I love that it connects back to the first book.
I have no complaints on this book, just wow.
Rion become what people made him over decades and his brother is a cause of it over and over again.
Spoilers: learned
- how he interacted with the sprites in the woods - how he come to no the dark fae in the mountains - who killed his father and who helped them lie - how powerful he really is which shows in book two
If I didn't love Rion enough in the first two books, this book cemented him a place in my heart, right as it broke for him. Each story cleaved another slice of it out.
This is Rion's prequel to the Fae of Alastríona series. Written from Rion's perspective, readers gain insight into his life: From his childhood before his power manifested to the moment he met Arianna. The warning was right, I cried every time.
I can't wait for book 3 to learn more of their story!
I was nervous going into this prequel souly because I felt like I knew everything that was happening after reading the first book. Man, was I wrong. Reading this book and fully feeling what Rion was feeling was heartbreaking. An outcast from the first sight of his magic. The obstacles he faced. the heartbreak time and time again. When all he wanted to do was love, be loved. And walk through a town without people fearing him.
And the scene with The High Lady of Moiron... I was literally in tears.
The theme off J E Reeds books seems to be that i finish them within max 2 days. I cannot put them down from the first page in the first book i have been captivated in the world and characters live rent free in my head. World building is amazing and writing style is superb, easy to read while being intriguing. I never read prequels but Rion’s story was just to hart-breaking not to read, we can hope for a happy ending in the last book in the series!
A written backstory of our boy Rion. This boy searched and hoped for love and acceptance and was knocked down at every turn. If there was and question about how that can shape the boy into the untrusting man that he was, that will not be the case anymore. Despite this, he continues to try to hold on to his humanity and do what is right. His siblings do not deserve him.
Oh Rion, If I didn't love him before, I absolutely love him now. This is an amazing prequel that really dives into what makes Rion, Rion. From childhood to before book one, this will fill the gaps and I really liked diving into his story. If you enjoyed Book 1 and 2, You will really enjoy this. I now want to re read the books so I can view it from eyes that know his story.
God I just can't get into these other books. One was an easy 4.5 stars for me. I loved the characters and the plot and the romance. I loved it so much, started book 2 and I quit it so many times. Finally, trudged through it... This one was slow as well, I just couldn't get into it. I finished it but I'm very hesitant to get into the next one. I wanted more from this.
Enlightening to see what Rion went through before the story began… gruesome what people can do to each other when a story is planted in their heads! The series is definitely worth a read if you’re into fantasy 🙏🏻🤍 It’s different parts of his life in different stories - interesting and I want more now!!!
I wasn’t very impressed with this one. I read it in published order so after the way book 2 ended, to jump into the prequel of a character I already felt like I knew well, was frustrating. Nevertheless, the character development and story telling was nice. It was ironic to me that the author wrote for us to have a tissue ready, because I didn’t cry at all (despite normally crying at everything)…
I loved reading Rion's heartbreaking backstory. I understand him so much better.
If you liked TOG, you'll love this series. It's dark romantasy with lots of fighting scenes and ruthless characters, and fade to black steamy scenes so teens can read too. I love when I find books I can comfortably share with the family.
Rions story has always tugged at my heart strings. It's so heartbreaking. This book took me longer to read because I kept day dreaming about the first book and had to go back and read it. I've really enjoyed this series so much! I can't wait to read more.
A few stories of how the Demon came to be. Kind of starts off slow with all the building but gives a nice new perspective on Rion. Almost wish I would have read this before reading book 2. Can’t wait for book 3!!
Such a beautiful, heartbreaking addition to the Alastríona series. It gives depth and insight into the MMC’s past, making his character arc through the series even more touching. Read AFTER BOOK 1 so you don’t spoil the storyline!!
Finding out Rion's back story added some much needed context to the series. As much as I enjoyed it, finding out more about his treatment and just sheer betrayals was upsetting, my heart aches for the poor thing.
This was decent for a prequel. Similar to the other books in the series, I felt like the beginning limped along. I wasn’t overly invested and there was a sense of predictability considering we knew everything from the first two books. But the ending (or close to ending) was a huge shock!
Who knew a character could make you feel so much for them. Rion, my heart goes out to him and he’s not even real. That’s how much emotion is put into his story, into this book. I am hoping the ending ends how I want it. Onto the final book in this series.