Rivals of Sea and Sky

by Marianne Morea

Eden Aossi, heir to the Summer Court, has everything... except the freedom to choose her own destiny.

Trapped in a gilded cage and bound by royal duty, she spends her days preparing for a future she never asked for—until an unexpected opportunity to escape changes everything. Determined to experience life outside the constraints of her title, Eden sneaks away to a glamorous gala at the rival Winter Court.

At last, freedom—until she collides with Daire Dannean, the brooding heir to the Winter Court and her sworn enemy. But when an undeniable spark ignites between them, Eden is forced to question everything she’s been taught about loyalty, love, and the fate of the Fae realms.

As the two heirs navigate a world teeming with political intrigue, dangerous alliances, and a growing bond that defies royal traditions, Eden and Daire realize they are united by a common to heal the fractured realms of the Fae and restore peace. But dark forces lurk in the shadows, determined to keep the realms divided—and to destroy their forbidden love.

Will their love break centuries-old divisions, or will their forbidden romance lead to their undoing? Find out in this epic tale of magic, betrayal, and destiny.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance

304 pages, Paperback

Published September 2, 2025

About the author

Marianne Morea is the author of 40 book with more to come!

Born and raised in New York, Marianne Morea’s stories embody the grit and complexity of the city. An avid traveler, she uses experiences from around the world in all her books. Paranormal Women’s Fiction, Paranormal Romantic Suspense and Sexy Urban Fantasy are the hallmarks of her writing, where the city never sleeps because the fantasies are real.

Reviews

[Kim that.bookish.mama · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy world building!!

Rivals of Sea and Sky is book 1 in the Avalon Courts series, being book 1 I expected some world building but holy moly! When we are still world building at 50% my brain is basically mush!
Our Story follows Eden and Daire who are the heirs of their courts, they are supposed to be rivals but well we all know how that goes! 🤣 They were never supposed to meet but now that they have………. I honestly don’t know cause we never really got there! We were still world building!!!
Listen lol I like a good epic fantasy with the deep world building but you gotta let a girl know before going in so I mentally prepare!
At the end of the day I just felt like this book wasn’t for me.. It honestly felt like a hugggge prologue, like I think book 2 is gonna pop off!!! But yall… I’m sorry to say that this one just is a no for me… I really wanted to love this book…

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think this book was for me - though the characters were in their 20s they read as very juvenile. Though marketed as an adult novel, I feel this would be better suited for a younger audience with younger characters. The world building was not evident and relied too heavily on pre-built fantasies - mainly Camelot/Arthurian legends with “fae” and “seelie” added in between. The present-day call outs also really threw off the immersion into the fantasy world. Overall it was a typical romantasy storyline which at its base level could be enjoyable but was bogged down with other fantasy worlds and modern terminology.

Thank you netgalley and City Owl Press for the e-arc!

[Jax Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Rivals of Sea and Sky! Marianne Morea’s writing feels eloquent and transports you into the world she has created. I jumped on Amazon and purchased a physical copy of the book by Chapter Four!

There is a really interesting magic system, I really enjoyed the inclusion of wizardry, especially with the new take on that particular characters origin. And I loved the FMC and MMC’s interest in human realm movies and pop culture - as a movie nerd myself that felt like an awesome way to connect with the characters.

There is political intrigue and betrayals, although it’s not delved into too deeply yet - more an introduction of the players, but I found myself trying to puzzle out their intentions and how they would play into the future storyline. Even the FMC’s mother - the way she is portrayed is different to any maternal character I’ve read before and I keep wondering if there’s going to be a twist with her, or if what you see is truth.

There were quite a few “supporting character” relationships that I enjoyed more than our main characters. With the distance and lack of communication between our FMC and MMC, their love felt a little shallow and immaterial. One minute it’s a fleeting secret meet up and the next they’re fated mates who are genuinely deeply in love, but it didn’t feel like the connect between those stages had enough burn in them. I understand though that this book is setting everything up for the next part of the story. And the banter between our FMC and other characters makes up for the seeming lack of depth thus far.

I finished this book second guessing a few of my theories - is what I think will happen too much of an obvious choice because I feel like there could be some twists coming? Either way I’m looking forward to continuing the story in the next book!

Thank you to City Owl Press, NetGalley and Marianne Morea for the advanced read in exchange for my honest and uninfluenced review.

[KazLikesToRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really huge thank you to NetGalley and Marianne Morea for the ARC and opportunity to give feedback on this book.

I had really hoped to like this but unfortunately I DNFed this book at 45%.

It started off really good, the writing flowed nicely and I was interested in the people and the world building. There was an interesting language and there were cool creatures/ species. However, the world kept growing without much supporting plot. I stopped at about 50% and at this point, the FMC has gone to a ball where she meets a prince and then returns for a date with him. She has barely started her "quest" (which I think is set up for in the beginning) and for royalty, she somehow trusts a rival prince she met once with her family secrets? I had a difficult time finding the motivation to continue reading as it was a little slow. For a romantasy, I'm expected higher stakes, more action and more plot.

There is a lot of Merlin lore and that's another thing that was making it difficult for me to understand, as someone who knows close to nothing about it/ the times/ mythology. I was quite lost and hence I kept putting off picking up the book again.

I think there is definitely some readers who will thoroughly enjoy this, especially if you like more in-depth world building, light political intrigue and YA fantasy.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ ┇ Bookstagram ┇ BookTok

So this didn’t really pick up for me until about half way. Then it lost me again until about the last 30%. That’s when it really got good for me. You can see where the author is taking this series by the ending, and while I am interested to see where this series goes, I don’t think I will be continuing.

There was A LOT of world building & at times I did feel confused. This also has insta love in it, which I almost never like. The characters felt very immature. And the whole human realm aspect of it kinda lost me as well.

Also, when certain words are used during spicy scenes, they throw me off and the whole mood is ruined. (For example “hard bar” & “folds”)

‎‧₊˚✧𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽✧˚₊‧

➳❥ Forbidden Love
➳❥ Insta Love
➳❥ Rival Courts
➳❥ Fated Mates
➳❥ Prophecy
➳❥ Merlin

[Cheyyleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5. This book was just not my favorite. spoilers.



This was a super super rushed YA with spice added and a warp speed plot line. This definitely bummed me out because this had so much potential to be a good book. let's break it down so I don't sound like a jerk.

Eden:
Eden is incredibly naive and not at all the level of intelligent one would assume being groomed to lead by her mother. She jumps into being with Daire after two sentences and a kiss and throws everything into chaos for it. She makes zero intelligent decisions unless she talks it through with Merlin, who only speaks in riddles and gives no clear answers. Then she just becomes the chosen ones mom. Which granted that is a new take on the chosen one style writing but it just added another annoyance for me. She hooks up with Daire with no thought to birth control or protection and is shocked she may be pregnant 🤨. She then abandons her life and takes off to the human world to be a happy family and just bails. Thumbs down friend.

Daire:
I kept hoping he was plotting and that we would either get a grovel next book or that she would find someone else to be with. He just fell flat. maybe it was the insta love? Which doesn't usually bother me, but they barely spoke before falling in love, and they hooked up once and got pregnant. I just. wanted so much more from this.


Plot:
if we break this down in simple terms it's just warring countries and unhappy people vying for power like all fantasy style books but I think we tried to cram way to much into a book that so heavily tried to focus on the romance aspect. We get bogged down in teenage style wanting and we miss the world falling apart. We also get a TON of tell not see in this book and it just comes off as info dumping. Merlin is why we know anything that is happening and he's not clear, unless he's completely giving us every detail we need?


overall:
Honestly overall it wasn't for me. I thought the plot would be a much needed reprieve from some of the books I've read lately that lack depth but I was mistaken. I won't be continuing on with it.

[Talia C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book!

This is a very different read that has a minor relation to Merlin and the Arthur story. It is full of magic and other realms/worlds that are either at odds with each other or oblivious that the others even exist.

The dynamic between the FMC and the MMC was very strong right from the first introduction between then. Being both from realms that currently aren’t getting along, I figured this was going to be a good story about bringing the two together to be much stronger!

I think there was maybe a little too much in this book for it to flow nicely.. it started off in the magical realms, but when they travelled to the human realm all of a sudden there were vampires.. that was just very random and didn’t quite go with the flow. The bad guy ends up being someone that has not even made an appearance in the book, that kind of throws the whole thing off the rails. I just think it was maybe too much too fast.. in more ways than one.

While it had very descriptive writing and world building visuals, it was just a bit difficult to stay on track of where the storyline was going.

[Kez Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this fantasy world and all the intrigue, court rivalries and tension.
Eden is very much a rebellious princess, and loves to go against her mother's wishes, and not stick to her heir apparent role. She sneaks off to a rival kingdom and unexpectedly meets the heir and they begin a whirlwind forbidden romance.
I liked the political intrigue, secrets and prophecies, and how Eden's sister covers for her.
Merlin was my favourite character, I loved the humour and how he tries to support, guide and protect Eden.
Daire was very sweet, and not the typical MMC you see in forbidden romance stories / rival kingdoms. He didn't pretend to be anything, or hide this feelings, it was a mix of insta-love & genuine connection.
I always enjoyed retellings that involve Arthurian Lore, so it was interesting seeing Merlin's role in this and how it linked to Fae.
I'd say this felt like a YA fantasy based on on the story and characters but with a splash of spice.

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read. An exciting and thrilling read that pulls you in with fantastic world building and complex and intriguing characters. Set in the magical world of the fae, there’s mystery, suspense, romance and danger, darkness and political intrigue that has you glued to the pages from start to finish.

[Kristina Stangl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Very Nice Read

A very nice story. I enjoyed the plot and the characters were well written. Overall, a great first book to the Avalon Court series. Looking forward to the next book.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was excited for this as I thought I was getting into a rival fae heirs, enemies to lovers, slow burn story with political intrigue of various courts, but this book didn’t deliver on that in a lot of ways for me.

Ultimately, I didn’t jive with the writing style and think this needed some edits. It had potential though, with the magic system and world.

As the book starts, there isn’t much buildup before the two heirs meet, so it doesn’t feel like the backstory is there to create the romantic tension. This ultimately leads to it feeling like an insta-love/lust situation, which I typically don’t enjoy.

The world building was jarring to me, where some things are over-explained and then others not given context at all, so I ended up unnecessarily confused at times. I usually enjoy world building, but this one was too disjointed and it kept adding elements without connecting the dots. Also, I think this book suffered from not having a cohesive vision of what time period it was in. For example, there were old-fashioned gowns, society balls, and sword fighting next to references of movies, t-rexes, Harry Potter, and virtual reality. This kept taking me out of the story. I also didn’t expect the Arthurian and Merlin lore to be a huge part of this story, but it was. Which is not a bad thing, but I think it also added to the lack of cohesion in the setting for me. I would have enjoyed it more if it had focused solely on the fae, the courts, & Arthurian setting.

It took me to the 50% mark to get interested in the characters and story, which is way too long, and then it switches tracks and I wasn’t interested again. At this point the villains are getting set up, but then we take a detour trip to New Orleans to get laid? Weird.

I didn’t particularly enjoy or connect with any of the characters. They felt really young, immature, and one-dimensional. The main character is supposed to be 21 but she feels like a 16 year-old, which also made some of the sexual/love elements off-putting to me. (Like at one point, Eden says that Merlin taught her about the birds and the bees and this guy is supposed to be like 1000 years old and she’s 21 (feels like 16)??). I wanted to like Merlin but he was pretty repetitive and felt like a means to “tell” a lot of the plot rather than “show”.

Also, the pregnancy trope at the end?? UGH.

I think this was just really not for me. Overall, this felt like one long prologue or prequel. I will not be continuing the series.

Thank you to the publisher and Library Thing for the free advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

[East of Reality · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no sense of time or place in this book — sword lessons and existing in a world with Merlin and salted pretzels and modern slang and sayings; zippers and thermal shirts, slinky dresses and nylon vests. That, combined with how little character the ‘fae’ of this world seem to have and token attempts at girl power and “feminism” make this world feel less like a fantasy and more like a contemporary where the cast reciting their lines are wearing cosplay. Especially when they jaunt to New Orleans and talk about Harry Potter.

Eden isn’t bright. In one conversation with Daire she mentions that Merlin saw something; Daire questions — after all, what did Merlin see about him? — and she says he’s like a dog with a bone. The conversation took less than half the page, started by her, but he’s the one who won’t let it go? However, once they’re naked together — for reasons — while Daire is quick to ask for consent, he’s equally quick to call her “mine” just because they shared an orgasm.

Phrases like “you’ve found your inner Sidhe,” or the constant misuse of the word portend when the book meant portent, or using beach branch instead of beech branch, among other small malapropsms just had me sighing, wondering if I should keep going at all. But I did, and found phrases like “the fae version of the undead,” which … makes no sense. We don’t call zombies human versions of the undead; or any undead a human version of itself. The book wants me to know that these characters are fae very badly, but rather than making them feel like fae — like a magical, mythical, otherworldly race — it can only tell me over and over that they’re fae, and it doesn’t work for me.

They feel like humans. They talk like modern humans (or at least humans from the twenty-teens). They don’t act like they’re anything but human. There is what might be a lot of set up, but it’s clumsily put together and I found Eden and her sister to be remarkably uninteresting and I don’t care enough about the story to read book two in the series. It’s a flat, disjointed read with no sense of what it is, what the world is, or who the characters are.

I’m sorry, this book isn’t for me and I don’t recommend it. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Niomi King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right, first thing is, first, that blurb needs to be changed. This book has one of the best, most cheeky geriatric legends there ever was, and he isn't mentioned once... Come on, if my faerie godfather was none other than Merlin, I would be shouting that from the roof tops.

So this is book one in the Avalon courts, but I feel like maybe it's more a lengthy prologue. Don't get me wrong, I loved the story, but by the end i just felt like Eden and Daire were no longer the main characters, so it felt like a novella telling the story that lead to the real one. I think book 2 is definitely where it's going to be at.

This book, however, follows Eden and Daire, the heir apparents of their fae courts, winter and summer. Always know as their rival courts they were never supposed to meet, until Eden decided to gatecrash a party held by the winter court, where she meets and instantly falls in love with Daire. But the party is brought to a brutal end when a rival attempting to rise his own court attacks the festivities. From then on out mysterious plots come to light that proves none of the current court leaders can be trusted. And with great faerie godfather Merlins help Eden and Daire escape the court politics and betrayal to ensure the possibility that the prophecy of old may come to light.

I will definitely be on the lookout for the next in this series, i feel like there is so much more greatness to add. If you like Faerie court politics, run away princesses following her heart, defiant daughters with a meddling wizard father figure who is her number one supporter. This book is for you. Over 18 years of age, though, as it contains scenes of an adult nature, while it was tastefully written, its contents are still for adults.

***Thank you to netgalley, City Owl Press, and Marianne Morea for the ARC, This was such a delightful read, and I appreciate the honour of being amongst the first to enjoy it. The above review is my honest opinion and has not been influenced in any way.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eden is a princess of the Summer Court , the oldest daughter who is destined to take over as queen when her mom passes away or steps down. She has everything a fae princess could ask for but the freedom to live her own life . Until the night she sneaks off to a party with her sister to the Winter court. When she runs into Daire Dannean the prince of Winter court. They are drawn together as they see each other as the person they are and not the titles they have. When they head to the human world they have to navigate the courts and human world to bring them what they truly want and desire.
Eden is a sweet young woman who just happens to be a fae princess who is being trained to take over Summer court .Her mother is nothing but diabolical . Eden is trying to have a life but duty calls . She is sweet and kind but also wants to live her own life. She starts off as a little naive but as you watch her grow through out the book. She becomes a fighter and someone who wants to live by her own rules. Daire is well he is good looking but not arrogant , he wants what Eden wants a life outside the court. He wants to be with one and if that means going against the court so be it. They are destined to be together and with the help of Merlin. Yes Merlin makes an appearance . He is so much fun and is the comic relief through out the book . Each character in this book is well written and complex . You really start to cheer for Eden and Daire and you want them to be together.
This is one of those books that mixes fae and medieval fantasy together . The author takes us on an adventure through out the realms and the human world. I must admit I have read all this authors books and loved each and everyone of them . She carefully crafts a story that is engaging and sexy at the same time . She can write a great story being vampire, werewolf , fae or just about anything . This is one of those books that can be read in an evening . I can't wait to see what happens in book 2. So check it out if you like a nice read for those cool fall evenings .

[Robin Shelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating: 3.5

I enjoyed the story and I like that it's based around Merlin. Merlin was probably my favorite character, along with York and Kip. For the most part, I liked the characters. However, to me the main characters seemed a lot younger than they were meant to be. I was envisioning 17 year olds, which made the adult scenes uncomfortable. Not only that, the wording and the way the scenes were written felt uncomfortable. There weren't many, but it was weird reading about his "hard bar". I also didn't get the sudden inclusion of vampires and werewolves when the book until that point had been in a completely different realm. There were many things that just felt like they were thrown into the mix for no reason that made sense. I struggled to get through it. There were a few times I had to reread sentences multiple times because they made no sense to me, no matter how many times I read them. I still don't understand what was trying to be said.

While I do like the two love interests together, their relationship seemed very rushed. They met four whole times throughout the entire book, with no contact in between meetings, and the longest amount of time they spent together was two days. Yet I was supposed to believe the MMC knows all of the FMC's quirks and that she likes spooky stuff without ever having been told those things before he mentioned them. Without giving spoilers, I can only say that their relationship shouldn't have progressed to the extent that it did by the end of the book. I feel like that could have been more of a book two timeline.

With that said, I do feel that this book has some good bones and could have been something really great with more revisions.

*Thank you NetGalley and City Owl Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Cinnamon&Pine · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Arthurian setting, fae and fated lovers

In a world where courts of Summer and Winter still echo with the remnants of Arthurian legend, Eden, crown princess of the Seelie Summer Court, dares to want something simple: one night of freedom. Disguised by her aging tutor Merlin, she slips with her twin sister into the rival Unseelie Winter Court’s festivities—only to exchange a few pleasantries with its crown prince and be whisked away to his hidden island, before more than a few sentences have been exchanged. Courtly intrigue? Not quite. This is romance on fast-forward.

Though twenty-one, Eden often reads closer to sixteen, swept along in a giddy haze as the pair embark on a weekend on Earth—a world they’ve only ever glimpsed through films (how does that work exactly?), yet somehow navigate like seasoned travelers. Drinks flow, danger follows, virginity is lost and they end up fleeing a trap straight into the presence of the twins’ imperious mother, who immediately decides Eden should marry the man she’s loathed since page one.

And then comes the narrative choice that derailed any flow: just before the betrothal ball, Eden discovers she’s pregnant—despite the entire arc spanning barely a month. Symptoms pile on at record speed: morning sickness, tenderness, weight changes. Biology bows out gracefully at this point.

The premise and setting hold promise, and the pace keeps the pages turning, but the rushed romance and implausible pregnancy left me more bemused than invested. I’ll likely pick up the sequel—though more in hope than expectation.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A pendant unlike any I’d seen dangled from his fingers. Two silver dragons twisted into the shape of a triquetra, one with eyes the color of emeralds, the other blue as a storm-raged sea.”

When Eden Aossi, heir to the Summer Court is tempted by her twin sister to steal away for a night of fun at the Winter Court, things are not always as they seem. Bound by her duty, but also needing to push at the edges of her gilded cage, she agrees to join her sister and meets, none other than Daire Dannean, the heir to the Winter Court. Seelie and Unseelie are sworn enemies, but the instant, magical pull these two have with each other is more than just opposites attract. Our story starts here, with magic, the push and pull of the royal courts, and young love.

I’ve been reading Marianne Morea for more than ten years, and her books always surprise me with the knowledge she puts into her stories. Her stories, whether about history, magical beings, or witchcraft, almost always teach you something new. There is a ton of world building in this first book, I loved how she moved the characters from the Fae realms to the human world and truly enjoyed the peek into the wickedness that vampires would go to get to a Fae royal for their blood. Add in Merlin and his secret life, shadows, magic, political intrigue, court shenanigans, everything built to a crescendo that makes me want the next story of The Avalon Courts.

CW/TW: Violence, Gore, Blood, Forced Marriage, Alcohol, Vomit, Body shaming, Death, Gaslighting, Injury / Injury detail

[Cathy Pike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book one in the Avalon courts series and brings together all the things we love from the court of King Arthur and mixes it with all things fae. So we meet Princess Eden, who is the heir to the summer court, and her friend and mentor Merlin. Eden is struggling under the mountain of expectations and Royal duties, and just wants a few moments to be just Eden. So with help from Merlin, she decides to do something very unlike her and sneaks out of the palace with her sister and her friends to attend a gala at the rival winter court. There she meets the dark, brooding, dashing heir to the winter court, who is supposed to be her enemy. But neither of them can deny the electric chemistry between them. This is the start of a dangerous journey full of deadly enemies, politics, magic, betrayal, self discovery, forbidden romance, and of course hope that the heirs can finally join the fractured courts and restore peace to the realms once and for all.

What a great read, I mean who doesn’t love magic, Fae, forbidden Love, and of course a dangerous journey to save the world, and that’s just the beginning! It is fast paced with plenty of great plot twists. I really enjoyed Marianne‘s writing style, her world building is on point, it has great flow and left me wanting more. I cannot wait to read the next instalment of this series, and to see what Marianne has in store for our lovebirds. This was a strong four star read for me and I would definitely recommend.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun start to the series and really sets up the next one!

I really enjoyed the Seelie vs Unseelie courts and how Eden and Daire are in rival courts. Gave off a lot of Romeo and Juliet vibes. I didn't love their insta love connection. I'm a big fan of the slow burn, but "I love you" after 3 dates was a little rushed, even for me. This is a small novella, so I understand things had to move quickly, and when you get to the end, you can really see why things had to go so fast.

Now, I LOVED how the Arthurian legend is mixed in and a part of the story and I am dying to know more on that! I think this set up for the series really well and I am looking forward to seeing where everything heads! I think this should maybe be marketed as a Prequel Novella, depending on what's going to happen in the next book. Might have different main characters and be set in a different time period. That's just my speculation though.

Read if you love:
-Fae (Unseelie vs Seelie)
-Arthurian Legends
-Portal Magic
-Modern fantasy

Thank you to City Owl Press for the gifted copy. My thoughts are entirely my own.
Finish date: 8/24/25, Release date: 9/2/25

[Lovelette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Royal duty, secret prophecies, and forbidden fae chemistry—this one had me at “crown polishing.” ✨

📖 Rivals of Sea and Sky by Marianne Morea
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.75)
🌶🌶
💫 Genre: Romantasy

⚠️ TW: Prophecy, political intrigue

Eden Aossi is the heir to the Summer Court. She’s a book nerd, an apprentice of Merlin (yes, that Merlin), bound by etiquette and royal demands. One reckless night, she sneaks out and meets Prince Daire of the rival Winter Court—someone who holds equal power and comparable burdens. Merlin prophesies their meeting is fate, and Eden finds herself torn between destiny, duty, and attraction.

I really ended up loving this atmosphere. The world-building is lush and immersive, even though parts dragged for me. I almost dropped it early on, but the lore, the prophecy dumps, and the contrast between Eden’s life and Daire’s rival court pulled me back in. Even though urban fantasy isn’t usually my go-to, this one handled its magic nicely. I felt invested.

Thank you NetGalley and Marianne Morea for this ARC.

Tropes:
🌊 Enemies To Lovers
👑 Royal Heir FMC & Prince MMC
✨ Fated Mates
📚 Apprentice Magic
⚔️ Court Politics
🔥 Instant Attraction

[Kasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: Thank you to @Marianne_Morea, @CityOwlBooks & @LoveBooksTours for an advance copy of this book.

This book follows Eden Aossi, heir to the Summer Court, who has everything except the freedom to choose her own path. When she sneaks away to a Winter Court gala and crosses paths with her sworn enemy, Daire Dannean, sparks fly—sparks that could unite or destroy the fractured Fae realms. With political intrigue, dangerous alliances, and forbidden romance, this is a tale of magic, destiny, and defying expectations.

I really enjoyed Marianne Morae’s writing style, the layered world building, and the political maneuvering between the courts. Those elements kept me intrigued and gave the story a strong sense of place.

That said, the tone and voice felt much younger than I expected. I’m not sure if it was a marketing mismatch, but it read more YA than I was anticipating, and some modern terms pulled me out of the fantasy setting.

Overall, this is a softer fantasy with a dash of romance that may be a great starting point for readers new to the genre.

[Rebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Marianne Morea, you had me from the first page. Eden Aossi isn’t just an heir—she’s a force of nature, determined to carve her own path even when the entire Fae world expects her to bow. I loved sneaking through the gala with her, feeling every pang of excitement, fear, and thrill as she collided with Daire Dannean. That brooding, impossible-to-resist enemy? My heart was doing somersaults.
This book is magic, intrigue, and romance rolled into one beautifully twisted tale. The political maneuvering between the Summer and Winter Courts had me second-guessing everyone, while the slow-burn tension and forbidden romance had me whispering, “Yes, Eden, take control!”
If you crave strong heroines, enemies-to-lovers sparks, and Fae worlds full of danger and wonder, Rivals of Sea and Sky is a must-read. I laughed, swooned, and cheered, and I’m already counting the seconds until the next book.

[eh_reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rivals of Sea and Sky is an interesting take on Fae political courts with Merlin and King Arthur lore mixed in. Eden is heir to the Summer Court and Daire is heir to the Winter court and obviously both courts are rivals. This story is a whirlwind forbidden romance, world building, and prophecy driven. I was originally going to say, had I known going into it that is was a spicy YA Romantasy, I wouldn’t have been so disappointed with the rushed surface level feel of the book was, however a quick google says that it is an adult fantasy... I feel other people would enjoy this book as it fits well with in the Fae Romantasy realm and the first book has set it up well for the other books in the series to not need so much world building. Now that I know what to expect with the writing style I might pick up that second novel but am in no rush to do so.
Thank you Net Galley and City Owl Press for the ARC of this novel.

[fifi fae · Rating 2 out of 5]

grateful to NetGalley, the author and publishers for granting me this e-ARC.

this was unfortunately a generic and trend-seeking corn-fest making a poor attempt at being unique without having the depth and intention such a feat requires in the current romantasy space. it was a mediocre mix of half-baked and half-planned world building, distorted plotting and pacing, an “insta-lovey” and baseless romance, with generic and foundationless characters holding limited motivations.
there was so much telling and not enough intentional and intellectual showing. the writing was also quite poor as the author was trying to force a flowery prose without actually being well versed in the grammar sentence structuring that requires.
in short, more planning and editing could have been done. that said, it wasn’t the worst thing ever, and i was intrigued and entertained when i wasn’t bored and icked out of my mind.

[Julia Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this book!!

Thank you to city owl press for this as an arc read, that I finally got to read!!

I will say I would have given it 5 stars but I am NOT a fan at all of a “surprise pregnancy” even if the child is the fate “savior” for the realm.

The story is amazing and very well written. It had my attention from the very beginning!

Eden is the summer court princess in line to take the throne, but doesn’t know really how to have fun. Her twin sister on the other hand knows how to sneak out and have a good time whenever she wants. When Eden decides to sneak out with her sister and friends and attend the winters court ball, she meets Daire, the winter court prince and her “rival”.

To me Eden and daire’s story progresses very very quickly. I feel like so much happened and he fell for her so fast. But it was still really good.

If you like fated lovers, small case of hidden identity, and “rival” royalty you will love this book!

2🌶️/5
4⭐️/5

[JoAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy through NetGalley. I haven't read anything written by the author before so her writing style was new to me. I am unsure if it was just the kindle version I received but the first few words being capitalized at the beginning of every chapter bothered me. There were times when I was reading that I had to pause and reread because the wording threw me off or it just seemed like a word was missing. A pronunciation guide would be helpful with some of the names and words. The story itself was good and kept me mostly entertained. I would rate the story as a 3.5. The King Arthur/Guenevere/Merlin aspect is what drew me in initially. There was a bit of character growth that came from the FMC and the sacrifice made by both the FMC and MMC was beautiful. I am interested in reading the next book to see how they progress as individuals and a couple.

[Jennifer Loschiavo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the world building. The side characters brought a lot of depth to the book. The main relationship is questionable at this point. I am unsure why she is so trusting to someone that she met rather quickly. The writing does not leave a lot of plot support for this main relationship. There was not a lot of action and adventure in the first half or almost 3/4 of the book. I think this author may be saving a bulk of the juicy stuff for book 2. But this book didn’t need a little more meat and potatoes because there was some lore involved with this world building that was a little bit off And as much as I love a whimsy book, you can’t do whimsy without substance. This book is good for someone that is maybe new to the genre but for a veteran reader, there are some things that they will catch and it may not be as enjoyable.

[Kushnuma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, City Owl Press and Marianne Morea for this ARC.

Rivals of Sea and Sky is book 1 in The Avalon Courts series.

Eden is the heir to her mother's throne and the sensible sibling. But when she finally decides to trespass at an Unseelie party and meets Daire, the Unseelie heir, she realises her life is about to change, a lot.

This started off really well, the world building was great and it seems like exciting things are going to happen. But then we get a mix of human world words which didn't go with the story in the Fae world and then there were vampires and werewolves in there too, which didn't really match up.

Overall, a good start to the series and hopefully the next book will be even better.

[Janna Felix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rivals of Sea and Sky delivers a familiar but enjoyable fae romance built on court rivalry, forbidden attraction, and a heroine longing for freedom. Eden’s frustration with her gilded cage is easy to sympathize with, and the tension between Summer and Winter adds a fun backdrop for stolen moments and political intrigue. I enjoyed the youthful tone and the hints of a larger conflict simmering beneath the romance, though many of the plot beats and character dynamics felt predictable and underdeveloped. The worldbuilding has appealing ideas but doesn’t always dig as deep as it could, which kept the emotional stakes from fully landing for me. Overall, this is a light, fast read that will work best for readers who enjoy teen fae romances and classic enemies-to-lovers setups without expecting too many surprises.

[Chelsea Drumm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rivals of Sea and Sky is an odd mix of fantasy and contemporary, with characters who are supposed to be adults, but behave like they're in high school. The attitude around intimacy and the idea of going into the human realm to essentially "practice" with this guy that she met once and fell in love with (INSANE) was strange to me, as was their insta-love relationship. (Apologies, this gets spoilery) Towards the end it does get interesting, the idea of them having a daughter meant for greatness was intriguing but I don't think enough for me to finish the series. I understand why this was labeled as adult, as there are *spicy* scenes, but I don't think they're necessary and felt odd when most of the book feels very juvenile. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!