Spring

Deadly Fae Duology #1.5

by Cassandra Aston

Sav Briar wants nothing more than to explore the wild forests of Faerie, but with her sister's impending wedding to the prince of Spring, she's expected to look and act the part of a princess. When her heart yearns for freedom, but duty demands obedience, which path will she choose? And what will it cost her?

Spring is a Deadly Fae Duology Novella, intended to be read after Whispers Among Thorns, but before Poison Amidst Blooms.

Genres: Fantasy

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 10, 2025

About the author

Cassandra Aston writes dark fantasy and romantasy packed with dangerous magic, court intrigue, sharp banter, and love that would burn the world before it lets go. Her stories feature morally gray men, stabby heroines, and brutal choices with consequences that bite.

She is the award-winning author of the completed Prophecies of Angels and Demons series and the Deadly Fae saga. She is currently expanding her interconnected universes with new fae stories, villain-led retellings, and gothic standalones that lean darker, sharper, and more emotionally ruinous.

When she can, she escapes to a cozy mountain cottage to write, fueled by hot chocolate and spite, and she believes there is only one rule that truly matters: love fiercely.

Connect with Cassandra through her website or on social media.

Reviews

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

So whenever Kaspar is ready to accept his rebound relationship, I'm LITERALLY right here. I'm just saying.

We love a down bad MMC, and Kaspar definitely qualifies. Poor dude has been THROUGH it with Sav and Sage's shenanigans, and the official backstory solidifies it. He can do better. And, as I said, I'm RIGHT HERE.

If you've read Whispers Among Thorns, you know how this ends. But the lore and journey to get there, as well as more kelpie simping was SO good. I love Mira and her relationship with Kaspar, and I still think Sav deserves a medal for not killing her sister at any point in time prior to WAT. Now more than ever, if I'm being honest.

I'm so ready to see how it all ties into book two!!

[🌙henny✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well…. Now I’m not sure who to root for 😭

A lot of this was boring court politics but Kasper being down horrendous and trying to hide it was pretty delicious

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely Ferally Obsessed

Spring has me questioning my morals, my sanity, and maybe my taste in fictional men. Kasper owns my whole soul. Jack who? The quiet, protective devotion, the way he goes to such lengths for Sav without her ever realizing… my soul did a trust fall and Kasper caught it. He is everything.

And then there is Prince Fero. When Sav landed in Summer and found him naked, something in me short-circuited. Her powers seemed to come alive the second they connected, which makes me wonder what really happened while she was there. And then the hedge maze. She cannot remember all of it, but I am screaming because what did she reveal? What did he take from her? Was it information or something deeper? He plays the villain with his wicked grin and bad boy energy, yet he keeps saving her when he should not. I cannot decide if he is dangerous in the worst way or if he is about to become my new obsession.

Mira was an absolute delight. She gave me Little Mermaid vibes with her curiosity and unshakable energy, and I loved every second of her scenes. Infectious and full of life.

This novella was supposed to hold me over until the next book but instead it made me feral. I am hungrier than ever for Poison Amidst Blooms. Cassandra Aston you have me in a chokehold and I am not even sorry.

[✨Gretch✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

This was a fun, short and sweet novella that gives us a good backstory about Kaspar, Sage and Sav before we officially meet them 200 odd some years after the events in this book. I knew how it was going to end, but the events leading up to it helped set the stage for the future.

I really liked seeing a young Sav who wasn't as burdened with life as she was in the first book. But, unfortunately in Faerie, a happiness can be a fleeting thing. Sage is still a bitch to her sister, and the closer they got to Sage becoming Princess of Spring, it only got worse. We also got to see a side of Kaspar that we didn't in the first book - he actually has feelings, and actually does love Sav - even if the water fae are notorious for not having any emotions.

We met a few new players in this book, that I'm excited to see where it leads and how it will all play out in the rest of the series!

[Ruxi Avram · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review

Oh, man, Kaspar was my favorite character in Whispers Among Thorns, and now, after reading Spring, I am sure he will remain my favorite in the books to come!
This is the story of how Sav got to be a princess, and how her powers started to surface, but more than anything, is Kaspar's story, and surely breaks our hearts. I don't want to spoil this gem of a book to others, so all I can say is that I loved it all, with the good and the sad.

Thank you, Cassandra Aston for the ARC, it made my day! Team Kaspar forever!
I have received this book as an ARC, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Bakingbookdragon (Kinsey) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rounding up to 5 stars because I really enjoyed this novella and I wanted more!
This one was quick, fun, and gave SOOOO much background information for book 1 that I didn’t even know I was missing. Kasper, Fero, Sav, and Sage have a lot of depth and growth in this short novella as the come of age. I really enjoyed how this book ties in Sav’s past and Kasper’s story with the plot from the main novels. The courtly politics was so engaging.

While it’s not necessary to read this book for the series to make sense, this a great novella that brings so much more life to the characters (not that they needed it).

Tropes:
Fae Politics
Blackmail
Sisterly drama
Magical control
Coming of age

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 is a dark romantic novella in the Deadly Fae Duology, and is meant to be read after Whispers Among Thorns. This story is a prequel and gives us more background to Sav and Kaspars history.  I definitely fell more in love with Kaspar. The way he cares for both Sav and his sister Mira and tries his best to protect them.  We also got to learn more about Sav's twin sister Sage, who has always been just dreadful and self centered.

I can't wait to read more about Sav, Kaspar, Jack and the gangs story in Posion Admist Blooms.

[Booktrovertlibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG !!!! This book was perfection!

It was so good to dive into the past story of Whispers Among Thorns and understand the links between the characters. Kaspar story has destroyed my heart. I’ll need some time to mend it. The prince is so loyal to the ones he loves. There’s so much vulnerability under the great powers of Sav and Kaspar. I’ve loved their relationship even more with this book and I think Kaspar just became my favorite character of this series.

It was a perfect introduction for Poison Amidst Blooms and I can’t wait to read it !! Thank you Cassandra for this masterpiece!

[Brittni Shafer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As if I couldn't love Kaspar anymore. He is perfect in every way and getting more POV time with him was truly a gift. Also omg there is so much more to the story!! The lore, lored. My heart broke for so many people here too and so much heartache happened. Yes we knew one heartache was going to happen but we STILL weren't ready for that. Like ouchie. Overall, this has me stoked for book 2!!

Thanks Cassandra Aston for the ARC

[Unnamednonsense · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is short, fun, and sweet. I loved learning more about some of the characters that appear in Whispers Among Thorns.

Do you need to read this book? No. But if you do, definitely read it after book one. It adds something to the story that you didn’t realize you were missing, but once you have it, you can’t go back to not having it.

Thank you very much to Cassandra Aston for a gifted ARC of this book.

[Kyrsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am team 'if a book makes you FEEL then it's a good book' and LAWD did this book make me feel. I felt joy, love, pain, envy, loneliness.. literally name an emotion and I probably felt it. What I thought was just going to be a sweet little backstory on Kaspar turned into MUCH more than that and now honestly I'm not sure who I'm rooting for... except when it comes to Sage- I'm definitely not rooting for her.

Onto book number 2 we go!!!

[Jazzy Mermaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella is a beautiful fill in to Whispering Among Thorns. To see what happened before between Sav and Prince Kasper made me recount all that happened in book 1. Especially between these two. The back and forth and inner monologs really had my mind whirling on the "ohhhhh, now I understand it more" Now I am even more excited for book 2 to release!!! ✨️📚✨️

[RogueMarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed getting more into the minds of Kaspar and Sav. It really gives perspective on why they do the things they do. This was a quick read, had plenty of character development and gives more background into the characters of Whispers Among Thorns.

[Diane Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another interesting book. I think I'm getting into this genres. I like that there's no smut, sensual for sure but not smutty.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect addition to the story, providing so much context and intrigue to the main duology! I loved getting to know other characters more and figuring out motivations and how they relate!

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

EDIT:
This book is a must-read before you read book 2!

I struggled through this just a bit because it's been too long since I read book 1! Lots of politics and background stuff that sets more perspective looking back at book 1 (Whispers Among Thorns). There seemed to be a couple holes in the plot that I'm sure are just things I forgot from book 1.

[organisedchaosbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spring is a beautifully character driven novella. It’s brief, poignant and emotionally resonant. Kaspar stole the show (as always), and I was thrilled to see him featured so prominently. Getting to explore the characters in more depth was a treat, and while it didn’t cure my craving for Poison Amidst Blooms, it definitely took the edge off for now.

Thank you for the e-arc.

[Gracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎶I’m not oh-kaaaay🎶

I received this advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a really interesting look into the past of Sav, Kaspar, and Fairie itself. This contextualizes almost the entirety of WAT and makes a lot of things in PAB make more sense as well. The story only made me love these characters more, and the ending made me want to hug all of them simultaneously. Overall, I’d recommend this series to fans of the DFD and fans of fantasy stories.

Rating: 4/5

[Frankie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’re just going to pretend this isn’t one of Cassandra’s best novellas? UM HELLO. Reading the backstory to all of my favs was something I needed. I feel like this added so much depth and lore to the deadly fae duology

[The Fated Shelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐3.5 🌶️ 2

This was great! The entire story changes with all this information. I loved knowing more about Kaspar. I am fully rooting for him, haha