A Crown of Secrets and Lies

by K.D. Eagan, Katie Eagan Schenck

Too human to be fae. Too powerful to be human. Astreilles never wanted the crown. As a halfling princess, she’s spent her life on the edge of power — visible, but never accepted. But when the king dies and civil war erupts, she’s forced to lead the royal army into a battle she knows they can’t win.

Hunted by rebels and haunted by a magic she’s never dared to touch, Astreilles must die for a kingdom that’s always feared her… or escape to a world that might break her in different ways.

But as darkness rises and loyalties fracture, one truth becomes
The greatest threat to her future may not be the war she’s in, but the weapon sent to end her.

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 25, 2025

Reviews

[Nicole West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two things I loved about this novel were the interwoven story of two worlds.

The fae king is dying, and next in line is his daughter, but she married a human, and their children are halflings. The villages of the land are divided on if she should take over the crown, and a rebellion has broken out at the corronation, and they are attacking the palace.

As the death of the husband and eldest brother come to frutation the third in line, Astereilles is in need to step up, lead her warriors, earn their trust, find her powers that have been supressed and lead them into battle against the rebels to save her siblings and her mother.

There is a beautiful friendship journey through this book between Astereilles and Charaide that evolves. Astereilles also has recessed powers that slowly become known through training with the sorceress.

If you like a great fantasy novel, I recommend reading as I loved being taken into this wonderful world.

Thank you for sending me the ARC copy on Bookfunnel 📚🥰

[Ashleigh Foltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read for me and felt fast paced, perhaps a bit rushed but overall a great read! I’m excited to see where Ast goes and the storyline between her best friend and the mercenary (if you know, you know 😉). Looking forward to the rest of this series!

Thank you NetGalley and all for the ARC!

[Carolin Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discovering Your True Potential

When I first downloaded this book, I did not realize that it was so heavily rooted in a fae world. I tend to lean towards modern day magical realism rather than medieval world or otherworlds. Nonetheless, this book’s plot had me hooked from the get-go, reminding me a bit of The Hunger Games with its survivalist element.

This book is written in first person from Astreilles’ point of view, so we don’t know her name right away (aside from the back blurb). It’s told in present tense, which gives the story as a whole a sense of urgency and immediacy; we are not guaranteed anyone’s survival, not even the main character’s. This first book in the series dives straight into the fantasy world with little preparation, as the reader is expected to pick things up as the plot moves forward.

Our main character, Astreilles, is an overthinker. Because of how she’s grown up and the discrimination she’s faced, she doesn’t believe herself to be any good at leading, public speaking, or existing in the fae world at all. She’s in between worlds, not knowing where she belongs, but as the mantle of leadership is thrust upon her head, she steps up in a big and inspiring way. Her number one supporter, Charaide, is her childhood friend and is obviously in love with her from the start, as she is with him. Unfortunately, outside prejudices are keeping them apart. Quite a few other characters come in and out of the spotlight, including Astreilles’ uncle and several of her brothers. Marto, one of her men, also plays a large role, as does the hooded assassin who is haunting Astreilles’ nights and taunts her in the day.

I love the rich layering of the relationships in this book. It’s clear from the very start that someone in the castle is a spy, leaking information to the rebels, though it’s not revealed in this book who that is. This mystery makes you suspect everyone, even those closest with Astreilles. Nonetheless, her loyalty and care for her people is stronger than her doubt, and she doesn’t let it weigh her down.

Eagan’s writing style is vivid and beautiful in the battle scenes, and I loved the way she describes the magical elements of this world. The beauty of nature really shines through, as do the deep emotional moments between Astreilles and Charaide.

This book was fast-paced right from the start, and the high stakes kept the action moving swiftly forward, even in the slower emotional scenes. The overarching mystery of the hooded assassin sent after Astreilles threads through the other plotlines smoothly as well.

This is a great book for lovers of fae world magic and high fantasy stakes.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Pheebs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first ARC review, so going into this, I was a bit hesitant and doubtful, but now that I've finished this book, I realise all my worries were for nothing.

What a world! A fresh take on a popular genre I was happy to get lost in. Writing a fae world parallel to our human one in such a way was very intriguing, and I can't wait to see more of it!

And the characters, the brave Astreilles, the smirking Marto and the mysterious Kythrall were my favourites! I can't wait for the author to delve into the their personalities and pasts even more, especially our mysterious assassin.

Though short for a fantasy novel, it did not feel rushed, the pacing was excellent and there were no dry spots where I had to stall reading to take a breath. Great job! I hope the sequel is longer simply because I would like to enjoy more of this author's lovely writing and world building! (also please tell me more about Kythrall, I am slightly obsessed with him!)

I was unsure if this novel would have romance as it wasn't listed in the genre list, but I was pleased it was included in this story. Astreilles seems to me a character that is full of love and who has many who gravitate to her. Though her romance in this book did leave a little to be desired, maybe I'm just not a big fan of Charaide? It was written well, but their relationship felt a bit stale, but maybe that was on purpose! If so, kudos! I'm curious to see how their relationship progresses, I can't say I'm rooting for them, but I'm wondering how it will pan out. I'd like to say I'm Team Kythrall, simply because each interaction our fmc had with him was so igniting and vulnerable and exposing at times, I was very excited for their scenes together!

Counting down to your next book in the series, dear author! What a wonderful world you have created!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[krissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I don’t usually rate a story based on the first book in a series as things can easily go up or down depending on where the story goes... but judging this book on its own, I can definitely say it has potential.

I usually read pretty analytically (I love catching foreshadowing and making guesses about what’s coming), but this is one of those rare books where I truly couldn’t predict the story. My guesses kept being wrong, and honestly? That’s a good sign, because it means I was invested and genuinely surprised.

The worldbuilding was really interesting, especially the political intrigue and the way 'halflings' are treated. All of that creates a strong backdrop for Astreilles’s personal struggles, especially since she’s thrown right into the role of army commander.

Now, the romance. Ahhh, I knew it! I almost DNFed at one point because the chemistry between her and her best friend Charaide didn’t click for me (it just felt too weak). But then… another potential love interest showed up, and wow—I devoured every single one of their interactions. I can already tell I might develop second-lead syndrome as the series goes on (if she ended up with her bestfriend), but honestly, that just makes me more excited for the next books.

Thank you so much Netgalley for the ARC! Because of this, I’m seriously considering buying a physical copy just so I can reread it before the sequel releases.

P.S: I really hope more people discover this book soon so I can fangirl with them!

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the writer of the book. I will gush only briefly about her, but I think that she's a tremendous storyteller and I have been exceptionally proud of her writing and publishing this.

Crown is very much a "heroes journey" story, with Astreilles being thrust into circumstances beyond her control. With a kingdom in turmoil that only worsens with the death of her grandfather, Astreilles is confronted on several levels with loyalty to her family, duty to her kingdom, and even a struggle with her own birthright. And things only get more grim with each turn of the page.

As a protagonist, Astreilles is likeable, clearly sensitive to those around her, and demonstrates fierce loyalty. As she handles each twist and turn, learning things about herself and about her world, the reader is taken along the same journey. Astreilles's growth as a character is organic as is the world building. There's no exposition, flashbacks, or monologues to set the stage... You learn the world through Astreilles's eyes, words, and feelings.

I've been a sucker for fantasy all my life, from Tolkien to Eddings and any number of other works. But this was a thoroughly enjoyable story as a debut from this this author in the fantasy genre. I highly recommend it and have already preordered the second book of the series.

[Leann Arave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the beginning of a new series, but I feel like it needs a prequel. It is a mystical world of fae’s and humans and obviously halflings. The MFC Astreilles, is the daughter of a Fae, heir to the throne, mother and her human father. There is a rebellion going on because of her parent’s union and the rebels don’t want halflings on the throne. I really would have loved some backstory on how her father came to be in this realm and of the magic binding bracelets. The first part of the story did not pull me in. But as it continued on, I was curious how it would end, but to my frustration it didn’t end! I really dislike cliffhangers, and although it wasn’t really a cliffhanger, it is not a finished story. The other thing that personally I didn’t care for was some foul language. It wasn’t extreme, but it became obvious towards the end of the book. What I did like about the story was the respect and connection she had with her family and her dedication and stewardship over those she governed. The growing relationship between Astreille and Charaide. I also thought the battle scenes were well written. Over all the story began to intrigue me and hold my attention the further I got into the story. And yes, now I am anticipating book 2.

[Amanda Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this ARC.

A Crown of Secrets and Lies is a story about a young princess who faces the odds to try to save her family, her friends, and her Kingdom. Though not necessarily in that order.

What I liked:

-The action scenes were well described.
-The FMC was tenacious and had great support from her friend.
-The FMC is not afraid of who she was, and that is refreshing.

What I didn't like:

-The story plops you right into the middle of an ongoing conflict without developing the characters enough to care. The death of her father and her brother was passed over far too quickly.
-There was too much going on so soon that it was very unbelievable or coincidental.
-The FMC was terrified in one part and then willing to go into the woods knowing the dangers in the next part.
-The pacing was off. You'd have paragraphs of drawn-out info, and then suddenly everything was moving so quickly it left you confused.
-The prose was too flowery in only a few parts of the book, and that left the parts without descriptives bland.

I gave this three stars because the author obviously worked hard on this!

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Crown of Secrets and Lies was so easy to dive right into and be immersed into the world that K.D. Eagan created beautifully.
Its one of the most easy to understand and quick world building books I've read in a long time.
Astreilles is the princess and her character develops beautifully throughout the story as she discovers her powers, herself, and her feelings for her longtime best friend Charaide.
I absolutely loved the magic, slow burn, the action, mystery, and twists of this book! I will definitely be ordering this one and eagerly await the next book of this series! I don't want to wait! I highly recommend this book to everyone!
Thank you to Faery Whisper Press, Netgalley, and K.D. Eagen for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Sheri Bolinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great beginning to a new series. Astreilles, third in line for the fae throne and halfling, is thrown into a war when her older brother is killed. Becoming second in line and head of the armies is an unknown to her and terrifying. Together with Charaide, her best friend, they will try to navigate a war neither were prepared for. The intensity and subterfuge throughout makes for a wonderful coming of age, paranormal suspense with a little romance. I was sad this ended on such a cliffhanger and can't wait for the next book.

[Anastey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley, Faery Whisper Press, and K.D. Eagan for sending me this advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Sadly this was a DNF at 25%

We were dropped into the world while the story was already in progress, with very little worldbuilding to lead us into it. There was so much info dumping, and a crazy amount of things going on at once. I couldn't keep things straight enough to finish the book.

I think if there was a solid prologue to set the story up, or a prequel novella available, this would have been so much better.

[Anne Marko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book kind of outlined a cool world; however, it just didn’t fully flesh out a full story. The pacing was all off, and like some fae are bound, even royals, but maybe I missed a brief mention of why. It’s also one of those books with weird names that you’re distracted for like two paragraphs reading but also still thinking about how the hell you pronounce the names. I liked the main character Astrielle, but her character development I feel was sacrificed to make more than one book. I think overall, the series may pan out to be good, it’s just too slow moving for me to give this a great rating.

[Queenie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for this arc!
Okay, so here's the thing. I don't think this book was my cup of tea to be honest. It took me a really long time to get into it. I just didn't really relate or care about the characters, I wasn't in love with them and I was kind of relieved when I finished this book.
That being said, I still would recommend this book to fantasy lovers, specifically those who love slow plot.
#ACrownofSecretsandLies #NetGalley

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Crown of Secrets and Lies was impossible to put down. The mix of romance, intrigue, and magic made the story addictive, and the characters felt vivid and compelling. I enjoyed their depth, their growth and their potential so much! Every twist kept me invested, and the tension built perfectly to the end. This was a fantastic read and I am SO excited to see where the series goes next!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

[Stephanie Shinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine being tossed into a position you had no interest in taking and then trying to save your world in the process. Astreilles and Charaide are such likeable main characters and I was rooting for them the whole time. Kythrall was a villain who honestly had me wondering his intentions by the end. I thought this was a wonderful book that had me hooked from the beginning, and I can't wait for the next book to see what happens next!

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book was a decent read overall. would've liked more world building and plot development, also the points of view of the main characters love interest and the enemy as well, maybe even her uncle. this could've been developed more to allow a lot more storyline, plot twists, etc. but overall a good read.

[Kaitlyn Raasveld · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was super good. It was romantic, and epic and just very unique In its flow and the story accompanying it. Astreilles Isn’t that unique as a lead but I loved her anyway. Her faults and the hurdles she has to overcome make or break her and I’m there for it.

[Brooke Lupton · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I don’t usually love books that have the human realm and the fae realm, this book did it well! I liked the FMC a lot, I thought she was a well-written young adult who embraced her flaws. The ending has me excited for book 2!