Bound by Fire: The Ashen Crown, Vol. 1

by Elli J. Morrigan, Imogen Wilde (Narrator)

A Spark Glows In The Ashes - And It's Ready To Ignite.

Burned out and desperate for change, Izzy has just quit her job and retreated to her late parents' summer cabin, hoping to rediscover her former self. Instead, she tumbles unexpectedly into the mysterious realm of the Fae - straight into the path of the enigmatic Caleb – a hot, brooding stranger who refuses to let her out of his sight.

If Izzy ever hopes to return home, she has no choice but to follow him into Skarvindar, and the fortress of the ruthless Queen Kalia, who sees more in Izzy than just a lost mortal.

While frantically searching for a way back, Izzy becomes entangled in a deadly game of power where her life is at stake.

But within her, a fire stirs, poised to become an inferno - one that might save her, or reduce everything to ashes.

Meanwhile, a dangerous attraction ignites between her and Caleb, but their connection harbours secrets that could destroy them both.

Izzy faces a crucial will she use her newly discovered strength to return to the person she once was - or to become the person she could be?

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Romance, Magic, Romantasy, Paranormal, Fae

Audible Audio

Published October 2, 2025

About the author

Elli J Morrigan is the pen name of writing duo Alison Norrington and Jenny E. Kleine, crafting high-stakes romantasy where fierce heroines, intoxicating magic, slow-burn heat, and epic love stories collide, as sharp dialogue meets heartfelt connection. With backgrounds in film, television, and theatre, they bring cinematic sweep, tight plotting, and layered emotional stakes to every page. Alison is known for expansive storyworld building and bestselling romantic comedies under her own name, and for pushing characters to the brink. Jenny’s background in screenwriting and development gives her a sharp eye for structure, pacing, and dialogue, often championing that final spark of hope just when Alison would kill them off. The result? Stories with both heat and heart. IG: elli.j.morrigan_author/ TikTok: elli.j.morrigan_author/

Reviews

[Darlene · Rating 1 out of 5]

No this is not it. The main character is very childish for a 29 year old.

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to get into this book. The story starts off strong - Izzy gets immediately tossed into a new realm and has a near death experience. Excitement! Adventure! Intrigue!

But not even 2 minutes after being saved from drowning in the mud, she’s being indignant and ungrateful for being rescued. I don’t think she ever says thank you for the warm cloak. And she whines constantly as her rescuers escort her out of the swamp.

I’m not sure how old she is supposed to be, but she’s reading like a 12 yr old. Not a young adult.

Even as the story progresses, she continues to act like someone who has no idea the danger she is in or the perilous circumstances that surround her. She’s in way over her head and doesn’t know it. Zero sense of self preservation.

I love me a sassy FMC who knows what she wants and isn’t intimidated by the men around her.

But this isn’t that. This gives ignorant child; not self assured badass.

After a few hours of dealing with this nonsense from her, I finally DNFed.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m torn between rating it a 2 or 3 star.

This was free with my audible, so I downloaded to see if it would be a good distraction. It’s about 29 year old Izzie who mysteriously falls into the fae world where she meets a mysterious Caleb and his merry band of travellers. From here, Izzie travels the kingdom with a deep burning secret that finally materializes during her journey to self discovery and a way home. But alas there is treachery, betrayal, found family, hardship, romance, etc etc.

I liked the concept of the book, and what it was trying to accomplish. There were a lot of comical times placed throughout the book, and some of the secondary characters were well written. The magic system was decent, albeit basic, as I’ve read about elementals and the like in a lot of other books. There was decent world building — a lot of explaining as there was opportunities since the fmc didn’t know where tf she was. Also liked the fact it was an older fmc.

Unfortunately — I started off liking Izzie but the longer into the book, the more childish and bratty she became. I’m sorry but you’re almost 30, why are we acting like this? The relationship between the fmc and mmc feels forced — and I didn’t see the chemistry there. He’s supposedly the brooding and silent type — but he’s more of a jerk who’s sometimes nice to her? There’s no sense of self preservation with her and she runs her mouth a lot and is surprised by the consequences.

Honestly I liked it until about half way through and I wanted to DNF. However I sped it up to make go faster. I wasn’t surprised by the end of it — kind of called it earlier which made this book “meh” rather than “wow what an ending!”

[Jess Tortoise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sorry but there’s no way the main character is 29

[Harper Daniels · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listening to this book felt like I was being dragged through the plot by the narrator as I bounced between similes and simple declarative statements over and over again. I never quite felt like I caught up with what was happening at the moment- not because it wasn’t predictable (it was) but rather because every new event was introduced like “Suddenly I knew…” or “and then [insert what is supposed to be a dramatic reveal but fails] happened and I felt sick”. There was no real emotion behind any action and so the entire story felt disconnected even from itself. For me, it was an “I guess this is happening now” moment pretty much the whole time.

The FMC constantly narrates by describing her actions and feelings just a beat after they occur. She doesn’t give enough gravity to what are supposed to be significant events, and it made it very difficult to care about the characters. After every new development, you’re thrust forward with another “I feel” statement before quickly moving on to the next. The FMC doesn’t seriously consider pretty much anything the entire time, which shows in her general recklessness. The whole book is a prime example of telling the audience what just happened or what it made her feel rather than letting the audience deduce literally anything. I felt like I was in the backseat of a car that was about to fly of a cliff but I didn’t understand why.

Because of the constant emotional disconnect, I honestly didn’t think any reveal or climax was satisfactory. There was just no depth to anything. I didn’t see any real chemistry develop between Caleb and Izzy. We’re told they are drawn to each other, but why??? Like okay they’re physically attracted to one another I GUESS, but is that it?? I hardly feel like I know anything of substance about either of their characters, and I don’t think they know each other either. Their relationship felt so forced and honestly non-important to the plot.

Also… we don’t get to understand the real consequences of the queen’s rule or what the stakes are for Izzy’s power/her place in the world. Seems kinda important for a chosen one trope but whatever.

Overall, the entire story fell flat for me. The premise was interesting enough (if a bit redundant), and I love a free audible so of course I gave it a go, but the execution just wasn’t there for me. Ultimately the weak structure, lack of character development, and poor world building prevented it from hitting the mark. I might consider reading the sequel when it releases, but if my journey with this series ends here that’s fine by me too.

[Esthi Labuschagne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have two hours left to listen in this book and I just can't seem to get myself to finish it. So I DNFed it rather late in the story. This was probably the most childish FMC I have ever had the misfortune to read. She is 29 acting like a 15 year old. Unfortunately the narrator made this even worse with her almost childish voice.

We don't learn anything about the magic system. The world building is basically non-existent. There is no chemistry between our main characters. What even is the plot of this book?

Just a few points I recall that truly gasted my flabbers:

Spoilers ahead, so skip if you want to go in blind:
1. Firstly. There was a scene where their travel party was ambushed and robbed. Our FMC had a sword on her, but did not use it. She froze in the moment. Afterward, when all was said and done, she decided to leave the sword in the snow, because she felt useless. She thought well, she isn't good enough to remember to use it, so why have it at all. Hello? Are you stupid?
2. Little to no history is given in the story, yet, when the FMC almost drowns and has a vision, she recognizes a fire bird? Yet, no one up to that point has ever mentioned such a bird in the story. How do you know what a fire bird is and what one looks like?
3. This author compares the snow, a look, a feeling, a building, the wind, anything you can think of to something else. She uses the word "like" so incredibly much. My ears started to hurt after a while. I do not think that it will be a stretch to guess that she uses a comparison on every single page of this book.
4. From the moment we learn that a realm burnt down, it was glaringly obvious that our FMC was some or other survivor/ long lost whatever from that place. I was never on the edge of my seat. I was literally waiting for the next thing to happen that I predicted.

I am very sorry. I do not like leaving such harsh reviews, but this was just not it.

[Eimear · Rating 2 out of 5]

I semi enjoyed this, but it felt very AI.

I noticed tropes and plots/characters directly lifted from other stories I've read.

[Heather Boysenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A positively stunning work of art.

Literally my only complaint is finding this book so early into the series. I'm ready to "binge-listen" to the entire saga, not wait for the next one! But don't wait, this is a wonderful way to spend your time.

Every chapter, each word, is so deliberate and powerful, making the book so captivating it's enthralling.
And as the story progresses, its laced with some of the most beautiful poetry I've heard in a long while. Incredible work from all involved and I eagerly await the next volume :)

[marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

To start with the positive things:
The storyline itself is very promising. Human girl falls into the fae world and has to learn to adapt. The plot that follows is also really not that bad.

But the writing felt a bit strange. It's like the authors tried to turn every sentence into a quote but kinda failed. The words and sentences used are really repetitive after a while.

Izzy is also sooo annoying. Her thoughts and decisions don't really make sense to me. It's like she doesn't really have a survival instinct.

Still enjoying reading it tho!!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are we supposed to hate Caleb or like Caleb???? Help

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

PSA: Okay…we need to talk. This review is different than my usual ones. Typically, I give my rating based on two things: the narrative aspects of the story (writing style, character development, plot arcs, etc.) and my own personal enjoyment of it. I found this book free on Audible and it occurred to me that I hadn’t read a romantsy (outside of V.E. Schwab’s works) since I was 13. Maybe I should give it a go! …yeah, I regretted that.

I fear, ladies and gents, that I have simply grown out of this genre. I saw most everything coming from 20 miles away. The clichés clichéd so much that I could mouth the next lines before the narrator spoke them. It was predictable and boring for me to say the least (I planned on finishing this book at the end of November but I kept dragging my feet because I wanted to give up this goal). I finally saw it through. I rate the book a 2.5/5 🌟. Since I have grown a dislike for this genre, I have decided to base my review solely on the narrative aspects. As best as possible, I kept my own taste and bias out of this.


Review: When I looked up the reviews for this book upon first starting, I read a comment that said “What 29 year old acts like this?” and that perfectly sums up how I felt listening to this story. It’s a classic chosen one hero’s adventure where the FL gets whisked away into another world and discovers secrets about herself. Along the way, she meets the oh-so handsome ML, his friends, otherworldly creatures, and some soon-to-be enemies. The FL does act more like a 19 year old than a 29 year old, but that can be excusable in a narrative fashion. The ML felt to have little real(?) reasons for his motivations, but it is the first book so perhaps, that gets fleshed out later. The side characters were goofy and brought life to the dull parts. The big-bad villain is done well—good motivation, backstory, vested interest aligned with plot, etc. And the one thing I must congratulate this story for is how every setting had a reason for being a part of the story. Stories nowadays don’t weave new settings together like they used to. In this one, there was always a clear reason as to why the characters were moving, relocating, backtracking, or stuck somewhere. TREMENDOUS PROPS FOR THAT!! 👏 The plot is a classic, well-paced, and decently entertaining. I pretty much predicted 99% of the book (we’ll circle back to that 1% later), however, it’s the first book of a series and it did a decent job of setting up the plot, the characters, and their motivations.

Okay, if you are a big fan of fantasy/romance/romantasy, now’s the time to leave my review because you will NOT appreciate the rest of my review.

My biggest complaint has to do with the character relationships. I’m not sure how long the book is but it’s NEARLY 16 HOURS on Audible, so I feel the author had more than enough to work with. The book had lots of characters but we spend very little time with them as the focus hones in on the FL + ML that “definitely do not have the hots for each other in the slightest way possible, how could you ever get that idea?!!? Oh wait, they’re smooching.” Considering how much time we spent with these two (and how I will physically harm everyone in my vicinity if I ever have to hear how Caleb “gazed with his storm grey eyes now turned blue” or of how he “smelt of pine and moss, with a warmth that became my home”), I find it ridiculous how little chemistry the two actually have. Furthermore, the lack of chemistry is not the point of their relationship, which could have been a great plot. They’re SUPPOSED to have chemistry, yet they don’t really have anything in common. They think differently, too differently to the point that their conversations feel super scripted and forced. There was an attempt at enemies(?) to friends to lovers, but it flopped tremendously. They spend soooo much time together yet any “progress” they made feels disingenuous, so there’s no reason to root for them. It’s frustrating how the FL literally has more chemistry with EVERYONE ELSE IN THE STORY (even the villain) than she does with the ML. There was no reason for me to root for them and it often made me upset whenever they hit a ~romantic milestone~

Time to circle back to the 1%: 1% of this story I did not see coming. The first 0.5% of which comes in chapter 37 *HEAVY SIGH*

Imagine this: I’m 13 hours into this book, pushing myself to finish. Telling myself that I should stick it out, give it a chance, that maybe, JUST MAYBE, it’ll be worth it. Then another scene with FL and ML begins. I begin to zone out as I listen since I’m so over it. But to my surprise, they start having a conversation—a REAL conversation. One that doesn’t feel scripted. I listen intently. As the scene progresses, they start to actually make connections with one another. I tell myself “this is it—the story is FINALLY reeling me back in! I can root for this!” ML starts to tenderly help FL which I was cheering for as I listened. It was givvvinnnng love is an action, not an attraction 🤭. I was about to be on board. I had my first foot on that ship as it was set to sail. I was soooooo excited that they were bonding in a romantic sense that felt right. And then, out of nowhere, they commit the DEVIL’S TANGO and I descended into madness. This book put me so hard on cloud 9 that I shattered on that fall. YOU CANNOT MAKE ONE GOOD SCENE BEFORE ~THE ACT~ TO NOW USE TO JUSTIFY ~THE ACT~ AND ACT AS IF THIS WAS YEARNING IN THE MAKING HMPH! 😤😭
It did not justify it and I did not appreciate it.

The other 0.5% was the very ending of the book. I won’t describe it because MASSIVE SPOILER but it was good! The one redeemable part of the story which bumped by review from a 1.5 to a 2.5!


Closing remarks: This is not my genre, but that does not mean it has to be done poorly. V. E. Schwab is one of my favorite authors and her books are solely fantasy-based (with romance subplots FOR SURE). The difference in her writing though is undeniably amazing. She makes me care for her characters, root for her characters, feel shock when things don’t work out for her characters, torn when her characters collide and only one can win, etc. I get sooooo invested in her stories. Her characters are fleshed out and challenged. Her plots are interesting and always have a twist that I never see coming (the timing never quite the same, which keeps me on my toes). I’m not here to hate this book and tell you to read V. E. instead. I simply bring up how anyone will read your work if you give them a reason to be invested, to root, to cheer, to be scared and nervous for your characters and universe. Just because there’s clichés with different genres does not mean we ONLY have to use clichés to tell the story.

[Colin Catrambone · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s fine. Did not fully hold my attention. But it wasn’t bad. Was just fine.

[Casey Brundige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story line but mediocre writing. A lot of repetitive phrases. Will definitely read the rest of the series.

[Catlynn Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely boring... could have been like 100 pages and would have been way better. How did she magically learn how to fight but everything else was told with extreme repetition and detail?! Glad it was free on audible the beginning felt so promising and the hours just dragged on and on for no reason. And the love interest is just wild to me why do we like him again?! She keeps helping him and he's just disappointing her over and over and she still wants to kiss him. Maybe a little better behavior would have been nice. I get hes supposed to seem private and not show emotion but then you have the whole horse situation then the sky im just confused really. What kind of male just sends his woman off like that with people he doesnt trust after he just rescued her idk feels weird.

[Kenna Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. A little slow. Would’ve rated higher but I’m not super into brat FMCs when they’re almost 30…

[DJ DC · Rating 3 out of 5]

highly predictable and familiar story sequence, but still found it engaging. I understand why people say the main character is annoying but I still found its a readable story. the ending was satisfying and opens up for some good stuff in coming books.

[Kaylee Yergeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little repetitive in the wording , often enough I noticed. But otherwise it would’ve been a 4.5. Cool concept, high fantasy, has your romance you want as well. Recommend!

[Tesa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this a listen because it was included with my audible subscription. I got 15 chapters in and DNF'd the book. It started out okay but this just wasn't for me.

[Abi Boehm · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character feels very childish for 29 years old, her inner monologue sounding more like a 15 year old girl. The book feels undeveloped and could use some editing, felt predictable from the start. Feels like more of a YA novel than advertised.

[Alex Maciej · Rating 3 out of 5]

Filled with many of the standard female-getting-caught-in-a-Fae-world tropes, it doesn’t do a ton to wow. But the narrator was good, and it’s a just fine fantasy adventure. Rounding up from 2.5.

[Lena P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got the audiobook from audible +.
Liked the vibe, good narrator, writing style is also enjoyable. For a free book doesn’t feel like a bad choice.
****Proceed with caution, there might be light spoilers below****
In my understanding this is a story of a person who has been lost and stranded for a long time. She went through dark days and since then learned to (barely) live with her pain and used jokes and immature behaviour as a shield. At first she annoys you a little but then slowly grows on you.
With respect to the world building I’d call it a vibe word building with rather simple magic system. You get a vague understanding of how things work. Sometimes it’s enough, sometimes not.

However, there are things that took away from the experience:
- the side characters could have been developed better as well as the reason for the trust and friendship between them and the FMC. For example I did not understand the instant friendship between the half nymph and Izzy or instant attraction between Izzy and Caleb.
- MMC (Caleb) annoyed the hell out of me, I get Tamlin vibes from him; I hope this is one of those books where the FMC and the first love interest go separate ways. Some of the life choices and actions should have consequences severe enough for the character to achieve redemption later. I feel like the second instalment will aim for a happy ending, I think this guy shouldn’t get one with Izzy. Overall the guy doesn’t not have much of a personality, always ends up somewhere near Izzy like he’s got no work to do and his relationship with the two side characters who are supposed to be close friends is not explored much either. He is also not a very sharp tool in the box, while noticing that her body temperature is rising like crazy he still didn’t put two and two together.
- I think I can’t hear the word “velvet” anymore. In the first half of the story it’s used way too often. This word is severely overused in fantasy.
- On a similar note, why does every man in so many fantasy books smells like pine? And snow… snow does not smell, unless… you know
- It’s still unclear how is Izzy able to transform, it’s not explained how she was made to look like a human in the first place.
- How come it is so easy for Izzy (no pun intended) to get into the secret prison?
- Not much was told to us about the fire fay, I guess book 2 will cover it.
- Why is everyone in this court so superficial? The nobles crowd feels like a uniform blob with a shared brain and hive behaviour.
- The villain is ok, but I still don’t get if her motivations for going off the rails are personal or if it’s a basic craving for power. Maybe second book tells us more about it.
There are probably more questions, which I’ve already forgotten about, but the review has grown big enough anyway, so let’s round up.
2.8-3 out of 5. Round up to 3. Enjoyable enough.

[Kshinn.lev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free audible listen. It kept me entertained, but felt like it lacked depth and the writing was just… strange? not sure if I would recommend

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narration was beautiful, storyline was pretty good. More time could have gone into world building. It got confusing at times because places that were just casually mentioned once before suddenly became important.
The FMC was also a pretty frustrating character.

[Amanda]

The main character was a weirdly entitled, ungrateful brat. I thought I would sustain an injury with how hard and often I was rolling my eyes. For the sake of self-preservation (an instinct Izzy lacked), I decline to continue.

[Adi · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNFed 60% in

This book was, unfortunately, a disappointment. I found myself rolling my eyes through most of it, as it relies heavily on overused YA clichés. So many, in fact, that it borders on parody.

The protagonist, despite being 29 years old, acts like a spoiled 10 years old child. She reads like an immature “pick-me” character. She is impulsive, disrespectful, and consistently portrayed as “badass” simply for being loud and abrasive. Her aversion to dresses is treated as a personality trait, and her actions lack any real depth or self-awareness. Not an ounce of wit or cunning. Just sheer arrogance and ignorance.

I genuinely tried to give this book a fair chance, but finishing it felt like a chore. Ultimately, it lacked the nuance, character development, and originality needed to make it a worthwhile read.

[Elin Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Bound by Fire: The Ashen Crown a little bit typical of romantasy but very entertaining. It starts with Izzy having an Alice in Wonderland moment and falling from the human world into the world of the fae and being rescued by a stoic gray eyed hunk. There is hidden destiny's, found family and and evil queen. I had fun with this one and look forward to the sequel.

[Caitlin Sewell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was disappointing. At first I thought it was just the narrator throwing me off (she had some weird vowel thing with an accent slipping in) but it turned out it was just immature dialogue, weak storyline and several cliches that were off-putting.

Some issues:
Insta attraction, shock upon touching first time – hate that.
Really simplified language and dialogue. FMC is super immature and unlikable. Kind of a mishmash of romantasy stereotypes without any substance.
Random inclusions to try to appeal to audience ie “if only the girls from book club could see me now”.

Frustrations:
Girl, you just fell into a foreign world with horrors, supernatural stuff, no modern-day technology and there’s no real mention of adapting to that? You know instantly how to write with a quill and you’re okay sleeping on the floor despite being from the modern world, working a desk job?? You’re just going to go off with a bunch of randoms that you hardly know – I'm not getting any sense of real fear here – just a moany whinger. And the whingeing continues the. entire. time.

Also the MMC is a liar, and representative of every bad date with a guy who has zero interest and is incapable of holding a conversation and having any social skills and yet we’re supposed to ship them? She’s forcing him to tell her basic things about himself ie ‘whats your favourite colour, mine’s red’. He murders a 15 year old and then literally chapters later she’s thinking about his firm bod, helping him with a panic attack and talking about his soft hair and lips. Be so for real. There is zero tension or proper chemistry. Feels empty and forced for the sake of the storyline.

Other random observations:
Your entire family is dead why are you trying so hard to go back home to a desk job?
“I stick my tongue out at him” are you a child? ew.
Other characters think the name Izzy is weird and foreign and yet MMC is called "Caleb" - you're an author of a fantasy book and you pick these super bland basic names. So strange.

I rolled my eyes so many times during this book. The cringe was overwhelming.

The end was just a mad rush of cramming ideas together to try to make the storyline more exciting/have some depth.

I think the overall idea could have been fleshed out to be a good one, but the writing was just not it and the characters were all a bit flat.

[Elizabeth Gerard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on Audible, and while the narrator was strong, the book was week.
The main character falls into a new fae world, and is swept along by events while trying to find her qy home. The story lurches from plot point to plot point, and the character is entirely at the whim of events - she does not steer the plot, make decisions or ask basic questions to understand more about the entirely new world around her.
Unfortunately the authors relies on some of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to writing. First, the author always 'tells' us what is happening, or what someone is feeling, rather than 'showing' us. There is no subtlety.
Next the characters only every have superficial conversations, with nothing explained or explored in full. This is so the author can 'reveal' information later on, which is a cheap trick when any sensible person would have asked a follow up question "Oh your dad died, what happened?". This is particularly frustrating as at the beginning of the book they make a big deal about how many questions the main character asks. But the of her investigatory questions are 'What's your favourite colour?' (I wish I was joking!) and 'Are we there yet?'.
The author threw lots of ideas thrown in (many of them regular cliches of the genre) and none is given the attention to be fleshed out and explored. Everything is brushed over lightly, and major plot points are suddenly introduced at random without any foreshadowing. There is no tension, as the characters just respond to events as they happen, rather than have agency and face decisions.
The prose can be lovely, and the author creates some nice imagery. Unfortunately this is often heavy handed and repetitive.
Overall, the story had promising and the audiobook was made entertaining by the talent of the narrator (props to Imogen Wilde). But it needed another 2, brutal edits to improve the characterisation and plot.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tropes: Romantasy

Summary

Review
I hate that I have a list of complaints about this book. This book needed a lot more editing and work before it went to production.
- The beginning was incredibly rushed. It opens to her walking along and falling into another realm right away, no story establishment or any real care or connection to her home world, and it happened so fast, I nearly missed it.
- This author clearly just wanted to write a romantasy and blasted through all the preamble to just get to the flirting part.
- Izzy is a brat. I can't remember the last time I disliked a main character this much. She's bratty, immature, and when he says "I'll meet you there" and isn't there the instant she arrives, she gets mad at him for abandoning her. What? Is she 12?? She sticks her tongue out at people, always has some middle school "sick burn", and she always has to have the last word. She's insufferable and I hated her.
- Her new boyfriend sets up a day for her to not only leave the palace unescorted when she's the most famous person in the whole realm, but he sets her out with his friend who actually, literally encourages her to steal for funsies and do drugs before getting absolutely wasted at a seedy bar. What?? She's on EVERYONE's radar!
- Zero chemistry with main characters. Again I have to wonder if this is a middle-school fanfic with their flirting style.

[Jennifer G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Izzy is suffering from burnout. She's quit her job and plans an escape to her late parents' cabin. It turns out to be much more of a journey than she expected when she follows some music and fireflies and ends up being chased by scary creatures into another realm. There she meets fae and embarks on a trek to their home to meet with someone who can hopefully show her the way back to her home. Again, the journey turns out to be much more than expected. Along the way, she faces danger from all sides, finds hidden truths about herself, and falls for the fae, Caleb, who has as many secrets as Izzy herself has. And it's their secrets that may drive them apart.

This is one of those books where the characters refuse to behave as adults. Izzy is unnecessarily argumentative and troublesome at times, and Caleb is too standoffish and secretive. There is a distinct lack of communication. The premise is not bad, but the writing is tedious at times. There are so many back-and-forth simple declarative statements and similes. There is a lack of passion to make the romantasy feel alive. It would have benefited from more world-building instead of focusing on Izzy's attitude. For a book that is super long, there was not a lot of depth. Caleb and Izzy? Where was the passion? They agree on nothing, and this isn't a case of opposites attract. Their fundamental views are opposed. He stands with his mother, the Queen. Izzy thinks she is an evil, destroying force. He is a rule-follower; Izzy definitely is not. With a successful romantasy, you have to have characters you love, who seem like they would go scorched earth for their cause and one another. This is a miss.