What do you think?
Rate this book
A Promise Bound in Mist
Rose has spent her life being told cautionary tales about faeries and mists and moons and those who stray on to the moors after dark. But she can’t resist the call of the crag’s wild beauty, and anyway, she doesn’t believe in magic …
Then she meets Hawkbit, a beautiful boy who seems to have come from nowhere, always surrounded by birds and butterflies and wild horses. Rose and Hawkbit are inexplicably drawn to the moors, and to each other. But as their obsessions deepen while their lives diverge towards different worlds, will their pull to each other end up pulling them into danger?
Then she meets Hawkbit, a beautiful boy who seems to have come from nowhere, always surrounded by birds and butterflies and wild horses. Rose and Hawkbit are inexplicably drawn to the moors, and to each other. But as their obsessions deepen while their lives diverge towards different worlds, will their pull to each other end up pulling them into danger?
- GenresYoung AdultFantasy
345 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 4, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 11, 2026
This is the book that kept me awake for 2–3 nights straight abt 2weeks ago 😆 I honestly really enjoyed the whole experience when reading it. I think it was the author’s storytelling & the simple writing style that made it such an easy & engaging read for me.
Rose is the youngest of 3 siblings. She has a brother, Francis & a sister, Mags (actually Rose had a twin when they were little, but the twin died because of… well, something. The book explains what happened & I wont spoil it because its connected to the fae and the magic in the story).
Oneday, Rose’s father brings home a boy named Hawkbit from ‘entah dari mana 😅’ & decides to adopt him. Rose’s mother, Francis, and Mags dont exactly welcome him as part of the family. Their father grows very fond of Hawkbit because he is hardworking & always helps on the farm, unlike Francis, who keeps making excuses about studying when he is really just PEMALAS 😂
As a reward, Hawkbit receives a beautiful mare from Father & he absolutely adores her. Francis becomes even more jealous and his hatred for Hawkbit keeps growing. Rose and Mags feel jealous too, but they manage to keep those feelings under control.
Everything changes when Francis is abt to celebrate his 18th birthday. Their father goes to town but never returns & soon news arrives that he has died. The shock is too much for their mother & she dies as well, leaving Rose, her siblings & Hawkbit behind.
Once Francis takes over as head of the household, life becomes miserable. Hawkbit is forced to sleep in the barn with the animals, while Rose & Mags are treated more like servants than family. That’s when Rose starts thinking about running away.
And Hawkbit… there’s definitely something mysterious about him. Something doesn’t quite add up. The story dives into superstitions, magic, and the fae that things Rose never believed in until she finds herself caught right in the middle of them.
This book also reminded me of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett because of its moorland setting (latar tempat) and all the nature and animal vibes.
(Fun fact: I translated The Secret Garden into Malay about two years ago, so maybe that’s why the similarities stood out to me.)
Rose is the youngest of 3 siblings. She has a brother, Francis & a sister, Mags (actually Rose had a twin when they were little, but the twin died because of… well, something. The book explains what happened & I wont spoil it because its connected to the fae and the magic in the story).
Oneday, Rose’s father brings home a boy named Hawkbit from ‘entah dari mana 😅’ & decides to adopt him. Rose’s mother, Francis, and Mags dont exactly welcome him as part of the family. Their father grows very fond of Hawkbit because he is hardworking & always helps on the farm, unlike Francis, who keeps making excuses about studying when he is really just PEMALAS 😂
As a reward, Hawkbit receives a beautiful mare from Father & he absolutely adores her. Francis becomes even more jealous and his hatred for Hawkbit keeps growing. Rose and Mags feel jealous too, but they manage to keep those feelings under control.
Everything changes when Francis is abt to celebrate his 18th birthday. Their father goes to town but never returns & soon news arrives that he has died. The shock is too much for their mother & she dies as well, leaving Rose, her siblings & Hawkbit behind.
Once Francis takes over as head of the household, life becomes miserable. Hawkbit is forced to sleep in the barn with the animals, while Rose & Mags are treated more like servants than family. That’s when Rose starts thinking about running away.
And Hawkbit… there’s definitely something mysterious about him. Something doesn’t quite add up. The story dives into superstitions, magic, and the fae that things Rose never believed in until she finds herself caught right in the middle of them.
This book also reminded me of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett because of its moorland setting (latar tempat) and all the nature and animal vibes.
(Fun fact: I translated The Secret Garden into Malay about two years ago, so maybe that’s why the similarities stood out to me.)
August 3, 2026
This book is marketed as wuthering heights meets the cruel prince … but what it really is is 95% the exact plot of Wuthering Heights and 5% and occasional fae reference.
It took me until about 30% in to realise, wait a second, this is literally the plot of wuthering heights (not just “inspired by”) and I kept waiting for that to stop being the case but it was for basically the whole book 💀.
I love a fae story, especially one where there’s a human world & fae world you have to like portal into, but we basically learned nothing about the fae and didn’t even go into their world 😤.
The characters annoyed me so much with all the miscommunication etc but like it is copying Wuthering heights to a tee so I guess that’s accurate lol.
It’s not 1⭐️ simply because I did enjoy the writing and I read it so quick for some reason 🤣.
It took me until about 30% in to realise, wait a second, this is literally the plot of wuthering heights (not just “inspired by”) and I kept waiting for that to stop being the case but it was for basically the whole book 💀.
I love a fae story, especially one where there’s a human world & fae world you have to like portal into, but we basically learned nothing about the fae and didn’t even go into their world 😤.
The characters annoyed me so much with all the miscommunication etc but like it is copying Wuthering heights to a tee so I guess that’s accurate lol.
It’s not 1⭐️ simply because I did enjoy the writing and I read it so quick for some reason 🤣.
April 15, 2026
Thank you to Harperfire Books for sending me this proof copy in a giveaway!
This is a YA fantasy introducing us to a world where faeries enter and exit their world through a gateway on the moors. Rose has never had chance to explore the moors before, always warned away from them by her family. But when Hawkbit arrives, they sneak off regularly and Rose gets to see a whole new angle of the world. Faeries are just stories, but there’s something different about Hawkbit..
I definitely enjoyed the second half of this book more, the first was quite slow and repetitive in places. But once things started picking up I was more intrigued. This is definitely very YA. Not too much detail or complicated parts, younger audiences would definitely enjoy this one I think! Just a wholesome story with a major cliffhanger no doubt leading on to a great series!
This is a YA fantasy introducing us to a world where faeries enter and exit their world through a gateway on the moors. Rose has never had chance to explore the moors before, always warned away from them by her family. But when Hawkbit arrives, they sneak off regularly and Rose gets to see a whole new angle of the world. Faeries are just stories, but there’s something different about Hawkbit..
I definitely enjoyed the second half of this book more, the first was quite slow and repetitive in places. But once things started picking up I was more intrigued. This is definitely very YA. Not too much detail or complicated parts, younger audiences would definitely enjoy this one I think! Just a wholesome story with a major cliffhanger no doubt leading on to a great series!
August 3, 2026
The review of wuthering heights meets cruel prince is so correct. Loved it and want another one
April 21, 2026
The lower rating is a purely personal opinion. I have a love hate relationship with a miscommunication trope where I hate how the characters are not understanding each other and steps aren’t taken to clear it up but because of that I can’t put the book down because I need to see it all resolve.
That’s pretty much the premise of the entire book- miscommunication and mystery. I liked the wuthering heights sort of setting with the Crag and the moors being a key part of the story. But otherwise the book irked me so much that I found myself screaming and throwing the book across the room.
That’s pretty much the premise of the entire book- miscommunication and mystery. I liked the wuthering heights sort of setting with the Crag and the moors being a key part of the story. But otherwise the book irked me so much that I found myself screaming and throwing the book across the room.
June 17, 2026
Rose lives with her parents and brother on a remote sheep farm. Ever since her twin sister died in the legendary moors years ago, Rose has rarely been allowed to leave the house. One day, her father brings home a mysterious boy he found wandering the roads, gives him the name Hawkbit, and welcomes him into the family. Rose and Hawkbit quickly become inseparable. But when Hawkbit begins searching for the hidden faerie realm, Rose turns away from him. Instead, she allows the local gentleman Edward Spencer to court her—and sets a tragedy in motion.
Drawing inspiration from Wuthering Heights, the author crafts a captivating and dark story about belonging, love, and family secrets. While I occasionally found the misunderstandings between the main characters frustrating and not always convincing, and struggled at times with Rose’s decisions, the novel’s rich and compelling atmosphere completely drew me in. I found the ending especially satisfying, as Rose finally figures out the truth and rediscovers her strength and will to live.
A wonderful novel for fantasy readers who enjoy a mysterious, intense, emotional, heartbreaking and haunting story.
Drawing inspiration from Wuthering Heights, the author crafts a captivating and dark story about belonging, love, and family secrets. While I occasionally found the misunderstandings between the main characters frustrating and not always convincing, and struggled at times with Rose’s decisions, the novel’s rich and compelling atmosphere completely drew me in. I found the ending especially satisfying, as Rose finally figures out the truth and rediscovers her strength and will to live.
A wonderful novel for fantasy readers who enjoy a mysterious, intense, emotional, heartbreaking and haunting story.
August 11, 2026
I'm not sure the comp titles are doing this book any favours.
Wuthering Heights? Yes, absolutely- the plot is essentially the same except Heathcliff is now Hawkbit and his mysterious origins are now rather fantastical.
The Cruel Prince? No. Not at all, sadly. We see nothing of the fae world, learn next to nothing of its folk and as the twists and revelations come thick and fast at the end, there's little time left to explore them. (I really wanted more time at the end...)
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this. It's compellingly written, full of yearning and angst which I love. It kept me reading, but I was left wanting more magic, more fae content, I guess- because that's what I'd gone in expecting.
Read it if you want a solid Wuthering Heights retelling with a touch of magic. It's atmospheric, moody, capturing all the angst and drama of the original.
Don't read it if you want the immersive fae world and complex politics of TCP.
Wuthering Heights? Yes, absolutely- the plot is essentially the same except Heathcliff is now Hawkbit and his mysterious origins are now rather fantastical.
The Cruel Prince? No. Not at all, sadly. We see nothing of the fae world, learn next to nothing of its folk and as the twists and revelations come thick and fast at the end, there's little time left to explore them. (I really wanted more time at the end...)
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this. It's compellingly written, full of yearning and angst which I love. It kept me reading, but I was left wanting more magic, more fae content, I guess- because that's what I'd gone in expecting.
Read it if you want a solid Wuthering Heights retelling with a touch of magic. It's atmospheric, moody, capturing all the angst and drama of the original.
Don't read it if you want the immersive fae world and complex politics of TCP.
July 28, 2026
Idk how to feel about this book. The amount of miscommunication between the main characters irked me to no end but I still finished the entire book in a day. I guess, deep (DEEP DEEP) down I really did enjoy this book more than I like to admit.
Reading this book was tortuous too. The slow burn is infuriating. We all know since page one they are meant to be together but that only comes to fruition at the last chapter. That’s close to 350 pages of waiting. Do you know what that does to an impatient person?🥲
On a side note, I’m shocked to find out that this is a standalone. The ending definitely hinted more and I’m extremely interested in what goes down in the fae world. Hopefully, there will be a sequel of sorts because yes I am still invested in these two idiots.
Reading this book was tortuous too. The slow burn is infuriating. We all know since page one they are meant to be together but that only comes to fruition at the last chapter. That’s close to 350 pages of waiting. Do you know what that does to an impatient person?🥲
On a side note, I’m shocked to find out that this is a standalone. The ending definitely hinted more and I’m extremely interested in what goes down in the fae world. Hopefully, there will be a sequel of sorts because yes I am still invested in these two idiots.
June 10, 2026
I enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. I don't usually like romance with love at first sight but Elle Hughes used it well in her book. I was thoroughly immersed and I felt every emotion. I love the little mystery thrown in and little plot twist at the end. Although there are a bit of downsides, like some of the characters were under developed. My favorite is Hawkbit and always will be. Rose annoyed me a little but she made up for it in the end. The plot is mostly centered on the romance between Hawkbit and Rose and I enjoyed every bit of it. The writing style is superb. I can't wait to read more of Elle Hughes books.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The cover and title of this book drew me in and I'm so pleased! What a lovely tale!
You can visualise the crag and heather from the wonderful descriptions! Which means you jump straight into the story!
Plus the relationship between Hawkbit and Rose was so lovely too, their connection from their mid teens, growing up together, miscommunication around their feelings and mistrust for so many reasons, but none of that stood in their way, they conquered it together ❤️
And that unexpected twist! I didn't see that coming at all!
You can visualise the crag and heather from the wonderful descriptions! Which means you jump straight into the story!
Plus the relationship between Hawkbit and Rose was so lovely too, their connection from their mid teens, growing up together, miscommunication around their feelings and mistrust for so many reasons, but none of that stood in their way, they conquered it together ❤️
And that unexpected twist! I didn't see that coming at all!
June 7, 2026
A Promise Bound in Mist has a strong atmosphere and an intriguing magical backdrop.
The story has a mysterious edge, and I enjoyed discovering more about the world as the plot unfolded.
One thing I really appreciated was the balance between the story and the personal moments.
The book takes time to focus on its characters and their relationships, the character dynamics being my favourite part.
And rather than relying on constant twists, the conflicts and mysteries are built and layered over time, allowing the world and characters to actually develop.
The story has a mysterious edge, and I enjoyed discovering more about the world as the plot unfolded.
One thing I really appreciated was the balance between the story and the personal moments.
The book takes time to focus on its characters and their relationships, the character dynamics being my favourite part.
And rather than relying on constant twists, the conflicts and mysteries are built and layered over time, allowing the world and characters to actually develop.
June 13, 2026
I will be very honest, I am disappointed with this book. I understand it’s being sold as a wuthering heights meets cruel prince but in reality is just wuthering heights. And not even taking the gothic inspiration/retelling and twisting with a bit of an originality brush: A Promise Bound in Mist is LITERALLY Wuthering Heights. Moment by moment. The author simply turned Heatcliff into a faerie named Hawkbit.
On another hand, the writing was quite good!
On another hand, the writing was quite good!
June 23, 2026
This is billed as Wuthering Heights meets Holly Black which is spot on!
The gothic atmosphere of the windswept moors, about a girl slowly being suffocated by the expectations of her place in society until her father brings home a mysterious young man who is so wild and free it ignites something in her.
Beautiful 🖤
The gothic atmosphere of the windswept moors, about a girl slowly being suffocated by the expectations of her place in society until her father brings home a mysterious young man who is so wild and free it ignites something in her.
Beautiful 🖤
June 26, 2026
I am so biased on this book because Wuthering Heights is my favourite novel. The tale is very similar for about 70% but with a fantasy twist. The miscommunication trope is frustrating but not off putting. I had to keep going, and that is the mark of a good book in my opinion.
Also a lovely clean romance element, nothing more than a kiss so a geat starter novel for budding romantasy fans.
Also a lovely clean romance element, nothing more than a kiss so a geat starter novel for budding romantasy fans.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Had to DNF 140 pages in unfortunately. Wasn't invested at all and I'd rather spend my time reading a book that im enjoying
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a proof copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a proof copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews