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When the leader of the local witch coven is murdered, all evidence suggests foul play of the faerie variety. With group of anti-supernatural assassins running around town, I have to figure out their connection with the dark faeries before my best friend Isabel, the new coven leader, becomes the killer's next target.

Nobody ever crosses the witches and escapes unscathed, but with the ancient Sidhe, all bets are off. I need to have my wits about me, otherwise one mistake might spell the destruction of our world.

275 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 12, 2016

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296 people want to read

About the author

Emma L. Adams

87 books948 followers
I'm Emma, a fantasy author, book collector, gamer, and wanderer. I write urban and epic fantasy novels, including the international bestselling Changeling Chronicles, the Relics of Power trilogy, and the Death's Disciple quartet.

*Note: I use Goodreads only to keep a record of what I'm reading. Please don't send me unsolicited review requests.*

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
Profile Image for Cece ❀Rants, Raves &Reviews❀.
306 reviews1,139 followers
May 18, 2025
Best way to describe is just a fun fey mystery mercenary series. You know you gonna get a sassy reckless heroine. The cutesy bff. The love interest. And some magical problems to solve. So just enjoy the ride....

We got, Ivy Lane fey mercenary and magic problem-solver

“Dammit.” I hadn’t expected them to come out wearing name tags, but come on. Hooded figures in black masks. Really helpful for identification. Which, of course, was the point.”

Her POV continues to be a fun sassy perspective in the midst of adversary and danger. She not the brightest of the bunch but she works through the problems, learn to use her powers, and will absolutely make the more reckless decision if it saves more people

Worldbuilding I really enjoy how each book builds so more and more as we learn about the characters and the world —- specifically, the fey world

“Yeah, I got it.” My mind was still reeling from the vision and the battle. “How in hell did it know my past? Can the forest read minds?”
“Memories,” said the banshee. “Certain experiences leave imprints on us, and on the world. The most ancient spots like this remember.”


Like goddamnnnnn, i adore how Faerie is described here. It perfectly encapsulates the beauty and danger of the land that makes me wanna drop right down the rabbit hole

Secondary character wise… its mainly Drake and Isabel with both getting limited screen time sadly

“A heavy wooden table sometimes used for meetings was covered with a hand-drawn map of the city. Someone—probably Drake—had drawn a cartoon dragon in the bottom-right corner and labelled it “Here be dragons”.
“Nice,” I commented. He’d marked the spot where the ancient shifter god had awakened. The Ley Line was a thick black marker line through the page.
“Isn’t it?” said Drake. “I was in the middle of embellishing the map when he sent me off to guard duty.”


Drake is * slowly* starting to appear in more scenes and clearly distinguishing himself as the funny comedic sidekick of Vance. I dig it but damn I wish they had more scenes of mocking each other while fighting together

The plot of this book is more witches orientated this time in which they venture outside the city to the more wild magical parts of the human world

“Lady Harper gave him a grim smile. “They didn’t give up their lives. They gave up their mortality, and some say their sanity, too. They’re tethered to the forest, and can no longer leave it.”
Yassss more witches badassness. I mean i wanted it from isabels coven but hidden coven cursed to the land works too

The love interesting… continuing at a slow slow burn *sighhhhh*
“Vance shot me an amused look. “What do you know. I told her to stay here, and she did. If it’d been you, you’d have climbed out the window and come back covered in blood by now.”
And thats what you love about her !

The place where this books sorta struggles to me and reason it doesn’t quite compare to the other great paranormal detectives like Kate Daniels or Nevada Baylor or Toby Daye is the lack of character relations and dynamics. The friendship of Isabel and Ivy is cute but surface deep. The romance of her and Vance is fun but hasn’t really gotten sexy or swoon-worthy. The rest of the characters are interesting with some great pop-up scenes like with Derek appearing for one battle scene and a witty line… but we don’t have any of the great group dynamics of everyone together laughing struggling bonding.

I definitely recommend if you just want fun mystery and fey, because this book clearly ticks all those great essentials. But you really gotta make an effort to connect to the characters and accept that they not really trying to connect to each other either. They all just trying to survive *fucking valid tho* so its more about the mystery and power buildup happening with Ivy instead of focusing on the characters themselves
Profile Image for Pamela.
1,825 reviews39 followers
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March 5, 2017
This is book five in this fun paranormal series. Ivy Lane, and her best friend Isobel share a flat, and round up , and kill rogue, and evil fey,. Isobel is an assistant to her covens leader, and provides the protective spells, and healing, or tracking spells as needed. Ivy does the heavy lifting, as she is the one with her sword, and some fey death magic, and takes them down. Vance is the head Mage, or sheriff in town. He knew something was off about Ivy ,as soon as he met her, and was. attracted to this fierce warrior. This story deals with a threat that at first seems to only involve the witches, but the ammunition has not been seen since the great war, when the shields came down, and fey, humans, shifters, and mages , and half bloods fought for existence. This was high adventure as Ivy ,Isobel, and Vance try to learn who is behind all the attacks, and what their game plan is. I love how loyal Ivy is to her friends, and the town, and world she fights to keep in balance. It had lots of action, but not to sexual because they are constantly needed in a crisis. These books are just relax, laugh, worry who may loose their life, and the endings tie it all up.; pure escape, at it finest. Great character development, and storyline. I am on to the next one, plus they have a pixie that lives with them, and is a warning system, flying around yelling bad fairy, bad fairy coming...to funny. Vance is no light weight, and he is hot, but he can not go jumping between life and death at will, but he gets plenty of action fighting creatures, as well. Ivy leads with her emotions, and temper, and Vance usually brings her home, after she has won at the cost of her body, and loss of blood. I love his comments, and how he tries to take care of her, but she is on a mission, and goes right back into the Frey with eyes blazing. I just love Ivy.......One heroic woman.
Profile Image for Tonja Drecker.
Author 3 books236 followers
November 22, 2016
Ivy Lane has anything but a boring life, and this book proves that once again.

The head of Ivy's best friend's witch coven has been assassinated, but the circumstances surrounding the murder are anything but ordinary...and that's already taking spells, mystical creatures and ghosts into account. It appears that a group is trying to destroy supernaturals, but Ivy's gut is telling her that there's more.

Packed with action, magic and kick-butt attitude, this 5th book in the series slides right into place. Ivy might be tough, but her heart of gold and sense of justice make her a character impossible not to root for. She still dives into situations with little regard for her own safety, but she's learning to be a bit more wise. Her past experiences are molding her, making for wonderful character development which arcs well through the entire series.

The bonds of friendship shine through in this story as Ivy does what she can to keep her best friend safe. But then her best friend is slowly letting Ivy's personality rub off on her a little too.

There's romance. Of course. And a very short, hot scene. But the story never rotates around the love interest, but rather concentrates on Ivy and the threat she's up against. The romance is ever present but held at a distance, giving Ivy tons of free room and lots of open pathways for future plot twists.

Even though this is book five, Ivy's tales still draw in and promise an exciting read. There are several elements which are very familiar but enough new ones to keep in interesting. At moments, some of the plot movements seemed to fall into a familiar pattern, but these always managed to pull a slightly new direction. The ending promises a ton of new twists and turns, which I'm really looking forward to.

In other words, I can't wait for the next book to come out.
Profile Image for Ms. Cyn.
1,544 reviews
September 17, 2017
Great mix

I really enjoy all the different cultures that are spotlighted. In this part of Ivy's story we learn more about the witches and there are some really crazy bad guys and quite a few twists to keep things interesting. Ivy and Vance are getting closer and its fun to see how their worlds are mixing together especially Ivy's little pixie pet. He's a cute little bugger. Lots of danger and adventure. Mystery and romance too.
Profile Image for Lola.
1,986 reviews275 followers
February 7, 2017
I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it

I've enjoyed the Changeling series so far and am always looking forward to the next book. The start of this one was a bit slow, but eventually it picked up pace and it keep my attention from that point. This series is pretty predictable, each book has the exact same set-up, but at the same time it's kinda nice to start a book knowing what to expect. And each book is still an enjoyable story.

This book focuses a bit more on the witches, but also adds an interesting piece of world building we didn't know about yet. There is a bit of history tied in with current events. I also liked how the plot in some sense was a progressing of a plot line set-up earlier and I am not sure yet if the plot line has fully ended in this book.

Like the rest of this series this book is packed with action, danger, magic and paranormal. It's fun to see Ivy land into a new problem this time and how she tries to fix it, with Isabel and Vance by her side. Vance and Ivy are a pretty stable couple and while the focus isn't on the romance at all, I do like seeing these two together, working side by side.

I like seeing Ivy in action, it seems with each book she learns a bit more about her magic and I liked how the big battle at the end got resolved as it was a bit different than in other books. I also liked the plot line surrounding the forest and liminal spaces and wonder if we're going to see more of that in later books.

There isn't much to say about this book that I haven't said in previous reviews. This is the type of series that gives you more of the same. An adventure and a plot line in each book, but the same feel and progression in each book. But I mostly consider this a good thing, the books are a bit predictable, but still enjoyable to read. So if you enjoyed the previous books you most likely will enjoy the later books as well.

To summarize: this was another solid installment in this series. Ivy gets involved into another issue that's going. There is a bit of focus on the witches in this book and there are some interesting pieces of world building that get added. It was a solid read that kept my attention, although the start felt a tad slow. It's a bit predictable in the sense that each book in this series has the same set-up, but I don't really mind as it's nice to know what to expect sometimes and each book is a good read. This is a fun series with a lot of action and magic.
Profile Image for Dutu.
673 reviews6 followers
December 28, 2016
I think that this will be the last book in the series for me. It getting harder and harder to finish the books and for me that's nothing good.

I'm a little tired about saving the world part...same old same old.
Profile Image for Megan.
3,609 reviews45 followers
July 12, 2019
Quick Info
Standalone/Cliffhanger?: Standalone but kind of a cliffhanger
Part of a Series?: Yes
----------------------------------
Meeting the Characters
Ivy Lane
Isabel
Vance
----------------------------------
What happens?
Ivy is stuck right in the middle of another Faerie scheme.
Isabel is the new leader of her coven after the coven leader is brutally murdered. It is unclear what is going on by Ivy suspects fae have involvement due to her finding a book filled with unidentified script and the book itself glamoured with her being the only one to find it.
Final thoughts
Good read, I always enjoy this series it can feel a bit long winded but its still a nice read.
Would I read again?: Yes
Would I read this author again?: Yes
Profile Image for Relina Skye.
Author 11 books46 followers
August 8, 2018
Faerie Curse is the fifth book in The Changeling Chronicles series by Emma L. Adams. At some point, readers probably have wondered why the military failed to take out the faeries when they invaded. In this novel, readers find out that most conventional weapons didn't work. As a result, a special type of bullet was developed, one that would instantly kill magic users. A group of assassins take out the local coven leader and are aiming to kill more supernaturals. It is up to Ivy to stop the assassinations and find out how the faeries are involved.
Overall, this was a good addition to the series. There is a lot going on in this fast-paced story.
Profile Image for Amanda Jane.
1,337 reviews9 followers
September 13, 2021
The death of Francine, the Laurel coven..

.. leader puts Isabel into the spotlight and at risk of attack herself. Francine was killed by a bullet.. very similar to those of the Orion League.. but her blood should have protected her so how did it get past the wards held within her blood as coven leader?

As Ivy and Isabel race to discover the truth about who killed her they are experiencing some weird magical blackouts.. areas where their magic either backfires or is heavily muted. Assassins are popping up everywhere, strange creatures being summoned.. is it just a coincidence that they were hiding in a disused pub called the Huntsman? Or is Fionn involved somehow?
Profile Image for Barbara Sykeshaha.
98 reviews2 followers
May 27, 2020
Just when you least expect it...the writer throws you a curve ball. Love it!

Emma Adam's is a fantastical writer. As stated before, her books have mages, witches, sidhe pixie, trolls, unseelie, selfie, humans. They're all intricately woven together. I love battles between good, and evil. Sometimes evil is not so evil, good is not so good. There comes the grey, or in this case, "the grey vale". Read the Changeling Chronicles in the numerical order. Hope you enjoy this author as much as I have.
102 reviews2 followers
January 21, 2018
Answers finally!!

My only problem with this series was that I didn't really understand the background and the explanations for the attacks. I always felt I was missing info but I liked it enough that I kept reading. And I'm very glad I did. We're finally getting answered about the invasions and things that had me confused are finally making sense. And best of all, Ivy and Vance's relationship keeps growing beautifully. I'm off to book six now!!
Profile Image for Mike Lewis.
1,761 reviews8 followers
February 15, 2018
It was awesome

I love the series. And urban fantasy with humans fairies majors witches shifters and how they all interact and live in our world. 20 years after a fairy invasion destroyed a good chunk of the world our group strives to keep everyone safe and battle evil. Great cast of characters and great stories every time. Check them out
217 reviews
November 20, 2022
Spellbinding!

This book is impossible to put down! It is an excellent read filled with many unexpected turns. TBE author has done an excellent job of creating an entire world with different magical entities. Each entity possesses different powers and treats others in a different manner. Highly recommend this book.
727 reviews6 followers
January 8, 2017
A great series - at one stage I thought that the plots had stagnated with the Calder character but more than please with the latest plots. Seeing Ivy spending more time in the fairie realms and developing further would be very intriging.
12 reviews
October 21, 2017
Amazing!

This is a great series for anyone that is as addicted as I am to this genre. I love the characters and their complex relationships, as well as how they all come together. Emma L. Adams does it again and again with this series!
157 reviews7 followers
December 18, 2017
Story worth Reading

Truthfully by the fifth book in the series, I am usually finding a series to be growing stale. However not the case in this series. I still find myself wanting to see how Ivy is going to get out of her present predicament.
1 review
February 16, 2018
Great read

This book, like the rest of the series, leaves you wanting to know what happens next. It is a little bit love stay with a lot of actions. One book can be read
as a story, but you find your self wanting to read the others.
9 reviews
April 18, 2018
I just finished it. It was a really good read!!

I can't wait to start the next book, Faerie Hunt!!! I hope to learn more about Ivy and her powers in the coming book. I also hope that Ivy and Vance get an uninterrupted holiday...
765 reviews2 followers
August 1, 2018
Another great story in the series.

It amazes me how adept the author is in jumping from one life harrowing experience to another without skipping a beat. It is really hard to put each book down.
Profile Image for Levia.
1,380 reviews16 followers
September 19, 2018
Sassy, blunt, and always learning

I love how Ivy is always strong, even when she's weak. Each new experience teaches her something new and makes her stronger. I wish she was more allied with the half faeries. Of course then there would have to be some worth allying with.
61 reviews
November 22, 2016
Amazing!

I'm so sucked into this amazing series that I have to have more! What an amazing continuation of the series! Ivy is one hell of a kickass girl!
Profile Image for Maggie Needham.
24 reviews
May 11, 2017
Keeps Getting Better

Can't wait to learn more about Carrie and about her new nemesis! Definitely enjoying the progression of her relationship. Guess I'll stay glued to my kindle!
Profile Image for Daniel W Gard.
132 reviews
July 30, 2017
One more to go

This book kept me up. Great story and a even better twist. So now I will move on to the next book.
89 reviews2 followers
October 18, 2017
As awesome as the first four in the series! I am HOOKED! Great heroine who is clever but believable, and the mythology crafted around the plot is fantastic. Now onto the countdown for Book 6... !
21 reviews
January 13, 2019
This has shown a little more of the characters backgrounds
Profile Image for Boo.
3,672 reviews14 followers
August 13, 2019
Great

Great series. Really enjoyed this book as usual. Yay for ivy doing what needs to be done while being a badbutt.
Profile Image for Christopher Letch.
104 reviews
May 12, 2020
Fearies suck!!!

Good good good really loving this story can't wait to see who ivy hacks off next ??!! You have to read ths.
Profile Image for Joanne Rimmer.
6 reviews1 follower
February 19, 2023
As always engrossing

Yet another engaging and enjoyable read from a gifted storyteller. The plot thickens and things once hidden begin to awaken again.
Profile Image for Deborah.
670 reviews11 followers
August 7, 2024
Witches, Faeries, half-bloods, necromancers....so much turmoil.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews

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