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Tempris #1
Shardless
Magic marked her for suffering. Magic will save her. Magic will lead her home.
On Tempris, time magic is outlawed, and suspected time mages are hunted. Humans are second-class citizens, shunned by the immortal fey that live on the island. They even have a name for their kind: Shardless.
Taly is one of the lucky humans. Taken in by a fey noble and his family, she's lived a good life, surrounded by people she loves. But when an accidental brush with magic causes her to see things -- ghostly apparitions that give her small glimpses into the future -- it has deadly consequences. The Sanctorum has returned to the island, and if they find her, they'll kill her. And anyone that tries to protect her.
This includes her best friend, Skye. He was the boy that saved her. The man she knew she could never have. And when he refuses to let her go, their actions might hold the power to reshape the world.
An ancient evil is rising, and in order to protect those that she cares for, Taly will have to sacrifice everything.
Including her heart.
Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black, this action-packed fantasy romance will have you captivated from page one!
641 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2018
1084 people are currently reading
22544 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Fisher
3 books851 followersI live in Austin, Texas with my husband and three dogs, and my favorite things (in no particular order) are ramen, bad karaoke, and Mass Effect (seriously, it's an obsession). My stories derive elements from pretty much everywhere, blending action, romance, and a healthy dose of worldbuilding. Growing up in a small Texas town, the stories I loved the most were the ones that were able to transport me to somewhere else entirely, fantastic other worlds painted on the page so vividly they just had to be real. So, reader beware and make sure to bring your passport.
Shardless is my first novel, and the first in a five book series. If you'd like more news from the island of Tempris, you can find me here:
https://www.facebook.com/sfisherbooks/
https://www.patreon.com/stephaniefisher
Shardless is my first novel, and the first in a five book series. If you'd like more news from the island of Tempris, you can find me here:
https://www.facebook.com/sfisherbooks/
https://www.patreon.com/stephaniefisher
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 986 reviews
November 29, 2024
↠ 5 stars
Where has this incredible book been all my life because I honestly can't envision a world without it. In a land divided by magic, time mages are hunted, and a human girl is discovered in the ashes of her childhood home. Taken in by a fey noble and his family, with no memory of her past, Taly is raised alongside Skye Emrys, the ward of her benefactor. After a brush up with magic sends her fleeing from the estate and those she loves, Taly must inevitably reconcile her past and present in order to meet a growing ancient evil that is taking hold.
I heard this book had angst, slowburn, and yearning, and immediately came running. What I was not expecting was for it to be one of the best books I've read all year. Shardless by Stephanie Fisher is a triumph of a novel, filled with magic and heart that builds like a crescendo from start to finish. From the compelling characters, to the unique world building and magic system, there is not a moment where anything is at less than the top of its game. Even the plot, comprised of character centered interactions and plot development, switches between the two at exactly the right intervals. Perhaps my favorite part of all of this though, is the romance between Taly and Skye. Their interactions were so organic and grounded, and while they infuriated me to no end with the miscommunication and angst, they were truly one of the best parts about this book. You really just get the sense that they are best friends who should serve friends-to-lovers, and I think that's beautiful. Besides that, the internal conflict and secrets make for the kind of tension that could be cut by a knife one that doesn't abate even up until the end. As this is the authors debut novel, I think she did a phenomenal job with it all. If you've read this far, please consider giving this book a chance. The three other people in this fandom and I need some company.
Trigger warnings: violence, blood, alcohol consumption, death of a loved one, physical injury, attempted rape
Where has this incredible book been all my life because I honestly can't envision a world without it. In a land divided by magic, time mages are hunted, and a human girl is discovered in the ashes of her childhood home. Taken in by a fey noble and his family, with no memory of her past, Taly is raised alongside Skye Emrys, the ward of her benefactor. After a brush up with magic sends her fleeing from the estate and those she loves, Taly must inevitably reconcile her past and present in order to meet a growing ancient evil that is taking hold.
I heard this book had angst, slowburn, and yearning, and immediately came running. What I was not expecting was for it to be one of the best books I've read all year. Shardless by Stephanie Fisher is a triumph of a novel, filled with magic and heart that builds like a crescendo from start to finish. From the compelling characters, to the unique world building and magic system, there is not a moment where anything is at less than the top of its game. Even the plot, comprised of character centered interactions and plot development, switches between the two at exactly the right intervals. Perhaps my favorite part of all of this though, is the romance between Taly and Skye. Their interactions were so organic and grounded, and while they infuriated me to no end with the miscommunication and angst, they were truly one of the best parts about this book. You really just get the sense that they are best friends who should serve friends-to-lovers, and I think that's beautiful. Besides that, the internal conflict and secrets make for the kind of tension that could be cut by a knife one that doesn't abate even up until the end. As this is the authors debut novel, I think she did a phenomenal job with it all. If you've read this far, please consider giving this book a chance. The three other people in this fandom and I need some company.
Trigger warnings: violence, blood, alcohol consumption, death of a loved one, physical injury, attempted rape
May 23, 2025
✩ 4.5 stars ✩
What to Expect:
➼ Childhood Friends-to-Lovers
➼ Slow Burn
➼ Special Snowflake in Hiding
➼ Banter
➼ Interesting Mix of Magic & Tech
➼ Strong/Original World Building
➼ Time Magic
➼ Fae Nobles
➼ Mutual Pining/Denial
➼ Strong FMC
➼ Debut
➼ Third Person POV
➼ Unfinished Series
This was so freaking good! I absolutely devoured this and think it’s absolutely criminal more people aren’t reading this! Help me get the word out friends! 🗣️ I intentionally picked this for its length so I wouldn’t finish it in one day because I am behind on reviews and it was so good that I literally could not stop myself from staying up late to finish it anyway. 🙈
The world building was excellent and I could not get enough of the romance. This was truly friends-to-lovers done right! 🤌🏻 I love that the physical aspects weren’t rushed between them and thought the timing of them realizing their feelings was perfectly executed. Her time away from home made their journey to finding each other make so much sense to me. They were really just the cutest and apart from her one big secret their communication was so good! Skye is such a Cinnamon Roll. 🥰 His heartfelt apologies the few times he hurt her feelings were swoon worthy. This is something I want to see more of in books! 👏🏻👏🏻
I can’t remember the last time I loved an FMC this much. I am tired of all the morally grey murderous FMC’s authors have been cranking out lately. It was so refreshing to read a character who was strong without desiring to inflict pain and death on others. She was of course intelligent, opinionated, and well trained like so many FMC’s, but she was refreshingly humble without being self-deprecating. I loved that she thought her actions through instead of going in half cocked which is all too common. She did what she could to keep the people she loved safe and out of harms way, but she did it by sacrificing her own safety and personal comfort rather than by hurting others. She was thoughtful and kind but she also stood up for herself when needed. I could really go on and on. It did bug me a little that she wasn’t more open with Skye, but I understood her reasoning so we’ll give her a pass.
The ending was maybe a little too magical and made me doubt my grasp on the magic system as a whole. I could see how time magic could be pretty complicated in general but I think a few aspects should have been more clearly explained. I am hopeful that the author will flesh out the details in the next book. Based on the last few pages I think this is a reasonable assumption to make.
There is no denying that the title and cover are NOT doing this book any favors, but if you’re a fantasy lover, please read this! I am chomping at the bit to get my hands on book two and I will be scouring the internet for news on the release date for book 3! According to her Facebook it was completed and entered into the editing phase in October of 2022 and her Patreon says it’s coming soon so hopefully we won’t have too much longer to wait! I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a series! 🤗
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: A Bookstagrammer I follow claimed this as their desert island series and I immediately ran to Libby to request it. 🏃🏽♀️
Time to put her taste to the test! If it’s bad maybe I’ll unfollow? 😜
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
Connect with me on Instagram
What to Expect:
➼ Childhood Friends-to-Lovers
➼ Slow Burn
➼ Special Snowflake in Hiding
➼ Banter
➼ Interesting Mix of Magic & Tech
➼ Strong/Original World Building
➼ Time Magic
➼ Fae Nobles
➼ Mutual Pining/Denial
➼ Strong FMC
➼ Debut
➼ Third Person POV
➼ Unfinished Series
This was so freaking good! I absolutely devoured this and think it’s absolutely criminal more people aren’t reading this! Help me get the word out friends! 🗣️ I intentionally picked this for its length so I wouldn’t finish it in one day because I am behind on reviews and it was so good that I literally could not stop myself from staying up late to finish it anyway. 🙈
The world building was excellent and I could not get enough of the romance. This was truly friends-to-lovers done right! 🤌🏻 I love that the physical aspects weren’t rushed between them and thought the timing of them realizing their feelings was perfectly executed. Her time away from home made their journey to finding each other make so much sense to me. They were really just the cutest and apart from her one big secret their communication was so good! Skye is such a Cinnamon Roll. 🥰 His heartfelt apologies the few times he hurt her feelings were swoon worthy. This is something I want to see more of in books! 👏🏻👏🏻
I can’t remember the last time I loved an FMC this much. I am tired of all the morally grey murderous FMC’s authors have been cranking out lately. It was so refreshing to read a character who was strong without desiring to inflict pain and death on others. She was of course intelligent, opinionated, and well trained like so many FMC’s, but she was refreshingly humble without being self-deprecating. I loved that she thought her actions through instead of going in half cocked which is all too common. She did what she could to keep the people she loved safe and out of harms way, but she did it by sacrificing her own safety and personal comfort rather than by hurting others. She was thoughtful and kind but she also stood up for herself when needed. I could really go on and on. It did bug me a little that she wasn’t more open with Skye, but I understood her reasoning so we’ll give her a pass.
The ending was maybe a little too magical and made me doubt my grasp on the magic system as a whole. I could see how time magic could be pretty complicated in general but I think a few aspects should have been more clearly explained. I am hopeful that the author will flesh out the details in the next book. Based on the last few pages I think this is a reasonable assumption to make.
There is no denying that the title and cover are NOT doing this book any favors, but if you’re a fantasy lover, please read this! I am chomping at the bit to get my hands on book two and I will be scouring the internet for news on the release date for book 3! According to her Facebook it was completed and entered into the editing phase in October of 2022 and her Patreon says it’s coming soon so hopefully we won’t have too much longer to wait! I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a series! 🤗
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: A Bookstagrammer I follow claimed this as their desert island series and I immediately ran to Libby to request it. 🏃🏽♀️
Time to put her taste to the test! If it’s bad maybe I’ll unfollow? 😜
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
Connect with me on Instagram
January 18, 2025
4.5 stars
I’m quite frankly shocked by how much I enjoyed this book from Kindle Unlimited. I was thisclose to cancelling KU because of how lackluster I have found all of the books I have read on there lately, but then along comes this hidden gem! There’s so many things to enjoy about this - strong secondary characters, an interesting magical system, a unique twist to the usual fey world building, a slow burn romance, and most of all a plot that is interesting. And for a fantasy novel, the “monster” of the book was so revolting/disturbing, it was impressive. I’ll be immediately picking up the next book in this series.
I’m quite frankly shocked by how much I enjoyed this book from Kindle Unlimited. I was thisclose to cancelling KU because of how lackluster I have found all of the books I have read on there lately, but then along comes this hidden gem! There’s so many things to enjoy about this - strong secondary characters, an interesting magical system, a unique twist to the usual fey world building, a slow burn romance, and most of all a plot that is interesting. And for a fantasy novel, the “monster” of the book was so revolting/disturbing, it was impressive. I’ll be immediately picking up the next book in this series.
August 6, 2021
🐔 I Was Supposed to Read this Lovely Story PoC™ with the MacHalos but They Left Me All by my Little Nefarious Self Because They're All Wimps Who DNF Books Faster than it Takes to Say “Unleash the Crustaceans” Buddy Read (IWStRtLSPoC™wtMbTLMAbmLNSBTAWWDNFBFtiTtSUtCBR™) 🐔
Actual rating: 1.5 stars. Because I'm generous like that.
Let’s try to get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible, shall we? So. Here is why it is highly advised that anyone wanting to read this book should pre-emptively DNF it post haste:
① This is decaf, diet, gluten and lactose-free Fantasy. Need I say more? Didn’t think so.
② The main characters are complete morons who act like immature teenagers. Yay.
③ Everything in this story is clichéd, predictable and tropey as fish. How refreshingly refreshing indeed.
④ Manufactured drama (secret keeping, anyone?) and eye roll-worthy moments aplenty. Oh, goodie.
⑤ At 641 pages, the book is approximately641 291 pages too long. And slow-paced as fish. So much so that it is only slightly less tedious to read than Sanderson's 1000+ pages The Way of Kings. (I only read the first 5% of that one but I'm sure no one noticed.) TD;LR: Quite the fascinating read this book is.
⑥ The excessive use of delightful words and expressions that don’t fit the Fantasy/high-born fae setting of the book AT ALL: things like “shitty,” “run the fuck away,” “c’mon, guys” “bullshit,” and my personal favorite, “I was just talking out of my ass.” Had this been an Urban Fantasy story, the vocab used by the Moronic MCs wouldn’t have felt so bloody shrimping incongruous/out of place/unsuitable/just plain wrong/take your pick. But it’s not, so it does.
⑦ It is a truth universally acknowledged that the silly fey/fae/fay/faerie/whatever are silly. Just so you know.
⑧ Did I already mention how unoriginal, ludicrously laughable and mind-numbingly boring this book is? I did? Oh well.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): hey, it’s not ALL bad, at least the book was cheap.
[Pre-review nonsense]
Well that was painful as fish. But I still read it to the very last, craptastic as shrimp page.Because I'm slightly masochistic like that. Please someone give me a medal or something.
Why thank thee kindly and stuff.
➽ Review to come and stuff.
Actual rating: 1.5 stars. Because I'm generous like that.
Let’s try to get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible, shall we? So. Here is why it is highly advised that anyone wanting to read this book should pre-emptively DNF it post haste:
① This is decaf, diet, gluten and lactose-free Fantasy. Need I say more? Didn’t think so.
② The main characters are complete morons who act like immature teenagers. Yay.
③ Everything in this story is clichéd, predictable and tropey as fish. How refreshingly refreshing indeed.
④ Manufactured drama (secret keeping, anyone?) and eye roll-worthy moments aplenty. Oh, goodie.
⑤ At 641 pages, the book is approximately
⑥ The excessive use of delightful words and expressions that don’t fit the Fantasy/high-born fae setting of the book AT ALL: things like “shitty,” “run the fuck away,” “c’mon, guys” “bullshit,” and my personal favorite, “I was just talking out of my ass.” Had this been an Urban Fantasy story, the vocab used by the Moronic MCs wouldn’t have felt so bloody shrimping incongruous/out of place/unsuitable/just plain wrong/take your pick. But it’s not, so it does.
⑦ It is a truth universally acknowledged that the silly fey/fae/fay/faerie/whatever are silly. Just so you know.
⑧ Did I already mention how unoriginal, ludicrously laughable and mind-numbingly boring this book is? I did? Oh well.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): hey, it’s not ALL bad, at least the book was cheap.
[Pre-review nonsense]
Well that was painful as fish. But I still read it to the very last, craptastic as shrimp page.
Why thank thee kindly and stuff.
➽ Review to come and stuff.
October 14, 2021
5 stars again on the reread! I cannot wait until the third book comes out later this year, so I decided to do a reread and I honestly loved it even more the second time because I was picking up on SO many of nuances that I didn't catch or was confused about the first time around. HIGHLY recommend rereading after reading the second book since many of your questions will be answered then. So excited for the third book!
Original Post
5 STARS! Where do I even start...this was a fascinating book! A mix between fae lore and modern science fiction, with a friends to lovers trope and complex relationships. Highly recommend for those who love high-quality writing, fantasy world building, elemental magic, and tender, slow-burn romance. I think this book is great for fans of Elise Kova and Sarah J. Maas.
Fisher is really gifted at sprinkling in information as the book goes on instead of info-dumping at the onset. At the beginning of each chapter there were excerpts from fae laws, educational texts, and personal letters, all coalescing to shed more light on the world and introduce you to the chapter. As a debut novel, the author did a phenomenal job and you can tell she spent a lot of time and care weaving together such an intricate story. I've read quite a lot of fae books, and this one is completely, delightfully original!
There is a really great balance between the fantasy plot and the relationship building. The banter, protectiveness, humor, and general affection between Taly and Skye was so fun to read. Sometimes, reading banter on the page can come across as stilted, but the interactions and reactions were so organic. I truly felt like they were best friends who had known each other for 15 years. Taly and Skye have made it to my OTP list.
I feel like this book as all of the makings of a viral TV show (Witcher-esque, but with more romance!). I read this is supposed to be a 4-5 book series, so I'm only disappointed that I won't be able to binge it!
Original Post
5 STARS! Where do I even start...this was a fascinating book! A mix between fae lore and modern science fiction, with a friends to lovers trope and complex relationships. Highly recommend for those who love high-quality writing, fantasy world building, elemental magic, and tender, slow-burn romance. I think this book is great for fans of Elise Kova and Sarah J. Maas.
Fisher is really gifted at sprinkling in information as the book goes on instead of info-dumping at the onset. At the beginning of each chapter there were excerpts from fae laws, educational texts, and personal letters, all coalescing to shed more light on the world and introduce you to the chapter. As a debut novel, the author did a phenomenal job and you can tell she spent a lot of time and care weaving together such an intricate story. I've read quite a lot of fae books, and this one is completely, delightfully original!
There is a really great balance between the fantasy plot and the relationship building. The banter, protectiveness, humor, and general affection between Taly and Skye was so fun to read. Sometimes, reading banter on the page can come across as stilted, but the interactions and reactions were so organic. I truly felt like they were best friends who had known each other for 15 years. Taly and Skye have made it to my OTP list.
I feel like this book as all of the makings of a viral TV show (Witcher-esque, but with more romance!). I read this is supposed to be a 4-5 book series, so I'm only disappointed that I won't be able to binge it!
February 15, 2024
~~>5⭐️<~~GLOWING STARS
ⱧØⱠĐØ₦ ✋🏻I FINISHED
So let me pitch this as best friends to lovers fantasy rom-com with fae who fight with both swords and guns and with zombies as main enemies
LIKE WHAT
NO ONE does it like herヾ(´〇`)ﾉ♪♪♪
It's simple yet soo freaking captivating and complex!!! Where has this book been all my life(ಡ‸ಡ)
I'm letting y'all read the tense and angsty parts when u actually read the book 'cause I like to be evil( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If u're not reading this book right now then what are u even doing? What is even the point?
(Yes, I will continue to be unbearable while I read this and even after I'm done and yes, I gave it a 5 stars already bc this beautiful book and this amazing author deserve it.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is this one of the best books I've ever read? Maybe THE best? I think the hell so🥹
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"There you are."
TBEBJSJXBFNYJEKEKBWJXB🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
I'm suck a ᔕIᗰᑭ for this man
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We're just friends."
Look who it is! The liar, the bitch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Okay. I’ve got something for you,” Skye finally said. “You remember when you thought you saw fairy fire outside your window?”
“Yes,” Taly replied cautiously.
Skye set the bottle aside and braced himself. “That wasn’t fairy fire. That was me in the tree with a lantern.”
Skye bit back a grin. He had gotten exactly the reaction he wanted. She froze, staring at him with wide eyes as she tried to grapple with this startling revelation. “You…” she sputtered, shaking her head. “How could… why would… Shards, you jerk!” Skye was laughing so hard he barely managed to grab her fists when she started thrashing him. “Why would you do that?” she cried, struggling against him.
“Because it was too good of an opportunity to pass up!” Skye wheezed. Tears were starting to stream down his face as he continued to howl with laughter. “Obviously, you were dreaming the first night you saw it, but every night after? That was all me. I even started moving things around your room so you’d think that the fairies had done it.”
Their FRIENDSHIP😭😭😭 I just know this friends to lovers will hit diff🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I probably don’t tell you this enough,” he said after a moment, “but you’re my favorite person.”
𝑼𝒏𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐳
HEART EYES
melted into oblivion
I'm gone
I'm deceased
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’ve already accepted the inevitability of spinsterhood. I’m thinking about getting a cat. I hear that’s what lonely human women are supposed to do.”
Yes. Yes. I will get a cat too bestie. The difference is U HAVE THIS MAN AND I WISH I COULD RELATE
I want one too🥲
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Or you could just escort her back to the manor,” Taly replied pointedly.
“I could do that,” Aiden said with a shrug. A devilish air crept into his expression. “But I’m just so worried about what Skye would do without me there to protect him.”
“Say what now?” Skye asked, arching a brow.
Aiden grinned. Being the same age as Skye, the two men had become natural rivals, and it seemed like they were always vying for something, be it women, prestige, or anything in between. ”
👀 EYESSSSS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Third person, multiple povs but WE HAVE HIS POV TOO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Did you move? Where are you living now?”
“Nowhere,” she said immediately, still refusing to look at him.
“Really?” Skye exclaimed with feigned enthusiasm. He smiled when he saw her start in surprise. “What a coincidence! I love Nowhere. My family has business dealings with the Noones—lovely people, by the way—so I visit all the time. There’s this little bakery at the corner of None of Your Business and Uncomfortable, Stony Silence that sells the best pie. I really think you’d love it.” PLSSSS HIS SASS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey there, stranger," Skye said sofly."
STAAAP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have little snippets of the world's dictionary, inner thoughts, journal entry points and memories at the beginning of each chapter🫶🏻
I love that shit in books
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Guys, THE MAP IN THIS BOOK???OMG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Look at that coverrr!! It's giving Victorian London meets the Old West with magic and if it was written by Brandon Sanderson.🫢 But being blured as Miss Maas' and Holly Black's work? TEN TIMES BETTER.
Never heard of this book before but bet yo ass I'm gonna consume it like a vacuum🧎🏻♀️
ⱧØⱠĐØ₦ ✋🏻I FINISHED
So let me pitch this as best friends to lovers fantasy rom-com with fae who fight with both swords and guns and with zombies as main enemies
LIKE WHAT
NO ONE does it like herヾ(´〇`)ﾉ♪♪♪
It's simple yet soo freaking captivating and complex!!! Where has this book been all my life(ಡ‸ಡ)
I'm letting y'all read the tense and angsty parts when u actually read the book 'cause I like to be evil( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If u're not reading this book right now then what are u even doing? What is even the point?
(Yes, I will continue to be unbearable while I read this and even after I'm done and yes, I gave it a 5 stars already bc this beautiful book and this amazing author deserve it.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is this one of the best books I've ever read? Maybe THE best? I think the hell so🥹
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"There you are."
TBEBJSJXBFNYJEKEKBWJXB🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
I'm suck a ᔕIᗰᑭ for this man
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We're just friends."
Look who it is! The liar, the bitch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Okay. I’ve got something for you,” Skye finally said. “You remember when you thought you saw fairy fire outside your window?”
“Yes,” Taly replied cautiously.
Skye set the bottle aside and braced himself. “That wasn’t fairy fire. That was me in the tree with a lantern.”
Skye bit back a grin. He had gotten exactly the reaction he wanted. She froze, staring at him with wide eyes as she tried to grapple with this startling revelation. “You…” she sputtered, shaking her head. “How could… why would… Shards, you jerk!” Skye was laughing so hard he barely managed to grab her fists when she started thrashing him. “Why would you do that?” she cried, struggling against him.
“Because it was too good of an opportunity to pass up!” Skye wheezed. Tears were starting to stream down his face as he continued to howl with laughter. “Obviously, you were dreaming the first night you saw it, but every night after? That was all me. I even started moving things around your room so you’d think that the fairies had done it.”
Their FRIENDSHIP😭😭😭 I just know this friends to lovers will hit diff🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I probably don’t tell you this enough,” he said after a moment, “but you’re my favorite person.”
𝑼𝒏𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐳
HEART EYES
melted into oblivion
I'm gone
I'm deceased
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’ve already accepted the inevitability of spinsterhood. I’m thinking about getting a cat. I hear that’s what lonely human women are supposed to do.”
Yes. Yes. I will get a cat too bestie. The difference is U HAVE THIS MAN AND I WISH I COULD RELATE
I want one too🥲
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Or you could just escort her back to the manor,” Taly replied pointedly.
“I could do that,” Aiden said with a shrug. A devilish air crept into his expression. “But I’m just so worried about what Skye would do without me there to protect him.”
“Say what now?” Skye asked, arching a brow.
Aiden grinned. Being the same age as Skye, the two men had become natural rivals, and it seemed like they were always vying for something, be it women, prestige, or anything in between. ”
👀 EYESSSSS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Third person, multiple povs but WE HAVE HIS POV TOO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Did you move? Where are you living now?”
“Nowhere,” she said immediately, still refusing to look at him.
“Really?” Skye exclaimed with feigned enthusiasm. He smiled when he saw her start in surprise. “What a coincidence! I love Nowhere. My family has business dealings with the Noones—lovely people, by the way—so I visit all the time. There’s this little bakery at the corner of None of Your Business and Uncomfortable, Stony Silence that sells the best pie. I really think you’d love it.” PLSSSS HIS SASS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey there, stranger," Skye said sofly."
STAAAP
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We have little snippets of the world's dictionary, inner thoughts, journal entry points and memories at the beginning of each chapter🫶🏻
I love that shit in books
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Guys, THE MAP IN THIS BOOK???OMG
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Look at that coverrr!! It's giving Victorian London meets the Old West with magic and if it was written by Brandon Sanderson.🫢 But being blured as Miss Maas' and Holly Black's work? TEN TIMES BETTER.
Never heard of this book before but bet yo ass I'm gonna consume it like a vacuum🧎🏻♀️
August 9, 2025
i don’t know who and why decided to make this book free on audible, but they have my eternal gratefulness. I haven’t had this much fun with a book in a long time. The writing, the world, the characters were all so captivating, and I’ve enjoyed every second of this book.
✅ friends to lovers and slow burn
✅ sarcastic and strong FMC
✅ really good humour and banter
✅ fae and mystical beasts
✅ unique magic system and great worldbuilding
✅ hidden magic
for a debut novel this was IMPECCABLE! Jumping to the second book right away 💛📖
✅ friends to lovers and slow burn
✅ sarcastic and strong FMC
✅ really good humour and banter
✅ fae and mystical beasts
✅ unique magic system and great worldbuilding
✅ hidden magic
for a debut novel this was IMPECCABLE! Jumping to the second book right away 💛📖
November 23, 2020
I have to say this was a fun unexpected surprise!
In this story we have our h, Taly, who is a mortal 21 year old trying to survive in the fae realm. She is seen as less by some of the fae in this world due to the fact that she has no magic, or is shardless.
After being orphaned as a young child she was taken in by two highborn fae siblings, and grew up alongside another highborn named Skye.
After an incident a year prior to the story Taly has made it her mission to avoid the attachments she once had, and is determined to make it on her own.
However, with the portals finally opening between the human world and the fae realm she is brought back into the fold of her fae family. When destructive magic, and dangerous encounters threaten the safety of Taly and her friends- she has to make hard choices and to decide if she's ready to face her past and future.
I'm kind of on a fae kick right now, and wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up on kindle unlimited, but I really enjoyed the world building and characters. The magic system was really interesting, and I liked the different mage classifications- but I'm still a little confused about the time mages, the past war, and how that fit into the hunt to eradication them. I need answers!
Spoiler review:
I am interested to see where Taly's story goes, and to learn more about the big bad. I also want to know more about the time mages, and maybe even more about the human realm and how the two worlds are like in comparison.
In this story we have our h, Taly, who is a mortal 21 year old trying to survive in the fae realm. She is seen as less by some of the fae in this world due to the fact that she has no magic, or is shardless.
After being orphaned as a young child she was taken in by two highborn fae siblings, and grew up alongside another highborn named Skye.
After an incident a year prior to the story Taly has made it her mission to avoid the attachments she once had, and is determined to make it on her own.
However, with the portals finally opening between the human world and the fae realm she is brought back into the fold of her fae family. When destructive magic, and dangerous encounters threaten the safety of Taly and her friends- she has to make hard choices and to decide if she's ready to face her past and future.
I'm kind of on a fae kick right now, and wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up on kindle unlimited, but I really enjoyed the world building and characters. The magic system was really interesting, and I liked the different mage classifications- but I'm still a little confused about the time mages, the past war, and how that fit into the hunt to eradication them. I need answers!
Spoiler review:
I am interested to see where Taly's story goes, and to learn more about the big bad. I also want to know more about the time mages, and maybe even more about the human realm and how the two worlds are like in comparison.
May 9, 2019
I genuinely enjoyed this book. It's not to the level of writing as Sarah J. Maas or J. K Rowling, but as the writer's first book I think it is excellent. There is plenty of physics and yet magic, humor and romance. Taly is an awesome heroine with a hidden past which you can join her in her path to find herself. The fae, as usual are pompous and powerful, yet flawed and fickle. I read this book much faster than I care to admit, and I plan on rereading it so I can understand some of the more complex elements a little more thoroughly.
I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out. It has just about every trope that I love to enjoy: slow-burning romance, magic, time-travel, the fae, a strong heroine. I really think Stephanie Fisher did the fae in an original way, the way she writes magic is very enjoyable. The world building was very original and not at all predictable.
Oh, and that library scene... *blushes*
Seriously, give it a shot. I'll be waiting for the next book eagerly.
I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out. It has just about every trope that I love to enjoy: slow-burning romance, magic, time-travel, the fae, a strong heroine. I really think Stephanie Fisher did the fae in an original way, the way she writes magic is very enjoyable. The world building was very original and not at all predictable.
Oh, and that library scene... *blushes*
Seriously, give it a shot. I'll be waiting for the next book eagerly.
March 21, 2024
FLAWLESS. Hard stop.
I have no idea how booktok is not eating this up!
The MMC Skye is a quick witted banter master and love of my life (he just doesn’t know it yet) A shadow mage AKA shadow daddy, and a heartthrob of a male. He’s a cinnamon roll that could kill you. He must be protected at all costs!
The FMC Taly, is rebel without a cause. A strong willed, stubborn, handful of a girl. She is a human taken in by a fae family as their ward when they found her in the smoldering ruins of what must have been her home. She grew up in the fae world, with Skye as her best friend and partner in crime.
THIS WORLD IS EPIC.
THE STORY IS EPIC.
The love story?!?!?! *faints*
HUGE thank you to @listenwithbritt for recommending this masterpiece to me, I already ordered book two!
I have no idea how booktok is not eating this up!
The MMC Skye is a quick witted banter master and love of my life (he just doesn’t know it yet) A shadow mage AKA shadow daddy, and a heartthrob of a male. He’s a cinnamon roll that could kill you. He must be protected at all costs!
The FMC Taly, is rebel without a cause. A strong willed, stubborn, handful of a girl. She is a human taken in by a fae family as their ward when they found her in the smoldering ruins of what must have been her home. She grew up in the fae world, with Skye as her best friend and partner in crime.
THIS WORLD IS EPIC.
THE STORY IS EPIC.
The love story?!?!?! *faints*
HUGE thank you to @listenwithbritt for recommending this masterpiece to me, I already ordered book two!
November 17, 2025
patreon gets the review first, then I'll update here
July 3, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ I downloaded this on my kindle from a booktok rec forever ago and finally decided to give it a go, and I’m so glad I did! I don’t usually go for friends to lovers but I was really wanting something different, and I think it was done really well in this. Taly’s year away and the internal conflict made for some amazing yearning and angst between them, which I feel is the thing a lot of friends to lovers situations are missing.
Taly was honestly such a breath of fresh air in the romantasy genre! While I love the typical morally grey badass hothead FMC, I was once again craving something different. Taly is kind and doesn’t enjoy hurting others. She’s educated and really thinks through her choices. She left everyone she loves in order to protect them to her own detriment. The secret keeping and miscommunication was a little frustrating, but I also know it makes complete sense for the story and world. I also really liked Skye. He’s definitely a cinnamon roll MMC, but is also a powerful shadow daddy and could definitely kill you. We love the duality!!
The world building in this is also really strong. I did find some of the excerpts at the beginning of each chapter to be a little confusing (like the dates and who they’re to/from) but I’m not totally sure exactly how important those are. We have the fey realm (where the island of Tempris is) that can access other realms via gates that only work sometimes. Because of this, the fey have access to human technology and have made magical counterparts to some things (like guns, cameras, communication devices, etc.). The magic system is unique and relies heavily on crystals and a runic language. Time magic specifically is persecuted so there’s not supposed to be any time mages left. The ending and the time magic involved also confused me a bit, so I’m hoping that’s clarified more in the next book!
This was a really solid start to a romantasy series, and it has a good mix of plot and romance. It’s unique and catching my interest when I feel like almost nothing is grabbing it right now! I’m looking forward to reading the next book and seeing where the story goes since I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface
Taly was honestly such a breath of fresh air in the romantasy genre! While I love the typical morally grey badass hothead FMC, I was once again craving something different. Taly is kind and doesn’t enjoy hurting others. She’s educated and really thinks through her choices. She left everyone she loves in order to protect them to her own detriment. The secret keeping and miscommunication was a little frustrating, but I also know it makes complete sense for the story and world. I also really liked Skye. He’s definitely a cinnamon roll MMC, but is also a powerful shadow daddy and could definitely kill you. We love the duality!!
The world building in this is also really strong. I did find some of the excerpts at the beginning of each chapter to be a little confusing (like the dates and who they’re to/from) but I’m not totally sure exactly how important those are. We have the fey realm (where the island of Tempris is) that can access other realms via gates that only work sometimes. Because of this, the fey have access to human technology and have made magical counterparts to some things (like guns, cameras, communication devices, etc.). The magic system is unique and relies heavily on crystals and a runic language. Time magic specifically is persecuted so there’s not supposed to be any time mages left. The ending and the time magic involved also confused me a bit, so I’m hoping that’s clarified more in the next book!
This was a really solid start to a romantasy series, and it has a good mix of plot and romance. It’s unique and catching my interest when I feel like almost nothing is grabbing it right now! I’m looking forward to reading the next book and seeing where the story goes since I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface
manwhore-mmc
August 9, 202550% in : a scene with his ex fuck buddy Adalet where he hurt and ditched the fmc Talya and made her cry, so he can stay and sleep with ow, and only backed out when ow was shit talking the fmc.. he was fully 100% enjoying ow touching him to the point that he didn't care that the fmc left crying
and he would have 100% slept with her , quotes bellow :
"his body was already responding to the feather-light touch of her fingers against the skin of his neck. If he could just push all thoughts of Taly to the back of his mind, he might actually be able to enjoy the rest of his evening. After all, Adalet was a very beautiful woman, and even though he knew every curve of her body, she was always finding ways to surprise him."
"Taly had just come back into his life not three weeks ago, and now he had gone and pissed her off for… for what? An easy lay with a woman who was quickly revealing herself to be a hateful bitch? "
"Skye laughed lightly. Adalet was perhaps the only thing he had ever truly enjoyed about his visits to the Dawn Court. He had met her when he was 19, during his second season at court, and after their first night spent together, he had continued to seek her out every season since."
"With our lifespans, however, it makes no sense to permanently tie ourselves to just one partner. There’s far too much to do. Too much to taste.” Here, Adalet turned to Skye, pressing her leg against his underneath the table. Skye covered his smile with his hand, feeling the back of his neck flush slightly at the memories her words evoked"
"Shards, I always knew that mortals could be passionate, but Skylen—” She paused to run a bold hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face. Taly’s eyes narrowed at the gesture, and she quickly looked away. “—you weren’t joking when you said she was feisty,” Adalet said with a giggle.
Skye chuckled, distracted by the way Adalet’s fingers trailed across the skin of his neck."
"she paused, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as her eyes raked his form— “hammer something out?”
Skye inhaled sharply when he felt a hand on his thigh. “Perhaps,” he replied with a practiced smile."
“Now, Adie,” Skye drawled, running a finger along Adalet’s jaw.
While that does sound like a very tempting proposition, with that silver tongue of yours, I may be in danger of getting taken for everything I have.”
“I was counting on that.” Adalet gave him a subtle wink."
"It doesn’t have to end here, a small voice in the back of Skye’s mind whispered when Adalet’s hand became a little more daring.
And… now that he thought about it, he found that he rather liked that idea. Yes—maybe a night with Adalet was exactly what he needed."
in the last scene he saw the fmc crying while she left and all it took for him to forget her was the ow touching him, what a great love interest letting the fmc go upset and crying because he had an easy woman on his lap
and he would have 100% slept with her , quotes bellow :
"his body was already responding to the feather-light touch of her fingers against the skin of his neck. If he could just push all thoughts of Taly to the back of his mind, he might actually be able to enjoy the rest of his evening. After all, Adalet was a very beautiful woman, and even though he knew every curve of her body, she was always finding ways to surprise him."
"Taly had just come back into his life not three weeks ago, and now he had gone and pissed her off for… for what? An easy lay with a woman who was quickly revealing herself to be a hateful bitch? "
"Skye laughed lightly. Adalet was perhaps the only thing he had ever truly enjoyed about his visits to the Dawn Court. He had met her when he was 19, during his second season at court, and after their first night spent together, he had continued to seek her out every season since."
"With our lifespans, however, it makes no sense to permanently tie ourselves to just one partner. There’s far too much to do. Too much to taste.” Here, Adalet turned to Skye, pressing her leg against his underneath the table. Skye covered his smile with his hand, feeling the back of his neck flush slightly at the memories her words evoked"
"Shards, I always knew that mortals could be passionate, but Skylen—” She paused to run a bold hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face. Taly’s eyes narrowed at the gesture, and she quickly looked away. “—you weren’t joking when you said she was feisty,” Adalet said with a giggle.
Skye chuckled, distracted by the way Adalet’s fingers trailed across the skin of his neck."
"she paused, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as her eyes raked his form— “hammer something out?”
Skye inhaled sharply when he felt a hand on his thigh. “Perhaps,” he replied with a practiced smile."
“Now, Adie,” Skye drawled, running a finger along Adalet’s jaw.
While that does sound like a very tempting proposition, with that silver tongue of yours, I may be in danger of getting taken for everything I have.”
“I was counting on that.” Adalet gave him a subtle wink."
"It doesn’t have to end here, a small voice in the back of Skye’s mind whispered when Adalet’s hand became a little more daring.
And… now that he thought about it, he found that he rather liked that idea. Yes—maybe a night with Adalet was exactly what he needed."
in the last scene he saw the fmc crying while she left and all it took for him to forget her was the ow touching him, what a great love interest letting the fmc go upset and crying because he had an easy woman on his lap
July 7, 2024
Taly is one of the lucky humans. Taken in by a fey noble and his family, she's lived a good life, surrounded by people she loves. But an accidental brush with magic has deadly consequences.
This is a slowburn romantasy adventure story with a unique, steampunk-esque setting with and an interesting magical system.
The two main characters are lovable, teasing, and definitely had chemistry, but extremely bad with communication, creating a sometimes frustrating book.
It was a friends to lovers which I actually normally enjoy, but I think they were raised as siblings which ???? Also, they regularly acted like teenagers but were supposed to be in their twenties.
”Did you move? Where are you living now?”
“Nowhere,” she said immediately, still refusing to look at him.
“Really?” Skye exclaimed with feigned enthusiasm. He smiled when he saw her start in surprise. “What a coincidence! I love Nowhere. My family has business dealings with the Noones—lovely people, by the way—so I visit all the time. There’s this little bakery at the corner of None of Your Business and Uncomfortable, Stony Silence that sells the best pie. I really think you’d love it.”
Also, I just have to mention it - people being sleepy and falling asleep does not mean they will forget everything that is said and done….
This was free on audible and I enjoyed Taly’s voice, confidence, and banter, yet it doesn’t stand out. Not to mention, my constant frustration at their non-communication. Urgh!
This book was fun, but had a lot of plot holes and sadly I become quickly annoyed with characters making dumb choices continuously.
Low three stars, almost two.
Bookstagram
This is a slowburn romantasy adventure story with a unique, steampunk-esque setting with and an interesting magical system.
The two main characters are lovable, teasing, and definitely had chemistry, but extremely bad with communication, creating a sometimes frustrating book.
It was a friends to lovers which I actually normally enjoy, but I think they were raised as siblings which ???? Also, they regularly acted like teenagers but were supposed to be in their twenties.
”Did you move? Where are you living now?”
“Nowhere,” she said immediately, still refusing to look at him.
“Really?” Skye exclaimed with feigned enthusiasm. He smiled when he saw her start in surprise. “What a coincidence! I love Nowhere. My family has business dealings with the Noones—lovely people, by the way—so I visit all the time. There’s this little bakery at the corner of None of Your Business and Uncomfortable, Stony Silence that sells the best pie. I really think you’d love it.”
Also, I just have to mention it - people being sleepy and falling asleep does not mean they will forget everything that is said and done….
This was free on audible and I enjoyed Taly’s voice, confidence, and banter, yet it doesn’t stand out. Not to mention, my constant frustration at their non-communication. Urgh!
This book was fun, but had a lot of plot holes and sadly I become quickly annoyed with characters making dumb choices continuously.
Low three stars, almost two.
Bookstagram
August 7, 2019
I liked this one, but didn't love it like I wanted to....
First off: this really played up one of my pet peeve tropes...secret keeping. Gah! I mean, really. Just have a conversation. I know there are always "reasons" and it's always for someone else's "own good" but honestly, secrets only serve to create unnecessary drama because, let's face it, they ALWAYS come out.
My other slight gripe is that sometimes the banter between our main characters felt forced and contrived. Skye was borderline obnoxious at times, with his constant need to smirk and have the last laugh. I don't know. I just didn't always feel the connection and chemistry I think I was supposed to feel. Don't get me wrong, I do like Skye. I think he's one of the good ones. He's open minded for a fae and loyal to those he cares about. I just don't know if I like him as the romantic interest for Taly, and I don't always feel like his humor is well placed.
Taly, aside from her need to keep secrets and her tendency to jump to conclusions and act rashly, was a pretty decent character. She has no problem sacrificing whatever it takes if it means saving her family. She's bold and brave but not invulnerable. She has her own fears that she's beset with, making her all the more relatable.
The book felt a little overlong and it took me a minute to work out the magic system. I'm still not 100% sure how the gates in this book operate or why time magic is now an executable offense. However, I did like that in this book magic users don't just have unlimited powers and that each magic user has an "element" of sorts they are attuned to. They draw their power from a substance called aether, which can be stored in crystals and used in a variety of ways as a power source. This means when the power source is out, a magic user cannot use their power again until the reserves are replenished. The "aether battery" bit had me laughing out loud. It was perfect. In fact, Kit was probably my favorite addition to this story. We know he has a history with Skye but it feels like there is more there, more to him, than just being Skye's irritation. I felt more chemistry between him and Taly than I did between Taly and Skye. There's just something about him that I'm drawn to.
I don't know. I read this book in just a couple of sittings. It was long, but it kept me invested despite the issues I had with it. I feel like, on one hand, I liked the writing and the premise of the story. Forbidden magic, friends to lovers, an unknown evil, a missing queen. It makes for a compelling storyline. But the dialogue felt awkward at times, the big secret kinda drove me nuts, and I didn't quite feel the chemistry I think I was supposed to feel between Taly and Skye. I really wanted to love this one, I really thought I would love this one, it just didn't quite deliver where I needed it to. Still, if you're like me and like your fantasy with a touch of romance, then this is probably worth a shot. I honestly have no regrets reading it and will most assuredly be on the look out for the next one.
First off: this really played up one of my pet peeve tropes...secret keeping. Gah! I mean, really. Just have a conversation. I know there are always "reasons" and it's always for someone else's "own good" but honestly, secrets only serve to create unnecessary drama because, let's face it, they ALWAYS come out.
My other slight gripe is that sometimes the banter between our main characters felt forced and contrived. Skye was borderline obnoxious at times, with his constant need to smirk and have the last laugh. I don't know. I just didn't always feel the connection and chemistry I think I was supposed to feel. Don't get me wrong, I do like Skye. I think he's one of the good ones. He's open minded for a fae and loyal to those he cares about. I just don't know if I like him as the romantic interest for Taly, and I don't always feel like his humor is well placed.
Taly, aside from her need to keep secrets and her tendency to jump to conclusions and act rashly, was a pretty decent character. She has no problem sacrificing whatever it takes if it means saving her family. She's bold and brave but not invulnerable. She has her own fears that she's beset with, making her all the more relatable.
The book felt a little overlong and it took me a minute to work out the magic system. I'm still not 100% sure how the gates in this book operate or why time magic is now an executable offense. However, I did like that in this book magic users don't just have unlimited powers and that each magic user has an "element" of sorts they are attuned to. They draw their power from a substance called aether, which can be stored in crystals and used in a variety of ways as a power source. This means when the power source is out, a magic user cannot use their power again until the reserves are replenished. The "aether battery" bit had me laughing out loud. It was perfect. In fact, Kit was probably my favorite addition to this story. We know he has a history with Skye but it feels like there is more there, more to him, than just being Skye's irritation. I felt more chemistry between him and Taly than I did between Taly and Skye. There's just something about him that I'm drawn to.
I don't know. I read this book in just a couple of sittings. It was long, but it kept me invested despite the issues I had with it. I feel like, on one hand, I liked the writing and the premise of the story. Forbidden magic, friends to lovers, an unknown evil, a missing queen. It makes for a compelling storyline. But the dialogue felt awkward at times, the big secret kinda drove me nuts, and I didn't quite feel the chemistry I think I was supposed to feel between Taly and Skye. I really wanted to love this one, I really thought I would love this one, it just didn't quite deliver where I needed it to. Still, if you're like me and like your fantasy with a touch of romance, then this is probably worth a shot. I honestly have no regrets reading it and will most assuredly be on the look out for the next one.
April 20, 2020
*Reread*
This book was just as good, if not better, than the first time I read it. When I first read it I rated it as one of my best reads of the year. I'm going to update that statement to one of my best reads ever. You'd think that after reading this only four months ago I'd struggle to get into it again so soon afterwards, but no... I devoured every word as if I'd never seen them before. So much so that I'm sitting at my desk at work with around three hours of sleep (no regrets here).
I said it then and I'll say it again now, if you haven't given this debut novel a shot, stop what you're doing and read this book!
This book just ticks all the boxes:
- Fae. High/epic fantasy. Magic. Romance (which is to die for). And it's a decent length at around 600 pages long, which for me is such a bonus (I love long books, but only when the pages are filled with decent material, which is certainly the case here).
- The imagination behind the book is unreal, I can honestly say I've never read something quite like it. The ideas are unique and fresh, the whole book screams originality.
- The world-building. Ugh, I don't think I can give this enough justice in a review. I just loved the world Stephanie Fisher created for us, I think I may be dreaming of Tempris for a long time to come.
- The characters. Taly and Skye are now two of my all-time favourite characters, I just wish I could meet them in person. They are both funny, flawed, interesting and unique, and their friendship is spectacular. I also love the supporting characters, each individual Fisher portrayed had me interested in their storyline. I also love how she handled Aimee's character, you initially want to hate her but when given a peek into her motives you start wondering a bit more. The love between Taly and her foster family is also wonderful.
- Skye. Skye gets his own point because, well, damn. I adore him. One of the best book-boyfriends ever. Skye's sense of humour had me laughing out loud and rolling on the floor at times. He is possessive, protective and a little bit of an alpha, without all the ego and ridiculous amounts of angst the often comes with alpha-males in other books. I love how he cherishes his and Taly's friendship above pretty much all else, it's a refreshing trope from the enemy-to-lovers theme I normally enjoy, except I actually think I enjoy this even more.
- Taly. Taly is resourceful, funny, strong and downright one of the most admirable heroines I've come across. She's strong in the way that she recognizes her own weaknesses, but also knows how to play on her own strengths. Her journey throughout this series is going to be magical, and I'm so excited to see how things play out in Acolyte.
- The romance. I won't go into too much detail here, I don't want to spoil things for anyone, but what I can tell you is that it is one of the most refreshing and beautiful relationships I've read. I love how much they cherish each other.
I can't stress the quality of the writing of this book. This debut novel by Stephanie Fisher has my mind blown. She's one of those author's where you hope they'll never, ever stop writing. All I can say is that I'm a fan for life, and I am so excited for more of her work (cue second night of sleeplessness as a dive into book two, again, no regrets).
*******************************
Stop what you’re doing and read this book!
I was absolutely blown away by this book, and I’m even more blown away by the fact that this is the author’s first ever book!
Dying to get my hands on the second book, what a great start to my 2020 reading challenge.
This book was just as good, if not better, than the first time I read it. When I first read it I rated it as one of my best reads of the year. I'm going to update that statement to one of my best reads ever. You'd think that after reading this only four months ago I'd struggle to get into it again so soon afterwards, but no... I devoured every word as if I'd never seen them before. So much so that I'm sitting at my desk at work with around three hours of sleep (no regrets here).
I said it then and I'll say it again now, if you haven't given this debut novel a shot, stop what you're doing and read this book!
This book just ticks all the boxes:
- Fae. High/epic fantasy. Magic. Romance (which is to die for). And it's a decent length at around 600 pages long, which for me is such a bonus (I love long books, but only when the pages are filled with decent material, which is certainly the case here).
- The imagination behind the book is unreal, I can honestly say I've never read something quite like it. The ideas are unique and fresh, the whole book screams originality.
- The world-building. Ugh, I don't think I can give this enough justice in a review. I just loved the world Stephanie Fisher created for us, I think I may be dreaming of Tempris for a long time to come.
- The characters. Taly and Skye are now two of my all-time favourite characters, I just wish I could meet them in person. They are both funny, flawed, interesting and unique, and their friendship is spectacular. I also love the supporting characters, each individual Fisher portrayed had me interested in their storyline. I also love how she handled Aimee's character, you initially want to hate her but when given a peek into her motives you start wondering a bit more. The love between Taly and her foster family is also wonderful.
- Skye. Skye gets his own point because, well, damn. I adore him. One of the best book-boyfriends ever. Skye's sense of humour had me laughing out loud and rolling on the floor at times. He is possessive, protective and a little bit of an alpha, without all the ego and ridiculous amounts of angst the often comes with alpha-males in other books. I love how he cherishes his and Taly's friendship above pretty much all else, it's a refreshing trope from the enemy-to-lovers theme I normally enjoy, except I actually think I enjoy this even more.
- Taly. Taly is resourceful, funny, strong and downright one of the most admirable heroines I've come across. She's strong in the way that she recognizes her own weaknesses, but also knows how to play on her own strengths. Her journey throughout this series is going to be magical, and I'm so excited to see how things play out in Acolyte.
- The romance. I won't go into too much detail here, I don't want to spoil things for anyone, but what I can tell you is that it is one of the most refreshing and beautiful relationships I've read. I love how much they cherish each other.
I can't stress the quality of the writing of this book. This debut novel by Stephanie Fisher has my mind blown. She's one of those author's where you hope they'll never, ever stop writing. All I can say is that I'm a fan for life, and I am so excited for more of her work (cue second night of sleeplessness as a dive into book two, again, no regrets).
*******************************
Stop what you’re doing and read this book!
I was absolutely blown away by this book, and I’m even more blown away by the fact that this is the author’s first ever book!
Dying to get my hands on the second book, what a great start to my 2020 reading challenge.
December 17, 2020
This book absolutely SERVED. Childhood friends to lovers? Jealousy? Political intrigue? Slow burn romance? Heartbreak? One bed trope? It simply didn’t miss.
Once the backstory was laid out, I couldn’t tear myself away from this book! While none of the plot was anything super surprising, there was something so alluring in the way the story was told. The characters were full of life and hold a special place in my heart. The banter and romance was top tier. The action was exciting and easy to follow. Taly is MY GIRL and she deserves more recognition— she’s the smartest one in this book and save everyone’s asses time and time again.
The ending makes me want to read on immediately, and if it weren’t 1 am right now, I would be. I know book 2 will be just as captivating as this one. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Once the backstory was laid out, I couldn’t tear myself away from this book! While none of the plot was anything super surprising, there was something so alluring in the way the story was told. The characters were full of life and hold a special place in my heart. The banter and romance was top tier. The action was exciting and easy to follow. Taly is MY GIRL and she deserves more recognition— she’s the smartest one in this book and save everyone’s asses time and time again.
The ending makes me want to read on immediately, and if it weren’t 1 am right now, I would be. I know book 2 will be just as captivating as this one. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
August 10, 2024
I don’t understand why authors like to write a scene where the love interest MC gets angry when the FC admits she’s not a virgin. Gets all growly and wants to kill every singly one. Especially when in the same breath he admits he’s slept with hundreds of women but only because it was expected of him. She’s DIFFERENT. 😒 all because she’s slept with…. 2 people. Do authors think this is a pivotal moment of realization where all the gaslighting and miscommunication between the two align and like a cartoon lightbulb goes off, they realize how much they love each other? It’s just so cringe. And an indicator that this is a very young adult story. Only teenage boys care about that. Or very very insecure men who are probably not packing in the dick department so they don’t want their girl to have comparisons. 😬
Anyways, it’s too YA for me and the constant - and I mean constant - gaslighting of their own feelings is so annoying and juvenile. DNF at chapter 13.
Anyways, it’s too YA for me and the constant - and I mean constant - gaslighting of their own feelings is so annoying and juvenile. DNF at chapter 13.
December 5, 2022
This book was sooo freaking good! I can’t believe more people aren’t talking about this. My only complaint is the secret keeping! But I get it. So it’s still 5 stars.
August 19, 2025
Shardless by Stephanie Fisher is an interesting twist on the human girl raised by fey trope. Taly lives on Tempris, an island populated by immortal fey, with the fairies who took her in after the death of her family and destruction of her town almost two decades earlier. Taly has no memory of her life before the fire that killed her family and has been raised as the ward of a powerful Shadow Mage and highborn fey, alongside his student, Skye. When Taly begins to see premonitions of the future cast in gold dust, she begins to realize that she may have some level of Time Magic - a type of magic for which only the suspicion is punishable by death. The Sanctorum, a group of hunters whose sole job is to eliminate Time Magic, have returned to Tempris, and Taly will do whatever it takes to protect her family from the danger that comes with associating with a Time Mage - even if that means cutting them out of her life completely.
As the story unfolds, Taly's relationship with Skye begins to shift into a romantic one, all while she tries to hide the truth from him and everyone she loves - and she may not be human after all.
This was a fun read! The first of 5 books, only this and the second have been released. I expect it to be several years until I get to see this story to its conclusion. All-in-all a very interesting contribution to the fantasy landscape.
As the story unfolds, Taly's relationship with Skye begins to shift into a romantic one, all while she tries to hide the truth from him and everyone she loves - and she may not be human after all.
This was a fun read! The first of 5 books, only this and the second have been released. I expect it to be several years until I get to see this story to its conclusion. All-in-all a very interesting contribution to the fantasy landscape.
July 16, 2021
Liked the story. Liked everything about it really. It would have gotten 5 stars except... This was just way too long. It's over 600 pages and could have easily been edited to 450 maximum. This is unnecessarily slow-paced. I read really fast, it took me, I think about 4 or 5 hours to read. But for the average reader - Amazon has this listed as taking 11 hours to read. ELEVEN hours.
Granted, according to Storygraph I like mostly fast to medium paced books, but this was just.. So freaking slow. Not slow paced like those books that are really descriptive about the landscape or architecture, but slow as in - takes a paragraph to muse about the crinkle of his eye and what she thinks it means.
If you like those old school 'quest' fantasy series where they describe everything in detail this will work for you, but for me, I just wanted to pull out a red pen and start editing it with giant red slashes of where to cut.
That said, I liked the story. A lot. I'm going to want to scream after I do it, but I will probably read the second book. But not until I buy more eye drops.
End of review unless...
you've read other reviews complaining about "the secret"
The secret keeping: this annoyed me as well, it was teased way too much, would she tell or won't she. That she kept a secret at all, I didn't like it, but her reasoning was not unrealistic....(I wouldn't do it, but people do the wrong thing for what they think are good reasons all the time - We all hear stories about those people who take DNA tests and find out they have a sibling they never knew about, they were adopted, their mom is really their grandma, etc etc... Without giving away spoilers, I saw her keeping secrets the same way. Sometimes huge lies are told because someone thought it was better/safer/easier...) So I didn't see this as much of an issue as the tease of whether the secret would be kept.
You are wondering about AGE LEVEL:
It's listed in epic fantasy, young adult and children's. That is INSANE.
Amazon's own FIRE tablet for kids is rated 6-12. So you'd assume that's what they mean by children's.. In this book (slight spoiler alert): There are discussions about levels of sexual experience and how many partners they've had, there are jokes about what's in his pants (more than one character). Two of the characters get to 2nd base, he's pushing her 'bustier' aside... A few pages later she's wrapped around him on a table.
Regarding language, this would be rated - AT THE LEAST - pg-13.
Granted, according to Storygraph I like mostly fast to medium paced books, but this was just.. So freaking slow. Not slow paced like those books that are really descriptive about the landscape or architecture, but slow as in - takes a paragraph to muse about the crinkle of his eye and what she thinks it means.
If you like those old school 'quest' fantasy series where they describe everything in detail this will work for you, but for me, I just wanted to pull out a red pen and start editing it with giant red slashes of where to cut.
That said, I liked the story. A lot. I'm going to want to scream after I do it, but I will probably read the second book. But not until I buy more eye drops.
End of review unless...
you've read other reviews complaining about "the secret"
The secret keeping: this annoyed me as well, it was teased way too much, would she tell or won't she. That she kept a secret at all, I didn't like it, but her reasoning was not unrealistic....(I wouldn't do it, but people do the wrong thing for what they think are good reasons all the time - We all hear stories about those people who take DNA tests and find out they have a sibling they never knew about, they were adopted, their mom is really their grandma, etc etc... Without giving away spoilers, I saw her keeping secrets the same way. Sometimes huge lies are told because someone thought it was better/safer/easier...) So I didn't see this as much of an issue as the tease of whether the secret would be kept.
You are wondering about AGE LEVEL:
It's listed in epic fantasy, young adult and children's. That is INSANE.
Amazon's own FIRE tablet for kids is rated 6-12. So you'd assume that's what they mean by children's.. In this book (slight spoiler alert): There are discussions about levels of sexual experience and how many partners they've had, there are jokes about what's in his pants (more than one character). Two of the characters get to 2nd base, he's pushing her 'bustier' aside... A few pages later she's wrapped around him on a table.
Regarding language, this would be rated - AT THE LEAST - pg-13.
May 4, 2021
4.5 stars?
I CANNOT EXPLAIN HOW OBSESSED I AM WITH THIS BOOK
The world building and magic system is NEXT LEVEL, it’s so intricate and entertaining and I legitimately feel like I’m an actual part of the world, with such a rich history. I will say that the book started quite slow, both in terms of pacing and in how the world building was set up - it took quite a while (maybe 30-40%?) before I really got hang of the world/magic/politics enough to properly wrap my head around what was happening. That’s the only reason this book didn’t get a full 5 stars, because I was a little confused early on. So the beginning could’ve been tidied up a little, but it did set up well for the rest of the book. And the more it went on the more and more fae and otherworldly it became, and wow I’m obsessed with this world.
The romance in this is a side plot (it’s a fantasy, not a fantasy romance, even though the romance is important to the storyline), but it has single handedly convinced me to love friends to lovers. It’s such a slow burn with so much yearning, and good lord I loved every second of it. I am quite literally so in love with Skye, it’s not even funny.
And the ENDING?! I’m literally screaming and even though it’s almost 1am I am running to read the next book. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS, IM SO CONFUSED HOW DID WE GET HERE I DONT KNOW BUT I LOVE IT?!?!?!
UGH I’m so so obsessed and need everyone to read this like yesterday, because I don’t know how this doesn’t have ALL the hype.
I CANNOT EXPLAIN HOW OBSESSED I AM WITH THIS BOOK
The world building and magic system is NEXT LEVEL, it’s so intricate and entertaining and I legitimately feel like I’m an actual part of the world, with such a rich history. I will say that the book started quite slow, both in terms of pacing and in how the world building was set up - it took quite a while (maybe 30-40%?) before I really got hang of the world/magic/politics enough to properly wrap my head around what was happening. That’s the only reason this book didn’t get a full 5 stars, because I was a little confused early on. So the beginning could’ve been tidied up a little, but it did set up well for the rest of the book. And the more it went on the more and more fae and otherworldly it became, and wow I’m obsessed with this world.
The romance in this is a side plot (it’s a fantasy, not a fantasy romance, even though the romance is important to the storyline), but it has single handedly convinced me to love friends to lovers. It’s such a slow burn with so much yearning, and good lord I loved every second of it. I am quite literally so in love with Skye, it’s not even funny.
And the ENDING?! I’m literally screaming and even though it’s almost 1am I am running to read the next book. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS, IM SO CONFUSED HOW DID WE GET HERE I DONT KNOW BUT I LOVE IT?!?!?!
UGH I’m so so obsessed and need everyone to read this like yesterday, because I don’t know how this doesn’t have ALL the hype.
March 15, 2021
[7.53/10]
Whilst the plot set-up for the main character in this book is one of those things that is a little overdone and extremely predictable in contemporary fantasy romance, I still really enjoyed almost everything else about this book! Everyone writing in this sub-genre at the moment is doing enemies-to-lovers because it's fun, it sells and I guess the conflicts are a lot easier to write. I do enjoy that trope a lot, there was a point where I would have said it was my favourite romantic trope. But, I get so much more satisfaction out of a really well developed friends-to-lovers story now. The author has to make me fall in love with the characters as friends whilst also making me want to see them admit their feeling for each other. The stakes are always rooted in the personal and emotional aspect of changing a relationship from platonic to romantic, so it often feels more risky and it will usually have much more of an impact on the individual character growth. It's the one romance trope where you really get PEAK slow burn yearning and if that's not my drop-everything-and-give-me-this-book-now calling card, idk what is. And, Stephanie Fisher delivered me so much goodness, there was one point in this book where I reached that mythical euphoric state of friends-to-lovers perfection - if F2L is your trope then you'll know exactly what I mean - but ah... what bliss!
I really loved the story, world, magic system, worldbuilding and the majority of the twists and turns. The aforementioned plot set-up for the main character kind of puts a bit of a dampener on some of the reveals later in the book because you can see them from a mile off, it didn't overly impact my enjoyment of the book as a whole but it isn't original or unique. I also wasn't a huge fan of the way that one of the antagonists jumped straight to sexual violence at the end of the book. I think it's important to address sexual violence in fantasy but the way that it was done here felt a little bit cheap and unnecessary. I hope that aspect is expanded on with more care in the second book.
Overall, I enjoyed this way more than I was expecting to. It's definitely one of those hidden gems on the indie fantasy romance scene. The blurb says that it's great for fans of Sarah J. Maas and I honestly think that the combination of writing, plotting and storytelling was leagues above anything that SJM has given us, but I do think that this would likely appeal a lot to people who also love SJM's work. It didn't hurt that the audiobook narrator was Elizabeth Evans, who also narrated the entire Throne of Glass series.
I will be picking up the next book in the series immediately - can't wait to see where this is all going!
Whilst the plot set-up for the main character in this book is one of those things that is a little overdone and extremely predictable in contemporary fantasy romance, I still really enjoyed almost everything else about this book! Everyone writing in this sub-genre at the moment is doing enemies-to-lovers because it's fun, it sells and I guess the conflicts are a lot easier to write. I do enjoy that trope a lot, there was a point where I would have said it was my favourite romantic trope. But, I get so much more satisfaction out of a really well developed friends-to-lovers story now. The author has to make me fall in love with the characters as friends whilst also making me want to see them admit their feeling for each other. The stakes are always rooted in the personal and emotional aspect of changing a relationship from platonic to romantic, so it often feels more risky and it will usually have much more of an impact on the individual character growth. It's the one romance trope where you really get PEAK slow burn yearning and if that's not my drop-everything-and-give-me-this-book-now calling card, idk what is. And, Stephanie Fisher delivered me so much goodness, there was one point in this book where I reached that mythical euphoric state of friends-to-lovers perfection - if F2L is your trope then you'll know exactly what I mean - but ah... what bliss!
I really loved the story, world, magic system, worldbuilding and the majority of the twists and turns. The aforementioned plot set-up for the main character kind of puts a bit of a dampener on some of the reveals later in the book because you can see them from a mile off, it didn't overly impact my enjoyment of the book as a whole but it isn't original or unique. I also wasn't a huge fan of the way that one of the antagonists jumped straight to sexual violence at the end of the book. I think it's important to address sexual violence in fantasy but the way that it was done here felt a little bit cheap and unnecessary. I hope that aspect is expanded on with more care in the second book.
Overall, I enjoyed this way more than I was expecting to. It's definitely one of those hidden gems on the indie fantasy romance scene. The blurb says that it's great for fans of Sarah J. Maas and I honestly think that the combination of writing, plotting and storytelling was leagues above anything that SJM has given us, but I do think that this would likely appeal a lot to people who also love SJM's work. It didn't hurt that the audiobook narrator was Elizabeth Evans, who also narrated the entire Throne of Glass series.
I will be picking up the next book in the series immediately - can't wait to see where this is all going!
May 14, 2019
Okay, wow. This book by far surpassed all of my expectations. The main characters are so enjoyable to read, you get a point of view from Taly the main character and Skye.
So, first things first. If you enjoy reading about fey and magic, I highly suggest reading this book. I found it held my attention just from the prologue alone. Which never happens since I am normally not a big fan of most prologues at the beginning of books.
The main character Taly is a human girl in a fey world. She is a strong female lead who doesn't let anyone push her around. She's smart and funny. Her relationship with Skye is one of my favourite relationships in any book. They actually had me laughing out loud.
Any fan of Sarah J Maas, JK Rowling or Leigh Bardugo will most likely really enjoy this book.
I am very sad I read it so quickly lol I am definitely going to need to reread this again and again until book 2 is released!!!
I love this book, thank you Stephanie Fisher for this story, I am already a huge fan!!!
So, first things first. If you enjoy reading about fey and magic, I highly suggest reading this book. I found it held my attention just from the prologue alone. Which never happens since I am normally not a big fan of most prologues at the beginning of books.
The main character Taly is a human girl in a fey world. She is a strong female lead who doesn't let anyone push her around. She's smart and funny. Her relationship with Skye is one of my favourite relationships in any book. They actually had me laughing out loud.
Any fan of Sarah J Maas, JK Rowling or Leigh Bardugo will most likely really enjoy this book.
I am very sad I read it so quickly lol I am definitely going to need to reread this again and again until book 2 is released!!!
I love this book, thank you Stephanie Fisher for this story, I am already a huge fan!!!
August 6, 2025
This book was amazing! I love the magic system and can't wait to dive into more of it 👏🏻
love Tally and Sky, and the relationahip/friendship that they have.
this needs more hype 👏🏻😍
love Tally and Sky, and the relationahip/friendship that they have.
this needs more hype 👏🏻😍
June 6, 2025
5 stars!
It has been a hot minute since an adult romantasy book had me this giddy and excited to stay in this world! This book was 630ish pages and it flew by for me because I was having so much fun reading. I absolutely love the childhood friends-to-lovers slow burn situation between Taly and Skye. There is so much tension and yearning since they're just realizing that they have feelings for each other I honestly felt like crying at times lol. Taly is definitely the strong and sassy type FMC, but I actually found her to be super likeable. I also thought Skye was a breath of fresh air compared to the standard shadow daddy MMCs personality-wise. A lot of the side characters were also great and it looks like some of them will get their own chapters in future books which I look forward to seeing.
The worldbuilding and magic system felt really unique and well thought-out. While I do think certain parts of the plot were predictable, I thought the big twists were executed well. I also enjoyed how a lot of the action scenes were written and I never got bored. I'm genuinely surprised this book isn't talked about as much compared to other romantasy books, but I'm starting to see a decent amount of people hyping up the third book so hopefully that will get more people to give this series a shot!
It has been a hot minute since an adult romantasy book had me this giddy and excited to stay in this world! This book was 630ish pages and it flew by for me because I was having so much fun reading. I absolutely love the childhood friends-to-lovers slow burn situation between Taly and Skye. There is so much tension and yearning since they're just realizing that they have feelings for each other I honestly felt like crying at times lol. Taly is definitely the strong and sassy type FMC, but I actually found her to be super likeable. I also thought Skye was a breath of fresh air compared to the standard shadow daddy MMCs personality-wise. A lot of the side characters were also great and it looks like some of them will get their own chapters in future books which I look forward to seeing.
The worldbuilding and magic system felt really unique and well thought-out. While I do think certain parts of the plot were predictable, I thought the big twists were executed well. I also enjoyed how a lot of the action scenes were written and I never got bored. I'm genuinely surprised this book isn't talked about as much compared to other romantasy books, but I'm starting to see a decent amount of people hyping up the third book so hopefully that will get more people to give this series a shot!
November 2, 2025
4.5!!!! this was so good
July 1, 2019
As I said in my update, this was an Amazon suggestion for me. Kind of a YA-ish feel, which often isn't my bag, it's still a pretty good read.
Fisher is good at setting a scene and the battles are engaging and feel urgent. My main complaint is that there's a secret hanging out there and I always feel that puts the breaks on the actual story and we're kind of vamping until the real plot starts (which is when everyone who needs to be in the know is fully informed). That's a personal preference of mine, so keep that in mind.
Taly Caro is a human living in a fae world. She has been fostered alongside Skye Emrys by a pair of sibling nobles since she was six-years-old when she was found huddled in the ruins of a burned house. Skye -- a few years older than Taly -- is heir to a dukedom. He was sent to Lord Ivain Castaros for mentoring when he was around eightish. He does not want to go home and live the life of an heir to highborn seat.
The relationships between Taly and her little foster family are strained at the beginning but they are full of love and happy memories. And this is where some of my discontent can be found. I get why she's keeping secrets, I just find such things tedious and disrespectful to the other characters. YMMV.
Beware, the story ends on a cliffie and the next book is not yet out. I will probably read it, but I hope it doesn't take too long to get it. I am bad about dropping series when I can't get the second book for a long time. I need two or three books to really become committed.
If you like a fantasy book about fae highborn and lowborn, humans and secrets and youngish characters (not kids or teens, but youngish), you should try this one. 🙂
Fisher is good at setting a scene and the battles are engaging and feel urgent. My main complaint is that there's a secret hanging out there and I always feel that puts the breaks on the actual story and we're kind of vamping until the real plot starts (which is when everyone who needs to be in the know is fully informed). That's a personal preference of mine, so keep that in mind.
Taly Caro is a human living in a fae world. She has been fostered alongside Skye Emrys by a pair of sibling nobles since she was six-years-old when she was found huddled in the ruins of a burned house. Skye -- a few years older than Taly -- is heir to a dukedom. He was sent to Lord Ivain Castaros for mentoring when he was around eightish. He does not want to go home and live the life of an heir to highborn seat.
The relationships between Taly and her little foster family are strained at the beginning but they are full of love and happy memories. And this is where some of my discontent can be found. I get why she's keeping secrets, I just find such things tedious and disrespectful to the other characters. YMMV.
Beware, the story ends on a cliffie and the next book is not yet out. I will probably read it, but I hope it doesn't take too long to get it. I am bad about dropping series when I can't get the second book for a long time. I need two or three books to really become committed.
If you like a fantasy book about fae highborn and lowborn, humans and secrets and youngish characters (not kids or teens, but youngish), you should try this one. 🙂
April 9, 2024
DNF. I really tried. The writing is just… not great. Reads a bit like a teenager wrote it? Instead of ‘show don’t tell’ it was tell tell tell. Way too wordy and awkward. And I’m bummed because the concept was great! I really had to push through to even get 40% of the way.
August 8, 2021
Ummmmmm.......this was awesome!!! Friends to Lovers, fantastic banter, awesome magical world, the romance was top tier! No spice in this book, but holy i loved it.
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