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Night Bringer
A terrible bargain
An impossible choice
Kill my soul mate or lose my life
Caelynn adores her homelands in the Shadow Court, but as the one of the poorest and weakest courts in the realm there's little opportunity for a talented fae like her.
When she overhears her parents planning to force her into another court, she runs away—straight to the Cave of Mysteries to jump start her initiation. She'll become a shadow fae with or without permission.
But there are monsters in those deep tunnels. The Night Bringer is waiting for her, and once she's in his clutches she must complete his bargain or accept eternal slavery.
But this bargain is no simple task. The Night Bringer dresses her like a princess and sends her to a ball to kill a fae prince. A prince who just so happens to be her soul mate.
An impossible choice
Kill my soul mate or lose my life
Caelynn adores her homelands in the Shadow Court, but as the one of the poorest and weakest courts in the realm there's little opportunity for a talented fae like her.
When she overhears her parents planning to force her into another court, she runs away—straight to the Cave of Mysteries to jump start her initiation. She'll become a shadow fae with or without permission.
But there are monsters in those deep tunnels. The Night Bringer is waiting for her, and once she's in his clutches she must complete his bargain or accept eternal slavery.
But this bargain is no simple task. The Night Bringer dresses her like a princess and sends her to a ball to kill a fae prince. A prince who just so happens to be her soul mate.
104 pages, Paperback
Published August 7, 2020
66 people want to read
About the author
Stacey Trombley
18 books267 followersStacey Trombley is the author of several fantasy romance series including WICKED FAE and SHADOW HILLS ACADEMY. Her places to travel list is almost as long as her to-be-read list. Most recently, she spent 9 months living in a van with her family, traveling the US and Mexico. She has many more adventures in mind, both on Earth and in her imagination.
Follow her journey on Instagram and Tiktok @StaceyTrombleyAuthor and learn more about her books at www.StaceyTrombley.com
Follow her journey on Instagram and Tiktok @StaceyTrombleyAuthor and learn more about her books at www.StaceyTrombley.com
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 16, 2022
Story got me engaged at the later third of the novella.
When I read the synopsis, I was excited. A dark fae Cinderella tasked with killing her own soulmate by making a bargain with "the devil"? Harsh! But once I started reading, the prose somehow dragged in my mind, and the many typos and incorrect tenses didn't help, cutting the flow even more and numbing my enthusiasm.
This book was once being offered to newsletter subscribers, which is why I'm mentioning it: you'd wager there'd be almost no typos at this point, correct? I hope it gets fixed in the final version (I've read an arc of the anthology Realms of Fae and Shadow, where this novella is included). There's also a sort of continuity error, where Caelynn narrates a kiss with a certain character is her first, when she's mentioned kissing her classmate at the festival before. I'm the type who notices these details and gets pissy.
The story goes as follows: Caelynn is from the impoverished and ridiculed Shadow Court, which she loves. But her parents have other plans for her future such as marrying her off to a richer Court (because that's been so smart in the past). She yearns for the power to prove herself, yet ends up at the talons of the Night Bringerliterally. It's like that moment in Once Upon a Time, where Rumplestiltskin booms Cinderella's fairy godmother into sparkling ashes and takes over in "helping her" with a bargain. But with more teenage angst.
Back to the premise. It was interesting and shadow fae isn't a kind you hear about much, but here they just sound like humans who do magic, which really ruins it for me. If you write about fae, I want fae. Discipline and fae? Helicopter fae parents? They're sounding too human. And the prejudice!
They can also straightforward lie.
There are some worthy ideas being explored though, like:
In conclusion, cool idea. I know it's not that big, since it is a novella - 104 pages is novel length tbh -, but the fact remains I ended up not understanding much of the magic system. How can light block sound? And there were awkward and unnecessary moments, like when her classmate came to visit at night. What was the purpose? That sounded nothing like a pep talk. I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would, and yes the need for editing is a really big part of it - you can't expect non-fluid reading to not factor in, dear author. Or is it pleasant when you're trying to move something that's rusty and in need of oiling? Creak creak creaking in your ears. Getting stuck every few inches, slowing your progress? I'd think not.
When I read the synopsis, I was excited. A dark fae Cinderella tasked with killing her own soulmate by making a bargain with "the devil"? Harsh! But once I started reading, the prose somehow dragged in my mind, and the many typos and incorrect tenses didn't help, cutting the flow even more and numbing my enthusiasm.
This book was once being offered to newsletter subscribers, which is why I'm mentioning it: you'd wager there'd be almost no typos at this point, correct? I hope it gets fixed in the final version (I've read an arc of the anthology Realms of Fae and Shadow, where this novella is included). There's also a sort of continuity error, where Caelynn narrates a kiss with a certain character is her first, when she's mentioned kissing her classmate at the festival before. I'm the type who notices these details and gets pissy.
The story goes as follows: Caelynn is from the impoverished and ridiculed Shadow Court, which she loves. But her parents have other plans for her future such as marrying her off to a richer Court (because that's been so smart in the past). She yearns for the power to prove herself, yet ends up at the talons of the Night Bringer
Back to the premise. It was interesting and shadow fae isn't a kind you hear about much, but here they just sound like humans who do magic, which really ruins it for me. If you write about fae, I want fae. Discipline and fae? Helicopter fae parents? They're sounding too human. And the prejudice!
They can also straightforward lie.
There are some worthy ideas being explored though, like:
the magic in our surroundings longs to be used. Even those of us who have shallow magical wells, can learn to use what’s around us. The more we practice, the more we commune with our element, the less magic we need inside of ourselves to do extraordinary things.
In conclusion, cool idea. I know it's not that big, since it is a novella - 104 pages is novel length tbh -, but the fact remains I ended up not understanding much of the magic system. How can light block sound? And there were awkward and unnecessary moments, like when her classmate came to visit at night. What was the purpose? That sounded nothing like a pep talk. I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would, and yes the need for editing is a really big part of it - you can't expect non-fluid reading to not factor in, dear author. Or is it pleasant when you're trying to move something that's rusty and in need of oiling? Creak creak creaking in your ears. Getting stuck every few inches, slowing your progress? I'd think not.
September 4, 2020
Night Bringer tells the tale of how Caelynn was trapped in a bargain with the Night Bringer, an evil and ancient beast. I’ve read the first 2 books in the Wicked Fae series prior to this, so while I knew what happened, I was so excited to find out exactly how it happened! You can definitely read this before the rest of the series because it gives a great glimpse into the world and characters. If you’ve already started the series, I can’t recommend this book enough because it gives a whole new perspective of the young, hopeful Caelynn before the events that changed her. I loved this novella and the rest of the series and I highly recommend it if you like fantasy and fae!
I read this as part of an ARC copy of the upcoming anthology Realms of Fae and Shadow and I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I read this as part of an ARC copy of the upcoming anthology Realms of Fae and Shadow and I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review.
September 9, 2020
I won't lie; I felt so bad for Caelynn. She loves her homeland, although she is one of the weakest clans of the fae. And when she learns that her parents plan to marry her off to another land, she grows desperate. Unfortunately, she is tricked and trapped and left with no choice for freedom other than killing a fae prince. It doesn't matter that he's evil. He is the brother of the first fae she thinks she might be able to love. And now he will hate her forever. And if she's caught, well, will she have the ability to escape a second time?
I received a free ARC of this novella and have reviewed it willingly.
I received a free ARC of this novella and have reviewed it willingly.
September 11, 2020
I received a free advanced copy of this story through the anthology Realms of Fae and Shadow in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Not having read the series this preceeds, I can't comment on how much of a boon it would be to fans of the Wicked Fae stories. On its own, it tells of a girl who is so eager to prove herself, to save her fallen court, that she bargains with a devilish monster to do it.
It's an interesting tale, posing evil options disguised as choices, and sacrificing heart for for survival. It'd be interesting to see who Caelynn turns out to be after the events here.
Not having read the series this preceeds, I can't comment on how much of a boon it would be to fans of the Wicked Fae stories. On its own, it tells of a girl who is so eager to prove herself, to save her fallen court, that she bargains with a devilish monster to do it.
It's an interesting tale, posing evil options disguised as choices, and sacrificing heart for for survival. It'd be interesting to see who Caelynn turns out to be after the events here.
October 7, 2020
I read this prequel after I read books 1 and 2 in the Wicked Fae series by the same author. I loved it! Night Bringer is a great prequel to the Wicked Fae series. (One of my favorite new series by the way.) It was interesting to read about Caelynn’s first encounter with the Night Bringer and how the events of her life unfolded. I highly recommend Night Bringer and the Wicked Fae series and cannot wait until Books 3 and 4 come out!
February 13, 2024
There’s something intriguing about this story. But there’s no resolution: it’s clearly a prologue to the actual series. And with all the typos, spelling errors, and even continuity errors (the prince rambling away nonsense before he dies), doesn’t make me eager to continue the series.
*I read this in the Realms of Fae and Shadow anthology.
*I read this in the Realms of Fae and Shadow anthology.
September 9, 2020
A very unique and intriguing story! great introduction/ prequel to the wicked fae series!!! when you make a deal with the devil aka night bringer... you basically sell your soul! 😭 So good! it was heartbreaking. I couldn’t believe it! Book one and two are now out!! ❤️
November 15, 2020
I can't say it was a Devine book but it was interesting and I enjoyed it very much. I can't wait to read more of this series.
February 18, 2021
Really enjoyed this short story in the Realms of Fae and Shadow anthology! Caelynn was a great character and I'm looking forward to reading the series this is a prequel to.
January 9, 2024
A quick read.
I wish I would have started with this book instead of reading it third.
You know all of this by reading the first two books. This just goes into the tiniest bit of more detail.
I wish I would have started with this book instead of reading it third.
You know all of this by reading the first two books. This just goes into the tiniest bit of more detail.
September 2, 2025
This is a quick novella that ties into the series really well and explains what happened before the main events of the series.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews