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The Fair Isle Trilogy #1-3
The Fair Isle Trilogy: Complete Series Collection
Every young woman dreams of marrying a king.
Everyone except for me.
Because the king I am to wed has razor sharp fangs and a thirst for blood…
The Fair Isle Trilogy is a complete series collection, featuring three full length novels in a single volume: To Carve a Fae Heart, To Wear a Fae Crown, and To Spark a Fae War.
All my life I knew I’d come of age during the Hundred Year Reaping. According to the ridiculous treaty, two human girls are sent to the faelands as brides for the fearsome fae king and his devilish younger brother.
Not me. I was supposed to be safe. Two girls were chosen from my village already. But when they are executed for offending the king, my sister and I are sent in their place.
What a mess. Then again, maybe it’s not so bad. The younger brother I’m paired with doesn’t seem as monstrous as I’d expected. He’s delightfully handsome too. But nothing compares to the chilling, dangerous beauty of the fae king. And when my sister flees the castle and her terrifying husband-to-be, I’m left to marry him instead.
If I go through with this, I might not survive my wedding night. If I don’t, no one is safe, neither human nor fae. An ancient war will return, bringing devastation we haven’t seen in a thousand years. Can I sacrifice myself for the good of my people? Or will a dangerous desire be the death of me first?
If I don’t lose my heart, the king will certainly lose his. I’ll carve it out with an iron blade if I have to.
The Fair Isle Trilogy Complete Series Collection is an enemies-to-lovers fantasy, perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince, ACOTAR, and The Iron King. If you like snarky fae, brooding fae royals, sizzling romance, and fierce heroines, you'll love this breathtaking fae fantasy.
BUY THE FAIR ISLE TRILOGY TO CROSS INTO FAERIE TODAY!
The Fair Isle Trilogy Complete Series Collection contains an illustrated map and four character illustrations not published in any other edition!
The three full-length novels included in this single volume are…
To Carve a Fae Heart
Forced to marry a cruel fae king, Evelyn Fairfield must do what it takes to fulfill the treaty and keep her people safe. But can she do her duty without losing her heart?
To Wear a Fae Crown
Evelyn was supposed to despise the king, not fall in love with him. And when the human and fae councils turn against her and her beloved, she has so much more to fight for…and more to lose.
To Spark a Fae War
With the truth of Evelyn’s heritage exposed, the line between friend and foe is blurred. War looms and only she can stop it…or start it. Evelyn and her mate must make a final stand against the force that threatens the lives of everyone they love.
Everyone except for me.
Because the king I am to wed has razor sharp fangs and a thirst for blood…
The Fair Isle Trilogy is a complete series collection, featuring three full length novels in a single volume: To Carve a Fae Heart, To Wear a Fae Crown, and To Spark a Fae War.
All my life I knew I’d come of age during the Hundred Year Reaping. According to the ridiculous treaty, two human girls are sent to the faelands as brides for the fearsome fae king and his devilish younger brother.
Not me. I was supposed to be safe. Two girls were chosen from my village already. But when they are executed for offending the king, my sister and I are sent in their place.
What a mess. Then again, maybe it’s not so bad. The younger brother I’m paired with doesn’t seem as monstrous as I’d expected. He’s delightfully handsome too. But nothing compares to the chilling, dangerous beauty of the fae king. And when my sister flees the castle and her terrifying husband-to-be, I’m left to marry him instead.
If I go through with this, I might not survive my wedding night. If I don’t, no one is safe, neither human nor fae. An ancient war will return, bringing devastation we haven’t seen in a thousand years. Can I sacrifice myself for the good of my people? Or will a dangerous desire be the death of me first?
If I don’t lose my heart, the king will certainly lose his. I’ll carve it out with an iron blade if I have to.
The Fair Isle Trilogy Complete Series Collection is an enemies-to-lovers fantasy, perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince, ACOTAR, and The Iron King. If you like snarky fae, brooding fae royals, sizzling romance, and fierce heroines, you'll love this breathtaking fae fantasy.
BUY THE FAIR ISLE TRILOGY TO CROSS INTO FAERIE TODAY!
The Fair Isle Trilogy Complete Series Collection contains an illustrated map and four character illustrations not published in any other edition!
The three full-length novels included in this single volume are…
To Carve a Fae Heart
Forced to marry a cruel fae king, Evelyn Fairfield must do what it takes to fulfill the treaty and keep her people safe. But can she do her duty without losing her heart?
To Wear a Fae Crown
Evelyn was supposed to despise the king, not fall in love with him. And when the human and fae councils turn against her and her beloved, she has so much more to fight for…and more to lose.
To Spark a Fae War
With the truth of Evelyn’s heritage exposed, the line between friend and foe is blurred. War looms and only she can stop it…or start it. Evelyn and her mate must make a final stand against the force that threatens the lives of everyone they love.
819 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2021
980 people are currently reading
5910 people want to read
About the author
Tessonja Odette
32 books3,564 followersTessonja Odette is a Seattle-based author of fantasy romance, epic romantasy, and fairytale retellings. Her different series range from cozy fae romcoms to dark and twisty fantasy. In her books you’ll find witty banter, sizzling romance, and breathtaking magic. When she isn’t writing, she’s watching anime, squeezing her pets, or dancing to the music only she can hear.
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March 4, 2022The trilogy is $4.99 on Kindle US today 1/31/22!
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June 30, 2021AUTHOR'S NOTE:
The Fair Isle Trilogy Complete Series Collection is LIVE on all formats! Ebook, paperback, and hardcover :) All editions contain an illustrated map AND four pretty character illustrations! One is by Hanna Sandvig, while the rest are by me. Take a peek at the interior in the photo below!
I'm so happy to have this collection out in the wild, especially with the special edition cover illustration! Fun fact: I illustrated this cover to match with the ones I made for my Entangled with Fae series...which is a spinoff series of The Fair Isle Trilogy! While they aren't exactly the same (Entangled is a series of romance focused standalones with fairytale retellings, and Fair Isle is a trilogy that follows one couple/main character and has more epic fantasy vibes) they are closely related. The Entangled with Fae books take place twenty years after The Fair Isle Trilogy, but the setting and era are much the same.
Anyhow, I hope you like it! Find your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09753J8XS
The Fair Isle Trilogy Complete Series Collection is LIVE on all formats! Ebook, paperback, and hardcover :) All editions contain an illustrated map AND four pretty character illustrations! One is by Hanna Sandvig, while the rest are by me. Take a peek at the interior in the photo below!
I'm so happy to have this collection out in the wild, especially with the special edition cover illustration! Fun fact: I illustrated this cover to match with the ones I made for my Entangled with Fae series...which is a spinoff series of The Fair Isle Trilogy! While they aren't exactly the same (Entangled is a series of romance focused standalones with fairytale retellings, and Fair Isle is a trilogy that follows one couple/main character and has more epic fantasy vibes) they are closely related. The Entangled with Fae books take place twenty years after The Fair Isle Trilogy, but the setting and era are much the same.
Anyhow, I hope you like it! Find your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09753J8XS
July 19, 2021
I received an ARC of this trilogy, but my review and opinion are my own, not influenced by anyone.
The entire series was nice to read, with an enchanting world, amiable and more-likely-to-hate-them characters. Although a bit slow paced from time to time, you still want to discover how the story will continue.
~~~
Book 1:
Starting with an enticing title, the storyline of this book keeps you hooked as well. From the first few lines of the story, it’s clear the writing style is light, filled with humour and pleasant to read. Evelyn is in my opinion a very likeable character, recognisable as well. She values logic above all, everything that happens is explainable, nothing happens out of nowhere, or should I say because of magic. Sometimes she struggles a bit with some of her emotions, making her very realistic too. With the Reaping, you get a classic element you’ll find in other fae stories as well, but it doesn’t feel too much like a déjà vu. Meeting Aspen and Cobalt, you get the typical handsome brothers duo, one being the friendly and chivalrous one, the other always moping around and being cruel. Although, not everything is what is seems…
The characters get plenty of room to evolve throughout the story, fitting perfectly well with the storyline that takes twists and turns from time to time that you won’t always see coming. Because of all this, in combination with getting to know the world this story is set in, I’m really curious to discover how the story will continue. Yes some parts were predictable, it isn’t called an enemy-to-lovers story for nothing, but it stayed a nice and compelling read.
One of my favourite elements is how Evie keeps on trying to find a logical explanation for everything and sticks to her beliefs. Still, she isn’t completely unaffected by everything that’s happening, resulting in her starting to contemplate magic again after some time, without just hopping to the conclusion that magic is real and the solution to everything. I’d really like to discover how her story will evolve. Plus I’d like to see the other characters return as well of course, but she really is my favourite.
~~~
Book 2:
Good sequel, I still liked the writing style and the characters. Some typical elements can be found as well, like some arguing could be prevented if everyone would just talk some more about issues they are experiencing. I also liked how everyone remains themselves throughout the story, not giving up their personalities to please someone else. Evie’s constant need to sacrifice herself for the greater good was a little bit annoying sometimes, but still okay.
~~~
Book 3:
I enjoyed this final book in the series, although it didn't read as fluently as I had hoped. Sometimes it really took a while before something new and exciting happened in the book. Nevertheless, different themes are wonderfully discussed and integrated with each other and the storyline. Like friendship, vengeance, altruism, prejudices, love, anger, forgiveness, ... I would have loved to see Foxglove, Lorelei, Fehr and Franco get some more "pagetime", but maybe that's more something for the spin-off series 😉
~~~
(Books 0.5 and 2.5 can be found on the author's website, but I'll include them here as well.)
~~~
Book 0.5:
Nice to read a few chapters from Aspen's POV. They are really as you would expect them to be. It would be even better to have a few chapters from later on in the series to read from his POV as well, to see how he evolves throughout the books
~~~
Book 2.5:
Amelie always seemed crazy and unreliable in the series in my opinion. Even though this image of her changes a little bit because of events in the 3rd book, it never goes away entirely. That's what made reading this book extra nice, because now you really get to know Amelie and as a reader you realise she can be just as stubborn, feisty and brave as her sister. This short story is really a valuable addition to the rest of the series.
The entire series was nice to read, with an enchanting world, amiable and more-likely-to-hate-them characters. Although a bit slow paced from time to time, you still want to discover how the story will continue.
~~~
Book 1:
Starting with an enticing title, the storyline of this book keeps you hooked as well. From the first few lines of the story, it’s clear the writing style is light, filled with humour and pleasant to read. Evelyn is in my opinion a very likeable character, recognisable as well. She values logic above all, everything that happens is explainable, nothing happens out of nowhere, or should I say because of magic. Sometimes she struggles a bit with some of her emotions, making her very realistic too. With the Reaping, you get a classic element you’ll find in other fae stories as well, but it doesn’t feel too much like a déjà vu. Meeting Aspen and Cobalt, you get the typical handsome brothers duo, one being the friendly and chivalrous one, the other always moping around and being cruel. Although, not everything is what is seems…
The characters get plenty of room to evolve throughout the story, fitting perfectly well with the storyline that takes twists and turns from time to time that you won’t always see coming. Because of all this, in combination with getting to know the world this story is set in, I’m really curious to discover how the story will continue. Yes some parts were predictable, it isn’t called an enemy-to-lovers story for nothing, but it stayed a nice and compelling read.
One of my favourite elements is how Evie keeps on trying to find a logical explanation for everything and sticks to her beliefs. Still, she isn’t completely unaffected by everything that’s happening, resulting in her starting to contemplate magic again after some time, without just hopping to the conclusion that magic is real and the solution to everything. I’d really like to discover how her story will evolve. Plus I’d like to see the other characters return as well of course, but she really is my favourite.
~~~
Book 2:
Good sequel, I still liked the writing style and the characters. Some typical elements can be found as well, like some arguing could be prevented if everyone would just talk some more about issues they are experiencing. I also liked how everyone remains themselves throughout the story, not giving up their personalities to please someone else. Evie’s constant need to sacrifice herself for the greater good was a little bit annoying sometimes, but still okay.
~~~
Book 3:
I enjoyed this final book in the series, although it didn't read as fluently as I had hoped. Sometimes it really took a while before something new and exciting happened in the book. Nevertheless, different themes are wonderfully discussed and integrated with each other and the storyline. Like friendship, vengeance, altruism, prejudices, love, anger, forgiveness, ... I would have loved to see Foxglove, Lorelei, Fehr and Franco get some more "pagetime", but maybe that's more something for the spin-off series 😉
~~~
(Books 0.5 and 2.5 can be found on the author's website, but I'll include them here as well.)
~~~
Book 0.5:
Nice to read a few chapters from Aspen's POV. They are really as you would expect them to be. It would be even better to have a few chapters from later on in the series to read from his POV as well, to see how he evolves throughout the books
~~~
Book 2.5:
Amelie always seemed crazy and unreliable in the series in my opinion. Even though this image of her changes a little bit because of events in the 3rd book, it never goes away entirely. That's what made reading this book extra nice, because now you really get to know Amelie and as a reader you realise she can be just as stubborn, feisty and brave as her sister. This short story is really a valuable addition to the rest of the series.
June 30, 2021
4.25 ⭐
The Fair Isle Trilogy Complete Series
You've read it right, this is not a drill! My favourite series of 2020, that gave me life & excitement when everything was awful, is now available as an omnibus, including all 3 lovelies:
🍁To Carve a Fae Heart
🍁To Wear a Fae Crown
🍁To Spark a Fae War
AND it includes four pretty pretty illustrations!!
If you like snarky fae, brooding fae royals, sizzling romance, and fierce heroines, you'll love this breathtaking fantasy. Perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince, ACOTAR, & The Iron King.
It starts out an enemies to lovers fantasy story of court politics and intrigue, where human and fae customs & mentalities collide.
The world building and exploration of the seelie and unseelie is quite creative. I was eager to know more about their history and ways. Further on, the unseelie are given more spotlight & validation than usual faerie books, imo.
Romance aside, I love the 🚨secondary characters🚨 so so much, I hope you do too!
This is an upper YA/NA series intended for mature audiences. It contains sexual situations, moderate steam, violence, and gore.
Tw/Cw: allusions to torture, sexual assault, sex traffic, and body desecration.
⚔️⚔️⚔️
If you wish for a book explicit review:
💜 To Carve a Fae Heart: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
👑 To Wear a Fae Crown: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
🔥 To Spark a Fae War: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Fair Isle Trilogy Complete Series
You've read it right, this is not a drill! My favourite series of 2020, that gave me life & excitement when everything was awful, is now available as an omnibus, including all 3 lovelies:
🍁To Carve a Fae Heart
🍁To Wear a Fae Crown
🍁To Spark a Fae War
AND it includes four pretty pretty illustrations!!
If you like snarky fae, brooding fae royals, sizzling romance, and fierce heroines, you'll love this breathtaking fantasy. Perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince, ACOTAR, & The Iron King.
It starts out an enemies to lovers fantasy story of court politics and intrigue, where human and fae customs & mentalities collide.
The world building and exploration of the seelie and unseelie is quite creative. I was eager to know more about their history and ways. Further on, the unseelie are given more spotlight & validation than usual faerie books, imo.
Romance aside, I love the 🚨secondary characters🚨 so so much, I hope you do too!
This is an upper YA/NA series intended for mature audiences. It contains sexual situations, moderate steam, violence, and gore.
Tw/Cw: allusions to torture, sexual assault, sex traffic, and body desecration.
⚔️⚔️⚔️
If you wish for a book explicit review:
💜 To Carve a Fae Heart: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
👑 To Wear a Fae Crown: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
🔥 To Spark a Fae War: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
September 14, 2023
To Carve a Fae Heart ⭐⭐⭐.5
To Wear a Fae Crown ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
To Spark a Fae War ⭐⭐⭐.5
Follow me on Instagram 🙂
To Wear a Fae Crown ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
To Spark a Fae War ⭐⭐⭐.5
Follow me on Instagram 🙂
February 20, 2022
It was ok book. She really had self esteem issues.
Read
January 7, 2022⭐️Review ⭐️
This is gonna be the overall review of this series since I read it as if it was one book.
From the start to the end I loved Evie. She’s independent and ambitious but also very much afraid of the unknown which she always tries to explain with logic and science. But throughout the books she begins to accept that there not always has to be a logical explanation. That something’s are just magic.
After reading most of the books set in this world I’ve come to love faewyvae and the characters. Foxglove and Lorelei are just great characters, though sometimes they kinda just disappear and then returned when needed which I kinda feel sad about since I would have wanted to see them more a part of the action.
Because this is an action packed series. A lot happens in all the books and it’s very quick paced and can sometimes be overwhelming.
The first book is very much enemies to lovers, with it all beginning with my favorite scene with us a dagger to throat scene. So if you like that check this out. And I won’t say more about the other books since I don’t wanna spoil them.
This series gave me the same vibes like ACOTAR (which I know many books have) and I do believe you would like this if you liked acotar. Of course it is also different from acotar and the world building is quite different and amazing it it’s own way.
So if you liked fantasy romance with fae, enemies to lovers, betrayal (there always has to be betrayal) and magical powers then you should try out this series.
Series rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
🦉Details🦉
- fantasy romance
- Fae
- 1 POV
- Trilogy collection
- 797 pages of story (all 3 books together) | hardback
This is gonna be the overall review of this series since I read it as if it was one book.
From the start to the end I loved Evie. She’s independent and ambitious but also very much afraid of the unknown which she always tries to explain with logic and science. But throughout the books she begins to accept that there not always has to be a logical explanation. That something’s are just magic.
After reading most of the books set in this world I’ve come to love faewyvae and the characters. Foxglove and Lorelei are just great characters, though sometimes they kinda just disappear and then returned when needed which I kinda feel sad about since I would have wanted to see them more a part of the action.
Because this is an action packed series. A lot happens in all the books and it’s very quick paced and can sometimes be overwhelming.
The first book is very much enemies to lovers, with it all beginning with my favorite scene with us a dagger to throat scene. So if you like that check this out. And I won’t say more about the other books since I don’t wanna spoil them.
This series gave me the same vibes like ACOTAR (which I know many books have) and I do believe you would like this if you liked acotar. Of course it is also different from acotar and the world building is quite different and amazing it it’s own way.
So if you liked fantasy romance with fae, enemies to lovers, betrayal (there always has to be betrayal) and magical powers then you should try out this series.
Series rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
🦉Details🦉
- fantasy romance
- Fae
- 1 POV
- Trilogy collection
- 797 pages of story (all 3 books together) | hardback
May 25, 2022
3.5
Some of the magical rules didn’t make sense. And there were pieces of information that come up that don’t ever become relevant. But it was an easy and enjoyable read.
Some of the magical rules didn’t make sense. And there were pieces of information that come up that don’t ever become relevant. But it was an easy and enjoyable read.
January 10, 2022
Shallow
The first book is fine, and overall the writing itself is fine. Good, even. But several factors undermined my ability to feel invested in the world and the characters.
1. Evie.
I am always hesitant to use the term Mary-Sue, but i don't know how else to summarize the way in which Evie, the MC, feels shallow and empty. There is so much of her telling us who she is and what she believes and how she feels and what she wants... And very little showing. And for all the time we spend with her, i never get a sense that there is a person in there, underneath what we are constantly being told about her surface. I dnf'd in the second book, so I'm going to focus on that here. She spends a lot of time *telling* us that she doesn't want to break the treaty, that war would be the worst thing, but i never feel like i understand why she feels that way. What does war mean to her? *Why* is she willing to sacrifice everything to avoid it? Where do her convictions come from?
Also, every man seems to instantly fall in love with her because she's beautiful without knowing it and witty apparently and powerful, apparently. Very Not Like Other Girls. I'm not into it.
Most of my problems with the book tie back to Evie, honestly. I just... I don't *know* her. I don't know what she really wants, what she would live for. And to top it all off, she is kind of an idiot who is easily manipulated by others, but she is framed as being clever despite constantly making bad decisions.
2. Faerwyvae
We are told something of the structure of the politics in Faerwyvae, and frankly, the more we were told about it the less interested in was. I just don't care about interpersonal grudge politics that our perfect MC is somehow thrust into the center of yet it all magically works out in her favor because she has plot armor.
The world building itself is extremely generic; fae courts based on the seasons and the elements, castles with spires, everyone is beautiful. I didn't have a good grasp of what period the human world was supposed to be set in- i would guess sometime in the industrial period, since they have things like carbon steel and they know to sanitize their hands for surgery (though side note- wine is not suitable for sanitizer, it would make things worse than just soap and water, especially since in Faerwyvae they drink wine with all their meals, it would probably be quite weak, more like juice and would only introduce more contamination. Sorry, tangent.) We never really get a sense of what the scope of human politics are like, at least not halfway through book 2, so i have no idea if the people on the mainland would be involved in the impending war or if the people on eisleigh would be on their own or even how many people are living on eisleigh. There's more than one village... But probably no more than a couple thousand people, total, on the island, based on the size of the village where the MC starts.
Anyway, this is getting really long. Go read the Stariel series instead- it does all this kind of thing with faerie princes and courts and determined powerful leading women so much better.
The first book is fine, and overall the writing itself is fine. Good, even. But several factors undermined my ability to feel invested in the world and the characters.
1. Evie.
I am always hesitant to use the term Mary-Sue, but i don't know how else to summarize the way in which Evie, the MC, feels shallow and empty. There is so much of her telling us who she is and what she believes and how she feels and what she wants... And very little showing. And for all the time we spend with her, i never get a sense that there is a person in there, underneath what we are constantly being told about her surface. I dnf'd in the second book, so I'm going to focus on that here. She spends a lot of time *telling* us that she doesn't want to break the treaty, that war would be the worst thing, but i never feel like i understand why she feels that way. What does war mean to her? *Why* is she willing to sacrifice everything to avoid it? Where do her convictions come from?
Also, every man seems to instantly fall in love with her because she's beautiful without knowing it and witty apparently and powerful, apparently. Very Not Like Other Girls. I'm not into it.
Most of my problems with the book tie back to Evie, honestly. I just... I don't *know* her. I don't know what she really wants, what she would live for. And to top it all off, she is kind of an idiot who is easily manipulated by others, but she is framed as being clever despite constantly making bad decisions.
2. Faerwyvae
We are told something of the structure of the politics in Faerwyvae, and frankly, the more we were told about it the less interested in was. I just don't care about interpersonal grudge politics that our perfect MC is somehow thrust into the center of yet it all magically works out in her favor because she has plot armor.
The world building itself is extremely generic; fae courts based on the seasons and the elements, castles with spires, everyone is beautiful. I didn't have a good grasp of what period the human world was supposed to be set in- i would guess sometime in the industrial period, since they have things like carbon steel and they know to sanitize their hands for surgery (though side note- wine is not suitable for sanitizer, it would make things worse than just soap and water, especially since in Faerwyvae they drink wine with all their meals, it would probably be quite weak, more like juice and would only introduce more contamination. Sorry, tangent.) We never really get a sense of what the scope of human politics are like, at least not halfway through book 2, so i have no idea if the people on the mainland would be involved in the impending war or if the people on eisleigh would be on their own or even how many people are living on eisleigh. There's more than one village... But probably no more than a couple thousand people, total, on the island, based on the size of the village where the MC starts.
Anyway, this is getting really long. Go read the Stariel series instead- it does all this kind of thing with faerie princes and courts and determined powerful leading women so much better.
February 6, 2022
Ahhh so I am so freaking upset with this trilogy.
Book 1: 4 stars
Very promising. The story starts off great. The world building was spot on. The romance was chef's kiss, tension was delivered. Evelyn was introduced as a great protagonist. She was a character that I was willing to read about, as she showed much potential. It was a promising start to the series. A little predictable and with a reasonable number of plot-holes but I was willing to continue.
Book 2: 2 stars
This is where the issue began. This book let me down mostly because it was so dragged out. There was so much world-building (or conflict/plot building) that it slowed me down. Remember all the plot-holes left in book 1? Well, they ALL get filled in the 300 something pages of this book. Also, Evelyn (who I though was a great protagonist) just completely jumped off the cliff in this book. As a main character that believed in science over magic, she sure didn't take long to change over. This was just too much emphasis on the fantasy in urban fantasy. However, I continued to finish the series in hope that it would all be better.
Additionally, I do not see WHY a love triangle was introduced in this book? It is so obvious who she is going to end up with, so what was the point?
Book 3: 3 stars
So much potential was in this book. With world-building and conflict introducing out of the way, I expected a lot more action. The first half of the book is just continuing new developments from book 2, and the last half is small action filled scenes, rather than the build-up to a major one.
The romance sucked. Simple as that. Any chemistry that Aspen and Evelyn had in the first book was lost.
My own disappointment is to blame for this book. The ending was so underwhelming.
Overall, I was not impressed by this book series. It had a strong start, but it ended up finishing poorly.
I feel like books on fae are usually a win or a loss, and there is never no in-between. If the storytelling is weaved perfectly with the introduction of the magic, then it is very easy to lose the reader, which definitely happened with me.
Book 1: 4 stars
Very promising. The story starts off great. The world building was spot on. The romance was chef's kiss, tension was delivered. Evelyn was introduced as a great protagonist. She was a character that I was willing to read about, as she showed much potential. It was a promising start to the series. A little predictable and with a reasonable number of plot-holes but I was willing to continue.
Book 2: 2 stars
This is where the issue began. This book let me down mostly because it was so dragged out. There was so much world-building (or conflict/plot building) that it slowed me down. Remember all the plot-holes left in book 1? Well, they ALL get filled in the 300 something pages of this book. Also, Evelyn (who I though was a great protagonist) just completely jumped off the cliff in this book. As a main character that believed in science over magic, she sure didn't take long to change over. This was just too much emphasis on the fantasy in urban fantasy. However, I continued to finish the series in hope that it would all be better.
Additionally, I do not see WHY a love triangle was introduced in this book? It is so obvious who she is going to end up with, so what was the point?
Book 3: 3 stars
So much potential was in this book. With world-building and conflict introducing out of the way, I expected a lot more action. The first half of the book is just continuing new developments from book 2, and the last half is small action filled scenes, rather than the build-up to a major one.
The romance sucked. Simple as that. Any chemistry that Aspen and Evelyn had in the first book was lost.
My own disappointment is to blame for this book. The ending was so underwhelming.
Overall, I was not impressed by this book series. It had a strong start, but it ended up finishing poorly.
I feel like books on fae are usually a win or a loss, and there is never no in-between. If the storytelling is weaved perfectly with the introduction of the magic, then it is very easy to lose the reader, which definitely happened with me.
March 14, 2022
Stopped reading a few chapter into book 2. I do not like the MC. I know it's a popular thing to make the protagonist a stubborn quick tongued girl with attitude. She was too much. I didn't believe they actually loved each other. The first book was okay... Couldn't take her attitude towards Aspin. Nor his towars her. They both need to go to counseling.
December 29, 2021
What if you smushed The Folk of the Air and A Court of Thorns and Roses together and didn't bring anything new to the table?
August 5, 2021
The Fair Isle Trilogy is a complete series collection featuring three full-length novels (all pre-released), in a single volume: To Carve a Fae Heart, To Wear a Fae Crown, and To Spark a Fae War. Plus, this edition has gorgeous illustrations included as well as a full-color map of The Fair Isle. The hardcover is absolutely gorgeous!
(I am only reviewing book 1, To Carve a Fae Heart, to avoid spoilers for books 2 & 3.)
I was so excited when Tessonja announced that she was putting together a series omnibus for The Fair Isle Trilogy! It was one of my favorites of 2020. I love this series! High fantasy, enemies-to-lovers, political intrigue, characters you love, and characters you love to hate…these books have it all.
Evelyn thinks that she and her sister, Amelie, are safe from the Hundred Year Reaping because two others have already been chosen and sent away to be married to the king and his brother. Things always happen, don’t they? Evelyn and Amelie find themselves being carted off anyway (because the first two chosen have been executed) with Amelie set to marry the king and Evelyn the prince.
I love all the twists and turns in this book. I stopped trying to figure things out because I was wrong every time.
The world building is amazing too. I love the descriptions of Fairwyvae. I felt like I was actually walking through the castle, listening to the waves crashing below, and meeting all of the lifelike characters. One of my favorite scenes is when Evelyn meets the Queen of the Sea Court for the first time. It was comical to me how Evelyn holds her own against this frightening and powerful woman. I have so many favorite scenes! Enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope and this book is one of the reasons why. It is so well done! You will fall in love with Evie and King Aspen.
The first two books end on a good cliffhanger with the third brings it all to a great ending. This is one of those series that you wish you could read all over again for the first time. But, even so, this reread was just as good as the first time through.
I gave this book all the stars and highly recommend it to fans of YA Fantasy, high fantasy, epic fantasy, and fae stories. I was given an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
(I am only reviewing book 1, To Carve a Fae Heart, to avoid spoilers for books 2 & 3.)
I was so excited when Tessonja announced that she was putting together a series omnibus for The Fair Isle Trilogy! It was one of my favorites of 2020. I love this series! High fantasy, enemies-to-lovers, political intrigue, characters you love, and characters you love to hate…these books have it all.
Evelyn thinks that she and her sister, Amelie, are safe from the Hundred Year Reaping because two others have already been chosen and sent away to be married to the king and his brother. Things always happen, don’t they? Evelyn and Amelie find themselves being carted off anyway (because the first two chosen have been executed) with Amelie set to marry the king and Evelyn the prince.
I love all the twists and turns in this book. I stopped trying to figure things out because I was wrong every time.
The world building is amazing too. I love the descriptions of Fairwyvae. I felt like I was actually walking through the castle, listening to the waves crashing below, and meeting all of the lifelike characters. One of my favorite scenes is when Evelyn meets the Queen of the Sea Court for the first time. It was comical to me how Evelyn holds her own against this frightening and powerful woman. I have so many favorite scenes! Enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope and this book is one of the reasons why. It is so well done! You will fall in love with Evie and King Aspen.
The first two books end on a good cliffhanger with the third brings it all to a great ending. This is one of those series that you wish you could read all over again for the first time. But, even so, this reread was just as good as the first time through.
I gave this book all the stars and highly recommend it to fans of YA Fantasy, high fantasy, epic fantasy, and fae stories. I was given an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 30, 2021
The Fair Isle Trilogy is a complete series collection, featuring three full length novels in a single volume: To Carve a Fae Heart, To Wear a Fae Crown, and To Spark a Fae War.”
This is a great set but I warn you once you pick this up you will not be able to put this down. The world building is incredible and just draws you in and the storyline/s is sooooo good. There’s tons of adventure, romance , twists and surprises and along with the fantastic characters this fantasy set is a must read!
This is a great set but I warn you once you pick this up you will not be able to put this down. The world building is incredible and just draws you in and the storyline/s is sooooo good. There’s tons of adventure, romance , twists and surprises and along with the fantastic characters this fantasy set is a must read!
January 27, 2022
A Thrilling Fae Trilogy!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy which tells the story of a human girl, Evelyn Fairfield, as she becomes first a mate for The Autumn King and then a queen in her own right.
Along the way, there is political intrigue, so many mythical creatures, war, love, loss, and redemption.
I first read Curse of the Wolf King and Heart of the Raven Prince and I loved seeing how Flavas and especially Franco played into the original trilogy.
If you love stories about the Fae, arranged marriages, political intrigue, and Found Family, then don’t miss this series! The writing is phenomenal as are the incredible audiobooks narrated by Caitlin Davies!
Don’t miss this series or any of Tessonja’s books! They’re all amazing!
I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy which tells the story of a human girl, Evelyn Fairfield, as she becomes first a mate for The Autumn King and then a queen in her own right.
Along the way, there is political intrigue, so many mythical creatures, war, love, loss, and redemption.
I first read Curse of the Wolf King and Heart of the Raven Prince and I loved seeing how Flavas and especially Franco played into the original trilogy.
If you love stories about the Fae, arranged marriages, political intrigue, and Found Family, then don’t miss this series! The writing is phenomenal as are the incredible audiobooks narrated by Caitlin Davies!
Don’t miss this series or any of Tessonja’s books! They’re all amazing!
August 4, 2024
An entertaining read for sure even though the concept was nothing new. The first book was my favorite out of the three. I will warn that this series is definitely new adult, with book three having quite a few “scenes”. I am intrigued enough to go back to her Entangled with Fae series to try out Franco’s story.
July 28, 2021
These are parts of my full review. Want to read all of it? Make sure to check my full review out on my blog Boekensteeg
The Fair Isle Trilogy is a complete collection in one book. It contains 3 previously published books by Tessonja Odette. These books are To Carve a Fae Heart, To Wear a Fae Crown and To Spark a Fae War. I hadn’t read a single book in the trilogy myself, so the whole story was new to me. However, I am already familiar with Odette’s writing style after reading Curse of the Wolf King. I really liked this book, but will this trilogy be just as good?
The Fair Isle Trilogy is a complete collection in one book. It contains 3 previously published books by Tessonja Odette. These books are To Carve a Fae Heart, To Wear a Fae Crown and To Spark a Fae War. I hadn’t read a single book in the trilogy myself, so the whole story was new to me. However, I am already familiar with Odette’s writing style after reading Curse of the Wolf King. I really liked this book, but will this trilogy be just as good?
December 8, 2021
A darling YA fantasy romance and action story! Fans of ACOTAR will enjoy this trilogy.
Read
February 27, 2022 dnf @ 40%
the moment i start to get bored i know i better dnf the book or i will end up in a reading slump.
the moment i start to get bored i know i better dnf the book or i will end up in a reading slump.
October 9, 2025
It was just okay. I won’t remember a single thing about it in a month.
July 17, 2022
As a whole 4★
Book 1: 5★
Book 2: 3 ★
Book 3: 4★
Book 1: 5★
Book 2: 3 ★
Book 3: 4★
January 15, 2022
The characters are so easy to fall for. The writing style of the author just flows beautifully. The magic and different types of Fae are fun and endearing. The pitting of humans vs Fae vs Sellie/Unseelie is enthralling and page-turning. The spinoff series, Entangled With Fae, is even more compelling as they are all fairytale retellings. The author also an amazing artist and draws all her own character art/coverwork. I will always hold this series as a favorite dear to my heart!
January 6, 2024
10/10
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Every young woman dreams of marrying a king.
Everyone except for me.
Because the king I am to wed has razor sharp fangs and a thirst for blood…
This series was amazing!!! I read the trilogy on Kindle Unlimited!! The three books are To Carve a Fae Heart, To Wear a Fae Crown, and To Spark a Fae War. Perfect start to the spooky season! Strong female leads, cute love stories, and action packed! During the Hundred Year Reaping (a treaty that was made long ago) two human girls are sent to the faelands as brides for the fearsome fae king and his devilish younger brother, but things don’t go as expected….
These books gave The Hunger Games and ACOTAR vibes all in one!! I fell in love with Franco of course! Who is a sarcastic and charming vampire from the Lunar Court! ♥️
Favorite Quote: “Don’t let an unknown evil take you away from me before it’s even time.”
If you are looking for a cute fantasy ya this series should be on your tbr!!!! I can’t wait to read the next three books that are about the other side characters in this series!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Every young woman dreams of marrying a king.
Everyone except for me.
Because the king I am to wed has razor sharp fangs and a thirst for blood…
This series was amazing!!! I read the trilogy on Kindle Unlimited!! The three books are To Carve a Fae Heart, To Wear a Fae Crown, and To Spark a Fae War. Perfect start to the spooky season! Strong female leads, cute love stories, and action packed! During the Hundred Year Reaping (a treaty that was made long ago) two human girls are sent to the faelands as brides for the fearsome fae king and his devilish younger brother, but things don’t go as expected….
These books gave The Hunger Games and ACOTAR vibes all in one!! I fell in love with Franco of course! Who is a sarcastic and charming vampire from the Lunar Court! ♥️
Favorite Quote: “Don’t let an unknown evil take you away from me before it’s even time.”
If you are looking for a cute fantasy ya this series should be on your tbr!!!! I can’t wait to read the next three books that are about the other side characters in this series!!
June 30, 2022
Review of Book 1:
4.5 stars. I enjoyed this every bit as much as the A Court of thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. This one had vivid characters, a well-developed world, and a captivating plot. Way better than the Shadows of Lela trilogy, which I love too...but The Fair Isle trilogy is going to be even better. Definitely recommend for fantasy lovers.
Also, the steamy scenes are much more tasteful than good ole SJM and it doesn't have the cringy language either. A+!
Review of Book 2:
4.5 stars. Even better than the first one, in my humble opinion. Can't stand Amelie; Aspen is a sweetheart; Evie got even cooler (ha! if you have read this book you will know why this is a joke!) than ever. Lots more world building. Way better than the first one which was awesome to start with.
Review of Book 3:
4 stars. A great conclusion to the series with lots of politics, intrigue, and the perfect amount of romance.
*I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.*
4.5 stars. I enjoyed this every bit as much as the A Court of thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. This one had vivid characters, a well-developed world, and a captivating plot. Way better than the Shadows of Lela trilogy, which I love too...but The Fair Isle trilogy is going to be even better. Definitely recommend for fantasy lovers.
Also, the steamy scenes are much more tasteful than good ole SJM and it doesn't have the cringy language either. A+!
Review of Book 2:
4.5 stars. Even better than the first one, in my humble opinion. Can't stand Amelie; Aspen is a sweetheart; Evie got even cooler (ha! if you have read this book you will know why this is a joke!) than ever. Lots more world building. Way better than the first one which was awesome to start with.
Review of Book 3:
4 stars. A great conclusion to the series with lots of politics, intrigue, and the perfect amount of romance.
*I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.*
January 3, 2025
3.75 stars
By some sheer force of will, I binged this 800 page omnibus in a day, and it was so close to being a perfect trilogy!
Typical of the current market on Kindle, this series fits with favoured tropes found in Romantasy with brooding Fae Princes and their stubborn, knife stabbing heroines who are involved in an enemies-to-lovers situation. While this was the case, I was pleasantly surprised by how Odette managed to make world building aspects unique and to create a FMC who felt very human and wasn’t always attached to the hip to the MMC.
Evelyn (Evie) was an interesting FMC as we follow her struggles to let go of past incidents which lead to her black and white prejudice against the neighbouring Fae and her scientific logic to understanding magic. This transforms to begrudging acceptance to her advocating for the very creatures she once despised after witnessing that humans can be just as monstrous. Though her actions spurred by her stubborn nature and thinking of what was thought to be the greater good did feel like they were only there to fill in parts of the novel, I adored the growth she went through and the peace she finds after accepting her tumultuous emotions and getting through life-altering events. She is initially flawed in the sense of being hyper independent which leads her to acting apathetic towards others and enacting on her justice driven senses without assistance, but I was rooting for her all the way.
I loved learning about the political landscape between Unseelie and Seelie and their clear cultural distinctions, seeing how this impacted certain courts and the big powerhouses who favour the Seelie way. It was also fascinating to learn about the Unseelie forms which were not always just humanoid with horns and other fantastical appendages. Still it would have been nice getting to know more Unseelie characters.
On the topic of the fae, I loved the aspect of the bargains and glamour and their intricacies when used against other fae or fae to human. I loved the mystic behind the blessing of the All of All and taking it to the Twelfth Court which added another unique element to the story.
As much as I was absorbed with the plot and the characters, there were some points that I couldn’t get past.
I briefly mentioned Evie and her rash judgements which incited further incidents. These were not as subtle as they were made out to be, and were sometimes painfully obvious to have the foresight to see betrayal and loud omissions. For someone who is used to being straight-laced and logically stubborn, she’s not so astute when it comes to people she thinks she knows, such as with her sister, Amelie who she coddles and doesn’t take seriously.
The romance between Aspen and Evie was also something I was mildly fine with even if their arguments because of omission of truth and upholding the treaty led to many irritated sighs. I honestly can’t remember much about their moments together. Aspen’s feelings towards Evie were also very instalove and I just couldn’t get behind their sweet moments together later down the line because of this. The author does try to justify this when a character says that “the fae know what they want quickly” but this just feels like a quick way out.
Though I did say the characters were a big part of why I liked this trilogy, their underutilisation was part of the reason why the story wasn’t a 5 star read. It was great to see such a large cast of characters with some established development to them that I favoured over the romance, but there were certain individuals that fell under the trap of being developed for a certain scene before becoming fodder.
Most painful of all was Amelie’s character and her later PTSD. I wanted to see more of that darkness after the main events from the first book and what she could have been with her innate bursts of power. I’m still not fully on board with how she managed to kill the Sea Queen or any closer to figuring out the complicated relationship she had with Cobalt who claims his heart is hers after chaining her to multiple bargains, and his radical beliefs in making a better life for the Isle. I know there’s a novella about Amelie finding her happy ending, but it appears very lighthearted compared to the darkness from this series.
Overall, I wouldn’t mind rereading this series again or starting the other standalones that takes place 20 years after the initial trilogy. I enjoyed how the overarching plot and found family came together in the end, and the way Odette made the overused Fae aesthetic/lore unique and very much her own.
By some sheer force of will, I binged this 800 page omnibus in a day, and it was so close to being a perfect trilogy!
Typical of the current market on Kindle, this series fits with favoured tropes found in Romantasy with brooding Fae Princes and their stubborn, knife stabbing heroines who are involved in an enemies-to-lovers situation. While this was the case, I was pleasantly surprised by how Odette managed to make world building aspects unique and to create a FMC who felt very human and wasn’t always attached to the hip to the MMC.
Evelyn (Evie) was an interesting FMC as we follow her struggles to let go of past incidents which lead to her black and white prejudice against the neighbouring Fae and her scientific logic to understanding magic. This transforms to begrudging acceptance to her advocating for the very creatures she once despised after witnessing that humans can be just as monstrous. Though her actions spurred by her stubborn nature and thinking of what was thought to be the greater good did feel like they were only there to fill in parts of the novel, I adored the growth she went through and the peace she finds after accepting her tumultuous emotions and getting through life-altering events. She is initially flawed in the sense of being hyper independent which leads her to acting apathetic towards others and enacting on her justice driven senses without assistance, but I was rooting for her all the way.
I loved learning about the political landscape between Unseelie and Seelie and their clear cultural distinctions, seeing how this impacted certain courts and the big powerhouses who favour the Seelie way. It was also fascinating to learn about the Unseelie forms which were not always just humanoid with horns and other fantastical appendages. Still it would have been nice getting to know more Unseelie characters.
On the topic of the fae, I loved the aspect of the bargains and glamour and their intricacies when used against other fae or fae to human. I loved the mystic behind the blessing of the All of All and taking it to the Twelfth Court which added another unique element to the story.
As much as I was absorbed with the plot and the characters, there were some points that I couldn’t get past.
I briefly mentioned Evie and her rash judgements which incited further incidents. These were not as subtle as they were made out to be, and were sometimes painfully obvious to have the foresight to see betrayal and loud omissions. For someone who is used to being straight-laced and logically stubborn, she’s not so astute when it comes to people she thinks she knows, such as with her sister, Amelie who she coddles and doesn’t take seriously.
The romance between Aspen and Evie was also something I was mildly fine with even if their arguments because of omission of truth and upholding the treaty led to many irritated sighs. I honestly can’t remember much about their moments together. Aspen’s feelings towards Evie were also very instalove and I just couldn’t get behind their sweet moments together later down the line because of this. The author does try to justify this when a character says that “the fae know what they want quickly” but this just feels like a quick way out.
Though I did say the characters were a big part of why I liked this trilogy, their underutilisation was part of the reason why the story wasn’t a 5 star read. It was great to see such a large cast of characters with some established development to them that I favoured over the romance, but there were certain individuals that fell under the trap of being developed for a certain scene before becoming fodder.
Most painful of all was Amelie’s character and her later PTSD. I wanted to see more of that darkness after the main events from the first book and what she could have been with her innate bursts of power. I’m still not fully on board with how she managed to kill the Sea Queen or any closer to figuring out the complicated relationship she had with Cobalt who claims his heart is hers after chaining her to multiple bargains, and his radical beliefs in making a better life for the Isle. I know there’s a novella about Amelie finding her happy ending, but it appears very lighthearted compared to the darkness from this series.
Overall, I wouldn’t mind rereading this series again or starting the other standalones that takes place 20 years after the initial trilogy. I enjoyed how the overarching plot and found family came together in the end, and the way Odette made the overused Fae aesthetic/lore unique and very much her own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2022
So I’ll be the first to admit I did not have high hopes for this book, Fae fantasy books are always on my ‘wary reads’ list. Especially after ACOTAR.
BUT, I was pleasantly surprised.
Now I can’t pronounce or remember how to correctly spell some of the places in the series, and the biggest net-negative is sort of the contrived way the author keeps the main lead and her love interest separated in the second book, but I have to say it was a mostly a very refreshing take on the Fae world.
The main character actually /feels/ like a character despite the fact we read from her perspective only, a lot of first person POV’s have this issue where the main lead just walks up through the plot and somehow manages to be the center of everything happening. (I hate to keep comparing the two but) in ACOTAR Feyre could be replaced with any other character/reader/self insert stand in and the plot would still play out the same, here it feels like Evie not only is our self insert but the whole reason anything ever happens in the story. Without her the plot falls apart.
So what happens in TFIT?
Evelyn Fairfield (who suffers from Fae sounding name syndrome lol) is a regular human who really just wants to be a doctor and distrusts the Fae and magic in general bc her sister was almost killed by one, and her mother believed in magic to the point it almost helped. Evie is a woman of science and has a staunch belief in modern medicine, so she wants to be a doctor and it looks like everything is going her way. Even the Fae Reaping (where two girls are selected to be the brides of some Fae royalty to keep a treaty between the mortal and immortal intact) has passed over her.
You can imagine how things go to shit for her right?
Not only do the two brides selected before get straight up murdered, but she and her sister and chosen for a replacement. Her sister is engaged to the ‘stag king’ (which I thought was gonna be like a cool reoccurring nickname but it wasn’t oh well) and she’s engaged to the younger brother.
Spoiler heavy from here on out
Honestly, Prince cobalt being a traitor kind of felt obvious, and I feel like a better way to get Evie to marry Aspen would’ve been like to play on her nature as the younger-but older acting sister thing and have her offer herself to marry the ‘evil baby eating stag king’. But I’m not the author so whatever.
Anyways, my second gripe about the series comes in some of the wording for the magic system. Im gonna water down the explanation here so like I can make a one to one example with some popular media ok?
So, in this universe Fae are separated into seelie and unseelie but they /also/ have courts. At first I was like “ how wtf is that gonna work” BUT the author did this cool thing where like the unseelie and seelie both have rulers for a court/their own ruler for a specific court. Like there is a official ‘night court’ queen, but she is seelie I think. Then they have a Day court King, who is unseelie kind of thing going on. The thing is that they have a twelfth court, which is considered like their spiritual court/like the force in starwars. Like instead of ‘let the force be with you’ it’s ‘take it to the twelfth court ‘ BUT they also have a ruler there who selects …worthy? People? Rulers?
The gripe here is that like, the deity thing is called ‘the all of all’. So like later when evie is chosen by it to be a ruler, everyone is like “ Oh shit man you got chosen by the all of all” or “ Our all of all chosen queen” which is just, fine. I’m letting the book get away with this because it’s decent otherwise.
Alright so, I just said Evie is chosen as the queen of something, which is the unseelie queen of Fire, because she’s actuallyyyyyy half fae. I thought she was gonna be the child of the banished Fire king who the series kept mentioning, but she’s actually his granddaughter which I thought was a nice refreshing take on a very obvious set up. I also thought her being the unseelie queen of Fire was a cool subversion as well, because I always figure whenever a book has seelie and unseelie the main character is going to stay seelie? Idk it was cool. Let’s get into the characters a little.
Evie as a character is interesting, she’s so much like other YA protagonists but also real enough? Like a problem I see alot with YA protagonists is that when you describe them no matter what book it is, they’re always just a splurge of adjectives that I guess kind of fit them, but evie has a really good personality. She’s smart, passionate, and headstrong. Which combined makes her a pleasure to read about. She’s smart on more than one occasion and not like ‘oh she bbc sherlocked this shit’ or did a Tony stark where she had a plan all along and ha ha you didn’t see it coming, she’s smart in that she’s well aware she doesn’t know /everything/. She’s smart in that she’s willing to learn and listen and make mistakes and the author lets her make those mistakes. She’s also smart in that she doesn’t distrust everyone right off the bat, but she also doesn’t trust everyone. She’s passionate as hell, and not in that she’s spouted a sonnet, it’s that when she’s made aware she’s wrong about something or she did something wrong she’s willing to make amends, she’s passionate in that any cause she believes in she’s willing to see it through. And she is headstrong and boy does it show, but not impossibly so. When she is right in her mind, or what she’s doing in the long run is right, she can waver, but is willing to do whatever it is to get to her end goal. Her romance is Meh, I don’t really feel like her story is a romance, and it’s kind of bland but I’m glad she has someone.
Aspen is the seelieish king of autumn….and he is…ok. He’s kind of just like, “ Rah I’m angry bc rah” or “ Evie I would move the sun itself for u I love u so so much” most of the time and he does have some flavor to him like, he’s a smart ruler in that he plays both seelie and unseelie sides In court proceedings, but he’s kind of just…there. I didn’t fall in love with him.
Amelie, Evie’s sister.
Out of the sibling characters in YA I have to say, she’s interesting…? I like how she never wavers in her happy go lucky attitude even at her lowest point, but there wasn’t a ton of focus on her.
There’s some other fun LGBTQ+ side characters too, infact there’s a fair amount of the community rep in this book, and none of them are like main characters and the book is pretty cis love only, I give this book points for at least trying to have positive/complicated/better LGBTQ+ community members in a Fae society unlike ACOTAR. If the Lunar court queen is ever single let me know…
Anyways, is The Fair Isle Trilogy the best book I read ever? No, it’s pretty good though and perfect for anyone just getting into Fae YA fantasy, I think it deserves way more hype than ACOTAR though.
-AC
BUT, I was pleasantly surprised.
Now I can’t pronounce or remember how to correctly spell some of the places in the series, and the biggest net-negative is sort of the contrived way the author keeps the main lead and her love interest separated in the second book, but I have to say it was a mostly a very refreshing take on the Fae world.
The main character actually /feels/ like a character despite the fact we read from her perspective only, a lot of first person POV’s have this issue where the main lead just walks up through the plot and somehow manages to be the center of everything happening. (I hate to keep comparing the two but) in ACOTAR Feyre could be replaced with any other character/reader/self insert stand in and the plot would still play out the same, here it feels like Evie not only is our self insert but the whole reason anything ever happens in the story. Without her the plot falls apart.
So what happens in TFIT?
Evelyn Fairfield (who suffers from Fae sounding name syndrome lol) is a regular human who really just wants to be a doctor and distrusts the Fae and magic in general bc her sister was almost killed by one, and her mother believed in magic to the point it almost helped. Evie is a woman of science and has a staunch belief in modern medicine, so she wants to be a doctor and it looks like everything is going her way. Even the Fae Reaping (where two girls are selected to be the brides of some Fae royalty to keep a treaty between the mortal and immortal intact) has passed over her.
You can imagine how things go to shit for her right?
Not only do the two brides selected before get straight up murdered, but she and her sister and chosen for a replacement. Her sister is engaged to the ‘stag king’ (which I thought was gonna be like a cool reoccurring nickname but it wasn’t oh well) and she’s engaged to the younger brother.
Spoiler heavy from here on out
Honestly, Prince cobalt being a traitor kind of felt obvious, and I feel like a better way to get Evie to marry Aspen would’ve been like to play on her nature as the younger-but older acting sister thing and have her offer herself to marry the ‘evil baby eating stag king’. But I’m not the author so whatever.
Anyways, my second gripe about the series comes in some of the wording for the magic system. Im gonna water down the explanation here so like I can make a one to one example with some popular media ok?
So, in this universe Fae are separated into seelie and unseelie but they /also/ have courts. At first I was like “ how wtf is that gonna work” BUT the author did this cool thing where like the unseelie and seelie both have rulers for a court/their own ruler for a specific court. Like there is a official ‘night court’ queen, but she is seelie I think. Then they have a Day court King, who is unseelie kind of thing going on. The thing is that they have a twelfth court, which is considered like their spiritual court/like the force in starwars. Like instead of ‘let the force be with you’ it’s ‘take it to the twelfth court ‘ BUT they also have a ruler there who selects …worthy? People? Rulers?
The gripe here is that like, the deity thing is called ‘the all of all’. So like later when evie is chosen by it to be a ruler, everyone is like “ Oh shit man you got chosen by the all of all” or “ Our all of all chosen queen” which is just, fine. I’m letting the book get away with this because it’s decent otherwise.
Alright so, I just said Evie is chosen as the queen of something, which is the unseelie queen of Fire, because she’s actuallyyyyyy half fae. I thought she was gonna be the child of the banished Fire king who the series kept mentioning, but she’s actually his granddaughter which I thought was a nice refreshing take on a very obvious set up. I also thought her being the unseelie queen of Fire was a cool subversion as well, because I always figure whenever a book has seelie and unseelie the main character is going to stay seelie? Idk it was cool. Let’s get into the characters a little.
Evie as a character is interesting, she’s so much like other YA protagonists but also real enough? Like a problem I see alot with YA protagonists is that when you describe them no matter what book it is, they’re always just a splurge of adjectives that I guess kind of fit them, but evie has a really good personality. She’s smart, passionate, and headstrong. Which combined makes her a pleasure to read about. She’s smart on more than one occasion and not like ‘oh she bbc sherlocked this shit’ or did a Tony stark where she had a plan all along and ha ha you didn’t see it coming, she’s smart in that she’s well aware she doesn’t know /everything/. She’s smart in that she’s willing to learn and listen and make mistakes and the author lets her make those mistakes. She’s also smart in that she doesn’t distrust everyone right off the bat, but she also doesn’t trust everyone. She’s passionate as hell, and not in that she’s spouted a sonnet, it’s that when she’s made aware she’s wrong about something or she did something wrong she’s willing to make amends, she’s passionate in that any cause she believes in she’s willing to see it through. And she is headstrong and boy does it show, but not impossibly so. When she is right in her mind, or what she’s doing in the long run is right, she can waver, but is willing to do whatever it is to get to her end goal. Her romance is Meh, I don’t really feel like her story is a romance, and it’s kind of bland but I’m glad she has someone.
Aspen is the seelieish king of autumn….and he is…ok. He’s kind of just like, “ Rah I’m angry bc rah” or “ Evie I would move the sun itself for u I love u so so much” most of the time and he does have some flavor to him like, he’s a smart ruler in that he plays both seelie and unseelie sides In court proceedings, but he’s kind of just…there. I didn’t fall in love with him.
Amelie, Evie’s sister.
Out of the sibling characters in YA I have to say, she’s interesting…? I like how she never wavers in her happy go lucky attitude even at her lowest point, but there wasn’t a ton of focus on her.
There’s some other fun LGBTQ+ side characters too, infact there’s a fair amount of the community rep in this book, and none of them are like main characters and the book is pretty cis love only, I give this book points for at least trying to have positive/complicated/better LGBTQ+ community members in a Fae society unlike ACOTAR. If the Lunar court queen is ever single let me know…
Anyways, is The Fair Isle Trilogy the best book I read ever? No, it’s pretty good though and perfect for anyone just getting into Fae YA fantasy, I think it deserves way more hype than ACOTAR though.
-AC
July 1, 2021
I feel so privileged to have been picked to read an advanced copy before this came out yesterday. As soon as I saw the cover I knew it was one that I was going to enjoy. Do you ever find books like that? Let's face it, all we do is judge books by their covers haha.
This series was so fun because it's like Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black got together and had this book baby. Its full of fae and fairies and magic and all the tense political drama you might expect from either of those authors. Plus, do I even have to say it? great romance. I'll say it once, I'll say it a thousand times, if there's no romance I'm not reading it. Okay, that might not be completely true, but it's pretty close haha.
The first book grabbed me right away because it's a forced coupling (which I love). Evelyn is forced to marry a fae king as part of a treaty that keeps the wall between humans and fae intact, thus allowing everyone to live in peace. The continuing of this peace is all Evelyn has ever wanted, so she does her best to go through with it. However, the treaty conditions means her sister has come to marry the fae too, and she seems much less interested in maintaining the treaty for peace... It's such a great adventure with Evelyn trying to figure out what's the most important and if sacrificing yourself will actually save anyone. I really enjoyed it as someone who tends to push myself past my limits for the people I care about in my life. It definitely made me realize I should be willing to hold back sometimes so I don't feel like dying because in the end your loved ones will still love you even if you're not 100%.
Seriously you guys, I pulled some late nights with these ones and I was not disappointed. The only caveat I feel like I need to share is that there are some adult situations (not as bad as Sarah's but more than you'd see in Holly's), so I bare that in mind before allowing younger persons to pick this one up.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This series was so fun because it's like Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black got together and had this book baby. Its full of fae and fairies and magic and all the tense political drama you might expect from either of those authors. Plus, do I even have to say it? great romance. I'll say it once, I'll say it a thousand times, if there's no romance I'm not reading it. Okay, that might not be completely true, but it's pretty close haha.
The first book grabbed me right away because it's a forced coupling (which I love). Evelyn is forced to marry a fae king as part of a treaty that keeps the wall between humans and fae intact, thus allowing everyone to live in peace. The continuing of this peace is all Evelyn has ever wanted, so she does her best to go through with it. However, the treaty conditions means her sister has come to marry the fae too, and she seems much less interested in maintaining the treaty for peace... It's such a great adventure with Evelyn trying to figure out what's the most important and if sacrificing yourself will actually save anyone. I really enjoyed it as someone who tends to push myself past my limits for the people I care about in my life. It definitely made me realize I should be willing to hold back sometimes so I don't feel like dying because in the end your loved ones will still love you even if you're not 100%.
Seriously you guys, I pulled some late nights with these ones and I was not disappointed. The only caveat I feel like I need to share is that there are some adult situations (not as bad as Sarah's but more than you'd see in Holly's), so I bare that in mind before allowing younger persons to pick this one up.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 6, 2024
An enjoyable Fae romance. If you have nostalgia for the ACOTAR plot points but wish it was a little bit more These Hollow Vows in terms of heat and heart, this will be right in your comfort zone.
Our MCs are both tough and stubborn to the point of being maddening, showing us just how alike the two are. They do miscommunicate, but it doesn't pad out their enemies to lovers plot. We get some fun side characters with feisty Lorelei and darling Foxglove the Fae servants who are always in the thick of things. After book one's shocker, we find out the truth about the baddies... And maybe some of the good guys too.
The plot arcs along nicely at a steady pace, and it was great to see another interpretation of the Fae elemental courts and their awkward political stances regardless of where they live. Here Seelie favor human-like ways and forms, while Unseelie prefer the old red in tooth and claw sort of thing, staying in their mythical forms. Shifters, vampires, flower fairies, kitsune, wisps, wraiths; no matter the mythology, it's in there.
A couple of things were a tad jarring: our heroine Evie's insistence that magic isn't real despite literally being shown otherwise; MMC Aspen's sudden character change from paranoid to paramour; the odd world setting that never quite established the pseudo time period until late on (sort of 1910s-ish in the human realm); and, well, vampire fae dressing in leather and hematite - an iron ore - like a modern goth (Ok, so I did end up loving Franco, but he needs to work on that non toxic wardrobe!)
The writing style is very modern and easy to read, though it doesn't go as casually modern some YAs tend towards. It's no high fantasy, but it makes for a cozy comfort read. I'd recommend reading the prequel To Rule a Fae Throne before or after book one, and the side story To Kill A Fae King after book 2.
Our MCs are both tough and stubborn to the point of being maddening, showing us just how alike the two are. They do miscommunicate, but it doesn't pad out their enemies to lovers plot. We get some fun side characters with feisty Lorelei and darling Foxglove the Fae servants who are always in the thick of things. After book one's shocker, we find out the truth about the baddies... And maybe some of the good guys too.
The plot arcs along nicely at a steady pace, and it was great to see another interpretation of the Fae elemental courts and their awkward political stances regardless of where they live. Here Seelie favor human-like ways and forms, while Unseelie prefer the old red in tooth and claw sort of thing, staying in their mythical forms. Shifters, vampires, flower fairies, kitsune, wisps, wraiths; no matter the mythology, it's in there.
A couple of things were a tad jarring: our heroine Evie's insistence that magic isn't real despite literally being shown otherwise; MMC Aspen's sudden character change from paranoid to paramour; the odd world setting that never quite established the pseudo time period until late on (sort of 1910s-ish in the human realm); and, well, vampire fae dressing in leather and hematite - an iron ore - like a modern goth (Ok, so I did end up loving Franco, but he needs to work on that non toxic wardrobe!)
The writing style is very modern and easy to read, though it doesn't go as casually modern some YAs tend towards. It's no high fantasy, but it makes for a cozy comfort read. I'd recommend reading the prequel To Rule a Fae Throne before or after book one, and the side story To Kill A Fae King after book 2.
June 30, 2021
Honest Review in exchange for an ARC copy of this book at the authors request! All opinions expressed are solely my own.
The Fair Isle Trilogy: Complete Series Collection by Tessonja Odette would be given a 3 star rating by me. And I admit I rate harsh! I enjoyed this eons more than I was expecting too. They say not to judge a book by its cover, and I have always found the opposite true until recently. I came across this book on several of my book suggestion lists and was so happy to be allowed to review it for Odette as a trilogy collection release! To Carve A Fae Heart was enticing and intriguing from the get go, and the characters each had their own flavours and voice, which many in the Fantasy genre struggle with. I can’t bear a drab narration, but here everything held my attention and intrigue. Odette does a brilliant job of conveying a world like so many but in an original clearly inspired way. It isn’t difficult to create this world whilst reading her words and her creations actions. Book 2 is again quite an intrigue to read although I did find myself slowing with need to read towards the second half… I am so glad I stuck with it though and am glad to say the third book defied my previous expectations and led me back to Faerwyvae happily. This is an author I am glad to say has left an interesting and fun to read series and I look forward to reading more in the future. Overall, I give it a 3 star rating, as compared to many other Fantasy Fiction books and series, the world is not complete, and certain areas of character development sure did feel lacking and I had no pining after heroes or antihero moments. But I enjoyed it as an easy to read foray into the Fantasy Fiction world.
The Fair Isle Trilogy: Complete Series Collection by Tessonja Odette would be given a 3 star rating by me. And I admit I rate harsh! I enjoyed this eons more than I was expecting too. They say not to judge a book by its cover, and I have always found the opposite true until recently. I came across this book on several of my book suggestion lists and was so happy to be allowed to review it for Odette as a trilogy collection release! To Carve A Fae Heart was enticing and intriguing from the get go, and the characters each had their own flavours and voice, which many in the Fantasy genre struggle with. I can’t bear a drab narration, but here everything held my attention and intrigue. Odette does a brilliant job of conveying a world like so many but in an original clearly inspired way. It isn’t difficult to create this world whilst reading her words and her creations actions. Book 2 is again quite an intrigue to read although I did find myself slowing with need to read towards the second half… I am so glad I stuck with it though and am glad to say the third book defied my previous expectations and led me back to Faerwyvae happily. This is an author I am glad to say has left an interesting and fun to read series and I look forward to reading more in the future. Overall, I give it a 3 star rating, as compared to many other Fantasy Fiction books and series, the world is not complete, and certain areas of character development sure did feel lacking and I had no pining after heroes or antihero moments. But I enjoyed it as an easy to read foray into the Fantasy Fiction world.
July 11, 2021
There are so many reasons to pick up this book. First, Tessonja Odette does a fabulous job with the enemies to lovers trope. At the beginning of the story, it's hard to imagine Evie with any fae much less the stag king. But as the story progresses and the two are drawn together sparks really begin to fly. My favorite scene in the book is probably when the two fantasize about their potential future prior to what they think will be their imminent doom. I love that scene, because it showcases how far the two have come over the course of the story.
Then there are the gorgeous places and outfits that Tessonja has come up with. This may sound super girly, but I love reading about outfits from different cultures and time periods. One of my favorite things in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah Maas was Celaena's wardrobe and Tessonja Odette has also made me wish that I could buy the clothes Evie and especially Queen Nyxia of Lunar wear in the "Fair Isle Trilogy".
And last, but not least Tessonja does a great job of fleshing out side characters like Foxglove, Franco and Lorelei. I've read too many books where the main characters were the only ones fully developed. However, in the "Fair Isle Trilogy" I felt like most characters had distinct personalities and were far from one dimensional. Franco, the brother of the Queen of the Lunar Court was a particular favorite of mine with a snarky personality that hides a good heart. I can't wait to read more of his story in "Heart of the Raven Prince".
This was a 4 out of 5 for me. If you like fantasy romance and stories with a happily ever after then you should definitely pick this one up.
For more reviews like this check out my blog (http://reviewsbym.com) and instagram (@msbookworld)
Then there are the gorgeous places and outfits that Tessonja has come up with. This may sound super girly, but I love reading about outfits from different cultures and time periods. One of my favorite things in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah Maas was Celaena's wardrobe and Tessonja Odette has also made me wish that I could buy the clothes Evie and especially Queen Nyxia of Lunar wear in the "Fair Isle Trilogy".
And last, but not least Tessonja does a great job of fleshing out side characters like Foxglove, Franco and Lorelei. I've read too many books where the main characters were the only ones fully developed. However, in the "Fair Isle Trilogy" I felt like most characters had distinct personalities and were far from one dimensional. Franco, the brother of the Queen of the Lunar Court was a particular favorite of mine with a snarky personality that hides a good heart. I can't wait to read more of his story in "Heart of the Raven Prince".
This was a 4 out of 5 for me. If you like fantasy romance and stories with a happily ever after then you should definitely pick this one up.
For more reviews like this check out my blog (http://reviewsbym.com) and instagram (@msbookworld)
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