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Sacrificed to the Fae King #1
Forced to be Queen
MARRY THE KING, SAVE THE WORLD
When the fae came, their magic brought destruction that only stopped when we offered them the one thing they wanted:
Wives for their kings.
I was selected "at random".
Sacrificed to the fae.
But the sexy, infuriating king I'm paired with doesn't want my body or soul; he wants my help.
Thanks to some kind of prophecy, he and his people think I can get them back home.
Getting them back home will require taking some of the king's magic, which is unstable on the best of days and catastrophic on the worst. When the power takes more effort to control than I would've ever guessed, and I'm forced to turn to my husband for help.
But the fae never give anything away for free; especially knowledge.
It was supposed to be simple:
Marry the king, save the world.
But now that we're married, and his power is becoming mine, our marriage might end up destroying the world… and I might be the one who destroys it.
When the fae came, their magic brought destruction that only stopped when we offered them the one thing they wanted:
Wives for their kings.
I was selected "at random".
Sacrificed to the fae.
But the sexy, infuriating king I'm paired with doesn't want my body or soul; he wants my help.
Thanks to some kind of prophecy, he and his people think I can get them back home.
Getting them back home will require taking some of the king's magic, which is unstable on the best of days and catastrophic on the worst. When the power takes more effort to control than I would've ever guessed, and I'm forced to turn to my husband for help.
But the fae never give anything away for free; especially knowledge.
It was supposed to be simple:
Marry the king, save the world.
But now that we're married, and his power is becoming mine, our marriage might end up destroying the world… and I might be the one who destroys it.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 27, 2021
995 people are currently reading
2039 people want to read
About the author
Lola Glass
118 books2,431 followersHi, I’m Lola! I’m a book lover with a *slight* romance obsession. My books are all steamy romantic fantasy or paranormal romance, and there is always a happily ever after.
Stop by my Facebook group, Lola's Book Lovers, for updates, giveaways and other fun!
For a full list of my work, check out my website https://www.authorlolaglass.com/
Thanks for reading!
All the love,
Lola Glass <3
Stop by my Facebook group, Lola's Book Lovers, for updates, giveaways and other fun!
For a full list of my work, check out my website https://www.authorlolaglass.com/
Thanks for reading!
All the love,
Lola Glass <3
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews
June 30, 2022
NLOG
For a book that is outspoken on misogyny and similar topics, the main character has such strong “I’m not like other girls” energy. It’s annoying. You can’t go a chapter without her subtle digs at other women in the book and it’s disappointing. Like talking about “three chick friendships” and how much she always got along better with guys. This is dumb because she literally separates herself from them.
She doesn’t get why Elyn didn’t forgive her partner when he apologized because it “seemed genuine” like are you kidding me? It’s understandable though because she folds for Auden, reading between the lines and jumping to conclusions though he’s giving her the bare minimum, crumbs. Also her deciding to stay loyal in a forced, arranged marriage because her mom was a cheater?
This book and author have a lot of potential but this reads like something you’d find written by a middle/high schooler on Wattpad or Quotev
For a book that is outspoken on misogyny and similar topics, the main character has such strong “I’m not like other girls” energy. It’s annoying. You can’t go a chapter without her subtle digs at other women in the book and it’s disappointing. Like talking about “three chick friendships” and how much she always got along better with guys. This is dumb because she literally separates herself from them.
She doesn’t get why Elyn didn’t forgive her partner when he apologized because it “seemed genuine” like are you kidding me? It’s understandable though because she folds for Auden, reading between the lines and jumping to conclusions though he’s giving her the bare minimum, crumbs. Also her deciding to stay loyal in a forced, arranged marriage because her mom was a cheater?
This book and author have a lot of potential but this reads like something you’d find written by a middle/high schooler on Wattpad or Quotev
December 27, 2021
I loved writing this first part of Noa and Auden's story, and I hope you enjoy reading it too!
-Lola Glass
-Lola Glass
February 8, 2023
Beware of Cliffhanger
I really enjoyed this book. It started off with action, but it was a bit difficult to get into because of lack of information. It really picked up and became a fast read. I liked the MFC, even if she was a little too ‘I’m not like other girls.’ That is a popular character type and it always grates on me. But I did like Noa’s optimism and spunk. She never backed down, but she wasn’t just against others to be contrary. She didn’t make things harder than they needed to be. The MMC was okay. He was better than the other guys. I think I was just bothered that one of the fae characteristics was to not tell others information. Ugh! I am definitely starting the next book right now though, because of the wisting cliffhanger!!
I really enjoyed this book. It started off with action, but it was a bit difficult to get into because of lack of information. It really picked up and became a fast read. I liked the MFC, even if she was a little too ‘I’m not like other girls.’ That is a popular character type and it always grates on me. But I did like Noa’s optimism and spunk. She never backed down, but she wasn’t just against others to be contrary. She didn’t make things harder than they needed to be. The MMC was okay. He was better than the other guys. I think I was just bothered that one of the fae characteristics was to not tell others information. Ugh! I am definitely starting the next book right now though, because of the wisting cliffhanger!!
October 14, 2022
Faes need women!
If you're looking for something unusual in the paranormal romance genre, this is it.
The author turns some of the fae-kidnapping stereotypes on their heads. I especially liked the subtly wry contest to find the most average women in the country - because apparently women on average are pretty unique & special in their own way, while the beautiful faerie stereotypes are their own kind of ordinary that aren't necessarily as desirable as they seem.
And while the fae are as traditionally cavalier about taking life here as elsewhere, they're discovering there are unexpected consequences in this tale.
Several points of the odd history that led the fae to the point they're at in the book & the things that transpire within were a little confusing, but it's such an interesting, outside the box story that I just accepted that it was as the narrative said & kept reading.
Noa's a prickly heroine who isn't always smart or even necessarily likeable, but she learns to adapt & grows into her imposed sacrificial role pretty admirably.
The story isn't lol funny but it's amusing as well as thought-provoking. I'll definitely be continuing to the next to see what happens as they attempt to rescue her new friends & cure her infection!
***CONTENT***
Sex: secular, fairly frank talk but nothing graphic (editing to add that books 2 & 3 do have explicit sex scenes)
Language: mild to moderate, ie about 3 dozen uses each of the common swears; no f-bombs
If you're looking for something unusual in the paranormal romance genre, this is it.
The author turns some of the fae-kidnapping stereotypes on their heads. I especially liked the subtly wry contest to find the most average women in the country - because apparently women on average are pretty unique & special in their own way, while the beautiful faerie stereotypes are their own kind of ordinary that aren't necessarily as desirable as they seem.
And while the fae are as traditionally cavalier about taking life here as elsewhere, they're discovering there are unexpected consequences in this tale.
Several points of the odd history that led the fae to the point they're at in the book & the things that transpire within were a little confusing, but it's such an interesting, outside the box story that I just accepted that it was as the narrative said & kept reading.
Noa's a prickly heroine who isn't always smart or even necessarily likeable, but she learns to adapt & grows into her imposed sacrificial role pretty admirably.
The story isn't lol funny but it's amusing as well as thought-provoking. I'll definitely be continuing to the next to see what happens as they attempt to rescue her new friends & cure her infection!
***CONTENT***
Sex: secular, fairly frank talk but nothing graphic (editing to add that books 2 & 3 do have explicit sex scenes)
Language: mild to moderate, ie about 3 dozen uses each of the common swears; no f-bombs
December 15, 2022
Entertaining enough that I kept reading but I felt Noa got annoying constantly spelling out she felt nothing but platonic feelings for Auden. Like, I get it. I’ll probably read the next one between books like I did this one. Spice level 0/5.
August 20, 2022
SPOILERS. Cause honey, I’m about to VENT. And it will be long 🤣🤣
.
.
.
I was looking for a light, fun read while I was on vacation. I guess this sort of fit the bill? At least it fit it in the sense that you definitely shouldn’t think about the plot overmuch and while there was a lot of potential, it was clear the author didn’t take time to really flesh out the fae or their world or the magic. I would have gotten over that but there were other things that really bugged me.
First, the reason I gave this two stars is that there were parts to the main characters relationship I liked. When they had issues, they did actually communicate - eventually. There wasn’t an excess of drama within their relationship. When a problem happened, they would talk and I felt like they genuinely wanted to understand each other (at least in book 2 and 3 which is where they actually become friends and more). So there’s that.
But the overall book… *shudders. I mean the idea of someone being labeled as “average” is offensive. I work with kids and I hear kids use those kind of labels all the time (“I’m not special, I’m just average”). I kept thinking the author was going to address how wrong that was. This story could have had underlying realistic tones about mental health and self confidence. But she didn’t. At bare minimum, I thought she’d at least talk about the utter nonsense of such a description - like, what algorithm was the government using when it decided someone was average??? Because I was suuuuper confused how any of those ladies got picked. A) they were all orphans, which I would not consider “average” B) our main character was an ACCOMPLISHED pianist - I know for sure that’s not “average”. But apparently being alone in the world and having brown hair is all it takes to be average (oh, btw, don’t get me started on how NOT diverse this book was. With the exception of a couple side fae, everyone was clearly white and heteronormative which is ridiculous). But again, the author never addressed any of this.
To make matters worse…and this really pissed me off…a big factor in the book is that when the human women get their fae husbands’ powers, it changes them into fairies including how they look. It literally turns them into female versions of their husbands! Your husband has silver white hair - BOOM, now you do too. So within the space of a couple chapters, our “ordinary” human woman become “unique”. And can we discuss how disturbing this idea is? Look, I’ve been around long enough to have seen some of my female friends get married and then start taking on their husband’s ideas, politics, interests, etc. It’s bad enough in real life. I wanted so badly for this to be addressed - I mean, this woman is literally changed into a female version of her husband and she doesn’t bat an eye. She has no problem with it, no body dysmorphia, no frustration that she used to dislike the ocean and now magically loves it. She is LITERALLY changed and just goes with it. I read all three books and she never has a moment where she realizes how disturbing this is. Also, in the third book there’s a line where Auden says to her “your body is nice, but your mind is the sexiest thing about you…I’d still want you if you were human. I’d just know it wasn’t going anywhere.” Excuse me, what??? Is that supposed to be romantic? There is so much WRONG with this line, I just…I can’t even vent about it, that’s how mad it makes me. But you can bet that I was rooting for Noa to turn back into a human by the end of the book. I was disappointed, but I would have killed to have seen how that affected their relationship because Auden basically fell in love with himself - so narcissistic much?
I saw on goodreads that someone complained this book had too much feminism and I almost cried I laughed so hard. This book was decidedly not feminist. Unless your version of feminism is wearing a bikini and flipping the bird at men only to then have sex with them - which I support you if that’s what you want, I just don’t really find that empowering for myself.
It also bugged me that Noa, who cares so much about the earth and humans in book 1 that she sacrificed herself for them, COULDN’T care less about earth by book 2/3. I get finding a new home, but that doesn’t mean you never want to see your old home, it doesn’t mean you don’t miss parts and pieces of it.
There’s an author’s note at the end of the third book where she says she gets tired of reading about strong heroines (what she really meant was heroines that can fight - which btw it takes just as much work to become a kickbutt warrior as it does to become a kickbutt pianist soooo again, would you say one is ordinary while the other is extraordinary ?). She wanted to show a different kind of strength in Noa. I think she tried to do that. She just…failed. Miserably. So Noa couldn’t fight? Well, she had water magic (which conveniently let her fight when she needed to) and was an amazing pianist and, thanks to becoming a female version of her husband (🤢🤮), was super beautiful. Do those things make a person strong? Nope. Did she get up after being knocked down - I’m sorry, when was she knocked down? Every time something happened, her husband magically fixed it or her own magic would make an appearance and randomly fix it! She wasn’t strong - she was passive to the point where she literally morphed into a female version of her husband and didn’t bat an eyelash.
So nope. This book was not for me. But if you want to read a book about an “average” (still hate this word) woman who turns into a magical, beautiful fairy and then walks around in a bikini (why did the author mention this like every two pages? I don’t think I would have even noticed it except she kept bringing it up lol) and flips people off constantly, this might be your book.
.
.
.
I was looking for a light, fun read while I was on vacation. I guess this sort of fit the bill? At least it fit it in the sense that you definitely shouldn’t think about the plot overmuch and while there was a lot of potential, it was clear the author didn’t take time to really flesh out the fae or their world or the magic. I would have gotten over that but there were other things that really bugged me.
First, the reason I gave this two stars is that there were parts to the main characters relationship I liked. When they had issues, they did actually communicate - eventually. There wasn’t an excess of drama within their relationship. When a problem happened, they would talk and I felt like they genuinely wanted to understand each other (at least in book 2 and 3 which is where they actually become friends and more). So there’s that.
But the overall book… *shudders. I mean the idea of someone being labeled as “average” is offensive. I work with kids and I hear kids use those kind of labels all the time (“I’m not special, I’m just average”). I kept thinking the author was going to address how wrong that was. This story could have had underlying realistic tones about mental health and self confidence. But she didn’t. At bare minimum, I thought she’d at least talk about the utter nonsense of such a description - like, what algorithm was the government using when it decided someone was average??? Because I was suuuuper confused how any of those ladies got picked. A) they were all orphans, which I would not consider “average” B) our main character was an ACCOMPLISHED pianist - I know for sure that’s not “average”. But apparently being alone in the world and having brown hair is all it takes to be average (oh, btw, don’t get me started on how NOT diverse this book was. With the exception of a couple side fae, everyone was clearly white and heteronormative which is ridiculous). But again, the author never addressed any of this.
To make matters worse…and this really pissed me off…a big factor in the book is that when the human women get their fae husbands’ powers, it changes them into fairies including how they look. It literally turns them into female versions of their husbands! Your husband has silver white hair - BOOM, now you do too. So within the space of a couple chapters, our “ordinary” human woman become “unique”. And can we discuss how disturbing this idea is? Look, I’ve been around long enough to have seen some of my female friends get married and then start taking on their husband’s ideas, politics, interests, etc. It’s bad enough in real life. I wanted so badly for this to be addressed - I mean, this woman is literally changed into a female version of her husband and she doesn’t bat an eye. She has no problem with it, no body dysmorphia, no frustration that she used to dislike the ocean and now magically loves it. She is LITERALLY changed and just goes with it. I read all three books and she never has a moment where she realizes how disturbing this is. Also, in the third book there’s a line where Auden says to her “your body is nice, but your mind is the sexiest thing about you…I’d still want you if you were human. I’d just know it wasn’t going anywhere.” Excuse me, what??? Is that supposed to be romantic? There is so much WRONG with this line, I just…I can’t even vent about it, that’s how mad it makes me. But you can bet that I was rooting for Noa to turn back into a human by the end of the book. I was disappointed, but I would have killed to have seen how that affected their relationship because Auden basically fell in love with himself - so narcissistic much?
I saw on goodreads that someone complained this book had too much feminism and I almost cried I laughed so hard. This book was decidedly not feminist. Unless your version of feminism is wearing a bikini and flipping the bird at men only to then have sex with them - which I support you if that’s what you want, I just don’t really find that empowering for myself.
It also bugged me that Noa, who cares so much about the earth and humans in book 1 that she sacrificed herself for them, COULDN’T care less about earth by book 2/3. I get finding a new home, but that doesn’t mean you never want to see your old home, it doesn’t mean you don’t miss parts and pieces of it.
There’s an author’s note at the end of the third book where she says she gets tired of reading about strong heroines (what she really meant was heroines that can fight - which btw it takes just as much work to become a kickbutt warrior as it does to become a kickbutt pianist soooo again, would you say one is ordinary while the other is extraordinary ?). She wanted to show a different kind of strength in Noa. I think she tried to do that. She just…failed. Miserably. So Noa couldn’t fight? Well, she had water magic (which conveniently let her fight when she needed to) and was an amazing pianist and, thanks to becoming a female version of her husband (🤢🤮), was super beautiful. Do those things make a person strong? Nope. Did she get up after being knocked down - I’m sorry, when was she knocked down? Every time something happened, her husband magically fixed it or her own magic would make an appearance and randomly fix it! She wasn’t strong - she was passive to the point where she literally morphed into a female version of her husband and didn’t bat an eyelash.
So nope. This book was not for me. But if you want to read a book about an “average” (still hate this word) woman who turns into a magical, beautiful fairy and then walks around in a bikini (why did the author mention this like every two pages? I don’t think I would have even noticed it except she kept bringing it up lol) and flips people off constantly, this might be your book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2022
3.5 Actually
A decent read, but a bit immature. Nice morally though.. I am an older woman and the premise seemed interesting. The actual storyline did not focus on Noa not being in control of Auren's powers.
The storyline flowed as if written by a very young writer. Not an inexperienced writer, a teenager or one in their early 20s. I did not read the book's description to see which age group it was intended for. I believe this book to be appropriate for my 8 yr old granddaughter.
I did however enjoy the book enough to finish it. It had humorous parts, and again, I DID FINISH IT. That's saying something. A lot of newer books are thrown together full of smut, a repeat of another book that sold well, or have absolutely no substance the them at all. I do not finish a lot of books lately.
The author focused on propriety in relationships, and morals. While I found their views decent, they came across as those of a grade schooler. A husband and wife that do not touch is very unrealistic. The author expressed their reasoning. Yet and still. No touching, no sharing of personal information. No sleeping in the same bed. They didn't even eat together. TOO UNREALISTIC!
3.5 because, it did not bore me to death. It went no where. Nothing major occurred. It was like one of those movies you're sitting there watching, wondering the whole time, "Why am I watching this nonsense?", but unable to turn it off. You want to see what happens next and or how it ends.
The book did not end however. After all was said and done, it ended with a cliffhanger. If it were a movie I would not pay for the sequel as I wilo not pay to read book 2. I would wait for the movie to air on cable and if book 2 is available through KU, I will borrow it to see if its any better, entertaining, or worth the read.
I hope my dribble of a review is helpful.
A decent read, but a bit immature. Nice morally though.. I am an older woman and the premise seemed interesting. The actual storyline did not focus on Noa not being in control of Auren's powers.
The storyline flowed as if written by a very young writer. Not an inexperienced writer, a teenager or one in their early 20s. I did not read the book's description to see which age group it was intended for. I believe this book to be appropriate for my 8 yr old granddaughter.
I did however enjoy the book enough to finish it. It had humorous parts, and again, I DID FINISH IT. That's saying something. A lot of newer books are thrown together full of smut, a repeat of another book that sold well, or have absolutely no substance the them at all. I do not finish a lot of books lately.
The author focused on propriety in relationships, and morals. While I found their views decent, they came across as those of a grade schooler. A husband and wife that do not touch is very unrealistic. The author expressed their reasoning. Yet and still. No touching, no sharing of personal information. No sleeping in the same bed. They didn't even eat together. TOO UNREALISTIC!
3.5 because, it did not bore me to death. It went no where. Nothing major occurred. It was like one of those movies you're sitting there watching, wondering the whole time, "Why am I watching this nonsense?", but unable to turn it off. You want to see what happens next and or how it ends.
The book did not end however. After all was said and done, it ended with a cliffhanger. If it were a movie I would not pay for the sequel as I wilo not pay to read book 2. I would wait for the movie to air on cable and if book 2 is available through KU, I will borrow it to see if its any better, entertaining, or worth the read.
I hope my dribble of a review is helpful.
February 11, 2023
DNF @ 21%
November 1, 2022
This is a thing I read.
May 9, 2023
Such an awesome story
This was such a good fae and the twist at the end had me gasping. I'm excited to read the rest of the series!
This was such a good fae and the twist at the end had me gasping. I'm excited to read the rest of the series!
November 6, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up
July 10, 2023
3.8 Stars
Disclaimer: Please remember that these are my opinions and if you feel differently, that’s okay. Thanks!
Notes: POV = 1st person, FMC
Main Characters: November Murphy is our FMC in this one. She’s apparently one of the most average Americans there are. Average grades, average looks, average colouring, average everything and no friends or family. It’s the whole package! She’s sweet and strong-willed, and she’s taking most of the events in stride.
Auden (MMC) is the Sea Fae King, nicknamed Chaos. He’s incredibly powerful and he’s kind of a jerk. He has his reasons for not being the best, at first, but he’s still caring. Later on it makes a lot of sense, and I can’t fully fault him for not wanting to get close to Noa.
Side Characters: We have four ‘main’ side characters: Hannah Cooke (another average human), Elyn Luther (the third average human), Earth Fae King Kalus, and Sky Fae King Merzo. Now, Kalus and Merzo? They suck, screw them. Toward the end of the book we meet a couple more important side characters, but they’re more important in Bound to be Human because we only meet them in the last few chapters of this one. Hannah and Elyn are really nice, and I like how quickly the girls become friends. That’s how it should be. I absolutely loved when those two started following Noa’s lead and standing up for themselves, it was great.
Plot/Story: Ien is basically a fae seer, and he’s informed the Kings that if they want to go back to Faerie (which they call Avalon), that they will need to turn some humans into faeries. Only faeries can create portals to Avalon, so none of the fae can get home without them and there are no faeries currently living. We get world-building, information, and character bonding in this first book. The ‘goal’ of returning to Avalon can’t happen until the girls have completed the Power Transfer with the Kings to become faeries so it’s a lot of waiting.
Romance: This is a slow-burn. Plus, Auden doesn’t want to become close with Noa (I understand his reasoning), so we don’t get a lot of cute moments. That’s more in the next book. Right now we have a very, very, very reluctant friendship. I do like their banter during the power exchange, though.
General: There is a map at the beginning of this and it’s very simple but I love maps so I love it.
Quotes I Really Like:
Overall:
There were a lot of sweet moments, some funny ones, and some I enjoyed but mostly I was floating along while reading this. It’s cool but meh.
Disclaimer: Please remember that these are my opinions and if you feel differently, that’s okay. Thanks!
Notes: POV = 1st person, FMC
Main Characters: November Murphy is our FMC in this one. She’s apparently one of the most average Americans there are. Average grades, average looks, average colouring, average everything and no friends or family. It’s the whole package! She’s sweet and strong-willed, and she’s taking most of the events in stride.
“Way to piss off the scary one,” Elyn muttered to me as we walked. “It’s a talent,” I agreed.
My eyebrows lifted; that sounded crazy. But whatever, I guess.
Auden (MMC) is the Sea Fae King, nicknamed Chaos. He’s incredibly powerful and he’s kind of a jerk. He has his reasons for not being the best, at first, but he’s still caring. Later on it makes a lot of sense, and I can’t fully fault him for not wanting to get close to Noa.
Side Characters: We have four ‘main’ side characters: Hannah Cooke (another average human), Elyn Luther (the third average human), Earth Fae King Kalus, and Sky Fae King Merzo. Now, Kalus and Merzo? They suck, s
Clearly, she wanted him to feel like shit. And I supported that.
Plot/Story: Ien is basically a fae seer, and he’s informed the Kings that if they want to go back to Faerie (which they call Avalon), that they will need to turn some humans into faeries. Only faeries can create portals to Avalon, so none of the fae can get home without them and there are no faeries currently living. We get world-building, information, and character bonding in this first book. The ‘goal’ of returning to Avalon can’t happen until the girls have completed the Power Transfer with the Kings to become faeries so it’s a lot of waiting.
Romance: This is a slow-burn. Plus, Auden doesn’t want to become close with Noa (I understand his reasoning), so we don’t get a lot of cute moments. That’s more in the next book. Right now we have a very, very, very reluctant friendship. I do like their banter during the power exchange, though.
“Breathtaking,” one of the men said, his tone drenched in shock. “She’s mine,” Auden growled at them, catching up to me as I crossed the house.
General: There is a map at the beginning of this and it’s very simple but I love maps so I love it.
Quotes I Really Like:
Overall:
There were a lot of sweet moments, some funny ones, and some I enjoyed but mostly I was floating along while reading this. It’s cool but meh.
December 4, 2023
2.5 ⭐️. You don’t have to be a bitch to be strong, or a doormat to be kind.
““And I’m sorry, I was being a bitch earlier. I know you were forced into the arranged marriage thing the same way I was, and I shouldn’t be angry with you for it. The past is in the past.””
““I thought you were choosing wives.”
“How very human of you.” He stepped past me, heading up the stairs.”
This here, is the major issue for the entire book.
She gets justifiably angry, frustrated, or just hurt by his treatment of her, but then does her best to see things from both points of view.
She is willing to try, to understand, to compromise, while he expects her to learn ‘his’ ways, to always be first to give, to always be first to sacrifice and apologise.
He only once showed his awareness of her situation, but that was in general. He is only ever willing to give back, or offer up something after she has either shamed him, or given something of greater value.
I’m all for her not being a bitch. But she can manage that, without having to tolerate his neglect and abuse. She should at least be attempting to set healthier boundaries.
If she’s whole and balanced enough to be so fair and decent, how about sharing those sensibilities with herself?
It’s subtle patriarchal propaganda, where women are gentle, kind, nurturing (blah, blah), while men are aggressive, un-emotional, strong, domineering (A-holes).
They even make a comment how ‘women’ aren’t into fighting and war games like men … YeP🥸
While the MMC’s might also be suffering, they were not isolated, alone, without information, control over their choices, and had hope that things would soon improve.
The FMC’s had none of this, and almost no hope for the future.
Very far from equal, and yet they are expected to find the ability to understand, empathise, and forgive any temper tantrums, cruelty, or lack of decency the males exhibit …?
All this is so disappointing, as the world, story-line, and where it’s all going, are really well done.
While a lot of detail is still missing, what’s there, is utterly interesting, and engaging.
Though I struggled to get past the FMC’s lack of anger at the Fae, and their role in the woman’s current circumstances. So not believable, and left the book shallower than it could have been.
Then of course, how American centric it was. The event was global, but the Fae only chose Women from the USA…
I got through this by skipping over the parts I found too frustrating, or aggravating, and concentrating on the overall story, the part I really did enjoy.
Big, huge, specific edit, and this could be at least 4⭐️.
Choose, is it a dark romance, PNR fantasy fluff, or overall fun fantasy-romance.
Right now, it’s got bits of all three, and they clash with each other, making it not suit those readers, but too much to entice a more general readership.
Having said all of that, that’s just my taste and opinion.
I’ve no doubt, there is an audience for this as is. I just think the potential for greater quality, and a larger audience, is all so disappointingly possible.
““And I’m sorry, I was being a bitch earlier. I know you were forced into the arranged marriage thing the same way I was, and I shouldn’t be angry with you for it. The past is in the past.””
““I thought you were choosing wives.”
“How very human of you.” He stepped past me, heading up the stairs.”
This here, is the major issue for the entire book.
She gets justifiably angry, frustrated, or just hurt by his treatment of her, but then does her best to see things from both points of view.
She is willing to try, to understand, to compromise, while he expects her to learn ‘his’ ways, to always be first to give, to always be first to sacrifice and apologise.
He only once showed his awareness of her situation, but that was in general. He is only ever willing to give back, or offer up something after she has either shamed him, or given something of greater value.
I’m all for her not being a bitch. But she can manage that, without having to tolerate his neglect and abuse. She should at least be attempting to set healthier boundaries.
If she’s whole and balanced enough to be so fair and decent, how about sharing those sensibilities with herself?
It’s subtle patriarchal propaganda, where women are gentle, kind, nurturing (blah, blah), while men are aggressive, un-emotional, strong, domineering (A-holes).
They even make a comment how ‘women’ aren’t into fighting and war games like men … YeP🥸
While the MMC’s might also be suffering, they were not isolated, alone, without information, control over their choices, and had hope that things would soon improve.
The FMC’s had none of this, and almost no hope for the future.
Very far from equal, and yet they are expected to find the ability to understand, empathise, and forgive any temper tantrums, cruelty, or lack of decency the males exhibit …?
All this is so disappointing, as the world, story-line, and where it’s all going, are really well done.
While a lot of detail is still missing, what’s there, is utterly interesting, and engaging.
Though I struggled to get past the FMC’s lack of anger at the Fae, and their role in the woman’s current circumstances. So not believable, and left the book shallower than it could have been.
Then of course, how American centric it was. The event was global, but the Fae only chose Women from the USA…
I got through this by skipping over the parts I found too frustrating, or aggravating, and concentrating on the overall story, the part I really did enjoy.
Big, huge, specific edit, and this could be at least 4⭐️.
Choose, is it a dark romance, PNR fantasy fluff, or overall fun fantasy-romance.
Right now, it’s got bits of all three, and they clash with each other, making it not suit those readers, but too much to entice a more general readership.
Having said all of that, that’s just my taste and opinion.
I’ve no doubt, there is an audience for this as is. I just think the potential for greater quality, and a larger audience, is all so disappointingly possible.
July 3, 2022
Wow that cover is uncomfortable! In general though, I really enjoyed a lot of things about this book.
Among those: being realistic in choosing a MC who is average, and not obsessed about her looks, and others aren’t obsesssed about her looks either.I really loved the very slow progression from enemies to lovers. It was an exploration about frustration and forgiveness, and really explored all the steps between adversaries and actual spouses. I love that our MC didn’t just allow herself to be “overcome by his hotness” (that stupid horniness is the WORST), but instead took in mind her hubby’s emotional needs, and recognized that having sex would not be good, and she was also very respectful towards him and his space in that way, until they both honestly decided to start treating their marriage as a full romantic relationship. Honestly all of the backwards steps that it took to get to that point were frustrating to read, because I just felt like Auden was a super boring and just hard-to-love character, but I feel like their eventual relationship was made even stronger by that slow foundation. Great planning on that one, and thanks for not just making the two characters get horny, have sex, and then reluctantly fall for each other when they’re dealing with the negative fallout of that original night! In this aspect, this book was a refreshing change of pace.
Tropes I didn’t love: certain plot holes (such as some fae making statements, joking or not, that don’t match their supposed inability to lie?); the MC not fighting back or panicking in the tunnel-vision way I would expect when super stressful events happen; and in general, the MC being absolutely useless in terms of fights. She is given a hard situation, and she’s definitely a unique character, but basically she’s just given a you’re-not-like-other-girls-because-there-ARE-no-other-girls benefit, plus an insta-glow up, which she does NOT freak out enough about, and then there’s the whole thing where (spoiler) her magic or “powers” NEVER actually benefit her. If I were her, I’d be asking a WHOLE lot more questions and getting magic training ASAP. All the men are helping in the fight, while the other two girls literally always just cower which I don’t love. But she has the powers of a sparkly mermaid tail and being a seductress, so I guess that’s cool…? On the other hand, I love that the girls are still cool main characters without having those fighting skills, because on some level joining the fight as an inexperienced MC is never a good move in real life, but.., I wanna see some dramatic growth and evidence of success too!?
Among those: being realistic in choosing a MC who is average, and not obsessed about her looks, and others aren’t obsesssed about her looks either.I really loved the very slow progression from enemies to lovers. It was an exploration about frustration and forgiveness, and really explored all the steps between adversaries and actual spouses. I love that our MC didn’t just allow herself to be “overcome by his hotness” (that stupid horniness is the WORST), but instead took in mind her hubby’s emotional needs, and recognized that having sex would not be good, and she was also very respectful towards him and his space in that way, until they both honestly decided to start treating their marriage as a full romantic relationship. Honestly all of the backwards steps that it took to get to that point were frustrating to read, because I just felt like Auden was a super boring and just hard-to-love character, but I feel like their eventual relationship was made even stronger by that slow foundation. Great planning on that one, and thanks for not just making the two characters get horny, have sex, and then reluctantly fall for each other when they’re dealing with the negative fallout of that original night! In this aspect, this book was a refreshing change of pace.
Tropes I didn’t love: certain plot holes (such as some fae making statements, joking or not, that don’t match their supposed inability to lie?); the MC not fighting back or panicking in the tunnel-vision way I would expect when super stressful events happen; and in general, the MC being absolutely useless in terms of fights. She is given a hard situation, and she’s definitely a unique character, but basically she’s just given a you’re-not-like-other-girls-because-there-ARE-no-other-girls benefit, plus an insta-glow up, which she does NOT freak out enough about, and then there’s the whole thing where (spoiler) her magic or “powers” NEVER actually benefit her. If I were her, I’d be asking a WHOLE lot more questions and getting magic training ASAP. All the men are helping in the fight, while the other two girls literally always just cower which I don’t love. But she has the powers of a sparkly mermaid tail and being a seductress, so I guess that’s cool…? On the other hand, I love that the girls are still cool main characters without having those fighting skills, because on some level joining the fight as an inexperienced MC is never a good move in real life, but.., I wanna see some dramatic growth and evidence of success too!?
December 28, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up tp 4.
Forced to Be Queen is the first book in the Sacrificed to the Fae King series. I was super excited when Lola announced this one because she is branching out from her previous subjects of werewolves to fae!
I enjoyed this shift quite a lot. I loved the main character Noa. Like other characters in Glass' worlds she is strong, independent and sassy. I cannot wait to see more of her. Auden, the Fae King Noa was sacrificed to is a loveable broody male who seems rough on the outside but deep down is one of the good ones.
This book sets up the world dynamic well and begins on Earth but ends in the Fae world and I am really looking forward to that being explored more in future books.
This book is light on the romance and I don't really see where the spark is between the two love interests yet but I have no doubt it will come in subsequent books.
Overall, a great start to a new series by Lola. I am really looking forward to seeing where this one goes.
Forced to Be Queen is the first book in the Sacrificed to the Fae King series. I was super excited when Lola announced this one because she is branching out from her previous subjects of werewolves to fae!
I enjoyed this shift quite a lot. I loved the main character Noa. Like other characters in Glass' worlds she is strong, independent and sassy. I cannot wait to see more of her. Auden, the Fae King Noa was sacrificed to is a loveable broody male who seems rough on the outside but deep down is one of the good ones.
This book sets up the world dynamic well and begins on Earth but ends in the Fae world and I am really looking forward to that being explored more in future books.
This book is light on the romance and I don't really see where the spark is between the two love interests yet but I have no doubt it will come in subsequent books.
Overall, a great start to a new series by Lola. I am really looking forward to seeing where this one goes.
March 24, 2022
I really liked this book, but didn’t looove it, if you know what I mean.
I’d rate this a 3.5 star but am rounding up to 4. I honestly don’t know why I’m hesitant to give it a solid 4 stars. I think maybe it’s to do with character development. . . The FMC, Noa. She’s strong but sensitive, has good intuition and very pragmatic about the circumstances she finds herself in. That’s always a plus for me. The MMC, Auden, isn’t as well fleshed out. We didn’t get a better look at his story and motivations until 80% in. Sure, some of it was hinted at but it was so miserly meted out that I almost lost all sympathy for him. The saving grace was the repartee between them, mostly due to Noa I might add, is really good. She’s got some witty comebacks and I did enjoy their dialog a lot. Of course, when he wasn’t being a surly ass that is.
There are 3 other Kings in this book (The air king, Rollen, doesn’t make an appearance until the very, very end), the Earth King (Kalus) and the Sky King (Merzo). But I know hardly anything about them. Part of that was due to fae politics, or rather the fae societal norms. They have such a tit-for-tat view of the world, that they share nothing without the other party sharing something with them. So every time Noa, or one of the secondary human characters, wanted to know something - that would’ve given the reader more information - it was a push/pull between the characters to actually get information out of them. It was really frustrating at times reader. For example, character one asks a question about Fae politics, the fae won’t answer until she gives him some information about herself. So she replies with something about herself, and then he answers the question now he asked her a question but she is now understand how this works so she waits until he offers more information first. At times I felt like I was in the middle of two different dialogues. It was kind of hard to follow, and I found myself flipping back a few pages to make sure I was following one central theme correctly. So it was really frustrating at times.
World building was fairly good. I mean, I did feel myself being sucked into the story scenes, but there were some missing pieces. I assume that because this is a series, more will be developed over the upcoming books. I’m actually ok with it, as long as things eventually get explained.
Plot development. I think this is also where there is a bit of a problem. There’s definitely some complicated fae politics at play here, and it does deviate from the “norm.” Let me state for the record, that I am absolutely OK with an author taking liberties for the sake of their story. However when you do that, you really need to give complete details. And given the push/pull in the dialogue I mentioned above it made it harder for me to follow along with what their fae society was really like. Quite frankly it seemed all kind of fucked up to me.
So, having said all this, I still enjoyed the book, and its different twist of the fae. I am going to read the next book in the series. These are definitely not standalone books.
I’d rate this a 3.5 star but am rounding up to 4. I honestly don’t know why I’m hesitant to give it a solid 4 stars. I think maybe it’s to do with character development. . . The FMC, Noa. She’s strong but sensitive, has good intuition and very pragmatic about the circumstances she finds herself in. That’s always a plus for me. The MMC, Auden, isn’t as well fleshed out. We didn’t get a better look at his story and motivations until 80% in. Sure, some of it was hinted at but it was so miserly meted out that I almost lost all sympathy for him. The saving grace was the repartee between them, mostly due to Noa I might add, is really good. She’s got some witty comebacks and I did enjoy their dialog a lot. Of course, when he wasn’t being a surly ass that is.
There are 3 other Kings in this book (The air king, Rollen, doesn’t make an appearance until the very, very end), the Earth King (Kalus) and the Sky King (Merzo). But I know hardly anything about them. Part of that was due to fae politics, or rather the fae societal norms. They have such a tit-for-tat view of the world, that they share nothing without the other party sharing something with them. So every time Noa, or one of the secondary human characters, wanted to know something - that would’ve given the reader more information - it was a push/pull between the characters to actually get information out of them. It was really frustrating at times reader. For example, character one asks a question about Fae politics, the fae won’t answer until she gives him some information about herself. So she replies with something about herself, and then he answers the question now he asked her a question but she is now understand how this works so she waits until he offers more information first. At times I felt like I was in the middle of two different dialogues. It was kind of hard to follow, and I found myself flipping back a few pages to make sure I was following one central theme correctly. So it was really frustrating at times.
World building was fairly good. I mean, I did feel myself being sucked into the story scenes, but there were some missing pieces. I assume that because this is a series, more will be developed over the upcoming books. I’m actually ok with it, as long as things eventually get explained.
Plot development. I think this is also where there is a bit of a problem. There’s definitely some complicated fae politics at play here, and it does deviate from the “norm.” Let me state for the record, that I am absolutely OK with an author taking liberties for the sake of their story. However when you do that, you really need to give complete details. And given the push/pull in the dialogue I mentioned above it made it harder for me to follow along with what their fae society was really like. Quite frankly it seemed all kind of fucked up to me.
So, having said all this, I still enjoyed the book, and its different twist of the fae. I am going to read the next book in the series. These are definitely not standalone books.
December 28, 2022
Well… this book was in my list like forever, so I’m trying it now, let’s see how this goes uh? Interesting we have have a map, not a great one but one anyways that helps us know the kind of faes. Surprising that the book already starts with our girl being taken away.
Okay now this took my attention. Well Chaos… this name suits him well, because the guy is chaotic hahaha and definitely has angry issues, when I say angry issues i mean the guys should do therapy hahaha seriously he’s another level, but thankfully our girl deal with it masterfully.
Oh Goddess hahaha I lived enough to see a Fae King reading Twilight hahaha I’m really liking Auden, he’s all tough and rude, but I’m true he’s a caring and kimd guy
See what I mean ? Hahaha. Guys the Fae are so weird but I’m super curious to know more about their society but this book is so slow paced… nothing much happened at all, they were in the island, and Auden was being a difficult asshole, no one was giving real answers… the world building wasn’t that great, the characters… was likeable, the storyline with too little details and action when I say nothing happened I mean it, the book got a little more interesting and pah just ended, there the mystery why the faeries are missing but I’m not really curious, so I’ll not read the next one, at least not now.
We’d all seen the videos—the fae had portaled into the middle of San Francisco in a big, red, glowing cloud of what could only be magic. And then the tsunamis hit. And the earthquakes. And the storms.
Okay now this took my attention. Well Chaos… this name suits him well, because the guy is chaotic hahaha and definitely has angry issues, when I say angry issues i mean the guys should do therapy hahaha seriously he’s another level, but thankfully our girl deal with it masterfully.
Oh Goddess hahaha I lived enough to see a Fae King reading Twilight hahaha I’m really liking Auden, he’s all tough and rude, but I’m true he’s a caring and kimd guy
“Mmkay, well, given your current volatility level, everything you just described could make you angry in a number of different ways. So how about you just tell me what you’re pissed about, and we can argue about that until you storm out of here.” My head jerked to the side as the ocean crashed precariously close to the house.
See what I mean ? Hahaha. Guys the Fae are so weird but I’m super curious to know more about their society but this book is so slow paced… nothing much happened at all, they were in the island, and Auden was being a difficult asshole, no one was giving real answers… the world building wasn’t that great, the characters… was likeable, the storyline with too little details and action when I say nothing happened I mean it, the book got a little more interesting and pah just ended, there the mystery why the faeries are missing but I’m not really curious, so I’ll not read the next one, at least not now.
November 2, 2022
Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 0/🌶️ - will likely heat up in the next book
Vibes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1st person POV - Noa (short for November, which I actually love)
This is my second series I've read from this author (well I've only read book 1 of this series but you know what I mean)... I'm finding that this author just creates fun books. Her pop culture references usually make me laugh and the plot (so far) isn't anything too high risk so it's an all around good time. This is a SLOW burn but I'm looking forward to our MCs finally coming together (lol, pun intended). Noa can give off pick me energy at times so that can be annoying but Auden meets her stride for stride, which makes for some fun banter.
I didn't love that after the marriage ceremonies, the 3 women's bodies change to reflect their fae husband counterparts. "The shape of my body was even changing, growing taller, and slimming in some places while thickening in others." In the beginning they're described as perfectly average- average looks, average body types, average hair, etc. The word average was used to much I felt like I was reading a bad fanfic. So when the fae are described as beautiful and they start turning into their female equivalent what's that saying about how they looked before? Idk maybe I'm reading too much into it and it's not a big deal, but it just felt covertly fatphobic... And also because they take on their husbands physical attributes (hair color, eye color, and affinities for their magic), it was like they lost what made them so "average" in the first place, which you could argue is what made them stand apart and quite the opposite of average.
I'll leave you with this- after the marriage ceremony and our FMC is turned into a faery, she becomes a mermaid. A freaking MERMAID!
Spice 0/🌶️ - will likely heat up in the next book
Vibes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1st person POV - Noa (short for November, which I actually love)
This is my second series I've read from this author (well I've only read book 1 of this series but you know what I mean)... I'm finding that this author just creates fun books. Her pop culture references usually make me laugh and the plot (so far) isn't anything too high risk so it's an all around good time. This is a SLOW burn but I'm looking forward to our MCs finally coming together (lol, pun intended). Noa can give off pick me energy at times so that can be annoying but Auden meets her stride for stride, which makes for some fun banter.
I didn't love that after the marriage ceremonies, the 3 women's bodies change to reflect their fae husband counterparts. "The shape of my body was even changing, growing taller, and slimming in some places while thickening in others." In the beginning they're described as perfectly average- average looks, average body types, average hair, etc. The word average was used to much I felt like I was reading a bad fanfic. So when the fae are described as beautiful and they start turning into their female equivalent what's that saying about how they looked before? Idk maybe I'm reading too much into it and it's not a big deal, but it just felt covertly fatphobic... And also because they take on their husbands physical attributes (hair color, eye color, and affinities for their magic), it was like they lost what made them so "average" in the first place, which you could argue is what made them stand apart and quite the opposite of average.
I'll leave you with this- after the marriage ceremony and our FMC is turned into a faery, she becomes a mermaid. A freaking MERMAID!
December 30, 2021
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it- while I love every Lola Glass book, she truly shines in fantasy!! The world building was really interesting with the fae entering our world. The magic system is unique and I liked the way it was done in connection to the world.
Noa is a great MC. I like that she's 100% herself. She's not happy about her arranged marriage but she accepts her fate and takes on a protector role. I loved the dynamic of her and the other girls. She's not used to girl friends but learns to love the other women forced into the same situation she's in. I really liked her growth through the book too.
Auden is such a grumpy boy and I love him. I liked learning more about him and his feelings as the story went on. I really appreciate the way his relationship with Noa is developing. You can always count on Lola for realistic relationships. Their dynamic is slowly growing from enemies to tolerance to friendship. I like that we're not rushing right into the lovers part in enemies to lovers. It feels much more real this way.
The plot is engaging and interesting, and I always wanted to keep reading to know what happened next. There's so many interesting things about the world and the magic. I liked learning along with Noa. It's a new take on fae that I haven't seen before, and I like it.
I'm definitely waiting not so patiently for book two!!
If you like fae, unique magic and world building, grumpy heroes, strong willed heroines, and realistic relationships- don't wait to grab this one!!
Noa is a great MC. I like that she's 100% herself. She's not happy about her arranged marriage but she accepts her fate and takes on a protector role. I loved the dynamic of her and the other girls. She's not used to girl friends but learns to love the other women forced into the same situation she's in. I really liked her growth through the book too.
Auden is such a grumpy boy and I love him. I liked learning more about him and his feelings as the story went on. I really appreciate the way his relationship with Noa is developing. You can always count on Lola for realistic relationships. Their dynamic is slowly growing from enemies to tolerance to friendship. I like that we're not rushing right into the lovers part in enemies to lovers. It feels much more real this way.
The plot is engaging and interesting, and I always wanted to keep reading to know what happened next. There's so many interesting things about the world and the magic. I liked learning along with Noa. It's a new take on fae that I haven't seen before, and I like it.
I'm definitely waiting not so patiently for book two!!
If you like fae, unique magic and world building, grumpy heroes, strong willed heroines, and realistic relationships- don't wait to grab this one!!
October 5, 2022
Interesting storyline that grabs your attention immediately!
The concept of this story is about 3 human woman who are forced to wed 3 Fae male kings that got trapped on Earth and can only portal back to their home called Avalon by turning these 3 ordinary plain woman into faery queens.
Only female faeries can open portals from Earth to Avalon and these males need them to get home and there is no more female faeries that exist in Avalon so the kings need to make faeries out of these women in order to get home. The main female character focuses on Noa who is paired with the Fae king Audren or "Chaos" as he is sometimes referred to and she is very reluctant to be of service to their cause but after befriended the other two female women, she decides that she will be what she thinks is a sacrifice to the cause so the male fae dont destroy Earth any more than their presence has done so far by disrupting the natural balance of the world.
As the story moves forward and she becomes less human and more faery, she begrudgingly shows more interest in participating in the daily rituals that her and her king partake in to open the portal needed. But can she trust them? Her perception of the kings changes with the more time she's with them and watching her powers grow while she comes into her own holds my attention.
I can't wait to see what is in store for Noa and Audren in book 2!
The concept of this story is about 3 human woman who are forced to wed 3 Fae male kings that got trapped on Earth and can only portal back to their home called Avalon by turning these 3 ordinary plain woman into faery queens.
Only female faeries can open portals from Earth to Avalon and these males need them to get home and there is no more female faeries that exist in Avalon so the kings need to make faeries out of these women in order to get home. The main female character focuses on Noa who is paired with the Fae king Audren or "Chaos" as he is sometimes referred to and she is very reluctant to be of service to their cause but after befriended the other two female women, she decides that she will be what she thinks is a sacrifice to the cause so the male fae dont destroy Earth any more than their presence has done so far by disrupting the natural balance of the world.
As the story moves forward and she becomes less human and more faery, she begrudgingly shows more interest in participating in the daily rituals that her and her king partake in to open the portal needed. But can she trust them? Her perception of the kings changes with the more time she's with them and watching her powers grow while she comes into her own holds my attention.
I can't wait to see what is in store for Noa and Audren in book 2!
December 20, 2022
Word to the author : you shouldn't have doubted yourself. Loved your writing, the characters and world building. You should be proud
So I laughed reading this book, loved the banter and the main character's wit. Very realistic in the writing like the emotions and how the FMC handles her situation, also very thoughtful. The MMC is very grumpy, always angry at the world but powerful and fair so we like that
It's and enemies to friends for now but there is some tension and since they have a special bond a bit like mates, it'll probably evolve into something interesting. Moreover the FMC is not shy about sex so all the better. And the males in this book all seem to be virgins at least for the hetero ones
Can't wait to read book 2.
Of you like fantasy set in the real world, arranged marriage, quest to go back home, enemies to friends, bonds, banter, they have to be close otherwise they're in pain, kinda forced proximity... Go for it
PS : read a comment about how it's obvious the author is sending feminist messages and stuff and I really didn't think so. Usually when it's obvious and shoved in my face, I don't like it, like probably the majority but in this book it's done well enough that you don't feel it.
Also, yes the FMC is not like other girls and the author accentuated it but not enough to bother me. And though we're always a bit like everyone else, the FMC is also a loner who prefers music to people and who dreams big but lives a simple life. I can respect that
So I laughed reading this book, loved the banter and the main character's wit. Very realistic in the writing like the emotions and how the FMC handles her situation, also very thoughtful. The MMC is very grumpy, always angry at the world but powerful and fair so we like that
It's and enemies to friends for now but there is some tension and since they have a special bond a bit like mates, it'll probably evolve into something interesting. Moreover the FMC is not shy about sex so all the better. And the males in this book all seem to be virgins at least for the hetero ones
Can't wait to read book 2.
Of you like fantasy set in the real world, arranged marriage, quest to go back home, enemies to friends, bonds, banter, they have to be close otherwise they're in pain, kinda forced proximity... Go for it
PS : read a comment about how it's obvious the author is sending feminist messages and stuff and I really didn't think so. Usually when it's obvious and shoved in my face, I don't like it, like probably the majority but in this book it's done well enough that you don't feel it.
Also, yes the FMC is not like other girls and the author accentuated it but not enough to bother me. And though we're always a bit like everyone else, the FMC is also a loner who prefers music to people and who dreams big but lives a simple life. I can respect that
October 31, 2024
Good story, great characters
At first, I wasn't sure that I would like this book. I don't enjoy the overly snarky, kick ass, complaining heroine depicted in so many books. I find the conceited and often selfish men annoying. They ignore the issues of building trust and relationship. Instead the relationship starts in bed. Then they fall in love.
When I rate a book, it is rare I give a 5 star review. I do rate based on similar books. It would hardly be fair to compare a supernatural romance, historical fiction, or a mystery to a classic.
This book is different. It has a slow start regarding seeing the depths of characters, but isn't that like real life? Soon, we learn that Now is different. She stands up for herself without the conceit. Noa is a genuine person. I like her. The Fae Sea King she is forced to marry is not the typical Alpha male. There are traits of an Alpha male, but he is not arrogant and has vulnerabilities that he hides with a show of anger. Noa's ability to set aside grievances allows us to learn more about him. The story is from her point of view, so it is natural we have to learn about her partner, and the life she is thrown into, as Noa does.
The book is a surprise. I really enjoyed the unique storyline. I will warn this ends in a cliffhanger and you will want to dive into the next book!
At first, I wasn't sure that I would like this book. I don't enjoy the overly snarky, kick ass, complaining heroine depicted in so many books. I find the conceited and often selfish men annoying. They ignore the issues of building trust and relationship. Instead the relationship starts in bed. Then they fall in love.
When I rate a book, it is rare I give a 5 star review. I do rate based on similar books. It would hardly be fair to compare a supernatural romance, historical fiction, or a mystery to a classic.
This book is different. It has a slow start regarding seeing the depths of characters, but isn't that like real life? Soon, we learn that Now is different. She stands up for herself without the conceit. Noa is a genuine person. I like her. The Fae Sea King she is forced to marry is not the typical Alpha male. There are traits of an Alpha male, but he is not arrogant and has vulnerabilities that he hides with a show of anger. Noa's ability to set aside grievances allows us to learn more about him. The story is from her point of view, so it is natural we have to learn about her partner, and the life she is thrown into, as Noa does.
The book is a surprise. I really enjoyed the unique storyline. I will warn this ends in a cliffhanger and you will want to dive into the next book!
December 22, 2022
Listen I’m not going to pretend like this book was GOOD but for some reason it was interesting enough and HILARIOUS that I couldn’t stop reading. It was a quick enjoyable read as far as entertainment goes, but it has like, no depth and no real plot worth anything. I definitely wouldn’t buy it for the $4 it is on kindle, but since I have KU and it was free, I didn’t care to read it.
This book could have been a lot better if given the time and length to flesh things out. My main beef was with how angry the fae king is all the time. Every sentence he spoke ended with “he growled” and it was VERY overused. The word growled was used APPROXIMATELY 42 times. I’m not one of those that gives a damn of a male character growls sometimes (even though we all love to make fun of it) but 42 is a little excessive.
Also he constantly threw her into the ocean to get her to wrangle her emotions and control them so she didn’t cause tsunamis and like … is that not counterproductive? Also very mean. Like she was thrown in there at least ten times.
I’ll probably read the rest because they’re free and I’m about to be snowed in - I also didn’t hate it enough to not want to try the rest. It’s more entertaining than anything
This book could have been a lot better if given the time and length to flesh things out. My main beef was with how angry the fae king is all the time. Every sentence he spoke ended with “he growled” and it was VERY overused. The word growled was used APPROXIMATELY 42 times. I’m not one of those that gives a damn of a male character growls sometimes (even though we all love to make fun of it) but 42 is a little excessive.
Also he constantly threw her into the ocean to get her to wrangle her emotions and control them so she didn’t cause tsunamis and like … is that not counterproductive? Also very mean. Like she was thrown in there at least ten times.
I’ll probably read the rest because they’re free and I’m about to be snowed in - I also didn’t hate it enough to not want to try the rest. It’s more entertaining than anything
December 28, 2021
Glass launches readers into a new world where the Fae have crashed into ours and caused major havoc. To appease them and seemingly save what’s left of humanity, the government has agreed to hand over three human women to become wives to their Kings. November, Noa, has no choice and finds herself married to one angry, powerful sea Fae King named Chaos. But there’s so much more to the story and the author unfolds pieces of the tale in a very artful way. This enemies to lovers story has strong-willed, interesting characters and they must learn to trust each other in order to survive.
For romance readers out there, “Chaos,” King Auden is very reminiscent of The Hating Game’s Joshua Templeman in the sense that he is HAWT, strong, and actually so so caring underneath the apparently gruff exterior.
I am so excited to see how Noa and Auden’s story continues in the second book… so much more to explore!
For romance readers out there, “Chaos,” King Auden is very reminiscent of The Hating Game’s Joshua Templeman in the sense that he is HAWT, strong, and actually so so caring underneath the apparently gruff exterior.
I am so excited to see how Noa and Auden’s story continues in the second book… so much more to explore!
June 7, 2022
"It’s different, and honestly a bit weird, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!"
A very interesting take on the Far and dare I say, Fairytales. I loved the protagonists... Noa (November) and Auden (Chaos) are interesting and complex.
To Lola:
You are very brave and amazing. I have read much of your work and agreed with your authors notes at the end. I struggled getting "into" this book and did not like Auden's character AT ALL at first. His anger issues bothered me. But at the end, Noa's realization of HIS perspective/plight allowed me to cut him some slack and I am becoming a fan. To me, that speaks to your writing prowess; that ability to illicit strong emotions about fictional characters. Love, hate, anger, sadness... You are truly talented and I am a fan. Keep doing what you are doing as Noa made her music videos... Because it makes you happy! Keep the faith my friend!
>^..^<
A very interesting take on the Far and dare I say, Fairytales. I loved the protagonists... Noa (November) and Auden (Chaos) are interesting and complex.
To Lola:
You are very brave and amazing. I have read much of your work and agreed with your authors notes at the end. I struggled getting "into" this book and did not like Auden's character AT ALL at first. His anger issues bothered me. But at the end, Noa's realization of HIS perspective/plight allowed me to cut him some slack and I am becoming a fan. To me, that speaks to your writing prowess; that ability to illicit strong emotions about fictional characters. Love, hate, anger, sadness... You are truly talented and I am a fan. Keep doing what you are doing as Noa made her music videos... Because it makes you happy! Keep the faith my friend!
>^..^<
July 23, 2022
Surprisingly good book. I was looking for something entertaining to pass the time and stumbled in this page-turner. I kept reading last night until 4am without noticing. This is a book I will read again sometime. The interactions between characters are very well done. At first the other two wives must have felt sorry for November for ending up married to the worst of the kings, but by the end, they must have realized Noa was the lucky one. I'm not sure about the dynamics between the kings; I guess at this point the author wasn't, either, as Chaos has not been king for long and has not established a working relationship with the other two kings.
Anyways, I liked this book. It contains surprises and the reader is as blind as the main character. There are no obvious information laying about that the reader can see and is annoyed because the main character doesn't. Here, we learn along with November, and it's an interesting situation what the fae got into, let me tell you.
Anyways, I liked this book. It contains surprises and the reader is as blind as the main character. There are no obvious information laying about that the reader can see and is annoyed because the main character doesn't. Here, we learn along with November, and it's an interesting situation what the fae got into, let me tell you.
February 19, 2024
Wow, I don't even know where to start with this book. I will say that any book that has fae and faeries in it, I'm always down to trying it. But this book had me from page one. The FMC is such a smart, witty, sarcastic, take no crap kind of female and I loved it and her character. The sass she had against it seemed always angry sea king Auden or chaos as others called him was having me smiling and chuckling at times. Now the other two kings- air and earth seem like two total stuck up egotistical males and just treat females in general as objects. The fmc though does have a heart of gold and also cares. Especially with the other two woman who were taken with her, she kind of had the small role of looking out for them, while also befriending them, which she also struggles with befriending people in general, mainly woman. I couldn't stop reading this book, the banter, the magic, the sarcastic wit and humor and waiting for the next thing to happen. Can't wait for book two!
December 29, 2021
Now, I cannot wait for the second book to come out! This new fantasy series by Lola Glass is great (just like all her other fantasy and paranormal books :)
Normally, I am not the biggest fan of books about the fae/faeries but Glass managed to make her characters and new world so engaging that I ended up loving it! This book is definitely in the slow-burn romance category, and focuses on world-building and having us get to really know the personalities of the main characters.
The book opens with November being spirited onto an island taken over by otherworldly fae men, and start building friendships as well as getting used to new powers and husband! This is an enemies-to-lovers type of romance but fortunately our hero Auden is pretty lovable almost from the get-go, so rooting for Auden-November!
I received an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review
Normally, I am not the biggest fan of books about the fae/faeries but Glass managed to make her characters and new world so engaging that I ended up loving it! This book is definitely in the slow-burn romance category, and focuses on world-building and having us get to really know the personalities of the main characters.
The book opens with November being spirited onto an island taken over by otherworldly fae men, and start building friendships as well as getting used to new powers and husband! This is an enemies-to-lovers type of romance but fortunately our hero Auden is pretty lovable almost from the get-go, so rooting for Auden-November!
I received an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review
December 30, 2021
creative and exciting
This is a new and creative twist on Fae. I will admit that I was a little reluctant to start this one for two reasons. 1) it’s much different than what Lola usually writes so I wasn’t sure about it and 2) the blurb sounded a lot like Elise Kiva’s Married to Magic Elf King book which made me hesitant to pick it up. However, I am so glad that I read it anyway!!! It’s different and so good. Nothing like married to magic or any other book really. I love Noa and how she grows as a character. There are so many different pieces of this story and I cannot wait to read more about Avalon in book 2. It does end on a cliffhanger but book two will be here pretty quickly. Read it! You won’t regret it. Lola is a great writer and I love that she is trying new things. (Shifters are great but fae and fantasy are my fave 😉)
This is a new and creative twist on Fae. I will admit that I was a little reluctant to start this one for two reasons. 1) it’s much different than what Lola usually writes so I wasn’t sure about it and 2) the blurb sounded a lot like Elise Kiva’s Married to Magic Elf King book which made me hesitant to pick it up. However, I am so glad that I read it anyway!!! It’s different and so good. Nothing like married to magic or any other book really. I love Noa and how she grows as a character. There are so many different pieces of this story and I cannot wait to read more about Avalon in book 2. It does end on a cliffhanger but book two will be here pretty quickly. Read it! You won’t regret it. Lola is a great writer and I love that she is trying new things. (Shifters are great but fae and fantasy are my fave 😉)
January 2, 2022
This is a NON-SPOILER REVIEW of Forced to be Queen by Lola Glass. This is the first book in the Sacrificed to the Fae King series. I really enjoyed this read. I liked this take on the Fae and their Kings having to take human wives. While there were three Kings and three women, the bulk of this story focuses on November and Auden and the challenges that they face. I found myself laughing at some of her observations and loved the chemistry that sparked. The story moves at a steady pace and has strong secondary characters that piqued my interest. Great world building and creative problem solving moved this story into the 4.5 star range. It does have a cliffhanger ending, a set up to the next book - but I would have wanted to see where this story goes anyway!
This honest and voluntary review was made possible by reading a copy through Booksprout.
This honest and voluntary review was made possible by reading a copy through Booksprout.
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