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Rowan Blood #1
Prince of the Sorrows
Without an academic endorsement to make him valuable to the high fey, Saffron will be sent back through the veil to the human world. The place he was traded from as a changeling-baby, and a place he is terrified of. And while getting an endorsement shouldn't be impossible, it's hindered by the fact his literacy is self-taught, using books stolen off of Morrígan Academy's campus of high fey students.
When mistaken identity leads to Saffron learning the true name of brooding, self-centered, high fey Prince Cylvan, what begins as a risk of losing his life (or his tongue) becomes an opportunity to earn the future he wants. In exchange for an endorsement, he and Cylvan form a geis where Saffron agrees to find a spell to strip power from Cylvan's true name. While Prince Cylvan doesn't know Saffron can barely read, Saffron is determined to meet his end of the deal in order to remain in Alfidel—or, maybe, just to remain by Cylvan's side, as affections grow stronger every night they spend alone in the library together.
But as other human servants soon fall victim to a beast known only as “the wolf”, Saffron realizes he has embroiled himself in a manipulative reach for power like he never anticipated—and even Prince Cylvan cannot be trusted. Between the wolf, uncovering forbidden magic, and his growing feelings for the prince, Saffron will have to decide which is most important to him—his endorsement, the lives of his friends, or the prince’s life and wellbeing.
Prince of the Sorrows is a queer fantasy romance for New Adults.
When mistaken identity leads to Saffron learning the true name of brooding, self-centered, high fey Prince Cylvan, what begins as a risk of losing his life (or his tongue) becomes an opportunity to earn the future he wants. In exchange for an endorsement, he and Cylvan form a geis where Saffron agrees to find a spell to strip power from Cylvan's true name. While Prince Cylvan doesn't know Saffron can barely read, Saffron is determined to meet his end of the deal in order to remain in Alfidel—or, maybe, just to remain by Cylvan's side, as affections grow stronger every night they spend alone in the library together.
But as other human servants soon fall victim to a beast known only as “the wolf”, Saffron realizes he has embroiled himself in a manipulative reach for power like he never anticipated—and even Prince Cylvan cannot be trusted. Between the wolf, uncovering forbidden magic, and his growing feelings for the prince, Saffron will have to decide which is most important to him—his endorsement, the lives of his friends, or the prince’s life and wellbeing.
Prince of the Sorrows is a queer fantasy romance for New Adults.
393 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2022
924 people are currently reading
19752 people want to read
About the author
Kellen Graves
6 books1,335 followersIndie/selfpub author currently living in the eastern edge of the PNW with my partner, two cats, and crystal collection.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 993 reviews
July 3, 2022
I have read a lot of books about fae, but I've never read one like this.
I am the number one fae hater in the UK. Most of the popular YA and adult fae books? I've DNF'ed them all. When I first heard about Prince of the Sorrows, I was intrigued by pretty much all of the information about it. Dark Academia is one of my top genres, and I adore dark, gothic atmospheres. The only apprehension I had was the fae aspect. I don't know why I've never been able to finish a book about fae before, especially considering I am a huge fantasy reader. None of the books I've read have much in common, besides the fact that I've never finished them. I thought, well it must be the fae, right? Perhaps they are not my thing.
Apparently, I was incredibly wrong. Fae is my thing. Cylvan is my thing. This book is my thing.
I thought about POTS for hours after I finished last night, and there is genuinely so much to unpack. I don't know where to start.
What first captured my attention were the descriptions of the ancient, timely buildings of Morrigan Campus. There was something so haunting and gloomy about the way they were described. The library was phenomenal. The introduction of mythology, the difference between how ancient stories were described in both the fae and human worlds, the paintings, and the lowly lit hallways. All so vivid and engaging. The rows and rows of shelves lined with books were excellent world-building devices. It felt so natural to read with Saffron and learn about the world. It was a brilliant choice to have the protagonist as in the dark as the reader. It felt right for this world and the class system. The wet, rainy, nightly trips to the library were my favorite. I felt the moon's presence throughout as if it were casting a judgemental shadow on the characters. This was mostly something I imagined myself but is a true testament to the strength of the carefully crafted atmosphere. It reminded me of all the reasons I loved dark academia books like A Lesson In Vengeance.
While I loved learning about how fae society functioned, nothing compared to the intricacies of the magic system. I am a sucker for a new, fresh, and innovative system of magic, and POTS definitely impressed on that front. The difference between fae magic and human arid magic was so intriguing. I was definitely more fascinated by the arid system, mostly because I felt the book focused more on it. I loved how magic was incorporated in objects that allowed students of Morrigan to move from building to building. I also enjoyed how magic appeared through nature. The fruit, which you'll only understand when you read the book, was so interesting, and I can't wait to see the chaos it causes in the next book. There felt like so many different forms of magic, and I appreciated how cohesive everything was. I sense that there is more to the different forms than most know, and am super excited to see how everything unravels.
There is so much potential here, and I can't really go into much without outright spoiling the plot. All I'll say is, I really hope to see Saffron take his magic learning as far as possible, as it could create some incredible storylines.
I feel like I've spoken about so many wonderful aspects of the book, but I haven't even gotten round to the true highlight - Cylvan and Saffron's relationship! My god, I love royalty, and Cylvan was the perfect brooding prince. Their sunshine/grump dynamic was so perfect. I loved how their relationship developed, and I would definitely describe this as a slow-burn romance. Their progression from the beginning of the novel to the end felt seamless. Their relationship was a total thrill. I felt the danger in their initial encounter. That was something I really appreciated about the writing. The characters always felt like they were flirting with danger. The stakes were so quietly intense, perfect for the atmosphere and genre.
One of the reasons I've never enjoyed fae is because of how straight it is. I have tried some queer options like Master of One, but none have ever really suited me. This story is so unapologetically queer, which I say with the highest of praise. Queerness is so seamlessly woven into the world. POTS is an example of what I have been thinking for years. How can queer people be so underrepresented in fantasy when you can literally create any world you like? If you're looking to not be reminded of all the reasons our world rejects you, this book will show you all the reasons you should be embraced.
The characterisation was so on point. Everyone felt so unique and diverse in personality. Cylvan was definitely my favourite character, but I loved following Saffron's journey. It was so wonderful to see a steamy, incredibly well-written MLM romance in the fae world. I pray with all my heart things work out for those two!
That ending... I have no words.
This book may be by a debut indie author, but in my opinion, it is as good as novels by authors with huge publisher backings. I really hope people will give this a chance. It is so much more than a book about fae. It is so many wonderful things, and I absolutely adore it. This feels like the kind of series that has been well planned out. This is one you'd want to reread when it finally concludes to see how the characters grow into the people they eventually become. I have so many theories and hopes for future storylines!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Since I've read an ARC of this and technically have to pine longer than others for the second book, I definitely deserve an advanced copy of the next one, right? Right?!?!?!
You can follow me on: Instagram Twitter TikTok
I am the number one fae hater in the UK. Most of the popular YA and adult fae books? I've DNF'ed them all. When I first heard about Prince of the Sorrows, I was intrigued by pretty much all of the information about it. Dark Academia is one of my top genres, and I adore dark, gothic atmospheres. The only apprehension I had was the fae aspect. I don't know why I've never been able to finish a book about fae before, especially considering I am a huge fantasy reader. None of the books I've read have much in common, besides the fact that I've never finished them. I thought, well it must be the fae, right? Perhaps they are not my thing.
Apparently, I was incredibly wrong. Fae is my thing. Cylvan is my thing. This book is my thing.
I thought about POTS for hours after I finished last night, and there is genuinely so much to unpack. I don't know where to start.
What first captured my attention were the descriptions of the ancient, timely buildings of Morrigan Campus. There was something so haunting and gloomy about the way they were described. The library was phenomenal. The introduction of mythology, the difference between how ancient stories were described in both the fae and human worlds, the paintings, and the lowly lit hallways. All so vivid and engaging. The rows and rows of shelves lined with books were excellent world-building devices. It felt so natural to read with Saffron and learn about the world. It was a brilliant choice to have the protagonist as in the dark as the reader. It felt right for this world and the class system. The wet, rainy, nightly trips to the library were my favorite. I felt the moon's presence throughout as if it were casting a judgemental shadow on the characters. This was mostly something I imagined myself but is a true testament to the strength of the carefully crafted atmosphere. It reminded me of all the reasons I loved dark academia books like A Lesson In Vengeance.
While I loved learning about how fae society functioned, nothing compared to the intricacies of the magic system. I am a sucker for a new, fresh, and innovative system of magic, and POTS definitely impressed on that front. The difference between fae magic and human arid magic was so intriguing. I was definitely more fascinated by the arid system, mostly because I felt the book focused more on it. I loved how magic was incorporated in objects that allowed students of Morrigan to move from building to building. I also enjoyed how magic appeared through nature. The fruit, which you'll only understand when you read the book, was so interesting, and I can't wait to see the chaos it causes in the next book. There felt like so many different forms of magic, and I appreciated how cohesive everything was. I sense that there is more to the different forms than most know, and am super excited to see how everything unravels.
There is so much potential here, and I can't really go into much without outright spoiling the plot. All I'll say is, I really hope to see Saffron take his magic learning as far as possible, as it could create some incredible storylines.
I feel like I've spoken about so many wonderful aspects of the book, but I haven't even gotten round to the true highlight - Cylvan and Saffron's relationship! My god, I love royalty, and Cylvan was the perfect brooding prince. Their sunshine/grump dynamic was so perfect. I loved how their relationship developed, and I would definitely describe this as a slow-burn romance. Their progression from the beginning of the novel to the end felt seamless. Their relationship was a total thrill. I felt the danger in their initial encounter. That was something I really appreciated about the writing. The characters always felt like they were flirting with danger. The stakes were so quietly intense, perfect for the atmosphere and genre.
One of the reasons I've never enjoyed fae is because of how straight it is. I have tried some queer options like Master of One, but none have ever really suited me. This story is so unapologetically queer, which I say with the highest of praise. Queerness is so seamlessly woven into the world. POTS is an example of what I have been thinking for years. How can queer people be so underrepresented in fantasy when you can literally create any world you like? If you're looking to not be reminded of all the reasons our world rejects you, this book will show you all the reasons you should be embraced.
The characterisation was so on point. Everyone felt so unique and diverse in personality. Cylvan was definitely my favourite character, but I loved following Saffron's journey. It was so wonderful to see a steamy, incredibly well-written MLM romance in the fae world. I pray with all my heart things work out for those two!
That ending... I have no words.
This book may be by a debut indie author, but in my opinion, it is as good as novels by authors with huge publisher backings. I really hope people will give this a chance. It is so much more than a book about fae. It is so many wonderful things, and I absolutely adore it. This feels like the kind of series that has been well planned out. This is one you'd want to reread when it finally concludes to see how the characters grow into the people they eventually become. I have so many theories and hopes for future storylines!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Since I've read an ARC of this and technically have to pine longer than others for the second book, I definitely deserve an advanced copy of the next one, right? Right?!?!?!
You can follow me on: Instagram Twitter TikTok
December 5, 2023
You know, I think my favorite part of a book is when I finish the book and then I can quickly go and start another book. Hold up, that doesn’t sound right. Huh… it's possible that I just didn’t like this. What an unpleasant feeling. I will say that this time around, a lot of my dislike was on me, because for most of the book I just really didn’t understand what the hell was going on. I know that this is kind of starting to sound suspiciously like I didn’t even read it, but yeah, I did. I just wish I didn’t. Also, please don’t go quizzing me on it either because my only answer would be, “Uh well, this was certainly a book with pages that have words on them and there seems to be a story where events transpired.” Okay, so I’m probably being a little tough, maybe it just wasn't for me, you know? And that’s definitely possible, all I know is that whenever the fog of confusion would clear away, instead of smooth sailing, it just made-way for anger. It’s been a minute since I’ve genuinely hated the portrayed romance with a burning passion. Power imbalance, doormat protagonist, a rich prince guy who does none of the work in the relationship while also being vindicated for this attitude by the narrative… oh no! It’s Playing the Palace all over again! Look, I won’t get too much into it, but most of my ire was directed at Cylvan for being a spineless bully who expects devotion despite never doing anything to earn it (nothing says “trustworthy” like a guy who screams “trust me” five times in the span of two pages), but also at Saffron (Where. Is. Your. Fucking. Rage.) who never seems to hold Cylvan accountable for his sketchy behavior. Anyway, I didn’t like this, but who knows, I’ve come back to books on a re-read and was much more appreciative, so maybe one day this will be a new favorite of mine!
...
Um, that was a lie. I’m just trying to wrap this up with some semblance of cheeriness. Give it a bit of a positive spin right there at the end… but let’s be real, I’m never going to touch this series again. I can only relay my experiences, and unfortunately this wasn’t for me. Sorry.
...
Um, that was a lie. I’m just trying to wrap this up with some semblance of cheeriness. Give it a bit of a positive spin right there at the end… but let’s be real, I’m never going to touch this series again. I can only relay my experiences, and unfortunately this wasn’t for me. Sorry.
April 28, 2022
✅ Slow-burn (no insta-love!) / Kind of hate-to-love
✅ Grumpy/Sunshine interactions
✅ A lot of queer characters
✅ World-building / Many fantastic and magical creatures
✅ Pace
✅ Promising ending
✅ Gorgeous cover
✅🆗 Plot
✅🆗 Romance
✅🆗 Politics
Saffron is a human who was taken from his family when he was a baby, in exchange for years of luck bestowed upon his parents. Now, as the time approaches when Saffron will have to go back to the human realm, he is desperate to find a way to stay. The “easiest” way would be to gain endorsement from a high fae, but even the easiest way seems unattainable until Saffron finds himself entering a bargain with the Prince.
Humans living in the fae realm are forced into servitude and have the status of beantighes. I am honestly not sure what the word means, but it’s the common word used to talk about the humans working at the Morrigan Academy to make sure that everything is clean and runs smoothly.
I like the magic system used by the humans and fae at the Academy. They wear rings that hold charms such as preventing one from aging or being compelled, or granting access to certain areas of the Academy. There is also a mix of “traditional” fae magic, but also elemental magic that has yet to be developed and more exploited in the next book.
The atmosphere of the book is dark at times, there are some gruesome murders and Saffron seems to always be flirting with danger, whether it is intentional or not. There is an immersive quality to the world-building and the atmosphere, and it was easy to picture it and get lost in it. There are also so many fantastic and magical creatures! I adored that! We get to see faes, of course, arrogant and cruel ones, but also pixies, nymphs, sprites, undines, and selkies.
There is a little politics involved in the plot, but I would have enjoyed it even more if the political aspect took more room in the book. I find that the plot as a whole was a little weak. This book really focuses on Saffron and Cylvan’s interactions, and the plot line about Saffron finding someone to endorse him, and also figuring out why his friends are being killed is only secondary to the romance building between the two main characters. The ending is very promising though (and a little angsty so I like it even more), so I am really eager to read the next book to see where this story will go, and what will happen to Saffron and Cylvan.
Saffron and Cylvan’s interactions were really well written and I enjoyed their time together very much. Cylvan is the mysterious brooding high fae prince, but of course, he’s able to treat low-caste beantighes with basic respect (as long as there is no witness), instead of enjoying torturing them. Saffron is the complete opposite, he is curious and bubbly and his dream comes true when he can finally enter the Academy library, thanks to Cylvan, making him even happier. Their relationship started badly, but it quickly changed as Saffron picked the interest of the Prince.
I would describe their relationship as a slow-burn since there was no insta-love or even insta-lust. One thing that bothered me a teeny tiny bit though is the switch in Cylvan’s behavior towards Saffron that almost seemed a little sudden. He went from trying to take Saffron's tongue out so prevent him from speaking Cylvan’s true name, to being caring and devoted to him a little too quickly I think. It was a little sudden, but the rest of their relationship had a nice and smooth progression. I could have taken a little more sexual tension between them, but it was still good.
This story is also full of queer characters, and it is not hidden or frowned upon in the land they live in. It is also woven into every aspect of the world-building, from the low-caste humans up to the high faes and even royal figures, there are many queer characters and I really like that. Lately, we’ve seen more and more books with queer/LGBTQ rep, but it seems to always be only 2 or 3 characters in the cast, here it’s at least 10 characters that are either homosexual, bisexual, or non-binary. It took me a few pages to get used to the fact that a few characters are referred to as “they”, but I am not saying that in a negative way. I think it’s great to have this representation in books in 2022, but I admit that it was a little weird at first because English is my second language and I was taught that They or Their referred to more than one person. But I digress…
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✅ Grumpy/Sunshine interactions
✅ A lot of queer characters
✅ World-building / Many fantastic and magical creatures
✅ Pace
✅ Promising ending
✅ Gorgeous cover
✅🆗 Plot
✅🆗 Romance
✅🆗 Politics
“This coming Ostara, it’s time I send you back through the veil to the human world.”
To a world whose languages he didn’t speak, whose maps he didn’t know, whose customs he couldn’t navigate. A place he’d only visited once before, where he was met with hostility by his own birth parents who had traded him away.
(…)
That year would be his last chance at a wish at all. His last chance to beg Brìghde for mercy, to give him something that might make the difference between life or death.
Saffron is a human who was taken from his family when he was a baby, in exchange for years of luck bestowed upon his parents. Now, as the time approaches when Saffron will have to go back to the human realm, he is desperate to find a way to stay. The “easiest” way would be to gain endorsement from a high fae, but even the easiest way seems unattainable until Saffron finds himself entering a bargain with the Prince.
It was also Proserpina who implemented the original rule of veils on human beantighes, covering their faces in order to show deference to fey patrons and employers, wearing white as a sign of spiritual betrothal to the edicts of the queen, a sign of wanting to become everything she thought humans needed to be to be less wicked, sinful, arrogant, selfish…
Humans living in the fae realm are forced into servitude and have the status of beantighes. I am honestly not sure what the word means, but it’s the common word used to talk about the humans working at the Morrigan Academy to make sure that everything is clean and runs smoothly.
I like the magic system used by the humans and fae at the Academy. They wear rings that hold charms such as preventing one from aging or being compelled, or granting access to certain areas of the Academy. There is also a mix of “traditional” fae magic, but also elemental magic that has yet to be developed and more exploited in the next book.
With their pointed ears, tall frames, shining hair, smooth skin, and symmetrical features that could seemingly only emote disgust, resentment, annoyance, or arrogance.
The atmosphere of the book is dark at times, there are some gruesome murders and Saffron seems to always be flirting with danger, whether it is intentional or not. There is an immersive quality to the world-building and the atmosphere, and it was easy to picture it and get lost in it. There are also so many fantastic and magical creatures! I adored that! We get to see faes, of course, arrogant and cruel ones, but also pixies, nymphs, sprites, undines, and selkies.
There is a little politics involved in the plot, but I would have enjoyed it even more if the political aspect took more room in the book. I find that the plot as a whole was a little weak. This book really focuses on Saffron and Cylvan’s interactions, and the plot line about Saffron finding someone to endorse him, and also figuring out why his friends are being killed is only secondary to the romance building between the two main characters. The ending is very promising though (and a little angsty so I like it even more), so I am really eager to read the next book to see where this story will go, and what will happen to Saffron and Cylvan.
I don’t know, do you really expect someone like me to have a solution for your own hubris or whatever you want to call it?”
“What exactly do you think hubris is?”
“I don’t know! Perhaps the thing that makes you so disagreeable!”
Saffron and Cylvan’s interactions were really well written and I enjoyed their time together very much. Cylvan is the mysterious brooding high fae prince, but of course, he’s able to treat low-caste beantighes with basic respect (as long as there is no witness), instead of enjoying torturing them. Saffron is the complete opposite, he is curious and bubbly and his dream comes true when he can finally enter the Academy library, thanks to Cylvan, making him even happier. Their relationship started badly, but it quickly changed as Saffron picked the interest of the Prince.
The way his features were so elegant when they looked at him… like that. With an ounce of tenderness and concern, his eyes muted slightly in the overcast light, dark eyebrows furrowed in concentration. While Prince Cylvan had always been beautiful, when his expression was relaxed… it was enough to make Saffron’s heart race in the same wanting way it did when he read romantic stories.
I would describe their relationship as a slow-burn since there was no insta-love or even insta-lust. One thing that bothered me a teeny tiny bit though is the switch in Cylvan’s behavior towards Saffron that almost seemed a little sudden. He went from trying to take Saffron's tongue out so prevent him from speaking Cylvan’s true name, to being caring and devoted to him a little too quickly I think. It was a little sudden, but the rest of their relationship had a nice and smooth progression. I could have taken a little more sexual tension between them, but it was still good.
This story is also full of queer characters, and it is not hidden or frowned upon in the land they live in. It is also woven into every aspect of the world-building, from the low-caste humans up to the high faes and even royal figures, there are many queer characters and I really like that. Lately, we’ve seen more and more books with queer/LGBTQ rep, but it seems to always be only 2 or 3 characters in the cast, here it’s at least 10 characters that are either homosexual, bisexual, or non-binary. It took me a few pages to get used to the fact that a few characters are referred to as “they”, but I am not saying that in a negative way. I think it’s great to have this representation in books in 2022, but I admit that it was a little weird at first because English is my second language and I was taught that They or Their referred to more than one person. But I digress…
“Well… it’s… like a pixie caring for a raven, isn’t it?” Saffron smiled softly. “Someone insignificant like me, thinking I can do anything at all for someone as big and grand and free as you are. But, I guess… perhaps, while the pixie cannot help with raven-sized problems… it can at least share the little treasures it steals, because it knows the raven likes shiny things, too…”
“... A raven?” Cylvan finally chuckled the more he thought about it.
Saffron laughed, too, embarrassed by his analogy. But then Cylvan sat up, and suddenly they were very close, making Saffron’s breath catch. Cylvan plucked a piece of grass from Saffron’s hair, twirling it between two fingers. “Perhaps the raven cares for the pixie as well, but worries its squawking and sharp talons and… reputation will scare it away. What then?”
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January 15, 2025
Even after round 2, THIS BOOK IS JUST AS INCREDIBLE. And the audio SLAPPED SO HARD! 👏
He nailed Saffron and Cylvan’s voices and Saffron’s little giggles 🤭🤭🤭
This book is stunning, I am in awe again of how much I love the rep, the story, the mc’s, the world building…
This is one of my roman empire books where if you don't like it, that's cool but like... it's okay because you're allowed to be wrong sometimes 😇😇😇
I ate this shit up.... like...
I love Cylvan and Saffron, a healthy people normal amount like, I'd die for them if they asked me to! Commit crimes? if I had to, sure! Eat forbidden fruits? Whatever. Nothing is really off the table, I'll try anything 5 times... 😂😂😂
11/10⭐
11/10 would recommend
11/10 will not listen to criticism
11/10 feel victimised by the fact that all 8 books aren't released
Kellen is a literary artist, and their wife is a literal artist goddess (the cover art artist oooooft)
I will be in your bedroom window judging you until you've read this. It's got High Fae n shit, I am dumb as hell and don't know how to convince you but again, if you don't like it, you're wrong but I still love you.
Old review:
Literally finished this book so fast and felt so upset I didn’t just buy the second book right away. Don’t make that mistake hahahaha. Beautifully written, I love the representation throughout, MC’s are OOOOOFT /chefs kiss. All amazing. Amazing author, can’t wait to buy and read everything they produce!!!!
He nailed Saffron and Cylvan’s voices and Saffron’s little giggles 🤭🤭🤭
This book is stunning, I am in awe again of how much I love the rep, the story, the mc’s, the world building…
This is one of my roman empire books where if you don't like it, that's cool but like... it's okay because you're allowed to be wrong sometimes 😇😇😇
I ate this shit up.... like...
I love Cylvan and Saffron, a healthy people normal amount like, I'd die for them if they asked me to! Commit crimes? if I had to, sure! Eat forbidden fruits? Whatever. Nothing is really off the table, I'll try anything 5 times... 😂😂😂
11/10⭐
11/10 would recommend
11/10 will not listen to criticism
11/10 feel victimised by the fact that all 8 books aren't released
Kellen is a literary artist, and their wife is a literal artist goddess (the cover art artist oooooft)
I will be in your bedroom window judging you until you've read this. It's got High Fae n shit, I am dumb as hell and don't know how to convince you but again, if you don't like it, you're wrong but I still love you.
Old review:
Literally finished this book so fast and felt so upset I didn’t just buy the second book right away. Don’t make that mistake hahahaha. Beautifully written, I love the representation throughout, MC’s are OOOOOFT /chefs kiss. All amazing. Amazing author, can’t wait to buy and read everything they produce!!!!
Read
July 20, 2025I have never read a book with fae before. No big, mainstream release featuring them has ever grabbed me, and that’s in large part, I’m sure, because I don’t enjoy the heteronormative sound of a lot of the worlds and romances containing them. I started this book knowing it featured an M/M romance, came highly recommended and had an amazing premise.
I devoured it in two sittings.
I haven’t read a fantasy book in months, but the world building is truly phenomenal here and in no time at all I was so easily picturing the campus. The library spread over several floors, the professor’s office with books and papers scattered, Prince Cylvan’s bathroom with the clothes and bottles strewn across it. Beyond that, the class structure, history, myths and mythical creatures, for example, were all introduced and discussed so organically. The exposition was never heavy handed and the writing was brilliant and assured. Descriptions were always vivid and I got the images straight away, one of my favourites of these being how time stretched like candy until brittle and ready to snap. I had such visceral reactions to any events involving pain as they were so easily imagined, and I shudder to think how I tensed my back in a scene involving a ladder.
Beyond whatever was happening centrally, you were always aware of danger or suffering on the periphery, be it the wolf lurking in the woods or the injustice and indignity the downtrodden humans in this world faced. And what made me genuinely tear up as I read was how these people with nothing would band together. Though that isn’t an uncommon theme, this book highlighted their queer and trans affirming actions in particular. The images of hand sewing a binder for a neighbour, lending yours to someone else in need, fashioning breasts to wear to help combat dysphoria. How they had nothing at all, but would do anything they could to make others feel more like themselves. How they shared beds and dressed wounds and drank from healing cups, kissed their henmothers on their way to work and waited up to hear gossip. How normalised and respected queer and trans identities were. How the kitchen table was a place of healing.
This is a world I want to read about.
And at the centre of all this brilliance is a couple I am rooting for more than words can describe. Saffron is a wonderful, fleshed out protagonist that you can’t help but want the best for. His hope, somehow strengthening rather than fading in the face of everything, and how you can find such beauty in things if you look through his eyes. No wonder every creature in the forest wants to cuddle up in the hood of his coat, and no wonder he captured the heart of the brooding fey prince. Cylvan is what I imagine everyone wants their book boyfriends to be. Not only is he handsome and charming with amethyst eyes and beautiful horns, but his acts of love and kindness throughout were too precious for words. They are each other’s soft places to land, and my heart tugs at every mention of how much each boy needed that.
I cannot wait to see where this wonderful and innovative magic system goes, how these truly awful antagonists are dealt with and how people find their way back to each other. There have been very few instances where I have wanted a sequel THIS much. I could talk about this for so long but I don’t want to spoil anything.
All I can say is read it. Stat. And then join hands in my prayer circle for the sequel to come quickly.
I devoured it in two sittings.
I haven’t read a fantasy book in months, but the world building is truly phenomenal here and in no time at all I was so easily picturing the campus. The library spread over several floors, the professor’s office with books and papers scattered, Prince Cylvan’s bathroom with the clothes and bottles strewn across it. Beyond that, the class structure, history, myths and mythical creatures, for example, were all introduced and discussed so organically. The exposition was never heavy handed and the writing was brilliant and assured. Descriptions were always vivid and I got the images straight away, one of my favourites of these being how time stretched like candy until brittle and ready to snap. I had such visceral reactions to any events involving pain as they were so easily imagined, and I shudder to think how I tensed my back in a scene involving a ladder.
Beyond whatever was happening centrally, you were always aware of danger or suffering on the periphery, be it the wolf lurking in the woods or the injustice and indignity the downtrodden humans in this world faced. And what made me genuinely tear up as I read was how these people with nothing would band together. Though that isn’t an uncommon theme, this book highlighted their queer and trans affirming actions in particular. The images of hand sewing a binder for a neighbour, lending yours to someone else in need, fashioning breasts to wear to help combat dysphoria. How they had nothing at all, but would do anything they could to make others feel more like themselves. How they shared beds and dressed wounds and drank from healing cups, kissed their henmothers on their way to work and waited up to hear gossip. How normalised and respected queer and trans identities were. How the kitchen table was a place of healing.
This is a world I want to read about.
And at the centre of all this brilliance is a couple I am rooting for more than words can describe. Saffron is a wonderful, fleshed out protagonist that you can’t help but want the best for. His hope, somehow strengthening rather than fading in the face of everything, and how you can find such beauty in things if you look through his eyes. No wonder every creature in the forest wants to cuddle up in the hood of his coat, and no wonder he captured the heart of the brooding fey prince. Cylvan is what I imagine everyone wants their book boyfriends to be. Not only is he handsome and charming with amethyst eyes and beautiful horns, but his acts of love and kindness throughout were too precious for words. They are each other’s soft places to land, and my heart tugs at every mention of how much each boy needed that.
I cannot wait to see where this wonderful and innovative magic system goes, how these truly awful antagonists are dealt with and how people find their way back to each other. There have been very few instances where I have wanted a sequel THIS much. I could talk about this for so long but I don’t want to spoil anything.
All I can say is read it. Stat. And then join hands in my prayer circle for the sequel to come quickly.
April 28, 2022
dnf @ 47%
Are all those gushing reviews for real?? I honestly want to know what part of this book is deserving of a 5-star rating — or even a 3-star one, for that matter. That’s why I got so far, actually — I just wanted to find out, but ultimately had to give up. 🤷♀️
This was horrible. The MC acted like a teenage girl the whole time, and the love interest was a bully, who apparently had a personality transplant in the last chapter I forced myself to read... Yay, the ‘romance’ part of the story can now commence!! PASS. ‘Adult’? Don’t make me laugh. The writing was basic and juvenile. This read like bad fanfiction.
Are all those gushing reviews for real?? I honestly want to know what part of this book is deserving of a 5-star rating — or even a 3-star one, for that matter. That’s why I got so far, actually — I just wanted to find out, but ultimately had to give up. 🤷♀️
This was horrible. The MC acted like a teenage girl the whole time, and the love interest was a bully, who apparently had a personality transplant in the last chapter I forced myself to read... Yay, the ‘romance’ part of the story can now commence!! PASS. ‘Adult’? Don’t make me laugh. The writing was basic and juvenile. This read like bad fanfiction.
December 21, 2022
As both the cover artist and the spouse of the author, you might consider my review of this novel to be biased, and who knows, you might be right. That doesn't change how I feel about this novel and these characters.
There is something magical about watching a story grow from a tiny seed, a wisp of a plot, a conversation starting with something like "what if a fairy prince fell in love with a human at a fairy school and the whole thing felt like walking through a warm library on a rainy day?"
I got to watch Saffron and Cylvan, Lettie and Hollow and Nimue and everyone in the world of Rowan Blood grow while Kellen nurtured them like little sprouts. I got to be a sounding board for plot ideas and worldbuilding and all the other what-ifs, I got to read the first drafts, and the second, the third and then I started to lose count. I got to watch months of work coalesce into a novel that gives me everything I could want in a dark-academia-flavored, fantasy romance. It is so easy to step into Saffron's shoes and hate Cylvan right alongside them until somehow that horned jerk worms his way into your heart and you suddenly can't imagine life without him.
If I had to describe the way reading this makes me feel, I would go with this; the feeling of walking through a misty forest with the air heavy with the smell of rain, fresh earth, and a touch of sweet rot; the feeling of walking into a library when you have nothing else to do that day, just allowing yourself to touch the spines of books, and breathe in whatever they have to tell you; the feeling of walking through a college campus, when you aren't a student, sensing the aura of a place of learning, schedules, routines, opportunity, but knowing you are apart from the people rushing from class to class.
It mixes all the best, juiciest cliches in satisfying ways, and as a non-binary genderfluid person, it warms my heart to see a novel blend these concepts into the world without batting an eye.
There is something magical about watching a story grow from a tiny seed, a wisp of a plot, a conversation starting with something like "what if a fairy prince fell in love with a human at a fairy school and the whole thing felt like walking through a warm library on a rainy day?"
I got to watch Saffron and Cylvan, Lettie and Hollow and Nimue and everyone in the world of Rowan Blood grow while Kellen nurtured them like little sprouts. I got to be a sounding board for plot ideas and worldbuilding and all the other what-ifs, I got to read the first drafts, and the second, the third and then I started to lose count. I got to watch months of work coalesce into a novel that gives me everything I could want in a dark-academia-flavored, fantasy romance. It is so easy to step into Saffron's shoes and hate Cylvan right alongside them until somehow that horned jerk worms his way into your heart and you suddenly can't imagine life without him.
If I had to describe the way reading this makes me feel, I would go with this; the feeling of walking through a misty forest with the air heavy with the smell of rain, fresh earth, and a touch of sweet rot; the feeling of walking into a library when you have nothing else to do that day, just allowing yourself to touch the spines of books, and breathe in whatever they have to tell you; the feeling of walking through a college campus, when you aren't a student, sensing the aura of a place of learning, schedules, routines, opportunity, but knowing you are apart from the people rushing from class to class.
It mixes all the best, juiciest cliches in satisfying ways, and as a non-binary genderfluid person, it warms my heart to see a novel blend these concepts into the world without batting an eye.
May 10, 2023
DNF @ 22%.
I really have no patience for badly written, badly edited books.
Misplaced modifiers rule this Universe.
Too much description stalls the story, yet plenty of things are not explained at all.
Some sentences don’t make any sense, period:
“Grabbing Saffron’s hand to shake it wildly, Saffron’s face went hotter.”
“Hair clung to his face, shivering and gasping.”
Baba Yaga is not “a wicked human witch”. Do your research!
The characters are just as messed up as the grammar. There is no reason to their train of thought or action.
Not sure where all the fab reviews are coming from. I got lost in this mess and the only way out is to quit.
1 star.
Ok, I keep reading this disaster just for giggles. I mean, shivering and gasping hair? It's hysterical! 😆 😂
I really have no patience for badly written, badly edited books.
Misplaced modifiers rule this Universe.
Too much description stalls the story, yet plenty of things are not explained at all.
Some sentences don’t make any sense, period:
“Grabbing Saffron’s hand to shake it wildly, Saffron’s face went hotter.”
“Hair clung to his face, shivering and gasping.”
Baba Yaga is not “a wicked human witch”. Do your research!
The characters are just as messed up as the grammar. There is no reason to their train of thought or action.
Not sure where all the fab reviews are coming from. I got lost in this mess and the only way out is to quit.
1 star.
Ok, I keep reading this disaster just for giggles. I mean, shivering and gasping hair? It's hysterical! 😆 😂
June 11, 2024
— 2 out of 5 ★
Oh boy, where to start..
I think I kind of get why people like this book (judging by the ratings it has got so far) and honestly feel a bit bad for giving it such a low rating. The author clearly loves her characters very much and has put a lot of effort into developing their world and story. But there are a bunch of things that I personally didn't like about this book and I really want to talk about them.
If you've read this book and like it, that's great! Please don't read this review if you don't like hearing people criticize your favorite books!
It's mainly the writing and the characters that ruined this book for me. The plot and world building were alright(?) but I wouldn't go as far as saying they were good.
— Plot
The plot basically just consists of two simple story lines:
1. 'The Romance': Saffron is getting to know Cylvan, spending time with him and doing research for him in the library because of their contract
2. 'The Mystery': The inexplicable death of Saffrons friends, the wolf and all that really important stuff that he simply just chooses to ignore for the sake of the romance plot-line :)
I felt like these two story lines don't work together very well because the author and main character both seem to only be interested in the romance but the other story-line presents a very pressing issue that demands much more attention than the author and main character are willing to give to it. I think it would've worked better if these story lines were somehow interconnected.
— Characters
Here comes what is basically a full-on roast of this books entire set of characters. Have fun.
Saffron
✨selfish, ignorant, delusional✨
Throughout the whole book he just can't decide whether he loves or hates Cylvan.
He thinks and fantasizes about him the whole damn time. His whole existence revolves around nothing but Cylvan, Cylvan, Cylvan.
That's probably why he's such a boring character.
In the beginning he at least still had some aspirations? But yea, he just forgets about everything else once Cylvan gets involved.
He's completely neglecting his friends (who are in grave danger and need his help) and he never really does anything when something bad happens (except for at the end of the book, but what he does there is so ridiculous that is basically doesn't count).
It goes somewhat like this:
One of his friends dies. He's devastated momentarily and then just forgets all about it. Doesn't even really try to find out what happened.
Another one of his friends dies. HE STILL DOESN'T DO ANYTHING.
Oh there's a wolf in the woods who might want to kill us all? MH NOTHING TO BE DONE HERE, LETS JUST GO FLIRT WITH CYLVAN!
That's Saffron 24/7
Cylvan
What Saffron and the reader are supposed to think he is:
charming, witty, thoughtful, romantic, sarcastic and funny
What he really is:
an extremely obnoxious, annoying lil bitch man, arrogant, pretentious and extremely patronizing, easy to anger, quick to raise his voice and quick to get violent = 🚩🚩🚩🚩
He doesn't give a shit about Saffron in the beginning, treats him badly and makes promises he doesn't keep.
Then he suddenly just starts liking him and caring for him for no reason?? And wants Saffron to trust and rely on him suddenly?
He sees Saffron as his little pet or plaything or something. At some point in the book he says he wants Saffron as "his own prized little rabbit to show off to the public and devour in private".
I'm sorry but EWW.
The Antagonist
sucks.
(and I refuse to elaborate on that.)
The (completely nondescript) Side Characters
I don't even know what to say about them. Regarding personality.. they have none. They're completely unimportant. They're mostly just used as tools to keep the plot moving forward (or for representation) but don't really give off the impression of actual individual beings with thoughts and feelings and motivations of their own. Ah and you get absolutely no information about them except for their names. Saffron doesn't even seem to care about them much, even though they're supposed to be his friends.
— The Writing
is very.. cluttered.
The author goes out of their way to describe everything (no matter if important or not) in a lot of detail and goes completely overboard with it. Sometimes I found the descriptions to be so excessive, that I got bored in the middle of reading them and had no fun in imagining anything anymore. I think it's important to leave the reader the freedom of their own imagination. Being fed with too much detail at once can get tiresome very quickly.
The phrasing also seemed awkward at times and words were sometimes used incorrectly or in a weird context, e.g.:
"Saffron listened as Taran encouraged the flower pot over the edge"
Why not just say 'shove' or 'push' or something, like?? It's not like he talks the flower pot into jumping over the edge by itself?
"Letty adjusted Saffron's hair until it was presentable, then summoned him to his feet"
She a magician or what?
"Cylvan's words smiled"
xD???????
And it goes on and on like that.
What bothered me as well is the inconsistency of the writing, especially of the dialogue.
In one moment everything is written in a very sophisticated (can't think of a better word rn) kind of speech but in the next there's some weirdly modern sounding phrase or some cuss word in the middle of a sentence that seems completely out of place.
Probably my favorite example:
"Shut the fuck up! Be silent - and I might let you keep your tongue"
How does he say these two sentences in one breath???
or:
"You think I was prepared to hear a voice in the middle of the fucking woods?" ;
"He tried to think what that could possibly be - bit it was quickly overwhelmed by worry for Cylvan, period." ;
"[...] but you're too busy fucking a high fey to give a shit?"
I really wish the author would decide on a consistent writing style.
— TW: crude language, bullying/mental and physical abuse, alcohol and drugs, violence, torture, death, scenes of consensual sex
Oh boy, where to start..
I think I kind of get why people like this book (judging by the ratings it has got so far) and honestly feel a bit bad for giving it such a low rating. The author clearly loves her characters very much and has put a lot of effort into developing their world and story. But there are a bunch of things that I personally didn't like about this book and I really want to talk about them.
If you've read this book and like it, that's great! Please don't read this review if you don't like hearing people criticize your favorite books!
It's mainly the writing and the characters that ruined this book for me. The plot and world building were alright(?) but I wouldn't go as far as saying they were good.
— Plot
The plot basically just consists of two simple story lines:
1. 'The Romance': Saffron is getting to know Cylvan, spending time with him and doing research for him in the library because of their contract
2. 'The Mystery': The inexplicable death of Saffrons friends, the wolf and all that really important stuff that he simply just chooses to ignore for the sake of the romance plot-line :)
I felt like these two story lines don't work together very well because the author and main character both seem to only be interested in the romance but the other story-line presents a very pressing issue that demands much more attention than the author and main character are willing to give to it. I think it would've worked better if these story lines were somehow interconnected.
— Characters
Here comes what is basically a full-on roast of this books entire set of characters. Have fun.
Saffron
✨selfish, ignorant, delusional✨
Throughout the whole book he just can't decide whether he loves or hates Cylvan.
He thinks and fantasizes about him the whole damn time. His whole existence revolves around nothing but Cylvan, Cylvan, Cylvan.
That's probably why he's such a boring character.
In the beginning he at least still had some aspirations? But yea, he just forgets about everything else once Cylvan gets involved.
He's completely neglecting his friends (who are in grave danger and need his help) and he never really does anything when something bad happens (except for at the end of the book, but what he does there is so ridiculous that is basically doesn't count).
It goes somewhat like this:
One of his friends dies. He's devastated momentarily and then just forgets all about it. Doesn't even really try to find out what happened.
Another one of his friends dies. HE STILL DOESN'T DO ANYTHING.
Oh there's a wolf in the woods who might want to kill us all? MH NOTHING TO BE DONE HERE, LETS JUST GO FLIRT WITH CYLVAN!
That's Saffron 24/7
Cylvan
What Saffron and the reader are supposed to think he is:
charming, witty, thoughtful, romantic, sarcastic and funny
What he really is:
an extremely obnoxious, annoying lil bitch man, arrogant, pretentious and extremely patronizing, easy to anger, quick to raise his voice and quick to get violent = 🚩🚩🚩🚩
He doesn't give a shit about Saffron in the beginning, treats him badly and makes promises he doesn't keep.
Then he suddenly just starts liking him and caring for him for no reason?? And wants Saffron to trust and rely on him suddenly?
He sees Saffron as his little pet or plaything or something. At some point in the book he says he wants Saffron as "his own prized little rabbit to show off to the public and devour in private".
I'm sorry but EWW.
The Antagonist
sucks.
(and I refuse to elaborate on that.)
The (completely nondescript) Side Characters
I don't even know what to say about them. Regarding personality.. they have none. They're completely unimportant. They're mostly just used as tools to keep the plot moving forward (or for representation) but don't really give off the impression of actual individual beings with thoughts and feelings and motivations of their own. Ah and you get absolutely no information about them except for their names. Saffron doesn't even seem to care about them much, even though they're supposed to be his friends.
— The Writing
is very.. cluttered.
The author goes out of their way to describe everything (no matter if important or not) in a lot of detail and goes completely overboard with it. Sometimes I found the descriptions to be so excessive, that I got bored in the middle of reading them and had no fun in imagining anything anymore. I think it's important to leave the reader the freedom of their own imagination. Being fed with too much detail at once can get tiresome very quickly.
The phrasing also seemed awkward at times and words were sometimes used incorrectly or in a weird context, e.g.:
"Saffron listened as Taran encouraged the flower pot over the edge"
Why not just say 'shove' or 'push' or something, like?? It's not like he talks the flower pot into jumping over the edge by itself?
"Letty adjusted Saffron's hair until it was presentable, then summoned him to his feet"
She a magician or what?
"Cylvan's words smiled"
xD???????
And it goes on and on like that.
What bothered me as well is the inconsistency of the writing, especially of the dialogue.
In one moment everything is written in a very sophisticated (can't think of a better word rn) kind of speech but in the next there's some weirdly modern sounding phrase or some cuss word in the middle of a sentence that seems completely out of place.
Probably my favorite example:
"Shut the fuck up! Be silent - and I might let you keep your tongue"
How does he say these two sentences in one breath???
or:
"You think I was prepared to hear a voice in the middle of the fucking woods?" ;
"He tried to think what that could possibly be - bit it was quickly overwhelmed by worry for Cylvan, period." ;
"[...] but you're too busy fucking a high fey to give a shit?"
I really wish the author would decide on a consistent writing style.
— TW: crude language, bullying/mental and physical abuse, alcohol and drugs, violence, torture, death, scenes of consensual sex
April 12, 2022
“You can have my Kingdom, anything you’d like.”
The cover is beautiful
The story is beautiful
The love story is beautiful
Their banter is beautiful
The characters are beautiful
The pacing is beautiful.
This book was amazing from front to back. I have been looking for ADULT romance fantasies because we simply Don’t have enough. I think this one just hit all the right notes for me and i can see people who enjoyed Cruel prince series enjoying this as well.
The authors spouse does the cover art 😩😍
I am excited for book 2 (8 total planned) which i read might release later this year 👀👀👀
Please support this author so we can get story told in full!
The cover is beautiful
The story is beautiful
The love story is beautiful
Their banter is beautiful
The characters are beautiful
The pacing is beautiful.
This book was amazing from front to back. I have been looking for ADULT romance fantasies because we simply Don’t have enough. I think this one just hit all the right notes for me and i can see people who enjoyed Cruel prince series enjoying this as well.
The authors spouse does the cover art 😩😍
I am excited for book 2 (8 total planned) which i read might release later this year 👀👀👀
Please support this author so we can get story told in full!
April 20, 2023
3/5 ⭐ A little bit displeased!
Not gonna lie, I started this book so excited but it has turned to be a exhausting reading😿 Well, this does not mean that I didn't enjoy it at some points. I believe that my problem with this novel resides in its narrative. I'm not English native, I speak Spanish so I have to be completely focused on reading, but I have not this problem with other books, so I consider the writing style is overloaded (especially in extracts where description prevails). Despite that, the worldbuilding 🌺 is beautifully well managed and I fell smitten with all the fantastic beasts 🦄💜 who live in it.
◾ Prince of the Sorrows focuses in the love story beetween Saffron, a enslaved human, and Prince Cylvan, abratty high fey whose breed rules the world, the magical one. There is a veil which isolates this world from the human one and these humans who want to live in the world ruled by high feys need to be patronized by one of them. Saffron is one of these humans who lives as servants and spend their days receiving commands and doing the household chores. Besides, they have forbidden to receive an education, so they can't reading any book. In this context, Saffron and Prince Cylvan got involved in an unfortunate succession of murders commited by a "wolf" and, in the meantime, our main characters fell in love between magic 🔮 and books 📖 ♥️
◾ Positives:
✔️ Cylvan and Saffron's relationship: I like them as a pairing and their dynamic, despite Cylvan's bratty attitude in the first half of the book. Grumpy/Shunshine gives me butterflies in my tummy 🦋♥️
✔️ Many magical creatures and World-building: Nimue is my queen, yass 💖 Besides, the magic concept embedded by Baba Yaga and the henmothers it's marvelous 💜 On the other hand, we have Morrígan Academy's campus of high fey students, which reminds me of Hogwarts, haha 😹
◾ Negatives:
❌ Slowly reading due to the narrative: I've spent an entire month reading this book and this almost done with me 🥵 Gasping!
❌ The lack of plot: I don't know if this happens because this is the first novel from the series, but all the issues dued by the wolf occur without a fuss until the end and this end seems hurried.
❌ Problems with the magic system 🤡 : I don't say that the system is bad, but I don't understand it. I was so confusing about all the arid-opulent magic topic. It drove me crazy!
❌ Saffron like a punching bag 🥴 : ok, this boy suffers a lot along this book and I think that some incidentsa.k.a. Berry moment or the famous punishment by the headmistress? are unnecessary.
❌ Some characters are not well developed: at the end of the story, I feel that only know the main pairing because Hollow, Letty, Arrow, Berry and other beantighes are flat characters without a well built personality. Because of this, most of the murders didn't mind me, in fact, some characters are better out.I hate you Berry, such a bully! 😈
In the end, I've decided to read the sequel. I like Saffron and Cylvan and I would like to see how their story progresses ♥️ I would like have enjoyed more this one, maybe the next will be better 🥰
Not gonna lie, I started this book so excited but it has turned to be a exhausting reading😿 Well, this does not mean that I didn't enjoy it at some points. I believe that my problem with this novel resides in its narrative. I'm not English native, I speak Spanish so I have to be completely focused on reading, but I have not this problem with other books, so I consider the writing style is overloaded (especially in extracts where description prevails). Despite that, the worldbuilding 🌺 is beautifully well managed and I fell smitten with all the fantastic beasts 🦄💜 who live in it.
◾ Prince of the Sorrows focuses in the love story beetween Saffron, a enslaved human, and Prince Cylvan, a
◾ Positives:
✔️ Cylvan and Saffron's relationship: I like them as a pairing and their dynamic, despite Cylvan's bratty attitude in the first half of the book. Grumpy/Shunshine gives me butterflies in my tummy 🦋♥️
✔️ Many magical creatures and World-building: Nimue is my queen, yass 💖 Besides, the magic concept embedded by Baba Yaga and the henmothers it's marvelous 💜 On the other hand, we have Morrígan Academy's campus of high fey students, which reminds me of Hogwarts, haha 😹
◾ Negatives:
❌ Slowly reading due to the narrative: I've spent an entire month reading this book and this almost done with me 🥵 Gasping!
❌ The lack of plot: I don't know if this happens because this is the first novel from the series, but all the issues dued by the wolf occur without a fuss until the end and this end seems hurried.
❌ Problems with the magic system 🤡 : I don't say that the system is bad, but I don't understand it. I was so confusing about all the arid-opulent magic topic. It drove me crazy!
❌ Saffron like a punching bag 🥴 : ok, this boy suffers a lot along this book and I think that some incidents
❌ Some characters are not well developed: at the end of the story, I feel that only know the main pairing because Hollow, Letty, Arrow, Berry and other beantighes are flat characters without a well built personality. Because of this, most of the murders didn't mind me, in fact, some characters are better out.
In the end, I've decided to read the sequel. I like Saffron and Cylvan and I would like to see how their story progresses ♥️ I would like have enjoyed more this one, maybe the next will be better 🥰
May 18, 2022
*sigh*
This brings me back to all those Charlie Bowater covers: pretty, but conceals the not so great content within.
I am a bit upset because I saw a crap ton of good reviews for this one, and of course, ITS GAY. I should absolutely be swooning right now and I’m NOT. I’m definitely not.
This book, to put it simply, was full of both great elements and some not so great elements. All of which were not executed well at all.
There were plenty of descriptions—a lot of descriptions pertaining to the scenery when it wasn’t needed—and they lasted for literal PAGES. Instead of letting us get to know Saffron as the protagonist, we were more concerned with what the world LOOKED like around him, and it was definitely off-putting. It would have been much much better if we had spent that time getting to know the Saffron, who I still don’t actually know by the end of this story.
Cylvan? Idk, I really don’t. He existed. That’s all I can tell you at this point. I didn’t care about him at all, unfortunately. He was the prince that was salty about the incident that occurred in the beginning, but beyond that? Not much development, and that sucks because he came off as someone interesting to start.
Their relationship did NOT develop very well. I was uninterested enough that I made Megan summarize the last bit of the book for me because I just didn’t enjoy what I was reading. It started off promising and quickly plummeted. Instead of receiving a healthy amount of dialogue between Saffron and Cylvan, we got even more scenery and on occasion Saffrons feelings. We went like 10 pages in the middle of the book without ANY dialogue, just to give you an idea of how much it was lacking in that first half. At the crucial moment when they are supposed to interact, their interactions were instead summarized. Bummer.
Also the plot was NOT clear. Not even close, not until the end-end, and even THEN it’s still not clear. I really wish this author would have taken the time to receive more feedback because I didn’t really have an easy time following the overall plot, romance, or character development.
*spoilers up ahead*
So….there’s this…scene (thank you Megan for summarizing it for me) where Saffron HAUNTS the school by dressing up as a ghost covered in blood (Rowan berries) to get them to stop a wolf…….i didn’t….like that much. He haunts the school to take care of the enemy??? *exists room angrily* I found that to be a bit frustrating.
So yeah, unfortunately no….I wouldn’t recommend this book myself.
This brings me back to all those Charlie Bowater covers: pretty, but conceals the not so great content within.
I am a bit upset because I saw a crap ton of good reviews for this one, and of course, ITS GAY. I should absolutely be swooning right now and I’m NOT. I’m definitely not.
This book, to put it simply, was full of both great elements and some not so great elements. All of which were not executed well at all.
There were plenty of descriptions—a lot of descriptions pertaining to the scenery when it wasn’t needed—and they lasted for literal PAGES. Instead of letting us get to know Saffron as the protagonist, we were more concerned with what the world LOOKED like around him, and it was definitely off-putting. It would have been much much better if we had spent that time getting to know the Saffron, who I still don’t actually know by the end of this story.
Cylvan? Idk, I really don’t. He existed. That’s all I can tell you at this point. I didn’t care about him at all, unfortunately. He was the prince that was salty about the incident that occurred in the beginning, but beyond that? Not much development, and that sucks because he came off as someone interesting to start.
Their relationship did NOT develop very well. I was uninterested enough that I made Megan summarize the last bit of the book for me because I just didn’t enjoy what I was reading. It started off promising and quickly plummeted. Instead of receiving a healthy amount of dialogue between Saffron and Cylvan, we got even more scenery and on occasion Saffrons feelings. We went like 10 pages in the middle of the book without ANY dialogue, just to give you an idea of how much it was lacking in that first half. At the crucial moment when they are supposed to interact, their interactions were instead summarized. Bummer.
Also the plot was NOT clear. Not even close, not until the end-end, and even THEN it’s still not clear. I really wish this author would have taken the time to receive more feedback because I didn’t really have an easy time following the overall plot, romance, or character development.
*spoilers up ahead*
So….there’s this…scene (thank you Megan for summarizing it for me) where Saffron HAUNTS the school by dressing up as a ghost covered in blood (Rowan berries) to get them to stop a wolf…….i didn’t….like that much. He haunts the school to take care of the enemy??? *exists room angrily* I found that to be a bit frustrating.
So yeah, unfortunately no….I wouldn’t recommend this book myself.
November 26, 2023
3.5 Stars
It took me a little while to get into this fantasy story, if I’m being honest. This was mostly because the writing style and the narrative had a very ethereal quality to it, a bit confusing and surreal at times, like I was lost in a dreamscape I wasn’t quite sure how to navigate at first.
This isn’t a criticism, though—I think the writing, with its sense of otherworldliness, suited the fae-themed storytelling to a T. I did notice that I became more attuned to this style of prose and the fae language being used as the story unfolded, making the world-building, the characters and the plot feel more substantial, more enthralling, as I read on.
It was a slow-burn in all things, not just in how I personally reacted to the tale being told, liking it more and more with every turn of the page, but also in terms of the mystery arc at play and the opposites-attract romance that began to bloom between human changeling Saffron and a high fey prince named Cylvan.
This was the kind of story that left me with many, many questions and ponderings, even after the turn of the final page, but that’s not particularly a bad thing, as it means I was hooked enough to care! Although, I understood a hell of a lot more of what was happening (and why) by the end, this is very much the beginning chapter of what will undoubtedly be a long, magical, exciting, queer romance saga, and I look forward to seeing what happens next for Saffron and his surly night prince.
It took me a little while to get into this fantasy story, if I’m being honest. This was mostly because the writing style and the narrative had a very ethereal quality to it, a bit confusing and surreal at times, like I was lost in a dreamscape I wasn’t quite sure how to navigate at first.
This isn’t a criticism, though—I think the writing, with its sense of otherworldliness, suited the fae-themed storytelling to a T. I did notice that I became more attuned to this style of prose and the fae language being used as the story unfolded, making the world-building, the characters and the plot feel more substantial, more enthralling, as I read on.
It was a slow-burn in all things, not just in how I personally reacted to the tale being told, liking it more and more with every turn of the page, but also in terms of the mystery arc at play and the opposites-attract romance that began to bloom between human changeling Saffron and a high fey prince named Cylvan.
This was the kind of story that left me with many, many questions and ponderings, even after the turn of the final page, but that’s not particularly a bad thing, as it means I was hooked enough to care! Although, I understood a hell of a lot more of what was happening (and why) by the end, this is very much the beginning chapter of what will undoubtedly be a long, magical, exciting, queer romance saga, and I look forward to seeing what happens next for Saffron and his surly night prince.
May 11, 2025
Saffron protection squad, anyone???????
I spent the whole time I was reading this book like that Gordon Ramsey meme (you know which one I mean; I spent 80% of the book wanting to shout "you fucking donkey" at all the fae peeps on campus, up and including Cylvan).
Apart from my own feeling on Cylvan (yeah, I totally feel for him but GODDDDDD he better start grovelling soon), I really loved this and I loved Saffron. He's a silly, wonderful, kind mess of a man, and I admired his courage and resilience so much. I also loved all the humans we meet, and I loved the world-building too. It's a smidge complicated and a bit messy at times, but as soon as you get with the flow, it gets so much easier.
That cliffhanger was CRUEL. I don't know if I should jump into book two asap or if I should space these books, considering there are going to be eight total. Hm.
Anyway, I loved this very much and I cannot wait to continue! Saffron, you deserve the whole world 🩷
TWs/CWs: sexual harassment, bullying, violence, abuse, abusive relationship, coercion, murder.
I spent the whole time I was reading this book like that Gordon Ramsey meme (you know which one I mean; I spent 80% of the book wanting to shout "you fucking donkey" at all the fae peeps on campus, up and including Cylvan).
Apart from my own feeling on Cylvan (yeah, I totally feel for him but GODDDDDD he better start grovelling soon), I really loved this and I loved Saffron. He's a silly, wonderful, kind mess of a man, and I admired his courage and resilience so much. I also loved all the humans we meet, and I loved the world-building too. It's a smidge complicated and a bit messy at times, but as soon as you get with the flow, it gets so much easier.
That cliffhanger was CRUEL. I don't know if I should jump into book two asap or if I should space these books, considering there are going to be eight total. Hm.
Anyway, I loved this very much and I cannot wait to continue! Saffron, you deserve the whole world 🩷
TWs/CWs: sexual harassment, bullying, violence, abuse, abusive relationship, coercion, murder.
April 4, 2022
This was cruel, I didn't know it was a series, the cliffhanger got me dead. DEAD!!! *faints*
I love fantasy, my first book was a fantasy, so to get a lovely story like this one after so many dnf was so good, like a hug. So good!!! 😭🥰🥰🥰
It does take a time to get into, but trust me is worth it, when the story gets going you get so many feels, so many stuff happening, so many twists (I saw them all but still they hurt when they were confirmed).
I loved the story, the world building, the characters. The side characters, the dynamics, the prince and the human.
There are still questions I need answers to, but I feel something epic is coming with this story so I'll wait patiently for it.
Any news about when is coming out? 🤡🤡
I love fantasy, my first book was a fantasy, so to get a lovely story like this one after so many dnf was so good, like a hug. So good!!! 😭🥰🥰🥰
It does take a time to get into, but trust me is worth it, when the story gets going you get so many feels, so many stuff happening, so many twists (I saw them all but still they hurt when they were confirmed).
I loved the story, the world building, the characters. The side characters, the dynamics, the prince and the human.
There are still questions I need answers to, but I feel something epic is coming with this story so I'll wait patiently for it.
Any news about when is coming out? 🤡🤡
November 24, 2022
“-What will you do to make it right?
-Will you forgive me then?
-I will forgive you when you have earned it, Night Prince”.
Primera entrega de esta serie denominada “Rowan Blood”. La encontré por casualidad un día navegando por estas redes y no voy a negar que su portada me cautivó.
“-Who are you?
-Well…it’s like a pixie caring for a raven, isn’t it? Someone insignifiant like me, thinking I can do anything at all for someone as big and grand and free as you are. But, I guess…perhaps, while the pixie cannot help with raven-sized problems…it can at least share the little treasures it steals, because it knows the raven likes shiny things too…”
Esta novela me la he leído en inglés ya que no cuenta con traducción al español (al menos oficial que yo sepa). Su nivel de idioma se encuadra en un B2 y utiliza vocabulario específico del mundo feérico así como verbos y adjetivos “complejos” al menos del que estoy acostumbrada a leer ( sé que no sé dice así pero tuve un lapsus linguae al respecto). Yo no me considero una persona con un alto nivel en este idioma, sin embargo, he podido leer la novela medianamente bien a buen ritmo, sin prisa, pero sin pausa, salvo algunos párrafos que he tenido que recurrir al diccionario y asimilar el contexto porque me sentía desorientada. Por el resto, bastante bien, lo he conseguido terminar en un par de días.
“Perhaps the raven cares for the pixie as well, but worries its squawking and sharp talons…and reputation will scare it away”
Ahora, en cuanto a la historia debo admitir que la idea me ha gustado. Juega con el mundo feérico y sus leyendas, así como sus “normas” que implican a estos seres uniéndolo a algunos clichés literarios, sin embargo, la autora ha sabido llevarlos bien y no hace que la lectura sea muy densa.
“A prince who remembers all debts he owes- I hope the weight of your debt to me crushes into dust”.
El argumento se me ha quedado un poco pobre y corto. Creo que me esperaba otra cosa. También, he de admitir que no leí la sinopsis, sino que me hundí de lleno en sus páginas así que cuando llegué al final me quedé un poco insatisfecha pues pensaba que la historia iba a tomar otro rumbo. Sin embargo, no quiero explayarme más al respecto porque desconozco cuantos libros habrán de la serie o si la autora ha hecho este libro introductorio, como ya he visto en otras novelas de este género.
El wordbuilding es casi inexistente. Solo nombran sitios y la historia se desarrolla en apenas unos pocos lugares y dejan muchas incógnitas sobre el mundo feérico, además que no cuenta con un mapa al principio de la novela.
“You are more than just a pixie. If I’m indeed a raven-then you are the treasure I wish to spend all my days appreciating”.
Por último, en cuanto a los personajes, otro tanto de lo mismo, me han gustado, pero como el resto de la novela me ha faltado mucha más profundidad y me han parecido simples. Además, su desarrollo me ha parecido incluso pobre.
En conclusión, sí, ha sido una novela que me ha gustado, además le veo potencial a la autora. Pero, como he dicho hay bastantes cosas que siento que necesitan ser pulidas.
“I…hope you’re doing alright by yourself. Even though I hate you”.
-Will you forgive me then?
-I will forgive you when you have earned it, Night Prince”.
Primera entrega de esta serie denominada “Rowan Blood”. La encontré por casualidad un día navegando por estas redes y no voy a negar que su portada me cautivó.
“-Who are you?
-Well…it’s like a pixie caring for a raven, isn’t it? Someone insignifiant like me, thinking I can do anything at all for someone as big and grand and free as you are. But, I guess…perhaps, while the pixie cannot help with raven-sized problems…it can at least share the little treasures it steals, because it knows the raven likes shiny things too…”
Esta novela me la he leído en inglés ya que no cuenta con traducción al español (al menos oficial que yo sepa). Su nivel de idioma se encuadra en un B2 y utiliza vocabulario específico del mundo feérico así como verbos y adjetivos “complejos” al menos del que estoy acostumbrada a leer ( sé que no sé dice así pero tuve un lapsus linguae al respecto). Yo no me considero una persona con un alto nivel en este idioma, sin embargo, he podido leer la novela medianamente bien a buen ritmo, sin prisa, pero sin pausa, salvo algunos párrafos que he tenido que recurrir al diccionario y asimilar el contexto porque me sentía desorientada. Por el resto, bastante bien, lo he conseguido terminar en un par de días.
“Perhaps the raven cares for the pixie as well, but worries its squawking and sharp talons…and reputation will scare it away”
Ahora, en cuanto a la historia debo admitir que la idea me ha gustado. Juega con el mundo feérico y sus leyendas, así como sus “normas” que implican a estos seres uniéndolo a algunos clichés literarios, sin embargo, la autora ha sabido llevarlos bien y no hace que la lectura sea muy densa.
“A prince who remembers all debts he owes- I hope the weight of your debt to me crushes into dust”.
El argumento se me ha quedado un poco pobre y corto. Creo que me esperaba otra cosa. También, he de admitir que no leí la sinopsis, sino que me hundí de lleno en sus páginas así que cuando llegué al final me quedé un poco insatisfecha pues pensaba que la historia iba a tomar otro rumbo. Sin embargo, no quiero explayarme más al respecto porque desconozco cuantos libros habrán de la serie o si la autora ha hecho este libro introductorio, como ya he visto en otras novelas de este género.
El wordbuilding es casi inexistente. Solo nombran sitios y la historia se desarrolla en apenas unos pocos lugares y dejan muchas incógnitas sobre el mundo feérico, además que no cuenta con un mapa al principio de la novela.
“You are more than just a pixie. If I’m indeed a raven-then you are the treasure I wish to spend all my days appreciating”.
Por último, en cuanto a los personajes, otro tanto de lo mismo, me han gustado, pero como el resto de la novela me ha faltado mucha más profundidad y me han parecido simples. Además, su desarrollo me ha parecido incluso pobre.
En conclusión, sí, ha sido una novela que me ha gustado, además le veo potencial a la autora. Pero, como he dicho hay bastantes cosas que siento que necesitan ser pulidas.
“I…hope you’re doing alright by yourself. Even though I hate you”.
April 29, 2022
The beginning was good but the author made choices I wasn't a fan of.
Firstly, the romance happened too fast. On the one hand we have the main character (Saffron) who got attached to the fey prince (Cylvan) without knowing it was him because of a book he found (this was cute actually) but on the other we have a fey prince who hates the MC's guts. For whatever reason, despite Cylvan being an ass towards Saffron, one day they just fall in love with each other... Saffron seems to love the idea of the prince more than his personality, and Cylvan... I don't understand what he sees in Saffron because they don't know a damn thing about the other. I wanted a slow-burn romance that wasn't the sole focus of the story.
Secondly, it was a strange choice to have a tortured/abused Saffron protecting Cylvan, and not the other way around. As a human, Saffron is treated badly and humiliated at every turn while the prince just has to deal with parties and a pain-in-the ass dude. This didn't sit well with me. If Cylvan was in love with Saffron, he should have been the one to protect him. Instead, he's angry when he sees Saffron's bruises and scars but doesn't try to find the culprits... He doesn't try to defend him from his friends the bullies. In a way, Saffron was too selfless with Cylvan and too selfish with his friends.
Thirdly, Saffron doesn't care about his friends no matter what he says. When his own people are getting savagely murdered, he prefers to spend time with his prince instead of investigating. Sure, he does some digging... After multiple corpses showed up. He quickly forgets about the people he knew, which is weird attitude from a friend.
Fourthly, what about the plot and the world-building? The author introduces a bit a magic (which I didn't have a chance to grasp because of how tiny the information is) and the mystery around the murders but nothing happens. It's such a waste. I love court intrigues and murder mysteries in fantasy, and was it was a let-down. I also thought there would be some academy stuff, but there's nothing of the sort (in this book at least).
The positive: there is queer, trans and non-binary representation. The MC also has stretch marks, which is something I'd never seen until now in fantasy novels.
Firstly, the romance happened too fast. On the one hand we have the main character (Saffron) who got attached to the fey prince (Cylvan) without knowing it was him because of a book he found (this was cute actually) but on the other we have a fey prince who hates the MC's guts. For whatever reason, despite Cylvan being an ass towards Saffron, one day they just fall in love with each other... Saffron seems to love the idea of the prince more than his personality, and Cylvan... I don't understand what he sees in Saffron because they don't know a damn thing about the other. I wanted a slow-burn romance that wasn't the sole focus of the story.
Secondly, it was a strange choice to have a tortured/abused Saffron protecting Cylvan, and not the other way around. As a human, Saffron is treated badly and humiliated at every turn while the prince just has to deal with parties and a pain-in-the ass dude. This didn't sit well with me. If Cylvan was in love with Saffron, he should have been the one to protect him. Instead, he's angry when he sees Saffron's bruises and scars but doesn't try to find the culprits... He doesn't try to defend him from his friends the bullies. In a way, Saffron was too selfless with Cylvan and too selfish with his friends.
Thirdly, Saffron doesn't care about his friends no matter what he says. When his own people are getting savagely murdered, he prefers to spend time with his prince instead of investigating. Sure, he does some digging... After multiple corpses showed up. He quickly forgets about the people he knew, which is weird attitude from a friend.
Fourthly, what about the plot and the world-building? The author introduces a bit a magic (which I didn't have a chance to grasp because of how tiny the information is) and the mystery around the murders but nothing happens. It's such a waste. I love court intrigues and murder mysteries in fantasy, and was it was a let-down. I also thought there would be some academy stuff, but there's nothing of the sort (in this book at least).
The positive: there is queer, trans and non-binary representation. The MC also has stretch marks, which is something I'd never seen until now in fantasy novels.
April 7, 2022
The cover grabbed me, but I stayed for the worldbuilding. It was really intriguing, and new, but also with some folklore and myths woven into it. I have some questions left tho.
The setting was also pretty. I love everything fairy. It was described so beautifully.
The story left me a bit disappointed. When something bad happened, everyone just kept ignoring it, like it never happened, and the story focused more on the relationship. Until something bad happened again.
The romance was subtle at first, the intensity kept building gradually, but to me it never reached the point where I would have thought these two need to be together.
On the other hand, I'm a sucker for misunderstood, tortured characters. Cylvan needs happiness. He reminds me of one of my all time fave characters.
While this is technically a New Adult novel (there's some blood but no gore and one flowery sex scene), in my book it totally reads as YA.
Overall, I see what this book aspired to be, but for me it didn't reach it's potential.
3.5 stars
The setting was also pretty. I love everything fairy. It was described so beautifully.
The story left me a bit disappointed. When something bad happened, everyone just kept ignoring it, like it never happened, and the story focused more on the relationship. Until something bad happened again.
The romance was subtle at first, the intensity kept building gradually, but to me it never reached the point where I would have thought these two need to be together.
On the other hand, I'm a sucker for misunderstood, tortured characters. Cylvan needs happiness. He reminds me of one of my all time fave characters.
While this is technically a New Adult novel (there's some blood but no gore and one flowery sex scene), in my book it totally reads as YA.
Overall, I see what this book aspired to be, but for me it didn't reach it's potential.
3.5 stars
March 31, 2022
4.5 stars!!!!!!
AAAAAAA RTC!!!!
AAAAAAA RTC!!!!
April 7, 2022
Listen...
This book needed a more-thorough edit before publication. There were loads of grammar mistakes, typos, and some odd sentence structures that didn't flow well. Generally, I always knock off a star in my ratings if I catch more than a few mistakes since they always jar me out of a story.
HOWEVER...
I simply can't do that with this book. I LOVED it. Like binged-the-whole-thing-in-one-day loved it. This is EXACTLY what a dark fae romance should look like. It hit every box for me:
Enchanting worlds? Yep! ☑️
Lots of lore? You bet! ☑️
Magic? Yup! ☑️
Mystical creatures? Got em! ☑️
A diverse cast of characters? Absolutely! ☑️
Beautiful world-building? Mhmm! ☑️
Tropes that make you squeal? By the BOATLOAD! ☑️
Unpredictable plot? Yessir! ☑️
Slow-burn romance with lots of pining and angst? Uh-huh!
Well-written spice? F*ck yes!❤️🔥 ☑️
Tortured, brooding, dark sad-boy love interest? 🛎🛎🛎 ☑️
This book was, to me, what Cruel Prince SHOULD have been. It's very rare for me to be totally in love with a book's main protagonist, but Saffron is just...🥰🥰🥰. The same goes for Cylvan. The things I would do for a Cylvan POV...
I will be thinking about this book for a long while, especially with that cliff-hanger ending. I do wish that more got wrapped up in this book, but only because I did not want to let these boys go!! I will be eagerly waiting for the next installment, that is for sure!
This book needed a more-thorough edit before publication. There were loads of grammar mistakes, typos, and some odd sentence structures that didn't flow well. Generally, I always knock off a star in my ratings if I catch more than a few mistakes since they always jar me out of a story.
HOWEVER...
I simply can't do that with this book. I LOVED it. Like binged-the-whole-thing-in-one-day loved it. This is EXACTLY what a dark fae romance should look like. It hit every box for me:
Enchanting worlds? Yep! ☑️
Lots of lore? You bet! ☑️
Magic? Yup! ☑️
Mystical creatures? Got em! ☑️
A diverse cast of characters? Absolutely! ☑️
Beautiful world-building? Mhmm! ☑️
Tropes that make you squeal? By the BOATLOAD! ☑️
Unpredictable plot? Yessir! ☑️
Slow-burn romance with lots of pining and angst? Uh-huh!
Well-written spice? F*ck yes!❤️🔥 ☑️
Tortured, brooding, dark sad-boy love interest? 🛎🛎🛎 ☑️
This book was, to me, what Cruel Prince SHOULD have been. It's very rare for me to be totally in love with a book's main protagonist, but Saffron is just...🥰🥰🥰. The same goes for Cylvan. The things I would do for a Cylvan POV...
I will be thinking about this book for a long while, especially with that cliff-hanger ending. I do wish that more got wrapped up in this book, but only because I did not want to let these boys go!! I will be eagerly waiting for the next installment, that is for sure!
February 25, 2024
¿Esta historia es perfecta? No.
¿Me importa? Un pepino.
Es de mis favs por el simple hecho de que me da sentimientos bonitos de fanfic y juego de rol.
...
Opinión completa por consultar con la almohada.
¿Me importa? Un pepino.
Es de mis favs por el simple hecho de que me da sentimientos bonitos de fanfic y juego de rol.
...
Opinión completa por consultar con la almohada.
March 31, 2022
Really special!
October 18, 2025
saffron you way to chill 😭🙏🙏
November 30, 2025
THE FATTEST 1 ★
format ── 📖
────୨ৎ────
DNF at around 47%
someone give me a gun
absolutely not
I’m sorry, do we no longer read and edit what we wrote?? Is book editing no longer a thing???
Getting through this book felt like a full time job and bitch, I already have one. Matter of fact, I’m currently on my Christmas break from said job and I’m not looking for another.
format ── 📖
────୨ৎ────
DNF at around 47%
someone give me a gun
absolutely not
I’m sorry, do we no longer read and edit what we wrote?? Is book editing no longer a thing???
Getting through this book felt like a full time job and bitch, I already have one. Matter of fact, I’m currently on my Christmas break from said job and I’m not looking for another.
January 12, 2025
I hope I'm not speaking too soon but I think mayhaps kellen graves is going to be a new autobuy author for me. I'm really impressed with the world of this story. I ate this shit up so quick. It was like gay folk of the air meets acotar. It scares me that this story is gonna be like 8 books cuz HOW and WHAT is gonna happen during that time. But I'll just go along for the journey I guess. 😅😅
June 15, 2022
"I swear to watch over you, protect you... kiss you, make you laugh, surprise you with more nymphs when you least expect it..."
It was difficult for me to get acclimated to all the Gaelic phrases when I first started reading this book. I sped through the first few chapters and couldn't put the book down.
Prince of the Sorrows was just what I needed and more. It left me wanting more, from its magnificent world-building to its well-developed characters. I wasn't bored or bewildered by the narrative at any point while reading.
It had a whimsical feel to it without being too difficult to follow. With its masterfully presented mystery, nuanced characters, and delightfully delectable romantic arc, the book astonished me in many ways. The mythology, lore, and spirit of this novel leap off the page.
The novel is set in a world where a magical barrier separates the human and fae sides for some reason. On the one end, we have Saffron, our protagonist, a changeling human who is about to be sent back to the human world, and he needs an endorsement to stay in the fae realm. On the other front, there's our other MC, Cylvan, the crown prince, seeking to rid himself of the power that comes with his true name. They establish a geis after a remarkable series of events, in which Cylvan promises to give Saffron the endorsement he seeks in return for him discovering a means to take away his true name's power.
This includes hatred to friendship to love. But the prince's animosity is understandable, and despite this, he is never terribly nasty to Saffron, which I admired. I'm not sure I've ever read a character as cinnamon roll-like as Saffron. But I appreciated how he stood up for himself and others, and I found his and Cybil's relationship was on equal footing in that regard.
Meanwhile, a wolf is prowling the woods, murdering people, and the entire village is on edge, especially since the school's mistress refuses to intervene. Saffron is blaming himself for his friends' deaths and is attempting to solve the mystery and free the rest of his people from the monster's claws.
The exchanges between Saffron and Cylvan, a.k.a. Cybil, throughout the novel are the purest and most intimate I've ever seen. Their relationship was really well-paced and passionate.
The writing was also one of this book's great points; the words flowed over the page, and I found it difficult to put it down at times; I frequently lost contact with reality and became lost in this beautiful and mysterious world.
The way humans are incorporated was foreign to me, but it was based on a lot of classic fairy tales, making it feel believable and intriguing.
From the descriptions of the library at night, the woods, and the Beantighe village, to the plot, which involved ruthless political machinations, tenuously balanced relationships, and an array of wonderful side characters, both human and fae, the writing was very evocative and paced perfectly for me.
They made me laugh, gasp, and cry, and I'm desperate for the next book to bring them back together!
If you're looking for a queer fantasy romance, this is the book for you. There was a lot of diversity in this work, and no misogyny or sexism was evident.
It was difficult for me to get acclimated to all the Gaelic phrases when I first started reading this book. I sped through the first few chapters and couldn't put the book down.
Prince of the Sorrows was just what I needed and more. It left me wanting more, from its magnificent world-building to its well-developed characters. I wasn't bored or bewildered by the narrative at any point while reading.
It had a whimsical feel to it without being too difficult to follow. With its masterfully presented mystery, nuanced characters, and delightfully delectable romantic arc, the book astonished me in many ways. The mythology, lore, and spirit of this novel leap off the page.
The novel is set in a world where a magical barrier separates the human and fae sides for some reason. On the one end, we have Saffron, our protagonist, a changeling human who is about to be sent back to the human world, and he needs an endorsement to stay in the fae realm. On the other front, there's our other MC, Cylvan, the crown prince, seeking to rid himself of the power that comes with his true name. They establish a geis after a remarkable series of events, in which Cylvan promises to give Saffron the endorsement he seeks in return for him discovering a means to take away his true name's power.
This includes hatred to friendship to love. But the prince's animosity is understandable, and despite this, he is never terribly nasty to Saffron, which I admired. I'm not sure I've ever read a character as cinnamon roll-like as Saffron. But I appreciated how he stood up for himself and others, and I found his and Cybil's relationship was on equal footing in that regard.
Meanwhile, a wolf is prowling the woods, murdering people, and the entire village is on edge, especially since the school's mistress refuses to intervene. Saffron is blaming himself for his friends' deaths and is attempting to solve the mystery and free the rest of his people from the monster's claws.
The exchanges between Saffron and Cylvan, a.k.a. Cybil, throughout the novel are the purest and most intimate I've ever seen. Their relationship was really well-paced and passionate.
The writing was also one of this book's great points; the words flowed over the page, and I found it difficult to put it down at times; I frequently lost contact with reality and became lost in this beautiful and mysterious world.
The way humans are incorporated was foreign to me, but it was based on a lot of classic fairy tales, making it feel believable and intriguing.
From the descriptions of the library at night, the woods, and the Beantighe village, to the plot, which involved ruthless political machinations, tenuously balanced relationships, and an array of wonderful side characters, both human and fae, the writing was very evocative and paced perfectly for me.
They made me laugh, gasp, and cry, and I'm desperate for the next book to bring them back together!
If you're looking for a queer fantasy romance, this is the book for you. There was a lot of diversity in this work, and no misogyny or sexism was evident.
December 27, 2022
"Asking how they found him, Hollow clambered down from the horse next..."
It's a feat that I managed to finish this book. That sentence there? Hollow is not the one speaking - the main character, Saffron, is the one asking how they (Hollow and their friend Lettuce) found him. This book is littered with repetition of this structure, where the modifying sentence does not actually refer to what its supposed to be modifying grammatically, along with borderline-purple prose which did nothing to draw me into the story.
Besides the writing, author is clearly fond of the type of whump fanfiction I used to hate: Lots of pointless, over-the-top injuries which only carry any weight when it serves a dramatic purpose. If your character has broken his wrist so badly it audibly snaps, how does he manage to light a fire without a word of the injury? Or clamber into a window? Saffron is both deathly ill with an infection and a cough and able to get up and work as normal up until it's convenient and romantic for Cylvan to sweep him off his feet and whisk him away to be healed.
The humans are both precious treasures of their patron elves and dispensable playthings which can be beaten on a whim - Cylvan is so sick, but also his patron elf's darling changling which he intends to return to the human world. Going to him for assistance is, somehow, not an option! It's never even mentioned! Which is clearly a pattern, as Saffron is described as being covered in scars.
The only thing I liked about this was the descriptions of the buildings, which were lush and detailed; I enjoyed the way Cylvan's room was described in particular. Fancy boy.
But man, I'm glad to have finished this! I obviously will not be continuing the series.
August 9, 2022
To be fair to the fact it’s been more than a month since I read this, this will be short and sweet.
The entire read I felt thrown into a world I didn’t really understand and felt that I should have known more than I did. It all had some sort of dreamy feel and not always a good dreamy. The beginning was really rough but I did start to get some momentum and then something would happen that had me lost again.
I was frustrated a lot and am not sure I’m even rooting for these two at the moment.
It’s also pretty brutal but I always seem to forget that about the Fae.
With the way this one ended, if I continue the series, it will probably be when they are all out.
Thank you Meags for the Buddy Read!!! Let’s revisit this once we know more 😊
That "New Adult" statement still gets me. Why alienate readers? Whatever.
Pretending to be a "New Adult" and jumping into this one with Meags.
The entire read I felt thrown into a world I didn’t really understand and felt that I should have known more than I did. It all had some sort of dreamy feel and not always a good dreamy. The beginning was really rough but I did start to get some momentum and then something would happen that had me lost again.
I was frustrated a lot and am not sure I’m even rooting for these two at the moment.
It’s also pretty brutal but I always seem to forget that about the Fae.
With the way this one ended, if I continue the series, it will probably be when they are all out.
Thank you Meags for the Buddy Read!!! Let’s revisit this once we know more 😊
That "New Adult" statement still gets me. Why alienate readers? Whatever.
Pretending to be a "New Adult" and jumping into this one with Meags.
June 29, 2022
Jesus fucking Christ. I'm literally crying my brains out rn.
This book was absolutely amazing and adorable. I loved so much their relationship, how it started and how it developed. Not totally enemies to lovers, but like we don't like each other to lovers.
At first I was a little reluctant with the Male lead being portrayed as this childish, inmature prince. Then I remembered that Cardan Greenbriar from TCP is the exact same and I loved him with the entirety of my life, so I said "what the hell?" And decided to give it a shot.
It completely worked. I loved Cylvan so much.
I love how the faerie world was portrayed. It kinda reminded me of Faerie, from the Cruel Prince. It has this charm but at the same time is intimidating and idk how to describe it but they're similar to me.
This book was so amazing and the plot twist was amazing and everything was perfect.
This book was absolutely amazing and adorable. I loved so much their relationship, how it started and how it developed. Not totally enemies to lovers, but like we don't like each other to lovers.
At first I was a little reluctant with the Male lead being portrayed as this childish, inmature prince. Then I remembered that Cardan Greenbriar from TCP is the exact same and I loved him with the entirety of my life, so I said "what the hell?" And decided to give it a shot.
It completely worked. I loved Cylvan so much.
I love how the faerie world was portrayed. It kinda reminded me of Faerie, from the Cruel Prince. It has this charm but at the same time is intimidating and idk how to describe it but they're similar to me.
This book was so amazing and the plot twist was amazing and everything was perfect.
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