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Fae Awakened #1
Magic Touched
In the Lunar Court, Audrey soon learns you can NEVER trust the Fae.
Despised in her own home, Audrey is the target of a stepfamily that treats her as little more than a slave. So when an incident that threatens her life leads her to lottery to be selected by the fae court, she doesn’t run…though, she should.
Turns out, life can get worse. And it comes in the form of being a low-class human selected as a wife to a fae lord.
Soon, Audrey discovers none of this is the fairytale everyone believes it to be. And when she accidentally saves a life with a power no human should have, her fate shifts in even more dangerous an unpredictable ways.
The humans don’t want her. The fae court doesn’t know what to do with her. And everyone wants her dead.
Fans of Sarah J. Maas, Elisa Kova, and Holly Black will be on the edge of their seats with this new fantasy romance fairytale retelling.
Download now to find out what secrets Audrey's power and the Lunar Court hold.
Despised in her own home, Audrey is the target of a stepfamily that treats her as little more than a slave. So when an incident that threatens her life leads her to lottery to be selected by the fae court, she doesn’t run…though, she should.
Turns out, life can get worse. And it comes in the form of being a low-class human selected as a wife to a fae lord.
Soon, Audrey discovers none of this is the fairytale everyone believes it to be. And when she accidentally saves a life with a power no human should have, her fate shifts in even more dangerous an unpredictable ways.
The humans don’t want her. The fae court doesn’t know what to do with her. And everyone wants her dead.
Fans of Sarah J. Maas, Elisa Kova, and Holly Black will be on the edge of their seats with this new fantasy romance fairytale retelling.
Download now to find out what secrets Audrey's power and the Lunar Court hold.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 17, 2023
31 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
January 6, 2023
I absolutely love fairytale retellings and whereas I typically do not venture into the ones that have a fantasy-like twist (such as Fae in this instance), I was intrigued by the summary of this book and decided to give it a try.
I'm on the fence about it, though.
Audrey starts off her Cinderella story with an introduction to her life with her evil stepmother and two evil stepsisters - though one stepsister wasn't as evil as the other, at least not at first.
She has been put into the position of a servant in the house, doing chores, waiting hand and foot on the mother and sisters. In fact, when the story opens, Audrey is assisting the family as they meet with suitor after suitor, hoping to marry off the stepsisters.
It's obvious from the start that Audrey isn't considered part of the family, that she's a burden. So much that her stepmother even goes as far forbid her from putting her name into the drawing to go to the Lunar Court, where she might find a Fae partner.
This doesn't stop Audrey, though. She sneaks into town and puts her name into the lottery. And guess what? She wins a spot. But so does her older stepsister Clara. And off to the Lunar Court we go.
So here's the issues I faced with this story:
1. Audrey was likable in the beginning. A strong character who just wanted to get away from her abusive family. She goes to Court knowing that she may not even find a suitor but is willing to try nonetheless. She meets Hector, one of the Fae Generals and gets feelings for him. But then the Prince takes an interest in her and she does a complete 180, not trusting the General and out of nowhere falling in love with the Prince.
To me, this didn't make sense. She had a lot of scenes with Hector, getting to know him, feeling comfortable with him and always thinking about his starling green eyes. But then suddenly she's starry-eyed over the Prince, who she barely even speaks to? Unless there was some meetings behind the scenes that the reader didn't get to see.
2. Common sense does not reign supreme. During the first meal at the Lunar Court, a girl is poisoned and dies in front of everyone. The other girls are warned to be cautious. But are they? No. Audrey and Amber constantly sneak out to be with the guards, no one checks their food beforehand and even as Audrey's necklace is literally burning her neck, she doesn't seem to think that perhaps she shouldn't be trusting everyone. Also, it's mentioned in passing that some of the girls appear to be in a trance and not acting of their own accord yet it's just somewhat glossed over.
To me, those all seem like really big red flags but it's just like eh - sweep it under the rug. Which is crazy to me as people were getting poisoned left and right in this story. Houston, I think we have a problem.
3. Why is no one held accountable for their actions? I'll just leave that there.
4. Audrey suddenly has magic in her and is from an ancient Fae-line. Talk about coming out of nowhere. But I do think this was a good-bad thing as you could see others suddenly being drawn to her because of the power. So that might make for an interesting tale later on in the series.
Now for what I liked about this story:
1. I love that there is a guard/human love story. From the beginning, it seemed like these girls were going to find a husband of high society and yet Amber falls for a guard and doesn't appear to be shunned for it.
2. The background characters seemingly act accordingly to what is going on. Like how the healer got annoyed at the Prince and Audrey for acting stupidly with the silver poisoning. That seemed real to me. It's nice to see a little character from the background characters.
3. The love triangle that not really a love triangle at the moment but could potentially be one. Especially now that we know some of Hector's identity, I'm now intrigued.
My only complaint about the writing style is that the story seems a bit drawn out. I found myself skimming over a few sections as they just kept droning on. But all in all, the story is interesting and though I don't really have a favorite character or find any of them to particularly likable, I'm curious to see where the story goes next and to see if we get some character growth.
I do hope to hear more about Fae powers and how they'll be used so fingers crossed for book 2!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I'm on the fence about it, though.
Audrey starts off her Cinderella story with an introduction to her life with her evil stepmother and two evil stepsisters - though one stepsister wasn't as evil as the other, at least not at first.
She has been put into the position of a servant in the house, doing chores, waiting hand and foot on the mother and sisters. In fact, when the story opens, Audrey is assisting the family as they meet with suitor after suitor, hoping to marry off the stepsisters.
It's obvious from the start that Audrey isn't considered part of the family, that she's a burden. So much that her stepmother even goes as far forbid her from putting her name into the drawing to go to the Lunar Court, where she might find a Fae partner.
This doesn't stop Audrey, though. She sneaks into town and puts her name into the lottery. And guess what? She wins a spot. But so does her older stepsister Clara. And off to the Lunar Court we go.
So here's the issues I faced with this story:
1. Audrey was likable in the beginning. A strong character who just wanted to get away from her abusive family. She goes to Court knowing that she may not even find a suitor but is willing to try nonetheless. She meets Hector, one of the Fae Generals and gets feelings for him. But then the Prince takes an interest in her and she does a complete 180, not trusting the General and out of nowhere falling in love with the Prince.
To me, this didn't make sense. She had a lot of scenes with Hector, getting to know him, feeling comfortable with him and always thinking about his starling green eyes. But then suddenly she's starry-eyed over the Prince, who she barely even speaks to? Unless there was some meetings behind the scenes that the reader didn't get to see.
2. Common sense does not reign supreme. During the first meal at the Lunar Court, a girl is poisoned and dies in front of everyone. The other girls are warned to be cautious. But are they? No. Audrey and Amber constantly sneak out to be with the guards, no one checks their food beforehand and even as Audrey's necklace is literally burning her neck, she doesn't seem to think that perhaps she shouldn't be trusting everyone. Also, it's mentioned in passing that some of the girls appear to be in a trance and not acting of their own accord yet it's just somewhat glossed over.
To me, those all seem like really big red flags but it's just like eh - sweep it under the rug. Which is crazy to me as people were getting poisoned left and right in this story. Houston, I think we have a problem.
3. Why is no one held accountable for their actions? I'll just leave that there.
4. Audrey suddenly has magic in her and is from an ancient Fae-line. Talk about coming out of nowhere. But I do think this was a good-bad thing as you could see others suddenly being drawn to her because of the power. So that might make for an interesting tale later on in the series.
Now for what I liked about this story:
1. I love that there is a guard/human love story. From the beginning, it seemed like these girls were going to find a husband of high society and yet Amber falls for a guard and doesn't appear to be shunned for it.
2. The background characters seemingly act accordingly to what is going on. Like how the healer got annoyed at the Prince and Audrey for acting stupidly with the silver poisoning. That seemed real to me. It's nice to see a little character from the background characters.
3. The love triangle that not really a love triangle at the moment but could potentially be one. Especially now that we know some of Hector's identity, I'm now intrigued.
My only complaint about the writing style is that the story seems a bit drawn out. I found myself skimming over a few sections as they just kept droning on. But all in all, the story is interesting and though I don't really have a favorite character or find any of them to particularly likable, I'm curious to see where the story goes next and to see if we get some character growth.
I do hope to hear more about Fae powers and how they'll be used so fingers crossed for book 2!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2023
4,5 ⭐
It's the first book from Rae I've read and I was super happy I was part of her ARC Team!
Magic Touched is a fantasy romance with faes and magic. It's a Cinderella retelling about Audrey, a young woman who was forced to be a servant for her stepmother and stepsisters after her father's death. The book contains the following trigger warnings: bullying, toxic family and childhood friend, violence and faul language.
Rae's writing was beautiful; it was cinematic, you will be unable to put the book down. The world building was very good. The plot was captivating, like a fairytale. There were great plot twists and overall, I couldn't stop reading it!!
The characters were very well written. I loved Audrey, the FMC; she was nice, cute, fierce, humble, sweet, smart and kind. She went through a lot and came out the other side with her head held up high. Hector, the royal general guard, was very handsome, attractive, strict, strong, kind, interesting and cute. But he turned out to also be secretive and a bit of an asshole. Amber, Audrey's best friend in the Royal Court, was pretty nice, cute and sweet; she was a good friend and she gave great advice. Prince Orson was not only handsome and attractive, but also interesting, kind, sweet and lovely, and he had good moves. I hated Audrey's stepmother and stepsisters.
Overall, the book is great! Read it ASAP! It ends on a cliffhanger and I just can't wait to read the next one!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It's the first book from Rae I've read and I was super happy I was part of her ARC Team!
Magic Touched is a fantasy romance with faes and magic. It's a Cinderella retelling about Audrey, a young woman who was forced to be a servant for her stepmother and stepsisters after her father's death. The book contains the following trigger warnings: bullying, toxic family and childhood friend, violence and faul language.
Rae's writing was beautiful; it was cinematic, you will be unable to put the book down. The world building was very good. The plot was captivating, like a fairytale. There were great plot twists and overall, I couldn't stop reading it!!
The characters were very well written. I loved Audrey, the FMC; she was nice, cute, fierce, humble, sweet, smart and kind. She went through a lot and came out the other side with her head held up high. Hector, the royal general guard, was very handsome, attractive, strict, strong, kind, interesting and cute. But he turned out to also be secretive and a bit of an asshole. Amber, Audrey's best friend in the Royal Court, was pretty nice, cute and sweet; she was a good friend and she gave great advice. Prince Orson was not only handsome and attractive, but also interesting, kind, sweet and lovely, and he had good moves. I hated Audrey's stepmother and stepsisters.
Overall, the book is great! Read it ASAP! It ends on a cliffhanger and I just can't wait to read the next one!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 11, 2023
By now I know what kind of stories I like and what kind of stories I should avoid. It rarely happens that I pick up a book and totally hate it. However, I'm still picky when it comes to review copies. I can't let review copies rot on the shelves, that seems incredibly unfair towards the authors and publishers providing them. But, a Cinderella retelling with the Fae involved? How could I not download a copy of this book via BookSprout?
I'm a little in doubt what I actually thought about this book and whether or not I really liked it. It's hard to explain why I don't really know if this book was what I wanted it to be or not. It's very well written. The sentences flow nicely, the dialogues are realistic and it felt like an easy read. I also liked how the Fae world and the famous tale of Cinderella were combined, although I do think that I would have liked it better if it they had been a little more intertwined.
Just like I wonder if the focus of the story was in the right place. Especially the ending and finale felt rushed. And that feeling was enhanced because the ending was written in such a way that it was impossible to understand what exactly happened. I'm certain all will be explained in the next book, but therefore I'm now putting this book down with a slightly unsatisfied feeling. As if the book has been building up towards something and left me before it really got there.
I'm also not entirely sure about the romance. I'm mostly not sure what the author wants with the romance. There was certainly some tension in this book, but I never really felt that spark I'm looking for in a romance like this. I'm also not entirely sure if the author had wanted this book to be a love triangle or not. I think that's basically the issue with the book that keeps me from really loving it. I feel confused about what I exactly read.
Maybe I will give the second book a chance to see if it will answer some of my questions. After all, this is only the first book in a series about Fae. I guess it's totally fine to not understand anything at this point.
I'm a little in doubt what I actually thought about this book and whether or not I really liked it. It's hard to explain why I don't really know if this book was what I wanted it to be or not. It's very well written. The sentences flow nicely, the dialogues are realistic and it felt like an easy read. I also liked how the Fae world and the famous tale of Cinderella were combined, although I do think that I would have liked it better if it they had been a little more intertwined.
Just like I wonder if the focus of the story was in the right place. Especially the ending and finale felt rushed. And that feeling was enhanced because the ending was written in such a way that it was impossible to understand what exactly happened. I'm certain all will be explained in the next book, but therefore I'm now putting this book down with a slightly unsatisfied feeling. As if the book has been building up towards something and left me before it really got there.
I'm also not entirely sure about the romance. I'm mostly not sure what the author wants with the romance. There was certainly some tension in this book, but I never really felt that spark I'm looking for in a romance like this. I'm also not entirely sure if the author had wanted this book to be a love triangle or not. I think that's basically the issue with the book that keeps me from really loving it. I feel confused about what I exactly read.
Maybe I will give the second book a chance to see if it will answer some of my questions. After all, this is only the first book in a series about Fae. I guess it's totally fine to not understand anything at this point.
January 24, 2023
This book reminded me in parts of Cinderella, Bridgerton, and Kiera Cass's Selection. When I saw the dedication to Sarah J Maas at the start, I had the beginnings of a feeling that I was going to enjoy the tale.
Audrey leaves behind her selfish step-family to try her chances at being picked as a wife for a Fae Lord at the Fae Lunar Court. It's genuinely refreshing to be able to pick up a story where there sibling relationships are difficult because it's not something I encounter often in fiction and it's validating for me to read as someone who's undergone some similar but not identical interpersonal challenges.
The story twists, and spins and pirouettes. I got so hooked on Audrey's journey that I was voraciously reading and rooting for her as though she was a friend or beloved younger sister - this is one of my favourite quotes in the book - it deeply resonated with me.
"Just like humans, books had personalities of their own. Sometimes those personalities could be easier to dive deep and connect to than those of other people."
It was beautiful to watch the main character grow into herself and learn who she is as a person. I could never have predicted some of the situations she ends up in!
I feel like the ending came far too quickly - I flew through reading the second half of the book because it is written in such an engaging way it just feels natural to keep going. I definitely want to see what happens in the next book!
I enjoyed reading this book and I'm very grateful to have received a free ARC and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
Audrey leaves behind her selfish step-family to try her chances at being picked as a wife for a Fae Lord at the Fae Lunar Court. It's genuinely refreshing to be able to pick up a story where there sibling relationships are difficult because it's not something I encounter often in fiction and it's validating for me to read as someone who's undergone some similar but not identical interpersonal challenges.
The story twists, and spins and pirouettes. I got so hooked on Audrey's journey that I was voraciously reading and rooting for her as though she was a friend or beloved younger sister - this is one of my favourite quotes in the book - it deeply resonated with me.
"Just like humans, books had personalities of their own. Sometimes those personalities could be easier to dive deep and connect to than those of other people."
It was beautiful to watch the main character grow into herself and learn who she is as a person. I could never have predicted some of the situations she ends up in!
I feel like the ending came far too quickly - I flew through reading the second half of the book because it is written in such an engaging way it just feels natural to keep going. I definitely want to see what happens in the next book!
I enjoyed reading this book and I'm very grateful to have received a free ARC and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
January 29, 2023
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Okay I really liked this story!! The Mystery and simple magic was fantastic. I really enjoyed what little bit of the magic you found out about. Like you learned as the MC learned.
I did enjoy that it seemed to be a possible love between either her and a prince or her and a guard. Both ways are always fantastic little love story paths.
The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was how she trusted and got along with Hector so well and then she just decided to not trust him or listen to anything he had to say anymore. Like no chance to explain and all of a sudden all this mistrust? I just didn’t understand that at all. She wasn’t head over heels for Orson to where she like would blindly follow him, or she said she wasn’t. Yet she kept pursuing him and giving Hector no more chances even though she felt something? I just felt like she should have heard him out.
All in all I’m very excited to read the second book and thankfully it comes out next month because that ending was a doozy and I need answers! What is that creature. What does it want from her. Who will she end up with.
Okay I really liked this story!! The Mystery and simple magic was fantastic. I really enjoyed what little bit of the magic you found out about. Like you learned as the MC learned.
I did enjoy that it seemed to be a possible love between either her and a prince or her and a guard. Both ways are always fantastic little love story paths.
The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was how she trusted and got along with Hector so well and then she just decided to not trust him or listen to anything he had to say anymore. Like no chance to explain and all of a sudden all this mistrust? I just didn’t understand that at all. She wasn’t head over heels for Orson to where she like would blindly follow him, or she said she wasn’t. Yet she kept pursuing him and giving Hector no more chances even though she felt something? I just felt like she should have heard him out.
All in all I’m very excited to read the second book and thankfully it comes out next month because that ending was a doozy and I need answers! What is that creature. What does it want from her. Who will she end up with.
January 15, 2023
This story is an interesting take on the tale of Cinderella, the main protagonist Audrey, has a wicked stepmother, a nasty stepsister and also an apathetic one. Instead of an invite to the Prince’s Ball she enters a lottery to be among the young, human women invited to visit the Fae Court which rules her land and a chance of a new beginning with a Fae husband. There is a handsome Prince, a Queen who, if not evil, is rather ambivalent about the fate of humans and a charming Fae General. Like most Courts there is a lot of plotting, petty jealousies, a poisoning or two and lots of danger.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 13, 2023
When Audrey's widowed father dies, her stepmother and her two stepsisters treat Audrey as a servant. Audrey enters the Fae lottery that happens every 15 years for unmarried females, unknown to her stepmother. Audrey and her stepsister Clara are selected for the lottery. Her stepmother now treats Audrey differently, but Clara continues to treat her horribly. Audrey hopes to find an ally in the Lunar Kingdom, so she doesn't have to return to being a servant or a way to gain control of her father's estate. She finds upon reaching the Fae Kingdom that conditions are not how she imagined, or who to trust. The Guard Captain Hector and Prince Orson show an interest in Audrey. What will happen in the attention-grabbing story? Find out what surprises and twists await! You'll love it too!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 2, 2023
This is book one of the Fae Awakened series and is a somewhat retelling of Cinderella, but goes much further by including a Fae court and its multitude of possible suitors for the main character, Audrey Dubois, an orphan. Her mother died when she was young and her father remarried the woman she cannot even call Mother, who already had two daughter, Clara and Rose. Once her father died, her stepmother basically made her their servant, making her do chores and look after her stepsisters, both who were raised to think she was nothing and beneath them. Clara in particular, was a nasty piece of work, and if anything was not done to Mother’s satisfaction, she would beat and punish Audrey. She never had any free time and slept in a small room, but was kicked out of that when her stepsister’s were having gentleman suitors call to the house, after they had both had their coming out. One of Clara’s favourite suitors is Reed, but Audrey knows he has a wandering eye and has known him all her life. He certainly doesn’t know when to accept a simple no, to his constant attempts to be with her. Soon her stepsister’s and stepmother grow excited about an event she knows nothing about. It seems Lunar Village and all the other villages and towns around them, are to have all eligible single females of a certain age, put their name into a lottery, for acceptance to the Fae ball at the Lunar Court, where the Fae live.
When Audrey asks about going to the town square to watch the lottery, she is told in no uncertain terms, that she is not allowed to go and has a number of chores to complete! Luckily, the housekeeper and her granddaughter tell her they will cover for her, and she sneaks out to watch. Whilst they wait to see if Clara or Rose manage to be drawn in the lottery, Reed keeps on trying it on with her and she is eventually caught in a compromising position with him making matters worse, and her stepmother would gladly have her stoned to death before she could disgrace the family name, is her father’s name! She is sent away to await a visit by the doctor to assess if her virtue is unblemished, but doesn’t trust her stepmother to work the result she wants into that! She is shocked when Mother turns up suddenly and informs her that she and Clara have been selected for the fae ball, and that Rose has accepted a marriage proposal from one of the many suitors. Al of a sudden, she has to be fitted for new dresses and trained in proper decorum for a young woman, most of which she thankfully knew from her father, and how to move and dance, which she inherited form her mother. She is however, wanted to be wary of the Fae, as they will not be what she might think and she could be in danger. The fae do not often mix with the humans in the villages around them, preferring to live in the Lunar Court and rule from afar.
Clara and Audrey are just a couple out of fifty young women who have been chosen for the ball. Even the Crown Prince Orson could be a potential match for one of them! They are split into groups of five and Clara makes sure not to be in the same one as Audrey! Audrey looks at this as her chance to escape the misery of her home life, where she would no doubt remain a slave to the family for the rest of her life, never having any chance for marriage or children of her own. But it turns out that life n the Fae Court is full of hidden dangers and unseen challenges, which could see her lose her life. An incident at the welcome dinner soon shows what little regard the Fae have for humans and Audrey and the others must be on their guard! She makes one friend, Amber, who is in the same shared room as her and the rest of the group of five she is in, and both feel something for their guards. Audrey is smitten with General Hector, the head of the royal guard, whilst Amber is in love with his fellow guard, Jasper. She soon finds she has a higher level Fae who may be willing to court her and she has to ignore her liking of the General, for the chance to definitely escape her former life. Whether she has made the right decision is yet to come! On one date with a few others, she suddenly finds herself showing an ability she never even knew she had, that makes her more Fae than human! She was able to save a life with magic from within her, an ability that only comes from an ancient and very powerful line of Fae, long thought extinct.
Now she is no longer welcome amongst the humans and even the Fae don’t know what to do with her or even how ot figure out what her true magical ancestry really is. She was raised by humans and came from human parents, or so she thought. Somewhere along one of their lines, must have been a powerful Fae. She is now the target of many of the young women looking for the highest level suitor they can get, for that fairytale story ending most of them have dreamed of for years. But the ending of this story is full of danger and betrayal, as someone is targeting both the young women and the highest of the land, somehow unseen and using dark and powerful magic! Where Audrey finds herself at the end of this introductory tale, is not where she ever expected to be, having ignored the General’s warnings and now left at the mercy of a long standing tradition, which no one can stop! A cliff hanger of an ending that left me wanting to get on and read the next book in this series ASAP! A fantastic twist on the original story, with so much more added to make the story deadly and intriguing, plus romantic. I look forward to reading the next one and even with it having a base of another fairytale at the start, it became so much more enjoyable. I received an ARC copy of this book form BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
When Audrey asks about going to the town square to watch the lottery, she is told in no uncertain terms, that she is not allowed to go and has a number of chores to complete! Luckily, the housekeeper and her granddaughter tell her they will cover for her, and she sneaks out to watch. Whilst they wait to see if Clara or Rose manage to be drawn in the lottery, Reed keeps on trying it on with her and she is eventually caught in a compromising position with him making matters worse, and her stepmother would gladly have her stoned to death before she could disgrace the family name, is her father’s name! She is sent away to await a visit by the doctor to assess if her virtue is unblemished, but doesn’t trust her stepmother to work the result she wants into that! She is shocked when Mother turns up suddenly and informs her that she and Clara have been selected for the fae ball, and that Rose has accepted a marriage proposal from one of the many suitors. Al of a sudden, she has to be fitted for new dresses and trained in proper decorum for a young woman, most of which she thankfully knew from her father, and how to move and dance, which she inherited form her mother. She is however, wanted to be wary of the Fae, as they will not be what she might think and she could be in danger. The fae do not often mix with the humans in the villages around them, preferring to live in the Lunar Court and rule from afar.
Clara and Audrey are just a couple out of fifty young women who have been chosen for the ball. Even the Crown Prince Orson could be a potential match for one of them! They are split into groups of five and Clara makes sure not to be in the same one as Audrey! Audrey looks at this as her chance to escape the misery of her home life, where she would no doubt remain a slave to the family for the rest of her life, never having any chance for marriage or children of her own. But it turns out that life n the Fae Court is full of hidden dangers and unseen challenges, which could see her lose her life. An incident at the welcome dinner soon shows what little regard the Fae have for humans and Audrey and the others must be on their guard! She makes one friend, Amber, who is in the same shared room as her and the rest of the group of five she is in, and both feel something for their guards. Audrey is smitten with General Hector, the head of the royal guard, whilst Amber is in love with his fellow guard, Jasper. She soon finds she has a higher level Fae who may be willing to court her and she has to ignore her liking of the General, for the chance to definitely escape her former life. Whether she has made the right decision is yet to come! On one date with a few others, she suddenly finds herself showing an ability she never even knew she had, that makes her more Fae than human! She was able to save a life with magic from within her, an ability that only comes from an ancient and very powerful line of Fae, long thought extinct.
Now she is no longer welcome amongst the humans and even the Fae don’t know what to do with her or even how ot figure out what her true magical ancestry really is. She was raised by humans and came from human parents, or so she thought. Somewhere along one of their lines, must have been a powerful Fae. She is now the target of many of the young women looking for the highest level suitor they can get, for that fairytale story ending most of them have dreamed of for years. But the ending of this story is full of danger and betrayal, as someone is targeting both the young women and the highest of the land, somehow unseen and using dark and powerful magic! Where Audrey finds herself at the end of this introductory tale, is not where she ever expected to be, having ignored the General’s warnings and now left at the mercy of a long standing tradition, which no one can stop! A cliff hanger of an ending that left me wanting to get on and read the next book in this series ASAP! A fantastic twist on the original story, with so much more added to make the story deadly and intriguing, plus romantic. I look forward to reading the next one and even with it having a base of another fairytale at the start, it became so much more enjoyable. I received an ARC copy of this book form BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
July 7, 2023
OMG
Holy crappy I need to know! Evil, evil author. This is a Cinderella tale, but even with all the movies, books ECT of this theme I got sucked into this one. Finished it in one go. No breaks. The real good part I only have to wait 1 month for the next one.
Holy crappy I need to know! Evil, evil author. This is a Cinderella tale, but even with all the movies, books ECT of this theme I got sucked into this one. Finished it in one go. No breaks. The real good part I only have to wait 1 month for the next one.
January 8, 2023
So…after thinking about it, I will be giving this book 3 stars.
❗️disclaimer ❗️: the reason I didn’t enjoy this book mainly has to do with me.
DNF at 46%
Before I read this book, I went through a couple reviews, and the main thing I saw was that this was a Cinderella retelling. I haven’t read that many Cinderella retellings tbh. Off the top of my head: Cinderella is dead (don’t think that counts), Throne of Glass (??), and Bridgerton: An offer from a gentleman ( I think that’s what it was called)
With all of these positive reviews, and the fact that it was a book with a plot that I’d usually enjoy, I went in with *high* expectations.
As I read further however, I didn’t see many similarities between Cinderella and Magic Touched at all!!
Furthermore; it seemed like the Selection. I do love the Selection, but it’s mostly because of nostalgic memories and the fact that the selection is one of the first books I read when I got back into reading. (Let’s be honest, the selection isn’t THAT good).
+I did see a review that said that Audrey does end up with the prince, so I guess that’s where the Cinderella aspect ties in again.
I feel like I would have enjoyed this book earlier, before I’d read this many YA fantasy books already.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
Books I ended up comparing this book to:
* Cinderella (fairytale)
* Bridgerton book 3
* The selection
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
Plot: Another reason I didn’t like this book as much, I feel like the plot was VERY dragged out and could have definitely been faster. At times I found myself zoning out quite a bit.
Here’s how the plot went:
- Tired slave girl working for her stepmom and stepsisters
- Guy tries to seduce her (didn’t really understand what the point of that was tbh)
- Writes her name in the lottery to go to the lunar kingdom
- Guy tries to SA her, and puts her in a compromising situation (he doesn’t actually SA her bc her stepsister shows up)
- Stepmom sells her.
- Turns out she was sold to guys family and has to help his grandma.
- Stepmom shows up acting really nice bc turns out she got picked (this is where I was confused about the Cinderella bit)
- She and her stepsister show up to lunar kingdom. She makes a friend.
- Girl gets poisoned
- Turns out kingdom is dangerous
- Flirts with guard??
- Sister might be sent away bc was out in gardens without a guard???
DNF
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
Quotes: here’s some quotes with my honest reactions underneath (copy pasting my kindle notes and highlights)
“To the books which taught me to dream again (Sarah J. Maas this is looking at you)”
Not really a quote but I thought this dedication was so sweet bc Sarah also got me back into reading.
“Rose began to laugh. “I’m sorry,” Rose said. “But I just can’t picture it. You’re so plain.””
girl stfu ew
“‘You’ve been sold.’”
Is this some sort of wattpad fanfic shit 😭😭
“‘Would someone please tell me what it is I’m missing here?’”
stfu it’s so obvious??
“‘Thank you, and I’m afraid it’s more likely only me you’ll need to protect from such a fate. I have less experience with these torture devices than other ladies here.’ Why didn’t you just leave it at thank you?”
YEAH AUDREY WHY DIDNT YOU?? ps. the torture devices are heels
“I needed to be noticed for my plan to work and couldn’t hide in the corner, no matter how much my instincts screamed at me to do so,”
1.you never told us your plan?? Isn’t this from your brains pov?? 2.I swear I am trying so hard to like this mc, but she’s making it really hard!!
“Her hair had been curled in tight ringlets all around her face. I felt she looked a little bit childish,”
Audrey, love, you SOUND childish
“And though he had pointy ears, they were covered in warts. His nose was long and hooked, his skin wrinkled, and the sickly green colour.”
it’s giving the roach from tfota 👀
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
All in all, it wasn’t BAD, it was fine. I just had high expectations that it didn’t meet. And I didn’t click with the main character.
+unrelated: I would’ve probs liked it better if she kissed amber at some point, like a spur of the moment thing, would’ve been fun…that would have been a five star lmao
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
❗️disclaimer ❗️: the reason I didn’t enjoy this book mainly has to do with me.
DNF at 46%
Before I read this book, I went through a couple reviews, and the main thing I saw was that this was a Cinderella retelling. I haven’t read that many Cinderella retellings tbh. Off the top of my head: Cinderella is dead (don’t think that counts), Throne of Glass (??), and Bridgerton: An offer from a gentleman ( I think that’s what it was called)
With all of these positive reviews, and the fact that it was a book with a plot that I’d usually enjoy, I went in with *high* expectations.
As I read further however, I didn’t see many similarities between Cinderella and Magic Touched at all!!
Furthermore; it seemed like the Selection. I do love the Selection, but it’s mostly because of nostalgic memories and the fact that the selection is one of the first books I read when I got back into reading. (Let’s be honest, the selection isn’t THAT good).
+I did see a review that said that Audrey does end up with the prince, so I guess that’s where the Cinderella aspect ties in again.
I feel like I would have enjoyed this book earlier, before I’d read this many YA fantasy books already.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
Books I ended up comparing this book to:
* Cinderella (fairytale)
* Bridgerton book 3
* The selection
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
Plot: Another reason I didn’t like this book as much, I feel like the plot was VERY dragged out and could have definitely been faster. At times I found myself zoning out quite a bit.
Here’s how the plot went:
- Tired slave girl working for her stepmom and stepsisters
- Guy tries to seduce her (didn’t really understand what the point of that was tbh)
- Writes her name in the lottery to go to the lunar kingdom
- Guy tries to SA her, and puts her in a compromising situation (he doesn’t actually SA her bc her stepsister shows up)
- Stepmom sells her.
- Turns out she was sold to guys family and has to help his grandma.
- Stepmom shows up acting really nice bc turns out she got picked (this is where I was confused about the Cinderella bit)
- She and her stepsister show up to lunar kingdom. She makes a friend.
- Girl gets poisoned
- Turns out kingdom is dangerous
- Flirts with guard??
- Sister might be sent away bc was out in gardens without a guard???
DNF
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
Quotes: here’s some quotes with my honest reactions underneath (copy pasting my kindle notes and highlights)
“To the books which taught me to dream again (Sarah J. Maas this is looking at you)”
Not really a quote but I thought this dedication was so sweet bc Sarah also got me back into reading.
“Rose began to laugh. “I’m sorry,” Rose said. “But I just can’t picture it. You’re so plain.””
girl stfu ew
“‘You’ve been sold.’”
Is this some sort of wattpad fanfic shit 😭😭
“‘Would someone please tell me what it is I’m missing here?’”
stfu it’s so obvious??
“‘Thank you, and I’m afraid it’s more likely only me you’ll need to protect from such a fate. I have less experience with these torture devices than other ladies here.’ Why didn’t you just leave it at thank you?”
YEAH AUDREY WHY DIDNT YOU?? ps. the torture devices are heels
“I needed to be noticed for my plan to work and couldn’t hide in the corner, no matter how much my instincts screamed at me to do so,”
1.you never told us your plan?? Isn’t this from your brains pov?? 2.I swear I am trying so hard to like this mc, but she’s making it really hard!!
“Her hair had been curled in tight ringlets all around her face. I felt she looked a little bit childish,”
Audrey, love, you SOUND childish
“And though he had pointy ears, they were covered in warts. His nose was long and hooked, his skin wrinkled, and the sickly green colour.”
it’s giving the roach from tfota 👀
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
All in all, it wasn’t BAD, it was fine. I just had high expectations that it didn’t meet. And I didn’t click with the main character.
+unrelated: I would’ve probs liked it better if she kissed amber at some point, like a spur of the moment thing, would’ve been fun…that would have been a five star lmao
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2023
This is a typical Cinderella retelling, which is the kiss of chocolate. You don’t have to rethink a fairy tale to death. The setting is possibly fantasy Victorian, with balls, maids, and proper manners. I enjoyed it despite feeling as if the pacing could be faster. There could be more activities, too. I would be so bored in this selection process. I also wanted more interesting personalities.
Audrey is the typical prim and proper upper class servant her stepmother drilled her to be, and I expect her to be timid in interacting with the guards, the maids, and the other women. She is also not the brightest bulb and ignores the warning signs when poisoned. But I wish at least one competitor or one guard would be the rebel or be the errant child who always gets away with…I mean scolded over…his antics. And that the prince, Orson, showed more personality than a cookie-cutout mooner over a pretty girl.
To be honest, I liked Audrey at first but stopped liking her after the first half. You may feel different.
I can see why a bunch of women would feign weakness in order to get a prince’s attention. It is human nature to be attracted to fit partners, whether by power, money, or good looks. And the prince has all the attractive qualities despite having no distinguishing qualities of his own.
What I don’t see is how he can see Audrey as special. There is this amorphous attraction, but the concept is not fleshed out. Unlike Audrey’s interactions with the captain of the guard, Hector, who she also flushes crimson over, the prince doesn’t ever have a conversation or date with her. And he never shows up during any scheduled events until the end.
The romance is kind of tame:
“Goosebumps sprang up across my skin, my stomach dancing with butterflies. It would be wrong to say the prince didn’t affect me at all. It just wasn’t something I had allowed myself to explore more in depth.”
Audrey repetitively mentions her inexperience. Methinks she dost protest too much.
The prince again gives her tingles: “So much power,” he said so quietly I didn’t think Hector would hear on the other side of me. Orson removed my left hand from the reins and slid his fingers over the skin as if studying the texture.” He is attracted to her power? Does she even matter?
With both Hector and Orson to choose from, I like not knowing who she eventually will choose, although it is obvious.
Plot Twists:
============
Despite the slow pacing most of the novel, I was surprised at 85% or so to find steam, plot twists, and more excitement! The real reason for the balls, the gowns, and the pomp is dark.
• Cinderella remake
• Steam: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
• Easy, fun read
• Not that dark
• Underdog suddenly has superpowers (WTF is with that?)
• To be continued, but complete story arc
Audrey is the typical prim and proper upper class servant her stepmother drilled her to be, and I expect her to be timid in interacting with the guards, the maids, and the other women. She is also not the brightest bulb and ignores the warning signs when poisoned. But I wish at least one competitor or one guard would be the rebel or be the errant child who always gets away with…I mean scolded over…his antics. And that the prince, Orson, showed more personality than a cookie-cutout mooner over a pretty girl.
To be honest, I liked Audrey at first but stopped liking her after the first half. You may feel different.
I can see why a bunch of women would feign weakness in order to get a prince’s attention. It is human nature to be attracted to fit partners, whether by power, money, or good looks. And the prince has all the attractive qualities despite having no distinguishing qualities of his own.
What I don’t see is how he can see Audrey as special. There is this amorphous attraction, but the concept is not fleshed out. Unlike Audrey’s interactions with the captain of the guard, Hector, who she also flushes crimson over, the prince doesn’t ever have a conversation or date with her. And he never shows up during any scheduled events until the end.
The romance is kind of tame:
“Goosebumps sprang up across my skin, my stomach dancing with butterflies. It would be wrong to say the prince didn’t affect me at all. It just wasn’t something I had allowed myself to explore more in depth.”
Audrey repetitively mentions her inexperience. Methinks she dost protest too much.
The prince again gives her tingles: “So much power,” he said so quietly I didn’t think Hector would hear on the other side of me. Orson removed my left hand from the reins and slid his fingers over the skin as if studying the texture.” He is attracted to her power? Does she even matter?
With both Hector and Orson to choose from, I like not knowing who she eventually will choose, although it is obvious.
Plot Twists:
============
Despite the slow pacing most of the novel, I was surprised at 85% or so to find steam, plot twists, and more excitement! The real reason for the balls, the gowns, and the pomp is dark.
• Cinderella remake
• Steam: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
• Easy, fun read
• Not that dark
• Underdog suddenly has superpowers (WTF is with that?)
• To be continued, but complete story arc
January 14, 2023
I'm very particular about the fantasy romance I consume- I have certain tropes that intrigue me more than others. In general, I'm not a fan of the Cinderella trope (it's the main reason I haven't read Benedict Bridgerton's book..plus, his character kinda sucks). Normally, if we don't dwell on that aspect too much I can work past it. Unfortunately, with Rae Hendricks, Magic Touched (Fae Awakened: Book 1), this trope is incorporated within much of the plot.
What I liked about the book:
1. The heroine: Audrey. She displayed backbone, humility, intelligence, and wit. These traits last through about 65% however, and she suddenly starts to exhibit magical abilities and that forethought and logic that she previously possessed goes out the window. Up until this point, however, I thought she displayed the chutzpah needed for a 'savior of the realm' sort of character.
2. The ambition of Hendricks as a storyteller. I will give her complete kudos for taking on this story. The world building is a bit lopsided (we know more about the real world than the fae court) but the story itself is quite ambitious.
3. A Villain you love to hate. I always give a book credit when by the end I want to throw to physically throw the villain off a bridge personally. You've made a character that I absolutely despise and can't wait for them to become shark food at some point.
What I didn't care for as much:
1. The love interest(s). Neither Hector nor the prince are well drawn out - their motivations are almost non existent. I'm not even completely sure they even LIKE Audrey. They were both interchangeable with no real storyline.
2. The ending. We hit 85% and this book goes off the rails. I'm not even sure what was going on - sacrifices, hidden heirs, murder plots, giant sea monsters. When I finished the last page, I sat a little stunned. I'd have an extremely difficult time trying to relate what that last 15% entailed if you dared me.
The first half of the book is too front loaded with the Cinderella storyline and the familial abuse. The world building and through line needs to be worked into the second half. The ending is too abrupt to pack a punch.
3. Too many elements so little time. I may be repeating myself, but by introducing this magic gift 70% into the book and leaving little to no time to explore it is a bit of a waste of a plot device. We have to make logic leaps as to why her gifted necklace was poisoning her, how she could produce magic in the first place, how it never manifested before, how she instinctively knew to purge the magic out of an infected person. This feel a little 'kitchen sink' in terms of storytelling. We have a lot of great ideas, but they're not executed completely or sufficiently.
I see real potential in this series and in Hendricks writing, the story just needs some padding and additional world building.
What I liked about the book:
1. The heroine: Audrey. She displayed backbone, humility, intelligence, and wit. These traits last through about 65% however, and she suddenly starts to exhibit magical abilities and that forethought and logic that she previously possessed goes out the window. Up until this point, however, I thought she displayed the chutzpah needed for a 'savior of the realm' sort of character.
2. The ambition of Hendricks as a storyteller. I will give her complete kudos for taking on this story. The world building is a bit lopsided (we know more about the real world than the fae court) but the story itself is quite ambitious.
3. A Villain you love to hate. I always give a book credit when by the end I want to throw to physically throw the villain off a bridge personally. You've made a character that I absolutely despise and can't wait for them to become shark food at some point.
What I didn't care for as much:
1. The love interest(s). Neither Hector nor the prince are well drawn out - their motivations are almost non existent. I'm not even completely sure they even LIKE Audrey. They were both interchangeable with no real storyline.
2. The ending. We hit 85% and this book goes off the rails. I'm not even sure what was going on - sacrifices, hidden heirs, murder plots, giant sea monsters. When I finished the last page, I sat a little stunned. I'd have an extremely difficult time trying to relate what that last 15% entailed if you dared me.
The first half of the book is too front loaded with the Cinderella storyline and the familial abuse. The world building and through line needs to be worked into the second half. The ending is too abrupt to pack a punch.
3. Too many elements so little time. I may be repeating myself, but by introducing this magic gift 70% into the book and leaving little to no time to explore it is a bit of a waste of a plot device. We have to make logic leaps as to why her gifted necklace was poisoning her, how she could produce magic in the first place, how it never manifested before, how she instinctively knew to purge the magic out of an infected person. This feel a little 'kitchen sink' in terms of storytelling. We have a lot of great ideas, but they're not executed completely or sufficiently.
I see real potential in this series and in Hendricks writing, the story just needs some padding and additional world building.
January 2, 2023
This is one of the best books I read recently. I'm happy I was able to end 2022 with such a treat.
At first it seemed like another Cinderella retelling--not that there's anything wrong with that! I absolutely love reading re-imagined fairytales, but this one's twist was so much better than most. Actually, I should say twists, because there's more than one.
It starts out like your normal Cinderella tale--child loses mother, her father marries a woman with two daughters, and the moment he dies she's treated worse than the farm animals. Even in this part, the writing is fabulous: rich, descriptive, easy to get into the MC's head. She's also no doormat.
Audrey, her stepmother and her Clara and Rose live in a village in the Lunar Kingdom. This is a village of humans who pay tribute to the Fae who rule the kingdom. (I think there is more than one Fae kingdom, maybe they'll be introduced in the next book.) Every fifteen years a lottery is held, picking the unmarried girls of the kingdom to go to the Lunar Palace for a ball. Of course, Audrey is forbidden to go put her name on the list so she sneaks out and does so anyway.
Both she and Clara are picked for to attend the ball. Clara is pretty nasty and hateful, and Rose is usually pretty nice to Audrey, until she's not picked to go. Then her true colors come out and she's just as nasty to Audrey as her sister. This should feel over the top but I didn't see it like that. Everything was explained reasonably.
So, Audrey and Clara go to the Fae Palace. Clara tries to sabotage Audrey every time she can, Audrey tries to ignore Clara and find a way to stay in the Lunar Kingdome so she doesn't have to go back to her village and horrible life.
Audrey's journey is interesting, page turning, and the cliff-hanger ending is a real surprise (though it shouldn't have been.) I don't want to give too much away because it was exhilarating to find the answer to every little mystery that came up.
There were a few parts where Audrey kind of whined to herself about not wanting to go back, but I couldn't understand what the problem was. She's already away from home, I couldn't see any reason that she would be forced to go back, but maybe I missed something in my rabid reading.
One thing about this book that was a real delight was that even though I had received an unedited copy--there were less typos or grammatical mistakes in this unedited copy than in many books I have purchased that were allegedly edited. If this is Rae Hendricks' idea of unedited, I'd love to see more like this!
I highly recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
At first it seemed like another Cinderella retelling--not that there's anything wrong with that! I absolutely love reading re-imagined fairytales, but this one's twist was so much better than most. Actually, I should say twists, because there's more than one.
It starts out like your normal Cinderella tale--child loses mother, her father marries a woman with two daughters, and the moment he dies she's treated worse than the farm animals. Even in this part, the writing is fabulous: rich, descriptive, easy to get into the MC's head. She's also no doormat.
Audrey, her stepmother and her Clara and Rose live in a village in the Lunar Kingdom. This is a village of humans who pay tribute to the Fae who rule the kingdom. (I think there is more than one Fae kingdom, maybe they'll be introduced in the next book.) Every fifteen years a lottery is held, picking the unmarried girls of the kingdom to go to the Lunar Palace for a ball. Of course, Audrey is forbidden to go put her name on the list so she sneaks out and does so anyway.
Both she and Clara are picked for to attend the ball. Clara is pretty nasty and hateful, and Rose is usually pretty nice to Audrey, until she's not picked to go. Then her true colors come out and she's just as nasty to Audrey as her sister. This should feel over the top but I didn't see it like that. Everything was explained reasonably.
So, Audrey and Clara go to the Fae Palace. Clara tries to sabotage Audrey every time she can, Audrey tries to ignore Clara and find a way to stay in the Lunar Kingdome so she doesn't have to go back to her village and horrible life.
Audrey's journey is interesting, page turning, and the cliff-hanger ending is a real surprise (though it shouldn't have been.) I don't want to give too much away because it was exhilarating to find the answer to every little mystery that came up.
There were a few parts where Audrey kind of whined to herself about not wanting to go back, but I couldn't understand what the problem was. She's already away from home, I couldn't see any reason that she would be forced to go back, but maybe I missed something in my rabid reading.
One thing about this book that was a real delight was that even though I had received an unedited copy--there were less typos or grammatical mistakes in this unedited copy than in many books I have purchased that were allegedly edited. If this is Rae Hendricks' idea of unedited, I'd love to see more like this!
I highly recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 10, 2023
I really liked the beginning of this book, but the further I got into it, the worse it became.
From the beginning of being in the fae court, all of the competitors are told to watch their backs and not to trust anyone, and be careful. Have a guard check your food and drink. One woman was poisoned and died on the first night! But no one checks anything for the rest of the dang book! They just eat and drink everything like it’s no biggie!
One character drinks a bunch of wine, starts acting weird, and Audrey just keeps an eye on her while the girl makes a fool out of herself showing off all her goods! What the heck? Then the girl disappears and we never see her again and are just told she’s being married to some fae.
Audrey and a guard seem to have some connection and seem quite fond of eachother. She wants nothing to do with the prince because she doesn’t want to have the girls upset with her (especially her sister). So what does she do? Starts flirting with the prince and accepting his advances.
Then there’s the sudden random magic she has. I was rolling my eyes there. Especially when they start talking about it being her second time being poisoned by silver. Why wasn’t this mentioned before? And where is her sister? She just gave up trying to murder her own sister or something? What happened to the girl that was getting married and was having the same reaction to a necklace as Audrey? Is she fae somewhere down the line as well?
Why would all these girls come to the fae court for the actual reason they’re there, if they get to get snatched up so quickly?
Then there were the random grammatical errors and wrong words throughout. Where it should say of, it would be written “or” or something similar to that.
Just so much of this just started falling apart and not connecting properly, making little to no sense. The main character’s entire being just randomly changed around 70% in and it was so weird.
From the beginning of being in the fae court, all of the competitors are told to watch their backs and not to trust anyone, and be careful. Have a guard check your food and drink. One woman was poisoned and died on the first night! But no one checks anything for the rest of the dang book! They just eat and drink everything like it’s no biggie!
One character drinks a bunch of wine, starts acting weird, and Audrey just keeps an eye on her while the girl makes a fool out of herself showing off all her goods! What the heck? Then the girl disappears and we never see her again and are just told she’s being married to some fae.
Audrey and a guard seem to have some connection and seem quite fond of eachother. She wants nothing to do with the prince because she doesn’t want to have the girls upset with her (especially her sister). So what does she do? Starts flirting with the prince and accepting his advances.
Then there’s the sudden random magic she has. I was rolling my eyes there. Especially when they start talking about it being her second time being poisoned by silver. Why wasn’t this mentioned before? And where is her sister? She just gave up trying to murder her own sister or something? What happened to the girl that was getting married and was having the same reaction to a necklace as Audrey? Is she fae somewhere down the line as well?
Why would all these girls come to the fae court for the actual reason they’re there, if they get to get snatched up so quickly?
Then there were the random grammatical errors and wrong words throughout. Where it should say of, it would be written “or” or something similar to that.
Just so much of this just started falling apart and not connecting properly, making little to no sense. The main character’s entire being just randomly changed around 70% in and it was so weird.
December 22, 2022
Wowow! I need book 2 like now?! How far is Feb?!
So yes I really really loved this book amd from square one. I liked the Cinderella vibe and the Fae world.
At the beggining I didnt know wht to expect and Reed was an interesting character. It was really making me nuts on the relationship what to come….
I liked the heroine However in the middle I felt her a bit melancholic all the time wallowing on her past and how tragic her life was but now she shows everyone… but nahh I cant… so the usual self pity which I dont really like and found it a bit repetitive (thats why not 5 star)
I really likes however her relationships in the Fae world. I loooved green eye Hector but also Prince O was a fine character (however I guess his eyes are first purple then brown?! Might be corrected upon release) ahh but that also reminds me that the heroine is only described on looks almost about at 50% so take a good look onto the cover my fellow readers ;) which actually pretty luvly if you ask me….
So all on all kept me entetained and finished at my usual pace when I love a book ;)
Cant wait to get into whats more to come! I only hope its not dragged too much as sometimes series tend to do…
Ahh yes and I received an advance review copy for free,( thank you for Tara @BookSirens for recruiting me to this awesome group!) and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
So yes I really really loved this book amd from square one. I liked the Cinderella vibe and the Fae world.
At the beggining I didnt know wht to expect and Reed was an interesting character. It was really making me nuts on the relationship what to come….
I liked the heroine However in the middle I felt her a bit melancholic all the time wallowing on her past and how tragic her life was but now she shows everyone… but nahh I cant… so the usual self pity which I dont really like and found it a bit repetitive (thats why not 5 star)
I really likes however her relationships in the Fae world. I loooved green eye Hector but also Prince O was a fine character (however I guess his eyes are first purple then brown?! Might be corrected upon release) ahh but that also reminds me that the heroine is only described on looks almost about at 50% so take a good look onto the cover my fellow readers ;) which actually pretty luvly if you ask me….
So all on all kept me entetained and finished at my usual pace when I love a book ;)
Cant wait to get into whats more to come! I only hope its not dragged too much as sometimes series tend to do…
Ahh yes and I received an advance review copy for free,( thank you for Tara @BookSirens for recruiting me to this awesome group!) and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 18, 2023
This was an interesting take on the Cinderella tale, but I didn't feel like it was a good one for me. There were good scenes, but by the end, I was not interested. The beginning started off really good and I loved reading about how strong and brave Audrey was. By the end however, she turned into some fae with powers from unknown origins and turns on someone who was there for her from the beginning.
Hated by her stepmother and stepsisters, Audrey was lucky enough to have the opportunity to get away from them, but where she ends up is much worse. She has to compete with other women for a husband while she's in the Lunar Kingdom and catches the eyes of not one prince, but two. She doesn't know her full heritage, but by the end of the book, there are more questions and no answers to who she is and what's going on. It does end on a cliffhanger, but it felt so rushed at the end of the book, I was frustrated.
There are secrets at every corner, deaths and disappearances, a little bit of spice and some cute banter. It was a slow burn that didn't turn out well to me. I don't think I will be reading on as this is not the book for me, but if you enjoy Cinderella retellings, this may be for you.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Hated by her stepmother and stepsisters, Audrey was lucky enough to have the opportunity to get away from them, but where she ends up is much worse. She has to compete with other women for a husband while she's in the Lunar Kingdom and catches the eyes of not one prince, but two. She doesn't know her full heritage, but by the end of the book, there are more questions and no answers to who she is and what's going on. It does end on a cliffhanger, but it felt so rushed at the end of the book, I was frustrated.
There are secrets at every corner, deaths and disappearances, a little bit of spice and some cute banter. It was a slow burn that didn't turn out well to me. I don't think I will be reading on as this is not the book for me, but if you enjoy Cinderella retellings, this may be for you.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2022
Aubrey is the stepdaughter of a cruel and dominating woman who has two daughters of her own. Sounds familiar?
The beginning is a lot like the story of Cinderella, where Aubrey must be at the Beck and call of her two stepsisters, Clara and Rose, as well as do all the chores in the household in addition to pampering her two bratty sisters if she wants to escape the physical punishments imposed upon her by her stepmother or one of her minions.
When she is chosen to accompany Clara to the Fae Castle where she will be amongst other human ladies brought up for selection by the Fae gentry including its Royal family, that is where the comparison ends.
No fairy godmother or pumpkin carriages and no glass slipper.
The author has created a story from a famous fairy tale start with a sudden twist that grips the reader's attention with the feelings that a young inexperienced woman encounters in the presence of high society. Filled with treachery, abuse, hate, love, adventure, magic and, major twists and turns, this book deserves a 5 Stars rating and besides, highly recommending it, I look forward to reading the sequel to the series.
The beginning is a lot like the story of Cinderella, where Aubrey must be at the Beck and call of her two stepsisters, Clara and Rose, as well as do all the chores in the household in addition to pampering her two bratty sisters if she wants to escape the physical punishments imposed upon her by her stepmother or one of her minions.
When she is chosen to accompany Clara to the Fae Castle where she will be amongst other human ladies brought up for selection by the Fae gentry including its Royal family, that is where the comparison ends.
No fairy godmother or pumpkin carriages and no glass slipper.
The author has created a story from a famous fairy tale start with a sudden twist that grips the reader's attention with the feelings that a young inexperienced woman encounters in the presence of high society. Filled with treachery, abuse, hate, love, adventure, magic and, major twists and turns, this book deserves a 5 Stars rating and besides, highly recommending it, I look forward to reading the sequel to the series.
December 27, 2022
Magic Touched is an entertaining Cinderella retelling with a fae twist. The main character, Audrey, is a likable and believable protagonist, and you genuinely want her to succeed in her goals. The two love interests are equally compelling.
My main complaint is that halfway through the book, Audrey is turned away from a love interest based off of vague warnings. Up until that point, Audrey seems to take everything with a grain of salt, so it's uncharacteristic of her to just take the warning at face value. I do feel that Hendricks does a good job showing Audrey preferring one love interest over the other though, even if the reasoning behind it is a bit faulty. I do feel the sex scenes were a bit of a detriment to the overall story. After the issues Audrey had gone through prior to going to the fae court, I found it difficult to believe that she would engage in sex at all. It felt like the sex was put in just to check a box, rather than an actual believable interaction between two characters.
Overall, a quick, enjoyable read. I will be looking to continue the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
My main complaint is that halfway through the book, Audrey is turned away from a love interest based off of vague warnings. Up until that point, Audrey seems to take everything with a grain of salt, so it's uncharacteristic of her to just take the warning at face value. I do feel that Hendricks does a good job showing Audrey preferring one love interest over the other though, even if the reasoning behind it is a bit faulty. I do feel the sex scenes were a bit of a detriment to the overall story. After the issues Audrey had gone through prior to going to the fae court, I found it difficult to believe that she would engage in sex at all. It felt like the sex was put in just to check a box, rather than an actual believable interaction between two characters.
Overall, a quick, enjoyable read. I will be looking to continue the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 16, 2023
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I love a good fairytale retelling, and I really like Cinderella retellings. This was not a good fairytale retelling. The first 200 pages started off well—I really liked the female main character, Audrey— she seemed to have a lot of heart, and a lot of determination, and I wanted to root for her. I love the introduction of Fae in the story, and love hot Fae men, they are always my favorite. But after the first 200 pages, the author lost me. I found myself skimming through the story, cringing at the love scenes, and laughing out loud. Characters would say one thing, and then, in the next sentence, say something else which was a complete contradiction of the first thing. They didn’t really seem to do anything logically, or follow any sort of emotional or rational logic. I didn’t really feel the sense of competition or danger the author kept referencing through the book, and the whole thing just felt flat for me. Really a bummer.
I love a good fairytale retelling, and I really like Cinderella retellings. This was not a good fairytale retelling. The first 200 pages started off well—I really liked the female main character, Audrey— she seemed to have a lot of heart, and a lot of determination, and I wanted to root for her. I love the introduction of Fae in the story, and love hot Fae men, they are always my favorite. But after the first 200 pages, the author lost me. I found myself skimming through the story, cringing at the love scenes, and laughing out loud. Characters would say one thing, and then, in the next sentence, say something else which was a complete contradiction of the first thing. They didn’t really seem to do anything logically, or follow any sort of emotional or rational logic. I didn’t really feel the sense of competition or danger the author kept referencing through the book, and the whole thing just felt flat for me. Really a bummer.
January 18, 2023
A Cinderella retelling with a fae twist? I was totally in! And haven’t regretted it.
Although there are similarities to Cinderella with an awful stepmom and stepsisters, the lottery at the fae court as well as the developing twists and turns make this quite different and much more adult. Plus, there are two potential love interests for Audrey! The story builds up to an ending that makes me want more.
However, at times it slowed down a bit too much just to wake me up with another twist. A little deeper world building would have been great, too. But the style and way the story develops, it did remind me of Sarah J. Maas and ACOTAR. That first book wasn't my favorite either but the series turned into my very favorite one of hers. So maybe there will be much more world building to come. I am really enthusiastic about and look forward to reading the next book. Give it a little more spice, too, pretty please?!?
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Although there are similarities to Cinderella with an awful stepmom and stepsisters, the lottery at the fae court as well as the developing twists and turns make this quite different and much more adult. Plus, there are two potential love interests for Audrey! The story builds up to an ending that makes me want more.
However, at times it slowed down a bit too much just to wake me up with another twist. A little deeper world building would have been great, too. But the style and way the story develops, it did remind me of Sarah J. Maas and ACOTAR. That first book wasn't my favorite either but the series turned into my very favorite one of hers. So maybe there will be much more world building to come. I am really enthusiastic about and look forward to reading the next book. Give it a little more spice, too, pretty please?!?
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 21, 2023
This is definitely not the fairy tale we all know and love. It is so much better. Wicked step family - check. Constant work and drudgery for "Cindy" - check. A grand ball to catch the prince - check. The only things missing are the fairy godmother and the adorable mice and songbirds. Bonus - a royal fae court.
Audrey is determined to use her opportunity at the fae court to escape her "family". Too bad one of her stepsisters is there as well, scheming to win the prince for herself. Pursued by the prince, fae lords and even the general of the guard forces, Audrey must keep her wits about herself if she wants to make it out alive. Danger lurks at every turn, and not just from the young ladies with marriage on their mind. The fae are even more dangerous and they have powers.
This is a great beginning to the series. Audrey discovers hidden strength within herself that she will need to keep herself and those for whom she cares safe. Bring on number two!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Audrey is determined to use her opportunity at the fae court to escape her "family". Too bad one of her stepsisters is there as well, scheming to win the prince for herself. Pursued by the prince, fae lords and even the general of the guard forces, Audrey must keep her wits about herself if she wants to make it out alive. Danger lurks at every turn, and not just from the young ladies with marriage on their mind. The fae are even more dangerous and they have powers.
This is a great beginning to the series. Audrey discovers hidden strength within herself that she will need to keep herself and those for whom she cares safe. Bring on number two!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 15, 2022
Audrey has been forced to wait on her stepmother and stepsisters, enduring beatings and abuse after her father died. Now she sees a way out by entering the lottery for the fae ball with a chance to marry a prince. She and one of her stepsisters win and leave for the castle. The General seems to have taken a liking to her as well as the Prince. Can she choose. But strange deaths and attempts on her life place her in a difficult position. She saves the Prince's life and heals one of her friends. She discovers she's not quite human, but what is she. Thinking she has found safety with the fae proves to be false, warned by the General but refusing his message she finds her life in danger and the life she thought she would have gone. Can she choose one or forgive them. Reading the story leaves you wanting more.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 29, 2023
Magic touched is the first volume of a very promising story. It appears to be a Cinderella retelling but ends up being much more than that.
I really like stories happening in the Fae world by definition and I felt like this novel respected all the tropes associated to it.
I liked the character development and I feel like there will be some pretty interesting secondary characters. I am expecting to see more development yet from the heroine. There were thinsg about her that were really well brought up but a few things that I felt were a bit fast as well. I won't say more for fear I'm going to spoil it to future readers though.
Be warned though, this volume ends cliffangher-ish in quite an abrupt way! That being said, I believe the second volume is out soon (from when I wrote this review) and I am bound to look it up.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I really like stories happening in the Fae world by definition and I felt like this novel respected all the tropes associated to it.
I liked the character development and I feel like there will be some pretty interesting secondary characters. I am expecting to see more development yet from the heroine. There were thinsg about her that were really well brought up but a few things that I felt were a bit fast as well. I won't say more for fear I'm going to spoil it to future readers though.
Be warned though, this volume ends cliffangher-ish in quite an abrupt way! That being said, I believe the second volume is out soon (from when I wrote this review) and I am bound to look it up.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 8, 2023
Book Sirens gave me the opportunity to read an ARC of “Magic Touched” by Rae Hendricks in return for an honest review.
This is a fairytale retelling, more especially a Cinderella retelling. Apart from the fact that I’m not too keen on fairytales, I was willing to give this a chance.
On the positive side, the author does write well. I could not find any fault there. The sentences are well constructed; where the dialogues are realistic they are good.
The negative is the characters. The female protagonist, Audrey, was not a very likable character. The two stepsisters were almost caricatures of evil sisters. The evil stepmother was uninteresting. Further on in the story the dialogues became unrealistic; sometimes people would contradict themselves almost in one and the same sentence.
I’m sorry that I could only leave such a meager review. It is only worth two stars in my view.
This is a fairytale retelling, more especially a Cinderella retelling. Apart from the fact that I’m not too keen on fairytales, I was willing to give this a chance.
On the positive side, the author does write well. I could not find any fault there. The sentences are well constructed; where the dialogues are realistic they are good.
The negative is the characters. The female protagonist, Audrey, was not a very likable character. The two stepsisters were almost caricatures of evil sisters. The evil stepmother was uninteresting. Further on in the story the dialogues became unrealistic; sometimes people would contradict themselves almost in one and the same sentence.
I’m sorry that I could only leave such a meager review. It is only worth two stars in my view.
February 14, 2023
Well, that was a version of the Cinderella fable that I hadn't read before. It's all plucky heroine Audrey DuBois can do to survive her cruel stepmother and bitchy treacherous stepsisters, never mind predatory men. A good dose of real life relationships gets us on her side, but how to escape her nightmare life? When a chance event gets her invited to the Lunar Court Ball to attract the eye of the crown prince, she's up for it, in competition with a bunch of other girls who range from friendly to downright spiteful and murderous, including the more hateful stepsister, Clara. The story builds to a page-turning climax and a twist I absolutely didn't see coming. In my humble opinion, the text would benefit from the input of a copy editor to make the prose sparkle and immerse the reader totally. That would earn it the final star from me. The story continues in the next volume and I would read and review that. I received an advance copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 28, 2022
This new series is a mix between Cinderella and the bachelor. You get Audrey, the girl being treated like a servant by her stepmother and stepsisters and you get a ball in the Fae lands where girls from the mortal world get picked to attend to find a Fae husband, maybe even the prince!
There were some good characters there and I liked the plot, I just found Audrey to be a bit repetitive in her wallowing about her past and some other bits here and there could have been written a bit better to get a better idea of the story. I also would have like some more history and world building, which could possibly come in the next installment.
Other than that, the book reads smoothly and the ending ensures that you definitely want to continue with the series.
I received this book for an honest review.
There were some good characters there and I liked the plot, I just found Audrey to be a bit repetitive in her wallowing about her past and some other bits here and there could have been written a bit better to get a better idea of the story. I also would have like some more history and world building, which could possibly come in the next installment.
Other than that, the book reads smoothly and the ending ensures that you definitely want to continue with the series.
I received this book for an honest review.
January 6, 2023
I loved this retelling of the classic Cinderella story with a huge twist!! So very creative about how the characters were developed throughout the book, and the blow your socks off world building. By using the Fae lottery and Fae kingdom as the backdrop for most of this book, the retelling of a classic fairytale was elevated above and beyond any other!! The characters were amazing, especially Audrey, and Clara was the perfect evil stepsister on steroids. The only thing I didn’t like was the fact it ended on a cliffhanger, but on that note I am truly excited to read what happens in the next book!! The foreshadowing that happened throughout the entire book and culminated in the cliffhanger ending was truly spectacular. Great job!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2022
I had enjoyed Bane of Hades by the same author, and was excited to read more from Rae Hendricks. So I was glad I was able to start to read a new series from her. It was what I was looking for in a fairy tale retelling and it worked with the original Cinderella tale. It does a great job in telling the story and keeping the magic alive and still be it's own thing. It left me excited to read what comes next in this series.
"And yet, she had gotten a necklace. And while I had nice things to appear as if I had more, I had no doubt Clara had made it known just how little I was, how drab, in comparison to herself and her own status the prince must have been aware by now."
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
"And yet, she had gotten a necklace. And while I had nice things to appear as if I had more, I had no doubt Clara had made it known just how little I was, how drab, in comparison to herself and her own status the prince must have been aware by now."
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 31, 2022
I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
First: I think this book needs another look at it by an editor. There were a lot of mistakes and missed punctuation and characters that had been named but I don’t remember them being introduced at all (like May). But once you get past that…
It’s a Cinderella-story, where she’s abused and mistreated by her step-mother and stepsisters, so when the chance to go to the Fae Realm comes, she takes it. I don’t always agree with her choices. Her friendships seemed shallow, but I still couldn’t help getting hooked. There were a lot of political moves by the Fae Court that weren’t explained or resolved at all, and the ending felt rushed, but overall I enjoyed it.
First: I think this book needs another look at it by an editor. There were a lot of mistakes and missed punctuation and characters that had been named but I don’t remember them being introduced at all (like May). But once you get past that…
It’s a Cinderella-story, where she’s abused and mistreated by her step-mother and stepsisters, so when the chance to go to the Fae Realm comes, she takes it. I don’t always agree with her choices. Her friendships seemed shallow, but I still couldn’t help getting hooked. There were a lot of political moves by the Fae Court that weren’t explained or resolved at all, and the ending felt rushed, but overall I enjoyed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2023
This book seems like a mix between Cinderella and The Selection by Kiera Cass, with its own twist of course. I found the story interesting and the writing style good. The main characters were also relatively well rounded. But I had troubles with some werid plot holes or character inconsistency, specially from secondary characters, which made this book less enjoyable that what I would have expected from the writing style and the general story plot. The devil is in the details, and I guess I am picky. However, I think that fans of The Selection will enjoy this book. This has not discouraged me to read the following books though, as I did enjoy the main plot.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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