Brittle

Blade and Bone #1

by Beth Overmyer

Readers of Carissa Broadbent will love this thrilling new series, from the author of The Immortal Goblet, weaving an intriguing world of fantasy and folklore.

After the murder of her father – which no one but her believes happened – Verve just wants to hold her family together and take on the role of provider. Unfortunately, a cruel fae lord believes she knows the location of an ancient magical weapon and steals her away to Letorheas, realm of the fairies. The fae lord seems to want something from Verve that goes beyond the weapon, something that many doubt she can provide. Verve must find a way to navigate the strangeness of Letorheas and embrace a destiny more intertwined with the fae than she would like to believe.

Genres: Fantasy, Fae

304 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2023

About the author

A fantasy author/literary writer/humorist walks into a bar. This isn’t a joke. (Save me.)

Reviews

[Lyra (Cardan's tail's version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

—🍃4 stars🍃—

“You were never ordinary.”

————about the book————

Age: YA/NA
Genres: historical fiction, urban fantasy, fantasy romance,
Writing: 7/10
Quotes: 8/10
World building: 7/10
Characters: 7/10
Romance: 7/10
My rating: 7.5/10

thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this digital ARC.

———my thoughts———

After the murder of her father—which no one but her believes happened—Verve just wants to hold her family together.
But, a cruel fae lord believes that she knows the location of an ancient magical weapon, and he steals her away to the land of the fae.
There, Verve must find a way to navigate this strange new world...and perhaps accept that she’s more tied to the fae than she would like to believe.

This is my favourite kind of fae.
Not the muscular, attractive, human-like ones, but the ones that feel so unworldly, so impossible.
Yes, they may be beautiful, but it’s a kind of untouchable beauty.
And that’s perfect.
There are many reasons why I liked this book, (and a few things I didn’t like) but what I loved was the way the fae world was described.
It positively gleamed with colour—and made the mortal world look dusty and grey.
Speaking of mortal...
I liked Verve from the start.
She’s not a fighter, but she’s kind and caring, and would do anything to protect her family.
She did feel a little too proper at times, but if you factor in the time period—it’s accurate.
She was thrown into this adventure, so it makes sense that she’s reluctant to continue, and just wants to go back to her family.
The pacing is a little slow, and with how short the book is, I probably would have liked it a little more if it was a little faster.
But the story continues well, and I never really felt lost—I was just enjoying this sweet little read!
And one of the thing I loved was all the mentions of fae folklore.
Think of three beliefs about fae...and they’re probably here!
It made me so happy, catching those little mentions and snippets.
You know a fae book is done right when you’re slightly scared but also attracted to them...
I’m not going to comment on the romance, but I would say it’s a little rushed...but still cute!

———random extra thoughts———

IT LIVED UP TO THE BEAUTIFUL COVER!!!

Thanks for reading ❤️

———————
I’m really excited about this one! And I’m in LOVE with the cover😍😍

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Random Things Tours.

Brittle is a well penned magical fantasy book that paves the way for what i hope will become a fantastic fae series. Verve is a great character, and I liked her from the get-go. I loved the magical elements and workings within this book, which were quite different from other fae fantasy books that I've read. After a quiet start, this book really takes a leap at around 1/3 of the way through and really gets interesting. This book had me guessing at quite a few turns, and I really enjoyed every second of it. I'm now really excited for book two and can't wait to explore this world, the characters, and the magic system the author has devised even more.

[Bean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read in a while that gives me the hit-you-in-the-feels ACoTaR vibes. If you're a fan of Rhysand, or any fae baes, this book is for you.
Tysm Flame Tree Press/Netgalley for the ARC.

[Morgan (whatmorgsreads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for providing me a digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book missed every mark for me The pacing was extremely off and the plot was unclear. The tone for every character felt similar and void of individual personalities. The only thing that separated Verve was her supposed temper. Her temper only made her seem juvenile.

This story eluded to a love triangle. None of these characters had any chemistry and every moment felt forced. The situation seemed to be similar to another very popular series and it was not executed well. The romance portion was underwhelming.

Her fathers death seemed to hold importance, and the resolution of this was not determined. If it was, I missed it. The ending was rushed and seemed overly simplified for how complex things were implied to be with no clear resolution or any answers explained. I was disappointed.

This novel was written from only Verve’s perspective, which caused a lot of confusion regarding what was happening, the world, the magic system and their laws. This book could have benefited from the perspectives of one of both of the MMC as well as the MFC. This would have given readers more insight and understanding as to why things were happening.

The ending is set up for a sequel, but I can not see myself reading it. With more plot and character development I think this could have been a good story.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5⭐️ok, firstly some positives..the cover was beautiful and the first few chapters were decent, I was intrigued..then it kinda went downhill.

Verve (I hated the nickname) was an extremely unlikeable character, she was stupid and just really boring and so I find it hard to believe that two fae were in love with her. The other characters were just meh..Dacre felt like a cartoon villain and Fenn was bland.

Also the lack of answers, omg I get that in fantasy books not everything can be revealed right away and when it’s done right it can be so intriguing, but this was just annoying- it made me want to walk away from the book, especially when the ‘big reveal’ was such a let down.

The world building needed a lot of work and inconsistencies were obvious throughout- what happened to the FMCs panic disorder? And the word she-fae?? If your calling females she-fae then surely the males would be he-fae?

It was definitely an interesting idea having this be Little women x ACOTAR, but it was just wasn’t executed well in my opinion. I think if you hadn’t read Little women or ACOTAR maybe you would enjoy this ha💫

[j · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️.💫/🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
2.75 stars

Thank you Netgalley for the arc 💜

I honestly couldn’t decide whether to rate it 2.5 or 3 stars so I rounded it up to 3 stars but ended up deciding on 2.75 stars 🤔

First i’m going to say is that there were some good parts - there are some romance quotes I really liked 😋 and I definitely started to enjoy it a lot more during the second part as it started getting much more interesting then😺, however this book is not unique to what i’ve seen - the unique, interesting parts, such as the magical blade, needed more expanding on I feel like to make proper use of it - definitely more world building and expansion of the fae world could have made this book more interesting and make more sense 🤔💜

However, the world building for the human world was done much better, with vocabulary of the time clearly indicating the time period in which it was taking place 🕰️(however there was this one part / that I can’t completely remember which I may be remembering wrong but anyway - where a passerby was repeatedly negatively described as ‘dandy’ and i’m pretty sure that was a word that used to be used as a way to call someone gay so using it in a negative way had a bit of a homophobic undertone - however im very sure the author had used it in the context to describe someone as extravagant in a bad way so just a word change with a word that means extravagant but doesn’t have those other connotations if you’re gonna use it to describe a character negatively would be good and easily solve this problem 💜).

Part one of the book did drag on and feel repetitive at times so I feel that getting rid of a bit of the repetition and replacing it with more development (I will expand upon what I mean in a second) and world building would be a good way to improve this book a little 🤔
I did like the main character, though i think she couldve been a little more developed and i think the author should DEFINITELY get rid of the ‘she’s not like the other girls’ trope as it almost ruined her character for me - lets leave that trope in the past 😭 Verve was an interesting character and adding in that trope was unnecessary I feel 🤷‍♂️

⚠️⚠️Now for the spoilery bit so end the review here if you want no spoilers scroll away as I feel I can’t explain how else I feel about the book without some spoilers 😋😋⚠️⚠️






Now with the romance I was genuinely so scared of the first guy ending up with Verve because he was so toxic 😭😭 I’m so glad he didn’t end up with Verve and it wasn’t a complete shock or out of character that he ended up being bad - i’m glad the author foreshadowed this through his toxicity and didn’t just make him bad out of the blue as i’ve seen some books that do that and it’s like 🤨

Anyways the romance with the second guy had some quotes I really liked and it showed to me that the author did have the ability to write romance, they just needed to add much more character and romance development to this book as the romance felt rushed - making this book longer or shortening part 1 could allow for more development in many areas which (as mentioned before) would improve this book 😋

I did like how part 2 of the book was much more interesting and enjoyable, however did require more development, and whilst I did like the fast pace, was probably a little rushed in some places 🤔

However it did feel strange and out of character that the main character suddenly trusted the second love interest after being drowned by the first love interest 😦 — throughout the book she was wary of fae so it was weird that she just so quickly trusted fenn (the second love interest) and again - shortening part 1 / extending part 2 could give a chance to make her untrustful of fenn at first and then trustful - more development and an arc in their relationship (as mentioned before)

Lastly the ending fell flat for some reason 😔 I mean i’m glad Verve and Fenn survived but for some reason it felt extremely anti-climatic and probably due to the fact it was quite rushed 😟 It was like that one harry styles quote: ‘oh thats the end 😵 oh 😧 ah 🤨 alright 😶🫠’ (idk if anyone knows what i’m on about lol 😜) like it ended it in a way that I didn’t really feel anything for anyone in the book as it was so anticlimactic 🫨🫥 (however I did enjoy quite a few of the quotes and part 2 so I think i’ll keep this rounded up to 3 stars but i’m unsure 🤔 honestly I think this book was solidly 2.75 stars for me but some parts felt like 3 stars so i’m rounding it up as i’m having a hard time deciding loll 😋😋)
Thanks netgalley for the arc 😋😋💜💜
⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
📚📚📚/📖📖📖📖📖
📕

[Athena of Velaris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I recieved an e-ARC by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions remain mw own.

Verity is the only one who knows that her father is dead. The rest of her town doesn’t believe her that he’s been killed by faeries seeking a cursed blade that can end immortal life. Yet when she’s swept away to Faerie by a fae lord intent on discovering the location of the weapon, her life changes for good and her grand destiny unfolds.

The author spent more time reminding the audience that the main character “wasn’t like other girls” and enumerating all the traits she didn’t have to the point where the FMC was never developed. Not being like other people isn’t a personality and it certainly shouldn’t be used as a character in 2023. This isn't early 2000s YA that is still exploring the genre: a book claiming to be New Adult should know better than to fall into such an overused and underdeveloped trope. Verve (yes, that was her name---I wish I was kidding), made so many stupid decisions that it was hard to feel bad for her when she had to deal with the consequences of her own actions. She was stuck in an unknown world full of risk but refused to learn anything about her power and preferred to take the “If I can’t see it, it can’t hurt me” approach.

Additionally, two random faerie lords were magically in love with her, even though she had barely a conversation with either of them. The male love interests were horrible copies of Tamlin and Rhys from ACOTAR---if Maas’s characters lacked personality, motivation, depth, and any likable traits. No one in this book had any reason to do anything they did and every conflict wrapped up way too easily. The writing wasn’t particularly good either: the dialogue was obvious and cliche yet somehow managed to lack any substance or believability.

The plot barely existed (which is saying something since there wasn’t much else to Brittle). Reading it felt like the author had read the back of A Court of Thorns and Roses, decided to combine it with Little Women, and then failed spectacularly on both accounts. The random pseudo-historical human setting didn’t work with the colloquialisms or fashions, while the Spring Court-esque Faerie setting lacked clearly defined rules. The magic system (if it can even be called that) made no sense while the conflict of the story was also never explained. It also relied on the main character being a middle child yet never explained why that mattered. Why did this random prophecy matter? Where did it come from? Even the author didn’t seem to know.

I sincerely wish I could find something nice to say about Brittle. The only thing that comes to mind is that it was under 300 pages and was therefore over quickly. It was easy to read, mainly because the main character was as confused as the audience. Overall, if you’re looking for a good fantasy romance, I recommend checking out Carissa Broadbent, Raven Kennedy, Jennifer Armentrout, and Danielle Jensen.

[kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fae fantasies have been done and overdone. It’s hard to find one that has enough interesting and unique elements to stand out and unfortunately, this isn’t it.

Brittle tells the story of Verve, a young woman in a geographically and historically ambiguous location (post WWII? or not our Earth at all?) who, after the murder of her father, gets taken to an equally ambiguous location except with fae. Her captor believes she knows the location of a blade capable of killing fae, but also seems to want something more from her.

If I tell you it’s been compared to ACOTAR, you get the picture. The other comparison was to Little Women, which I coincidentally watched just the other day so the connection was fresh in my mind. Basically, if Jo and her sisters’ next door neighbor was Tamlin. I wasn’t a fan of all the parallels.

What I enjoyed was some of the last 10% of the book and the narration, to a point. It was clearly established and consistent in its style, but ultimately not my cup of tea. The pacing was slow and coupled with the fact that Verve spends most of the time either captive or in hiding, it wasn’t the most exciting. (The other thing she does is stumble, trip and fall, 33 times to be exact.) The first half of the book didn’t reveal nearly enough information for me to care about the rest.

All of it just kind of fell flat. The worldbuilding needed more… everything. The magic system was overexplained, there’s a religion I would’ve loved to know more about, a prophecy that didn’t really hit the way prophecies are supposed to… I think the time Verve spent being held captive could’ve been used to expand the fae lore a bit more since not much else was happening. A lot of questions and very little aswers.

I detected very little chemistry (actually, less and less as it went on) between Verve and the love interest and the notion that fae fall in love fast didn’t exactly help as much as further shine light on the fact that it happened too quickly.

It seems that I went into this with all the wrong expectations as I was under the impression that this book would be more on the epic, Tolkien-esque side rather than ACOTAR adjacent but oh well. I’ve read worse.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Traveling Cloak · Rating 4 out of 5]

“She wades ‘neath shallow shores…
Child of flame…
Of blade and bone…
The once-brittle child,
O she of middling ground.”

Beth Overmyer is back with the first of another fantasy series, and I would say this one is off to a good start. I enjoyed reading BRITTLE.

This story centers around the main character, Verity - known as “Verve” - who is asked to carry the story, for the most part. Most of the story is told from her perspective, and the reader has access to her inner monologue. I really liked writing strategy, because seeing things through her eyes and experiencing her feelings and thoughts really helped me connect with her as a main character.

The faerie lore was a really interesting part of the plot, as well. Verve spends a lot of time in the faerie land of Letorheas, and leads a lot about their culture. This was a really cool aspect of the book.

One other thing I really enjoyed was the way the other characters are written. Everyone is suspect and almost no one’s motives are completely known (other than Verve, that is). So, it is very unclear who to trust. There is so much grey area, and I like the intrigue that created.

In my opinion, I felt like the pacing could have been a little bit better. The lulls would have benefited from shorter chapters, I think, giving scenes a reset at times.

Overall, Brittle was a very enjoyable read. I like the fairytale (faerie tale?) vibes and an intriguing plot. Excited to see where the author takes the story in book 2.

[tammy ✧.* · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for this arc.

3 stars.

this book started off pretty slowly, and it took some time to get into. only at about the halfway point did i feel like things were finally happening, which isn't all that bad because i do love it when authors take their time with books, but it was in such contrast to the second half that i need to point it out. and the ending, it felt so rushed, i'm almost sad to say it. considering it already was going to be a series, why try to wrap it up so quickly? it left me a little disappointed.

lots of people have mentioned it before, but there is somewhat of a similarity between this book and the first in the acotar series. at first i thought, "man, people say this way too quickly", but in this case, i just can't deny it. there were many similar aspects. and it's okay, you know? it's not a new concept, certainly not something invented by sjm, but still. it kinda made this book more predictable. maybe that's just me having read one too many fantasy books. but okay.

so yes, overall, this book certainly wasn't bad. and despite my review leaning more on the negative aspects, i also enjoyed a large part of it. like that second half, up until the ending? i ate it UP. and would i read the second book? yes, perhaps.

[Liz Seasalt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Verve's father has been gone for quite a while and now it's somewhat on Verve to take care of her mother and sisters. But then Father shows up, late at night, and brings a warning with him: something big and bad is happening. Verve is to meet him soon so they can discuss it further, but when she arrives at their designated meeting spot, her father is already there - dead. And then there's the rich, handsome, kind neighbour that just moved into the estate next to Verve's family's house.
It took me a very very long time to read this book. The plot in and of itself was quite interesting, although I feel like a lot of fae fantasy/romantasy has become quite similar (let's call it the ACOTAR-effect) and I did find traces of that in here. I didn't feel the plot tension a lot, which might be due to the fact that this is the first in a series, but I rarely was compelled to pick this book up over another one. The writing in some places also bothered me - especially in the beginning, we as readers were told a lot that someone said something instead of just reading them saying it, which bothered me a lot because it happened in scenes where all the other dialogue was written out normally - and I'm pretty sure it was almost always Verve who didn't actually say her part. I also had trouble feeling the characters as three dimensonal. I think if you're really into fae romantasy, this book will be fun! If you're just trying out the genre or dabble from time to time like me, I would recommend other books and I won't pick up the next books in the series. This is not a bad book at all! It just didn't fulfil the things I had hoped for.

[Bat-Tay · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I loved it!

[fleshy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is very similar to ACOTAR. Girl kidnapped by a fae noble, locked in his home, rescued by the most powerful fae and coerced into a bond, a sister that fae glamour doesn't work on, a ritual turning her into a fae, arcane sentient items that talk to her, etc.

Unfortunately, Verve is extremely annoying. Apparently she's modeled after some character from Little Women, which I've never read. Doesn't matter. This chick is entirely disinterested in listening to anyone or learning about the world she's in. She has a short temper, gets easily upset, and constantly slows down the story with her reluctance and inability to do anything. I swear, half the book is her being stubborn just because, and the other half her being in denial. She is obsessed with going home despite constant reminders that she looks fae and would scare the shit out of people, and that her presence would lure people to harm her family. I couldn't read more than a few pages at a time because of how much I disliked her. She's supposed to be the clever one in her family, but she's so goddamn stupid all the time. Especially about the key, which she only notices about fifty times.

A plot is inherently flawed when it relies on a character being impulsive and petulant. That might work for a child, but Verve is an adult. Her uncanny ability to make things worse for everyone made me sympathize with her captors' ongoing efforts to restrain her.

Fenn tells her multiple times that she needs to learn to control her power, which she outright refuses to do at first. He cautions her repeatedly to be careful. She refuses to believe the dreams she has are real, ignores Fenn's concern that Dacre knows about their marriage and will act against them, and then carelessly uses her power to knock Fenn unconcious. Her response? "Huh, that's strange." I swear to god... the ending makes me to pull my hair out. She wakes him up and they have fade-to-black sex (no complaints, it would probably be a bunch of virginal blushing), she wanders around naked looking for sewing supplies, then someone very obviously posing as Fenn shows up. She forgot about her father's warning about fae disguises, the thing that literally started the story. Some other nonsense happens.


To be fair, Verve is put through a lot. Drugging, kidnapping, confinement, physical and emotional abuse. A lot of people wouldn't act rationally after all that, but Verve is the heroine of a fantasy story. She should rise to the occasion. Instead, like a dry and unremarkable souffle, she falls flat.

What upsets me most of all is the wasted potential. The start of the story was great. Her missing dad shows up, talks about a secret war with the fae, everyone thinks Verve is crazy. I thought she'd take up arms and overthrow her fae oppressors. Nope. She gets spirited away by a Tamlin clone and gets bulldozed by a prophecy and a plodding "romance."

I'd like to end with an announcement. We have a new term of art in the faerie romance genre: she-fae.

75 times. No he-fae at all.

[Iris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the ARC

2⭐️ (and that's being a little generous)

I'm not even sure where to start with this. I did not enjoy this book. First off, the worldbuilding was so minimal, like almost nonexistent. All I can tell you is that there is the human realm and the fae realm and you can make gateways between the two with hawthorne trees. No other information is really given about the setting of the story. I also could not tell you what the characters look like, except that I think Verve has red hair and of course Fenn has dark hair and eyes. I could not picture these characters in my head one bit. Overmyer tried to describe the magic system but even then it was confusing and things would contradict themselves. And, there's no clearcut conflict to the story. We are given no clues as to what people's goals are, their motivations, and no big bad guy. The characters are not very fleshed out, I feel like especially with the two main male characters that they're just kinda there. There's not much to them. Verve spends most of her time being kidnapped or hiding or being forced to sleep. She tries one time to run off, but otherwise, she does nothing for herself except wait for something to happen or have a panic attack because she feel's trapped. Oh, and she will remind you constantly that "she's not like other girls." She says that out loud.

My BIGGEST issue with Brittle is how much is taken from ACOTAR. In the current age of fae novels, I can understand taking inspiration from the most popular fae series, but this went beyond that. This was to the point of I can tell you exactly what plot points were taken from ACOTAR. Let me name a few for you:

1) Verve's sister seems to be the only one trying to provide for their family (Feyre exclusively feeding her family)
2) One of Verve's sisters is completely immune to fae glamour (*cough* Nesta *cough*)
3) Dacre, our "Tamlin", uses a glamour on himself for Verve, otherwise he glows and appears too ethereal and terrifying to her (how Tamlin covered up his glow due to his high lord powers)
4) Dacre's enemy sends deadly beasts into his lands (Amarantha would send all manners of creatures into the spring court)
5) The "bad guy" was born with more power than any fae should be allowed (so Rhysand coded, and guess what, he has black hair and dark eyes)
6) Dacre set up guards around Verve's family to protect them and was supposedly providing for them while Verve was "away for her governess job" (like how Feyre was "caring for her rich sick aunt")
7) Let's not forget the attempt to transform Verve into a high fae. She gets tossed into some magical water to be drowned and come out as a fae (EXACTLY how the transformation in the cauldron occurs with Nesta and Elain)

The copied plot points and even characters (Dacre is Tamlin and Fenn is Rhysand) was so blatantly obvious that I could not look past it. Even the story as a whole just felt like a slightly changed copy of the series.

Ok, back the the book itself. Who is our antagonist? I could not tell you. At first, we're told that Fenn is the "bad guy", this rogue prince. Why? Who knows. It's never explained. Fenn of course turns out to be the good guy and rescues Verve from Dacre. Past that, I have no idea who it is. Dacre maybe, as he's trying to get Verve back and then supposedly has taken her family. But wait, Dacre disquises himself as Fenn and then takes Verve to the fae king (who was mentioned maybe twice? in the book so far). The king has her family and wants the power that she took from the magical, sentient blade that was the only thing that can kill fae. So what happens? When "giving" the power to the king, Verve uses that to kill him. Dead. Ok. Then she just turns around and kills Dacre. There was no fight, no real cause for conflict. I have no idea why they wanted Verve besides some prophecy about the Fire Queen, but what does the Fire Queen do? No idea. No idea why the king wants her dead, is she supposed to be destined to kill him (which she easily does with no fight from him). She kills Dacre obviously for having kidnapped her but also, he was the one that killed her father (shocking, I know). And then it's over, just like that. The only unresolved thing is that apparently Dacre cursed her so that she cannot touch anyone that she does not have a blood bond (whatever that is) with and because curses can only be lifted by those that cast them and Dacre is now dead, they don't know what to do about that.

Now for the romance. It was barely there. Dacre is in love with her? Why? No clue, he just is. She doesn't see it and very obviously hates him. He gives her a magical key to his room, which of course if she were to use it, would be his invitation to have his way with her. The romance? Nonexistent. Now our main male character, Fenn. He rescues her from Dacre, and very quickly falls in love with her. Like in just a couple of days. Verve weirdly trusts him immediately despite having been to skeptical about everything in the fae realm and trusting no one. They get married to break her transformation bond with Dacre. Now that she know that he loves her, she suddenly lets him in, they cuddle. Then the next day they actually get together. But for a book that is what I believe is a New Adult, it is an IMMEDIATE fade to black. We get absolutely nothing. I expect that from an Young Adult novel, of course, but New Adult is supposed to have the freedom to have spice, and should have some in my opinion. But no, we get nothing.

Overall, if you couldn't tell by now, I did not like this book. It fell flat with very little originality and a huge lack of worldbuilding and plot building. I am left confused at the end because I still do not know the motivations behind the little bit of conflict we had, which was extremely rushed, and I have no clue how this story can be continued into a second book. This is not a book that I will recommend to others. Maybe if I had read this before reading ACOTAR, I may have liked it better but even when setting aside the copying, there's not really anything to the story. I hope that Overmyer can learn from this and grow in her writing adventures. I most likely will not be reading the second book whenever it comes out.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off by saying I did really enjoy this and I think I would've rated it higher if it weren't for some issues I had.

I want to start off with the positives, Overmyer's writing absolutely wonderful. It's easy to understand and is quite whimsical. It feels reminiscent of Diana Wynne Jones who wrote Howl's Moving Castle, with just the specific way the magic is described and how the characters interact with one another.

I definitely think this book is an acquired taste, as it's fairly atmospheric and relies heavily on whimsical magic that doesn't always make sense and is based upon feeling and gestures instead of a concrete system. I personally like magic systems like that when they make sense, and with this kind of fantasy setting, I think it works perfectly. This book gives you cozy vibes instead of high action.

I definitely enjoyed the slight Little Women mixed with fantasy vibe. It's like what if Jo March was kidnapped by the fae? It's an interesting concept and I think for the most part, it's an enjoyable and easy read. Fenn was a lovely romantic interest, though I hate to say it but I like Dacre maybe a bit more? Sue me, I like a man who manipulates you....

I think Verve's trauma of being trapped in the well is honestly a really great element for her character. Her fear of being trapped, is interesting and really says a lot of how she feels about her own freedom.

Now my critiques. I think this story lacks good pacing, it feels some moments happen way too slow and then other things are incredibly rushed. For example: the beginning (about chapters 1-4) are painstakingly boring and dragged out. Once we get to Dacre's mansion it's more interesting. But then the pace of that is also really slow, we're constantly going about a confusing day to day life of Dacre who is sweet but also kinda weird and putting the moves on Verve really fast (though it's explained later fae fall quickly. Which feels like a copout to have insta-love in your story.)

The second part of the book is fairly fast paced, so it's definitely a bit jolting when you go from a slower and leisure pace to boom, boom, boom. Just everything happens so much faster, though part two is significantly shorter than part one so it would explain why Overmyer started shoving in important things. This is always my biggest complaint when authors do this, I agree fast pace can be needed but my god slow down cause sometimes you go so fast I didn't even realized we moved from inside a house to outside until we're moving again.

I think to Verve and Fenn are lacking a bit in character development. They're fairly flat at this moment and I'm still entirely confused on this whole prophecy thing with a fire queen. I guess maybe that will be answered in the next book. Though the ending of this book feels entirely too abrupt. We reached the climax of the story and then were slammed down to the resolution instead of leisurely and gracefully getting there.

Also the fade to black was not fair after being teased!

OVERALL though, I did really enjoy this and I think if you like atmospheric magic based books and you like Howl's Moving Castle (the book), then I'd say give this a try when it's released in August.

[seacat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for providing me a digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"To think that the end of one war can be used to cover up the beginnings of another."



➤Plot

Brittle follows our main character Verve, the second oldest daughter, who is now the one mainly taking care of the family since her father left for war and hasn't returned yet. Her eldest sister had already married and moved so it falls on her shoulders to help protect her family while he is away. However the strange thing is... the war has long since been over and he still hadn't returned. One evening she hears movement near the hens late at night to investigates and runs into her father who tells her a secret letter with three questions she must ask another person, how he cannot return, and to not trust everything you see. From there, things somehow only continue to get stranger....

While reading this, I got heavy Studio Ghibli (mostly Spirited Away) and Labyrinth (Jim Henson) vibes. I'm not sure if the author was inspired by them but I loved how wild the fae and magic is in this story.

➤Characters

The characters are some of the strongest parts in this story. From main important characters to random side characters that only appear shortly, both really pull you into the world. I instantly felt that family connection to Verve, her sisters, and her mother. Small moments of being annoyed with your younger sibling but willing to do anything to protect them.

The Fae characters are great at being both whimsical and mysterious. They seem so friendly.... but why? Is their gleeful joy to use you for their sinister plot? You never truly know who to trust because their laws work differently than the mortal realm and it makes it so interesting to read. You are actively wondering if they can be trusted along side Verve.

Verve is the only one that falls a bit short than the rest. She is very much one of those "not like other girls" YA protagonist you have read before. I personally didn't mind too much but I know others weren't the biggest fan. Verve actually suffers from PTSD which I think the author handled pretty well!

➤Enjoyment

Overall, it was an enjoyable read - especially when you like the more sinister sides of the fae world/characters. That was the strongest part of the story to me. It takes a bit to truly get into that side so its a slow build up.

The one thing that was rough for the story was the pacing. Very slow start. Even when you start to get into the more interesting points - it still feels like nothing is happening (however, I'd argue that is a good point since you follow Verve only and it can enhance her daily life within these parts). It truly picks up and becomes really interesting when you get to part 2.

Another thing - the fae world isn't described super well to really get you invested, even if you want to be. I was dying for more, any crumbs to get me imbued into this world but the author kept it a bit vague to perhaps play on the mysterious side. I understand not wanting to be too detailed with the passage of time because it works differently but I want to know what Verve is seeing. Make it wonderous and out of this world. Even later on when Verve should be aware of time passing, it was hard to truly understand what was happening.

If you are looking for something to read with an interesting Fae plot - Brittle is a lovely read!

[Mae of Scotland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Flame Tree Press and Beth Overmyer for letting me have an arc copy of Brittle to review in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I felt Brittle reminded me of the old classic fantasy books – somewhere between the worlds of Little Women, The Last Unicorn, and The Chronicles of Narnia. There is a pure fae focus that simply focuses on the folklore of concepts of a human realm and a fae realm as a background for the deadly adventure at the heart of the plot. In comparison to other fantasy books out there, Brittle doesn’t stray into the realms of complicated high fantasy – but wields a subtler, cozier fantasy set against a Victorian-era world. The writing is elegant, with a stately atmospheric vibe but not too afraid to get gritty when darker plot points come into play.

Brittle is mostly a plot-driven story, so the secondary cast characters are a little removed from us save for the protagonist, Verve. She is a very interesting, chaotic character who reminds me of Jo from Little Women. A female character ahead of her time in a Victorian-era world, at heart, she is a bold, brave, and intelligent woman, who feels trapped and restricted by the rules and standards of her polite society. Yet she respects these rules and values, clinging to them when her world is forever changed. Her character arc reminds me of the first flowers of spring, hesitant to open against the last few harsh frosts of winter but blooms into the boldest colours.

The only component that gave me ick vibes was the subplot romance. I loved that Beth Overmyer boldly threaded a concept of Fae falling in love quickly as a component of her world-building. No one ever seems to say this, but it's an accepted thing the Fae do without any explanation. Nice to see a Fae stake claim to that’s how they roll. However, I felt Verve suddenly swerved into the romance in the last 10% of the story. I get the why, but I would have liked a little more resistance to it which I thought would have been her natural state of mind. I am looking forward to reading book two to see what happens next.

Brittle felt like reading an old classic fantasy –a magical adventure playing on all the classic fae folklore of kidnap, guises, and danger, woven into an action-packed and punchy plot with a dash of romance. If you know anyone looking to dabble into reading fantasy, I’d say Brittle is a great starter fantasy read for them, or if you’re looking for a fae-focused simple but elegant fantasy read with classical vibes.

[blok sera szwajcarskiego]

Received an arc from NetGalley, thanks!

I need you to teach me how to transform a feather into a knife so I can betray you.

In a post-SJM era it's extremely easy to compare anything fae related to her works, and this case isn't different. I could go into heavy details, and the want to do it crawls underneath my skin, but I'm going to resist that. I don't see any value in it other than negative light, but also I think it's harder to rate Brittle as its own work. And that's what my job.

Brittle has a very strong opening that left me in shivers. The tone was dark and mysterious, almost bloody – main character writing horror stories as a way to live? Gory murder of her father and mysterious letter? Disturbing neighbours? I was hooked. That was a fae story I would love to read.
But soon after Overmyer changes the way story goes, same with the atmosphere, and it left me confused. There are still those peculiar, dark moments, somewhere deep lies this twisted fantasy story that I looked for. But it's overwhelmed by a tale about courts and love. Which isn't strictly badly written, it's just completely different, with other priorities. Verity's life becomes about cursed lovers, dark magic and unwanted power.

Overall, I think I liked this book. It hadn't charmed me in ways I hoped, there are no shoes that fallen from my feet after the ending. If something bothered me a lot, it was the fact that Brittle has this amazing, original idea underneath, with great character sheets and marvellous world-buulding. But it chooses a path walked before, a one known pretty well already, and it pains me when right next to it is a whole undiscovered forest. I wish I could rate it anyhow, tell if there are more flaws or warm feelings, but in reality Brittle left me in a cluster of emotions and unsureness.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brittle by Beth Overmyer
⭐⭐.5/5
🌶️/4

Verity "Verve" Springer has taken on the role of protector since her father went away. When he appears in the middle of the night speaking nonsense, Verve doesn't know what to believe. When she goes to confront him, she finds him dead.... The only thing is, no one else sees him. Verve sets out to follow her dad's last request, not knowing her life is about to change. The mythical fae really do exist, and Verve is caught up in a plot that could change the world forever.

The premise of this book is incredible. The fae and their world are done in a way I haven't read before. The cover is enticing. I wanted this to be the next Throne of Glass. But that's about where the good stuff ends. The main character is absolutely insufferable. She is constantly angry, stubborn, and makes bad choices. I could understand that in the beginning and then see some good character growth, but that never happens. She continues to just have a horrible attitude and temper. The other characters aren't any more likeable either. I don't think there was a single character I liked, except maybe Helena. On top of that, the romance just fell so flat. I didn't feel the sexual tension, the buildup, the witty banter. Nothing. It was disappointing. I was worried going into this book based on previous reviews and while I didn't hate it, I didn't really like it either. I read it because I received an ARC, but I wouldn't have picked this up otherwise. I'm really disappointed because it has such a great premise. If the next book has better reviews, I might pick it up, otherwise this is going in the one and done pile

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Brittle" by Beth Overmyer is a captivating and thrilling tale of magic and trickery. Readers will be drawn into a world of deception and illusions where not even one's own mind can be trusted.

When Verve’s father returns from the war with a dangerous secret that costs him his life, the world turns upside down for Verve. Snatched by a faerie and brought into Letorheas, the world of faeries, Verve is held hostage and questioned about the location of an ancient faerie artifact. Though she swears she knows nothing, she is to remain in the faerie world until the fae who stole her is convinced she tells the truth. Yet, the longer Verve remains in the faerie realm, the more she learns there are other more devious reasons as to why she is unable to return home. Reasons that may cost her more than her humanity.

“Brittle” was a fast-paced descent into the trickery and devious web-weaving faeries are notorious for. While the faerie realm is always a fascinating place, there is always an underlying taint of malicious intent which proves to be true in this book. Nothing is as it seems. It's hard to predict what will happen next and what consequences the character's actions will have in the large scheme of things. Books that lead readers down twists and turns, deceiving them at every whim, are the best kind!

The characters are also incredibly fascinating. It's easy to fall under the natural charm of the fae characters, who know how to sweet talk and tell half-truths until there is nothing more pleasing than to bend to their every wish and desire. They are masterminds at tricking even the reader into believing their intentions are pure and innocent. Despite Verve's ruthless determination and strength, it is easy to see how even she can become lost in the web of deceit the faeries are so good at weaving.

One thing is for sure, readers who are intrigued by the land of fae and its inhabitants must give this book a read! Overmyer incorporates popular themes of faerie into an original and fresh perspective of what it means to be human in a world of faeries. Add "Brittle" by Beth Overmyer to your TBR lists now and look for the book on its expected publication date of August 15th, 2023!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for providing me with a free e-arc of this book and the opportunity to write an honest review!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept is interesting, but the execution didn’t land. First of all, I’m amazed that Little Women isn’t even mentioned in the blurb, considering this begins by presenting as a near retelling. The magic of the March sisters is missing, though. Jo isn’t amazing because she’s “not like other girls,” she’s amazing as a unique individual, as are the rest of the March girls. The setup doesn’t transfer over to the rest of the story, either, leaving a vaguely Jo-like girl in a plot that has nothing resembling Little Women. The writing style is fine, in that it isn’t grating in any way. The pacing was off, though, with too little happening for long stretches and then a hurried leap in plot.

The characterization was okay on a surface level, but I don’t feel any tension or chemistry between any of the characters. “Fae fall in love fast” is not an excuse for having no illustration of what anyone is feeling or how they got there. Even the “love” scene ended in an extremely abrupt closed door. I found the concept of the world interesting, but the world-building was as muzzy as the rest. It sounds like I disliked this, and I didn’t - I just didn’t feel much of anything. With so many fantasy romances out there, I’m unlikely to continue this series.

I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Brooke Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to author Beth Overmyer, Flame Tree Press, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Brittle was a promising idea that fell flat.

Mostly in the main character, Verve. Verve is dull, uninspired, and fairly useless. She makes awful decisions over and over again, never seeming to learn from her mistakes. She is not cunning, fun, or relatable. Things happen to her and she’s dragged around.

The two main male characters are underdeveloped. They have no redeeming qualities or complex storylines.

The magic system is way too overpowered. It keeps Verve in the dark, and because the story is told only from her perspective, it keeps the reader in the dark as well. There are no moments of foreshadowing to keep a reader hooked. I’m not even sure what that would look like since the book ended, and I still really don’t know who the antagonist was supposed to be or what any antagonist’s motivations might be.

The pacing was way too slow in the beginning. It didn’t feel like the plot developed much in the first 50%.

This book felt underdeveloped, and it ended in a strange way with seemingly no setup for a sequel, despite being the first book of a series. Other reviewers have called it an ACOTAR ripoff, but it’s not even that good.

[Isa Centeno · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read the blurb I thought "OMG, a new daddy Rhysand is coming" and Fenn doesn't disappoint 🌚

Speaking of the plot, Verve is a young lady with a large family and a father who is away at war. One day a stranger broke into the farm and she went out to protect the hens. She never expected to see her father. He asked hequfor silent and give her a letter with a delicate message, then he runs away with a secret meeting promise, nevertheless, he advised not to trust people.

Verve decided to keep the secret and learn the message before burning the paper. She didn't know if her decision was the right one, so she goes to the meeting and finds her father dead. She's confused and disoriented, so she comes back to her house and asks for help.

No one believes her.
The whole scene has been cleaned up.

She doubts herself, but a new neighbor appears and she starts to think about her father. She doesn't trust strangers, but her mother doesn't feel the same way. When a meeting turns unpleasant, she runs away and finds the owner of her father's message - Mr. Baer.

With the message delivered, she returns to her house only to find a sister-like stranger.

She's kidnapped and taken to another world-elf and fae. Now she's in a crystal cage and her kidnapper-Dacre-has manipulated her memories. So what's the truth?

All the anger, all the pain... is almost unbearable. So Fenn shows up and gives her the freedom she deserves. Now she has to avoid enemies, save her family, and not die in the process.

[Gary Mercado · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would first like to start off by thanking Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for and advanced copy of this book inn exchange for a review.

The curse of reading so many books in the same genre is that it can make it very easy for some books to feel the same as others. While this can be a good thing at times and bring out some nice feelings of nostalgia, it can make other books read as tired and boring. It’s not that I disliked Brittle or feel like it was written badly, on the contrary. I enjoyed it and feel like it was written well, its just that I struggled at times because I felt like I was reading a story I had read many times over, even though I did enjoy it.

If you continue to read after this point in the review, just be aware that general plot themes will be discussed, if you consider these to be spoilers, I would stop reading here.

The premise of Brittle was very interesting. A girl finds her father dead after she had found out he had in fact not died in the war. Before he dies though he warns her of the existence of Fae, trusting people, and the start of a war to come. At this point we’re getting set up for a very interesting story, which it is, but it feels like a tease continuously throughout the book.

Anyone who has read any sort of Fantasy story involving Fae will be familiar with the tropes of chosen one, power dynamics, and enemies to lovers. This book doesn’t fall short on any of those tropes and this is where I started to feel like I was continuing to read the same story I’ve read time and time again.

The main problem I think with Brittle, other than the same tropes that have been visited time and time again, is the size. I feel like Brittle really hurt itself by being the length that it was. There were many times throughout the story where I felt like I was being teased. I feel like the author was just getting into a nice swing of things when she would suddenly cut short on details or lore. When I go and read a fantasy book, I want to be fully immersed in the world. I want to know every little detail about how things work. I want to know what the magic system really is, not just that it exists. I want to know the history of the world and the struggles inside it, not just that they exist. I want the ending to not feel like I’m driving straight into a brick wall and being stopped in an instant.

There are a lot of good bones here and I hope that the author continues to build on these in her future works.

[Blade Davies · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DNF’d this at 5% The author used very ableist language to refer to the main character. A simple google search will tell you that using the term ‘inv*lid’ is deeply ableist and it was completely unnecessary and should have been taken out during the editing process. I don’t know if the author continues to use ableist language but i’m not going to continue reading just to find that out.

TWs/CWs - Ableism; Blood; Force feeding; Murder; War (mentioned)

*my list of trigger warnings only includes what I read in the first 5% so please check other reviews of peiple who have finished it for a full list of trigger warnings*

[Madelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the Flame Tree and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read this book after reading the synopsis for it on NetGalley. It was a quick read, and I was able to finish it in a day. The ending wraps up in a bit of a cliffhanger, so I am assuming this will be a duet or trilogy.

I liked the main character Verity “Verve” and how she asked questions that I thought were relevant to her situations. She was thoughtful in how she tried to get out of her situation when she was taken to Faerie. The overall plot felt very predictable to me, and I found myself gettin frustrated with the continued use of certain descriptions.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Women meets the European Fae court in this comfortable, light-mystery romance from Beth Overmyer.
Blending two times and cultures must have been a blast, and it was intriguing to watch it all play out. Who to trust, what's the plan, who's really who they say they are-- all bundled together in a tale of being kind and overcoming childhood ptsd, even when everyone thinks you're crazy. And to top it off, you've been kidnapped by a member of the Fae Court.
Wild.
I must appreciate our heroine who--NOT by being an unbelievably-strong, domineering, and uncouth individual --took the centre stage as a capable and kind female character, with a strong sense of right and wrong, standing up to a lot of cruelty and callousness in a game she didn't know how to play.
I felt that our dear Fenn could have received a little more character building, maybe widening his focus past the sole object of his obsession. Seeing how he fit into the larger plot mentioned earlier in the book would have been nice, and I hope to see more of the macro plot expanded in the next book!
My favourite part of the book was the fascinating concept of residual magic use, and how each one was unique, like a family blueprint. I thought that was genius, and loved catching out the little details woven in. Especially at the end! Pay attention to who can do what--it'll surprise you later in a grand aha! moment.

All in all, a sweet, comfortable mystery that is blessedly free of bad language or sexual/gender politics appeasement.
|thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC to review!|

[Yung Truong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was captivated right from the start. The mystery, the actions, Verve’s inability to resist the unfolding of her story. The story is divided into two parts and the tone of writing skillfully reflects the division of development. I love it when an author can manipulate my mind to feel exactly what the character is going through. I felt like I was kept in the dark about a lot just like Verve was and empathize with her even more.

The Great Stuff:
- Keep me guessing and wondering what’s happening next in the plot.
- World building, magic, rituals—all were coherent and blend well with each other, exactly how fantasy should be.
- The focus on details without losing pace.
- I love all the scents, I catch myself trying to inhale, such a great way to evoke emotions for the readers.
- I want more of the romance!!

The So-so:
- Character depth was a bit lacking for me but it’s really more of a preference. I like a lot of mental dialogue and how thoughts realize into the plot/ character interaction.
- There are certain details that are quirky but I’m yet to see their purpose e.g., why is Verve always being offered food? Why is she clumsy but specifically stumbling over her dress and inanimate objects? Why do we pay so much attention to her hair?
- There were a short period in the middle where I felt like a lot of details were being “described” without grounding into any action or plot development (like all the rooms, Verve just moving around, Olive’s tantrum that didn’t take me anywhere but a short backstory). Part 2 has the same level of details but it moves much better.

All that being said, I can’t wait for Book 2!! The ending put me on edge, I did not see that coming.

[Keeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

World building: 🌎 🌎🌎/5
Writing: ✍️ ✍️✍️✍️/5
Magic: 🪄 🪄🪄/5 (3.5)
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Battle: ⚔️/5
Romance: ❤️❤️
Spice: fade to black 😢

This book was provided by treehouse publishing via net galley in return for a honest review:

Brittle is a new adult fantasy that is a must read for lovers of Sarah j maas's acotar with this book sharing many similarities. This book is a binge worthy fast paced read, with likeable and relatable characters. Verity or as she prefers verve is smart and witty character with an abundance for cursing 'blast'. Dragged into the fae world verity must face challenges of murder, betrayal, family, romance, and magic where she encounters handsome and powerful fae men. I throughly enjoyed this book and liked it as a fast paced new read. I liked the authors writing, and how she represented mental health and trauma.

A few issues I did have with the novel, which deducted a star would be:
1: i felt that the plot was not explained too well: for a new story alot of things were brushed over. Especially the motives of a certain someone at the end of the book.
2: one character said one thing about magic which is contradicted by another? (Regarding gates)
3: the romance built way to fasttt for me. But it is explained some what.
4: FADE TO BLACK!!! ek I hate that. Give me all the spice.

Now that is all I shall write with out spoiling things hehe. Can't wait to read book two!

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every book I read which involves fairy land, the characters may change, but many themes prevail. The questionable love interest, the darkness which threatens the heroine, the comedic relief characters. Brittle, by Beth Overmyer, had many of these themes in Brittle, but she also took her story in new directions, defying the tropes and leaving the reader at the end with possibly more questions than answers.

Plot (no spoilers).
When her father leaves her with a mysterious and ominous message about the land of the fae, Verity Springer, or Verve, leaves her well-worn desk where she is used to writing fanciful tales, and finds herself thrust into the very world she writes about. Caught between the world she knows and is trying to save and the intriguing world of the fae, Verve must learn to adapt to a new reality while staying true to herself and her goals of protecting her loved ones and finding the truth about her father.

I could not put this story down. From the beautiful writing of the fae lands, to the descriptions of the change our heroine goes through, this was a page turner until the very end. There were parts which left me scratching my head, and I sincerely hope this gets approved to be a series because I need some answers! Without spoiling things, I need to know how the situation at the lake ended up the way it did. How did Verve escape? Why do fae fall in love so easily? I was also really uncomfortable with some of the romantic scenes. Verve did not seem super into it and I don't know if it's just because Overmyer doesn't have a ton of experience writing romance scenes or it's integral to the plot. Still, I blasted through this book and was sad when it was over. Really looking forward to whatever Beth Overmyer does next; hopefully a sequel (or two!).