What a wonderful and unique book. It's not often that we get fae books that are focused on mysterious magic and deep family bonds, with the romance only popping up as an adorable side plot, but that's exactly what this is.

I wouldn't exactly describe this as a "cozy" fantasy (just because there are some very tense scenes and some flashbacks to death and war and whatnot) but it was very calm for a fantasy book. The slower pace and heavy prose didn't exactly make it a page turner, but rather a book I visited in between other reads. I didn't mind this at all, though. The plot, especially the mystery of the monsters and the shadows (even if a bit repetitive/obvious at times), was enough to keep me engaged and pull me back whenever I strayed too far.

The characters and relationships, though, are probably the strongest part of this book. The obvious one is the father-son dynamic between Iohmar and Lor, which was ADORABLE, but also the mentor figure of Galen, the sweet romance with Runda, the childhood memories with Ascia, and the flashbacks to Iohmar's parents. Even the way Iohmar interacted with his people as their ruler was so wholesome and wonderful.

Overall this was just a beautifully written book. Definitely not what you want if you're looking for spicy fae romance or action-filled fantasy, but if you want a fairy-tale like story with great family dynamics and an underlying, shadow-y mystery, Under the Earth, Over the Sky is perfect.