You can see all my reviews here: Books Are The New Black

3.5 stars

I was able to buddy read this with Julie from One Book More. We have been enjoying reading this series with each other.

This is another Historical fiction mixed with fairytales. It’s been really fun reading these but I didn’t enjoy this one as the first book, Half A Soul. It follows a young maid named Effie and a faerie (Lord Blackthorn) who is trying to help her. Effie is a wonderful seamstress but dreaming of a better life. I thought this book would be about a romance but it was a lot more than that. We explore anger and the injustices between the classes. It’s one of the things I like about Atwater’s work, the many themes she likes to shine a light on.

This is a shorter read and it’s an easy read. With that being said, I struggled with the first half. I couldn’t connect to the characters and it felt very surface level. There are all these hints to where and what’s in Lord Blackthorn’s past but we never get there. I would have loved to know more about it and why he was trying to change. Although I struggled with the first half, I flew through the second half. Since it’s a shorter read, I think that it did make up for the struggle in the beginning. I do wish that it would have been longer or if she would have spaced things about more. The second half was jam-packed full of things that it felt rushed and a little disjointed at times.

There are some whimsical moments and settings in this book. Some of my favorite moments in this and the previous book are when the other side is explored. I wasn’t really invested in the romance, which made me sad. I didn’t hate it but I just didn’t feel it through most of the book.

Overall, I liked the first book better and I did struggle with the beginning of this one. I was very satisfied with the ending and I like Atwater’s unique take on the Historical Regency era. I do plan on picking up the next one in the series!

Many thanks to Orbit for providing me with an e-arc via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own!