I really enjoyed this story. The idea was great and the plot was really well executed. It has an easy to follow world building and the romance is spot on. Perfect fantasy romance novel.

The Veil
Sci-fi/Fantasy, NA
Ivy Brannon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had action from the very first page and I was hooked from the start.

The world building was interesting and the pacing was good. I didn't expect some of the plot twists that happened and I loved the enemies to lovers trope and the political intrigue.

Sometimes the FMC came across as immature due to her actions. She would act abruptly without planning things through or thinking about the consequences but other characters were relatable and faced real-life issues.

I wish this was a bit longer. Hopefully there will be more books in this series.

Please make sure you check out the TWs/CWs before you read this book.

*Thank you to @Netgalley and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*

This book was so good, there was so many twist that I wasn't expecting. This was a new look at fae within the nethers.

This book starts with Lina who is a human and her brothers. Lina doesn't want to get married and do what is expected of a woman. Can't read, can't do anything exceptional, only care for her husband. That isn't the life she wants for herself. When a man from her town trys to force himself upon her with marriage and himself, she has to run, asking her brothers to take her on a hunting trip. This is where it all goes wrong for Lina. They are attacked by a group of nethers who steal her littlest brother as a changeling, killing her other two brothers. This is where Lina is refused by the fae king Soren and his companion Xavier.

Lina has a lot of trials to face after this, the nethers want her dead.

I cannot wait to see what comes next for Lina and The Veil series.... The ending is just gahhh, cliff hanger and so many questions left unanswered.

4.5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was unreal. The action starts in the first chapter and it doesn’t end even when the book does. I was completely and utterly enthralled while reading it.

This book is scary. It’s spicy. It’s dark. It’s filled with so many lovely characters. Characters I think deserve the whole world and a huge fan base.

This book is on KU and I absolutely 1000% recommend it to anyone who loves NA Fantasy Romance.

I really enjoyed reading this book, its written really well full of drama, actions twists, not a dull moment, it has you gripped from the start to the finish, Loved Lina Character.

Amazing read I cannot wait to read more books by this author

Please do yourself a favor and read this book!!!!! I enjoyed this so much!

It kept me on my toes and hit me with tons of jaw dropping moments. I laughed out loud, cried, got mad, yelled oh hale no, felt alllll the emotions with this story and Ivy told it so well. I can’t wait to see where life takes Lina next but I know where I want it to take her! Ugh.

I’ll just sit here and hope to see other characters from this book come back in the next.

This book absolutely blew me out of the water! I don't normally have such high hopes for arc reads, but Ivy Brannon truly wrote a master piece! I loved Lina, Soren and Xavier!

This book was imaginative, and had me on the edge of my seat! I definitely got ACOTAR and FBAA vibes from this book, so if you love either of these I highly suggest this read!

There was action, romance, folklore, and so much more wrapped into this book and it worked beautifully together.

Most of this book is told from Lina's point of view, and I am hoping for more POVs in future books. I would have loved to know what some of the others were thinking during her abrupt decision making.

This is also classified as New Adult, which makes me love it even more! Great job Ivy Brannon! I seriously can not wait to continue the adventure in this world you have built.

I loved this book. I was hooked from start to finish and don’t think I set it down after I picked it up. This was a quick/easy read and was exactly what I was looking for in a NA fantasy romance. Most reviewers say this is for fans of ACOTAR but I think it’s probably more for fans of What lies Beyond the Veil. This book is definitely still unique in the human/fae genre and I loved the MC’s.

Wow. What a fantastic read!! It was a very fast paced book with the simple writing style, amazing word building and the plot that had me hooked since the very beginning. I couldn’t seem to put it down. I absolutely loved it. Now, I can’t wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book captured my attention from the first chapter and I couldn’t put it down. I read it in one day because I just had to know what was going to happen. This was really refreshing, and anytime the plot started to feel like it was getting predictable, I was proven very wrong. Genuinely one of the best fantasy romance books I’ve ready in the last year.

I’m still completely distraught over the ending, but I can’t wait for the next one!

This was such an exciting, fast paced, plot driven novel. I definitely felt the Court of Thorns and Roses vibes and appreciated the reality brought to some of the heavier topics. However, I specifically picked this up because it was labeled LGBT+ and while there are mentions of side characters and people in the shadows there are no main characters who would fit into this category. Overall, I could not put this down and really enjoyed the reading experience.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this story. Some moments of complete shock of what was happening. I fell in love with the characters completely. My two favourites were Hale and Meer. At the same time I’m not sure who can be truly trusted. I’m extremely looking forward to the next book.

IF YOU LOVED ACOTAR YOU WILL LOVE THIS.

First off: thanks GOODNESS this is going to be series.

I have not been pulled in by fae fantasy books since I read the ACOTAR series, and have struggled to find anything that enticed me the way that series did... But Ivy Brannon did it.

I read this entire book in a day. I couldn't put my Kindle down while walking my dog, I couldn't put it down while eating my meals. I couldn't put it down to attend to anything else going on in the real world because I was so immersed in Lina's world.

It was faster paced than other series I've read, which I really enjoyed. I find many series will often drag events in order to extend the story, but this one constantly moved along and didn't make you wait for chapters upon chapters for simple conflict resolution.

It was real, it was funny, it was passionate, it was adventurous, and it was filled with so much love and growth.

I already can not wait for book 2.

Breathtaking worldbuilding, captivating intrigue, heartwrenching loss, and gasp-inducing plot twists that will leave you guessing until the end. I am absolutely blown away at the astounding depth to this story. The overarching themes of survival, processing grief and trauma, and building healthy relationships gave the story a strong foundation. Also, this brings the heat with a love triangle that I’m not ashamed to say I loved. A must read for fantasy romance lovers!

3.5 stars

I really wanted to love this book, and although it had a lot to enjoy, I just couldn't
I felt annoyed by Lina and Soren for majority of the book, their actions felt immature and I think if they stayed together then the bond would've been stronger for the reader to enjoy them more

The plot was great till about half way, then enter Hale and I felt confused for the remaining part on what was going to happen
Overall, it was a good book
But it definitely needs more adding or taking away

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐢𝐥
by Ivy Brannon

It’s insane in my mind that this account started as a fun project for myself, I’m almost at 900 followed and I get to receive Arcs in exchange for sharing my thoughts on them! And when the ARC in question is the debut novel of Ivy Brannon, it feels like such a privilege 💕

The Veil follows human girl Lina, whose little brother gets kidnapped by Nethers and her two older brothers gets brutally murdered. She herself ends up trapped in the fairy world, being saved by the fae Soren and Xavier. She does everything in her power to get her brother back, no matter if it gets herself hurt or if she starts a war in the process.

This book reminded me a bit of ACOTAR and Soren and Xavier reminded me a bit too much of Tamlin and Lucien. There’s no courts in this fae realm but kingdoms and we get to follow as Lina tries to navigate through politics, love, lust and friendship. I really enjoyed Lina, she’ imperfect, impulsive and just gives zero fucks sometimes. It’s pretty action packed and a fast read and honestly, I wanted more of it. More character development, more female friendships (as you know from previous posts I fully support the sisterhood and always want more off it, and there’s potential here!), more intrigues, drama, sexy scenes, just more of everything really. And that if something is a compliment to Ivy Brannons writing that when the book was done, I wanted to continue on reading. It could also have been doing something with that ending of hers 🤯 one thing I do wish for is that the fae was more faeish, with attributes that separated them more from humans 🧚‍♂️

I think this is the first book in a series, I desperately hope so because I want to continue reading about Lina, but I’m unsure how many books that’s planned or when the next book is being released. No matter what Ivy Brannon does next, she’s an author to look out for, and I’m very excited to see what she brings to us next.

✨ dual PoV, but Linas PoV is the only one from first PoV which I really liked
✨ human in fae realm
✨ love triangleisch
✨ sexual assault and racism
✨ 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
✨ cliffhanger ending



Review being posted 29/1 at thebookishswede Instagram.

Thank you to Ivy Brannon for sending me an ARC for an honest review!

In this world Ivy has created, there is a veil that separates humans from the Fae and other mythical creatures. Once a year on Samhain, the veil drops, and anything can cross over. Lina’s younger brother is abducted on Samhain and Lina follows across the Veil in search of her brother. She encounters all sorts of creatures and Fae, including a Fae King, on her journey of saving her brother.
This book has triggering content please read the content warnings.

This book has the same fantasy romance atmosphere as ACOTAR. I found it easy to dive into because it was familiar but it definitely has its differences from ACOTAR so it was still fresh to me. I really enjoyed the development of the characters and the interactions between characters. The banter was great! I was giggling and snorting the whole time. There were a few spicy scenes, just a sprinkle, that I REALLY enjoyed.

Even though I enjoyed this read, I have to say, this book is not perfect. I wish it was longer or expanded to multiple books! The pacing felt too fast at times, and I wished I could soak up a few of those scenes longer. I also found that some of the relationships and friendships developed fast. I think a lot of the development happened off-page and we as readers miss out on characters getting to know each other. On one page they’re strangers and on the next they’re friends. I wish we got to see the buildup of those relationships. I need more tension and emotional turmoil, please!! For most of the book you’re reading it from a first-person POV through Lina, but later, you get 3rd person POV from others. I found that to be not my fav. It took me out of the story adjusting to the POV. I wish they were all first-person or all 3rd person. Not both?

Overall, I did enjoy this read and would recommend it to fans of adult fantasy romance. I definitely see potential in this series and I look forward to reading more from Ivy Brannon.

✅️ Enemies to Lovers
✅️ Hidden fae realm
✅️ Fae royalty
✅️ Evil deadly creatures
✅️ Multiple love interests
✅️ Schmexxy scenes

The Veil is intense. The beginning is brutal, but it really sets up the story so well.
Lina and her three brothers are travelling on Samhain, the only night of the year when stories say the veil between worlds can be crossed. It's just old tales of course. Until their youngest brother is attacked in the forest and Lina suddenly finds herself face to face with the stuff of nightmares.
She is rescued by a handsome stranger, but not before she loses everything and finds herself in the hidden fae realm with no way to return home for a year.

Lina was a great character. She is singleminded in her goal to retrieve her brother, though her tendency to act before thinking or listening to advice gets her into trouble.
I love the banter with Xavier and Meer, and her building relationships with other characters.
We also see Soren's and Hale's points of view and I love getting a glimpse into their thoughts as well.

The story is well written and compelling. I had to put it down and have a denial break in a few spots though, Brannon has no compunction about ripping your heart out.

Fans of books like ACOTAR and These Hollow Vows will enjoy The Vale, and I'm so keen to read the next one!

4/5 Stars

TW : Murder, Violence, Attempted Assault

Thank you to Ivy Brannon and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC to review.

This was another random grab off of netgalley and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a unique take on Fae and the veil trope with the veil being controlled by the time of the year. I am very excited for book 2 as this book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and I think seeing where the author takes it will be very interesting. The romance I have mixed feelings on as I think the love interest was kinda dumb and an ass at times but also I did believe the romance between them when it was happening. I loved the friendships that were in this book even more than the romance which says something for me. The friendships felt so real and made the ending more effective than it being based around the romance like most books would’ve done.

This is a shorter review but I highly recommend this for fans of romance books with fae, magic and spice.

FANTASTIC!!! I enjoyed every second of this book. To me it has the best of all fantasy writings combined. It has a world build, enemies to lovers, spice, battle, friendship, love, seriously you name it and it is there. Fantasy fans will be devouring this book when it realises and they should! The story of Lina from start to finish will have you enveloped into this world and her story until you devour this book. The best thing about a book to me is when you pick it up and cannot put it down. Then when you do put it down you think about it and don't stop thinking about it until you pick it back up and this book gave me all the feels of that. I believe this is the first in a trilogy and that makes me super excited for the next one. First 5 star read of 2023!