DNF—This book was misclassified for sure. It is YA through and through. The romance was immature, the characters shallow. I was hoping for a little more substance considering the idea was a good start, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to capture my attention or time. The dominating, unfeminist idea of romantic relationships was offputting as well.

I was hoping for a little more depth to this book. I love reading about fae. This book just fell short of what I was looking for. It has a lot of potential and the overall story line intrigued me, however, The characters were a little flat. There was a chemistry that was missing on all fronts. Like watching a play where the actors are too tired to put any oomph into it.

A gorgeous cover for a gorgeous book! Such a great read. Full review will be on my blog soon, so please check back for that.

*I received this book on Netgalley for an honest review*

I must admit, Fairy/Fae novels are not my usual area of reading - I actually try to avoid them as best I can. However, Betrothed by Wanda Wiltshire, makes the ordinarily insufferable fairy tale more bearable - not entirely though. While I did find the main character Amy/Marla annoying the majority of the time, it was her background story that kept me reading. Refugee from her homeland Faera, she grows up in the human world never knowing of her true heritage. One day however, shortly after her 17th birthday she starts to experience vivid dreams about a young man named Leif, who turns out to be a fairy prince. After awhile, Amy learns that what she thought were dreams were instead real meetings that she had with Leif on the astral plane. After Leif reveals his identity as not only a faery prince but Amy's soulmate, these starcrossed lovers must learn how to fly away from fate. Will they succeed and have their happily ever after? Or will an ancient grudge rip them about for entirety? I do recommend this book as a light read if you want to explore something outside of your usual realm with a good story.

I found this to be a overly long teen fantasy.
The characters lacked depth and the story dragged on and on.
I did finish it but would have to think long and hard before reading the second in the series.

DNFing at 35%

I was a bit hesitant going into this read. I saw that it has been compared to the Twilight series with touches of Harry Potter. While I didn't come across anything similar to Harry Potter, there were definite resemblances to Twilight with the whole "everyone loves the main character" thing. If anything, this book is more similar to A Court of Thorns and Roses in the essence of the purpose and character functionality. 

Unfortunately, there wasn't really anything that pulled me into this plot. I disliked the main character Amy/Marla from the get-go. She constantly tries to feigned popularity and beauty, when she knows she has both. Not only that, but her subtle-no-so-subtle attraction to her best friend Jack is obvious to the reader, (and to Jack) and comes as no surprise that she beings to consider a romantic relationship with him.

"Jack pulled me against him and gave me a hug. It felt nice to be all wrapped up in his arms."

In 35% of this book, Amy already had some sort of romantic attachment to three different guys. This isn't over a long span of time either. So, what is the message being portrayed here? It's okay to go from one guy to the next when a more attractive one comes along? Trying people on for size just to see if it'd work towards your benefit doesn't count as being shallow? I think it does.

Amy begins to have dreams about a man named Leif, who naturally, turns out to be a prince to the Fae. In her dreams, Leif calls her "Marla" which she finds out later on is her real name. Leif tells Marla that they are betrothed, and destined to be married since before they were born. 

This is where the similarities to A Court of Thorns and Roses come in. 

#1 All of the prominent (or, basically all) characters are drop-dead gorgeous.

#2 Leif, next in line to the throne, is the most attractive man in the world, just like Tamlin, and Rhysand both were portrayed. Also, he's always shirtless. (You know--it impedes the wings.)

"There is only one thing that can distract a female from her betrothed--make her question her commitment to him. Two things actually, one is the prince and the other is a king--particularly her own king. There is not a fae woman born, partnered or single, who, when in his presence, can resist the desires of her king."

Why, oh why, must each and every character in a position of power be the most attractive person ever? Or should I dare ask the real question here--why are these characters formulated as objects of lust rather than actual characters with feelings and normal character-y things?

#3 Another similarity is the emphasis on "possession" of the female in a relationship. Leif reveals the history of Marla's parents, and how his father--the king--desired her mother for himself. When he discovered that she chose someone else over him, he loses his marbles. 

"Your mother was no longer pure in my father's eyes so when she offered to relinquish her husband and return to him, he refused her. And as punishment for choosing your father, he decided that if he couldn't have Finelle, then Finelle couldn't have her child."

Leif also showcases the same idea when Marla admits that she thinks he is a figment of her imagination. His possessiveness over her drives him to find her in the human world to prove that he is not fake and makes it clear that she is his, and his alone.

While I know this element seems to ensnare a lot of female YA readers, I just don't see how this is a healthy example of a relationship? Possession of a human shouldn't exist. Possession can literally be translated into domination. I don't agree with this formatting for a relationship as it doesn't call for mutual love and/or respect between both parties. 

Overall, I don't see this book sending a great message to its readers. Instead of having much depth, it felt like I stepped into an episode of The Bachelor Pad. If you are a fan of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, this may be more up your alley, but beware: from what I've seen so far, there isn't much to take away from it.

Vulgarity: Minimal.
Sexual Content: Some. There were not any explicit scenes as of yet.
Violence: Minimal. 

I am not assigning a star-rating as this is a DNF read.

Typically I know after four or five chapters that I'm not going to enjoy a book because there are three things that I look for and if they aren't there or are delivered poorly, I ditch the book before even finishing it. 

First and foremost, writing style. As you can see I'm not the best writer in the world so my opinion on this subject is limited. Writing a book is nothing to sneeze at either. It's hard work thinking of a good plot, good characters and recreating decent dialogue. However, I got none out of this book. I was so pumped to receive a copy from Netgalley because the synopsis was just so interesting! But when I got into the book the writing was not my cup of tea, it may be yours but it most certainly is not mine, the characters just seemed to be there as an outline that wasn't entirely filled out. 

I just could not get into the fact that the main character is already falling in love with this strange man in her dreams, who is fae and is wearing jeans????? What?? Fae have that type of clothing?? She doesn't even KNOW this man who is probably a hundred years OLDER than her??? 

I'm sorry but this book may be a four-star or even a five star to other people but it isn't and won't be for me. I cannot stand someone who can't describe a six pack without calling as such. I can't.

D.N.F.

I read about 50% into this book, interested in the plot and Amy's, the leading young lady of the story, mysterious background. However, around 40% or so, the story started to loose me. I didn't care for the main character, she was too immature for my tastes and her emotions too extreme. I also made the mistake of reading the blurbs for the next books in the series, and seeing the impending love triangle and Amy/Marla's vacillating feelings for her best friend and then her betrothed, ugh...I just couldn't go any further. I don't usually mind love triangles, but jumping all in with one guy, then doing it again to another, and then going back to the first, over and over again....not my cup of tea. If you enjoy YA and the world of the Fae, don't mind love triangles, and like the friend-turned-lover, as well as the destined-to-be trope, you might want to give this one a try but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

I had a hard time with this book. It was confusing and all over the place for me. The two sisters annoyed the crap out of me. The idea of the book was great but I don't think the author was able to make that idea into a solid thought and into a written book.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for this review, and so... I have to be honest. This book was categorised as Romance and Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but it needed to be slapped with a big fat YA-verging-on-tween label.

The cover is stunning, the premise is great. I liked the fact that it was part of a series. And it definitely has moments where it's enjoyable to read. The Fae world is fascinating and I'd like to learn more about that.

Unfortunately this is all back-and-forth instalove that still somehow has way too many romantic interests, convenient exposition, and some genuinely juvenile moments that made me cringe. The parents seem to have no agency or authority, the villainous characters are shallow and grating, and the end <spoiler>appears to set up the series for a forced love triangle. A triangle which makes no sense when Marla/Amy literally has a soulmate she was born to be with.</spoiler>

I'd still be willing to read the next book in the series, although I won't pay for it at full price. I'm interested to see more of the world building, but I strongly suspect I would be disappointed and this series would be on my DNF shelf.

Free ARC for Honest Review
Thank you Author and Publisher
I give this book 1 star
Honestly had a hard time reading this book. The main thing that I loved was the Cover, it's absolutely beautiful. The Synopsis really caught my attention and that's why I picked to review it, but I just couldn't like the heroine no...'click' with her. I couldn't get over the whining, nagging and the forcefulness of trying to make herself be the victim was becoming a headache. The idea of her having allergies but at 18 she becomes immortal was leaving me head scratching. The first name change drove me crazy I don't like it in any book I read and it didn't change reading this.

I love books like this. The writing was very good and details about our hero and heroine was well updated. Looking forward for the next book.

Oh how I love the way Wanda Wiltshire writes! I don’t know if it is because in my head all the characters have an English accent or if her prose is just that great, but I really dig the way she writes. So much in fact, I will probably read the rest of the series and look for more! Betrothed is a young adult fantasy/romance that follows Amy, an adopted loner that spends her days eating bland food and hanging out with her two best friends. Allergic to EVERYTHING, Amy’s life and activities have been pretty restricted her whole life. Naturally, when life becomes boring and dull, Amy retreats to her dreams where she hears the voice of a sad boy, longing for his lost love. Night after night she hears him, until one night she see’s him, and he recognizes her as the love he has spent his days pinning after. Thinking she is half crazy, Amy finds herself falling in love with her dream boy and questioning her own reality. This story follows Amy ( or Marla as he knows her) and Leif. It takes us from meeting in their dreams to their scandalous love affair and back.

The way this book is written is soft, whimsical and romantic. Now, I will mention the pace is much slower than I am used to but waiting for things to happen gave me a small but steady build up of excitement and really set the mood for when the big stuff did occur. I really enjoyed Leif as a love interest. He wasn’t super complex but felt real. Amy (Marla) got on my nerves at times because she is very dependent on Leif and is a huge whiner. The world building is decent, you get an overall picture of how things work but it could honestly use more detail. I enjoyed the way that Leif respects Amy and his dialogue is very sweet. The whole book felt very old-fashioned and I really like that. On to the creepy aspects..this book has a few things that irked me. The idea that the King has all the power and every woman is at his beck and call if wanted disturbs me. It seriously made me throw up in my mouth a bit when the women would just gravel at his feet and beg him. Made me want to crawl through the pages and punch him in the solar plexus.

If you are looking for a series that is sweet and not overly graphic, then this might be for you! I really enjoyed it!

Amy Smith is allergic to everything. Everything. It's like Earth is rejecting her. Her adoptive family can't relate, her friends are worried for her, and then there's the man in her dreams whom she's obsessed with. Add in her pointy ears that she's always hiding and things couldn't be more clear...SHE"S FAE. Why can't anything that cool ever happen to me?

It ends up that the man of her dreams is actually her betrothed/soulmate in Faera. Betrothed is the story of Amy discovering her true identity, finding her soul mate, and all of the chaos that ensues. 

I can appreciate this book for what it is. I would have loved it as a younger woman who was a big fan of epic romance and fantasy. However, there are some major issues with women being viewed as property and Amy/Marla being unable to live without her man. This is not a feminist book in the least.

Amy's life is pretty average from all accounts--well, unless you take into account just how many things she is allergic too... and the voice calling out in her dreams for "Marla". Okay, so some things make her unique. Generally, though, she lives the average existence of a high school girl-- she has her two best friends (one of whom she may or may not have feelings for) and has a great family. All of that begins to change as one night she finally responds to the voice calling out--the voice that has been calling out to her.

As reality and dreams crash together Amy's...ahem, Marla's entire life changes. Instead of simply having to decide if dating the "popular" guy at school is worth her time... or the importance of attending classes she is suddenly thrust into a world where she might not even be human and her past and future are no longer clear.

This was a pretty good book and I really do think that the Betrothed Series will be a good one. I didn't love how much the idea of the bond between the betrothed was pushed. I wish that somehow the ability to get to know each other was added into the relationship. Only a few times did either character comment on how little they really know about each other. Maybe I'm just jealous, though, that relationships that are bonded so much are not a reality( ;])--in all seriousness though, I do wish that there was more relationship building and not just the lustful draw.

I am interested in how this series (mostly the relationship between Leif and Marla as well as finding Marla's family) is worked out.

Ringrazio NetGalley per avermi dato l'opportunità di leggere questo libro, in cambio di un'onesta opinione.
Che dire, l'avevo adocchiato anni fa per l'incantevole cover e la trama accattivante, che mi ricordava a tratti il romance di Twilight ma con un'innovazione in più: quella di rendere reale il ragazzo dei propri sogni, o in questo caso, dei sogni della protagonista Amy (che viene chiamata "Marla" in ogni sogno che fa).
Il tutto si mescola ad una mitologia senz'altro fantastica, quella delle fate, che sembrano farci vivere una favola ma che in realtà non sono esattamente quello che sembrano. Non avevo mai letto un libro sulle fate prima d'ora, e questo per me è stato un'enorme innovazione, anche se non mi ha soddisfatto pienamente.
I personaggi sono fantastici, non lo nego, e svolgono ogni azione in funzione della trama... E forse il problema è proprio questo, dal momento che avrei preferito approfondire di più, scoprirne di più sulla loro storia. Avrei voluto che fossero più oscuri, o più profondi, o più dinamici.
Al contrario di ciò, posso affermare che il libro è stracolmo di magia incantevole e mitologia sensazionale, proveniente dalle migliori fiabe che mi hanno lasciato a bocca aperta. Non ho smesso un attimo di leggere.
Sicuramente una lettura molto piacevole, adatta all'estate e alle lettrici più giovani, nostalgiche dell'amore romantico e sdolcinato di Edward e Bellla, in un'ambientazione più dettagliata e meglio strutturata.

Really enjoyed reading this book!! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

I hate giving a negative review, but.. This was tough to get through.  It was archaic how the author describes the Fae having literal soulmates and being betrothed to the one random person who has the other piece of your soul and how much power they hold over each other.  Even stranger was the subject-king allegiance/ subject-to-king. Implement adoration and zero power to refuse them.  The only character I sort of understood was Atara.  Leif is deluded into thinking things will go so well, and Marla is a sniveling girl who has low self esteem so doesn't stand up for herself.  I'm sorry to say I won't be looking for the rest of the series.

Left review on Goodreads.

Betrothed was a fun story!  It is set during high school, so it has a young tone, but I found myself enjoying it all the same.  I did find it to be a bit slow at times and was not a fan of the love triangle element, but I do love soulmate stories.  I'm glad to have read it.

Being allergic to everything, must have been a horrible teenage experience. Being adopted into a great family from the time she was just a baby, Having two best friends that were great support system. It seems Amy's life how huge ups and huge downs. Furthermore, Having these crazy dreams of this guy calling out a name "Marla" has her staying up at night.

Finally taking the courage, to speak to mystery man, brings a whole new light. More Questions on who she is, consumes her.  Getting the answers from Leif (mystery man) and others that know her, overwhelms her.

But she takes this journey, rides it out, and realizes that the good things, are not all that good. Ramifications of others past decisions, could be the ultimate downfall. 

After finishing this, i have to go get the next book.