This book is beautiful. It's well written, engaging, and exciting. I felt the character development was great, and the characters were mostly likable.

This is the kind of book that I don't like to do a huge overview on, because I don't want to give too much away. I will sum the premise up shortly.: Henrietta (Hetta) comes home after a long absence for her father's funeral. Home is a magical estate that chooses it's own ruler. Hetta is positive that she won't be the next ruler, but rather her cousin should be next in line. But there is something else lurking around the fringes of the estate, ready to attack the new ruler.

This book is a beautiful mix of romance, mystery, intrigue, and magic. I can't recommend it enough. This is a 5 star book for me and I don't give a 5 star rating lightly. 5 stars for me means that I will read this book over and over, I will buy it on any format I can get, and I will recommend it to ANYONE who will listen. Good job to this author. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for her!

***I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

What a fun story! It was like a steampunk sort of story with magic and “electrik” elements in a seemingly 1900s-1920s England setting. Hetta was a fabulous character, completely comfortable in her own skin and unapologetic for being herself. She was smart, funny, direct and kind. I enjoyed the developments of the story with her brother, but would have liked to see her cousin be more helpful. The only downside was that it was too short! I would have liked to have seen more detail and world building! Looking forward to the next story as this is the first of four.

I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 4/5

Can I just say how gorgeous this cover is! This is one of the reasons I wanted this book and I am so glad I asked for it because it was a phenomenal start to what I expect will be a great fantasy series!

Lancaster did an AMAZING job developing the characters! Hetta is very strong and confident in herself which makes for an even better heroine for a series. Especially one that involves a fae aspect and while this book didn't have a lot of fae and fantasy elements in it, I can see the author's reasoning for focusing on setting up the world and developing the characters to be where and who they need to be so that when the sequels arrive with all their much awaited adventures, Lancaster doesn't need to add much focus on the world building. I cannot wait for the next books to see what Hetta will experience!

For the most part, this book was a fun read. I found myself loving Hetta and her personality, and while I was a little confused by her relationship with Wyn, it helped to further the story so I did like it. The book almost bored me in the beginning, since it started to go in one direction and then all of a sudden it completely subverted that and went in a new direction that I found refreshing and intriguing. The book did a good job of making me want to keep going. I wanted to keep reading as I kept going, and felt as though I could not guess what was going to happen next.
The biggest confusion I had was the era that this takes place in, and the rules of the world. It seemed as though magic was a part of everyday life for the main characters, but I wasn't sure what kind of technology Stariel had, and what time this was supposed to take place. I also wanted to see more about what Stariel looked like. I felt as though there was such a large canvas to work with, but that AJ Lancaster didn't quite go into it as much as they could have.
By the end of the book, I was invested in both the characters and the story, and felt as though Hetta was a well rounded character who would have an interesting arc in the next book. Her story felt a little stagnant because of how the plot of the overall book went, but since there are three more books, I hope that her character will continue to change and grow through the rest of the series.

I think this is best described as pleasant. It's very sweet and progressive, sort of reminding me of a Stephanie Burgis or Charlie Holmberg book. It very much reads like a first novel, but I have all faith that future installments will only improve now that the initial world building and characterization is out of the way.

I do love the sprawling, and ultimately loving, family at the center here. Their relationships are complicated and often fraught, but it was endearing to see siblings, half-siblings, and cousins sticking together. The human 'villains' are merely selfish and dishonest- not evil, cackling plotters, which was actually refreshing. I suppose we'll see more nefarious intentions later on as the characters become more involved with the fae.

Honestly I don't think the library budget is going to stretch to all the books I want to get in although I am definitely recommending this one - and will recommend it to parents and teens/ midgraders - because this was so much fun. I loved the world building. The plot is quite gentle and possibly slower than I normally like but it just worked for this book. Hetta was a wonderful character. I had a blast reading this light hearted fantasy. Highly recommend.

An enjoyable book with fleshed out characters. Hetta is an incredible character and has quite the sense of humor. Unfortunately, not everyone understands her and that was hilarious. So, if you're looking for a strong female lead and you like you're fantasy this is the book for you.

I finished the copy I received from Netgalley a few days ago, but have been struggling to write this review. This was such a good book that I don’t want to spoil it, but there are only so many ways to do that. But, I’ll try my best. First off, this book is funny, lighthearted and a little cheeky. If you’ve read Ben Aaronovitch’s books about the Folly- you’d understand how I mean. The serious bits are handled with the best- Hetta was the black sheep and didn’t have the best relationship with her family, but she isn’t flippant about his death. There’s a great deal of animosity with most of the family, but she is realistic in how she handles it. The characters are all well written, and the dynamics are cleverly written. In the end, I like how the relationships really make this book, and how the big reveal has nothing to do with the magic, and everything to do with how the people are. I am really looking forward to seeing where the rest of this series takes us, and how these characters grow.

Hetta returns home after a six-year exile following the death of her father. She returns not in rags and shambles, but in triumph—eager to show her face, demonstrate her talents and then go back to the city after the estate of Stariel chooses its next Lord.

But danger lurks in the fairy realm, and it turns out that the Lord of Stariel were once more than just impoverished backwater lordlings.

I have a soft spot for scary fairies and secondary-English-type fantasy worlds, particularly ones with trains, electricity and the beginnings of modernity that don't have a single fucking mention of corsets in sight.

Lemme repeat that for the kids in the back: NO. CORSETS.

While a lot of the plot could have been wrapped up rather quickly, I was fascinated by the detailings of Stariel and the world that it resided in. I also enjoyed that it very much is a fantasy of manners, with the feel of Newt's Emerald, or The Paper Magician, with the sense of isolation and magic like Iron Shoes.

The plot itself wasn't particularly twisty or turny (again, the writing, setting and Hetta are the keys), but there were a couple of twists that I didn't really see coming, so that was an added excitement.

The writing is enchanting, and Hetta herself is a fully developed character. Maybe I have a weak spot here, because I feel for characters who return home after a long absence from family and their previous life due to a particularly toxic family member. That moment Hetta has, when she realizes that nothing her family can do or say can impact her because she has her own life and means of support was so breathtakingly poignant.

I truly hope that more people pick up this wonderful book and stay tuned for the rest of the Stariel quartet, because the ending certainly leaves room for more development!

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

3.5/5. The first quarter of the book felt so slow that the cover illustration was actually more intriguing than the story itself, but then the plot picked up the pace and I was rather hooked. As a lead female character, I liked Hetta and related to her. By the end of the story, I felt like I knew all of the characters personally. What I especially enjoyed was the utterly dysfunctional Valstar family dynamic, and yet they accomplish so much when working together. As I've read in similar reviews, I had trouble believing the main characters were in their late-twenties or thirty-years-old. They seemed younger to me. All in all, this was the start of, I'm sure, a fun, fantasy and adventure-filled "quartet" of a series. I would be interested in reading its follow-up.

I loved this! All the characters were so well developed and relatable. All the secrets will keep you guessing throughout the story. Suitable for all ages. A lighthearted mystery that includes the Fae and mortals. Tells about the importance of family and sticking together. A great read!

3.75/5 stars (rounded up)

To keep it simple, this wasn't my favorite take on these type of stories, but it was an interesting one at that. I found it odd that our charcaters were much older than I expected, but yet the language and writing style was more geared toward the typical YA audience (late teens early 20s I'd say). It actually made for an interesting way for me to relate and feel for the characters, which didn't make everything seem so out of place. It does start off quite so, and sometimes agonizingly so, but it does pick up once our main plot event gets rolling. It's all uphill from there and man it's actually pretty fun. My reasoning for not making it entirely 4 stars is just that it was just so slow, along with some other plot points and characters I felt may benefit from some more editing. Despite this, it was actually a pretty nice book and I love that the ending isn't so close-ended where it's like "Ok guys that's it! We're done!". It leaves it to where you could have this alone on your shelf and be completely content with it, or if anything else in this world (spin-off, sequel, etc) were to have a novel then it would be great too. I'd actually recommend this, but push through the beginning and you'll end up enjoying it.

All thoughts and opinions are my own. ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Three and a half
The characters here are grown ups but it does read as if it's aimed at slightly younger readers as there's not really any violence or indeed sexual relationships . If I'm brutal I struggled initially as I didn't buy into the newly returned heroine and her odd fascination for those guys she left behind. I do hasten to add that once the new Lord is apparently chosen this story got a lot more interesting. It felt as if the author had got into his or her stride and settled down to flesh out the characters, the world and get the readers trying to guess how it could end. It can stand alone in some ways but it's left in such a way that I feel anyone who enjoys this will be anxious to find out what happens next.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair