I have been wanting to leave a review for this book for a while but couldn't quite put into words how I felt about it.

I didn't enjoy it sadly - I'm a big fan of faeries, fae and all things magical but this book felt very young.
Seeing on amazon it is now rated as a 12-18 - I felt like it would probably suit ever younger at points - although there are some more mature topics around differences within the faeries.

I loved the cover, the idea of the book and some of the descriptions - however it just fell flat overall.

Big thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publishers.

I was a little confused when I first went into this one as we seem to be thrown in a little and could probably use a chapter or so as a lead up to the problem at hand. I loved the idea and a lot of the plot but for some reason I just couldn’t fully immerse in this one.

The Final Offering by D.G. Gatewood. So, I enjoy reading novels that feature around fairies. This book is about a fairy named Thule. Her life turns upside down when the Grimmox, a different fairy race, appears and Thula joins the army. So we are clear, the Grimmox is a different fairy race from Thula and they want to take over Haloti territory.

I wasn't comfortable with the topics brought up in the story. Such as discrimination in the fairy world because they have a different skin color.

We do eventually find out why there is such a feud between the fairy races. The book was okay and I have rated it 2 stars. I feel we got some of the story build up and we can lead into different adventures.

Lastly, I want to thank the author, the publishers and Netgalley for giving me this opportunity to read this novel. I have agreed to receive a free arc inexchange for a review.

The book is about Thula who is a fairy whose life is put into chaos due to a Grimmox appearing in her territory and has to join an army as a result. A story with suspiciousness and a little adventure.

So, I LOVE fairies, that is why i picked up this book. However it didn't quite impress me all that much but it was a fun ride.

The setting was what drew me into the story and kept me going, the Butterfly flight was my favorite! Reminded me of a scene in The Dark Crystal: AOR, which i love.

Overall an easy read, Silesia was a very good villain and fun to read, but the rest of the characters and relationships let it down.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

For me, this could have been so much more. I struggled with it, I disliked all of the characters, and it was obvious from the start exactly what was going to happen, for me it felt that there was zero imagination or effort put into this book. Sorry.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy as ever...

i really ennoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed this as a start to something. I enjoyed the way the author writes and looks forward to more from them.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book!

This was a quick, easy read with some surprisingly deep themes! I did feel that in some areas it was a bit more juvenile than others- for example in the romance area. It felt rather unbelievable in that area. I think this could be a good book for middle schoolers/early high school!

In The Final Offering we follow this young fairy named Thula. Her race is called the Haloti after their god figure, Halothias, and they all live on the upper branches of a huge tree.
We learn that the elders of the Haloti rule the society and they claim that everyone's in danger as the Grimmox, -another race of fairies- is planning to overtake the Haloti territory. However, no one has seen a Grimmox in a long time.

The topics this book included definitely surprised me. Propaganda, misinformation, racial bias, for fairies' sake, discrimination based on skin color?! I did not see this coming.

However, I really did not like the romance aspect of this book. There was seemingly no real chemistry between the main couple. Also, even though it was nice to see that the MC's best friends become a lesbian couple, in two sentences it was ruined for me, when Thula hammered into my face that she is so happy that her race does not discriminate between any types of sexuality. I just think it could've been handled differently.

I did like that in the end we learned why the Haloti and the Grimmox were "enemies" and the fact that it mimics real life so well because many times feuds go way back and the original reasons are long forgotten but the agression and brutality lives on.

I really wanted to love this book but for me, it fell a bit flat. There was no background information in the beginning and the reader was thrown into a big problem that needed to be solved. I'm fine with starting at the problem but I need some history. How did they get to where they are now?

The romances felt forced and too artificial. I loved the idea of this book but it needs some fine-tuning and adjusting. Cut out some of the unneeded wording, thus reducing the number of times the reader is given too many details.

In the end, the story is great, wonderful plot but poor execution. The book could use some work but it has good bones to start.

Thula is a fairy who has her normal day to day life disrupted due to the appearance of a Grimmox in her territory. As a result she joins the changed 'army' and proceeds to try and unravel the suspicious behaviour of the elders.

I genuinely think that this could have been two good books, however the writer has tried to keep it to one and I think this is the only thing that stops it being brilliant. We dive into the middle of a problem, being introduced to Thulas world for a while with more investment in making the characters into three dimensional 'fairies' would have improved the story a lot.

I liked it, the general premise and overall storyline was strong - with some changes to the start and more layers to the characters this could be really great!

The was a story of a teenager having to make some tough decisions based on her instincts. She witnessed betrayal from those she was taught to trust and also from the one she thought she loved and who loved her. Thuna trusted what her instincts were telling her even when she thought she may be mistaken. This led her on a path of discovery and the uncovering of lies that even she had believed for most of her life. Did she have the courage and conviction to save the people she loved?
I did enjoy this book although was frustrated at times with lack of description about some of the important aspects of the story. I would go back to previous pages thinking I had missed something only to discover the explanations further into the story when it was no longer relevant. Still a good quick book to read

This book is "okay." I put it on the high end of 2.5 stars because I felt that there was nothing glaringly wrong with it, but also nothing wildly exciting about it. It's a fun and enjoyable read but not something I'll be talking about months from now. Good YA but not a trail blazer.

I wanted to like this book. Truly I did. From the very beginning though I could tell I wouldn’t be ghosted away into the story like I usually am. The way it’s written was the first sign. I can’t pin point everything exactly but a few key points:

Upon starting it we’re slammed right into the middle of an unknown problem with no lead up. I was left feeling confused and unsure about whether I’d somehow missed some chapters or pages.

The way it’s written is almost as if it may be a book for children. Writing books can be incredibly hard and time consuming. It takes lots of heart and all your strength to create a whole world with characters but I felt completely disconnected to this whole book. I absolutely HATE writing bad reviews and I don’t even want the author to feel attacked in anyway because I myself am sensitive but I also know truth is needed here.

I connect with none of the characters. I always connect with characters. In a sense I’m drawn into the world and take on the person the book is about. As if I’m living it. This felt purely as if I were reading something informational.


Descriptiveness is great! But being overtly descriptive or ‘flowery’ is not. ‘Listened with her pointed ears’ adds nothing to what’s going on making it unnecessary. Sometimes we get too caught up in explaining everything that we OVER explain- a huge issue in this book. If you can take the sentence out and the story can still continue on without making us feel as if we’re missing key details; then it’s unnecessary. Flowery words can come off as cheesy and manages to do so in some parts throughout the book.


The idea behind this book is fabulous. And it has insane potential but needs some fine tuning and tweaks. You’re definitely on to something, don’t stop writing!

Both in terms of genre and theme this book ticked a lot of boxes for me; a fantasy setting, looking at real world issues and a female protagonist. It is perhaps because it ticked so many boxes that my expectations were so high and it was such a disappointment.

I will start with the positives. Silesia was a fantastic villain: sinister, powerful and thoroughly creepy. She carried echoes of figures such as Dolores Umbridge, Katie Hopkins and Ann Widdicomb as she spewed her hateful and nationalistic bile.

Likewise the setting was creative, a lovely twist and expansion on the more common trope of fairies as woodland creatures. The plot was well paced and there were a couple of really engaging scenes: the Butterfly flight and when Thula has her first encounter with the Grimmox as she watches them hunt.

The Grimmox also held to an unusual philosophy in fiction, though nonetheless one that is easy to sympathise with and support: the idea that it is preferable to die yourself than to become a murderer. While it was partly there to contrast with the warlike Haloti's it was a welcome breath of originality.

That sadly is where my summary of the positive points ends. Thula, the protagonist, is just not believable as a character. She starts as a blank slate without personality, likes, dislikes or ambitions and ends the same way. She is good at everything she does and never seems to struggle, easily becoming top of her class, she is pretty but not vain, she comes across as lacking intelligence and yet somehow is the only one to figure out the plot. Frankly there is nothing driving her and she is described as a bit too perfect which makes it difficult as a reader to invest in her well being or care too much about her outcome, which removed any tension or suspense from the novel. Her lack of definition carries through to her relationships which seem perfunctory and one dimensional and the other characters, especially the other characters in Haloti.

The three romances, lacked so much chemistry and were so unbelievable that the book would have been better off without them. By the end of the first chapter, Amridon comes across as a rash and unlikeable character, and as the narrative closely follow's Thula's perspective, it reads as though she dislikes him too and only tolerates him because he used to be good. It is really jarring when in the next chapter they are declaring their love for each other and what follows is a relationship that barely reads as romantic with no chemistry, no palpable emotions and no stakes. I think Amridon is such a missed opportunity, he is the only character to have any kind of character development. He is possessed by Silesia on several occasions and instead of being horrified and worried for his well being it feels like he deserves it.

The other two romances simply feel token. Thula is paried up with Hetorian apparantly because he is there, and he is the first Grimmox she meets. She kisses him, again with no chemistry, after knowing him for less than a week, and he would have had a more believable reaction if he pushed her away for sexually assaulting him than declaring his feelings. The relationship between Alais and Myrani, Thula's friends, seems token. When these two characters appear only to say 'look Thula has friends' it isn't at all surprising that their relationship seems token when they barely function as characters in their own right and instead as plot devices for Thula to confide in. The announcement of the relationship is then followed by a completely superfluous, sanctimonious paragraph about how the Halotians are not prejudiced unlike several surrounding cultures. The only thing this serves to do is break the suspension of disbelief with the Haloti are an isolated people who don't seem to have contact with any other cultures, how on earth would Thula know this?

While the basic concept of the fairy tale world this is set in is good, it's realisation was clumsy and there were a few too many inconsistencies which resulted in the suspension of disbelief being broken. They hunt caterpillars which are too large to be carried back in one piece and yet they can eat berries whole. They don't live in an apple tree but eat apple pastries. The offering isn't random, they pick people problematic to the regime and yet Thula is the first Haloti ever to arrive in Grimmox to have doubt about the histories. At one point the Haloti's are told the Grimmox keep them from ever walking on the ground and at another, it's stated that they simply have to go round the Grimmox society to reach the ground. I could go on. Most fantasy novels that world build, even the one's who world build well have a few inconsistencies, but they are usually not obvious and only apparent if you think about them afterwards. These were both obvious and consistent.

Overall the idea and plot of "The Final Offering" were good, but it was poorly realised and filled with names who function as plot devices rather than characters for the most part. Had there been more attention to detail on the world building side, or had Thula been fleshed out with a motivation, any kind of struggle or a personality, the novel would have been vastly improved.