Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book and it in no way affects my review, my thoughts are my own.

Let me start of by saying that as I child my favorite Disney movie was the sleeping beauty, So when I head that this was a sort of sleeping beauty retelling (or had elements of it) and was LGBT, I was freaking out and SSOOOOO excited.

The writing style was really up my alley. I enjoyed the way the story telling. I adored the way the relationships and sexuality, gender of the characters was presented it felt organic and like a oh that's just apart of them rather than the story.

The representation in this book is delightful to read about. The main romance is a M/M romance, there is a married F/F couple and a they/them side character which I loved to see and get to know them. That is part of what I really loved about this book, the casual-ness of it all.

Now plot wise, this is not "the best book I have ever read in my life", I would've like a little less info dumping and more detailed imagery to really understand the image the author wanted us to see in our minds. I action is nice, but not mind-blowing. This to me felt more like a character driven story, while there is a lot of action scenes and is quite fast paced if you want to read an action packed book this is not it. The best part is the characters interacting with one another, or at least it was for me. The action was nice but did not tickle my fancy, because it is nothing out of this world or that kept me on the edge of my seat.

There is a scene which

SPOILER START

did not make sense to me .. I am all for romance and sex and all but it happens when they are on a time crunch and action is happening which is urgent. So not the best timing

END SPOILER

Anyhow, I loved the side characters and each character within this story felt tangible and not bland and boring.

This is more of a romance book in a fantasy setting to me rather than a fantasy, so if this is not something you enjoy I would not recommend it. However this is something I personally love, so it was a super fast and fun read for me, even though it wasn't marketed as a romance. The world is also super interesting, despite the world-info dumping side of it.

The writing is also not as clear for imagery all the time with a lot of metaphor-ish stuff or rather flowery writing, so beware if this annoys you.

Overall a great read for me. it ended up rounding up to a 3.85 stars and so a 4 stars is what I settled on in the end. If you love paranormal romance books, or fantasy books that are heavy on romance this is a must read.

4/5 stars

Bookarina.

I struggled to get into this book, though not due to anything being necessarily wrong with the writing. However, I requested a copy of a book labeled LGBTQIA / Romance / Sci Fi & Fantasy... and felt like I read a middle grade or *maybe* a young adult novel (if you squint).

The story was a cute and quick read, but when I think of those categories without a grade level indicator or youth-related label, I tend to imagine a more mature or heavy plot. Instead, it felt fluffy and didn't leave much of an impression on me.

Note: I couldn't find anything online to determine a grade level on this book, and I'm no expert to come up with one myself.

Cute, queer, fun, and overall a good time, with a few things that I personally just don't like that much.

Rep: Merrick and his family are black (bronze skin with curly black hair), according to Larkin much of the islanders have brown skin and black hair, the main romance is mlm, Merrick's older sibling uses they/them pronouns, and it's a generally homophobia/transphobia/racism free world, except in the use of fae/human relations as an allegory for race and colonialism.
TWs: non graphic sex scene, violence, 16+

This book I think did best in the worldbuilding and character development; Merrick is delightful and hilarious, Larkin is adorable and sweet, and they have good chemistry. They're also both really funny with Cassidy, Merrick's sibling, their daughter Elemi, and Merrick's father Nye. I think the characterization of Rosamund was also done very well, especially in relation to Larkin. But the world! What I wouldn't give to live on Eidolonia, it's such a beautiful, magic island. The plot is also quite good, it's explained well and not confusing, and it's gripping throughout the whole book. Unlike a lot of fantasies, I think the author, for the most part, finds a pretty good balance between the characters/relationships and the plot, and both are written fairly well.
As far as things I didn't like, I personally prefer slow-burn romances and get kind of bored as soon as the characters are together, so while the romance was cute, I didn't love it since they were together for a lot of the book (also, it's a pretty short timeline and I felt like they were developing feelings pretty quickly). On that note, a lot of the relationship drama happened publicly (in front of the fae), which is something I just really hate as a concept. Additionally, a lot of the plot was dependent on their relationship, which was fine, but sometimes I think the solutions felt a little too easy, especially towards the end.
But, overall, the book was entertaining, I had a good time, and Larkin and Merrick are cute together; they have good chemistry.

DNF. The bones of a really good story are here, but I think it would have benefited from another round of rewrites and edits - it feels very simplistic. However, I don't think it's a bad book, and I suspect a lot of readers will enjoy it - I know I'll be recommending it to a few people I know.

I want to note something here before getting into the review. I’m used to ARCs having poor formatting, but this was possibly one of the worst I’ve actually seen – it made reading it difficult, and I very nearly DNF’d this early on. However, I stuck with it, pushed through, and actually really enjoyed the story itself. But seriously, sometimes I think publishers do authors a disservice when ARCs are almost unreadable. I am grateful to Central Avenue Publishing for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley, I am glad I stuck with the book, but the reading experience was, at times, difficult.

Okay! Now for the review.

To secure a truce between the fairy Ula Kana and the humans on the north Pacific Island of Eidolonia, Prince Larkin is put in an enchanted sleep in 1799, one which ensures Ula Kana remains sleeping, too. His family are told it is only temporary, until another way is found. But two centuries later he is accidently awoken by modern-day witch Merrick Highvalley. The spell releases Ula Kana as well, and the two must enter the fae realm, looking for a way to stop her.

Larkin and Merrick were both really engaging characters, both starting a little self-centred and reckless, but as the story goes on, they learn to overcome their differences. Merrick cares deeply for his sibling and niece, and Larkin struggles to come to terms with the modern world and technology. They have their vulnerabilities, in a way you don’t often see with male characters.

The fae world created in this story was beautifully written, descriptions covering all five senses, and really evocative imagery used. Lava Red Feather Blue feels different from other Fantasy style Romances, and the use of fae and the different lands, their hierarchy, the use of elements all blend together really well, giving this a really solid sense of worldbuilding.

Both the story and world feel comforting in familiarity, but unique in key ways. There’s no hand wrangling over sexuality or gender, no ‘torment’ for those who are not cis het. There’s no ‘coming out’ or explanations – instead, this is very much a world where everyone is free to love who they love and be who they are, though there is danger for those who love the fae.

Despite the issues when I first started this book, I ended up really enjoying it, and getting totally engrossed in Merrick and Larkin’s quest, and the world they venture through. If you like Fantasy with strong Romance elements, fae, and wonderful world-building, I suspect you’ll really enjoy Lava Red Feather Blue.

Overall Rating: 3.7/5
World Building: 3.5/5
Character Development: 3/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Pacing: 3/5
Writing Style: 3.7/5

Content Warnings: Death, Sex, Violence.

Lava Red Feather Blue is LQBTQ+ fantasy book that follows Larkin, a twenty six year old prince who was put into a magical sleep as part of a truce to protect his kingdom and the human realm in order to stop the evil villain Ula Kana.
Many years later Merrick, a half-fae human, accidentally awakens him, putting at risk the island of Eidolonia as they know it.
Both, Larkin trying to make sense of his new reality and Merrick figuring out what to do with his life, embark into this journey to the tricky and dangerous fae lands to seek help and save the world.

I very much enjoyed Lava Red Feather Blue. I’m usually weary about fantasy standalone books because when I get invested so much in the world building or the magic system I end up disappointed when it’s finally over and I know there won’t be a continuation ‒ especially if it has potential to have a sequel. And while I still want to know more about how the fae world works, their many realms and its leaders, I'm also satisfied with what Molly Ringle provided for us.

What I liked about the book:

How it starts. I liked how we got into the action right at the very beginning and learned what went down the moment of the truce.

I loved that Larkin didn’t have the hero “ I have to save the world from doom because I'm the prince and it’s my duty to protect everyone” complex. He does want to stop Ula Kana from destroying the human lands but he’s also tired of the war that’s been chasing him for centuries and won’t be persuaded to give up on his freedom. He is his own person and won’t let anyone dictate otherwise.

The Fae World. I found it very interesting how different the lands that exist within the fae world are and exploit different emotions and desires (lust, anger, etc).

How the author managed to mix modern technology with magic.

The book title. What caught my attention besides the cover was the title name. I was pleasantly satisfied when we got an explanation for it.

The creatures and animals that roamed the fae world.

The author Afterword Notes. Molly gives us a glimpse into her mind and explains how some of the most important factors of the book came to be.

What i disliked about the book:

The pacing was really slow the first half of the book and the events of the last chapters went by so fast I had to stop several times to process what was happening to not miss anything.

The creatures and animals that roamed the place were cool but not so much when they kept showing up at the most convenient of times.

Ula Kana 's lack of backstory. I love a well written complex villain but unfortunately i didn’t get one this time. We are given an overall explanation as to why she wants to destroy humans but that alone didn’t work for me. It felt shallow and the easy way to go around it and I wasn't entirely convinced by it.


Final thoughts:

Overall I found Lava Red Feather Blue entertaining. Merrick and Larkin’s relationship is what sold this book for me. Their rants and cuteness made me root for them the entire time while i was reading. So if you are looking for a fantasy book with a magical quest, creepy creatures, romance and a satisfying conclusion, this book is for you.

I wanted SO much to love this book...
But sadly it just wasn't for me..
I like the plot, but I couldn't really bond with the characters for some reason, and the writing style wasn't my cup of tea..
Good story and loved that this was kinda a retelling of sleeping beauty, I just didn't love the whole package.

Very creative world-building in a contemporary fantasy set on a hidden Pacific island. A little bit reminiscent of Rainbow Rowell's Simon Snow books with a lot less humor and a little more heat between protagonists. The first half of the book is more character-driven, and the second half nearly all action. Despite all the goings-on in the second half of the book, I did find that my interest waned.

For me, I didn't have a solid connection to the characters that left me invested in all the action. I would have preferred a bit more insight into the quiet moments and inner worlds of the protagonists. Some of my favorite parts of this book were the several instances of very beautiful poetry interwoven into the story. I hope this author will consider publishing some of her poetry outside of her novels!

Loved: The poetry & the creative world-building of the magical society.
Liked: The early, flirtatious moments between the protagonists. (I would have enjoyed many more opportunities for these moments in the book)
Didn't like: The villain, and the action sequences, which seemed to happen very quickly back to back with little pause to digest.

Review posted on my GoodReads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3672732797

My Rating- 2.8 Stars

This book had so many folklore elements, and the Eidolonians were progressive and inclusive. The book didn’t have any homophobia, and I liked the queer rep. The fantasy bit wasn’t over the top but was exotic and adventurous. The fae realm was filled with small surprises and was the best part of the book. I just wished the book was short and had the depth that I looked for. I liked this book but didn’t enjoy it as I thought I would.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Lava Red Feather Blue was a book I constantly found myself getting pulled into. I read this book over a long period of time which is uncommon for me but it was nice getting to look more over the book. The characters in the book hooked me from the start when we met them. They are all very unique and along with them, we are given good well-hidden descriptions of how the world around them works.
We follow our two main characters, Merrik the half-fae witch, and Larkin the prince who was put in a sleep in order to keep the evil fae Ula Kana trapped. The way Ringle deals with the idea of this historical figure suddenly in the modern world and is done very well.
The character writing this book had many layers for the most part. There were some characters that I felt were just shoved into the book to have a reason for certain problems and the character seemed shallow and we didn’t meet them much. Other than that though all of the other characters had multiple layers and no layer matched with another character.
The world-building was done well. Of course, it takes place in our world, but the island that it takes place on is a world of its own and the author did a great job crafting the island around them. The fae part of the island is described in beautiful but not overwhelming detail.
One thing that bugged me with the book was how long it took to get to the heart of the plot. I felt the beginning of the book dragged for a bit before we could get to the actual adventure. It did give us time to understand our two main characters and our main villain Ula Kana. I feel though some stuff that we were given as information, in the beginning, could’ve been withheld to be put forward at a better time.
Now for character relationships. I loved our two main characters and while I did love their relationship I felt as though some aspects were too rushed. I felt as if the basis of the relationship was shallow although it does feel like something that can become more. The family dynamic between Merrick, his niece, his sister, and his father is very well written.
Overall I gave this book a five out of five stars. Despite its few faults overall I highly enjoyed it.

What can I say? I absolutely fell in love with this book. Normally waking up a prince would be the perfect ending to a fairytale, but this time it is actually the beginning of the story. Merrick wakes up Prince Larkin by accident from a 200-year sleep. This is not necessarily the problem, but by waking up Larkin he also has awoken Ula Kana. Ula Kana is a faery with only the goal to make the humans leave the fae's island. She and Larkin were both put to sleep as a truce between humans and fae.

This book was just amazing. I love how there are a lot of LGBTQ characters included, and by a lot, I really mean a LOT. It was there but it did not become the central focus of the book. It was just a fantasy book with a gay relationship and a non-binary sibling.

The buildup to the story's plot was perfect. It was timed good and did not move too fast or slow. The world-building was amazing and I love how the author made up the fae territory.

The relationship between Larkin and Merrick needed time to grow and that was exactly what this story needed. It probably would have been a cliche if the two of them would have fallen in love within the first hundred pages of the book.

This story really kept me in a reading mood, and I wanted to keep reading it. But at the same time, I did not want the story to be over. Which is the perfect balance for me. I would definitely advise this book to fellow fantasy readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Ave Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This unfortunately will be a DNF at 50%. It is almost entirely due to the painful formatting of the book. I've put it down and tried to return to it a couple times, but it makes it difficult to tell who is speaking in a scene, when the scene changes. With it being so hard to follow along I am unable to follow the story.

The bones of the story seem good and I love that this is a queer fairy tale of sorts, which was why I wanted to keep pushing through. There is a lot fo world building, that combined with the formatting just left me lost.

I will hopefully get a chance to check this book out fully once it's released.

First, the title is beautiful and the cover is gorgeous. It is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a boy and there is LGBTQIA + representation, it’s on! Loved the characters, loved the story, enjoyed every bit of it. It did take me a while to finish it because some parts of the book felt long, but I will definitely buy my own physical copy of this book when it becomes available in my country. We need more books like these.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC, I appreciate it.

I received the arc thanks to Netgalley

I am very disappointed about not liking this one the plot sounded so good but in the end (at least for me) it didn’t deliver, it was just so boring, I didn’t care about what was happening and I didn’t care much about the characters, it felt as they were going on circles and I just started to lose interest half way there until I no longer wished to continue reading.

I first want to thank NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for giving me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. I laughed, squeed, sobbed, was in suspense, felt anxious, was surprised, and so much more. I truly appreciate the complexity Ringle brought to each character. I loved how even though reading the book felt like an escape, it also remained realistic, in that, it was not a perfect, fairytale story. That being said, by the end of chapter one, I had a lot of assumptions and expectations of some of the key plot points that might happen in the book. However, I found the book and story so well written, that even when those things did happen, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading every page of the book.

There is so much more I want to say about this book, but I am not sure how else I can express my love for this book without giving away spoilers. If you love fantasy, fae, quests, LGBTQ representation, magic, and/or well written, complex characters, I highly encourage you to pick up this book once it's out. Once you start, you won't be able to think about anything else until you've reached the end. And then you'll still be thinking about it.

Content Warnings: fighting, death, one sex scene

To start, thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an eARC of this novel for review, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Also, in terms of eARCs this is the closest one to a draft that I have ever gotten and while I found all of the punctuation errors very distracting, I am trying to not let it sway my opinions.

The concept is fun and interesting, but it could use a little slimming down and streamlining. There is a lot of exposition and descriptions in certain areas that could be trimmed down to help the plot more a little bit more. I'm also not entirely convinced that the characters really acted their age for the most part. They were cute, it was slow-burn, but I wanted to feel more emotion.

I'm sure that a queer retelling of Sleeping Beauty will appeal to many people and most of the problems that I had can be fixed up in time for the actual release.

I was drawn to this book by the blurb about a man awakening “a sleeping beauty of a prince”. Fairytales, boys in love,.. What’s not to love? The blurb was enticing and promising.
Did the book deliver on the blurb promise?
So-so. It did follow the promised plot. A prince was asleep, a pretty witch woke him up by mistake, thereby awakening the bad fae Ula Kana who wants to conquer the human lands. The characters were likable, and what can I say, I am a sucker for boy on boy love and fairytale retellings, so spot on for those. I do want to see more LGBT fantasy, more fairytale retellings, and thankfully it looks like there are more and more of those, which pleases me enormously.
I did like the fact that the prince didn't want to be put into sleep and he was forced into it. I liked his anger about it. I liked that the bad witch who left him to rot wasn't so bad after all.

However, the book didn’t grab me as I’d hoped and I think I have figured out why: the book read very childish to me.
Well, here is the thing: to be drawn into a book, to believe in the characters, in their quests, in their angst, in their joy, you need to be able to feel what they feel, to see the depth in them - and by that I don’t just mean backstory. The problem here, in my opinion, is a lack of character “voice.” Children’s tales often have a generic voice - though sometimes the narrator’s voice is quirky enough to make them fascinating. But adult books need a strong narrator/character voice to carry the story and to draw the reader in. I has to do with telling versus showing, but that isn’t all. The quirkiness, the sarcasm, the humor, the bitterness that make an adult voice were lacking here.
Another side of the problem was that we are asked to believe that this evil Ula Kana was very powerful and could demand things like the human lands, cause wars, bring destruction and that the only solution was to put her to sleep by putting the prince into sleep, too.
But we don’t really see that destruction. We get no sense of real suspense and epic evil. The book starts with a scene of battle where we barely see any fight going on, where the royal family seem to be battling a handful of warriors and then Ula Kana is brought forth, bound and ready to be put to sleep. Again later in the book, where we meet her, she barely does anything more than any bad fairy would do. Is she so powerful? I got no sense of that. And the wanderings of the two boys after the first half to ask the other fae if they will be on the humans’ side was more like a romantic, fun romp in the woods.
Oh they get hurt. But their hurts are easily fixed. They even have phones with them, and provisions, and all in all, it all seemed a bit too easy.

Did I love it? No, not entirely. I wanted to. It didn’t work for me. But it was kind of fun, too.
Did I love the characters? I liked them, but in a superficial way. I didn’t feel I really knew them.
What was the heat level? Low/sweet. Only one sex scene, worded in a very veiled vocabulary.
Was the ending satisfying? Well, yes. Happy endings all around. It wasn’t deeply satisfying, but that’s okay.

Overall impression: a fun book, easy-reading, with lots of fantasy creatures and a sweet LGBT love story

Can we just take a second to admire this beautiful cover, please? *drools* It's stunning, I can look at it all day long <3

As for the story, it took me a moment to get into it. There was some explaining for the reader's sake, especially in the beginning, which made it harder for me to lose myself in it.

The romance side plot plays a big part in the story. It was quite clear right away that these two characters would get together, but I still enjoyed seeing their relationship progress and how everything came together for them. It was a sweet build-up, and I'm always up for more LGBTQ+ rep! What did surprise me was how steamy this relationship got. I didn't mind it, but it's important to note that one heavy chapter makes this unsuitable for younger. The details didn't leave much to the imagination and caught me off-guard since the rest of the book was nothing like this. Again, I didn't mind it, but it was unexpected.

For me, the overall tone was a little confused. It reads like a YA novel that wants to be a middle grade at heart. Or maybe the author comes from a middle grade background and tried to make this one more grown-up? I think that's a big part of what made the steamy scene such a surprise, too. Besides that, there's a tiny bit of swearing, but it's really not much (and to be honest, kids hear much worse at school anyway). I would have liked it to be more YA or A all the way, but that's personal preference and quite possibly me overthinking it.

The world building is great with heaps of potential and intrigue! I'd definitely visit Eidolonia given half the chance, and the diverse characters were a huge plus for me.

There were a few moments where I thought it might be setting up for a sequel, but the ending wrapped everything up. If you're looking for a standalone epic fantasy (it is sort of set in our world, but none of the action leaves Eidolonia or the fae realm), then this could be a great read for you!

(My review will follow on Amazon once the book is out.)

To summarise the plot in one long winded sentence, Lava Red Feather Blue is a queer fantasy fairy tale about a modern day witch living on a pacific island filled with fae, that’s hidden from the rest of the world by magic, who accidently wakes a prince who’s been in a magic sleep for over 200 years, thereby releasing a faery bent on eradicating humans from the island.

     I was first drawn to Lava Red Feather Blue for its beautiful colour and second for what sounded like an entertaining romantic fae adventure and I’m glad I gave this a read. While not a perfect book, I had a very enjoyable time following Merrick and Larkin on their quest to stop Ula Kana and would recommend this story to people who enjoy queer romances and fae settings with my rating landing somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars.

     Where this book shone for me was with its characters. Merrick and Larkin made for great main characters to follow as I thought they were bought quite likable and endearing and I enjoyed how varied the side characters were. There were quite a lot of characters throughout this story and I did sometimes wish that more time could have been spent with them but for how many there were, I thought they all stood out quite a bit.

     World building is another strong point for the book with the story taking place in two distinct settings - the modern day urban setting of the island's humans and the mysterious fae lands. The beginning of the story is somewhat clunky in its world building admittedly with a lot of telling rather than showing to get a lot of historical and political information across to the reader but the island is nevertheless an interesting place to learn about. What I loved most about the world was just how inclusive it was with LGTB romances being common and accepted without question even back in the 1700’s and the use of ‘they’ as Cassidy’s pronouns just being accepted by everyone. The inclusiveness definitely made the world a joy to read and I wouldn’t be against reading more stories set in the same place.

     One of the weaker points of Lava Red Feather Blue is the plot and it’s not to say that the plot is terrible, there’s nothing really bad about it, but I didn’t love the pacing of it. It’s a relatively slow paced story to begin with which I wasn’t against as I do enjoy slower paced starts that give you time to get to know the characters and world but it’s not until the midpoint of the book that Merrick and Larkin set off on a quest to the fae lands. There are 3 distinct fae worlds to traverse with important plot happening in each one and it definitely felt like too much happened in this section of the book compared to the first half.

     While the odd plot pacing and sometimes clunky world building can take some enjoyment from reading it, I still think Lava Red Feather Blue is overall a solid read and while I imagine most people may not count it as their favourite book, I think it is something that you can still get plenty of enjoyment from if you’re looking for a fairy tale romance retelling.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book! My opinions are my own.

I know they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but what about its title? Something about it just lured me in immediately, and my enthusiasm only grew when I learned it was about a sleeping curse, in a land of witches and fae.

Merrick is a descendant of the powerful witch Rosamund Highvalley. She was the one to put prince Larkin under a sleeping spell over 200 years ago, and in doing so trapping the dangerous faery Ula Kana in a sleep-prison of her own. She made a deal with the fae - as long as both stay asleep, the truce will last. If either one wakes up, so will the other. So when Merrick accidentally awakens prince Larkin from his long sleep, there's more to worry about than just having missed 2 centuries.

I very much enjoyed reading this book and finished it in a few days, which is quick for me. I liked the interaction between Merrick and Larkin, and their adventures in the fae lands. I also thought it was great that the main characters were 2 guys falling in love. This story would have been exactly the same with a princess instead of a prince. I loved how being gay isn't an issue in this book, but just something normal. It's good to have representation in a 'regular' YA faery story.

However, there were also some things I thought could have been done differently. I would have liked to have a bit more back story about Ula Kana. How did she become this way? I feel like it's all being glossed over quickly just to focus more on the plot, but for me few more descriptions would have helped the story. The same goes for the fae. There are a lot of different types of fae, but we don't get more than a glimpse of how their world works, and how they do and don't interact with humans. I mean, I know that's a big part of the plot, but I'd like to know more about the why of it all.

Still I enjoyed this book a lot, it was definitely worth reading. It may not have been the most surprising book ever, but it's a nice getaway into a magical faery land!