Five hundred years earlier the powerful Fae Queen fell in love with a human but obviously her husband fought her over it and as the war reached its crescendo the Fae all disappeared. Now it's some of the humans who have magic and our heroine Theorie is about to take her final tests before she's assigned a position but as this story begins Theorie has some trouble actually reaching for all of her magic.
Theorie has a comfortable life living with her guardian and is overjoyed when he gifts her a ship. Whilst inspecting it though she meets Kyte who isn't all he appears to be and Theorie finds herself abducted and on a slavers ship. Yet fate steps in and Theorie and Kyte find themselves facing not only their greatest fears but perhaps also their wildest dreams.
This was a story that just pulled me in although I hasten to point out that initially I wasn't sure if I would empathise with Theorie because in the beginning she was extremely naive and not exactly the sort of protagonist that I usually enjoy. However she quickly blooms into someone I could cheer for although the author stayed true to the fact that Theorie was a sheltered, innocent young lady.
I have no wish to ruin this story but I think the synopsis does reveal that not all the Fae are missing and that some live on hidden Islands with Wards that prevent them from leaving. Theorie and Kyte end up behind the Ward desperately trying to survive with a young child who was also about to be auctioned off. This trio find safety but nothing is as it seems. The Fae are notoriously tricky creatures but in the world created here they can lie , they can deceive and our intrepid heroine is not the only one lied to !
This definitely got better as the story progressed and the characters introduced on the Island were a good mixture of very obviously villains and even some that are confused about exactly where their loyalty should go. I particularly liked Kyte as even at the beginning he is a morally grey character who clearly has a good heart. There wasn't really enough about young Sybil to truly assess her but the ending certainly made her someone I'd like to know more about . Taren is the Fae Prince who charms Theorie but his motives are hidden from her. Yes he's the token love interest although he didn't make my heart flutter ! I was very intrigued by the magic and how it's used here. I cannot say too much but Theorie was astonishing at times and as this ended their are revelations about several characters here but frustratingly not Theorie ! I still have questions and this journey is definitely not over so if you enjoy fantasy that's not too dark or graphic then this series should be on your wishlist.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I really enjoyed this book and where the author led the story. The main characters were very relatable and I really connected to them. The book was very easy to read and I will be recommending it to all of my friends.

I found this to be very predictable, but enjoyable.

I think at this point any story that incorporates some sort of "fae" element will be predictable to me since I have read so many of those stories, but that's kind of why I liked this one so much. It does take some typical faerie plot elements and changes them up.

I loved that the main character is older on the YA/NA spectrum. I found the characters in this to be believable and I am ready, SO READY, for the second book.