This book fell just below my expectations...

Neysa learns about a new world when she moves to the UK after her father dies. This was really interesting to read as she met new people and found out there's more than what meets the eye. She is in fact a 'chosen one', but this wasn't as exciting as I hoped it to be.

I liked the writing and the pacing, but the plot just let it down. I couldn't relate to Neysa at all, and everything in this world just felt really wishy washy.

Overall. some great ideas, but ultimately I didn't love it, sadly.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc!

I love stories about the Fae and this one did not disappoint. Neysa goes to England where she meets some fun people. They're much different from her or at least she thinks they are. I won't give anything away but I think you will love the adventurous side of this book. It takes you on a magical journey where you'll meet the Fae and travel their realms. Enjoyed this book very much. I received this book from Net Galley and GenZ Publishing for a honest review. This is it.

I wanted to love this book, I really did, but just when I thought things were getting good, I couldn't shake the things that had made me wanting to dnf this book. I’m typically not the person to fixate on the negatives in a book.I completely understand that what I dislike is what someone else loves, but I just couldn't get over certain aspects of the story. I almost DNF'd it at about 20% in, but things started to pick up so I kept going.

The premise of this story is incredibly promising. The idea of a woman who moves to a new place only to discover that she is more than what she seems. I mean, who doesn't love a story with Fae characters and a plot to save the realms. While the premise is great, the execution of the plot was lacking. I didn't appreciate the lack of detail and would have loved more explanation of the world itself and the

Neysa is a 35-year-old divorcee, but I couldn’t stop imagining her as a young woman, somewhere between 18-25. She just didn't act like someone who had at one point been married and lived on her own. The other characters in the story were flat and hard to connect with, in part, because their relationships with each other seemed lacking as well.

This book had so much potential and I hate that it fell flat, especially as a debut novel for this author.

This one gets a solid 3.5 stars because I have issues with some plot holes and things that are never explained, but I enjoyed the story overall.
It turned out to be one of those books where you just have to take everything presented on the page at face value and not ask how certain things can come about. Just enjoy the emotionally charged ride and let the many plot twists take you on a magic ride where the human and fae worlds collide and the future of both worlds hangs in the balance.
I liked Neysa as a character and she has a good narrative arc with which the reader gets to explore the strangeness of the world she's thrust into along with her. I loved the twins, Silas and Corra, because at least Silas gets to be a fully-developed character and Corra is fun. I'm still undecided on Caderyn because he never really evolves beyond the mysterious, seemingly closed-off love interest. It's not as major a detail because he and Neysa don't spend too much time together, but I would have loved to get experience more facets of his personality.
Overall, it's a complex story that gets lost in its own complexity at times, but just turn off the part of your brain that expects to know how the story arrived at a particular point and enjoy the ride.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and GenZ Publishing for the early read!

I will open this review saying that I love Silas, that Silas is everything and deserves the world.
Aehm.
There isn't a lot I can say about this book without straying into the obvious "I need the sequel right now", because that's it, that's what I want.
I can say I was sort of tricked into thinking this would be an auto conclusive book, the idiotic smile I had on my face the last few chapters began to fall when I ultimately realized it would all go to… hell.
But.
But. This book was fantastic.
Admittedly, I found it odd, and fast, very fast, since you are thrown into its world so rapidly you risk whiplash. However, it makes sense with how the story evolves, so that didn't bother me much, it just really felt strange. I might be more annoyed by how fast the characters move from one place to another, but other than that, the pace is quick and enjoyable.
The lore about faes in this book genuinely confused me in the beginning, but it is interesting to say the least. The world behind the Veil is perfectly described, although I did find that reading about it made me feel like I'd been thrown a lot of information at. Still, it was very easy to imagine it, and in my mind, it's breathtaking.
I adore Silas, like, so much I want to wrap him in a blanket and protect him from the world from beginning to end. Corra is wonderful, I love a good character that can be both friend and mother hen. I think everyone needs that kind of friend, the one who would set the world on fire for you but that will also call you out on your bullshit.
Neysia is a strange character all on herself: she seems cold at first but has no hesitation in trusting her instincts - most of the time, especially when Cade isn't involved because heaven forbid that - and it was probably her reactions in the very beginning that shocked me the most. Not that it doesn't make sense, I was just baffled by how everything was going on.
And then there's Cade. Admittedly, I'd not thought of him as the actual male lead, but with each passing chapter, I understood that he was, indeed, the perfect match for Neysia.
Contrary to what this book is, their story evolves slowly, and I believe that's the perfect counterbalance to such a fast-paced story.
Which brings us back to the sequel matter.
I need it.
Please.

This story was immediately intriguing and captured my full attention from the firsts page. Within this story Neysa is thrown into a world she never knew existed. This market trader from LA is in for a wild and unexpected journey when she rents a cottage on the coast of England. Something very mundane leads her to being submerged into the world of the fae.

This was a very unique spin on a fantasy that I absolutely loved. When Neysa harmlessly befriends a family in town she has opened a door way for the fae and the fae realm to become a part of her life or better yet for her to become a part of theirs. The family being emissaries from a fae realm, charged with keeping guard of the volatile Veil between realms was another element within the story that wad very well done.

When the four crystals that keep the Veil secure go missing Neysa helps to protect the realms. She must learn about the new world she’s been thrust into and uncover the secrets in her blood. The fae guardian Caderyn and his cousin were characters besides Neysa that I immediately got attached to and fell in love with. They work together to uncover the unknown in who Neysa is and search for the crystals. But getting them back may not be enough, there may be great consequences for the future of the fae realm even if they can get the crystals back.

I honestly loved this story so much. I truly hope there is more to come because I need more of this world and these characters in my life. Thank you NetGalley for an arc.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this arc for an honest review!

The instant the premise entailed the term “fae” it was an instant beg for me to have a book that is still not in my hands in my hands. The MC whose from los angles moving to a smaller town discovering a fae realm?? A dream come true just waiting for it to be my turn. She set herself in a spectacular adventure that I just could not put the book down from how much it reminded me of one of my all time fave movies spiderwick, where they move in town and discover a completely different world. The world building and charcater development was so spectacular that I am truly still saddened this book is not in my hands.

The world-building in this was fantastic and intriguing and incredibly well thought out but unfortunately, I just couldn't connect to the main characters or the plot. It has a lot of potential and some very interesting elements but as a whole, it just didn't work for me. Definitely still a well-written and interesting fantasy novel though.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

Netgalley provided me a copy of this book.
I wanted to read it because I first noticed it on bookstagram. I fell in love with the cover and that captivating summary.
I didn't regret it but I can't say I loved it either.
The book has many many problems regarding its writing style. It seems a lot of sloppy work. Like author's brain and writing skills couldn't match up.
I was fed up with informations but it the same time the plot was going so fast that many of those reactions didn't made sense.
For the first 30% of the book I was bored out of my mind. It really had some brilliant points that could piqued my interest but they were lost in a a sea of bad written lines.
The characters, although well build, were losing points by acting like totally off.
I didn't had trouble following the course of events, reading many books with different writing styles really helped here, but I couldn't really get attach to the characters or the story.
That plot twist though... That had me hooked.
I hope the writing style in the next book really get fixed because this series have a great story to tell and it's a shame to lose points from that.

A refreshing and epic fantasy!
After falling down a YA rabbit hole earlier this year, this one was amazing to pull be back into NA/High fantasy genre! The protagonist and characters were well developed and likable, the pacing of the plot flowed smoothly, and the world-building and magic systems were great!
I always love a little bit of romance sprinkled in, and this had just that! It was nice that it wasn't predominant, but was tastefully woven in. The action and battle scenes were fun and brutal, but also well done.
Highly recommend this book and can't wait for the second!

What do we do when we need a fresh start? Move to another country, and make friends with some Fae. Obviously. When Neysa finds herself adrift after a divorce and losing her father, she decides to leave her painful past behind her and start over in a small town on the coast of England. Instantly, she makes friends with the charismatic Corra and her brother, Silas. As they spend more time together, Corra and Silas's secrets begin to unravel, and they're forced to reveal their true nature and purpose. They, along with their cousin, are trying to fix a rift in the veil between the mortal and Fae realms, and it appears they need Neysa's help to do so.

Right off the bat, one of the best elements of Jessika Grewe Glover's Another Beasts Skin is the protagonist. She's a real adult. She's already lived long enough to know who she is and what she stands for. A fully grown woman coping with anxiety issues, grief, and trauma makes for the best kind of hero because we can see ourselves in her. Along with this, while there is a romantic subplot, it isn't the only meaningful kind of relationship shown. There are strong familial bonds and genuine friendships, creating a lot more depth to each character.

Something readers may not love so much is the love triangle element. It doesn't feel authentic. The chemistry between her and one of the love interests is nearly nonexistent, even when they have their intimate moment(s?). It seems like this was added only to create more drama, as it doesn't add anything of substance to the plotline. Overall, the chemistry between both love interests falls a bit flat.

Another minor issue readers may run into is in the details. Some moments of the novel read like a history lesson, or a chemistry lecture. They almost feel like information overload, and it slows down the pacing. But, like I said, it's very minor.

With the above mentioned, I would give Another Beast's Skin 3.5 out of 5 stars. An enjoyable novel, even if a little predictable at moments. But there are definitely some events and revelations that readers won't see coming, and the novel leaves us with quite the cliffhanger, more than making up for the predictability.

Lastly, this is a novel for adults. The intimacy is not overtly explicit, but it's certainly more detailed than anyone under 18 should be reading. It falls right into the "new adult" category. If you're a fan of Sarah J. Maas but you're looking for something that isn't quite so graphic, this would be an incredible read for you.

When Neysa, a market trader from Los Angeles, rents a cottage on the coast of England, she would never have imagined the secrets she would uncover and a new world beyond this one.

In befriending a family in town, Neysa learns that they are emissaries from a fae realm, charged with keeping guard of the volatile Veil between realms. And the four crystals that kept the Veil secure have gone missing.

In a race to protect the realms, Neysa must learn about the new world she’s been thrust into and uncover the secrets in her blood. Luckily fae guardian Caderyn and his cousin are willing to help Neysa in her quest. But even if they can get the crystals back, there may be great consequences for the future of the fae realm.


Fun and very enjoyable for me, as a YA fantasy reader! Thanks a lot Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was all over the place for me, with some really great aspects and moments, and a lot of weird narrative choices, with a sprinkling of confusion.

I liked the characters for the most part, and their interactions. While relationships developed too quickly, and off page, I can see how the author was eager to get to the plot.

The world building was interesting, if occasionally infodumpy, and while not totally original, still kept me curious about how things would go.

The plot was all over the place, with training, searching for crystals, and a fae war I still don’t really understand. I think there was too much to fit into a single book without it staying super surface level, so we never get much depth in anything. It sort of flits around, and we just get tugged along in the narrative drift. It’s hard to see where things are going, or what the repercussions might be.

I enjoyed the actual reading experience for the most part, but in reflecting now, I’m not totally sure what happened, or where the story is going. There were also a couple attempted rape scenes that felt unnecessary to the plot, except to indicate that people were bad. Overall, potential, but kind of a mess.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

This story was good. I loved the characters and their relationships with one another. I really loved seeing women fight with swords. The only thing that really bothered me was how hard I found it hard to actually engage with what was happening. That may be something that's fixed with the final copy or if I were able to read physically. I would love to read more from this series regardless (if it is one).

A fun contemporary fantasy that brings together humans, fae, dangerous enemies and a plan to save both worlds from destruction. The story follows Neysa as she returns to England after a divorce and the death of her father to figure out what she will do next. She rents a cottage and finds friends in Corra, her brother Silas and an uneasy relationship with their cousin Cade. However, dreams along with stories her father told her as a child along with some experiences she has with her friends make her realize she is not what she thought she was. Cade, Corra and Silas reveal themselves as fae with extraordinary powers which Neysa begins to find in herself as well and she learns the veil that separates and protects the worlds from each other is failing. The four of them will have to put themselves in dangerous situations against numerous enemies to find the crystal pieces that they need to restore the veil and protect both sides.
I enjoyed the world of the fae and the different types of magic that each of them is able to wield and the relationships between Neysa, Corra, Silas, Cade and Ewan. The twists and turns really keep the story moving along and that cliffhanger ending, holy cow!! Definitely looking forward to the next installment of the series.

My rating 3.5 rounded to 4 stars.

I like to dip my toe into the sci-fi/fantasy romance genre from time to time. Not a full out plunge, just a novel here and there about an angel, vampire, a far away galaxy a long time ago, etc - something to scratch that proverbial itch per se. On a whim, I applied and was awarded an ARC of Jessika Grewe Glover’s, Another Beasts Skin. As this isn’t my usual book review, I’m not going to follow the compliment sandwich structure. I’m going to attempt to describe a lot of the plot and talk about the points I liked and those I didn’t.

Stick with me fam, as I’m going to try and take the largest stab at a semblance of plot. In all honesty, I’m not exactly sure what was happening half the time. Weirdly, I still enjoyed it. What does that say for me exactly? I like shiny things and am quickly distracted? So... I may be a cat. That’s fine, let big puss tell you about some plot.

We are introduced to Neysa, a day trader from America, on holiday (I think) to the English countryside of her youth (again, I think). While rambling about the quaint bucolic countryside, she encounters twins Corra and Silas and their grumpy yet broody cousin, Caderyn (Cade). I think we can all guess who Neysa’s going to the bone zone with, right? Well, you’d be sort of correct.. Maybe all three? Who knows? I mean, I do...but I don’t want to spoil it.

Long story short, the three villagers are actually fae disguised as humans charged with keeping the Veil between the fae world and ours open… or closed...both? Honestly, I have no idea. Stones and magic are involved. What you need to know will come as no surprise, but Neysa is actually a lost fae who recovers lost memories of her recently passed father and his ability to perform magic. She begins training with Mr. Broody Sexypants and they begin to fall in lurve. There’s a quest with stones that takes them to Peru and Prague (?), I’m not kidding when I said this is a bit convoluted. A large portion of the novel takes place in the human world in search of different stones to keep open/close the veil; however, once we enter the fae land we are introduced to an entirely different subplot involving palace intrigue. Are you confused yet? Envy my job here? No? Yeah, me neither.

I genuinely enjoyed this book, I finished the bulk in a day. Neysa is a bit of a Mary Sue, but without the awed wonder that many of her ilk possess. She can hold her own in battle and displays diplomatic prowess. While at times, she seems to have gained these powers through osmosis, I was never offended by her abilities. I’ve seen other reviews complaining about the lack of chemistry between Neysa and Cade; to which I say, “were we reading the same book?” The jolt of electricity between these two is immediate. He’s stodgy, she can’t understand his aloofness, he dismisses her attempts at jovility. Their Sam & Diane/Ross & Rachel/Mulder & Scully moment comes in a hotel room built into a cave somewhere in Eastern Europe:

I can’t even look at you without wanting to touch you, Cade,” I said to the stars. “When you are near me, there’s a buzzing inside me. Quite literally. If you touch me right now,” I took a deep, shuddering breath, rallied my courage, and dared to look at him. “ It might break me when you pull away”... In the instant before I reached the wall, Cade was there and grabbed my hand. “Don’t”, I whimpered, and hated every inch of myself for the weakness in my voice.
He held tighter and pulled me closer to him. “What if I don’t pull away?” he asked shakily. “Gods know I don’t want to.”...”This is not new for me, Neysa. You are like this great ocean, and I have fought to stay above water, but all I want is to drown in you.”

Damn, son. Amirite?

Cade ends up baring his soul a number of times throughout the book and the few miscommunications between the two are easily dispensed with and forgotten. Trust and faith are both recurring themes throughout the book. Characters that are presented as villains are seen may not end up as such by the books' close. In relation to these character, Neysa has an innate infallible gut sense that I believe was developed during her disastrous marriage to an adulterous human. I think this trait will be played up more in future books in dealing with diplomacy between the elders and fae.

As this book ends on a cliffhanger, and the many plot points are scattered and not well defined, I would like to offer a suggestion on how the book would be better received. Make this whole first book set on earth and delve into Neysa burgeoning fae abilities and her place in the grand plan. Explain what the hell is happening with the stones, the veil, and why some fae can cross and others can’t. Someone please explain how Neysa makes enough money to live abroad for a year! If she’s living off her divorce settlement, please explain, because gurl does no actual work while on vacay - besides you know…:wink: ‘wurk’ :wink:. Lastly, have the final chapter of this book be the entrance to the other side of the veil and introduce the court intrigue - you can build up the motivations of the different characters along with providing much needed world building in this magical realm.

Overall, I’m not sure who exactly I’d recommend this to. It seems like an unfinished work (and yes, I know it’s a cliffhanger) - in the sense that an editor needed to reign in the author and make them focus on one plot point at a time rather than everything all at once. While there are some delicious morsels in the stew, there are too many carrots for my liking and not a dense enough bread bowl to keep it all contained. OMG, do you remember bread bowls? Dammit, now I’m hungry.

I really enjoyed this as a fantasy novel and enjoyed going through this book. The characters were great and I enjoyed getting to read this adventure.

I went into this not remembering anything about the blurb so I was very excited to learn that this is a fae fantasy book with tons of romance, fighting scenes, and lots of crystals and geology! I’ve been in a reading slump lately and this book totally captured me! Every time I opened it up, I zoomed through 1/4 of the story, which was super exciting for me.

The age of the characters came as a surprise, as our main gal is in her thirties, so this was one of my first ventures into what I would consider more of an adult fantasy. It was also more spicy than I was expecting- though still quite mild I think.

The lore and world building was pretty interesting, but the interactions between our MC and her found fae family were my favourite parts of the book by far! I adored Corra and Silas, not to mention broody Cade.

It did feel pretty wattpad sometimes- lots of description of attire and hair, some kind of irrational and immature behaviour between love interests, etc. but overall it was an easy read and definitely caught my attention.

But also!! The ending!! Literally I cannot even- I need the next book asap.

If you enjoy lowkey spicy adult fantasy and sexy fae, then this is the next book for you! It was a fun read and the world was quite easy to just slip into with our MC!

DNF @ 20%
I requested this one based on the cover and the premise. I really wanted to like this one too, however, I had to stop reading before even getting to the half way point. It just seemed like an information dump and I could not get into it.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Some authors have such skill with words that they can make you experience the tale completely and picture it almost like a movie. They can carry you through the story like a breeze. Unfortunately, the writing in this book felt like the opposite for me. I frequently had to go back and reread several passages just because I missed certain details and implications that should have been so much clearer seeing as they were so important to the story. I really felt like I was on a different wavelength than the author and it bothered me throughoit the entire book.

Additionally, I felt like there was a certain imbalance in the writing as well. So many pagesare dedicated to insignificant details, while main events are merely touched upon or brushed over. It left me so confused multiple times. One example was the scene with the lupinus near the end. I'm stillnot exactly sure what happened there even though it was quite a pivotal scene.

All in all it was not a bad book, but the writing just wasn't my stule, which made it difficult to read for me.


Side note: how is this part of GenZ publishing? It doesn't feel like it is geared towards that age group at all. The MC is 35 years old...