WOW. 5 out of 5 stars.

I cannot WAIT to see what happens next in this story. I absolutely devoured this book. The writing was captivating. The story unfolded at the perfect pace.

This is about Faye, a half-human half-fae teen, as she discovers her true identity and her destiny. She is snarky, honest, true to herself, and funny. The supporting characters are well fleshed out and I also found myself invested in their stories.

Love triangles, destiny, human and fae friendships, magic, and a TRIAL. I'm a sucker for a good trial.

This is a MUST READ of 2022.

*Mild spoilers*

Of Beast and Burden was a novel that elicited alot of thoughts out of me. The story follows Faye, a hqlf-faerie girl who has lived her life as a human. As she discovers her true heritage, Faye gets sucked into the Faerie world and all their rituals/customs. When something happens to her best friend Faye is forced into an unlikely bargain with the Unseelie King.

There are alot of pros and cons I encountered while reading this book. First off, the plot of the novel was widely fantastic. I was thoroughly intrigued and entertained from beginning to end. The plot never slows down and is well paced throughout. Kicklighter does an amazing job at world building, I felt so fully immersed in the story it was hard to disengage.

I really liked the characters of this book. The story is Faye's but I felt connections with alot of the characters. Kelsey Kicklighter really has a knack of making you care for side characters. I found myself getting so involved with Gage, Ellie, Killean, Isla, even the Spinner. The soft spot I have for Killean is out of this world. He is so charming and impish its hard not to like him.

The biggest con for me was that the book was really predictable. I was never surprised, the tropes were what you'd expect and every plot twist was easily deducted from beforehand. I always knew what was going to happen before it did.

That being said I did enjoy the book and would recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley for this e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, the dialogue seemed more suited for a younger audience so I would definitely recommend this book for the ages of 12-15 or a beginner to the fantasy genre. I didn't think that any of the relationships were truly genuine just because the storyline was lacking the emotional depth that I was looking for. The plot and story were very fun and I thought it was a very good idea for a novel.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC to read and review.

If not for needing to finish this out of respect, I would have stopped early on. I could not find myself interested in this. The writing was a bit off for me, where I wasn't into this story. I liked the summary, but it fell flat and didn't live up to the expectations I had. Also seemed to drag on and the good stuff - if that - wasn't until near the end and even then it was rushed. People comparing it to Cruel Prince must be right because I couldn't enjoy that book, either.

I don't think I'd want to read anymore in this series. 😕

If the option was available, I'd give this 2.5 stars but since it isn't, I will give it 3. (Rounding up for the simple fact that it was very easy to read.)

There is so much potential in the overall plot of this book series. However, I think the vast majority of Book 1 was a waste.

- There is some world-building (although I don't think it was done well).
- There is a lack of character development.
- Neither of the two "relationships" in the book receive the page-time needed to be anything more than simple physical attraction.
- The end of the book felt extremely rushed.

Am I interested in where this story is going? Yes. Was I impressed enough by the writing in Of Beast and Burden to continue the series? Definitely not

When I finished this book, I immediately said outlet to myself, “I really liked it!” Truly, the hardest part of this review is that the story is over for now and I need to wait until the second book to keep going.
Is this very much like The Cruel Prince series? Yes. I don’t mind it, however, because I love being in the complicated world of faerie where the rules are so different from the mortal world. I think that any series regarding that topic will seem similar to one another. This story was different in all of the important ways: character, tone, writing style, and plot. I will say that it felt a bit rushed at the end, but I also guessed a little bit at what was coming so anything more drawn out could have felt like it was dragging too much.
For the first book in a series, it was fabulous. I can’t wait for the next one and to see what Kelsey Kicklighter writes in the future.
As always, a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

To start off, let me just say that Of Beast and Burden reminded me a lot of The Cruel Prince, and a tiny bit of A Court of Thrones and Roses. Thankfully, I liked Of Beast and Burden quite a bit more than I liked The Cruel Prince. (I was not a fan of that series at all, sad to say.) ANYWAY, the comparisons will absolutely be made, and with good reason.

Of Beast and Burden is about a girl named Faye (Insert a tiny eyeroll here) who grows up believing herself to be completely human. Her, her grandmother and her cousin live in a tiny town on the Georgia coast. In this town, all the humans are well aware that the Fae live close by, and that they must be careful. These are old-school cruel Fae.

The novel starts off with Faye and her friend, Delia, throwing a party by the edge (or inside of? I can’t remember) of the woods. They’ve been told to never go here because the Fae dwell near by. So, of course, they do what any good teenagers do, and do the complete opposite of what they’ve been told. Two Fae show up at this party, and take Delia. Faye follows, because she’s not about to let the Fae steal her friend without at least trying to save her.

Long story short, she saves her friend, and finds out that she’s half-Fae. Her dad was the Mad-King of the Unseelie Court. She goes home to find out that her Grandmother isn’t really her grandmother, and that she knew Faye was half-fae the entire time. Her cousin isn’t her cousin, she was a changeling. Her “cousin” gets kidnapped, and Faye makes a bargain to get her back. This is what really starts the plot of the novel.

Of Beast and Burden does a lot of things right — the characters all have their very own distinct personalities, the world-building is pretty good, and the plot is semi-decent to decent. There are a few things I have to nit-pick, though. The Trials she has to go through in order to get her crown are mentioned all throughout the book. I got to 80% of the way through the book and the trials STILL hadn’t happened. It honestly left me wondering if they were going to be in the second book. When the trials did finally kick off, I swear they lasted less than twenty pages. If you’re going to put some hype into something, at least spend some time there!

There’s a love-triangle which is completely unnecessary — but I will say it was refreshing to have both a female and male love interest. The resolution to the main problem at the end of the novel felt shoved in at the last second. Very little foreshadowing to the solution, not to the problem. I’m not going to spoil it, even though it’s ridiculously obvious what’s supposed to happen.

Overall, I enjoyed most of Of Beast and Burden. A solid three-and-a-half stars for me.

Of Beast and Burden has been comped to popular YA fantasy novels like The Cruel Prince and These Twisted Bonds, but I think it has more in common with The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. This book is written in a way that makes me think it could've been published back in the early 2010's, and I really liked the nostalgic aspect of that. There's a lot that isn't explored in this book; the biggest thing that bothered me was why Faye didn't know her own grandmother's name. Faye also makes some really dumb decisions sometimes: for someone who knows that faeries are real and dangerous, she is alternately unconcerned about the consequences of dealing with them or she acts surprised by their existence.
Honestly, I would have preferred the book be written by Ellie's point of view. Ellie has the more interesting backstory, and while Faye is developing crushes on three different people, Ellie's life is in danger,
However, there was just something about this book that kept my attention. Even while I was shaking my head at pretty much everything that Faye did, I liked the action, the romance, and especially the mythology the faerie world is based on. I hope we get to learn more about that in the next book.

The only downside to reviving an ARC is that you have to wait that much longer for book 2 to come out - and oh man how I wish I could just jump into book 2 right now. I’ve seen a lot of comparisons of the writing in this book to thag of Holly Black and SJM and I couldn’t agree more. The inspiration from both those authors is evident and it translated to the story beautifully. Of Beasts and Burden was everything a YA fantasy should be and all I want now is to know what happens next!

<i> “You should never tell a queen what she cannot do.” </i>

I enjoyed this one! It's one of the fae romance books with seelie and unseelie courts and I like this one!
I love the banters and the romance, which is sort of love tri...rectangle? Haha but it was obvious who the MC, Faye, would choose. It didn't stop me to swoon for other love interest than her intended tho haha.

Faye is a nice main characters, she is feisty and delightfully stubborn. I just wish we get more scene to show how badass she is, because it was mentioned multiple times but we didn't get to see her in action much. Maybe future book? I like Gage! He is mysterious, dark, and has his own agenda. But sorry Faye and Gage, if I have to pick a fav, it would be Kellan! My summer fae prince with sassy remarks!

The writing is pretty neat and easy to follow, but the pacing is a little off. It was fast in the first two chapters, then dragged a bit for few chapters when we get to learn some background story, and picked up pace again the last few chapters. Overall it was nice, but some parts could be cut to make room for parts that need more.

In conclusion, it was enjoyable fae romance read, with swoon worthy moments, cute banters, and court politics! I had a great time!

< Review copy received from publisher via Netgalley in exchange with an honest review >

Firstly, I’d like to say how much I adore this cover! It’s so lovely and I couldn’t stop staring at it while reading the book.

Secondly—this book! I was nervous because this has been an anticipated read of mine but I had no reason to be. Although the story and characters itself are not anything new and are made from the usual fantasy/romance tropes, I was still engaged.

I enjoyed Faye’s character. She had a tendency to obtain things a little too easily for my liking and she wasn’t the kind of heroine that I’d call bad ass per se (we’re told she is, but it isn’t really shown). However, she wasn’t just a cardboard cutout of a mary sue either which I appreciated. She’s also bisexual so my gay heart was delighted about that representation!

the author does a good job curating these endearing and wonderful characters with seemingly real personalities and ambitions. This book could be lumped in with a number of other fae books, yet it still kept me on my toes. The romance was swoony and a little dark and also so fun?? It’s a bit of a love triangle but it’s pretty obvious who the choice would be.

Any who, I AM SO HONORED I GOT THE CHANCE TO READ THIS NOVEL. It hooked me immediately and I really enjoyed the storyline, the fae world and magic system, and the romance.

I can't wait to tell everyone to buy it when it's in stores or be annoyingly persistent about it when I’m at the library.

I loved all the characters and the atmosphere so much and I hope the author continues putting out more books like this!

Of Beast and Burden was a mixed-bag read for me, with both positive and negative aspects. First off the positives... The story was mostly entertaining and I liked several of the characters. For those who prefer their reads to meet expectations without too many surprises, this one crosses off plenty of the favoured tropes for the genre. Also, the protagonist is bisexual, and it's great to see that representation. On the negative side, I never really felt the spark in the FF relationship and wondered if it was just there to make the point of Faye being bisexual. For me, the story followed the usual tropes so well that nothing was a surprise. I guessed every twist so far ahead it amazed me that Faye couldn't pick up on them, especially the one involving Gage, which he hinted at pretty pointedly in his dialogue. The three trials were conquered a little too easily for my liking, so there was a lack of tension behind the action, even in fight scenes, and a character introduced heavily at the start completely disappeared from the story once she'd served as a plot device. Overall, I didn't hate this book; it was enjoyable enough. However, it wasn't original enough to fully captivate me, feeling more like a familiar narrative than something new and intriguing. But that close following of tropes may well appeal to some readers who want all their genre-expectation boxes ticked in every new read, so others could feel differently. For me, it was a three-star read.

This book has great main idea but the execution is not so much. It is not bad, but this book reminds me a lot to other book, so I just feel like I read it before.

This was a decent start to a new Fae series. It has similar elements to The Cruel Prince in the sense that it takes place in both the mortal and faerie worlds and the main character Faye is caught between the two. She learns early on in the book that she’s actually half faerie and Unseelie royalty. Her cousin Ellie is a changeling who is stolen back by the Seelie Queen, and Faye agrees to challenge the Unseelie King for the throne in exchange for getting her back.

I liked Faye well enough and the fact that she would do anything to help Ellie. She has a best friend in the beginning but she’s kind of a means to an end and we never hear from her again which was a little odd. My fave was obviously Gage, the dark haired Unseelie King. I liked that Faye is bisexual, but there is a sort of love triangle which I personally don’t prefer. I also thought that things progressed a little too easily for Faye in the end. There was only one thing that surprised me at the end but I thought it was a good twist. This is the kind of book you can read in a day, so if you’re looking for something fun and quick I would recommend it. I am interested in reading the next one.

Thank you to Independent Publishers Group/The Parliament House and NetGalley for the ARC.

I love fae books, and I did enjoy this, but it has a lot of weak spots. First, the synopsis says she must claim the crown to save her best friend. This starts off with her best friend Delia getting captured and after page like 30 she's never mentioned again. It's really her cousin(who isn't actually her cousin), that gets captured after Delia that becomes the important one. I think Delia was really quite pointless. The pacing in this book was off and the "three trails" at the end felt too easy. There's also so much training, so if you're bored by that, you'll be skipping a lot. But this has a solid plot, characters, and tropes such as enemies to lovers & betrayal. The main character is bisexual which made me really happy to see! I'm excited for the next book. I'd recommend if you want another YA fae book.

This is a story about Faye , half-faerie girl who lived her whole life as human . Upon discovering her ancestry and the truth about herself , she gets tangled in the faerie world and their weird customs. Her best friend gets kidnapped and in order to save her, she strikes a bargain and challenges the Unseelie king for the throne. Now, this is Faye's story but it's so much more than that. The whole world-building is wonderful, it's really interesting to see how the human and fairy world coexist together with the whole promise of magic hanging in the air. I really started caring about Gage,Isla,Killean,Ellie and the spinner. Gage is a dark king ,handsome and teasing and i just wanted to kiss him. I kind of fell in love with him a bit. Then there's Killean, charming and mischievous, i really liked his interactions with Faye. Isla was interesting , beautiful warrior nymph but despite that she's kind and caring. Ellie is one wonderful beam of sunshine and i always smiled at her stubbornness and bubbly personality. Last but not least, the Spinner. I was scared of her but also heavily intrigued and i hoped she would show up more often. With all of that in mind, as i went through the story i couldn't suppress the feeling that there's a lack of action. I don't mean that in random events of going to the parties or learning how to fight, i mean it in a way of pure-blooded action of things happening in a row or at the same time. Not necessarily a fight or a huge portrayal of magic but more like.. a spark. I'm all about character development and i think the author achieved that perfectly but i feel like more things could've happened and i was a bit bored at times. Despite that, i think that this book holds a promise for a very successful series .

Of Beast and Burden is a phenomenal debut for Kelsey Kicklighter. I devoured this book! I’m going to pre-order a copy because I NEED this beautiful book in my hands. It’s everything you could want from a young adult fantasy. The world building is fantastic. Kicklighter gives us a strong, diverse cast of characters that will steal your heart. I can’t wait for others to be able to read this book. I can’t wait to read the next books! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this.

An exciting and romantic story about fae and humans. Fans of Holly Black and Sarah J. Maas will enjoy this book.

The heroine Faye is brave and smart. I really like her. I like the entire cast actually. They are all charismatic and interesting. I like the magic system and the world-building. Really enjoyed this book!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc

Thanks, Netgalley, and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!
I'm impressed with the unique and imaginative Celtic lore that is the base of the world-building of the book. It's described really well and woven so well into the plot that the story really draws you in chapter after chapter!

A stunning debut novel.
Of Beast and Burden Is book 1 in The Hollow and Hill Series

I thought this book was gripping right from the beginning.
This was brilliantly imaginative, unique story definitely blew my freaking mind!
Intoxicating, fun, completely and utterly spellbinding.
Kelsey Kicklighter, was able to create an entirely new magic system that just truly draws you in, all while building a world around it. 
This new fantasy-romance based on Celtic lore was written so well.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

The Parliament House,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.