In theory, the read seemed very interesting however from the start it was not able to 'pull me in' to the story and while I recognize some of it might be my short comings, the early pages pf the story fails to set the magic system or the world in an understandable context. While I loved the main character and what she represented in the story overall I was not very satisfied

3/5 stars or 4/10.
Minor spoilers toward the end. I have mixed feelings about this book. It was very different from the fae stories I've been reading and it was a nice change of pace. The strangeness of the fae and their world reminded me of Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson which I also enjoyed. I appreciated how the author used language and social norms to indicate time period and setting. I also liked that this book does not have the '''I hate this person by I'm unexplainably attracted to them''' trope that is so often used. There are a few things that prevent me from giving a higher rating: 1. I had a difficult time visualizing some aspects of the world/sequences 2. The characters fell a little flat (I'm assuming we learn more about them in future books but there's no background about who they are/what motivates them/why we want to root for them/etc...) 3. The main character was a completely passive participant in the entire story (some of this is due to being captive to inhuman beings which makes sense to an extent). She is grabbed, pulled, and carried absolutely everywhere with minimal displeasure/resistance; she becomes too weak to move multiple times and has to be hand fed by another character multiple times; her father is murdered and she never thinks about it again; she is tricked into a marriage and is mad for 3 seconds then is fine with it; her new husband then (in my opinion) forces himself on her and she doesn't react at all before, during, or after... on top of her being very passive, she is also "not like other girls " because she would rather be writing and covered in ink than wearing silly dresses and even says out loud to her husband that she's not like other girls. My final comment regarding the FMC is that she is plain, scrawny, and uncoordinated but has powerful men in love with her in an instant which I personally have read enough of.
Altogether, I think this series has potential and with a little more development it could be a good read.

There were a few technical bumps on the road to read this book (it was my first ARC from Netgalley), but at no point I considered just giving up. I wanted to know how this story ended and by GOD I wasn't gonna let some app issues stop me.
Anyway. I'm glad I persevered because I ended up enjoying it tons. The tone of the book kinda varies a lot inside of it? I felt like every arc of this was clearly divided from the others, not only in scenery and characters, but also, like I said, by tone. In my case, this was a positive, since I found myself liking the next installment more that the one that came before it, although the hold this book had on me was undeniable from the beginning.
I really liked the characters, I felt like the author had a great grasp of character voice, even if in some cases only the surface of them was scratched. Verve is a good protagonist, and she stands her own against other protagonists of the genre. Special shoutout to her not being the only human with different perceptions of the fae and their magic, it just makes much more sense and makes it not feel like a I'm Not Like Other Girls chosen one trope lol
The fae land was exactly what I wanted out of it, and the magic system was unique enough while keeping things pretty simple. I liked the detail about different people channeling their power differently.
This wasn't marked as a romance, so I wasn't sure what I was going to find in that regard, and I was pleasantly surprised. The banter was great, the fluff was cute. 10/10
I also didn't realise this was THE BEGINNING OF A SERIES. I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I YELLED WHEN I REALIZED I HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH A SERIES WITHOUT EVEN ONE (1) BOOK PUBLISHED. IT WASN'T FUN. But I deeply appreciated that this one does wrap up its own story as much as it can. The ending was??? A bit wild?? But in a good way, I don't think this book would've been fit for a quiet ending.

Really enjoyed this book until the ending. It felt very rushed with no explanation and then a "to be continued" when there isn't really much more the story needs, there's no set up for another book. The "magical" world building is pretty much nonexistent, so there's lots that just doesn't make sense.

I picked this one up as it gave Carissa Broadbent as a comparable author, and she's one of my favorites. Unfortunately, I didn't see the similarities in writing style as I was hoping. The prose and dialog in this story felt stuffy and forced, and often did a lot more telling than showing. The beginning is very slow, and I was tempted to put it aside a few times.

I did end up enjoying the overall plot, especially the themes of sisterhood and the was the fae are portrayed, but the writing style was just a block for me. I think if I had known going into the story that it would have more of an Edwardian prose, I could have enjoyed it more.

I would recommend this to someone looking for an old-timey fae story.

This was definitely a “cover lust” situation. I just adore everything about this cover, and it was guaranteed that I would read it the moment I saw it. I’m also still always interested in Fae-focused fantasy novels, for my sins. Have I been burned by this particular trope in the past? Yes, I have. But I also can’t quite get “An Enchantment of Ravens” out of my head, which I read many years ago now, but absolutely adored. And, as I discussed recently about authors who improved on a second go-around, I’m always hoping to stumble upon another unexpected hit! Unfortunately, this was not that.

Right off the bat the story started with some very strong ACOTAR vibes. Now, for some, that is an incredible compliment and surely will draw in certain readers right away. For me, however, red flags were going up in every direction. But before I dive into the parts of the book with which I struggled, I do, as always, want to focus on some positives first. As I said, there is definitely an audience out there for this book (however, even this audience I think will feel that they’ve read many similar, better versions of this same story). The writing is also quite approachable and the action starts out right away. This is a fairly short book by fantasy standards, coming in at just over 300 pages. And it’s clear that the author is wasting no time getting to the point.

However, for me, that was where the problems started. I barely felt like I knew, let alone cared, about the main character between the story was immediately barreling into main plot points. What’s more, what I did know about the character had largely come from Verve herself simply informing me of her own traits and how she compared to the other members of her family. Of course, she is the brave, provider type who is too stubborn for her own good. It is this last point that really drew my ire as the book continues.

Per the ACOTAR standard, she is, of course, captured by a Fae lord and caught up in a bunch of Fae drama. In most fantasy novels, this should be the point where things really get good. Here are the opportunities for the heroine to rise to the occasion, to put her oft-declared strengths to the test. But instead, she comes across as foolish, stubborn to the point of stupidity, and petulant in the manner of a toddler. As someone who is currently raising toddlers, in no way do I want to read a novel where the heroine chooses to not listen to good advice and bizarrely ignore blatant realities around her all because she’s “sticking it to the power,” essentially.

Not only did this lead me to actively disliking the main character through much of it (honestly, I was starting to feel sympathy for her captors who were just trying to keep her from self-destructing), but many of her ridiculous decisions were necessary to drive the plot forward. I’ve ranted about this many times, but it’s almost guaranteed for me to low rate a book when I discover a plot that hinges on a character needing to be ridiculous, foolish, or just plain stupid. Yes, there are characters who experience growth through these traits, but even then, the traits themselves shouldn’t be necessary for the plot to move forward, except in the most rare of instances and part of a larger character arc.

I really struggled to like anything about this book, which was really too bad. I do like the overall premise, even if it is fairly familiar. And, again, that cover is a banger. There was also clearly a lot of ideas that were hinted at in this story, a unique religion, a magic system, some world0building. But none of it was fully fleshed out or enough to compensate for the frustrations I felt with regards to the plot and main character. Fans who are very devoted to Fae fantasy may want to check this out, but if you’re wary of the subgenre currently, this one won’t redeem your faith.

Rating 6: Not my cup of tea with a heroine who was annoying at best and actively unlikable much of the time.

(Link will go live in August)

Verve is a writer doing her best to help support her family while her father is away fighting in a civil war. An unexpected late night encounter leads to murder, Verve’s kidnapping and being brought to Letorheas in the fairy realm, and a mystery involving a legendary blade. Can she find a way to escape back to her family or is her destiny tied to this new and dangerous world?

I really had a good time reading this. The magic and lore of the world were really interesting and I wanted to go even deeper into it. The prophesy and the various theories different fae had and the discussion around it was really intriguing. I liked Verve’s character and her resourcefulness. Her exploring the house she is trapped in and trying negotiate for information and look for a way out added nice tension. I also enjoyed how the second half of the book opened up the world more. In fact I didn’t want to put it down as I got deeper into the story. The ending however, I felt, was very abrupt and dangers and threatening characters were suddenly quickly and easily dealt with. There were also points I wished had been delved into more. Despite this I definitely would like to continue the story to see where it goes and learn more about the characters and this world.

This was an adventurous, and mysterious read with a dash of romance. If you like fae, magic, curses, prophecies, and legends it’s definitely worth checking out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great worldbuilding support this exciting story of conflict between humans and the kingdom of the fairies. Verge, a middling with a touch of magic, finds herself in the midst of a frantic search for an ancient blade that, by prescribed destiny, can only be held by the chosen one who will wield its massive power.

To advance their cause, two powerful fey relentlessy pursue her. Do either of them really care for her or is she just a tool to gain power? Details of the world of the fae are beautifully crafted and Verve comes to life as a young woman fighting against servitude and a future that is beyond anything she could have imagined.

Thank you Flame Tree Press for the advance copy to read and review.

The book was enjoyable, easy to read and also fantasy fae which is a genre I love to read and pleasantly enjoy.
The story started off a little slow but it then turned into a book I did not want to put down. The twists and turns and the bumps in the road that Verve had to go through was intriguing and wanting you to turn just that one more page which ended up being 10-15 pages.

Being only 300 pages, the story was pleasant. The love story was good but not the greatest - wish they had been pushed a little bit more. Verve is stubborn and honestly as much as she cared for her family, I feel her story isn't over yet and the ending was a little too quick which makes you want to read the sequel after the way it ended.

The world itself is comparable to a few known fae storylines so it will be a great read for those who like ACOTAR similarities

This was an intriguing read filled with fae, magic, danger and mystery. Watching Verve discover the fae and try to hold her own when she finds herself within their world and unable to go home was interesting. She’s definitely a strong character and her uncertainty about who or what to trust shines through, but I wouldn’t say I particularly connected with her character. The storyline was creative and an enjoyable mismatch of adventure and romance. There were a few unexpected twists and turns which was good to see but I didn’t feel much chemistry between Verve and her partner. It would have been nice to see their relationship developed a bit more, though I honestly trusted his character less and less the more I saw of him which probably isn’t a glowing recommendation for a romance that I think was meant to be genuine. All in all it was a good read and I’d be interested to see where the story goes next.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

When I read the blurb I thought "OMG, a new daddy Rhysand is coming" and Fenn doesn't disappoint 🌚

Speaking of the plot, Verve is a young lady with a large family and a father who is away at war. One day a stranger broke into the farm and she went out to protect the hens. She never expected to see her father. He asked hequfor silent and give her a letter with a delicate message, then he runs away with a secret meeting promise, nevertheless, he advised not to trust people.

Verve decided to keep the secret and learn the message before burning the paper. She didn't know if her decision was the right one, so she goes to the meeting and finds her father dead. She's confused and disoriented, so she comes back to her house and asks for help.

No one believes her.
The whole scene has been cleaned up.

She doubts herself, but a new neighbor appears and she starts to think about her father. She doesn't trust strangers, but her mother doesn't feel the same way. When a meeting turns unpleasant, she runs away and finds the owner of her father's message - Mr. Baer.

With the message delivered, she returns to her house only to find a sister-like stranger.

She's kidnapped and taken to another world-elf and fae. Now she's in a crystal cage and her kidnapper-Dacre-has manipulated her memories. So what's the truth?

All the anger, all the pain... is almost unbearable. So Fenn shows up and gives her the freedom she deserves. Now she has to avoid enemies, save her family, and not die in the process.

Verve get behind me !! Verity’s family was so nasty, despite the fact that she was the reason they even had the little they DID have and for them to be against her and side with the notion that she’s crazy without even giving her the benefit of the doubt was ridiculous.
Dav was just a spoiled little rat like… people are dying hellooo????
Dacre was such an unserious individual and may he rot.
Despite being short enough story, it took a while for the pace to pick up. It felt like there wasn’t much happening or answers being given.
That being said Verve is what got me through it but I couldn’t cope with how she was treated throughout.. they were handling my girl like rag doll.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

A huge thank you to Netgalley an Flaming Tree Press for this ARC!
I´ll be honest, I was genuinely surprised by this book. There was a lot to unpack, but the beginning of the book was a bit dragging. It did give me ACOTAR vibes, with Dackr (?) kidnapping her, then Fenn kidnapping her back urgh
I really liked Dackr somehow, but he sure was toxic as hell!! I loved Fenn! Especially when they got married and lived alone in that house hehe..
But omg what was that plottwist though after THE night?? I think the final battle could´ve been stretched a bit further, more depth and more details. It was over pretty quick, in my opinion too quick!
The magical system was described just fine, I liked the sword a lot! But the worldbuilding could have had more depth as well. All we were introduced to were 2 villages, 3 different houses and 3 woods?
This book/series has a lot of potential and I really hope the points of our reviews are going to beconsidered by the author before release <3

First let me say thank you to Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the ARC.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, I actually ended up DNFing this one as I was really struggling with the lack of world building and found the main character a bit annoying. I really tried to push through it but ended up not finishing it.

Where the premise and story had great potential it just did grab me and keep me interested enough to keep going.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

So overall I enjoyed Brittle, I think there was enough meat in the plot and writing to really take this somewhere and I will read the next book. I rounded up from 3.5.
I only wish this was longer, right as things were starting to get places it ends. As it's only about 300 pages long.

Verve, Verity Springer is an elder but middle child of her family. Her father is fighting in the Civil War and should have been home months ago. But no one has heard from him. Because he's been caught up in an ongoing feud and possibly oncoming war with the Otherworld, namely Faeries.
Her father is killed for information he knew on prophesied and legendary Fae weapon. But before his death he passes the information onto Verve.

Putting her and her family squarely in the middle of the issue. And Verve as a middling or middle child finds herself as a potential candidate for a long foretold prophecy. For a queen who is foretold to rule both over humans and faerie.
Verve becomes the interest of a high fae lord, who suspects not just her family as potential, but of Verve herself knowing something from her father. Kidnaps her to the otherworld.

Verve is stubborn and strong willed for a human woman in this time period, she's a writer, often covered in ink stains, she considers herself unlikely to find a husband as she isn't very compliant, lady like nor pretty enough to tempt anyone of interest. She's given herself up for spinsterhood.

Verve is willing to do whatever she needs to, to protect and fight for her family and to get back to them. Navigating the world of Fae, is difficult and she soon finds herself more of one world than the one she's always known.

Brittle
Blade and Bone #1
Fantasy
Beth Overmyer
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had high hopes for this book but I'm a little disappointed. I very nearly DNF'd this book because I found it quite had to get through.

The characters were OK but I didn't feel like they had much depth to them and I did find Verve a little annoying with her mannerisms. The romance seemed a little off to me and I can't put my finger on why. I think maybe it's because the love interests were too similar.

The pacing was good and the chapters went by quite quickly but I think the world building could be developed more, as well as the magic system.

Overall, this book wasn't for me but I can see how other readers would enjoy it.

*Thank you to @Netgalley and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*

I loved the pacing in this book, a really good magical system. I was really surprised with the book and loved the twists and turns. Also as a lover of reading fae stories how could I resist this book? NOT. Absolutely look forward to the next book with this amazing start of a book.

Thank you Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the ARC

2⭐️ (and that's being a little generous)

I'm not even sure where to start with this. I did not enjoy this book. First off, the worldbuilding was so minimal, like almost nonexistent. All I can tell you is that there is the human realm and the fae realm and you can make gateways between the two with hawthorne trees. No other information is really given about the setting of the story. I also could not tell you what the characters look like, except that I think Verve has red hair and of course Fenn has dark hair and eyes. I could not picture these characters in my head one bit. Overmyer tried to describe the magic system but even then it was confusing and things would contradict themselves. And, there's no clearcut conflict to the story. We are given no clues as to what people's goals are, their motivations, and no big bad guy. The characters are not very fleshed out, I feel like especially with the two main male characters that they're just kinda there. There's not much to them. Verve spends most of her time being kidnapped or hiding or being forced to sleep. She tries one time to run off, but otherwise, she does nothing for herself except wait for something to happen or have a panic attack because she feel's trapped. Oh, and she will remind you constantly that "she's not like other girls." She says that out loud.

My BIGGEST issue with Brittle is how much is taken from ACOTAR. In the current age of fae novels, I can understand taking inspiration from the most popular fae series, but this went beyond that. This was to the point of I can tell you exactly what plot points were taken from ACOTAR. Let me name a few for you:

1) Verve's sister seems to be the only one trying to provide for their family (Feyre exclusively feeding her family)
2) One of Verve's sisters is completely immune to fae glamour (*cough* Nesta *cough*)
3) Dacre, our "Tamlin", uses a glamour on himself for Verve, otherwise he glows and appears too ethereal and terrifying to her (how Tamlin covered up his glow due to his high lord powers)
4) Dacre's enemy sends deadly beasts into his lands (Amarantha would send all manners of creatures into the spring court)
5) The "bad guy" was born with more power than any fae should be allowed (so Rhysand coded, and guess what, he has black hair and dark eyes)
6) Dacre set up guards around Verve's family to protect them and was supposedly providing for them while Verve was "away for her governess job" (like how Feyre was "caring for her rich sick aunt")
7) Let's not forget the attempt to transform Verve into a high fae. She gets tossed into some magical water to be drowned and come out as a fae (EXACTLY how the transformation in the cauldron occurs with Nesta and Elain)

The copied plot points and even characters (Dacre is Tamlin and Fenn is Rhysand) was so blatantly obvious that I could not look past it. Even the story as a whole just felt like a slightly changed copy of the series.

Ok, back the the book itself. Who is our antagonist? I could not tell you. At first, we're told that Fenn is the "bad guy", this rogue prince. Why? Who knows. It's never explained. Fenn of course turns out to be the good guy and rescues Verve from Dacre. Past that, I have no idea who it is. Dacre maybe, as he's trying to get Verve back and then supposedly has taken her family. But wait, Dacre disquises himself as Fenn and then takes Verve to the fae king (who was mentioned maybe twice? in the book so far). The king has her family and wants the power that she took from the magical, sentient blade that was the only thing that can kill fae. So what happens? When "giving" the power to the king, Verve uses that to kill him. Dead. Ok. Then she just turns around and kills Dacre. There was no fight, no real cause for conflict. I have no idea why they wanted Verve besides some prophecy about the Fire Queen, but what does the Fire Queen do? No idea. No idea why the king wants her dead, is she supposed to be destined to kill him (which she easily does with no fight from him). She kills Dacre obviously for having kidnapped her but also, he was the one that killed her father (shocking, I know). And then it's over, just like that. The only unresolved thing is that apparently Dacre cursed her so that she cannot touch anyone that she does not have a blood bond (whatever that is) with and because curses can only be lifted by those that cast them and Dacre is now dead, they don't know what to do about that.

Now for the romance. It was barely there. Dacre is in love with her? Why? No clue, he just is. She doesn't see it and very obviously hates him. He gives her a magical key to his room, which of course if she were to use it, would be his invitation to have his way with her. The romance? Nonexistent. Now our main male character, Fenn. He rescues her from Dacre, and very quickly falls in love with her. Like in just a couple of days. Verve weirdly trusts him immediately despite having been to skeptical about everything in the fae realm and trusting no one. They get married to break her transformation bond with Dacre. Now that she know that he loves her, she suddenly lets him in, they cuddle. Then the next day they actually get together. But for a book that is what I believe is a New Adult, it is an IMMEDIATE fade to black. We get absolutely nothing. I expect that from an Young Adult novel, of course, but New Adult is supposed to have the freedom to have spice, and should have some in my opinion. But no, we get nothing.

Overall, if you couldn't tell by now, I did not like this book. It fell flat with very little originality and a huge lack of worldbuilding and plot building. I am left confused at the end because I still do not know the motivations behind the little bit of conflict we had, which was extremely rushed, and I have no clue how this story can be continued into a second book. This is not a book that I will recommend to others. Maybe if I had read this before reading ACOTAR, I may have liked it better but even when setting aside the copying, there's not really anything to the story. I hope that Overmyer can learn from this and grow in her writing adventures. I most likely will not be reading the second book whenever it comes out.

Can we just take a minute to appreciate that cover. Stunning!

I had such high hopes for this book but unfortunately, it never really picked up. There were elements I liked and I thought the story had a fairly strong opening, however there wasn't enough character development or world building for me to ever really get lost in the story. Verve was naive, stubborn and annoying for the most part, and while I was rooting for her to kick ass, it just felt that she never really met her potential. I did however love how dedicated she was to ensuring her family was happy and safe. Her two love interests were your standard baddie/cinnamon roll and I did enjoy some moments with them however similarly to Verve, I didn't feel like they were pushed far enough. to make them interesting.

My real gripe: too much 'not like other girls' energy.

Between the pages:
- Prophecies
- Curses
- Fae
- Romance
- Magic
- Murder
- Betrayal
- Family

While this wasn't a strong story for me, I would still consider picking up the sequel because I"m intrigued by that ending. If you're interested in the premise, don't take my review at face value because so many people are loving this - that could be you!

Landing somewhere around 2.75 stars.

Verve Springer has been doing her best to support her family while her family is away, despite the fact she is a middle child and not the eldest. Somehow, she scratches the eye of the fae during this time, a species she didn't know existed -- adventure and intrigue ensue from that point onward. Brittle takes off to a somewhat disjointed start, however, it was an engaging read and maintained a fast pace. World building, character development, and plot connections could use some polishing. There wasn't much explanation of how fae and humans somehow became engaged in a war, and I'm hoping this will be addressed more in book two. Overall, an entertaining read and I would read the sequel.