**Thank you so much Orbit books for the arc! All words and thoughts in this review are my own honest opinion!**
Posted to: NetGalley, Goodreads, and The Storygraph
Posted on: 12 March 2024

3 out of 5 stars.

It was hard for me to find how I wanted to rate this book at first, but after finishing up the review and sitting with it for a bit, I realized that I was just left a bit more dissatisfied with the read than I was left interested in it. This isn’t to say that I probably won’t continue the series- because I think I may, truthfully. It definitely just didn’t become one of my favorite reads of the month.
I requested this book on NetGalley because of the cover and the touches of the swan lake story that it promised. I wasn’t terribly disappointed, but neither was I too enraptured. There were times were I was sucked in by the prose or the scene, and other times where I was just annoyed and found myself skimming paragraphs to get through bits faster. This isn’t to say that the whole book overall was *terrible*, but it definitely wasn’t my cup of tea? At the same time, I can 100% see how somebody *else* can thoroughly enjoy it through and through- and kudos to them for enjoying it!
Anyways, let’s get to the pit of it all- there will be some minor spoilers as I have to touch upon some things to discuss where my thoughts are coming from, so be warned if you’ve yet to finish the book in its entirety! I’ll try to keep from anything major though!

When I say that I loved the prose, I mean I *loved* it- when it was *good*. I found our main character that we follow (Fia in the first person pov) to be a bit annoying at times. Some other reviews pointed out the constant comparing of herself to something from the forest and yeah- it happens a lot. Sometimes it’s a lovely addition to the scene and other times it starts feeling repetitive. More often than not, it feels repetitive, but again, it flows enough into the story that it at least isn’t a forced addition thrown in to add some flourish to the book.
What I didn’t enjoy as much as the prose and writing (can I say that when I still had my qualms about it nonetheless?) was the romance. We’re kind of thrown Rogan early on in the book. We get snippets of his history with Fia, and then we get a lot (and I mean a LOT) of pining and this-way-that-way love from these two. Rogan wasn’t really a fan favorite of mine. He has his moments where the words he says are swoon-worthy, but I feel like his character is a little flat? With the readers seeing the world as Fia does, and with her already knowing Rogan, it’s hard to develop any kind of feeling for him as a character when we’re constantly thrown around with what Fia feels for him (and it’s a lot of this-no-that-no-this-again feeling which I found uninteresting after the first few times of it happening).
There’s more like- y’all don’t understand, I just couldn’t vibe with this romance. I don’t wanna say too much, but I don’t think its a spoiler if I say the possessiveness is unattractive in this sense. It’s very… I dunno, I just didn’t enjoy it. Fia has given reason enough and tried enough to nip her feelings in the bud, but he- doesn’t push his attraction on her, but struggles to let her go. I guess I can’t fault him so much for *that* much and maybe it was just my book burnout that made me hate it as much as I did.
Irian is the second love interest we’re given and we at least learn about him *alongside* Fia. A few other reviewers have said that they didn’t enjoy another rendition of the ‘shadow magic love interest’ but I guess I haven’t read enough books featuring this character type because I kind of enjoyed Irian. He fits the bill type of some of my favorite kinds of characters but again, when it comes to the romance side of things, I lost interest. It was very… sudden? I don’t see where the hate to love/attraction comes in? It was quick. They see one another once a month for some time, but nothing ever really happens that makes me believe that they can go from distrust in one another to falling in love? There were also moments after they start showing some interest in one another and then Fia kinda snaps at him or they just have some mild animosity with one another, and then next thing you know, they’re leaning into that mutual interest again??

The characters are also hard to talk about. There were times where I loved them, and times where I couldn’t see why they were doing what they were. Since we follow Fia a lot, we mostly see *her* growth and change. However, there were some moments that didn’t make sense to me? This whole time, we are told Fia was ‘forged to be a weapon’ or ‘made into something sharp’ etc etc. We see her take down this beast too that even Irian had trouble taking down, but she gets whisked away when she gets a minor injury? There’s another moment towards the end where she’s not giving ‘warrior honed’ energy/she’s not shown to be the tough warrior she was forced to become (like keeping cool in the face of an emotionally heightened event which okay yeah, it’s excusable given the circumstances but imo, you can’t call this changeling a warrior and constantly note her strengths/her strict past/give her growth where she’s had to push her own emotions down to do what needs to be done and then turn around and give us this scene where she freezes up in the moment but I digress).
I loved to see the change and growth in Fia, but I wish we would’ve seen it more in Rogan, Irian, even in Eala and the rest of the swans too. Chandi was given a bit of a moment here and there too, at least. I hope that in the next book, some more focus is given to other characters? I feel like I’m also being a bit too harsh on this, because it was genuinely a good book! I enjoyed the story, but because of these other nit-picky bits, I didn’t love it as much as I hoped I would…

As I mentioned before, I can *totally* see how people could love this book! I’m being a touch *too* unforgiving against it and it probably has to do with the fact that it took me almost a month to finish this. I’d put it down, pick it up, read it for a few days and then leave it for a week before I tried to pick it up again. I’m the worst mood reader to exist and when I have to start forcing myself to finish a read (because I knew I didn’t want to DNF it yet also knew that the pub date was coming up and I wanted to post my review before if possible), I become more critical against it. I don’t fault the book so much for that, but I still think that three stars is a fair rating as I can’t seem to find highlighted marks that surpass the notes I made against it.

A Feather so Black releases in the US and Canada today and I’m so excited for the world to pick this up!
I’m really hoping this will be the next big romantasy that the the girlies obsess over because I am in desperate need of some AFSB merch 🤩

This story follows Lia, a half-human and half-folk changeling that is dropped into the human world as a replacement for her twin sister Eala. Lia has to work with Rogan to visit the fae realm of Tir na Nog to rescue her sister and save the human lands. Enter stage right Irian, the broody shadow man who tries to kill Lia on sight and has bound Eala and the other swan maidens to him for some nefarious purpose of his own.

The plot itself gets a bit convoluted at times, but y’all. The vibes. The prose. The complex familial dynamics. The absolute mess of a love triangle/square situation. I ate this up.

This story is so beautifully written and the imagery is just fantastic. I’m so excited to see the book community absolutely lose their minds over this one. Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

A Feather So Black is a new fantasy series, set in the world of fae with a bit of romance.

It follows Fia, a 20-year-old changeling who is tasked by the Queen to rescue the princess who was stolen and now is stuck in the fae realm.

I'm not going to lie, this took way longer than I thought to get through. I was excited to get the arc, the description initially pulled me in and sounded like something I would devour.

There were a couple of things I liked and some I disliked.
I mainly struggled with the slow pacing, making it hard to connect to the storyline. The prose made it hard to follow along.

I did enjoy Fia's character arc but I wish she was stronger and her skills were shown more. I like to read romantasy but I feel in this case the two love interests hindered her journey. We were left with repetitive monologues which became exhausting by the end. It also seemed a bit predictable, being that I knew each character's role in the plot and their motives. It was hard to feel anything for any of them. I wish the ending wasn't left so open but then again I am left wanting to read what happens next.

Thank you Netgalley, Lyra Selene, and Orbit Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
Happy Book Birthday to Lyra Selene!!!!

WHEW! THAT ENDING. I knew from the beginning that I shouldn't trust Eala. She was too.... welcoming of Fia. If I had been kidnapped as a child and replaced by a changeling I would feel nothing but hatred and loathing for my "sister". I didn't believe for a second that Eala liked or even trusted Fia (she obviously didn't trust her because she kept manipulating Fia). Eala constantly talked about how she didn't want to be used as a pawn anymore but then her big plan was "I'm going to make everyone else a pawn in my game". Make that make sense???

I also did not like Rogan AT ALL. I don't understand what Fia saw in the man. He was literally so useless and so damn oblivious. If he was meant to have golden retriever energy (that's what it seemed like and he was blond) then he fell very short of that.

Other than that I truly enjoyed this novel. It had some very vibrant world building and although I was able to see a lot of the plot points from the get-go (besides the whole Eala tearing out hearts bit) I still found the magic and the people interesting enough to continue reading.

I'm also confused though because.... A Folk at the beginning told Fia they were going to ask for a kiss in payment for saving her from some other creepy Folk person and then... that person NEVER came back. Fia only ever interacted with Irian or the maidens so I don't know what happened there. I'm pretty sure this is going to be a series so maybe that will be handled at a later date?

A feather so black was a 5 ⭐️ read for me. I am a sucker for anything faerie / fae related, so when I read that this book was about a changeling, I knew I had to read it.

A feather so black follows Fia, a changeling left in the human world, as she sets out with a prince to break a curse and rescue her human counterpart Eala. Along the way, Fia must figure out the secrets of the past in order to forge a new future, and must decide if her heart belongs in the human world she was raised in, or in the fae land of Tír na nÓg.

This book features:
- strong independent FMC
- Morally grey shadow daddy
- More spice than I was expecting!
- Celtic based mythology
- Enemies to lovers
- Beautiful atmosphere and writing
- Botanical magic
- Plot twists
- And cliff hanger endings

I cannot wait to pick up a physical copy of this book, as well as dive in to the rest of the series as they come out!

I thoroughly enjoyed this! I love elemental magic, so I knew going in that this was going to be right up my alley. I truly appreciated the end and Fia’s development throughout the book. Can’t wait to read the next installment!

thank you to Netgalley, Orbit, and Lyra Selene for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review!

if you like whimsical gothic books with vibes of like grimm’s fairytales and irish/celtic folklore and things like:

- shadow daddy
- first aid/healing
- love triangle
- i wrote you letters
- would let world burn for her
- sorta 3rd act break up (it worked i didn’t hate it at all)
- self control / restraint (like i’ll wait bc i want all of you vibes)
- enemies to lovers
- lost princess vibes
- morally gray love interest
- creepy women

then i think you will LOVE this book and i recommend it

———

this review contains mild spoilers but nothing major i promise :)

this is gonna be a long review so buckle up… i have alot of thoughts both good and not so good

i’m gonna start on a positive note tho :)

the relationship between Fia and Rogan was super interested once i got more invested in their characters.. Fia’s feelings about him are so complex and nuanced and it was amazing to see her self-acceptance/self-love journey reflected in how those feelings shift thru out the book

i really loved how Rogan didn’t like her magic and in their romantic moments he had small reactions of distrust snd i loved that there was never a big blow up about her magic and instead she realizes that’s not how he should react to something that is intrinsic to her — one of the best quotes from the book was…

“But if love demands alteration to exist, is it even love at all?”

Rogan’s reactions are foiled by Irian’s and i loved how the romance complemented Fia’s journey toward self-acceptance

WHICH BTW was the absolutely HIGHLIGHT of the book to follow Fia’s journey from distrust and hatred toward fae (despite sorta being one herself)

i especially loved how that is reflected in her use of magic and views of the fae land

i ALSO loved that the love triangle while Fia was never really all that conflicted about like who to love romantically she was genuinely conflicted about her loyalties and like platonic love vs romantic love (esp during the final conflicts/3rd act)

i was also obsessed with the whimsy the sprite in the fort named Corra adds like she might have been my favorite character it add alot to the down moments between the full moons

OKAY and then the shadow daddy himself IRIAN i was obsessed with him from the start like when he was introduced i was like okay lyra IM SAT now

and then when him and fia struck their bargain for stories i was obsessed with that as a way for them to be vulnerable and share truths about themselves it was super unique and i loved it

okay so… the not so positive stuff…

there was so much about this book i was obsessed but there were some glaring things that caused me to struggle thru reading it esp like the first half

1. i felt like the author took for granted what i knew about irish/celtic folklore and like words so i felt very thrown to the wolves in a sense bc i had no clue what she was saying with these different foreign words which had me looking up stuff a ton and like im fine with that but when its taking me out of the story constantly i feel like there’s not enough world building explanation happening

2. the introduction of Rogan was odd for me bc again it felt like i was supposed to be more invested in them and be like into their relationship right away but eventually i did get there later in the book.. like i felt like that person who is on the outside of an inside joke like confused but playing along

3. it felt like too much time was spent on the first relationship like things started progressing with Irian at like 60% and they progressed fast so a lot of times i felt like i was missing scenes to make the progression make the most sense.. like i wanted more from this relationship and less from rogan

like i was so conflicted bc like this book felt too long and too short at times

4. the ending was good but honestly i have no clue wtf happened (hopefully that’s the point as a set up for book 2) given that we were in fia’s head it was kinda frustrating to not understand what happened

5. overall the story feel a bit disjointed bc it focused primarily on the full moon nights they went to the fae lands so it felt like the story was like isolated incidents sometimes instead of an arc (even tho it was definitely an arc it just didn’t … ig … flow…)

again like i said in the beginning i really really enjoyed a lot of aspects of this book and will 100% be reading the second book 😘

𝗗𝗻𝗳 𝗮𝘁 𝟱𝟵%

Reading is supposed to be fun and comforting for me, but if I keep forcing myself to read a book that I really have no interest in continuing, I will lose complete interest in reading. I've also noticed that I always have a reading slump after I read a book that was really boring or uninteresting to me. So I'm not going to do this to myself this time, and dnf this at 59%. I promise you, I really tried. Alone, the fact that it took me six days to read 250 pages proves that I really tried. I usually read 1-4 books in 6 days, so 250 is really something else for me!!😭✋🏼

The sad thing is, I don't even know why it was so difficult for me to continue this book. Was it the writing style? The characters?? The world building??? I HAVE NO IDEA!! I guess I just didn't feel like reading it... The whole time, I was waiting for the little wow, ohh, or yayyyy, but sadly, it never came…

I must admit I feel a little guilty for DNFing this, but I am also so proud of myself. 


𝚂𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎: 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝙼𝚈 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝.🫂


!!𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 & 𝗢𝗿𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 & 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝘆𝗿𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄!!

Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for this ARC for in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this, the story focuses on our FMC of Fia who is a changeling that was left in place of the Queen's daughter some 12 years ago. They were swapped by the High Fae along with 11 other girls they spirited from their homes before they retreated behind their gates to not be seen from again. Fia is raised as a fosterling by the Queen and trained well, but she can never forget what she is, people won't let her.

The story centers around her quest to bring home her "sister". She along with the other 11 girls are trapped in the Fae realm and by day are turned into swans but by night they turn back into girls. Fia must break into the Fae world and figure out how to break their curse to bring home her sister. But she has to do this with Prince Rogan at her side, her sister's brothered and the man Fia has loved since childhood. If that doesn't complicate things, the swans have a dark-hearted guardian, Irian. Fia must guard her head and heart but it's a losing battle as time goes one and as she learns hard truths about herself and the world around her and more importantly the people around her.

The story was well paced for the most part until the last few months where I feel we should have spent more time. The ending was a little rushed. And without giving things away, it was a little insta-lovey. I kept waiting for a twist or a surprise and I think the one we got fell a little flat. This is not to say I didn't like the story, it just had some sour patch moments.

This is easily a 3.75 star read for me, I really enjoyed this and am curious what the next book has in store. I will be continuing the series.

Forests. Creatures. Magic. Curses. Love…squares? This book has it all, but in a sweeping, poetic voice that pulls you into their worlds. It allows the reader to be drawn to the magic of nature. The main character is both strong, yet introspective that I found very intriguing and endearing. The love interests were unique, but neither wholly terrible which created extra tension. I ended the book absolutely wanting book 2 and already planning a re-read!

I had the pleasure of both ebook and audiobook for this experience. The audiobook is read by Heather O’Sullivan whose voice added so much atmosphere to this Celtic inspired tale! I could listen to her read anything for hours!

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Audio, Orbit Books, and author Lyra Selene for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was not the book for me. I found the world building rushed and lacking. It needed some more oomph to bring me fully into the story. The characters were annoying and I could not bring myself to care about them .

A FEATHER SO BLACK by Lyra Selene
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

*out March 12*

"Liberate yourself from ideas of heroes and villains, good and evil, right and wrong. Here we are all villains."

Fia is a changeling. Switched as a young child, and left in place of a stolen princess, she has been raised as a weapon to one day find the stolen heir, break her curse and bring back magic to the human world. Accompanied by her childhood friend (and hoped to be lover), Fia journies through the gates intoTír na nÓg, the fae world. She begins to question this mission, and her own history, the more she travels into this deadly and magical world as she encounters its inhabitants.

A Feather So Black is perfect for fans of:
• alluring romantic fantasy
• all things dark & magical
• morally grey characters
• fae lords and Fair Folk
• strong female main characters
• twists and turns
• love triangles

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC!

#afeathersoblack #fantasy #faerietale #lyraselene #ARC #netgalley #romance #magical #bookstagram #2024reads #bookjournal

I DNF'd 15% through. I tried so hard to get further in this book but ai just could not keep reading it. I picked it up at least five times. I felt like the writing was very repetitive and slow. I loved the story itself and really want to know where it would have gone. I definitely felt like it was interesting. I will try this again in the future to see if it was just the wrong timing. I'm giving it 3 stars because I really did enjoy the plot, I just couldn't get through the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Selene opens the book with extensive world building and the promise of a high-stakes plot, driven by a strong female protagonist. The main character, Fia, is set on a quest to save her sister from the mysterious and magical ‘Folk’, with former flame Rogan on the assist. While the love square between the three of them and the sister’s captor had its interesting moments, it was pretty clear from the beginning who Fia was going to end up with. I do wish there had been more intrigue there.

Fia’s relationship with her sister was well-done in its complexity, but I did find myself questioning why Fia, who is supposed to be a ‘weapon’, trained by her mother and pseudo-step father to be ruthless, cunning, and intelligent, didn’t see through her sister’s intentions from the start – or at least be more wary for potential hidden enemies. For someone who is supposed to be so impressive, she needed to take a break from screwing around with both her love interests and focus on the political and familial issues.

The middle of the book meandered a little bit. Corra, the magical sprite Fia befriends, was a great point for comedic relief. The last third of the novel was very well paced, with the plot returning to the high-stakes action. Now that the romantic lines have been well established, I hope the sequel returns to the magical and political plots from the beginning of the novel.

Prepare to be captivated by Lyra Selene's storytelling. A Feather So Black is a beautiful tale that swept me away into a world of enchantment.

I was completely caught off guard by how deeply it moved me and I didn't expect that at all because the beginning was a bit slow for me.

The connection between Irian and Fia was nothing short of incredible. Their chemistry leaped off the pages, drawing me into their world. I love how imperfectly perfect both of them were, and how much they grew. I enjoyed the descriptive scenery, characters, and even villains.

This sneak peek into book two left me hungry for more, eagerly awaiting the continuation of this captivating story. Additionally, the inclusion of a glossary was a thoughtful touch especially if you wish to understand Celtic folklore; It allowed me to fully immerse myself in the world of the story, as I found myself occasionally pausing to fully grasp the meaning of certain words.

I recommend A Feather So Black to any lover of retellings with a touch of magic and romantasy. This book is a true gem, filled with beauty, passion, and an unmistakable charm that will leave you craving for more.

Fia is a changeling, left behind by Fair Folk when they stole the High Queen's daughter Eala, and retreated behind the locked gates of Tír na nÓg. The Queen raises Fia as a daughter, training her to be a spy. In Tír na nÓg, Eala is cursed to become a swan by day and girl by night. When a doorway between realms is discovered, Fia is tasked with finding Eala. Along with her is Prince Rogan, Fia's friend, and Eala's betrothed. Fia’s mission is complicated by her feelings for Rogan and her unexpected attraction to the fae lord holding Eala captive. Irian might be a monster, but he understands Fia in a way no one ever has. Time is running out to break her sister's curse, but Fia questions the mission.

A Feather So Black is the first book of the Fair Folk series. It is heavily influenced by Celtic mythology and the story of the twelve princesses. Fia, as a changeling, has magic blood that allows her to open the hidden gate between realms. Eala and eleven other girls had been taken from the human realm, and all are cursed. With the full moon, Fia can break open the gate to pass through, and Rogan tries to get to know his betrothed as Fia tries to find a way to break the geas keeping them trapped. Stories are told regarding the gate, the Fair Folk and the Gentry, those who rule in Tír na nÓg. The stories the humans told aren't quite true, and neither are the ones that are told among the Fair Folk.

I love the fairy tale aspect of this book, the stories within stories, and the way it's impossible to tell what the truth really is. That gives weight to the passage of time and means that what Fia and the reader think is true might not be. Fia was born in Tír na nÓg and spent thirteen years with humans who hated her or tried to make her into something else. Eala was born human as a princess meant to secure her mother's throne, then spent thirteen years among the fae. Neither of them is what they expected to be, so Fia's choices at the end aren't, either. This is a story about identity, love, and magic. This means hard choices, an ending worthy of fairy tales and a series of books to explore the fallout.

Thank you Net Galley and to the publisher for the ARC. A Feather so Black is such a beautiful fairy tale-esque story. We follow the story of Fia, a changeling who must rescue her sister, the real princess from Tír na nÓg. First off, the setting is beautiful, so dreamy and dark, and of course Fae. I also loved Fia's botanical magic! I loved the romance, it very much gave star crossed lovers. Though there is a love triangle, I found it to be pretty well done. I really enjoyed following along with Fia as she struggles to figure out what is true and what is not, as well as to really understand herself better and her finding her personal truths. The prose was also so beautiful and atmospheric! Can't wait for the next book after that ending. I'm so glad the ARC had a bonus chapter from book 2. Easily the best fae romantasy I have ever read.

Lyra Selene’s A Feather So Black had me hooked right from the first chapter!

This novel was the perfect mix of wicked and otherworldly fair folk, reminiscent of Holly Black, with the sexual tension and romance that Sarah J. Maas is known for. I can see this novel being the next ‘big thing!’

The character descriptions were phenomenal. From the most insignificant background character to Fia herself, the descriptions were rich in detail, creating intriguing characters that had more to them than met the eye. The way that Selene described the landscapes was vivid, with the lands of the fair folk often disorientating. This all made imagining the world of A Feather So Black, effortless.

The pacing was perfect, and from the first chapter, this book had me in a chokehold. The writing style was beautiful while still being easy to devour. The romance also did not disappoint and I was slightly surprised by the spice (in the best way possible!)

So please do yourself a favor and pick up A Feather So Black! I cannot recommend this enough if you are a Romanstasy lover! I even pre-ordered a hard-cover copy for myself, I love it that much!

A big thank you to Orbit Books, Lyra Selene, and NetGalley for my ARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars, that I think might be higher after I read the sequel (eventually)

Selene’s writing style flowed well for me, and the descriptions were beautiful. And I feel that those descriptions create the backbone of the book. Not only for the setting, but for the main character, Fia, as well.

A Feather So Black is romantic in its writing, as well as watching Fia and Irian’s story play out in the pages. I enjoyed it, but not without criticism.

I think this should have been shorter. Either that, or the overly large paragraphs cut into bite-size ones. It was a slog to get through in parts. There is one conversation that became repetitive, but I think it shows how Fia’s acceptance is happening in real time.

Thank you, orbitbooks, for this digital arc in exchange for an honest and free review. I enjoyed it, and hope to read the next book!

A Feather So Black starts out wobbly, but by the end of the first act it finds its footing and really takes off, providing a very fantastical and romantic story with plenty of intrigue, wit, chemistry, danger, sorrow, action, and sacrifice to make the page count (close to 500) totally worth it; not only that, but loose threads, ponderous angles, and the ongoing storyline are definitely enticing enough reasons to be interested in the sequel without the author having to resort to a cliffhanger ending.

Orbit Books has been publishing some bangers in the last couple of years, so I was excited for A Feather So Black because the plot synopsis seemed to speak of a retelling blend of Swan Lake (my favorite ballet) and the fairy tale colloquially known as The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and then we toss in some fae stuff. (This isn’t an insult, because fae stuff can encompass some of the best stuff). It does all of these things extremely well. Where it stuttered was in the initial engagement and worldbuilding.

There are a lot–A LOT–of books like A Feather So Black in the marketplace right now. Maybe not with the same plot, but with a lot of the same themes and a lot of similar characters. In order to work on every level, romantasy novels need to snag us readers from the get. I’m not talking about spice or love: I’m talking about hooking us on your main protagonist. But we’ve met Fia before, in lots of different books but with different names. And we’ve met her in a similar manner before too. We’ve even met her best friend/former lover as well, even if he had a different name. It made the first act feel rather formulaic, even timeworn in a book where the rest felt rather bold and emotionally fresh.

It won’t stop me from eagerly awaiting the sequel!

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Book Series/Fairy Tale Retelling/Fantasy/Romantasy/Fantasy Series