This book offers a rich blend of dark glamour, gangster grit, and fae magic, set against the smoky backdrop of Roaring Age New York, but while the concept was enticing and the atmosphere beautifully imagined, the execution didn't quite land for me. The slow-burn romance and found family elements were well done, with Jack stealing the show as a dangerously charming love interest, and Violet Warren absolutely commanding every scene she was in. However, Addie’s single point of view felt limiting—especially when her character often frustrated me—and the pacing dragged because of it. I longed for multiple perspectives to break up her internal struggle. While the worldbuilding and magic system had echoes of Fable comics and Peaky Blinders-style drama, some of the secondary characters could’ve used more depth. Still, I’m intrigued enough by the ending (and by Violet!) to pick up the sequel.

I am DNFing at 34%. I should have known better to request this book when someone referred to it as The Great Gatsby meets ACOTAR. I am not a particular fan of either. So this is likely a me thing and not a book thing. I found the story to be a bit convoluted, and I think I might have been able to digest this more by eye-reading.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is fantastic!! The perfect blend of magic, myth, and history it is lush, descriptive, and fully immersive. The characters are fantastic, the slow burn romance top tier, and the layers to this story are remarkable. I absolutely adored the audio for this as well, the voices the narrator pull for each character are unique, distinct, and bring the pages to life in a brand new way. I could listen to it on loop. Anyone who loves The Great Gatsby with dark legends, lore, and fae NEEDS this audiobook to help fill the silence. You won’t be able to stop listening!!

I love the premise of this book, the concept was so so interesting to me but unfortunately it just didn’t hit exactly how I wanted it to.

I think that a different narrator was needed to tell this story. It just felt a bit out of place in this setting. I will definitely give other works from the author a chance, I just think this wasn’t the book for me, unfortunately!

This was a fun historical fantasy with plenty of details about the roaring 20s to please my history-loving heart. I enjoyed all the twists and turns, the ones I saw coming and the ones I didn't, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series soon. The audiobook was especially fun.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing access to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The book was a wild ride. Story's a bit of a mess, but it was fun and there it managed to combine things that I thought would not work together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

I unfortunately could not finish this novel. I stopped at 80% as everything felt....so young...not in good way.

Let me start by saying this story is amazing, it's dark and creepy at times but still conveys the joyous atmosphere that was New York City in the nineteen twenties.

While on this wild ride, we see the best and worst of people and Fae, and there are moments when our faith in good versus evil is tested.

This story is nothing short of amazing and I enjoyed it thoroughly. If anyone is looking for a way to ease into audiobooks I can highly recommend this one because it's a joy to listen to.

Speaking of listening, Brenda Scott Wlazlo is a gem, she gives life and originality to the characters and gives them such distinct voices it's easy to keep track of what's going on with whom.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing a copy of this audiobook, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions1 are my own.

It took me awhile to get into the story. The plots twists and different takes on familiar fae stories were a lot of fun though and I really enjoyed the ending. The narrator was great as well.

I saw someone describe this book as having ACOMAF vibes and they were not wrong! Despite this, The Prince of Prohibition is it's own unique story, world and cast of characters! It was a fun read. I really loved the characters, the found family, and seeing you'd get if you added few to the roaring 20s!

Thank you to the publisher or the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who is getting burn out over fae stories, I loved the mashup with the 1920s! It was such a breath of fresh air! The world building was my favorite part of this story. I found the FMC, Addie, to be frustratingly inconsistent. And while Jack is definitely book boyfriend material, he’s not morally grey. That marketing needs a tweak.

Damn that ending! It was amazing, twisty and kept me on the edge of my seat!

The narrator was so perfect for the writing style, truly making it come alive, I believe she played a role in my enjoyment of the story. I highly recommend picking this up as an audiobook.

The FMC is a young, sheltered girl and she behave like one. It takes time for her to come to term with what’s going on. She struggle a lot; with herself, her past, present and futur. She isn’t one of those strong warrior FMC who can take on the world single-handedly, but she is in no way weak. I appreciated her for that, the author really took the time to build her up.

I wasn’t convinced by the MMC at first. I mean, he was quite shady, but he really grew on me. And damn that ending again! I don’t want to spoil anything, but it’s really worth waiting for.

I cannot wait for the next book and I'm definitely giving this a reread after all those revelations!

All aboard the hot mess express, because this was a rough ride. Let’s jump right in, shall we?


<b>WALMART ACOTAR</b>

I want to get the elephant in the room out of the way immediately. This is an ACOTAR rip off. Let me count the ways:

• A morally gray, all-powerful fae male treats the MC like a sexual object the first time he interacts with her in front of other fae to hide how much she actually means to him
• All-powerful mates
• A depressed MC who doesn't eat and the fae man (also her mate) who tries to help her heal
• Found family/inner circle
• “Stay with the high lord” vibes
• Possessive fae male who gets feral when she mentions another man's name during sex…<i>Come on, now we’re just ripping off very blatant scenes from ACOTAR.</i>
• A several-day sexcapade, followed by the fae male’s extreme possessiveness after their first mating
• The “band of banished” = Lucien’s “band of exiles”

There’s probably a lot more than this, but this is most of what I caught. The biggest issue with the ACOTAR rips was that they weren’t even done well. Honestly, the reason Rhys and Feyre worked was because their relationship was developed <i>before</i> we were told they were mates. We weren't just told "they're mates, they have a connection" without being shown anything. And yet, this is how Jack and Addie are being written.

We get nothing—no meet cute, no slow burn development—before being told that they’re mates, and that magic drives their attraction to one another. The problem with this should be obvious, but in case it’s not, there is no actual development of Addie and Jack’s relationship. It’s just…there. Marks tells us they’re attracted to one another, but immediately undercuts it by establishing that magic is artificially forcing along their feelings of lust. Nothing is shown, or grown organically. It’s just being spoonfed to us as we read. And the whole “magic is the reason we feel this intensely toward one another” spiel is honestly the least romantic thing I’ve ever read.

Which leads me to my next point of contention.


<b>ROMANTASY IS SUPPOSED TO BE ROMANTIC</b>

It’s literally in the genre name. Romantasy = Romance + Fantasy. This book fails to pull off either in any meaningful way. The biggest failures are the world building and the romance, which are the primary elements of the romantasy genre.

The world building is constantly info-dumped into the story artlessly. It often fails to make any sense at all. The plotting is also a hot mess, with random side plots abandoned and several obstacles either conveniently fixed without trouble or introduced and then immediately dropped.

The romance itself is pretty much hinged entirely upon the author telling us without showing us that Addie and Jack are in love/attracted to each other because *magic*. The reason this especially is a major issue is because romantasy sets itself apart from regular fantasy by being ROMANTIC. This is not romantic. It honestly grossed me out how often they were magically compelled to rip each other’s clothes off. It felt like it was bordering on dubious consent, since it was established again and again that their attraction and lust toward one another is a result of magic, not their own desires. An utter failure for a book sold as a romantasy.


<b>THE MAGICAL CURING OF THE MC’S ALLEGORICAL INFERTILITY</b>

The last thing I want to address is purely allegorical in nature, but still massively upsetting. Addie makes a bargain with a fae creature that basically states that she will die if she ever gives birth. Because of this, she resolves to be child-free despite her love for children.

This is explored repeatedly in the first 50% of the book. Addie thinks about becoming a teacher so she can spend time with children. When she gets introduced to the fae in NYC and they talk about mating so she can bear magical children, she hides her curse in shame. She then tasks a friend to assist her in searching for a way out of the curse, to no avail. We learn, in no uncertain terms, that the bargain cannot be broken. It’s impossible.

All of this felt like a very strong allegory for infertility, or at least a body incompatible with childbirth. It was heart-wrenching to see Addie struggle under the burden of the curse, knowing her true desires, but I was hoping to see some kind of fae adoption down the line or Addie’s eventual acceptance of a child-free life.

Instead, after the first half of the book, this curse was conveniently shelved and forgotten, until the eleventh hour of the novel. In that moment, just after the climax, Addie is speaking to the creature that cursed her, and she asks this creature to remove the curse. And you guys, SHE FUCKING DOES IT. JUST LIKE THAT. ADDIE’S TURMOIL OVER HER MAGICAL INABILITY TO SAFELY CARRY A CHILD TO TERM? POOF. GONE. JUST LIKE THAT.

The way this infuriated me is not something I can adequately express. We were already told that her curse CANNOT be removed. And yet, after Addie makes nice with the creature who cursed her, she simply asks her to take away the terms of the bargain, and she does it because it no longer serves her purposes anymore.

All in all, this entire side plot disgusted me and felt extremely disrespectful toward people who are infertile or cannot safely carry a pregnancy to term. Addie literally had this upsetting reality resolved for herself with the snap of a finger, and she didn’t even REACT to the resolution of a life-changing curse before she immediately moved on.


<b>OVERALL THOUGHTS</b>

I was so excited to read this one. Fae in the roaring twenties? I was all in. Unfortunately, this was basically an unromantic, borderline offensive, Walmart ACOTAR. What a massive disappointment.


<b>Audiobook Review:</b> Brenda Scott Wlazlo’s performance was a shining beacon among the letdown that was this book. She was excellent, and her singing was beautiful. Drop that single stat, girl!


<b>OVERALL RATING:</b> 1 star.


<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

This book was as advertised….a prohibition ACOTAR. I did enjoy the twist with more fae folk and deeper cultural development than most fantasy books have. However I still think the protagonist, Adeline is just too juvenile for my liking.

That’s being said, this book pleasantly surprised me. In the beginning I was savoring each chapter, in the middle I was bored out of my mind with her whining, and somehow at the end Marilyn Marks roped me back in and set the record straight….I liked this book. It is unique enough to be a worth the read for fae, enemies to lovers, dark prince, and is a perfect standalone. There is some top notch spice that had me blushing and I REALLY wish she had more of that through out the book instead of shoving it all in our face at the end lol.

All in all I’d recommend this book.

This was an interesting read. I enjoy the banter between the main characters, the exploration of self and desire, realizing that the world holds more secrets than we know and how that may entwine with one's destiny. It is interesting to see the interplay between Jack and Addie and how their relationship will evolve. This is a slow burn romance and I am interested to see where it leads.

4.5⭐️ 2🌶️
I was fortunate enough to get an alc of this audiobook from NetGalley, and I fell in love with the story, the characters, and the lush imagery that played out in my mind as I listened to this book. The narrator did a phenomenal job, and I was completely transported to 1920s New York City, in this atmospheric, whimsical mashup of Fae, and Peaky Blinders vibes.
Adeline grew up in rural Georgia, and is seen as an outcast, because she is constantly seeing things- like Pixies- that others cannot see. She grows up sheltered and naive, then her world is turned upside down when her father passes away, and she and her brother move to New York City.
Adeline is slowly drawn into the dangerous world of the Fae, after meeting Jack~ who’s a killer mix of Thomas Shelby and Jay Gatsby.
This book is filled with exquisite world-building, and reads like a historical fiction dusted with fantasy. The slow-burn romance is swoon-worthy, driven by perfect banter, and a well executed enemies to lovers arc. There were some detailed spice scenes- I guarantee these will increase in the next installment.
Overall, I was enthralled with this unique, fascinating story- and absolutely loved the character development, the action, the 20’s vibes and the dialogue.
Mind the cliffy!! Luckily, the next book comes out in a few weeks, because I don’t know if I could wait much longer!

⭐️Enemies To Lovers
⭐️Slow Burn Romance
⭐️Historical Fiction Meets Fantasy
⭐️Gangsters
⭐️Fae & Humans
⭐️Heists and Action
⭐️Unique Magic System

The Prince of Prohibition was described as “ACOTAR meets The Great Gatsby,” and I was very excited to read it. I listened to the audiobook, which may have both aided in my enjoyment of this very long book, and detracted from it with some of the sound and accent issues I had.

There was so much desire and angst in this book - definitely a slow (slow, slow, slow) burn. But the story was not all steam and the slow burn payoff was definitely worth the wait.

I did enjoy the flip on the trapped face trope, where the fat are trapped in the human world, rather than humans getting trapped in the face realm.

The Prince of Prohibition was a long audiobook - about 19 hours! Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy.

What an epic debut novel this was! It was described as a mix of ACOTAR and Gatsby, and we have a romantasy novel set in the era of Prohibition - the time of glamour, mobsters, and flappers. It was an interesting setting for the Fae and it was glorious. I don't think I've read too many novels set in the Roaring 20s, but the expectations that society had for women and people of color, or anyone seen as different, were not pleasant. However, for women, there was the victory of the 19th Amendment and the right to vote. This book explores all of these issues, as well as the after-effects of a soldier coming home from World War 1.

The book's world-building was truly exceptional. It was set in New York City during the 1920s but with a magical twist. The author did a fantastic job of integrating the world of the fae into the city, with all the different species and their hierarchy. The depth and richness of the world-building made it feel as if it was a reality that I was a part of.

The side characters were amazing, but Lillian was my favorite. She was incredibly well-written and had a depth to her character that was unexpected. The MMC, Jack, was another standout. He was a morally ambiguous character that I found myself rooting for despite his flaws.

The book started slow, but it built up to an epic finish that left me wanting more. It was unfortunate that the next book is not yet out, as I am eagerly anticipating it. I was surprised by how much I was drawn into the story, but it was definitely worth the read.

If you're looking for an epic romantic fantasy novel with a slow burn, intricate magic system, integrated magical creatures, betrayal, mystery, and epic battles, then this book is definitely for you!

unfortunately this one was just okay. i didnt love it or hate it, i think this may have been one of the rare times that the audio just didnt do it for me and i wouldve been better off just reading it. it had a lot of promise but it felt underwhelming for the most part.

also theres entirely too much singing, once was quite enough for me.

Wow wow wow
This was amazing. I totally loved it. The story was amazing and the characters were likable. I enjoyed it and would defending recommend it .
Thank you so much netgalley for the ARC!!🤍