Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the second book as much as the first. I feel that the book has kind of lost some of its mythological touch in a way and shifted more on the romance, with yet another triangle being formed. The book also took quite a long time to take off, about halfway through the book! The trials were the most investing part for me.

Fia was quite frustrating throughout this book, becoming argumentative at the drop of a hat. The books could also really just leave the spicy scenes out and it would really help to not bring "cheese" into the story as most of the time in romantasy, the spicy scenes are not needed and comical.

I'm still interested in the third book as that looks like that's what we're leaning towards, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lyra Selene for providing me with an ARC of *A Crown of Silver*. As a fan of *A Feather So Black*, I was eagerly anticipating this sequel, and I can confidently say it did not disappoint, despite a few initial pacing challenges.

To start, I did find the beginning of the story slower than its predecessor, and I encountered some difficulty with the Irish terminology, which stood out a bit more this time around. However, these minor hurdles were easily outweighed by the many strengths of the book.

One of the standout features of Selene’s writing is her ability to bring side characters to life in a memorable way. The aughisky (water spirit horse) was a particular highlight for me—such a unique and captivating creature that added a lot of charm to the narrative. The setting is beautifully described, and I found myself wishing I could step into the world Selene has created.

While we met Wayland in the first book, A Crown So Silver gives us a chance to better appreciate his character, and I really enjoyed his development. Fia’s character arc is another highlight, particularly the twist involving the binding of her magic. In the first book, she relied heavily on her abilities, and here, she is forced to navigate challenges without them. This development added a layer of depth to her character that I found compelling. I also appreciated the way Selene portrayed Fia’s marriage—not as an idealized or perfect relationship, but as a partnership with its own complexities. It added a welcome level of realism to the fantasy setting.

While the pacing could have been faster in places, the world-building and character development more than made up for it. I'm eagerly anticipating the third book in the series and can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

Rating: 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice level: 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

A Crown So Silver by Lyra Selene continues the tale of Fia and Irian from A Feather So Black. Both have gone through severe trauma. The question is, will that suffering bring them together or rip them apart? I enjoyed A Crown So Silver marginally more than A Feather So Black, but not enough that I can recommend it with a glowing review. But if you try A Crown So Silver, understand that the novel is spicy, and the plot does not truly pick up until the second half. The first is like trying to fight through a sticky bog.

The first fifty percent of A Crown So Silver is frustrating and unenjoyable. Fia is arrogant and unbelievably self-centered. She totally disregards Irian’s trauma and heartbreak, and I wanted to knock her head into a wall. Fia is narrowminded, immature, and infuriating. Child, you do not have a singular claim on horrific experiences. Irian pulls a Tamlin from A Court of Mist and Fury and becomes overprotective of her, but Fia resists. Fia kicks and screams and rips Irian apart. She does not try to understand him; instead, the two of them just bicker repeatedly about the same topics. I found myself legitimately yelling at my Kindle, begging these two to have a mature conversation. Their relationship suffers deeply because of it.

As the book continues, however, I slowly began enjoying Lyra Selene’s newest work. I love her writing style and how she includes floral imagery and metaphors, what with Fia’s earth-centered abilities. Everything began connecting, and I appreciated the character growth Selene beautifully constructed. I liked the banter between Fia and Irian (when it occurred), and between Fia and Wayland. Wayland was absolutely my favorite character, and I wanted more of him. Selene answers questions I had in book one and reveals more bits and pieces of what makes Fia and Irian who they are. But A Crown So Silver is most definitely the second book of a trilogy. It connects the beginning of the story to the end and cannot stand on its own. Oh, and it ends on a cliffhanger. Even if Lyra Selene’s “Fair Folk” trilogy isn’t among my favorite fantasy series, GIVE ME BOOK THREE.

Lyra Selene does a beautiful job of weaving together atmospheric writing with a fairytale retelling. I enjoyed the first novel in this series, but unfortunately could not get invested in this sequel. The story picks up at the ending of the first book. Fia and Irian are together. They head off on a quest to another realm, to seek safety and learn more about Fia’s newfound power. I could see the direction the story was taking and I began to loose interest. It was a slow build for me; maybe I’ll be able to pick it up again another time.

DNF at 25%

I really like the author and publisher, but this one didn’t fit what I looking for in a current read. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. I definitely enjoyed A Feather So Black more. The first half of this book was somewhat slow moving. I felt disconnected at times, but I did enjoy the direction the second half of the book took, and will continue on with the third installment when it is available.

This was a mixed but overall entertaining reading experience. It suffers from some middle book syndrome at the beginning, but I think I enjoyed the second half of A Crown So Silver more than A Feather So Black as a whole.

We follow Fia as she navigates her new power, and Irian as he learns what it means to be in a relationship. They end up traveling to the Silver Isle, where Irian's pseudo-adoptive father is king. Of course, it's not a cozy hideaway, instead, the Tournament of Kings is taking place. To prevent her sister Eala from winning the powerful magical prize, both Fia and Irian enter the tournament. Things became more interesting around the halfway point. While we don't see much of the tournament itself, which was slightly disappointing, the side quests are really the main storyline anyway. There are new and returning characters with expanded roles that begin to feel like a dysfunctional found family by the end, and I'm excited to see how this develops in the final installment.

There were some pacing issues in the beginning. I've seen some reviewers criticize Fia's behavior toward Irian, but I personally understood where she was coming from. It made sense to me and fit well into her character arc in this book. It's always difficult to rate the second book in a trilogy when the third isn't out yet, as I prefer to binge-read them back to back. That said, I’m definitely invested in seeing how the story concludes in book three.

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit, for providing an early copy in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Irish/Celtic mythology based books (thanks Juliet Marillier). When I had the chance to review book one in this series I devoured it, enjoyed it for what it was but was not blown away. Book two is much the same. The first half drags and I very nearly DNF but I needed to know how Fia and Irian were going to make it through. I will probably still pick up book 3.

Read if you like:
- deadly trials
- ancient magic
- nuanced villains

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I was excited to return to Fia and Irian’s world after falling in love with them in the first book. I love Selene’s writing style and world-building and this book was a lovely continuation of just that.

This book starts incredibly slow as Fia and Irian (along with the rest of their crew) set off for the Silver Isles. While I was glad they traveled together, their arguing and Fia’s attitude really annoyed me. Fia is much more impulsive, argumentative, and less forgiving. Irian is overprotective, but willing to share wisdom and good advice which Fia doesn’t want.

The second half of the book really picks up as the plot and characters develop further. I appreciated learning more about Irian’s background and how he came to be the Sky-Sword, as well as aspects of his childhood that truly formed who he is as a person. Fia and Irian’s relationship is tested in many ways as they strive to find a balance in both the world and within their marriage. That being said - I *can’t* when miscommunication is used to drive a story along. That would be my biggest complaint about this book.

I love the new characters that were introduced; they really build an aspect of found family that fits well into the plot. I enjoyed the new setting of the Silver Isles, which is full of secrets and mysteries allowing for the higher stakes of the storyline to shine. I wish we would’ve seen more Eala, as she is the villain of the story. A couple of chapters from her POV would be intriguing. I also wish we would’ve seen more of the King’s trials.

I am fully trusting Lyra in her continuation of this series and I am eagerly awaiting book #3 of the Fair Folk to find out what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for a free digital copy of this book. This is my honest review. Publication date: January 21, 2025

I adored A Feather So Black and was absolutely thrilled to get a hand on A Crown So Silver as an ARC! This series is perfect for lovers of Daughter of the Forest and are in need of more substance to their SJM Romantasy Reads. Book 2 in the Fair Folk Series picks up right after Book 1, so I will be careful to not write any spoilers for you...but trust me! This sequel is amazing. It has it all - tender romance, daring adventure, deadly competition, and reluctant alliances!
Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit, for my ARC copy of A Crown So Silver. Pub Date: January 21. 2025.

It took me a month to get through the first half of this and then I finished it within a few days. When I tell you that the first half dragged, I mean it.

The first half of the book was Irian and Fia at each other’s throats, sometimes in a sexy way, more often not. It felt like it was doing a whole lot of set up to get everyone in place so that the actual plot could happen, especially when <spoiler>Irian immediately turned on Fia in the first tournament. It was like, oh, all this setup just to have it not really matter.</spoiler>

I was really interested in the plot that happened in the last half of the book with Fia having to work together with Wayland to figure out how to take down Wayland’s dad. I just wish that it hadn’t taken half a book to get there.

I’m probably going to continue the series and hope that this was just suffering from middle book syndrome, because I am curious to see how everything wraps up. But overall I was just underwhelmed, which sucks because I remember loving the first book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the opportunity to read an ARC!

This was a highly anticipated sequel for me going in 2025! I absolutely loved the first book, “A Feather So Black,” as it took me completely by surprise with its perfectly tuned fairytale vibes and ability to present both a competent heroine as well as a non-cringeworthy love triangle that resolved in a believable manner. There was also the set up for an excellent villain with the twist that came towards the end. And, well…alas.

I’m really going to try to restrain myself from devolving into an incoherent rant with this one. But man, it’s going to be hard! I would have disliked this book on its own, but as a sequel to one that I enjoyed so much?! It’s hard to swallow. To start from the more broad view, I think this is a perfect example of a series that was unnecessarily extended into a trilogy. I’m not sure if it was the publisher or this was always the author’s plan, but something went very wrong with the pacing and story-structure of this series when we got to this book.

Simply put: nothing much happens! We barely see some of the major characters from the first book (including the original love interest who by his own rights seemed to have an interesting arc set up to follow) or even much of the villain. What plot we do have devolves into what feels like an extended side quest with stakes largely disconnected from the greater conflict as a whole. And that’s not even touching the fact that the first third of this book seems to be one long string of spicy scenes which could be fine on their own if it wasn’t for the incredibly disjointed feeling this brings to the pacing of this novel, to start so heavily in this and only this area.

This point gets to one of my major gripes, which is with the way the romance was handled. Which is to say, it wasn’t handled well at all. I will acknowledge that perhaps it is more challenging to write a romantic pairing after they have committed themselves to one another, but it is by no means impossible! Especially if you’ve already established your characters as individuals with thoughts, fears, and goals outside of the romance, as well as a greater overall threat that they must face together. Relationships don’t simply become smooth sailing the moment they get together, but at the same time, more and more romantasy authors seem to contort their characters into the most contrived positions possible all in pursuit of “tension” while at the the same time forfeiting all believability or consistency within the character themselves.

We have both main character behaving absolutely terribly to one another (often completely out of character on their own) and then, worst of all, we have the introduction of ANOTHER LOVE TRIANGLE! Look, book one got extra props for handling a love triangle in a good way. But now this one gets extra negatives for the sheer gall and lack of creativity on display in going back to the same well twice (not even the same love triangle, mind you! A completely new character is introduced!!) I almost put the book down for good once I saw this happening.

Fia also read as almost completely unrecognizable from the character we met in the first book. There, she had worked hard to gain the abilities she had, and she was aware of her limitations. Here, in one of the very first action scenes we get, we see her behaving like the most foolish of fools, complete with “snarky” comments of bravado followed by immediate regret as she realizes the idiocy of her decisions. In many ways, she suddenly read like the worst of teenage YA protagonists, rather than the adult woman she came across as in the first book.

I’m honestly not sure what happened here. My best guess still goes all the way back to what I said in the beginning, that there simply wasn’t enough story to justify this book. And, lacking any true plot, the author instead stuffed it full of angst between characters (much of which could have been resolved with frank discussions and empathy for one another) and added another ridiculous love triangle into the mix to boot.

If you enjoyed the first book, buckle in for this one! I guess if you really enjoy love triangles and romantic angst in the form of miscommunication, than you may enjoy this more than me. All I can say is that now I’m going into the third book pretty much peeping between my fingers. Will we get the hat trick of a THIRD love triangle??

Rating 5: Maybe it would have been a “6” on its own, but as it’s a massive letdown from the first book…well, here we are.

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on Jan. 31

⭐️ 3

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2025 and to be rating it only 3 stars? I have to admit it hurts. I really, really enjoyed A Feather So Black. The writing was lush and beautiful and it truly transported me to another world and that is not lost entirely in this sequel but it is bogged down by just how slow the beginning is. It takes about 50% of the page count for the story to start picking up and as someone who is not usually against a slow character-centric crawl to action, that was too slow. The plot got going, finally, and I was so taken out by the lack of urgency that I never truly got invested again. Oh, and then there's the petty fighting amongst the main couple. Fia was more prickly than normal this book, but not for any reason that I thought justified it.

The few romantic scenes we got between Fia and Irian were sweet. But overall, I was kind of meh about it all. The plot was alright. The characters were alright. I didn't have strong feelings in either direction despite my aforementioned irritation at the relationship drama (and don't even get me started on the "love triangle". I actually can like a love triangle but this was a particularly weak one. Tomato, tomato, tomato.)

So. I will read the third but this was a tough one to slog through. Middle book syndrome is real.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

What do you do when you were meant to be an unwilling sacrifice for a greater cause, but are instead given a chance at new life? Fia and Irian have different answers for this question in book 2 of Lyra Selen's Fair Folk trilogy.. With a newly forged Heart of the Forest, Fia wants to use her new powers to wage war against her conquering sister. With a chance at a future with Fia and still no love for the trickery or magic of Tir na Nog, Irian wants to leave all their responsibilities behind and enjoy the time they have left with each other. They're two new people, fundamentally transformed from who they were before Fia's sacrifice.

When an annual faerie competition promising grants the opportunity for Fia to forge new Septs and raise up warriors to fend off her sister's growing cause, for Eala to forge a new Sept for herself, or for Irian to unmake Fia's Heart and give her a longer life, Fia and Irian's different motivations butt heads. Can their love overcome, so they can grow together as the people they have become? Or will their differences be more than their love can make up for?

In A Crown So Silver, Selene's magical writing skillfully avoids middle-book syndrome and spirits the reader through new parts of the fantastical and eerie Tir na Nog as Fia and Irian try to work out these new kinks in their relationship and save both the mortal and faerie realms from ruin.

Thank you to Net Galley and Orbit for the ARC. I was happy to receive this ARC because the first book was one of my favorite reads from 2024. Alas, this book suffers from the worst case of second book syndrome that I have ever read. This book was a pain to read. The beautiful romance from the first book turned into the most annoying and frustrating fights ever. Other reviews said to be patient which was the main reason I did not DNF. I thought there would be a good explanation for Fia's character development from book 1 disappearing and turning her into someone so annoying. While Irian's possessiveness made sense after the ending of book 1, it still was frustrating to read about their relationship struggles because there were entire chapters where they were just arguing but the story was not moving anywhere. In fact, this whole book, while more action focused compared to the first had barely anything important or interesting happen. The villain was barely present and the friendships were so poorly written. The ending was also boring and because barely anything interesting happened, I am not interested in reading the next book.

DNF at 23%

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC! I really enjoyed A Feather So Black (gave it 4.5 stars!) but this sequel was such a huge miss for me.

I am SO BORED. Over 100 pages into this book and I swear nothing has even happened. I don’t even know what the point of this is? They need more magical pieces so they can fight Eala. It takes a good 15% to even come to this realization and now they’re still traveling to wherever the actual plot picks up. I don’t need almost 500 pages for the first 100 to be bleh. And with two mediocre smut scenes already??

I was already skimming for 10% and now I’m like, no this isn’t worth my time. I honestly feel like she could have made this a duology to make this all go faster. I felt like the ending of the first book satisfied me enough so unless you give me a huge reason to keep going, I’m not in it, you know?? 🤷‍♀️

I’m so disappointed. I will probably read Lyra’s next series but for now, I’m done with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Lyra Selene for gifting me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.


Ok, starting off let me just say…push through the first 1/3 of this book. I know it’s hard to get through the relationship drama but it’s worth it, I promise (if you enjoyed A Feather So Black of course!). Lyra Selene even said this in regards to the complaints of the very same thing:

“A book 2 in a trilogy is a bridge. No longer the beginning but not yet the ending. It is a chrysalis not yet fully transformed.
It is an unfolding.
Have patience, grasshopper. I have so much in store for you!”

It’s meant to be like that, you’re not supposed to vibe with Fia right now.


Ok anyway, on to other stuff lol

I absolutely loved the description and setting of the Silver Isle. Lyra Selene has a great beauty and flow to her writing that drew me in during A Feather So Black (so much so that I had to hunt down the FairyLoot special edition lol). I really enjoyed the expansion of this world, and the addition of more Celtic and Irish mythology. I’m not a super fan of cliffhangers, but it worked for this story. I really loved learning more about Irian’s history and background (tragic childhood etc). Kudos to Lyra Selene for making me angry at a fictional character though - I grumbled a lot at Fia in this one. I’m looking forward to reading the conclusion to the series, because yanno, cliffhanger.

The First 50% is an absolute struggle and I did actually, think about DNFing this eARC and also do not blame other people who did actually DNF. Fia was so irritating this time around and it was hard even to give her the benefit of the doubt. Her relationship with Irian though... I swear to GOD was so petty and you'd think that after a year you'd be able to build a stronger relationship but I guess at the same time I'm like, whatever ok.

Anyway, as for the 2nd half; of course it did pick up and then everything was starting to make sense. Actions between our characters were explained, as well as the deteriorating relationship with Irian and so forth. So in a sense, be patient because yes, everything will be explained but I'm one of those people where I'm like, mmm, I can't justify reading 50% of nothing and then it decides to get good. So really, this is one of those, read it if you will, I'm not going to tell you whether you will like it or not. It's a strong maybe for me.

I loved the lore of the novels and the competition aspects so that's where most of my stars go. But we don't really get much of the trials as I would have liked in all honesty.

3.5 rounded up to 4

Thank you NetGalley & Orbit Books for the eARC for an honest review.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A Crown So Silver by Lyra Selene is the first person-POV fantasy romance sequel to A Feather so Black. When Irian awakens Fia, the two wed immediately and start their life as a married couple. But Eala is still out there and Rogan is still under her control, putting the world of the Folk and the human realm in danger. Fia and Irian’s marriage will be tested by trials and someone new vying for Fia’s heart.

As a longtime romance genre reader, this sequel does something that is going to make or break the book for a lot of readers. One of the main things I have noticed that romance readers do not forgive is cheating; emotional, physical, etc., it doesn’t matter, it’s very hard for some readers to look past it because romance is a fantasy where everything works out and things like the main characters being cheaters does not happen. In the previous book, Fia made a deal with Wayland that she owed him a kiss, a kiss that she still owes him even though she is now married to Irian because the magic of the Folk is fairly binding. Fia also finds herself attracted to Wayland and drifting away from Irian as he makes decisions in the tournament between the Oak and Holly kings without her. I suspect that this book is going to end up having two camps: readers who cannot stand the fact that Fia kisses Wayland and cannot forgive her and readers in my camp who recognize she’s in a bit of an impossible situation, her husband is aware of the situation, and that, ultimately, being attracted to others isn’t inherently a problem—what matters is what you do with that attraction.

Fia’s attraction to Rogan, Wayland, and her husband, Irian, is mirrored in the story of the Year, the Oak King, and the Holly King. The Year is pushed and pulled between the two, unable to make a decision, and I definitely do suspect that there are some lingering feelings in Fia’s heart for Rogan and if she hadn’t been married to Irian, she might have had a relationship with Wayland. Where they diverge is that Fia chooses her husband and stays fairly firm in her decision despite all of the other things going on with these two other men. Because of this, I wouldn’t be surprised if the final book in the trilogy ended in a polyamorous situation but I would be perfectly fine with it ending with only Fia and Irian in the relationship.

I would recommend this to fans of A Feather so Black, readers looking for a fantasy romance that breaks romance genre rules, and those looking for a fantasy romance more based in Celtic tradition

Okay WOW when does the third book come out?! That cliffhanger is diabolical haha. The first half of this book was slow as it really set the stage for what I believe will be the major plot for the remainder of the series! I enjoyed the first book in this series, but it was missing something, whatever that something was I found in the second book- I could NOT put this book down after I hit the 40% mark! I look forward to seeing how Fia continues to grow in this series, and to see where this cliffhanger ends up leading. This book had a lot more character development and relationship building than the first book did. We also see Fia interacting with a lot more people in this book than we did in the first one. I think the first book was almost all world building, and this second book expands on that, but it also focuses a lot on interpersonal relationships, character growth, and was heavy on plot development as well!

A slow start built to an incredibly interesting (and incredibly frustrating in all the ways good and bad) ending!!

Last we saw Fia, she sacrificed herself to save Irian, the magic of the Folk, and everyone in the mortal realm from her twister sister Eala. Somehow, she's come back, Irian is now (overly) terrified to lose her and she's terrified that she hasn't yet earned her happy ever after. With the threat of Eala still looming large, Fia and Irian, along with swan defectors Chandi and Sinead and new friend Laoise make their way to compete to win a prize from the smith-king Gavida on the magical isle of Aduantas. There, we get exposed to more legends of Celtic mythology, more enemies (new and old), and a struggle of relationships between sisters, lovers, friends, and foes.

I'm not going to lie, the first section (part 1 of 3) was not easy to get through, it was a slow-paced start with drips and drabs of information and a long journey. However, once we were fully settled in Aduantas, everything got infinitely more interesting and exciting to follow!! I loved the new friends Fia found in Balor and Wayland, her strength in not letting her husband overpower her desires, her arguments with Eala over what makes a good leader vs a villain, and the unfolding mystery around The Year (yes, that is a character). This left on such a CRAZY cliffhanger, I am desperately anxious to find out where this all leads in the next book (which honestly, I was not expecting as I anticipated this to be a duology)!!!

Thank you so much to Lyra Selene and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!