Where do I even begin?? I loved this book so much. It gave me ACOTAR vibes while bringing a unique and intriguing storyline. There were so many characters that I liked. The MM romance was great and checked all the boxes for me. The setting was beautiful and enchanting. I am so pumped for more ice magic in the books to come. I absolutely think this is a solid fantasy story and has really good potential for the next books in the series!

I think this book has potential to be good, but the execution fell short. I didn’t connect with the characters, the dialogue was clunky, and the pacing of the plot was all over the place.

There are quite a number of extreme reviews on this book and I seem to land somewhere in the middle. I enjoyed parts of it, the plot was interesting, but it definitely lacked the polish that a lot of other fantasy/romantasy books have. I wasn’t quite as off put by the MC as some other reviewers but I did find his personality a bit lacking and could not figure out why/how Erix became so enthralled with him right from the get go? And if I see “little bird” any more I may lose it. The redeeming factor was definitely the last 20% which was where things really got interesting. I’m almost intrigued enough to continue on with the series?

A Betrayal of Storms hits the ground running from page one. Robin is a half-fay who has grown up in the human realm hiding his fae heritage and knowing nothing about his mother. When he is woken up in the middle of the night by hunters who aim to sell him for money, he knows that he is in trouble. While in a prison camp, Robin discovers that he surprisingly does have fae powers, and suddenly finds himself in the Wychwood, realm of the fae. Beyond that, Robin is the last living heir to the Winter Court, who was brutally murdered decades ago. Robin is thrust into a world that he knows nothing about, dealing with powers he has never experienced, and finds himself facing a decision that will determine the fate of a war and beyond that, the humans as a whole. But, that is assuming he can live long enough to determine what his next steps will be.

I loved this book. Robin is someone who just wants to survive, and is suddenly forced into a game of politics that he is vastly under prepared for. His development throughout the book is outstanding. His character is a great depiction of what it can be life to live with, or experience anxiety. While readers are privy to Robin's fears, he is able to put on a face of calm and determination when it matters. His love interest is amazing. I like how the two of them complement each other. The attraction between Erix and Robin feels sudden in many ways, and in some ways their story feels rushed. With that being said, I also found myself at the end of this 400+ page book when I thought I was only half way through so I might have been enjoying it so much that what felt sudden in the moment was more drawn out. Either way, I appreciate how despite the fact that Robin and Erix act on their attraction to each other, it is clear that they still have a long way to go, and I am excited to watch how that continues to develop in the trilogy. I truly cannot say anything bad about this book. There were some plot twists that I saw coming, however, there were even more that I did not. That is the sign of a great book, when plot twists happen that are unexpected amongst the ones that as a reader you can see coming. I cannot wait to read book two and book three. I need the entire trilogy in my hands ASAP. There is so much more I want to experience. I want to know what Robin will do moving forward, and how his role at the end of this book will impact the politics in the next book. I am excited to experience more of the world, meet more royals, and learn more about the Winter Court. I want to know it all. While the character development was on point, so was the world building and political intrigue. There is so much room for growth in the world building, plot, and political intrigue. That is not to say that what was needed wasn't included, just that there is more I want to see/experience that was not necessary to this particular book. If it was given I think the book would have been too overwhelming. I cannot recommend this enough to all lovers of fantasy and fantasy romance.

Thank you to Angry Robot, Ben Alderson, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of A Betrayal of Storms in exchange for my honest review.

“Anything left forgotten for long enough becomes a monster. But monsters can always be slain… by the right person.”

Summery-
With a war stirring between humans a Fey all things change when the heir to the ice court is found. Robin Vale, a poor boy from a small town, is quickly thrust into a world he never wanted, a world he was taught to fear and hate. He is forced to quickly adapt to his new world and his new kingdom in order to save those he cares for. Aided by Princess Althea of the summer court and his own person guard Erix, he sets out to save his father and restore a kingdom he never desired to be part of.

Having read this one before its traditional publishing debut makes this particular book special to me. This series is my top favorite of all of Ben Alderson’s work and I am on the edge of my seat waiting to finally read book 4 next year! That being said the edits and rewrites for this book are spectacular, they really elevate the characters and all the plot twists! These plot twists set a strong precedent for the expectation of the following books and be ready for even more whiplash than this one will bring you! Follow Robin into the realm of the fey and be prepared, for all is not as it seems!

Rating - 5⭐️
Spice - 2.5 🌶️
World building - 4🪐
Magic - 4❄️

I received this book as an ARC. This is my personal opinion. It was another brilliant by Ben Alderson. I loved it, I couldn't put it down once I started it. I finished it in one go. I loved the way their relationship is developing. I'm Loving the story line so far, it keeps you guessing on what is going to happen next. Which is keeping it interesting.

I very much literally stumbled upon Ben here on insta and wow how grateful I am of my doom scrolling in the middle of the night! This book had my interest on peek all the time with the plot being fun and well developed as well the characters. The twists in the story really made me second guess everything and I love to be tossed around a bit towards the right direction. It was the perfect mix of fantasy and romance and the action came from the very start to keep me hooked instantly! Love that!

Fey and bodyguard romance? OMG say no more. We meet Robin who’s basically thrown into the arms of Erix, his protector after he saved him the Hunters to be selled. We learn that Robin knows very little about his ancestry and what he’s really capable of (the sneak peak at the beginning was just delicious crumbles!). Robin’s unknowing gifts leads him to the path of a new world he’s only heard about and is walking head first into court politics and possible war with humans and fey.

LET ME TELL YOU the tension between these two popped like a balloon from their first encounter. Erix has bodyguard written in bold gold letters all over him. He’s possesive and does everything to keep Robin safe. Everything he says is so giggle and feet kicking friendly. It’s something about his tone 😮‍💨But there’s is so much more to his character that’s yet to be discovered! I’m on my toes, but I’m so here for it.

Robin really grew on me through the story. He’s put as spoiled and naive at first but he really did grew on me the more I got to know him. He’s struggling with his identity and doesn’t really know where he belongs. To then learn all the new information being pushed into this face. That’s a lot. He’s really funny though and the banter between him and Erix is so good! I’m very happy how Robin’s character developed for him to feel stronger and believe in himself.

Thank you Ben, NetGalley and Angry Robot for sharing this arc with me in exchange for my honest review 🤍

I really enjoyed this dip into Fae magic, hidden identities and found family. There is political plotting between rival kingdoms, a host of powered people including shapeshifters and the betrayals are definitely bountiful!

The entire plot is queer friendly and no big thing is ever made about same-sex or otherwise relationships and I quite enjoyed the prince/bodyguard romance. Robin really did need a keeper occasionally but what do you expect when people kept him in the dark!

Robin may be half fae but he has never had any powers and thought himself safe in his little village. But he's scooped up by the Hunters and is in for a sticky end until he manages to somehow break himself out and then assist in the rescue of the other fae by a warrior princess. When he's taken through the portal to the Fae world he soon learns that everything he thought he knew about himself is a half-truth.

Enter Erix, hot private guard, annoyingly cocky and overprotective. They have a sparky chemistry from the start and I actually quite enjoyed the nickname, I thought it was a good pun on Robin's name. Then we have Althea, warrior princess and all around human denouncer. There are a host of other secondary characters who are soon working together to ensure Robin lives long enough to claim his throne.

Sure some of the tropes and plot twists were a wee bit predictable but there really isn't anything new in the book world. Sometimes I could have throttled Robin for being a bit too passive and allowing everyone to just hold back information constantly. Erix can be a bit high-handed and over protective but otherwise he was quite an enjoyable character.

I'm quietly hopeful for this series and I really hope that book 2 can tie off a couple of outstanding storylines.

Thanks to Angry Robot Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
3.5/5

A Betrayal of Storms is the start of a MM fantasy series-The Realm of Fey- that was originally self-published but has been reworked and now is being traditionally published. Robin Vale is a half fey living a quiet life with his human father when he is sold to local fey Hunters and taken to a camp where fey are being tortured and killed. Robin has always thought he had no special fey gifts, but as his life is threatened his gift is revealed and once he is rescued by fey from the Cedarfall court, he learns his ancestry is quite special. Robin then enters a world he never thought to see or experience and is thrown into court politics as well as a potential fey-human war. Robin needs to not only learn about his own personal history, but he must learn to control is gift, while trying to prevent the war from breaking out.
This was an entertaining read that kept my interest throughout, and the story moved at a quick pace. This does lean more towards the romantasy side of fantasy, and the queer rep is well done, and there are a couple of spicy scenes (honestly, I was hoping for more!). The story doesn't break any new ground, but the chosen one trope combined with found family are always a favorite of mine and there were a couple of good twists which made for a satisfying ending. There was definitely opportunity for more character growth, and there were times when I wanted the story to slow down a bit for more growth and backstory. Althea was a favorite character, and I would have liked to have expanded the relationship between Robin and Tarron. As this was my first read of one of Ben's books, I am looking forward to seeing how his writing grows with the next novels in the series and hopefully the world expands to more of the fey courts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC copy of A Betrayal Of Storms.

While the story was good and I enjoyed the world building, I felt like the characters lacked a bit and this made it hard to connect to them.

Because of that I had trouble getting into the book and staying engaged in it, which ultimately lead to me not really enjoying the book unfortunately.

~The Prose~
As a big fan of Ben Alderson’s Darkmourn series, I was so excited to receive the ARC for Betrayal of Storms. This book is classic High Fantasy at it’s finest with the small town half fae boy discovering he is royalty and all the perils and privileges that come with it. I want to credit Ben for being so consistent with strong world building and highly descriptive scene setting. I feel so immersed in the story with the way he describes the characters and their surroundings and actions in great detail without pulling a Chaucer and taking half a chapter to describe a meadow. The plot is filled with action and mystery and the perfect splash of spice. I especially appreciate the queer-normative world. Too often queer romances fall on the crutch of homophobia to manufacture strife and while there are a few instances of it that wasn’t the driver of the main character’s struggles.
~The Cons~
The end of this book would technically be considered a “Happy For Now” which in my opinion is a very tricky fence to straddle. Finding the balance between leaving the plot open for future resolution and giving the reader enough closure to be content till the next book is a challenge. I can’t decide if the book needed one more or one less chapter to find that balance but as it is now something is just slightly off in an undefinable way. Thank goodness there will be a quick release calendar so we are not held in limbo for too long.
~The Bon-Bons~
While there definitely seems to be less spice than in other Ben Alderson books I have enjoyed, the spice ends up being an curious window into our MMC’s head. Watching the way he approaches sex as a comfort/distraction while warring with his emotional attachments gives his character a particular depth I wasn’t expecting.

Action from the very first page to the end! This book is packed with fast paced action and cute banter between Robin and his guard Erix! I love the two and their interactions. The fact Erix has to be around Robin 24/7 as his personal guard only makes it better!
Loved it, though there were a few parts that contradicted themselves or repeated something from a page prior, but that's most probably because it's an ARC.

A Betrayal of Storms offered a solid premise rooted in juvenile escapism, but the execution falters. The writing lacks cohesion, often feeling bloated and awkward. For instance, phrases like “as though they were freshly sharpened knives that required the handle of care” could be streamlined. Tautologies throughout the chapters contribute to a dragging pace, and the language fluctuates between sophisticated and simplistic, hautè and high school.

The story's setup is slow, with clumsy world-building and forgettable characters. Robin comes across more as a generic fae princess than a future king. Repetitive phrases like “I have more questions to ask but won’t ask now” appear multiple times before the halfway mark, undercutting the narrative's flow. These moments of ponder are, without fail, then answered duly by another character. The great reveals are simply presented.

The open-door spice scenes feel forced due to a lack of established romantic tension or relationship building. While I anticipated an m|m led fey story to join the pantheon of cis-gender leads within the genre, significant tightening of the writing is necessary before I consider moving on to Book 2.

I received an eARC provided by Angry Robot and NetGalley in return for an honest review.

With characters that you have to love. The world building, political system within the fey as well how their powers work is amazing and I really love how it's written.

After reading and loving the indie edition of this book, it felt great to be back in the realm of Wychwood and watching Robin's journey where it all began. The new traditionally published version was amazing to read, it felt familiar but refreshed in a way that didn't make me feel like it was a reread which is always a bonus. I loved the revised content that helped paint a picture, understand the content even more and fall in love with all the characters all over again. The book kept me on my toes again, captivated me and kept me wondering what was around the corner and there were twists, turns and shocking revelations at every turn.

Robin was incredible in this. He felt like a different character to the one I'm used to, this time I could understand his frustration with the situation and this essence of feeling incredibly lost while everybody was worshipping him. Erix, again, I loved his character, this time it was great to understand more about him, I still loved his banter with Robin. And Althea, I love Althea and her friendship with Robin is just incredible and she is very relatable while being a forced to be reckoned with.

I loved my return to Wychwood and I really recommend people check out this series because this made me fall in love with it all over again

Absolutely this new high fantasy read! Both the magic and the LGBTQ representation made this a standout read for me. Robin’s story pulled at my heart and I loved how developed he was a character already because it made him and the novel shine! All the side characters were mega interesting and I really hop e we build on our knowledge of them all in futures books! Al the twists and turns kept me hooked and engaged tilll the very end and can’t wait to see what happens next.

I'm still in my MM fantasy era, so I HAD to try out Ben Alderson's upcoming release A Betrayal of Storms. Y'all, if you want all the romantasy vibes but in something unapologetically queer, THIS IS IT. It's a fae (fey in this case) fantasy with political intrigue, warring courts, hidden powers, and a hot bodyguard romance all in a queernormative high fantasy world. Really exciting stuff, definitely worth checking out!

The story is told from half-fey Robin's POV. He grew up in the human world and knows nothing about his heritage until he's kidnapped and taken by Hunters looking for a payout. Though he frustrated me a bit throughout the story, I enjoyed figuring things out alongside him. His guard, Erix, y'all - possessive-protective MMC GOLD. He takes his job of keeping Robin safe SERIOUSLY, and I was all about it.

OMG y'all, there are so many twists in this story! Some of them were a little predictable, but most of them had me second guessing everything I knew up to that point. There's a lot of court posturing and political intrigue as the fey courts prepare to go to war against the humans, but there's SO much going on behind the scenes, it's just wild.

A Betrayal of Storms was originally indie published, but Ben got picked up by a publisher and each book is being rereleased. I'm so excited to see where this series goes, and so thrilled that there will be more queer romantasy on the shelves! Thank you to Angry Robot and Ben for the opportunity to read this one.

I really wanted to like this! And I did, but I wish I'd enjoyed it more. I think this could have done with some more editing and character work, but the idea was fun!

I enjoyed this book. The storyline was decent and carried throughout.. a decent MM forbidden romance between personal guard and heir to a throne that was unknown.. it was gripping until the very end

A Betrayal of Storms is a whirlwind of magic, fey politics, and brooding warriors that’ll sweep you off your feet faster than a fey prince with a hidden identity.

Ben Alderson take us on a ride through a realm where humans and fey are on the brink of war, and love just might be the most dangerous weapon of all.

Meet Robin Vale. No, he's not your average broody teen; he's a half-fey, half-human hero with some serious identity issues. Oh, and he’s the last Icethorn heir, which makes him the unwitting key to stopping (or starting) a war between realms. No pressure, Robin. He’s spent his whole life fearing the fey, only to find out he’s the one they’ve been waiting for….talk about an awkward family reunion.

But Robin’s not alone in this icy mess. He’s got Gideon, a fey warrior who’s as dangerous as he is distractingly hot, and Althea, a no-nonsense fey princess who’s ready to take on anyone (human or fey) who threatens her people. Together, they form a team that’s equal parts loyalty and snark, because if you’re going to save two realms from war, you might as well throw in some biting one-liners, right?

The tension? Yum. The stakes? Through the enchanted roof. With monsters resurfacing, realms on the verge of destruction, and fey magic crackling like a live wire, Robin has to figure out if he’s going to embrace his legacy or let the power within him tear everything apart. And let’s not forget the political intrigue that’s juicier than a forbidden fey love affair (and trust me, there’s plenty of that too).

Alderson spins a tale of betrayal and discovery where nothing is as it seems. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, someone’s stabbing someone else in the back (sometimes literally). But beneath the chaos, at its heart, A Betrayal of Storms is about finding your true self, even if that means confronting a past steeped in pain, betrayal, and a whole lot of ice magic.

The romance? Sizzling. The action? Nonstop. The emotional stakes? Higher than a fey on pixie dust.

If you like your fantasy with swoon worthy romance, action, and a side of betrayal, A Betrayal of Storms is your next must read.