A fae twist on the classic tale of Cinderella, with some light Ella Enchanted vibes!

This was a pretty fast-paced, quick moving story about a human woman trying to keep her family alive when she accidentally bumps into the Fae prince who decides that she’s important to him. Human Raewyn is protective, caring, and just a bit shy; Prince Stellon is honorable (as much as he can be), sweet, and falls hard and fast. Their love story didn’t have a ton of depth, but it was very sweet!

I think Cinderella stories (except for Another Cinderella Story with Selena Gomez) just aren’t as much for me, but I didn’t hate my time with this one. Thanks so much to NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review

A Court Bright and Broken is a gripping NA romantic fantasy novel set in the beautiful and dangerous world of the High Fae where magic rules, secrets abound, and true love will not be denied. It's a magical slow-burn Romantasy with Cinderella vibes and will enchant readers who crave delicious romantic banter, toe-curling tension and sizzling chemistry, immersive and accessible world-building, magic, angst, and royal Fae intrigue.

“Inhaling deeply, I pried my hand away from Pharis, with whom I didn’t want to stay, and placed it in the hand of Stellon, with whom I didn’t want to go. The ball was off to an interesting start.”

The human girl who wants to save her family, the mystery deals with a witch and a fea prince who falls for a forbidden love. You should read this review if you like Cinderella and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Meert Raewyn, a desperate young woman who makes a dangerous bargain to save her starving family, agrees to attend a Fae royal ball in disguise and complete a mysterious task. But her plan goes awry when she captures the attention of two Fae princes— Stellon, intensely possessive, and the other, darkly enigmatic Pharis. As she uncovers court secrets and the true nature of her mission, she’s forced to choose between duty and desire. If she fails, her family dies. If she succeeds, she may doom herself—and the world.

Review

Overall Review: 3,5/5 👠
Characters:👠👠👠
Atmosphere:👠👠👠
Plot:👠👠👠
Logic/Relationships:👠👠👠
Enjoyment:👠👠👠👠👠
Spice: Almost non

Have you ever read a book that you wanted to know how it would end, and you have also been sooo annoyed by its wasted potential? This book could have been another Acotar, but I just could not find it in me to care so much for FMC and especially MMC. But I kept reading it because I was interested in how it all will end. Also, Prince Pharis and his sister look like they could supply for lack of interest in the main characters. Unfortunately, their presence was so rare that it was not enough.

I am not much of a cinnamon roll boyfriend kinda gall, so the whole time, I was rooting for brooding smartass brother, and MMC was just not my kind of tea. Also, he often gave so strong Tamlin vibes that I just immediately disliked him. He feels shallow and missing any personality. Doing everything for his father, not questioning anything; for most of the book’s first part, he is just self-pitying and selfish as hell… he is kind but only to the people he loves. He is controlling and thinks only about himself. If you cannot say, I just don’t like Stellon. But it is an emotion, so I don’t count this as a flaw; maybe the author meant him to be this way.

FMC, for me, feels like a stereotypical human heroin… human caring for her two little sisters and sick father. Good, but naive as hell. I love good girl heroine as anyone, but I just can’t stand Raywens’ decision…I hope that she will get some character development in the second book like it was with so many heroins I now love.

I am also rooting for Prince’s brother Pharis, who seems to have such shadow daddy vibes that I just hope that in book 2, there will be more space.

Also, his sister seems like such an interesting character. I hope we will also see more of her.

I really like that we have two main villains in this story, and I can claim that I hate both of them with my full heart.

As for the plot, I like it. It was not earth-shattering, but the mystery about what Raywen would do at the ball was there, even though it was pretty predictable. It kept me invested enough that I was hooked and wanted to know how this love story would end and if Reywen would end up with any of them. Some things were hinted at and not explained, It could be a plot holes or hooks for book 2. I am sure as hell that I will read book 2 to find out.

Overall, this book is a nuanced retelling of Cinderella’s story, with mystery and suspense. Its story will make you want to know how it will end. Just be warned: It ends on a cliffhanger, so keep that in mind. I would recommend it as a quick light read for someone who doesn’t mind imperfect characters and likes Cinnamon Roll Boyfriend.

I'm totally mind blown 🤯 I don't even know where to begin with this book! I absolutely loved the 2 POV from the MMC and the FMC. Raewyn is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING FMC and Stellon is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING MMC. This particular book gave me Cinderella vibes minus the evil step mother and step sisters. Raewyn will do anything in her power to protect her father and sisters. She even goes as far as agreeing with the village mother into one of her schemes. Raewyn isn't allowed to know the plan tell its time for it to unfold. Stellon is a Elven prince who is next in line for the throne. Humans and Elven don't mingle let alone fall in love. Stellon sneaks of to the Rough Market where he comes across Raewyn and immediately is flocked to her and wants to protect her. Fast forward its enemy to lovers vibe but the MMC falls first and it takes time for the FMC to come around to her feelings. She is held in his room for 2 weeks to heal from an injury where there whirlwind romance buds even more and honesty is strikes between the two and their feelings. Stellon dad the king cannot stand humans and believes human women are only good for one purpose and when he finds out about Raewyn he throws her in the dungeon and give Stellon a choice on what to do even though Stellon wants to give up his rights to the throne in order to marry Raewyn. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THE CLIFFHANGER!! I NEED BOOK 2 ASAP

First of all, I want to thank Net Galley and the author for the arc because this was an incredible read.
I was hooked from the first chapter, which is rare in fantasy books! I think that for the first book in a series, it was an amazing read with great promise. I am very excited to read the next book, this has everything to be a great series that deserves great hype, I mean....fae meets cinderella and the Selection, with forbidden love? Sign me up for it!
I have great expectations for book 2, I hope we see more character development, especially on the mmc, he was charming but I need more attitude! Following that thought I really like the mysterious and dark brother and need much more of his participation in the future. The worldbuilding was easy to understand but I also hope that we learn more in future books.
This book was a great time, and I think is great for someone who's starting to read romantasy!

Hooked from chapter one and I will be recommending this to all my friends. The ending was not as shocking or a large cliffhanger like I tend to like but overall this book was a fun escape from reality.

Fun tropes and romantic tension. The pacing was pretty good but slightly rushed during the end.

A wonderful fae Romantasy! Stellon is the fae prince of the land, though rumors of fae ruthless abounds, Stellon is compelled by the world around him and wants to experience and observe everything in the land. One day he happens upon Raewyn, a human girl in the market he frequents to sketch the humans and observe them. Hijinx happen along with some twists and turns in this sort of fae version of Cinderella.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. The world map- I know art can be different in an ARC vs published book, but at this current moment I am trying to mentally escape the current climate in my country, and to see a straight up actual map of it that’s been divided into imaginary Fae realms… I cannot immerse myself in this world. I would have DNFd regardless of the map, because I also really didn’t connect with the insta-love and lack of depth and detail in the characters.

This is such a fun read. It’s comforting in that there wasn’t anything shocking plot wise that happened (at least in my opinion) but the characters were well developed and for one I throughly enjoyed the MMC. Stellons POV was something I found myself enjoying and looking forward too where in other stories I generally don’t care too much for the males POV(personal preference 🤷🏻‍♀️)

I love a human and fae book. Very ACOTAR without giving you expectations.
Thank you NetGalley for this eARC.

I really loved reading this book and I can not wait for more by this author!! I flew through this book because it was that good. The author did an amazing job keeping the plot interesting without it getting boring or slow. I will be recommending this book to all of the family and friends.

A fae romantasy retelling of Cinderella featuring a golden retriever-esque fae prince who falls for a poor human girl who makes a bargain with a witch that will change both their lives. The story follows Raewyn, a human girl who's family is poor and she needs to find a way to feed her sisters and find medicine for her father, and Stellan, a fae prince who dreams about marrying for love. When they meet and Raewyn saves Stellan, he gives her an invitation to the ball his father is hosting. The very night Raewyn goes to the local witch to try and sell her something in order to make ends meet but the witch gives her a new bargain: if Raewyn attends the ball (which she never intended to in the first place) and do a service for the witch (which she will tell her at a later time) then said witch will plant a garden to feed her sisters and cure her father. The bargain is too good to turn down and Raewyn immediately agrees.... yet when she arrives at the ball she realizes too late that she has been enchanted and that she is enchanting both the prince and the entire royal court. Raewyn must keep up the act but finds herself thrown in a love triangle between the two princess. Unfortunately I did not care for this story at all. I love a fun retelling of a classic fairytale but I just found myself so bored by this take. I didn't care all that much for the characters and wasn't all that invested in the slow burn romance. I didn't feel any chemistry and the story just felt kind of dragged on. I wish i could like the story more but I won't be continuing the series as it isn't for me but I do think maybe other fantasy slow burn romance readers might have a fun time with this.

Release Date: February 14, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Oxford South Press and The Nerd Fam for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was cute and fun. I appreciated the dual POV. It was full of tropes with a few twists. I liked the characters and I felt they stayed true to themselves/ became a better version of themselves. I also liked the Cinderella parallels. As for depth, it’s great as a palate cleanser. I might pick up the sequel to find out what happens.
After reading the book, I felt it was a bit odd how most of it took place in a single setting. I prefer fantasy books that take you everywhere. Also, It’s too steamy for my taste.

Wow oh wow! I loved the spin on Cinderella meets fae in this book. I’m a sucker for a fae book but also a classic spin. As readers we obvs know the secrets our MC know but they don’t know so it always makes for good drama and sometimes a miscommunication trope, except here the MMC is like a golden retriever who is immediately forgiving over the miss communication. He fell first, also has a broody grumpy brother we can’t help but love. But also THE ENDING?! WHAT??? Ima need boom 2 in my hands like yesterday because we have so many things we need answered and hello anxiety.

The characters are easy to love! I did also dislike a few characters too. The story had me hooked from the start. Great character development throughout. Can't wait for book 2.

Thank you Amy Patrick for sending me this advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an enjoyable quick and easy read, and was an interesting take on Cinderella. There were a lot of cozy vibes happening in the last half of the book too. The evil witch instead of a fairy godmother was a great change!

I like Raewyn's independent streak, and intense determination to take care of her family. Stellon is the sweetest cinnamon roll, but he is naive and sheltered, and has a possessive streak too. It will be interesting to see how they grow and change as the series goes on.

The worldbuilding is great, and overall the magic system was explained fairly well. My only negative was that this book ended on a huge cliffhanger. Otherwise it was a solid fun read, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

As an added TW note, this book did contain discussions about other human characters being forced to do nonconsensual s3xual acts, and the magical equivalent of date r@pe. No scenes or graphic details were written.

This book is quite good! I feel like it was slow getting started, but it was enjoyable once it picked up a bit.

Although it is a bit... unoriginal, I'll say, it's not in a bad way. If you want another human/elf love-affair or fairytale-type story, or another story about a prince who falls in love with a commoner and realizes that his father is bad, then it's perfect for that!

And I will say that although I was expecting similarities to the ACOTAR series just because of the naming convention, it's not like that series at all besides it having elves and people. and dare I say, I like this book better!

This is a Fae romantasy retelling of Cindarella, which I think readers looking for slow-burn, spice-free romance will enjoy.

This book is mischaracterized as enemies-to-lovers. It's definitely not: golden retriever cinnamon roll Prince Stellon insta-falls for human Raewyn. But it is forbidden love. This would likely make better reading for YA readers than adults looking for more nuanced, developed connection between the main characters.

Thanks to Amy Patrick and The Nerd Fam for the advance reader copy.

I really enjoyed this book. Thankyou for letting me read and review it

I look forward to future books from this author

4.5⭐️
Thank you so much to Net Galley and the author for the earc copy!
This was such a refreshing read. For a novel with no spice but so much tension it was amazing. I felt like I was a child reading a fairytale.
Now, THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. So good, honestly a solid 5⭐️ for that in its self. The characters were done so well, you felt emotion and connection with them. It made me feel like I was there in the story.
I can 100% state the fact the ending GUTTED ME. Which I hate cliffhangers so much, but it was needed.

Raewyn and Stellan meet in the market one day - Raewyn is shocked to find that the man she rescued from a gang of thieves is really a faerie lord. She is even more shocked to be invited to the ball he is hosting to find his faerie wife.

There is a contradiction at the heart of the legend of Cinderella - it is awfully egalitarian of the King to insist that every young woman attend the ball - but the corollary, of course, is that every young woman in the kingdom is expected to attend the ball, regardless of what she may think about it. Unlike Cinderella, Raewyn has no interest in dancing with the prince, too busy taking care of her two young stepsisters. But with the help a local witch (with an agenda of her own), Raewyn quickly enchants the prince at the ball.

I really enjoyed what a savvy character Raewyn was. Too often in fantasy books, I end up screaming at the page, "don't do it! It's a trap." Raewyn sees the pitfalls of making a deal without knowing the downsides, but is desperate enough not to see a choice in the matter. The MMC, Stellan, is a little more naive, but it makes sense for his arc as a sheltered prince.

I admit that I found the love triangle to be the least interesting aspect of the book. The two brothers are more divided by personality (the rebel versus the good heir) rather than illuminating any type of Raewyn's personality or decisions. To marry a fae prince would be making a decision - which brother is far less consequential. Prince Pharis is a lot more fun as an antagonist, and I hope the rest of the series will lean into that dynamic. I was far more interested in exploring her relationship with Earthwife Sorcha, who has Raewyn's determination, hardened into an unwillingness to consider collateral effects of her consequences.

This book is YA, but there are definitely some themes regarding sexual exploitation which would prompt important discussions with older teens - this would be a great one for mothers to read with teenage daughters who love Divine Rivals or Cassandra Clare.