I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy set in an urban setting, but I did find it really interesting that the traditional story line had been turned on it's head with the Fae being the persecuted & the humans trying to 'send them back to their own worlds'.

It took me quite a while to become invested in this book & it's definitely a sloowww burn! And I'm also not the biggest fan of love triangle tropes but that's just my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Cassandra Aston for the opportunity to read this ARC though as it really was something different & if you're a fan of urban fantasy, with love triangle/forbidden love, and a dash of politics in there then this absolutely will be for you!

The premise of the book is breath of fresh air for today's fantasy-romance genre. Yes, it has a lot of elements that we've become used to when reading about fae but the entire plot is based on a quite unique storyline.
It has different POV's which I loved, we've got to see some characters in a different light.

Will be rooting for a certain price of the lakes and streams in the second book...😊

A fun fantasy with a gripping intro and a twist of the modern world! We follow an ancient bartender Sav who goes on an unlikely journey with the nepo baby Jack who secretly likes to disobey his papa.

This is a completely new (to me) and modernized take on all of the fae stories I’ve read lately. A little slower than what I am used to but this is an easy book to pick up and put down often.

To NetGalley, thank you for my first ever ARC!

Thank you for a twist on the multi-centennial male with a female teenage mate trope. It took me until about 50% to become invested, I needed to learn more about the FMC. While I don’t typically grab urban fantasy, I will be reaching for the next book, especially due to the abrupt (yet not flashy or cash-grabby) ending. I appreciate the darker backstory and piecing together the history of the FMC that drives her decisions and emotions.

ARC provided by NetGalley, thank you!

The slow burn was burning- literally! This was my first read by this author & enjoyed it thoroughly!

I loved the integration of a known world into an unknown world. Definitely a different take on a fantasy book compared to my normal reads. I think book 2 will be even better, so now I wait patiently…

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Truly a 5 star read. Literally up at 2:30am because I could not put this book down. You know when you’re reading a book so good that you will change plans to read it or try to read little bits and pieces as you go along your day? That’s this book. For me the last time I did that was fourth wing. From the storyline to the characters I was constantly entertained while trying to figure out the mysteries. I truly loved this and can’t wait for the next book.

Whispers Among Thorns is an extraordinary read that utterly captivated me from the very first page. It begins straight in the action, drawing me immediately into its gripping narrative. I was especially enchanted by the unique dynamic between its two main characters: the male human and the female fae—a pairing that feels refreshingly original.

The writing is exceptional, with a meticulously developed plot and outstandingly crafted characters. The storyline consistently delivers, offering layer upon layer of intrigue and discovery. Many books fall short of a fully realised plot, but this one exceeded all expectations. The intricacies are remarkable, with countless details to unravel. From the existence of multiple courts and the interplay between two worlds—one being our own—to the fae enduring harm simply for residing in the human realm, it’s a fascinating and thought-provoking narrative.

The worldbuilding is seamlessly integrated, avoiding any overwhelming info-dumping, which made it effortlessly engaging to follow.

The romance is slow-burn, yet profoundly meaningful and beautifully considered. The characters themselves are exceptional—deeply motivated, with intricate family dynamics that add further layers of emotional depth.

I truly adored this book and cannot recommend it enough.

This is a brilliant romantasy, but with a flipped dynamic, our FMC is the hundred-year old Fae and our MMC is a 25-year old mortal who’s in need of purpose and direction.

The beginning of the book is fast paced and action packed. This pace settles toward the middle and falls a little flat but you can tell the story is building towards the final third of the book and it’s definitely worth sticking with because you’re going to be left reeling and desperate for book 2!

Whisper Among Thorns

Overall: 4.2 ⭐️

Oh. My. God. This book a HIDDEN GEM. Imagine Carnival Row x Urban and High Fantasy!!!!

All the romance and political intrigue of Carnival Row but in NYC. Here in our world, humans have learned to hate the fae. Some even try to hurt or capture them. Queue in Sav, our heroine who tries to rescue them. The whole story is about Sav’s attempt to rescue the fae.

Writing 4/5 ⭐️
The writing in the beginning was chefs kiss. Descriptions of NYC’s Central Park through Fae perspective? Perfect. Not only was it unique, but it was hilariously accurate. I loved the whimsical yet dingy NYC descriptions.

So why did I remove a star? Somewhere in the middle, I got really tired of hearing overused phrases. “Heat sizzled in my veins” has been used countless times along with other variations. No big deal. I just did my best to skim it.

Romance 5/5 ⭐️ Interesting love triangle where I don’t know who I’m rooting for. It was obvious in the beginning but not in the ending. And now I want to know more about MMC number 2. The yearning and forbidden romance in this book is also excellent. No smut, but that’s okay. It looks like there’s definitely room for it in future books.

Plot 4/5 ⭐️ The story was interesting and engaging enough to want to know more about the characters. Sometimes though, the pacing was a bit off. And I feel that the ending was a bit rushed to make room for another book. The politics of it was also a bit confusing. But otherwise, the story was interesting enough to want to know more. I’m excited to see where the series goes.

Tropes:
✅ Urban Fantasy mixed with High Fantasy
✅ Fae with Bargains
✅ Fae FMC
✅ Love Triangle
✅ Forbidden Love
✅ Political Intrigue
✅ Fae Courts (Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn)

This is excellent for Romantasy readers who enjoy fae bargains, politics, love triangles, and forbidden romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Cassandra Aston for this eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Okay okay okay, I am still reeling from this book. First off, it’s so different from a lot of other popular romantasy books now. Sav, our FMC, is the fae and Jack, our MMC, is a human. The book starts off with a bang… to say the least. It’s action, it’s chaos, it’s a lot of “woah okay”, but it works. It kept me engaged and wanting to see what came next, even though I had no emotional attachment to the characters yet. Comparatively, the middle is a little slow as we get back into character development and some world building. And the ending? I’m already begging for book 2.
I think this book is a breath of fresh air and it really is well written. Cassandra Aston knows how to make you yearn for more.
I thank you for the privilege of letting me read it, and cannot wait to get my paws on a physical copy!

An urban fantasy that will have you on the edge of your seat! The intense and emotional storytelling had me hooked. Like an onion, Sav had so many beautiful layers to her and Jack was such a compelling character, the slow-burn tension between them had me so intrigued. Fabulous writing and excellent storytelling, a highly recommended romantasy for all readers to enjoy a brand-new series!

Such a great take on fae fantasy!

The short of the long of it: We follow Sav (pretending to be human), a fae in New York in their new home after their home world begins to disappear. The hate groups (AFF) terrorizing the fae at every turn, she finds herself in the thralls of the resistance along side the terrorist groups son who...shocker...is not what he seems!

Some spoilers you see coming from miles away. As the story progresses, surprises come from out of no where! So well written.

I loved the worlds Cassandra built here in this alternative sort of "current" setting. The lore and world building was seamless within the story. I absolutely loved the multiple POV's a well. The supporting characters here deserve their own stories as well.

The damn cliffhanger, though! Book 2 cannot come fast enough.

Thanks Cassandra Aston & Netgally for the ARC.

This book was so incredibly good. I couldn’t put it down and ended up staying up way too late to continue reading it. The story was so engaging and the writing was incredible. I cannot wait for the second book in this series. Cassandra gained a new fan!

Thank you Netgalley and Cassandra. This was such a great read 🫶🏻

Absolutely loved it, I'm really loving the fantasy genre at the moment and this had everything, loved the friendship between sav and kaspar and cannot wait to find out Jack's story . Can't believe I have to wait now for book 2! New author to me so will definitely be reading previous books. Thanks

Whispers Among Thorns starts strong with a haunting atmosphere and a unique fae mythology that pulled me in right away. Cassandra Aston has a real talent for lush, descriptive writing that makes the world feel darkly enchanting and just a little dangerous—exactly what I wanted from a fae fantasy.

That said, while the premise had tons of potential, the pacing felt off in places. Some scenes dragged, while others that should've packed more emotional punch were over too quickly. The protagonist was interesting but hard to connect with at times—her motivations and decisions didn’t always feel fully earned. The romance subplot was promising but leaned a little too heavily into tropes without subverting them in a fresh way.

Still, there’s enough mystery and magic here to keep me curious about book two. If you're a fan of morally gray fae, forbidden magic, and shadowy court politics, this could be worth a read—just go in with tempered expectations.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing Co-Op for the ARC.

This was my first ARC on NetGalley and by this author. I wasn’t disappointed! This was a great Romantasy! Our FMC wants to save her kind but doesn’t have her magic to help. Cue, fate and she meets the son of enemy #1. He is basically perfect ( in my opinion of book boyfriends), however can we really trust him. There is also a prince that’s makes it hard to know which MMC to truly root for. Team Kasper or Team Jack???? So hard to decide. I really enjoyed the world building through out this book too. There was great slow burn/tension between our main characters. Of course, since there is another story we are left we so many questions ( really just the right amount of questions). I didn’t think the ARC thing through though because now there is so much longer before I can visit this world again! I am looking forward to exploring more from this author!

whispers and thorns

this was SO different to other books i’ve read. the modern setting, urban fantasy, actually enjoyed it a lot?

- the fmc was so refreshing. was great to have her as the older, powerful character and my god some of her internal thoughts had me cackling. she was so funny sometimes!
- i really enjoyed the side characters we were introduced to in hazel, kaspar, there was so much room for more stories & more to find out about the world
- the court system is quite over saturated i feel as a trope but i thought this was done in a cool way
- the beginning & end third definitely paced a lot quicker then the middle, and i don’t think the pay off at the end was quuiitteee worth the build up but i sitll had a great time


keen for book 2!!

Okay I really enjoyed this book! This is my second ARC review ever and my first ARC I finished. Thank you so much for the honor of an ARC!

The story really picked up in the second 3/4 to 2/3 of the book in my opinion. I really like Sav and Kasper and their relationship over so many years. This seemed like a “truer” representation of fairy/fae which was enjoyable to read! Jack is interesting as well and it’ll be fun to learn more about his (maybe?!) magic in the next book. I got immersed in the world more as the story went on too. Great descriptive writing, and I enjoyed learning about how the characters traveled between realms as well as some of the customs (marriage, “true names”, the alliances).

I did think it was a bit strange to have one random chapter in Foxglove’s POV towards the end? But maybe that’s setting things up for the next book. I enjoyed the subtle romance hits without anything explicit either. Very enjoyable and again, I’m honored to have been chosen!!!

This book sucked me in from the beginning! Sav, who has been banished from faerie and has her powers bound and has been sent to earth. Trying to live a normal life until her kind is being kidnapped and slaughtered by none other than Jack’s father, Dane, whom I would love to have just 5 minutes alone with him. He’s definitely the perfect villain and has caused me much anger. Sav is such a badass. Kaspar, whew, I cannot see where this goes in the next book. Hazel is literally my spirit animal I absolutely love her. This book has humor, a little romance, a lot of twists and turns and is not nearly long enough! Lol Thank you NetGalley and Cassandra Aston for the ARC. I’m counting the days down for #2. This book will be living rent free in my head now.

3.75⭐️

The politics!!! AND the romance!!! Everything has been laid out for the second book to be a banger. I’m so excited to see where the characters end up in book 2 and how they get out of the situations they are in. Love love love Jack❤️❤️