This was so good! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
I loved how this was the complete opposite of a lot of popular fantasy trends. Our FMC Sav is the hundreds of years old Fae, and the MMC Jack is the 25 year old kind of helpless but doing his best human.

Set in New York City after Faerie collided with the human realm, the humans are slaughtering the Fae. Sav is doing what she can to help her people. Jack is a super sweet and wholesome MMC. This was a super fun adventure. I loved the side characters as well, I think Kaspar was my favorite! I found the middle to be a bit slow compared to the start and the finish but I still really enjoyed this journey. I can’t wait until book 2 in this duo which I will absolutely be reading as soon as it comes out!

4.25 stars ⭐️

What a great read! I was hooked from the first page.The book totally surprised me—in the best way. I went in expecting a fun fae fantasy, but what I got was so much more. It’s emotional, intense, and full of that irresistible tension between loyalty and love. Sav is such a strong, layered character, and I really connected with her struggle to protect her people while walking this really dangerous line. And Jack? His conflict and slow-burn connection with Sav had me totally invested.

The modern urban setting mixed with fae politics felt fresh and exciting, and the pacing kept me flipping pages late into the night. The twists genuinely caught me off guard a few times too.

If you love fae stories with heart, danger, and a good dose of forbidden romance, you’ll love this one. I already can’t wait for the next book!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Whispers Among Thorns by Cassandra Aston

Review:
Cassandra Aston’s Whispers Among Thorns delivers a lush, gothic fantasy full of atmosphere and intrigue. The world is rich with dark secrets, crumbling estates, and whispered curses—a perfect setting for fans of eerie, fairy tale-inspired narratives. Aston’s prose is immersive and evocative, successfully building a sense of creeping dread without relying on jump scares or cheap thrills.

The protagonist’s arc is satisfying, filled with emotional complexity and a slow unraveling of inner strength. The supporting characters, too, have enough depth to keep the story engaging. Aston excels at painting morally ambiguous figures, where no one is wholly good or evil—a trait I always appreciate in fantasy.

However, the story sometimes gets lost in its own atmosphere. The plot can feel meandering, especially in the middle where certain events feel overly drawn out or redundant. There’s a lot of buildup with only a modest payoff, and readers craving plot-heavy fantasy may find the pace frustrating.

Despite these pacing issues, the novel is a compelling blend of gothic horror and fantasy with strong thematic undercurrents. It’s a slow burn, but one that rewards patient readers with a satisfyingly eerie and emotionally resonant tale.

Rating: 4.2/5