4.5 stars for Fairydale by Veronica Lancet, the earwig of a book whose scenes demand regular rereads.

Fairydale is a wild ride of a book; if you're preparing to read, strap in for more genres and WTFs than you ever planned to scream out loud while reading a novel. The story starts with our FMC Darcy, an orphaned teacher living in New England, who receives a mysterious invitation to the small town of Fairydale for a life-changing inheritance. What starts as a paranormal mystery quickly morphs to romance, adds historical, then sci-fi. Wild ride. While I do agree that the author has taken on quite a bit in attempting to blend these various genres together, the resulting story salad has managed to install buttons in my brain demanding rereads of various scenes and even the book itself at times. Our MMC is down BAD for the FMC from his first page, with lots of 'who hurt you' moments following in the next several hundred pages. If this is a trope for you, please pick up this book and enjoy! If at any point during this read you find yourself not being able to carry on, please know that the final love scene is absolutely bonkers and worth the trip to the end of the story.

There are TW at the beginning of the book and on the author's website - please give yourself a heads up!

Hope you enjoy as I did and do with each reread. :)

Thank you Atria Books for this eARC.

I am a big fan of Jane Eyre, and this is very reminiscent of Charlotte Brontë‘s novel. The Gothic setting, the orphan learning about family she never knew, and having to travel out of a comfort zone to a new place, are all themes in both books. I also enjoyed that Darcy was essentially a reimagining of Jane.

I find overall this was executed well for what it was trying to be.

Despite liking the Gothic elements and the illusions to Jane Eyre, I just could not get behind the story or the characters. The chapters were too long, which made it hard to take breaks while reading it. I just did not like this book. There is a lot of exposition being dumped on me as the reader – it felt more like I was being told rather than being shown.

I also felt that the story needed to move a little bit faster. I found Darcy to be an unreliable narrator, but there wasn’t a reliable side character to keep the “truth” of the situation story forward.

Unfortunately, this just missed for me.

I loved this story; it was different from so many of the romantasy books I’ve read and I’m so happy it wraps up nicely.

It is hard to write a review without spoilers so I’ll just say enjoy the ride!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! I’m having a bit of a hard time writing a review or giving a star rating, because there were some aspects of this book I loved, and others that I hated and felt cringey to me. I’ll start out with the things I loved:

- I thought the overall plot was fantastic. I was very intrigued by the story and the unique mystery and timelines within it. There were times when other things about the book made me want to DNF, but the plot kept me going. I am a sucker for detail, and this book certainly has A LOT of detail.
- I am into gothic spooky sort of settings, and this book definitely incorporated some of those elements that kept me hooked.
- There were some female empowerment parts I was a fan of!

Things that didn’t land for me:

- I think the author took on too much. I could see this maybe being separated into a duology or something, which would have made it more palatable. (I say this also has someone who advocates for more standalone novels, but I think there was just too much here, and a lot got lost in translation.)
- I liked the various timelines, but they were very confusing and it was hard to keep track of. I annotated this book and have a history of reading big fantasy novels, and I still had a hard time keeping track of the family lines. Maybe if a genealogy map had been incorporated at some point it would have been easier to follow (although perhaps that would have caused spoilers and was an intentional choice not to include).
- I wanted to love the MMCs but found them to be cringey. I am all down for a “touch her and die” trope, trust me, but this was … too much? Not believable? The nicknames killed it for me a bit, it just felt forced and not genuine. Like, I got the ick.
- I really hated the infertility trope, and do not feel like it was handled gracefully. I do understand the timeline that the book takes place in, but there is literally a line where the FMC ascribes to the idea that a woman’s only value is motherhood. Despite the timeline, this is just a very bad thing to promote, in that the FMC never really grew away from that belief. I wish the author had addressed better that a couple who chooses one another is, in and of itself, a family, and is enough. To be fair, there was a trigger warning for this, but I don’t think the overall trope, which is delicate in and of itself, was handled with care.

Overall I am glad I read this, but this book, unfortunately, was not my favorite.

"Until you, I thought life and suffering were synonymous."

End of review. Perfection.

Just kidding but that may be my favorite book quote, like ever.

I don't even know where to begin to review this. Prior to reading I saw this classified as a gothic historical paranormal romance and I laughed because what? Oh no, that’s this book, 200%!
This was unlike anything I have ever read before, its very core it is truly a heart wrenching romance. The longing, tension, pining, angst, heartbreak… my word.
It will simultaneously have you mind fucked have you shipping out of responsibilities to continue reading, but also, having NO IDEA what you’re reading!
This love story is the epitome of, I will find you in every lifetime.... I have waited 1000 years for you and I will wait 1000 more because you are worth it. Pure swoon.

My official rating for this book is 4.5 stars. I was warned before getting into this, that this would be a long journey with lots of information. After reading it, I can agree that this was a LONG read, but it was also very good! It took a little more thought process sometimes to keep track of who was who and in what time period and then have it all come together in the end. The book has you thinking one thing, and then bam, it was something that you didn't even think. I truly commend this author for writing such a story that kept me wanting to read more and have me understand what was happening 90% of the time. I would definitely recommend this book to those that love historical romance, romantasy readers, or someone who just wants something different from their normal romance routine that is open to trying new things!

Wow. What a journey this was. This book was so LONG but also so unique. I didn’t know what was really going on for a while there at the beginning but as the pieces began falling into place, I was HOOKED. This book was the best example of true love prevailing… of being madly obsessed with your person. It was amazing. And not only did we get the “touch her and die” trope… but we got the “touch ME and die bc you upset my person by putting your hands on me” trope and I AM HERE FOR IT. Did I mention the narration for this book was INCREDIBLE?! Wow. I just can’t say enough good things. If you can get past the length of the book and the confusion in the beginning… it really is such an amazing story. 10/10 recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I had such high hopes for this book but I genuinely felt like it was about 300 pages too long. Nothing happened for so long and then when it does it didn’t feel like it was worth the long lead up to it!

Now I loved the concept of this book and I did like the basic storyline. It just was way too long for no reason in my opinion. Which gave me time to get bored and not want to finish at all.

I also could not get past their pet names for her Lizzie Mine and Darcy Darlin! I literally cringed every time I read it!

I was very bothered by the fact that the FMC had zero intuition about people and was way too trusting. The entire book I was rolling my eyes and yelling at her in my head for being stupid!

I know there will be people who love this book but it definitely wasn’t for me.

All hail Veronica Lancet! Where has Fairydale been my whole life?! This wasn't just 5⭐️ read, not even 6⭐️...this is a 10⭐️, holy grail, top tier read! Addicting is the best way i can describe this. Paranormal, gothic, creepy small town, sloooooooow burn...literally just amazing!

I was very intrigued by the mysterious and historical vibes that the synopsis provided, and I certainly wasn't let down! And with paranormal and romantic aspects mixed in, I though this was a great story!

While this wasn't a horror novel, the gothic and suspenseful nature of the story definitely kept me on my toes the entire time. There were times where I felt a bit confused about what was going on with the plot, but honestly it felt intentional and actually worked well in this case, as it helped to really feel for what the FMC knows in the present moment and we get to learn alongside her.

There were multiple timelines surrounding the main characters and their past which I absolutely loved. The romance between the MCs truly was one for the centuries and I loved watching it unfold and be rediscovered throughout the novel. The love and yearning feels so tangible and kept me rooting for the romance the entire time. And this book is long! But I only found myself feeling bored or overwhelmed at a few points, and in general I really enjoyed the entire story.

In terms of the historical aspect, there were times where the main characters really didn't seem to behave in the appropriate ways given the time/setting they were in, which is really the main reason why this story isn't a five star read for me, but overall I thought that the spooky, historical vibes were there and I wasn't taken out of the setting too badly.

Fairydale was a great twist on the reincarnated lovers story with amazing spooky and gothic vibes that kept me captivated throughout the entire (very long!) story.

Fantastic book! You cannot skim it! Every detail matters! I was first thinking this could be a horror novel but boy was I wrong! The mystery and intensity was constant and consistent. The twists and turns q were done beautifully. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

This was my very first time reading any fantasy with paranormal and gothic vibes and I think I am obsessed. The slow burn in this book is top notch. I hope to read more by this author soon!

3✨

The first part was interesting (even if a bit confusing).
The second to last part was just mediocre for me. All those flashbacks were a bit too much.

I love Veronica's writing style and I think this book was the perfect example of what she is able to achieve, unfortunately I didn't like the characters enough to love the writing style like I could have

This book was AMAZING. The multiple timelines made this so much more than a simple reincarnation love story. Amon is THE book boyfriend and I won't be accepting any criticism, now or ever. I've been struggling to stay focused with books this long, but every page in 800 some odd pages kept me completely engaged and kept me eager to keep reading.

This definitely isn't a book to skim though. You'll miss a lot of core things if you do. I can't wait for my preorder to come so I can physically annotate it while reading it again with everything I know now.

(Atria, a girl is begging for a physical copy.)

I loved this book!! I was definitely confused at first. The story is COMPLEX!! But I was confused in a good way, like I’m addicted to this story and must figure out what is going on here. I truly wasn’t expecting such an in depth romance, one that spanned eons. Amon and Sela, the love. You just feel it through the pages. The trauma and the yearning and everything they went through to be together. This book was an incredible journey. It is in no way an easy read, but it’s 100% worth the time it takes to get through it.

A complex plot with unexpected twists, spice, magic, a beautiful and perfectly described setting taking place in multiple worlds. I ate up Fairydale!! Thank you for the ARC! Attached is my review from my booksta!

2.5 stars
3.75 chili peppers

I had very high expectations for this book as I heard it was best to go into it blind and that it’s confusing but worth it. Both of those warnings usually add up to an amazing read for me. Unfortunately, I actively did not enjoy this book and did not think it was worth the push-through required of me. If this wasn’t an ARC read I most likely would’ve DNFd.

I do not want to go into the plot or story structure at all, for the reasons mentioned above, and will just say that this story could’ve been much shorter and less convoluted. At the same time, I think that is all intentional by the author and, therefore, will leave this as a “this book is just not my kind of book” review. This book is VERY loved by MANY people and for that reason I still recommend you give it a try if you’re interested.

I came SO close to DNFing. The first 40% just wasn't doing it for me. And that was nearly 400 pages in. But I persevered because so many girlies on booktok were raving and I had to see it to the end to HOPE it would pick up and I could appreciate the magnificence too.

Thank God I stuck with it. This is one of the most unique and incredibly gripping dark gothic fantasies and has an MMC who has made my top 3 book boyfriends. The concept is so incredibly original.

I love the fated mates trope; I love the touch her and you die vibe; and a man that is terrible (in others eyes), but is so sweet to her. This delivered that in spades. Our MMC waits hundred of years for her, AFTER they've already been together. He sits around and waits. She is it for him. The chemistry between these two characters good LORD. At first I was like wtf this feels like instalove and one of the MMCs is weird AF (if you know you know), but this is the kind of story that you have to stick with it until the end to get an explanation for why things are the way they are.

And when you have that realization-- bow down to Veronica Lancet. I'm not sure if she is planning on making this a duology, but the ending sets up book 2 PERFECTLY.

This is 1000% worth a read in its ENTIRETY.

tropes/themes:

-Dark Romantasy
-Period Piece
-Dual/Triple timelines
-Fated Mates
-Slow Burn
-Small town setting
-world-building and politics (towards the end)
-Innocent/Oblivious FMC
-Anti-hero MMC
-Trauma

The smut was also really smutting 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I absolutely loved this book! The atmosphere was so gothic and spooky I loved it I think the writers details were amazing. I was put off when I heard this had a possible love triangle trope but honestly it was so interesting and intriguing to me. The relationships with each MMC were so different. This has easily become an alll time favorite book and six star read! I’m super excited to see what this author comes out with next

For those of you who love a love story that trascends every lifetime but also love to read freaky deaky demon sex this one is for you!!!!

Hello I am here to report I am down BADDDDDDD for this demon freak & his cock ring or whatever.

Never at one point in this book did I know what was happening or where this story was going. Truly. Genuinely. I don’t want to reveal any plot points just go in blind and enjoy the ride….cause boy is it a ride. It is gothic. Mysterious. Intriguing.

This book is pure chaos. Absolute mind blowing chaos. The smut was CRAZY I had to put it down touch grass and reconnect with nature. Seriously read the trigger warning and don’t read this if it’s your first rodeo cause this is my hundredth rodeo and….my god 😭

I’m sorry I genuinely loved this. The love story at its heart was so compelling and heart wrenching and beautiful. The three timelines were all individual stories in themselves my goodnes. The bonus two epilogues were EVERYTHING TO ME.


The only thing that keeps me from hitting the full 5 star button is the constant use of “lass” and pet names over and over…it gets to a point. But that’s really my only note.

Thanks so much to for this trad published eARC from NetGalley, Atria Books & Veronica Lancet. I didn’t notice any grammar errors or typos throughout (which I saw was a prior complaint). Beautiful body of work. I will be buying it :)

This novel had an intriguing plot. The beginning of the book was a bit confusing, but that was a wild journey! This gave lots of magic, mystery, and supernatural vibes wrapped up in a romance.