Fairydale by Veronica Lancet is an atmospheric, spellbinding tale that blends gothic romance, mystery, and supernatural intrigue.

Lancet’s writing is lush and immersive, building a dark, atmospheric world where every corner holds a new surprise. The romance is breathtaking, and the paranormal elements add layers of intrigue that will keep you hooked. Fairydale offers a deep, millennia-spanning love story that’s both tragic and beautiful.

If you enjoy dark romance, gothic vibes, and a touch of the supernatural, Fairydale is a must-read. A breathtaking and stunning story about love and the lengths we’ll go to to keep it.

5 stars
Was this book extremely long? Yes, around 24 hours start to finish. Was it worth every minute it took to read? Absolutely YES!
One thing about me is I will eat up the ‘I will love you in every lifetime’ trope every single time. Such a beautiful and addicting read. Truly magical. I also really loved the alternating timelines/ flashbacks, and the historical/ time period aspects. I’ve read other things from this author and I’m so happy she’s getting recognized for her work and traditionally published.

Fairydale is a wild, dark ride through a twisted fairy tale world. Veronica Lancet doesn’t hold back it’s creepy, chaotic, and full of sharp, unforgettable characters. If you like your fantasy with a heavy dose of mystery and a touch of madness, this one’s for you. The plot moves fast, and the twists kept me guessing until the last page. Plus, the atmosphere? Immersive and a little bit eerie in the best way.

🎧Duet Narrated

This book is either a 6⭐️ book, or I have to knock all of my previous rankings down one 😂

This book was SLOWWW and LONGGG in the best most torturous way. It takes place over 3 time lines and you have to pay attention to the details. It all connects so beautifully.

This is a journey! I wish I read it as a book club as I had different theories throughout the whole book. The mystery was done phenomenally. Throughout the entire thing I was yell texting my cousin who has read it before, trying to guess what happens.

This book was on my TBR beforehand already, but I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Finally finished this one—it’s definitely a long book, and it comes with some very clear strengths and weaknesses.

Pros:
Structure: I really enjoyed the way the author wove together three timelines, reminiscent of Project Hail Mary. Darcy gradually recovers memories from a past life, which adds a layer of mystery that kept me engaged until the end.

Plot: There are some truly unexpected plot twists. The author's imagination is wildly creative—at times, I found it absurd, but also hilarious. It’s a paranormal story, after all—who’s to say what’s impossible?

Cons:
Writing: The writing itself isn’t the strongest and tends to be quite repetitive. A lot of the dialogue and details felt unnecessary. I found myself skimming through entire paragraphs without missing anything important. The story could definitely benefit from tighter editing.

Smut: I’m not a fan of the smut in this book. It often felt out of place—like the FMC would go through something traumatic and then immediately want to mate with the MMC. It pulled me out of the story more than once.

Overall: I’d recommend this book to readers looking for a gothic paranormal read with a unique and entertaining plot—especially if you don’t mind uneven writing and are comfortable skimming when needed.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This review is my honest opinion.

WTAF?

I love a *spicy* 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ dark gothic spicy romantasy and while both the synopsis and the *Jane Eyre* quality this has, had me really wanting to love this, I could barely get through it. I kept at it (skimming often), hoping it would get better (*spoiler alert - it did not).

*slowburn, but not the kind of slowburn I love
*waaaaaaay too long
*pacing was very weird
*repetitive
*MFC is unbearable
*MMC is toxic
*way too much licking
*chemistry?
*big cringe in parts
*predictable
*could not with the writing

Other readers may love this, but it was not for me.

**While the beginning does warn of sexual assault as a trigger warning, it fails to inform the reader just how many SA scenes there are.



Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the DRC

this quite literally might be the longest book I’ve ever read. Holy flipplin airball as the kids are saying these days. WOW just wow. This is def for the SLOW burners out there but wow it was worth it. 4/5 stars

"𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦? 𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶."

Fairydale by Veronica Lancet

Rating: 🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Trope(s)/Element(s):
-Dark / gothic / historical fantasy
-Paranormal romance
-Multiple timelines (past & present)
-Slow burn
-Possessive / morally grey MMC
-Small town with secrets
-Star crossed lovers
-Demons, witches & other magical beings

This story follows Miss Darcy, an English teacher from Boston who receives a letter informing her that her estranged father has passed away and she’s set to inherit a large fortune. But first, she must travel to Fairydale to attend his funeral. Once she arrives, things begin to grow stranger and stranger.

I absolutely love Amon. He’s the perfect morally gray character—dark, devoted, and deeply complex. He respects Darcy, cherishes her, and truly worships her. There’s never a moment where you doubt his love. This is a star-crossed romance that stretches across multiple timelines, millennia even. They endure death, war, and so much more to reach their HEA.

This is a deeply layered story, over 700 pages with a slow burn romance and rich, immersive timelines. While I did feel it ran a bit long, I’m still giving it a full 5 stars. The world-building is phenomenal, the plot is unique, and I was hooked from the very beginning. Special shout out to Mr. Meow.

⚠️TW/CW⚠️:
-Blood (gore)
-Blood play & period play
-Death
-Derogatory terms
-Discrimination
-Drugs
-Graphic Torture/Violence
-Graphic sexual situations (humanoid and non-huminoid)
-Incestuous situation
-Infertility
-Murder
-Kidnapping
-🍇/SA
-PTSD
-Suicide

Thank you the Net Galley and Atria books for the ARC in return for my honest opinion!

This book was everything I hoped it would be! Right from the start you start to see so many weird things happening. The mystery and gothic elements immediately hooked me. We get dual timelines and we get to see two stories unfolding together. So even though the book is long it’s 100% worth it. I just can’t even fathom cutting this down. Honestly, I would’ve loved even more in the end. I don’t want to give anything away so I won’t go into details 🤭 But lord, the MAN Amon is 😩 He was as perfect as they come!!! The way he loved with his whole heart and soul!

Spooky, Steamy, and So Addictive 🖤

Fairydale is a gothic, paranormal romance that blends eerie small-town vibes with slow-burn tension. Darcy’s descent into mystery—and between two hauntingly intense men—had me hooked. Caleb is dark temptation, Amon is dreamy and ghostly, and the town itself? Full of secrets. I flew through this one!

Rating: 4/5

The story starts in 1955 when Darcy travels to a small, weird town called Fairydale for an inheritance. Soon she encounters strange deaths, mysterious townsfolk, and a possessive yet alluring man. The mystery was intriguing, but the book was just too long. I felt like I was reading and reading and getting nowhere. I've read books this long before, but they didn't *feel* this long. The story could have been told in at least 200 pages less. I don't think the destination justified the journey.

There was too much sexual assault in this book. Some happens in dreams, some the FMC thinks happened, some is fake memory. It just seems gratuitous when it's not even *actually* happening in the story.

I did enjoy the MMC's devotion and aspects of the romance. However, the best part of this book for me is probably that it is not a series and it's over.

Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for an ARC.

Fairydale is the definition of a love story that spans time and space, quite literally.

This book begins in 1955 Boston, MA and follows Darcy who, upon receiving news of her estranged father’s passing, travels to Fairydale for the reading of his will. At night, she has vivid dreams of Amon, a man from 1790 Essex, Great Britain who sweeps her off her feet. Darcy finds herself falling for the man in her dreams, while in the present she’s becoming increasingly entranced by the mysterious Caleb Hale, son of Fairydale’s infamous Hale family. Darcy quickly learns that nothing is quite as it seems in Fairydale, where past and present begin to blur and distinguishing fiction from reality is increasingly perplexing.

What I Loved:
This book carries so much emotional weight; it’s impossible not to be invested in the love story. The love between our FMC and MMC is incredibly genuine and romantic. I cried with their hardships and celebrated with their wins, and the epilogues were lovely additions. I also really enjoyed Veronica Lancet’s writing. The way she writes is so captivating and it pulls you into the story; it’s very atmospheric. I also love Mr. Meow, even after the reveal.

What I Loved Less:
I’m no stranger to a long book, but I do think this one could’ve been a bit more concise. I started becoming less engaged with the story in part 2, especially when reading Darcy’s heavy internal monologues. I also found Caleb’s character to be difficult to like and hard to reconcile with in the end.

I would absolutely recommend this book for fans of star-crossed lovers, especially those looking for a gothic atmosphere, but only if they can handle a very long read with very intense spicy scenes.

Fairydale is one of those books that, while it wasn’t a 5-Star read for me, will remain with me for a long time, leaving a lasting impression.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. This was something. I’m still thinking about all the twists and turns this took. I understand now what people mean by this book is one you love or just don’t. It is most definitely a journey, but one that I definitely enjoyed. At over 800 pages, I find myself looking back to ask where could it have been shorter, but like. Every page has a part to play in this endeavor.

As far as the story. I cannot even begin to think what a board would look like with this story mapped out. The author says in the introduction this is NOT a book to skim and I completely agree! You’ll miss a hint or an important point if you do! This is full of twists and turns, hidden identities and a love that spans ages. I’m proud to say I figured some of the deceptions out but there were a couple in there that I did not see coming. The woman in the room unveiled at the end was a holy eff moment for me.

This was my first book by this author and I’ll definitely be checking out her backlist. The way she seems to weave her stories is right up my alley!! Each of the characters had depth and I was excited to see how each person played out, even Mr. Meow!

Big thank you to the team at Atria and the author, Veronica Lancet, for the opportunity to read this early as an eARC on NetGalley! Fairydale is one of my favorite summer reads this year!

What an interesting read. This story was very unique, unlike anything I've read before. I feel the story was well written. The backstory and build up was well done. The only complaint I have is that after all the suspense and leading up to the big reveal(s), we suddenly find that everything is quickly handled within just a couple chapters. Like, the bad guys are defeated, the good guys because super supportive and accepting of everything, and we live happily ever after. If that hadn't been so rushed, I may have rated this slightly higher. But all in all, this book was worth the read.

I really enjoyed Fairydale! It's a dark Gothic romance which I hadn't read before but will definitely be a style I read more of. There is a lot going on but it sucked me in and I couldn't put it down! I would definitely recommend! Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC!

Immediately 5 stars! One of my TOP reads of the YEAR! This is the book I needed to get out of my reading slump. I was immediately hooked from the 1st chapter and completely invested in the story, This author has such a way with words and it’s absolutely beautiful! This author is now on my auto buy list, CANNOT wait to read more! Highly recommend.

There’s so much happening in this book that I got lost. A lot. It’s a very, very long mess. I thought I would like a gothic, historical, fantasy paranormal romance…there’s just too much going on, and I stopped caring about 40% through, but pushed through anyway. On the plus side, I liked the cat.

This isn’t a breezy read—it demands your full attention and time—but for readers who appreciate intricate storytelling, morally complex characters, and slow-burning revelations, Fairydale is an unforgettable journey worth taking.

Blending mystery, spice, emotion, and suspense-keeping tension high without sacrificing character depth or narrative clarity, every twist feels earned, every subplot meaningful, and by the end, the layered plotlines come together beautifully.

Thank you for allowing me to participate in an early review in exchange for honest feedback. .

This is, to me, a very gothic novel with historical and paranormal aspects. The wording is very well done and immediately seemed appropriate for the time periods. It's easy to get hooked on the characters and what mysteries are befalling Darcy in Fairydale. Darcy has dreams of someone from the past, Amon. In the present Caleb Hale is a walking contradiction. Darcy truly doesn't know what to believe anymore. I think it will take a while for the full story to line up. I mean, the book is over 700 pages but I never wanted to stop reading it. Do you believe what your eyes see or what your heart knows to be true? I did not expect the explanation and the ending. I was expecting the explanation to be more related to witches not sci fi. I would've like a more gothic ending.

Fairydale is unlike anything I’ve ever read before! A haunting, atmospheric blend of paranormal mystery and twisted love that completely pulled me in. Veronica Lancet has a way of crafting eerie, otherworldly settings that feel both magical and unsettling, and this story delivers on that in spades.

From the very first page, I was hooked. The characters are beautifully damaged, the romance is darkly addictive, and the whole story has this dreamlike, gothic quality that lingers even after you’re done reading. It’s definitely not your typical love story, and that’s exactly what made it stand out for me.

If I’m being honest, the ending did feel like it dragged a bit in places, but it didn’t take away from the overall experience. The story still wrapped up in a way that felt satisfying and true to the tone of the book.

If you’re in the mood for something haunting, emotional, and totally unique, I’d definitely recommend picking up Fairydale. It’ll stick with you in the best way.