Inkslinger
Written on May 18, 2020
If you like sweet, steamy, self-sacrificing love interests.. this book is a must read. If you prefer intricate magic systems and brutal villains at every turn.. this novel has that too.
According to the author's website, Isabella August is the nom de guerre of not one.. but a pair of writers, who began as childhood friends. As adults, thousands of miles apart geographically, but clearly much closer at the heart.. they collaborate on stories like this one. And what a lovely intricate web they weave...
If he left like this, drowning in shame and despair, she knew that she would never see him again.
I am absolutely in love with Liam. He is indeed, all the things I mentioned above, but also so much more. He's a force to be reckoned with. He's one of the most sensual male characters I've ever read, but in ways I've experienced, which made him feel all the more realistic. He's amusing and possessive.. yet reasonable about it. He's also deeply conflicted, through no real fault of his own, which.. I am a sucker for.
Our story though, mainly centers around a young witch named Lainey, who has lost huge chunks of her memory, but gained something considerable as well. A character that is quite likable herself. She has vulnerabilities, but she isn't the type to just stand aside and wail either. Nor is she an over the top 'bad ass' type. Rather, she digs down when she needs to.. but she stumbles. She makes mistakes.
The world itself.. for me.. was kind of a stunning mix of the frozen land of Beauty's Beast.. and Wonderland mazes.. with a lot of other interesting landscapes thrown in as well. And that magic system I mentioned? Diverse. So diverse, the author(s?) have even seen fit to include a breakdown at the back of the book. I cannot wait to read more.
All in all, I adored every moment of this story. I read it front to back in one sitting. I think my eyes may be bleeding.. but it was worth it. Just as I know the rest of the books in the series are going to be.
PURCHASE LINKS: BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO
Merged review:
ARC provided by Isabella August. All opinions are mine and freely given.
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"One dress. Five rules."
05-18: 'Crown of Gold' by Isabella August is a wonderful little prequel novella, Book 0 in the Faerie Lords Series, that takes place just prior to 'Crown of Frost' and gives us a glimpse of some of the characters we'll come to know there. It also gives us a little overview as to the structure of alliances and where the battle lines are drawn amongst the Lords.
Though we do see some familiar faces.. Pallid Valentine, the Lady of Illusions, Lord Blackfrost.. not everyone is quite the way they'll become yet.
This story focuses on the Lady's Warlock, Ezra, and a human investigator named Nicole. Ezra, known in fae circles simply as Wraith, strikes a deal with Nicole in hopes of getting her help to steal a valuable prisoner from the Lord of Coins during a dangerous ball in his neighboring realm. If they succeed, the soul he sold to the Lady years before, will be his once more.. freeing him to live an untethered mortal life again.
If they fail.. well, they'll probably both be dead and none of it will matter much at all.
As can be expected from the pair of writers who work under the single pseudonym, August's tale.. while brief, is no less vibrant.
"Breakfast is god...........
I'm here to worship."
"Ah......
So this is where you go on Sundays, is it?"
Ezra is a lovely character, cool on the surface.. though this seems as much to be a common survival instinct in the fae lands. Beyond that casual exterior, lies a great deal of warmth and sweetness that's as obvious in his affectations as his words. He's formal and positively adorable, but he's definitely capable of some snark and I loved every minute of it.
Nicole is on the sarcastic side. She's funny though. She's someone you can see yourself hanging out with, as long as the people you hang out with are also prone to having itchy trigger fingers and trust issues. She's very likeable and even when she's fretting about whether or not she's trusting the wrong person, she draws back from her personal experiences with them and tries to give the benefit of the doubt. Things haven't always been great, but she means well.
The protagonists, the creepy Lord of Coins and his Warlock, Midas.. are just as richly textured. Immediately, I didn't like either of them. The writer always has a way of presenting them even before you get to know them, that just raises your hackles. You're just like.. okay.. this one feels like bad news.
"Have fun......
Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"I suspect that list to be vanishingly short."
You can't have a fae story without some unexpected complications and August always does a fantastic job of complicating the characters' lives. I enjoyed watching Nicole work out how to handle things as they came up, she thinks well on her feet and that's a trait I have to assume she shares with the writers who shaped her.
I'm thoroughly absorbed in this world they've created. I love the idea of the Hedge which sits in the center of their world bordering the various realms, affected by each wherever it comes up against them, and with dangers all its own. I love the way each Lord's realm is distinctly different, from their magic and how it works to the look and feel of the realm itself.
Since there's a fifth book on the way, I'm going to have to hustle and get caught up. Books 2-4 await and I don't want to miss a thing!
WANT TO TRY OUT 'CROWN OF GOLD' AND SEE WHY I LOVE THIS SERIES AND THIS AUTHOR DUO SO MUCH? HEAD OVER TO THE WEBSITE AND SIGN-UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER TO GET YOUR COPY NOW!
ISABELLA AUGUST
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05-18: Just as I'd hoped! Review to come!
05-17: Something light and quick.. I know I'm going to love, to break up the heavier reads of the weekend.