The Fae & The Fallen (Gifted Fae Academy, #1)

by Brittni Chenelle

[Ailyn Henbane]

I let this sit on my tbr for a while after snapping it up for free, having seen it in one of my POC author/reader groups.

I went into it not knowing what to really expect, but I was here for POC Fae no matter what. This delivers a new and interesting world with ever-evolving characters and character relationships. Reina and Kaito are friends to enemies to frenemies/crushes in the first book of the series.

I really feel set up to loathe Kaito, the friend who kissed his friend, abandoned them after hurting them and then just continuing to harm them for the sake of it. It's a definite case of 'cool story, still abuse' when we learn Kaito's side of things. However, Chenelle carefully and skillfully give us reasons to like Kaito, to give him a second chance.

I won't lie, I was way more invested in Reina kicking Kaito's ass than I was Kaito getting a redemption arc. Reina's determination to not give up in the face of adversity is a very relatable mindset and story line for a F.MC. Her eagerness to have a place in her world, to be able to help make it a safer place for others, is admirable. I found myself cheering for her the whole time.