REVIEW: Heart of the Fae
Heart of the Fae by Emma Hamm
Page Count: 333 pages
Release Date: November 17, 2017
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
Once upon a time… A plague sweeps across the emerald hills of Uí Néill, leaving a young midwife’s father with months to live. To save her people, Sorcha makes a deal with a dangerous Fae. She must travel across the sea, through merrow and kelpie lands, to find a forgotten king on a crumbling throne. Born king of the Seelie Fae, Eamonn fought battles unnumbered to uphold honor, duty, and freedom… until his twin brother sank a blade between his shoulders. Crystals grew from the wound, splitting open skin and bone. His people banished him to a cursed isle for his disfigurement, now king of criminals and fools. With the help of brownies, pixies, and will-o’-the-wisps, Sorcha battles to break through his crystalline shell and persuade him to take back his stolen throne.This determined beauty could come dangerously close to stealing his beastly heart.
My Review:
Heart of the Fae is a beautifully written Beauty and the Beast retelling, and I'm so happy to have discovered it (and this author!)
I asked my friends to recommend me great self-published books, and this was one of the top recommendations! As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. Retelling? Check! Beauty and the Beast? Check! Amazing romance, dangerous Fae, Irish mythology, and unique twists? Check, check, check, check!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing was great, and the Irish mythology seemed to me to be meticulously researched, so that even in the midst of magic and Fae, the characters and world seemed very real. And the faeries/mythology twist on Beauty and the Beast made it much more unique than many other retellings I've read. Although the romance began as a littttttle predictable/insta-lusty, the amazing characters made up for it. No one seemed "flat," even the secondary characters. Sorcha, the protagonist, was strong-willed, independent, family-oriented, and incredibly kind. I loved her character so much!
There were a couple grammar mistakes and spelling errors, but these didn't impact the readability of the story at all. I can't wait to purchase the next book and see how the drama plays out, and would definitely recommend to fans of fairytale retellings, romance, strong heroines, Fae, or Irish lore!