I admit that I initially only picked up this book because the main character is Brie (I’m prepared to forgive the wrong spelling) but also because faeries!

In Brie’s world, the fae lands can be accessed by a portal, but they are not to be trusted - humans who crossover do not generally come back. The fae world is divided into the golden (good) court and the shadow (bad) court, and they’ve been at odds with each other for centuries. The shadow fae also indulge in human trafficking for nefarious purposes, so when the King buys Brie’s sister Jas, she obviously has to crossover to try to save her. The King won’t let Jas go until Brie has completed three tasks for him, and in order to do so, Brie has to infiltrate the golden kingdom under the guise of wanting to marry the Prince... What could go wrong?! Throw in some untrustworthy characters, a dormant power, a love triangle, goblins, and the mysterious circumstances of her mother’s disappearance nine years ago, and you have a compelling faerie style Game of Thrones (minus all the death!) full of complex, political intrigue.

I devoured it in a day (easy to do in lockdown) and now I am eagerly awaiting the second book next year. It’s perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns & Roses (MUCH tamer!). It has also been likened to The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, so I have added that to my TBR pile! Yes, you can see similarities to ACOTAR but I was willing to look past that.

Highly recommend it if you’re after some pure fantasy escapism!'

— Brea