A Bargain with the Fae King by Megan Van Dyke
Actual Rating: 3.75
I received a free copy of this book as part of the Indie Ink Awards. This review is my full and honest opinion.
Wow! I always find myself a little nervous going into fantasy novels because I’m worried about the world-building being confusing, but this book did a fantastic job of easing us into it.
We follow Lia, who feels estranged from her family after nearly causing an accident that killed her little sister May. The only reprieve she gets are in the recurring dreams of a mysterious shadowy man — Riven, who she spills all her secrets to. When May is suddenly kidnapped by the Unseelie, Lia will do anything it takes to get her back — even if it means making a deal and giving herself up as the fae king’s consort.
This book was really reminiscient of Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses and I enjoyed it just as much. The plot was really solid and getting May back was a really great motivator, especially since I’m always a fan of heroes that get dragged into a situation reluctantly. I do think the storyline was quite predictable but this was one of those instances where it did not bother me. I still enjoyed it nonetheless.
I feel a little mixed on the romance. I can see why many people would enjoy it, especially those who like reading adult romance, but personally I found the male lead a little too “alpha” at times and it was a little uncomfortable. There are moments where Lia stands her ground that I really enjoyed and I would love to have seen more of these, especially towards the end.
As the story went on, there are some moments where the main character’s actions are questionable and moments where I wish Lia had more agency, but overall I thought it really depicted her character well — determined and empathetic, yet very much still a fish out of water.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this to readers of fantasy romance. Personally, I will 100% be continuing with the next book in the series!
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I enjoyed reading this review, keep it up!
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