Book Review of A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene

 

Name of Book: A Feather So Black 

Author: Lyra Selena 

ISBN: 9780316564960

Publisher: Orbit

Part of a Series: The Fair Folk 

Type of book: Fantasy, brooding hero, Irish MYTHOLOGY based, fae folk, mysteries, secret world, love triangle, a whole year 

Year it was published: 2024 

Summary:

Set in a world of perilous magic and moonlit forests, this seductive romantic fantasy tells the story of a defiant changeling, her cursed sister, and the dangerous fae lord she must defeat to save her family.

In a kingdom where magic has been lost, Fia is a rare changeling, left behind by the wicked Fair Folk when they stole the High Queen's daughter and retreated behind the locked gates of Tír na nÓg.

Most despise Fia's fae blood. But the queen raises her as a daughter and trains her to be a spy. Meanwhile, the real princess Eala is bound to Tír na nÓg, cursed to become a swan by day and only returning to her true form at night.

When a hidden gate to the realm is discovered, Fia is tasked by the queen to retrieve the princess and break her curse. But she doesn’t go with her is prince Rogan, Fia's dearest childhood friend—and Eala’s betrothed.

As they journey through the forests of the Folk, where magic winds through the roots of the trees and beauty can be a deadly illusion, Fia’s mission is complicated by her feelings for the prince…and her unexpected attraction to the dark-hearted fae lord holding Eala captive. Irian might be more monster than man, but he seems to understand Fia in a way no one ever has.

Soon, Fia begins to question the truth of her mission. But time is running out to break her sister's curse. And unraveling the secrets of the past might destroy everything she has come to love.

Characters:

Main characters include Fia, Irian, Eala and Rogan. Fia is a mysterious half changeling young woman who was raised to be a weapon and to eventually get the real princess back to the kingdom. She is best described as naive, craving familial love, and she is also loyal to her "family". Irian is a full changeling who is in charge of the mysterious weapon. He is dark, secretive, but makes little to no compuctions that he is a liar. Eala is the real princess, cursed to turn swan during the day. She is, well, manipulative and is talented at reading people and taking advantage of them. Rogan is a human Prince who is betrothed to marry Eala, but at the same time he DESIRES Fia. He seems to also be simple and is struggling a lot between his feelings and duties.           

Theme:

Everyone has their own agenda 

Plot:

This was written in first person narrative from Fias point of view, and it takes place over a year, from the time she is instructed to fetch the swan princess to the time when she should have succeeded. While I enjoyed the style and seeing the fascinating fae world, there is definitely bare bones information about the characters and their backgrounds, but instead it seems to be more focused either on the world or action, but little on character growth. I do hope that next book will be more character focused. 

 
Author Information:
( From goodreads)

Lyra Selene was born under a full moon and has never quite managed to wipe the moonlight out of her eyes. She grew up on a steady diet of mythology, folklore, and fantasy, and now writes tall tales of twisted magic, forbidden romance, and brooding landscapes.

Lyra lives in New England with her husband and daughter, in an antique farmhouse that probably isn’t haunted. She is the author of the young adult duology AMBER & DUSK. A FEATHER SO BLACK is her adult debut.

Twitter: @LyraSelene
Instagram: @lyraselene

Opinion:

I am really looking forward to seeing Lyra Selene's future novels and how the story will turn out. If one was to ask me which author is she similar to, I would definitely say Hannah Whitten, especially her Wilderwood duology. A FEATHER SO BLACK is definitely dark, mysterious and, of course, has a "bad" boy hero. For readers who desire to get their dark romantasy fix, then A FEATHER SO BLACK could be just what the doctor ordered. 

This was given for review 

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)