This YA fantasy romance (clean) standalone was a 4.7/5 stars for me. Written in all of Isobel’s point of view, we get a glimpse into a unique world that stands out among others.
Here’s my thoughts while reading:
Isobel is a human painter whose Craft has been noticed by the immortal fair folk. She’s used to their different mannerisms by now after capturing the likeness of so many, but is still surprised to hear that the autumn prince may show himself for the first time in centuries.
Oh the prince shifts into a raven!!
I love these prose, “The sun hung low in the sky as I made my way home. My shoes tapped along the path through a wheat field to the rhythmic buzzing of grasshoppers, and the light’s steep angle intensified the summer heat until the back of my neck grew sticky with sweat, cool every time the freeze blew my hair aside.”
Why exactly do people leave for the World Beyond and what is there? It sounds like the afterlife but it’s not? Why can’t Isobel drink from the Green Well and what is her real name?
I didn’t like how quickly she fell for” Rook when we weren’t really able to experience it with her since their interaction was summarized.
What is the wild Hunt? Where is Rook taking Isobel? What is he offense? Why didn’t his portrait reveal go well?
Alright, so now that they’re in the Autumnlands, I wish I had a better sense of the purpose of the story. What is Isobel’s goal, just to survive her life amid the fair kind? She doesn’t have any agency yet.
So as vain and powerful as the fair kinds are, it seems like they aren’t able to do any form of human Craft without withering away?
The imagery of the Barrow Lord was done beautifully.
It’s a bit monotonous that they keep going back and forth between autumn to summerlands. What’s the point?
What is the Good Law? How can fair folk fall in love if they have such vast emptiness inside their soul as she has observed? Moving onto the spring court feels a bit rushed, but I’m eager about her idea.
At the halfway mark, Isobel’s vocabulary seems too high for a 17 year olds voice. Yet her thoughts on this being “love” seems to naive for a 17 year old.
I love the comparison to Aster and Isobel’s new plan in the springlands.
Well I flew through the last 100 pages and loved the uniqueness of their world. I do wish the emotional impact got me a little harder during the climatic scenes but this was overall a pleasant, positive and enjoyable read for me.
Cassie Swindon 