| Author: | Sheila Parrett |
| Genre(s): | ➡️ Fantasy ➡️ Romance |
| Series? | ❎ No |
| Goodreads Rating: | ⭐ — (0 rating; 1 review) |
| Personal Rating: | ⭐ 3 / 5 Overall |
| Trigger Warnings: | sexual abuse, slavery, cannibalism |
🛑 Spoiler Warning 🛑
I might be recounting events, characters, and themes so THIS MIGHT BE FULL OF SPOILERS.
If you’d like to read a review with the spoilers hidden, kindly scroll to the bottom to read my spoiler-free review or head to my Goodreads post. You don’t need an account to read it. 🙂
Description
Caitlin”s world turned upside down as she finds herself serving as a lady-in-waiting one day to a stranger in a new world the next. Trying to figure out her way through this new world, she was immediately blessed by the gods with a symbol attaching her heart to someone she doesn’t know. In this fantasy read, we follow Caitlin’s journey in a world where she might not be a stranger after all; and grapple with the gods’ blessings as she lingers at the darkness of her mate’s soul.
World-Building
Right off the bat, the book establishes the general time period where this happens which is great! When reading a different time period I usually take time adjusting before the suspension of belief sets in; but here, I was immediately immersed as Caitlin’s emotions and circumstances opened the book in such a revealing way.
The transition to the fae world was also done well. I absolutely love that the story explored so many corners of it! There were deserts, peaceful villages, fancy courts, frozen mountains, a glimpse at the demon world, and so much more. The plot moved at such a pace that this wasn’t overwhelming at all.
The variety of creatures is amazing! I can instantly name multiple creatures at the top of my head: faeries, vampires, orcs, dwarves, nymphs, nagas, and wolves. I’m sure there are more I missed. The diversity made the world so much more real and exciting. I also love that there was an emphasis on mixing breeds. It legitimately made the world more interesting. One of the biggest mysteries in the book was the protagonist’s lover’s abilities. The fact that his identity is shrouded in so much mystery created more dimension for his character.
CHARACTER-BUILDING
I’m not usually a fan of long, inner monologues to begin a story with because oftentimes I find the protagonist’s voice too whiny or too boring. It’s just that I don’t know them that well and yet they’re already pouring their struggles in life while I haven’t been invested yet. However, that’s definitely not the case here. There’s something about Caitlin’s ‘voice’ that immediately sets the tone of the book and made me ease into her mind easily. Perhaps it’s the way she opened the story – her dreams as a child – that made it a fun time for me read her entire journey from her younger self to her adulthood. The other character introductions were pretty fun to read too.
However, as I read further, I was a little disappointed that the characters didn’t have as much depth and dimension as I wished. For the most part, each character fills a certain stereotype in a story: the destined princess, the protective lover in a dark romance, the loyal best friend, the pretty best friend, and your typical laugh-in-your-face villains. There’s nothing wrong with that, true, but sometimes the longer the story goes the more uninvested I feel in their fates if they don’t have any other traits or deeper purpose. Sadly, that’s the case for me here. The characters were interesting enough but they’re not complicated.
There was also some flow of dialogue that felt off for me. Sometimes they feel too modern, sometimes they’re too traditional, and at one point I think I got confused about whether or not Horn had a Scottish accent; but that might be a ‘me problem.’ Lastly, I felt the attempt at establishing a playful character and friendship by our main group throwing out curse words and teases but unfortunately, they just came off as mean.
PLOT
The story is fast-paced and for the most part, it works. But I did have some issues.
What worked for me:
- THAT ENDING FOR SURE! (I’m a little morbid that way)
- Not spending too much time on the training arc
- Niall’s last fight during the tournament (love me a morally gray love interest)
- Some tiny spicy scenes (NOT the s*xual assaults)
- Caitlin’s initial stubbornness to give in to Niall
What did not work for me:
- Underwhelming delivery of key moments (Poppy’s identity reveal, the Unseelie queen’s identity reveal, Caitlin’s reunion with his father, the cutting of the mating bond)
- Some awkwardly misplaced spicy scenes
- The unsatisfying conclusion of the romance (seriously, Niall didn’t even get to be Caitlin’s first)
- Some awkwardly misplaced action (there’s this random person(?) who attacked Niall and Caitlin while they were having a moment in the forest and it was so quick that at the end Niall just laughed at Caitlin’s shock. I still don’t know what that whole scene was about.)
🌟FINAL THOUGHTS AND Review (3/5) 🌟
I enjoyed the fast-paced plot that took me to so many corners of this fae world. I loved the diversity of the creatures and the hint of a world order that can potentially be explored deeper.
The characters were interesting but definitely needed more depth to their backstories and/or dimensions to their personalities. They were, however, interesting enough to incentivize the reader to finish this quick read.
The romance has a bit of steam which I personally like. If you’re triggered by s*xual abuse and cann*balism, tread lightly. It’s not overly dark, it just has those moments.
I recommend these to readers who like quick-moving plots, lots of action, and being immersed into a magical world without too heavy world-building. Check the book out at Kindle Unlimited!
The Stray Reader 
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