I thought I never wanted to read another book about faerie ever. again. To be frank, I got tired of the white, cis-het supermodels who, other than a god-complex when it comes to humans and a penchant for mischief, are rather infallible. BUT THAT IS NOT THIS BOOK! 

 

Our heroes are QUEER. They have a range of skin tones, come from different cultures. The Fae have horns and claws and wings and are actually feral creatures. Faerie is riddled with bigotry, ideas of supremacy and hierarchy within faerie. They hate the witches, who live among them are are their children. They cling to tradition, even when tradition is failing. Basically, this Fae society embodies a lot of human flaws. 

 

Wyatt, our narrator, barely escaped Asalan with his life years ago. He is a witch, the mate of the Prince of faerie, and trans. The parallels drawn between Wyatt being a witch and being trans are so clear and so elegant. 

 

Emir, heir to the throne, is trying to hold on to a fracturing court. Gloriously hot, with horns, claws and all, he brings Wyatt back to Asalan, hoping that their marriage might bring some stability before he takes the throne. 

 

Wyatt has other ideas. He never wants to live in faerie again. His best friend, Briar, accompanies him and well… things get a little chaotic. I was 100% along for this ride. Watching Wyatt and Emir get to know each other again melted my heart as much as seeing the prejudice and hate they both encounter made my blood boil. 

 

This is a book that DESERVES a spot on your TBR for the world alone. But in addition to that, we’ve got flawed and complex characters, a big Fae sin-namon roll, the fate of two peoples hanging in the balance, faerie politics, and a trans hero who you can’t help but root for.