by Emma Hamm
From Goodreads:
Beauty and the Beast meets Irish Mythology in this sweeping retelling of the beloved fairytale....
Once upon a time…
A plague sweeps across the emerald hills of Uí Néill, leaving a young midwife’s father with months to live. To save her people, Sorcha makes a deal with a dangerous Fae. She must travel across the sea, through merrow and kelpie lands, to find a forgotten king on a crumbling throne.
Born king of the Seelie Fae, Eamonn fought battles unnumbered to uphold honor, duty, and freedom… until his twin brother sank a blade between his shoulders. Crystals grew from the wound, splitting open skin and bone. His people banished him to a cursed isle for his disfigurement, now king of criminals and fools.
With the help of brownies, pixies, and will-o’-the-wisps, Sorcha battles to break through his crystalline shell and persuade him to take back his stolen throne.
This determined beauty could come dangerously close to stealing his beastly heart.
Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I recently developed a certain fondness for retellings. And growing up, Beauty and the Beast was one of my absolute favorite. I lost count of the number of times I watched it as a kid. Heart of Fae is two of my favorite things combined so heck yeah I read it.
This was a lengthy book. (Or at least if felt like one to me.) The beginning immediately captured my interest and the ending just broke my heart. But man was this LONG. The middle dragged too slowly for my taste. If it wasn't for the magical writing and the story itself, I would have called it a day and put the book down never to be read again. Also, I wasn't a fan of the romance. They went from completely disliking each other to lusting after one another after just one meeting. It's a good thing though that after the initial lusting after each other part, the actual relationship between Sorcha and Eamonn developed slowly. I liked seeing them make the effort to actually get to know the other person. Sorcha was a very steadfast character. She has this innate strength and independence to go after what she wants and an unyielding heart to care for others. She brought out the good in Eamonn when the latter thought it impossible.
I almost forgot to mention this. The idea that geode crystals form from Eamonn's wounds rather than blood spilling is very original and truly intriguing.
I wish to know what happens next so I'll be sure to read the sequel. I hope we'll see more of Bran and also Sorcha's family.
Overall, I really enjoyed this twisted tale of love, deceit, family and sacrifice. *runs off to buy book two*
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