Source: Personal library
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Cursed with the blood of her enemy, Maeve will stop at nothing to prove she’s worthy of her mother’s crown. Her opportunity finally arrives when the Scathing, a dark fae magic, afflicts her kingdom and leaves a trail of death and decay in its wake. The only way to stop the Scathing is to retrieve the soul of the goddess Danua from within the fae realm. Maeve’s mother sends her off with one condition…return with the soul, or don’t return at all.
But Faeven is nothing like the fairytales she’s read; it’s full of ancient secrets and wild magic. Determined to save her kingdom, Maeve has no choice but to rely upon Rowan, the one faerie she shouldn’t trust. But as her feelings for Rowan transcend from hardened resentment to blind passion, a more sinister threat lies in wait, one ready to destroy the fae and human worlds. Maeve must find a way to defeat it, or lose both realms to the rising darkness forever.
MY THOUGHTS
Author Hillary Raymer has a book coming out next month in a new standalone series, and while the book sounded right up my alley, I wanted to check out her back series first. To my surprise, I found the first book, Crown of Roses, already downloaded on my Kindle, thanks to Stuff Your Kindle Day! I was immediately sucked into the story within the first chapter. If you enjoy stories about faeries, princesses, courtly intrigue, and adventure, then this might also be for you. However, as the book progressed and the journey into Faeven began, everything started to drag a bit and became convoluted.
At the beginning, I thought Maeve was a pretty good character. I liked that she said exactly what was on her mind, but the more I read, the more her demeanor bordered on being immature and childish. Some of her actions were questionable as well. Despite being twenty-two or twenty-four, she should have been more self-aware. Within twenty-four hours of being in Faeven, she broke the most important rules in dealing with faeries, which was making deals. She didn’t just agree to one unknown favor in exchange for information, but three!
I also didn’t like how she kept throwing herself at Rowan, especially when he had a big sign that said “Don’t trust me,” and yet acted surprised when she got betrayed. The oddest thing was that Rowan wasn’t even the love interest! Yet Maeve kept pursuing him for three-quarters of the book. Also, I found it extremely disturbing Rowan was sent to retrieve Maeve. He found her when she was five-years-old but never finished his mission because he got captured. But...Ew, just ew. I was spoiled as to who the main love interest was early on, which turned out to be the Summer King, Tiernan. Their interactions throughout the book were very bipolar, hot and cold, but by the end of the book, Tiernan was willing to go to war for Maeve? It didn’t make sense and gave me The Cruel Prince vibe… a book I hated with all my soul.
The plot with the missing Princess, Carman and Cas was so convoluted that it gave me soap opera vibes. Even when Maeve found out the truth, I could picture her standing in the dungeon cell very monotone and unfeeling. You’d think finding out your best friend and everyone you knew betrayed you would be more shocking. But as a reader I didn’t feel one ounce of emotion. And in my opinion, that’s not good. When we read a story, we want to experience all the five sense plus feel a connection with the characters; sadly, in that most crucial scene I felt absolutely nothing. Perhaps a little disbelief at how cheesy and terrible it all sounded.
I really hope book two turns it around. Normally, I wouldn’t bother continuing with the series, but due to an impulsive purchase of the entire series, I am determined to read the thing. I'll be taking this as a lesson to seriously be intentional with what I read and purchase.
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