The fae are real, and Hetta Valstar is trying her best to marry one.
If Hetta and Wyn ever manage to marry, it will be the first union between Faerie and Mortal since the Iron Law was revoked. The mortal Queen has given them her blessing—sort of. Now, Wyn needs permission from the fae High King. There’s an intensely personal reason why they need to tie the knot as soon as possible, and time is not on their side.
The clock is ticking. Except in Wyn’s home court, which is trapped under magical stasis. To break the spell will mean venturing into the deepest realms of Faerie, where even fae princes—and definitely human lords—fear to tread.
Unfortunately, the fae problems aren’t limited to Faerie.
Public tension is rising, and the reveal of Wyn’s true identity makes him and Hetta the centre of the storm. On top of this, Stariel’s magic is going haywire, and Hetta is struggling with her intensifying powers—and she might not be the only one affected.
The High King might be the only one who can help, since he’s responsible for the fae returning to the Mortal Realm in the first place.
This review will contain spoilers for the first three books of the series.
I had new glasses on when I started reading The King of Faerie, and it has been a while, so my head was killing me. Did I stop reading? Noo. That’s just how much I anticipated this book, and how much I enjoyed the experience of reading it.
The Court of Mortals ended with a cliffhanger of sorts, so it was such a joy to get back to the story. Wyn and Hetta are still trying to figure out a way to get married, with one additional source of pressure: Hetta is pregnant out of wedlock (gasp!). Beyond the scandal that could further threaten her status as Lord of Stariel, her child is half-Fae and half-human and their life is in danger unless the bond between their parents is secured.
I’d described this series as a mix between Downton Abbey and adult!The Cruel Prince before, and this new book is no exception. There’s something utterly charming about the mundane troubles of running an estate, while trying to figure out a way to safely lift a curse from a fae land (utterly charming but utterly stressful for the protagonists, I should guess).
I love Hetta and Wyn’s relationship. I am a romance reader first and foremost and I have a weak spot for established relationships. These two are a team, working together towards a common goal, respecting each other and trying to make each other’s lives easier, happier. It’s just so sweet and wholesome, how they care for each other but with a sense of trust and healthy boundaries.
And it’s good that Hetta is here, because Wyn isn’t having an easy time in this book. Suppressing his true nature, denying his fae powers for so long isn’t without consequences, and he’s paying for them in King of Faerie. It’s a reckoning – and it makes perfect sense for his character arc.
The King of Faerie was supposed to be the last book of the series – and it is, in a way, since Wyn and Hetta’s arc is finished. But we are getting a book featuring Marius, which will no doubt include Rakken. Those two…Well, Rake steal every scene he’s in (there’s a scene he has with Hetta that had me in stitches) so his book is bound to be very interesting. Marius and Rakken’s relationship evolved in The King of Faerie and it definitely needs more space. I am eagerly anticipating this new story.
There’s a lot going on in this story, and I very much enjoyed how AJ Lancaster mixed the private and intimate (Hetta and Wyn’s story) with a more global approach to the consequences of their relationship. Fae are back into the mortal realms and it’s disruptive, to say the least…
This series fills me with contentment. It’s the epitome of feel-good. It has enough action to keep readers on their toes, politics (both fae and human), enchanting worldbuilding (The King of Faerie had a quest-like storyline taking us into the deepest, strangest parts of faerie), two delicious romantic subplots, and writing laced with the kind of wry humor that makes it so damn readable (yes even through a new-glasses induced headache).
I am absolutely in love with this series, and if you haven’t read it yet, a) what are you doing, reading a review for the last book??? and b) do yourself a favor and pick it up asap!
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