November 2023

Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny. But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.

I didn’t really form any sort of connection with Effy. I was just a bit ambivalent towards her and wasn’t really all that invested in her as a character. She definitely undergoes a bit of an evolution over the course of the plotline, growing in strength and coming out of her shell.

Preston was a nice contrast to Effy however he also didn’t really do much for me. He didn’t have that feeling of complexity or seemed very interesting at all. I think what really bothered me was how insta lovey the relationship was between these two. The go from hate to indifference to love so quickly it just kind of bugged me as I read. It doesn’t feel genuine to me and even though this is a fantasy I want to see the relationship play out somewhat realistically still.

I did very much enjoy the setting and the overall atmosphere as well as the mystery. Wondering whether or not this was actually going to be fantastical or if Effy was just hallucinating the Fairy King and it was all just a symptom of her medication after being abandoned and victimized. The misogyny was frustrating and the fact that had Preston not gone along with her to present the findings nothing would of changed.

⭐️2/5 stars didn’t hate but wasn’t a fan