In a kingdom where magic has been lost, Fia is a rare changeling, left behind by the wicked Fair Folk when they stole the high queen’s daughter, Eala, and retreated behind the locked gates of the Folk realm. Rather than leave Fia an outcast, the queen takes her in and trains her to be a spy.
When a hidden gate to the realm is discovered, Fia is tasked by the queen to retrieve the princess and break her curse. Accompanying Fia is Prince Rogan, her dearest childhood friend—and Eala’s betrothed. As they journey through the forests of the Folk, Fia’s mission is complicated by her feelings for Rogan…and an unexpected attraction to the fae lord holding Eala captive.
Soon, Fia begins to question the truth of her origins and the reality of her mission, but time is running out to break Eala’s curse. And unraveling the secrets of the past might destroy everything Fia has come to love.
So I think it’s safe to say that the “romantasy trend” has moved well beyond a trend. I see way too many folks on Twitter raging against this subgenre, which honestly baffles me.
Because really? Is there an actual shortage of epic/dark/heroic/grimdark fantasy that I haven’t been made aware of? Hey, it’s all fantasy. It can only help the genre as a whole when certain books are selling really well. It’s ok if you like one subgenre more than another. But the sort of hostile, not-so-vaguely misogynistic Twitter bullshit that I occasionally see regarding romantasy is just…super gross.
ANYWAY.
A FEATHER SO BLACK is Lyra Selene’s adult fantasy debut, and kicks off her FAIR FOLK trilogy in pretty stunning fashion. I really enjoyed my time in this world. This is usually something I tend to mention towards the end of my reviews, but I listened to a lot of this one on audio. The narrator, Heather O’Sullivan, is just incredible. The book itself wouldn’t have cracked my top ten of the year or anything, but for sure, this is one of the best audiobook performances I listened to all year. If you’re going to have a fantasy novel that’s steeped in Celtic mythology, having an audiobook narrator with a serious Irish accent really adds to the vibe! Really can’t recommend the audiobook enough! I’m sad to see that, for one reason or another, O’Sullivan isn’t the narrator for the next book in the series, A CROWN SO SILVER. But listening to samples from a different book, the new narrator (Avena Mansergh-Wallace) also has a very distinctive Irish accent.
Fia is a changeling, left behind in the kingdom of Fódla after the Fair Folk kidnapped the princess, Eala. Fia has spent her whole life bearing a striking resemblance to Eala, but her fae blood makes her something of an outsider. Still, the queen has been…somewhat generous with Fia (their relationship is…deeply problematic…I’ll probably touch on this again), raising her as a daughter & having her trained as an assassin/spy.
A hidden gate to the Folk realm is discovered, so the queen sends Fia on a mission to break the curse on the princess & return her. Along for the ride is Fia’s lifelong friend, Prince Rogan. They grew up together & have clearly had deep feelings for one another.
But oh geez, the catch is that Rogan is Eala’s betrothed (the two haven’t seen each other since they were little kids). So…it’s messy af? Because Rogan is kinda-sorta in love with Fia, even though he broke her heart at some point. And Fia looks just like Eala, this mystery woman that Rogan doesn’t know, and is supposed to marry. It’s awkward!!
Further complicating matters is Irian, the dark & brooding fae who may or may not be responsible for Eala’s curse/imprisonment. I’ve seen Irian referred to (in a number of reviews) as a shadow daddy? Is that a thing? If so, ok. He’s the shadow daddy, and he takes a keen interest in Fia’s monthly visits to the Fae realm.
The magical gate to the fae realm can only be accessed once a month, and so Rogan and Fia spend a lot of their time holed up at this abandoned fort with an elaborate garden that Fia begins to rehab.
So, a lot of this book is just…vibes. And waiting. Which I was ok with, because I think the writing is really solid, and the way the Celtic mythology is woven into the story was engaging without being too confusing. And again, the narration for the audiobook had me riveted.
I also really enjoyed Fia as a main character & thought she went through a lot of organic changes over the course of this first book. I was moved & greatly troubled by the revelations about her relationship with the queen. It’s a relationship that feels very insidious, and it might hit certain readers hard. So anyone who struggles with a toxic relationship with a parent (or another family member) might find this difficult to read.
This was really cool, I enjoyed spending time in this weird world a lot! There’s a deep connection between Fia’s magic & the natural world, and the world itself feels really lush and vivid. The book also gets reasonably spicy, as you might expect. This was fun! Definitely looking forward to the sequel!
Big thanks to Orbit & Hachette Audio for the copy!
Grimdark Dad 