Hey ForeverBookers,
How are you all today? I hope you’re well!
I’ve just finished reading “A Feather So Black” by Lyra Selene and I LOVED it! It’s a fantasy. I thought it was a take on the Swan Princess when I started reading it, but I didn’t find many similarities, apart from the swan maiden. It was still a really good story though.
We start with Fia, a young girl who doesn’t know where she’s come from. She was the ‘twin’ of another girl, Eala. Eala has been taken away from her home. Their mother, the High Queen wants Fia to go and find Eala, with Eala’s intended, Rogan by her side. What the High Queen doesn’t know is Eala isn’t the girl she was when she was younger. How/why? I’ll let you read for yourself. The romance was really what interested me the most in “A Feather So Black.” First we have, Prince Rogan who Fia loves with everything she has at the beginning. He knows he is promised to Eala, though. Then there’s Irian, a dark, brooding fae lord who’s questionable when Fia meets him. Who does she choose? The safe option, or the complicated option?
I read “A Feather So Black” for a few readathons. They were:
Reading Rivalry - Genre Highlight - Romantasy - this is definitely romantasy!!!
Always Fully Booked Reading Challenge 2016 - A Book With A Colour In The Title - Black!
“A Feather So Black” is written in first person, from Fia’s perspective. I LOVED this. I love it when we get to see inside our MFC and see what makes her tick, her likes and dislikes, hopes and fears. I also love reading romance scenes from a girl’s perspective.
Spoilers Below…
“How will I know if I’ve opened it? How will I know if we’ve passed through into Tir na nÓg?”
Mother’s eyes were heavy on mine. She told me about the strange land the Folk called home, when she was drunk enough to lose herself to memories. She described the birds who sang with voices of the long dead…
“You’ll know, a stór,” she said with flat finality. “You’ll know.”
Then she made a dismissive gesture, and I knew the conversation was finished.” - 33
This is Fia’s main task in “A Feather So Black,” to find her ‘sister,’ Eala. Eala is in Tir na nÓg, the land of the fae. Fia and Prince Rogan are to go there to find her. Can they? What problems do they encounter on their quest? I’ll let you read for yourself but it’s a great book filled with whimsy and dangerous plot points, as well as swoon worthy romance.
“Did your foster mother not know your true nature?”
The reversal jolted me. “I don’t even know my true nature.”
“So you implied.” He tilted his head. “Surely she questioned the arrival of a strange folk child in her home?”
“She did. But in time, she grew to love her changeling daughter anyway.”
The kettle whistled shrill, slicing the tension between us. Irian grabbed it from the fire and poured steaming water into a shallow bowl. A small box by the hearth held bandages and unguents. He hesitated so briefly I thought I must have imagined it. Then he reached for my injured hand.
If I thought his skin would be cold—like his eyes, like his face, like his demeanor—I was mistaken. His touch burned—so hot I gasped and nearly pulled my palm from his large grasp. I hissed through my teeth, even as the sensation of his skin on mine edged from pain toward pleasure.
I would’ve preferred his skin cold. It would have reminded me he was a monster, as wicked as he was beautiful.” - 173/174
This is one of the first interactions between Fia and our second love interest, Irian. She’s unsure of what to think of him. Is he telling her lies? He’s a gentry, which in this world isn’t a good thing. It’s revealed later in the book, why he’s the way he is, which I don’t want to spoil but I loved every scene he was in. It’s obvious he cares for Fia, as he looks after her. He also calls her “colleen,” as a pet name. This bugged me, just because I simply don’t like the name Colleen. It makes me think of celebrities that I don’t really like.
There are love scenes in the plot as well as violent scenes. I liked both of these. It switched it up, often. At the end, for instance Fia and Irian need to escape from Eala, Fia’s evil sister. Can they? I’ll let you read for yourself but let’s just say I’m SOOOOO excited to read book 2 and then book 3 sometime in the future!
“A Feather So Black” was an amazing read for me! I’m giving it 4.5 stars! I LOVED how romance heavy it was. There were a few parts of the language that were hard to understand and the plot got a little over ambiguous in places. That’s the reason for my half star deduction. I LOVED the story as a whole, though! There are lots of places I haven’t gone into in this review. It would be too long if I did, so I’ve only noted the significant parts.
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