User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
2.5 stars
Objectively I think this book is probably not that different from the first two in the series, I’ve just hit my limit, as tends to happen to me with series.
In this volume, the queen summons Hetta and Wyn to not!London, and is not thrilled with fae (powers of compulsion and all) wandering around her country. Meanwhile, the succession at Wyn’s home court remains contested, and he’s increasingly dragged into it.
I was at least moderately entertained while reading: the plot moves at a decent pace and I still more or less like the characters and setting. But mostly, I’m over it. I no longer feel like any of the leads (or for that matter the setting, cool as early-20th-century-plus-magic is) have anything new to offer, and the book spends an awful lot of time lovingly detailing their every passing thought and emotion. It perhaps doesn’t help that there are three POVs and their thought processes all seem very similar, with a lot of maundering about having successive emotional reactions to their various thoughts. And the change of scenery means we see little of most of Hetta’s relatives, with no further development even of the two who accompany her to town.
And then, perhaps because I was feeling over it and finding the characters repetitive, a host of new annoyances popped up. There’s some non-standard preposition use, like calling something “different to” something else. There’s naming the crown princess (whom I did like) “Evangeline,” in a world with a laid-back attitude toward what appears to be a traditional pagan religion—i.e., evangelizing isn’t a thing, let alone such an important value as to celebrate it in the name of the heir presumptive. There’s Hetta’s obnoxious backtalking of the queen: I think this must be many people’s fantasy because it’s so common in fantasy books, but Hetta has been shown to possess tact in the past, and I don’t believe someone being so immune to her own society’s hierarchy, particularly when she has a lot to lose. There’s what feels like a low-effort attempt to score diversity points, offering a random PSA on transgender pronouns by having a couple of characters talk about the fae High King, who swaps genders every few centuries (and has not actually appeared in any of these books). And by informing us that a random duke is black, without this being integrated into the history or culture in any way, when this setting is a transparent analogue of Edwardian England and Scotland. There’s the multiple plot points that rely on our leads determining that someone wasn’t involved in a plot against them based entirely on the person’s demeanor. If the (middle-aged, presumably experienced) queen did in fact look
visibly guilty when a plot she was involved in was mentioned, she really wouldn’t be very good at this, would she? (Okay, I get that real people decide to trust others this way, for lack of better alternatives, but in real life these judgments are far from infallible. Especially with, y’know,
politicians.) On the other hand, she both reprimands one of her chief advisors in front of these randos,
and appears to be keeping him in the position (albeit with reduced responsibilities), so maybe she legitimately is not good at this. Even so, our heroes don’t know that!
Part of me feels like this should be a 3-star review, because I do think my reaction is idiosyncratic and I haven’t ruled out the possibility of eventually reading the final book for completion’s sake. And I wasn’t actually hate-reading, as the long list of annoyances may imply. I think it’s a basically fine, standard fantasy romance sequel. But the list of annoyances nonetheless so outweighs the discussion of anything I liked about it that rounding down seems more appropriate. Still, fans of the series have clearly enjoyed it, so if you are one, don’t let me discourage you.
Rating: really liked it
I am a prince. I am the storm, and you cannot cage me.
With the problem of ThousandSpire still unresolved, Hetta and Wyn are trying their damndest to navigate their relationship, Stariel and renovations to estate. Until pernicious rumors about their relationship seep into the local and national papers, inciting scandal and worse—and Hetta and Wyn receive a summons to meet the queen.
While I was delighted overall, I wasn't quite as fond of this one as I wanted to be, mostly because at book 3 in the quartet I wanted more answers, more of Hetta coming into her own and realizing things about Stariel and her relationship in the world without bumbling into them headfirst and figuring things out later.
No one expects you to know everything immediately.
This is a
big theme, and yes Hetta is playing a lot of catch-up at being a Lord in general and the Lord of Stariel in particular, but I kinda wanted her to go for it more, and taking the initiative and asking questions about what it meant instead of internalizing. Also, I realized that while Stariel might have been used to the pain of having lots of mortal lords over its lifetime, there is a
lot of collective knowledge that goes missing with the sudden death of a ruler and the appointment of someone who might not have been specifically groomed for the role, particularly if the previous folks aren't in the habit of writing things down (takeaway:
A project is not a project if the plan exists only in your head). Overall, I wanted to see more of her as the Lord of Stariel and what that meant, instead of constantly agonizing over her relationship with Wyn (which was important to the story but the
faeland).
And this book is a
lot of Wyn and Hetta's relationship. They've got a lot of obstacles to overcome—Aunt Sybil, silly mortal senses of propriety, Wyn's control over his powers, The Queen, The High King of Faerie, ThousandSpire's wanting of Wyn, Wyn's crazy family, Hetta's crazier family, duty, obligation...the list continues and grows in this one.
I did like that I got more of the outside world, specifically Meridon, although I would have liked to have more interaction with how the South viewed the North, and more interaction with the other Northern lords in the conclave. Less "oh no, the
impropriety!"
Want. Want. Want.
This is still fantastic, and honestly my wants don't matter because this is not my story to tell! And it's a wonderful story and I'm so excited for book four (for answers!), because much of the themes of the book: leaving, returning, the idea that
home as place is relative, and growing into yourself.
Anywho, there are a
lot more fae in this one, particularly as Rakken and Catsmere come to visit Wyn and Hetta in Meridon, as Aroset tries to take over ThousandSpire (and then, the
world *evil laugh*), and Hetta and Wyn grapple with their respected roles as Lord and Prince, and how those roles interact with the rest of the world.
And the Queen makes an appearance, and Marius learns some dastardly things about his ambitious and bitter ex, and also has a not-an-attraction-at-all to a certain amoral fae lord...
Definitely a great installment in the quartet, even if I wanted more. But that's just because I'm greedy and I want more of this world, and more answers. And more of horny Marius realizing he's horny and fuck propriety.
I cannot
wait until
The King of Faerie.
I received this ARC from the author for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
A problem you have, when you've read so much since an early age as I have, is that you get more and more demanding for the books you read. I generally don't complain, as I have quite a good technique to chose my reads, but I sadly had to say good-bye to some of my favourite genres, as romance and social comedy. I still love to reread my most cherished authors (as Jane Austen, Victoria Clayton, Rainbow Rowell and some others great YA writers) but in most of modern books? I usually give them a large berth, out of fear of being disappointed.
By chance I discovered the Stariel series a year ago, seduced by the beautiful cover and the well-phrased description. It'd been a huge favourite since the very beginning (what French readers call a "coup de cœur") and still is after having read the first book three times and the second twice. The mix between fantasy, social comedy, family story and romance is perfect: clever, entertaining, heart-warming and original! A real treat, a wonder, a miracle...
If you loved as I did the first two books you'll appreciate "The court of Mortals" as much. The plot is very satisfying, the characters' developments are faultless, the romance is always as good as it was (the trick used to make it slow is quite shrewd!) the romantic (or not? ^-^) banter is delicious, the dialogues are superb (think Rainbow Rowell) and, icing on the cake, the secondary characters are well in the spotlight.
A fantastic read, I can't wait for the next one which will be, alas, the last one of Stariel's books...
I'm all in favour for some many spin-off! :)
Many thanks to the author for having given me the ARC, soon the paperbook will be mine! 🤩
Rating: really liked it
Another fantastic volume in what's rapidly becoming one of my favourite fantasy series.
Rating: really liked it
Full review and many more on superstardrifter.com
Oh my but this series has taken hold of me and taken me for a wonderful ride through magical gaslight fae adventures.
Hetta’s family know what Wyn is at this point, and rumors are abound. When Hetta and Wyn receive a royal summons from the Queen, they head south to the capital. Even the royal court of Prydein has heard about the fae intrusions into Stariel, and they won’t let Wyn go until they’re sure that he isn’t to blame.
On top of that, Wyn’s evil sister is trying to kill him even more than normal, because the fae court of ThousandSpires wants him to be king, and she can’t allow that.
This was another fantastic installment of the story, and I found it incredibly hard to put down once I picked it up. Many late nights were spent curled up in bed reading. It was well written, and well edited. I haven’t found a noticeable error in this series so far, as far as I can remember.
The characters are still fantastic. We get to visit with Wyn’s brother Rakken again, as well as Rakken’s twin sister Catsmere. I really enjoyed watching them interact with the human characters, especially Hetta’s brother Marius, who gets caught up in his family’s drama, per usual. He’s more than a bit adorable himself, and it’s hard not to want him to live happily ever after too, even if he is a little bit overprotective of his little sister. Hetta and Wyn are still adorable together, and banter with each other in ways that just got all of the smiles out of me. It’s wonderful finding a book or a series with characters as lovable as these. It makes me want to read the series over and over.
So, in conclusion, I thought this was a wonderful addition to the series, and I can’t wait for the last book. I can only imagine the shenanigans to come, because the ending of this one left all kinds of options open for maximum shenanigans!
Rating: really liked it
Everything I loved about the first two books, except EVEN MORE. Romantic entanglements, even more tangled politics vs Hetta's desire to shout and set fire to things, and the sort of ending that left me equal parts thrilled and frustrated to read the next book. Fantastic stuff.
Rating: really liked it
I read the first two books of this series a while ago -- before I started tracking and reviewing on GR -- and remember enjoying them quite a bit. But by the time the pre-ordered book 3 downloaded on my kindle I had sort of moved on, reading-wise, leaving this installment to languish on the TBR: forgotten, unloved, etc.
(I imagine my TBR as a sad and desperate place. Like Corduroy in that department store. Just wanting someone to open them up and clasp them to their reader-heart. Looking on in despair while new books are downloaded and read immediately because their owner is a filthy mood-reading harlot who has no discernible sense of shame or self-control. Sighing that at least they're not in the dreaded TBR-litfic collection, browsed sporadically only to be closed again to mumbles of "maybe one day, brain, maybe one day." Oh, the indignity!)
Where was I?
Right! Book 3! The book I rescued from the TBR because my recent reading (gay hockey-playing detective wolves) was starting to feel a bit repetitive. No gay hockey-playing detective wolves here! Well, there is a touch of the gay. But I digress.
So . . . look, I would have enjoyed this more if books 1 and 2 weren't lost to the tides of time in my addled book brain. I re-read the last couple of chapters of book 2 before I started, so my memory was vaguely jogged, but still -- the first 20% of this book was slow-going because I kept running up against all the characters and storylines and references that weren't covered in the last couple chapters of book 2. It ends up that these were quite a lot! If you're coming into this fresh from book 2, I doubt it will feel like such a slog.
Because reading this reminded me of all that I enjoy about this series. The characters are wry, smart, sensible, and well drawn. It's wonderfully written. The worldbuilding is great: just enough but not too much. The overarching conflict, both on the personal and political levels, is convincing. It moves along at a good clip, mixing the mundane-but-important stuff (bank loans! new sheep!) with the high-drama stuff (manipulative bloodthirsty royal! and another manipulative bloodthirsty royal!) and treating them both as equally important to Stariel and its people.
But ultimately this felt unsatisfying to me, in a way that's probably more a me-thing than a book-thing. Like books 1 and 2, this is not fantasy romance but fantasy-with-romantic-elements. But while the first two books saw Hetta and Wyn engaged in the will-they-or-won't-they tussle, as well as the Wyn's-got-a-big-secret drama, here they're together and Wyn's secret is out of the bag. The chase is over, long live the chase. But because they're unmarried, what we get instead is interfering relatives with extremely annoying moralizing about propriety and chaste kisses and a lot of agonizing over getting married. And ngl, one of the reasons I have taken a break from reading MF historicals is because "interfering relatives with extremely annoying moralizing about propriety" is right up there with insta-love as Trope I Wanna Burn Down. Like I said, it's a me thing!
More to the point, though, the Hetta-Wyn relationship was more "sigh" than "awww" in this installment. I actually really enjoy the fact that Hetta, in particular, is unsentimental and clear-thinking, even when she's in love. I like a heroine who can balance romance with all the shit she's responsible for and has to get done, who doesn't throw everything over because she's so swept off her feet. But this maybe errs a bit too far on the unswept side. And then when they finally did move the physical stuff beyond chaste kisses? It was . . . well, it was like when Lorelai and Luke got together. You know it was always written that way and that it's probably the right thing for both characters, but UGH THEY'RE LIKE BROTHER AND SISTER I DON'T WANT TO WATCH THEM KISS CRINGE FAST-FORWARD FAST-FORWARD!!! Yeah. Like that. I skimmed, people, and I NEVER skim sex scenes. Pretty much the polar opposite of hot.
Cringe aside, this would have been a 4-star read right up until the ending. Because remember those Tropes I Wanna Burn Down? Well, move over, "interfering relatives with extremely annoying moralizing about propriety," because right here at the end we get hit with (view spoiler)
[unexpected baby after 2 PIV sessions despite precautions being taken! This is not quite a baby epilogue -- I assume the fact that Hetta is pregnant with a child with parentage from both Stariel and Thousand Spires will be important in book 4 -- but still, NO!!! I hate baby epilogues, I hate unexpected baby stories, and I really hate the fact that she knows she's preggers within, like, a week after they first P-in-V'd and will never have a chance to actually find out who they are as a couple before baby comes along. Ugh ugh ugh. I hate this so much!!! (hide spoiler)]So, yeah. I really hated that. But -- in keeping with the theme of this review -- this is a me-hate, not an everyone-should-hate. Thus, 3 stars feels fair. Feel free to not hate this! As for me, I'm no longer invested enough in this story to keep going with (non-pre-ordered) book 4.
Rating: really liked it
Oops, I was afraid I hadn't reviewed this one. So I can't speak to a ton of specifics, but still enjoyed the series as a whole.
Rating: really liked it
What an enchanting series! From the characters to the storyline I was completely swept up. Seriously, how great is Marius? And Rake? And Wyn? Everyone really. The prose is beautifully done, written with what feels like a real care factor. Makes you realise how often books get away with mediocre craftsmanship 🤦♀️.
It was delightful.
4.5 🌟Plus looking forward to book 4 👏
Rating: really liked it
I was impatient with the beginning and frustrated with what I perceived as the ending. But it ended up being action-packed and fun in keeping with the series.
Rating: really liked it
I love all the characters sooo much!! Also appreciate the high level of hot Fae in this book 🥰 can’t wait for book 4 ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Rating: really liked it
I enjoyed this book a lot more than Book 2.
We join Wyn, Hetta and their families in an adventure that does not disappoint.
No spoilers. Highly recommend for fans of fans and those who still doubt that fantasy can be worthwhile reading.
Rating: really liked it
I read with a lot of pleasure The Lord of Stariel (four times) and The Prince of Secrets (two times). You can find there a great story, a family, a house and a Land which are almost real characters.
But what I am really fond of are the characters, so enticing. The author created complex and real characters, and there is a lot of humour in these books.
And thanks to the author who sent me an ARC (many thanks again!), I was able to discover The Court of Mortals. It was a very great pleasure to meet again the characters, because we know them better and better in this third book. And minor characters become more complex and very interesting.
I liked a lot the developments of the romance, so well-written! The story is enthralling, and I cannot wait the fourth book!
A great read, I am waiting now for the paperbook, so beautiful !
J'ai découvert avec un tel plaisir les deux premiers tomes de cette série, The Lord of Stariel et The Prince of Secrets, qu'ils font désormais partie des livres que je lis et relis régulièrement.
Et ce qui ne gâte rien, ce sont de beaux livres, à la couverture chatoyante, imprimés sur un beau papier épais.
On y rencontre une histoire passionnante, une famille plus vraie que nature, avec une maison et une terre qui sont pratiquement des personnages à part entière.
Mais j'ai surtout aimé les personnages, particulièrement attachants. L'auteure a su les rendre vivants et complexes sans jamais tomber dans les stéréotypes - parfois même en les inversant avec humour !
Et grâce à l'auteure qui m'a fait parvenir une ARC (merci encore !), j'ai pu découvrir The Court of Mortals dès décembre.
J'ai retrouvé les personnages principaux avec d'autant plus de plaisir qu'on a l'impression de les connaître de mieux en mieux au fil des pages, comme des amis dont on découvre la profondeur au fil du temps. Quant à ceux qui semblaient de simples opposants, ils deviennent plus complexes, et dignes d'intérêt.
J'ai beaucoup apprécié aussi les développements de l'histoire d'amour et la façon dont elle est traitée, avec finesse et sans jamais tomber dans la vulgarité. La trame du roman reste passionnante, et les derniers rebondissements font maintenant attendre le tome 4 avec impatience !
Un très bon tome trois, une série de belle qualité, à recommander à tous les amoureux de bons romans, ceux qu'on lit et relit avec bonheur.
Rating: really liked it
Very very disappointed as I started getting to the end of this book. Everything I praised the author for in the first two of three books in this TRILOGY, she turned around and undid pretty much all of it!!!
As I read further into the book, it became apparent that one of three things was probably going to happen.
1) The ending was going to be so rushed, and crammed in, that it was going to become convoluted, jumbled, and confusing.
2) There was going to be a spin-off, thus not ending it after all, leaving me either forced to read more, or just walk away unsatisfied. I imagined it would have to be called something such as “The (_________) Of Ten Thousand Spires,” since so much of this fae land was discussed in this last book.
OR
3) That this would end up being continued, no longer being a TRILOGY, but a what???
Unfortunately, all 3 of these that I imagined, appear to be happening.
1) It did end up being rushed, with so much going on, with a ton of jumping back at forth between stories, that I had to actually reread some of it a few times, to see if I missed or misunderstood something.
2) I still think this is going to be a spin-off because of how certain characters from certain fae lands ended up in the “wrong” world.
3) And the ultimate slap in the face was to have the final line read, “TO BE CONTINUED...”
No No No!!! This is not ok without some prior warning than the last page. It’s still being billed and printed as a TRILOGY , Book 3 of 3, on Amazon where I picked this series up and read the reviews, and also on Goodreads where it’s being reviewed too-as a TRILOGY!
I was shocked considering this book on both apps had 5 perfect stars! Hmm, maybe if I were to dig further, this would reveal that the majority of the reviewers were either beta testers or ARC receivers???
I waited purposely until after book 3 was released, in order to read this one right after the other.
I read A LOT from this genre, as well as many others, but I have found with this one in particular, if I don’t read them together, they begin to mix, overlap, and all run together after awhile.
I am categorically and unequivocally, DISTRESSED, PEEVED, & LOST!!
Rating: really liked it
Another great read from AJ Lancaster. Highly recommend!
