Wings of Starlight by Allison Saft

 "When Clarion awoke, her pillow was damp with melted snow.  If it weren't for that, she might have believed she'd dreamed her excursion into Winter.  But then: there was the coat shoved into the very back of her closet. All of it had been real. A library carved from ice. Riding a wolf through the snowy thickets. A book describing talents long gone. And a white-haired boy who ferried her through the cold."

Wings of Starlight is a delightful fairytale romance, set in the world of Neverland.  It is a traditional fairytale, being all about the fairies themselves and the lives they lead.  It tells the story of Clarion, Princess of Pixie Hallow and soon to be Queen.  Clarion is struggling to master her magic, which she will need to do if she if to take on the mantle and responsibilities of ruler, and as her coronation is looming ever closer, she is feeling the pressure to perform. Yet she cannot seem to release the magic within her. She knows its there, hidden and buried, but she can't seem to coax it out or control it when it glimmers to the surface.

As a ruler of the Spring Realms, she has heard rumours about the monsters that live in the neighbouring realm of Winter and all fairies are forbidden to cross the border.  That is until the monsters of Winter cross into Spring and begin to wreak havoc. Clarion decides to go in search of the source of these monsters, to see if she can stop them and so protect her people. In doing so, she meets with Milori, the Warden of the Winter Woods and guardian of the monster's prison. Together they take on the task of trying to vanquish the monsters, and as they get to know one another better a romance blossoms, leaving Clarion to wonder if the fairies of Spring and Winter should be friends after all. 

This is a very sweet book, full of rich descriptions of Pixie Hallow and the Neverland fairies. Here you will discover vibrant balls and banquets, fairy fashion a-plenty, battles with monsters, spells, magic and nightmares that don't end.  Add to that, wild rides on the backs of wolves and snowy owls and you have a charming adventure with a fairytale twist. My favourite part was the descriptions of the Winter Realm, with its ice library and skating on the lake. 

Wings of Starlight is a magical and engaging novel. It's perfect for the spring season and it will suit anyone who enjoys books like The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The Flower Fairies and of course, Peter Pan. Happy reading!

Marianna x

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

 

"Remembering is heavy. It lasts so long."

I have been in the mood for enchantment lately, being drawn to whimsical books I can enjoy while sitting out in my garden as I listen to the sound of birdsong.  With a China teapot full of mint tea and a dainty tea cup, I can sit in the glider by the patio table and enjoy a lovely afternoon of sunshine and reading. 

The lighter half of the year is the perfect time to indulge in novels of the fey and the faerie court, so when I received The Rose Bargain, I knew I had to save it until I could give myself up to the story entirely. I finished it today and it has been a fabulous read. Like many fey novels, this is a tale of romance, beauty and trickery. It has some parallels with Christina Rosetti's poem, Goblin Market and it also reminded me a little of These Hallow Vows. 

The Rose Bargain tells the story of two sisters, Ivy and Lydia.  Lydia has been missing since her formal presentation to the queen at her coming out, and Ivy is determined to find out what happened to her. The book begins in England, during the 1400's and the Wars of the Roses. However, in this version of events, the fey queen intervenes in the Wars and the outcome is that she takes the English throne for herself, setting up her Fey Court at Kensington Palace, in London.  Fast forward four hundred years and Ivy is due to make her own debut at Queen Mor's Fey Court, where she hopes to discover where her sister vanished to. 

But the Queen has a surprise for all the debutants. One of them will be chosen to marry her son and heir, Prince Bram, after a series of tests and trials to determine who is the most suitable. Each English Rose competitor is allowed to make a single bargain with the Queen, in the hopes of improving her chances of becoming the chosen bride. Bargains such as a prettier smile in return for a happy memory, or a musical gift in exchange for a finger nail and so on, are bartered for and agreed upon with the queen. Their competitor contracts are signed in blood and the games begin.

However, like all Fey, the Queen doesn't play fair, for she is of course a trickster, leading the girls a merry dance around the May Pole as she plays a game of bait and switch, with her son as the prize, and poverty and destitution, or even death, as the punishment for those not chosen.   Ivy is thrust into this deadly game of ritualized courtship and she finds herself torn between Prince Bram and his rebellious half brother, Emmett. With her family at stake and her reputation on the line, she has to ensure she wins the Crown Prince, while keeping her feelings for his brother a secret. 

The Rose Bargain is a fantasy novel of high stakes courtship, glittering ballrooms, faerie revels and forbidden romance. It is the first novel in a duology and I cannot wait to read the second book! It's a great read and would appeal to anyone who likes faerie romance, so if you enjoyed reading These Hallow Vows, then you will probably like The Rose Bargain too.  Happy reading! 

Marianna x

AD: The Rose Bargain is published by Harper Collins from February 2025 and is out now in hardcover, audio and digital formats.