An instant New York Times bestseller! An Indie Next Top 10 Pick A Parents’ Choice Silver Honor Winner “A funny, action-packed, and sweet romance.” —School Library Journal (starred review) “A phenomenal read.” —RT Book Reviews A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts—even as she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous bestseller that’s “an ideal pick … she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous bestseller that’s “an ideal pick for fans of Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, and Laini Taylor” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
Isobel is an artistic prodigy with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes—a weakness that could cost him his life.
Furious, Rook spirits her away to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime. But something is seriously wrong in his world, and they are attacked from every side. With Isobel and Rook depending on each other for survival, their alliance blossoms into trust, then love—and that love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.
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OMG!! I couldn’t put this book down. It is so delicious. Loved the characters, loved the awesome heroine, loved the romantic elements, loved the premise, loved the imagination. So very good. I am a fan.
The beginning confused me for a moment, but then things went smoothly. Intriguing, unusual fantasy with all the best elements, including the fair folk and shapeshifters, monsters and RAVENS. What more could you want?
Absolutely loved this book! Totally sucked me in, and I could NOT stop reading.
I was drawn in by the cover, but just captivated by the wonderful story.
The writing was good and the plot was clever. I wish it had been longer so some of the characters and the world building could be fleshed out a bit more. But I do have mixed feelings about the whole thing. I can’t help but to think (and no offense meant to the author because I truly did enjoy the lyrical nature of her writing and have actually learned a few new words along the way) that this seems a bit like ACOTAR/ACOMAF fan fiction? An artist heroine, a violet-eyed hero, an autumn court prince, a stay in the spring court, a mysterious blight on the land, a masquerade, a “bond” through which they can communicate, and a jealous monarch? It just felt a bit derivative….3.5 out of 5 wine glasses