Prophecy demands she marry a Dark Elf prince – but will she agree to her fate? Mara Geary faces a bleak future in the village of Little Hazel until, on the eve of her seventeenth birthday, strange glowing lights entice her into the mysterious shadows under the trees. She follows, hoping for adventure. What she finds is her destiny.Prince of the Dark Elves, Brannon Luthinor has spent his life … Luthinor has spent his life becoming a powerful warrior in order to save his people. Now on the eve of war, his fate is rapidly approaching. Brought together by prophecy, Bran and Mara forge an unlikely alliance. But in the face of evil, will they be able to trust their lives – and their hearts – to one another?
From USA Today bestselling author Anthea Sharp, a richly-imagined fantasy romance uniting an adventurous young woman and a fearsome Dark Elf warrior, in a magical tale reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast. Perfect for fans of Grace Draven, Sarah J. Maas, and Juliet Marillier.
AWARDS:
Second Place Winner, PRISM Contest, Best Young Adult Novel
Second Place Winner, International Digital Awards Contest
Third Place Winner, Book Buyer’s Best Contest, Young Adult
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It’s a must read for once I didn’t put a book down because I lost interest in it. Cant wait to read the next book. .So awesome and heartbreaking. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I can not wait to see what’s in store for Bran and Mara.
As a stand-alone book, this is not the best read, as there could have been so much more done with Mara and Bran and their worlds. For what it was, I really enjoyed reading this book, but it left me wanting more. However, this is not the end of their story! As a series, I believe this has much potential to really delve into the characters of Mara and Bran, their relationships, and the world around them, and hopefully, we’ll get that indulgence in the next book! So as a series, I highly recommend this book and hope that the second book will rise to expectations!
Anthea does a wonderful job in build UK ng the world and presenting characters that are fun to read.
Insta love to the extreme… the characters don’t profess love but the self sacrifice seemed rushed
This was a little shallow, but it has ELVES!!! Elves cover a multitude of author – sins. Read it for the elves!!
great fast read with interesting characters and ideas.
I like the characters but the story moves too quickly for me. It’s hard to care about their world and circumstances since everything is in broad strokes.
This book surprised me. I’ve read all kinds of books, but not many about the Dark Elves and I must say that this book was interesting. I’m on the third book and I would recommend it. I like the characters and the story.
Had me going from page to page, loved it ordering book 2 and three
I’ve already started on the second book to the series.This is a new to me author. I’m so glad I found her while browsing for a fantasy read. Immediately I was drawn into the story of Mara Geary who wanted adventure in her humdrum life as a maid. Be careful what you ask for. She finds a troublesome key and ends up in the Dark Elf world as part of a prophecy and bound to an honor-bound Elven Prince. The two characters struggle with accepting each other, especially Mara who’s been transported to a strange world of magic and evil creatures. But she steps up and is an amazingly strong character.
Great world-building and character development.
Like the writing, the characters, the world building that had magic, action, mystery. I did feel some parts were rushed and could have been more and longer.
Still a good read.
Book one exposes us to the magical world of elfhame, though it’s beauty isn’t defined the same as what we think. Here, honor, duty, and prophecies define the paths of life. Now that I have met these characters, there is no doubt that I need to find out what lies in their future. All my reviews are always voluntarily written.
This book sounds so good! How can you go wrong with Dark Elves, magical keys, and adventure??
Oh boy.
Mara… a pretty mature but childish, commoner who finds a magical key to the realm of the Dark Elves. She is strong and brave, but I don’t think she deserved Bran’s love. He grew up with this prophecy telling him he had to marry a mortal, he knew this and knew what to expect. Granted Mara did not, but her attitude toward him was awful. She didn’t really try to understand his and his peoples predicament, she just agreed to do whatever he needed in order to escape. Then as soon as she did leave, she practically killed Bran. In all, she was in Elfhame for maybe 6 days, asleep for 3 of them. All of a sudden, even though she is rude to Bran, she loves him but still finds him ugly. She is a bit exasperating, in my opinion.
Bran… the “prince” in a land with no king or queen… named after cereal. I can get past his name because he is so great. Definitely my favorite character out of the few I’ve met. He is loyal to his people and his wife until the end. He tried his hardest for Mara, and if her going home made her happy and it cost him his life, he would do it! He is thus great, powerful warrior not only with magic, but with his sword as well. I felt so terrible that he was stuck with Mara.
I thought all the battle scenes were lacking. Too glossed over for my liking, and definitely too simple for a war that would wipe out all of the Elfhame lands.
The romance was also lacking, on Mara’s part at least… but at the same time, everything went too fast. She was barely there and it was quick into marriage to save the land. I’m hoping in book two we see more romance and courting between the two because right now they just don’t “click.”
2.5 stars, the story could be more if taken the time to flesh it out and add more detail and depth.
*Someone pointed out to me that this is supposed to be akin to a Beauty and the Beast retelling… I didn’t catch that and don’t feel like it’s all there to be so.
This is a world that I was immediately sucked into. The writing is great, the characters are well developed. I was just disappointed in how much content there was in comparison to how much I paid for it. I felt like there just should have been much more to the story than what I got.
(I paid for an ebook copy)
I am not a big fan of the female main, but the story was fun and interesting enough that I baught the second then pre-ordered the third. My chief complaint is that their was this long (nearly the entire book) build up then at the end when it was all coming together it happened seemingly very, very quickly. Otherwise, good book.
Love it!
While the book has a great premise, it seems to not be fully developed. The story passes by places that could have used a lot more build up to make the characters more believable. If the author is new (or young), I’d read another one in the series to see if the writing matures.
Great story line just too fast and too short. Needed more crc development
I love this book! I enjoyed how the romance wasn’t “at first glance.” The only thing I didn’t like was that it was too fast paced. Everything happened too fast for me to get to know well the characters, but that didn’t stop me from getting hooked! I sleep deprived myself to read it in one day. I can’t wait to continue reading the next book!
Dark and dangerous. A fantastic fantasy adventure full of magic, suspense and love. I really enjoyed the story and characters. The story was a bit fast paced and I would’ve loved to see the characters relationship develop further but overall it was good and I look forward to seeing what happens next.