Torn between two worlds, desperate to save one love. The Summer Court is nothing like Sebastian remembers. The oppressed lower classes are drained of their magick, and around every corner political intrigues threaten an already unstable regime. Sebastian’s only hope of surviving the Court and bringing home Prince Lyne’s traitorous brother lies with Duine, a magickless Unseelie servant … Unseelie servant desperate to win his freedom. A servant for whom Sebastian, an estranged Seelie royal himself, is developing a dangerous and deepening affection.
But behind the mask Duine wears are secrets as dangerous as what’s smoldering between them. And the more Duine helps Sebastian navigate Court life, the more it becomes clear the servant is not who he appears to be. How he came to be the whipping boy of one of the most powerful and corrupt faeries in the Summer Court is a truth Sebastian is determined to uncover, even if it puts him at odds with the very people who can lead him to the missing Unseelie prince.
When a powerful enemy steps from the shadows, it could spell the end not just for the Unseelie, but for both faerie Courts. Sebastian must choose: complete the mission and earn his place among the Unseelie who took him in, or risk his very life to ensure freedom for the man he loves.
The Darkest Court
Book 1: Prince of Air and Darkness
Book 2: The Marked Prince
Book 3: The Iron Crown
Also by M.A. Grant:
Whitethorn Agency
Book 1: Rare Vigilance
Book 2: Crooked Shadows
more
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over: https://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com/category/reviews/
I read the first book in this series months ago, but the minute I saw the author in my NetGalley list, the strength of that story and characters came pouring back, making me eager to return to their world. The author did not disappoint.
The Marked Prince is a continuation of the story began in Prince of Air and Darkness where the Winter Court is in isolation and the Summer Court is preparing for war. The details of the conflict never quite added up, with both sides blaming the other, but it also didn’t feel like a continuity error. In this book, we learn why. As with the first, though, it’s much more complicated than it seems, with multiple layers and characters driven by their weaknesses as much as their strengths.
We already understand, in a gut-level way, just how far Roark will go for Finn, based on the first book. Sebastian’s very presence in the Winter Court is proof of that even if most are unhappy with his half-Seelie presence. They’re sure he’s a spy for the Summer Court, but they have no idea how impossible such an idea is in Sebastian’s eyes. He stormed out of his mother’s world in his youth to go live with his Unseelie father, and she did nothing to stop him. But the only reason he’s there is Finn’s friendship when his half-Seelie blood would have denied him refuge in either court.
Roark may love Finn with everything he possesses, but it doesn’t change his upbringing. He gets Sebastian to agree to help them recover Roark’s brother, who has defected to the Summer Court, because Queen Mab ordered Finn to go. Between Sebastian’s dislike for the Summer Court and his shared worries over Finn’s health, the request doesn’t take much thought. But he lets his guard down a little too far and ends up returning to his childhood home as a spy when he meant to provide only intel.
Remember what I said about more complicated?
Once again, this book is a mix of high fantasy politics and intrigue. It’s set deep in a Summer Court in uproar, though with more of a focus on dress code and procedure because much of the story occurs at the actual court.
Sebastian isn’t quite who he’s made himself out to be. Not that he lied, but he let people make their own assumptions based on his father and growing up on the edge of the Wylds. To be honest, that’s how he sees himself as well.
Then there’s Duine, who is much more than he appears. As with the first book, we have both perspectives and know just what Duine hides behind his servant’s mask. A curse strangles his tongue so he cannot confess the truth no matter how deep his connection to Sebastian grows.
Sebastian’s not stupid, though. He can tell there’s more to Duine’s story as the apparently magicless Unseelie servant he rescued from the grasp of his childhood tormentor guides Sebastian through the complexities of court procedure. He just doesn’t know the full of it.
Their relationship develops beautifully with a connection running deeper than words, a lucky thing when Duine must choose every one to avoid crippling pain. The romance is filled with conflict and worry, but you can see their growing mutual respect and wistful hope spring to life. Their connection is much more than physical, though they manage one open door scene before their worlds fall apart once again. Every time they are together, the tension is tangible not just to the reader, but also to those around them. Some find this a threat, for good reason, while others are delighted to see Sebastian win happiness.
You might have noticed, speaking of choosing words carefully, the mad dance I’m enacting between giving a glimpse of the story without spoiling anything not already in the back of the book blurb. The most telling point is the huge gap in my notes when I was too caught up in the story to make any. I figured out a crucial element about halfway that is supposed to be the big reveal at the end, but it didn’t undermine my enjoyment one bit–and I didn’t know for sure until it was confirmed.
Ultimately, Grant offers another powerful story with high court mixed with down to earth in more ways than one. Celtic myths wind into a new whole through love, danger, manipulation, fear, and trust. Things are not quite what they seem, nor is everyone taken in by the false faces. Loyalties are tested, old truths retold, and a fabulous story brought forth through well-drawn characters.
This is a middle book as far as the overarching tale of the war between Seelie and Unseelie, but it forms its own full and complete arc of courts and courtship that will captivate the romantic heart. I walk away satisfied on all fronts and yet eager for the next book to come.
P.S. I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Sarah –
This is such a fantastic series! The contemporary twist on classic high fantasy is beautifully executed and this second story is full of faerie court politics and thrilling action scenes.
I love the complex characters in this story and I loved unravelling all their secrets. Sebastian was an easily overlooked footnote in the first book but he’s fabulous here. Duine is a wonderful surprise and the royal family is everything I want from a classic fantasy. Without spoilers, it’s impossible to write much more about the characters and the Unseelie court but the secrets are almost as fabulous as the characters themselves.
Where most of the first book took place on a college campus, almost all of this second story takes place in the Faerie courts. I love the world building in this second book, and I love the perfect balance between the contemporary and high fantasy elements of the story. I have to admit that I raced through this book, completely caught up in Sebastian’s new world. Even though this book brings the series to a satisfying conclusion, I’m still hoping for more books set in this world.
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Just finished reading The Marked Prince, the second book in the Darkest Court series by author M.A. Grant. Wow! What a ride! The first book, The Prince of Air and Darkness was a great intro into the mythical world of magick. This second book revolves around a different couple, the eldest brother of the first, and his plight at the hands of the Summer Court. Both books are fabulous, but this one had a totally different feel to it and the couple a very unique dynamic. While getting a quick course in the Fae mythology, we see the two main characters, Slaine and Sebastian, slowly getting to know and trust each other. I really love how Grant takes her time showing us the interactions that finally make this couple fall in love and devote themselves to the other. If you want lots of hot m/m sex, you won’t find it here. There’s like one scene later in the book and it is so perfect and gives us the culmination of the feelings between Slaine and Sebastian. I like this slow burn so much better! I would definitely recommend reading these books in order as there is an overall arc of the Seelie/Unseelie war looming above everyone’s heads. And now I can’t wait to get my hands on the final book, youngest brother Lugh’s story. Hope that comes out soon!
Wow. Just…wow.
No, that isn’t a particularly eloquent opening, but once again I’m left somewhat speechless by my love for a book. M.A. Grant doesn’t tell stories in half measures or with a lack of passion. Prince of Air and Darkness proved this, and The Marked Prince reinforces that fact. With vigor. So, take my Wow as it’s intended—with absolute and unequivocal adoration of this book.
A looming battle was presaged in “Prince”. There was little evidence presented to contradict the possibility that the Unseelie and the Seelie would enter into a war. And so we witness, in real time, not only the Winter court High Prince Sláine’s abject failure at diplomacy as the story begins, but his defection to the Summer court on top of it. Moreover, we learn that politics and perception, especially where the fae are involved, are rarely clear-cut and never without multiple factions working their own agendas. The suspense in this novel is sustained throughout the telling of its story, peaking and ebbing at times but never truly abating, and that kept my anxiety levels pegged at maximum, which only made the reading more engaging and exciting. Especially as Roark and Finny are determined to storm the Seelie court and drag Sláine back home. Whether that’s for Sláine’s benefit or to ensure he answers for his defection is somewhat immaterial when weighed against who they’ve earmarked for the quest.
We met Sebastian in book one and know him as Finn’s sweet and unassuming friend. Seb is a hybrid, a Seelie on his mother’s side and Unseelie on his father’s. There have been countless stories about characters who straddle two worlds and belong fully to neither, and that is certainly the case in The Marked Prince, which works to build empathy and compassion for Seb and his reluctance to set foot back in the Seelie court to face his childhood memories and the grief he carries over the loss of his mother. Not to mention facing the King and Queen. His relationship to the court further complicates his mission as well as compromises his safety. Seb, Roark and Finn have not underestimated the risks involved in Seb walking headlong into the Seelie sídhe, with little power to his name. They know there’s a possibility that Seb will not live long enough to drag Sláine back to his mother, Queen Mab, and whatever consequences might await him. Their goal is to make sure Seb succeeds, of course, but it’s not long before we realize that help from Roark and Finn is improbable at best. At worst, it’s hopeless. So Seb must rely on a tortured servant to become his unlikely ally.
Duine is under the control of the High Princess Aoife, which has become increasingly dangerous to his health. When Seb witnesses Duine being tortured in front of a salivating crowd, the servant’s death seemingly imminent, Seb steps forward and requests the King to grant Seb the favor of taking Duine on as his personal aide. And that is the beginning of something utterly beautiful. Duine not only responds to Seb’s kind and gentle and generous nature, but a friendship grows between them in a slow and essential way. They become each other’s greatest champions, are loyal and committed to remaining by each other’s side, come what may. But the battle lines are drawn within the Seelie sídhe; there is unrest brewing between the classes along with the rise of a power madness that promises to deliver death to both Seb and Duine.
Laid out in an elegant prose, Grant draws readers into this story by the heart, gives us two heroes to support, to suffer the sting of failure with, and to celebrate with. The world-building in this series is as vital to its scenery as it is to its characterizations and the inner-workings of the Winter and Summer realms. The emotion wrung from Duine’s storyline is significant, but it does not overshadow the secrets that surround Sebastian and how his lineage influences their story. There are wins and losses, and the revelations are exquisite, rendered in sometimes excruciating but often poignant ways. In the end, there is home and people who are loyal, the alchemy of faith and a steadfast devotion, and the promise of a deep and abiding love is fulfilled.
I am utterly infatuated with this series and cannot wait for the next book, even knowing that it will be the last.
I am an absolute sucker for this genre! Fae, Unseelie, Seelie, Slaugh, magick, romance, oh my! I absolutely loved returning to The Darkest Court and catching up with Roark (my FAVOURITE ) and Finn of course, in the next installment The Marked Prince, but the main thrust of this second book in the series is the story of Sláine and Sebastian (remember him from book 1 Prince of Air and Darkness)? I totally changed my opinion of Sláine after getting the full back story and the way M.A. Grant weaves the tales together is magical.
5 m/m fantasy
SO GOOD! Even better than the first book.
I often review by picking out my favourite parts, but honestly, there was nothing I didn’t like about The Marked Prince. The best of the best, though, would be just how much the plot matters to the relationships M.A. Grant is developing in this series. I love how it’s all so integral. I love the character development. I CAN’T WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT BOOK.