A Dance with the Fae Prince: ARC Review!
When I received the email from Elise Kova confirming that I would be receiving a physical ARC of A Dance with the Fae Prince, I cannot even describe how excited I was! I adored A Deal with the Elf King and just knew that I'd love any other installments in the Married to Magic novels.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with this collection, the Married to Magic novels are a series of standalone books, all set in the same world. However, as they are standalone stories, they can be read in any order! I love this idea! Standalone novels are always a life-saver for me when I'm busy in life and just need a little something to read but when I don't have time to invest in a series. However, sometimes the connection with worlds created isn't deep enough in a standalone. By creating this series, Elise Kova has ensured readers can connect to the Midscape world through multiple books, whilst being able to read any of the books at any point!
So, now that I've brefily introduced you into the Married to Magic world of Midscape, here is my review for A Dance with the Fae Prince!
First off, I read this book in one day! Yup, ONE DAY! Once I started reading, I just couldn't stop! The first few chapters really set the Cinderella-type feel but with unique plots. I also got slight Bridgerton vibes at the beginning of the book. Now, I'm a sucker for re-tellings but I don't enjoy when they're too close to the original story! So I guess I like re-imaginings rather than re-tellings! Elise used the well know Cinderella story but completely re-imaged it, so much so that by 30% through the book, the Cinderella references were diluted to background themes.
Now, I want to talk about the characters in this book! Katria, the female protagonist, was a very well-developed character and felt unique without the author doing the typical 'I'm not like the other girls' trope. She's strong-minded, stubborn as hell and a little selfish. I actually really liked that she was a little selfish at times because that's real! No heroine is a totally selfless and perfect individual, so I enjoyed that Katria had faults! 'Lord Fenwood' was also well developed and worked as a complete contrast to Katria! He was a little toxic at times, but he learned from mistakes and tried to be better, which I really appreciated. Both Katria and 'Lord Fenwood' held their own past trauma however, they did not put this on each other, rather used their budding relationship to heal each other and truly accept each other's flaws.
The element of found-family was done beautifully, alongside Katria's healing journey through her past trauma. Kova really emphasised the need for acceptance and belonging in healing emotional wounds and this made for a beautiful story. Sometimes, the love interest is given the sole responsibility of healing a character, however in A Dance with the Fae Prince, a combination of intimate love and support from friends contributed to bettering Katria.
It's official, Elise Kova is the queen of enemies to lovers, slow-burn romance! A lot of enemies to lovers clichés were hit in this book...BUT there were some new ideas introduced. I adored the idea of the two characters getting to know each other with the absence of physical attraction; this again felt unique and it was so fresh and relevant to the current climate of vain and shallow self-representaiton brought on by
social media! I won't say more here because I don't like spoiler-filled reviews! Whilst on the topic of romance, I want to talk about the spice level! A Deal with the Elf King was very mild and sexual scenes faded to black. I actually liked this as it made the romance stronger! A Dance with the Fae Prince was a lot spicier than the first book in the collection, but again, nothing too graphic is described and the sexual scenes were romantic rather than graphic. I'd compare the smut level to Serpent & Dove, where the sex is there and happens but it's not A Court of Silver Flames if that makes sense ahahah.
The overall plot was very engaging and moved quickly! Kova creates a fae-world reminiscent of the Folk of the Air (by Holly Black) fae characters with wings, horns and other unique physical attributes. This made the world feel so magical and high-fantasy, despite urban fantasy elements. The magic system was very witchy-feeling and complicated without being overwhelming! Paired with Elise's writing style, the book was so immersive, explaining why I just couldn't put it down!
Overall, I rated this book 5/5 stars and I'm already growing impatient for Elise Kova's next Married to Magic novel!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Below I had attached my affiliate link to Book Depository to purchase the book, as well as a link to my A Deal with the Elf King review if you're interested!
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