Ordinarily, I would've just marked this DNF and moved on with my life, but I don't want my NetGalley score to go down any further, so here we are.

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First, nothing on NG indicated that this was a sequel. If I'd known, I wouldn't have put out a request for it. I don't think sequels should be allowed on NG, because I don't feel it's my job as a reviewer to track down the first book so I can familiarize myself with the world you're soliciting reviews for. (It also explains why I feel like I'm missing a lot...I am!)

Second, straight into a hot and heavy sex scene in the first chapter? EWW! Partway through the book? Okay, fine. But straight off? And while fantasizing about someone else? Disgusting. I nearly quit right there. (I actually started another book in the middle of the first chapter, because I didn't want to read about sex over lunch.)

Third, the Scots stuff is all over the place. Annie has a thick accent, but Faye doesn't, even though they came from the same hometown. Faye is a witch and knows the sabbats and customs...but uses the Irish "Samhain" instead of the Scottish "Samhuinn". (I don't know any Scots, but I'm familiar with that because I'd rather say "Saveen" instead of "Sowen".) I'm sure there are other examples, but I didn't get beyond twenty-five pages.

Finally, the narrative thread is just not there. Chapters (especially the first one) should make you want to keep reading. I read beyond the prologue because I was curious to figure out Faye would deal with Glintonea's request. I stopped because of the sex scene; and even when I moved on, nothing about the story was enticing.

Despite all I had to say about the book, I'd give it a hard pass.

I didn't realize this was a sequel when I requested it. Luckily the first one was on Kindle Unlimited, so I was able to read it. There are some good parts to this book: Annie and Susie, the atmosphere of the settings, the family history and lore. And there are some not so good parts: like every guy character, the melodrama, the Mary Sue-ness. I do thing this book felt more mature than the first one. The plot and MC reminded me a bit of the Dark Swan series by Richelle Mead. I wanted it to be less predictable, less over-the-top, but it wasn't. I never saw a connection between either Faye and Finn or Faye and Rav, and those connections drive most of the plot, so for me it was just too hard to suspend my disbelief.

A note: this is not a YA book. The MC is in her mid-20s and there are definitely 18+ scenes.
Also, I tend to not rate smaller pub books as harshly, because I don't want to completely ruin the ratings on Amazon and such. This is a book that I'm sure many people will like. I just didn't care for it that much. It was "okay." (Just like the Dark Swan series which has many devoted fans).

In October of last year I had the pleasure of reading Daughter of Light and Shadows by Anna McKerrow. I loved how modern witchcraft was portrayed in the story, but overall story couldn’t convince me. I found the characters lacking any dept and the Fae world was completely off balance. So I was very curious to see if the second installment in the series was better.

I am sad to say that Queen of Sea and Stars felt even weaker than Daughter of Light and Shadows. Once again I absolutely adored the modern witchcraft aspect of the story. Especially the fact that this book explores wicca, coven work but also solitary practice. I loved how the group rituals felt real and how once again it was highlighted that witches are just regular people like you and I. It is so clear that Anna Mckerrow has a vast and correct knowledge of modern witchcraft and she knows how to get it across to her readers. Absolutely loved that part of the story.

One of the main issues this book has is the pacing of the story. The whole story is completely wrong in pacing. First of all it takes about 65% of the book for something to actually happen. This is a fantasy novel, but the first better half of the book feels like a badly written contemporary. We follow Faye and Rav while they try to get their lives back on the rails in London. In the first installment of the book I was really rooting for Faye and Rav. But now I was just mind blown on how Anna McKerrow made a sweet en believable relationship so toxic in just a few pages. From the start it is clear that their relationship isn’t based on respect or even love. I wanted to scream in utter resentment at Faye because she kept on blabbering on about her love for Rav while she was cheating on him in her mind all the time. I really resented the way Rav en Faye interacted with each other. I don’t know if Anna McKerrow was trying to write a convincible PTSD storyline, but let’s just say it didn’t work out. It was horribly done and without a lot of knowledge about PTSD. Such a shame, because it can be such a wonderful story-line when well executed. (Think about the falconer series or even ACOMAF.)

So yes, the first part of the book is a melodramatic romance novel that is only rescued a little bit by the brilliant part of Gabriel Black. Everything is slow and actually quite boring. Then the action picks up, we travel again to the Fae realm and once again the pacing is completely off. Now everything is moving extremely fast and the chapters feel like they are broken off at weird points. It all feels strange and rushed. And that is such a shame, because this part of the story is the reason why people tend to pick up this genre of novels. Not for the endless bickering between two people who shouldn’t be together in the first place, but because of the Fae and the magic in the story.

But let’s end on a good note. In my last review I stated I felt the characters were underdeveloped. I must say that in this installment everybody got a little more character dept. Especially towards the end of the story I was very intrigued by the motivations and the feelings of Finn.

I was quite disappointed by the story. It would have hugely benefited if the focus would have been on the fae politics and less on the toxic relationship.

Review will be published april first.

I'm in two mind about this book: on one side I found it quite enjoyable, on the other side I felt like it somehow failed to deliver even if it's full of promises.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.

WITCHCRAFT AND FAERIES IN ONE BOOK WAS JUST WHAT I NEEDED.

I was surprised. I didn't know that this book is going to be good. The writing was great, I liked it from the start. This book was written from the third person POV but I could easily positioning myself in the MC's shoes, to feel her emotions and to imagining the places she went. The world-building was pretty good. It wasn't a small world so I understand for the flaws here and there but it was still great. OH, and the way the author explained about witches and witchcraft in this book was awesome. I loved how she wrote the spells and rituals in this book. The pace was a little slow at the beginning but it picked up just fine. The ending though, it was a little too rush so there were plot holes. So when I thought that this book was going to have a great ending, that expectation evaporated easily.

The side characters were fun to read. My favorites are Gabriel, he was charismatic and such a loyal friend I NEED GABRIEL BLACK IN MY LIFE; Annie, she was brave and would do anything for her loved ones; Moronoe, Queen to the Queendom of Moronoe, with a smart and manipulative mind of a faerie, she was an interesting character. They had the capability to grow but sadly, the author only focusing on the MC, Faye. Well, at the beginning I liked her. Because she seems, human even though she was half-fae with her insecurities and her struggle trying to fit in. But as the story goes, I grew tired and annoyed of her. She became stubborn and make things more complicated. I just disappointed by her.

After assessing the reason why this book felt empty, I realized there is one thing that should be there that'd make this book A LOT more better: the details and depth into the politics of faeries. Even though most of this book was revolving around faeries, I don't think the author really took her time peeling every layer in the faeries realm, except for the pleasure and beauty. There was a war between kingdoms but I feel like there was no war at all. This book was overly focusing on Rav and Faye's relationship, until in the middle of reading I was wondering while rolling my eyes and sighing for the thousandth times: do I read a fantasy book or a romance one? Clearly, there's no problem to put some romance into any genre of books but I wished this book could be better.

Overall, Queen of Sea and Stars was an okay but enjoyable read. IMO, this book is too long. It could be shortened while also filled in with more faeries intrigues. I originally want to gave it 2 stars but I add one more solely for the idea of putting witches and faeries together. If you like angst romance, faeries, witches, you might want to try this one.

I was not aware when I requested this that it was a sequel yet I did enjoy it despite not having read the previous book, yet I found it took a long time for things to start happening and felt that the focus for a large part of the book was more on romance than it was magic which isn’t my personal preference.

Thank you at NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

This book was not the paranormal YA fantasy that I thought it was. first off, the book is a sequel, so I was completely lost for the backstory that preceded this book. Also, there is some pretty graphic sexual abuse, which I wasn’t really prepared for..

I think that Anna McKerrow’s writing is brilliant, but I wish I would’ve read the first one before jumping into this one.

Boring, predictable, poorly written. This book was such a drab I felt cheated of the time I spent reading it.

I wasn't aware that this was in fact, a sequel, to another book and it's taken me this long because I had to get myself the first book in the series in order to read this.

This book missed the mark for me, while I enjoyed the first book Daughter of Light and Shadows, I felt like something was missing in this one. Given the synopsis, I was so excited to read it because fae, witches, and a Scottish backdrop ticked all my boxes. However, I found myself struggling to get through this read, Anna McKerrow has great prose, but the main issue for me was pacing - yes, we do get action around 50%-60% into the story, but I couldn't help but wish that there was more.

This book was received as an ARC from Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was jawdropping from beginning to end. The story of Faye and what she has learned of her upbringing and faerie power she accidentally discovered. Then later finding out about Finn, she was loosing her mind and knew she had to escape but she escaped to the real world in London. Then after finding her peace and her way, mayhem strikes and she is now part of the war in her former Kingdom and instead of being frightened by her gift she has to embrace it in order to defeat King Finn and take back what is rightfully hers. This book had action, excitement and nail-biting events that kept the reader on their feet.

We will consider adding this title to our YFantasy collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

In the sequel to the sexy and magical world of' Daughter of Light and Shadows', Anna McKerrow once again offers up a seductive story involving a young witch who must grapple with embracing her shadows. Her shadows lie in the faerie kingdom where temptation and lust hide behind its enchanting facade. What I loved about this sequel was that we saw more of how the faerie kingdom began to directly affect Faye and her life. It delved deeper into the exploration of the fight between light and dark and how one cannot survive without the other. It examined the price one must pay to choose one life over another and how doing so, forces us to reject a part of ourselves, a part that will continue to gnaw at us until we lose ourselves in its ecstasy.

After reading two novels by Anna McKerrow, I have decided that I really like McKerrow’s writing style because her pacing is perfect and her characters are alluring. Some stories about Fae get lost in the details of its imaginary world, but the realism McKerrow brings to her readers is ironically, what makes her stories even more fantastical. I suppose the story about a woman trying to find herself in two seemingly different worlds is a great metaphor for the arduous journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. I do hope there will be a sequel because 'Queen of Sea and Stars' totally bewitched me.

I was so interested in reading this book because it sounded great. I really like the premise and I enjoy the characters but I wasn’t able to connect with the writing style and had to DNF it at 15%. I think this book has a lot of potential but it was just unable to hold my attention for long enough to make me want to keep reading.

I received this ARC via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I have had to DNF this one very early while reading, I did not realise that this book was, in fact, a sequel. When I first realised I was planning on continuing to read the book as so far I was able to follow along with the brief details about book 1. But then within a few pages, an event from the first book was mentioned (something which I perceive to be a big plot point) so I have decided to stop reading before I read the first book.

However, at this moment in time, I am unsure about whether this is something I'd like to do right now.

But from the short amount of story I did read, I did find myself enjoying the plot and writing style, I did get confused at first with the characters and storyline, but looking back I'm confident its because I didn't read book one.

Lesson learnt; make sure you look books up properly on Goodreads!

Queen of Sea and Stars didn't appeal to me like I thought it would. The synopsis was very intriguing, but the story didn't keep my interest. I failed to connect with the characters or the story line. It's okay. I didn't personally identify well with it, but it will appeal to many other readers who enjoy this genre. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book and see what happened to Faye and Rav and of course what Finn Beatha would get up to. In this book, we meet Faye and Rav in London where they have gone to escape what happened in Faye’s hometown. In order to rescue Rav from Murias, Faye made a bargain with Glitonea and must give up her firstborn child. In London, Faye gets to meet some new friends as well as catching up with Annie, her friend from home. Visiting Annie on the set of her new TV show, Faye meets Ruby and gets introduced to a London coven of witches where she is invited to one of their rituals and her father Lyr appears and takes her to his home. Faye is desperate to rescue Aisha who was taken by Finn Beatha, but the only way her father will help is if Faye gives him a human to bear a child for him.

There’s quite a lot of build-up to the story while Faye is in London and she becomes friends with Gabriel Black, a fellow shop owner. When Faye attempts to rescue Aisha, Gabriel gets dragged to Murias as well and becomes the lover of Glitonea. It’s a bit similar to the story from book 1.

The action really doesn’t kick off until about 60% into the book and once I reached it, I read the rest of the book in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down. The writing flows well and once the action kicks in, there is so much to love and anyone who enjoyed book 1 will love how the story unfolds.

I did find the start of the book a little slow and there was a lot of repetition especially if you’ve read the first book. Faye made a bargain with Glitonea that she would give her a child in order to get Rav out of Murias and this is repeated over and over again which I have to admit became a little annoying as did the explanations for what I already knew from book 1. On a whole, I enjoyed the book, but I have to say, I did skim some parts that I already knew and some of the descriptions that were too long and broke the action or dialogue scenes.

The book ends well with lots more scope for a further book which I know I will read as well. I would like to see Faye grow and discover what her faery powers are. She hasn’t done this yet and there is so much more to her story waiting to be told. I've given this book 4 Stars because the writing was fluid and I love the characters and I can't wait to read more in this series.

Queen of Sea and Stars offers a unique look into a modern world filled with witches, fae, and romance. As Faye Morgan struggles to come to terms with her identity within the fae world, and determine how she fits in with old and new friends, new complications arise that force her to truly come to terms with her magic, and herself. The author blends character growth and plot with more steamy scenes in a way that makes the read intriguing, and keeps your interest hooked.

Overall, the cast of characters and Faye's world result in a captivating story that is hard to put down. While there was slightly more recapping of the previous book than necessary in my opinion, and some inconsistencies regarding minor plot details, these do not really detract from the overall theme and atmosphere of Queen of Sea and Stars. Definitely worth the read for fans of romance, strong female leads, and modern day tales of fae.

I received an advanced reader's copy of Queen of Sea and Stars by Anna McKerrow from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first novel by Anna McKerrow that I have read and, overall, this novel missed the mark for me. I thought the writing was alright and the plot should have been interesting given the summary, but the plot wasn't evenly paced as it meandered. Also, the main characters' chemistry or appeal was not there, in my opinion.