I enjoyed The Marked Prince. It was a solid sequel and I'm very bummed I didn't get to continue with the series. i will definitely have to go back and have a look.

The Marked Prince is a spellbinding paranormal romance that weaves a captivating tale of forbidden love and magical intrigue. Set in a world where supernatural beings are hidden from human eyes, the story centers on the magnetic attraction between a powerful vampire prince and a skilled mage. Grant skillfully crafts a richly detailed universe filled with complex characters and an intricately developed magical system. While some plot elements might feel familiar to fans of the genre, Grant's fresh take on vampire lore and the emotional depth of the characters elevate the story. This is a must-read for paranormal romance enthusiasts, offering an enchanting blend of supernatural fantasy and steamy romance that will leave you eager for more.

Solid world building and characters. Invested from Start to finish. I would absolutely recommend this entire series to a friend.

*~~*ARC kindly provided from the publisher/author to me for an honest review *~~*

Full review to come

5 stars

I enjoy this series so much. This one was even better than book one. This story focuses on Sebastian (who is the friend of the MC's in book one) has gone back to the Faerie court while they're locked down during the war. There he meets Duine, a servant who is much more than he seems.

This was fast paced and super entertaining. There are a host of new characters and some new bad guys. I loved this couple even more than the Finn and Roarke from the first story (& I liked them a lot).

I can't wait to read the next in the series. This really shouldn't be read as a standalone. You need to read the books in order.

**ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Brilliant read.
Loved the world building, the characters, and the story moved well.

This series keeps getting better.

This book was so so so good!! I didn't want to put it down and I had to know what happened next! Sebastian and "Duine" were so wonderful together and I loved the slow build up of their relationship. I also highly enjoyed the way both characters grew and evolved throughout the course of the story. I cannot wait for the events that are bound to unfold in book three!!

Oh wow. There was so much in this book I was not expecting! From Sebastian and the roll he plays to Duine and the plot twist that sets the stage for the whole story. I was so invested in the story, and I still am! The faerie courts, politics, characters, high emotions, action - there is a lot in this story and all of it was great. The ending kind of dragged on a bit, but there is a lot story that needed to be told without rushing through important bits.
Like in book 1, this ends on a bit of a cliffhanger as the war still wages on and the couple have a HFN that works. I am looking forward to book 3.
I did have an ebook arc of this but ended up listening to it on audiobook, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

When I first requested this book, I was drawn to the description but didn't realize that this was the second book in a series. It did originally make me hesitate to start (do I need to or should I read the first book first?) but when I couldn't find the first book at the library I decided to give this one a try anyways and I am glad that I did! I didn't find this book hard to understand without reading the first one and I loved the world building and characters so much that I will have to go back and read this first just to get more of this world.

This book was really good. I enjoyed the take on the Fae and their potential for cruelty. I haven't read the first book and I didn't really struggle to understand what was going on which was good. But now I also want to read it. I liked the world building and the use of magic was good.

Fabtastic follow up to the first story. Sebastian has grown so much from book one.
the plot so much more intense, the detail (especially with the summer & winter courts) in the world building is incredible., I cannot wait for the next in the series! This author just gets better and better every time.

4.5****

This was a great sequel, I'm really impressed!

The plot went in a completely different direction than I thought it would, with a lot of twists and turns. While the book took a little while to get into and the plot dragged a bit, I really did enjoy the romance between Seb and Slaine. It's a very sweet and tender romance, built on trust. I like how they built a friendship before a romantic relationship developed between them. And the trust! Wow. I usually hate the miscommunication trope and glad it wasn't included here, instead with the characters trusting and working with one another.

I'm also really excited for book 3 and have no idea which couple the book will follow. Keen to find out!

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.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to The Prince of Air and Darkness and the audiobook narrated by John Solo. This story had all the feels. The suspense and high stakes romance had me so hooked I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. I even loved the moments this book made me cry.

Slaine and Seb were such a sweet and sensitive couple that I was completely emotionally invested in their relationship. I loved how they rescued each other, how their bond manifested, and how their relationship grew over time, increasing in trust, honesty, and intimacy. I loved how they never gave up and in the end found their way to each other.

The fantasy elements were equally entertaining, from the battles, the plot twists, and the revelations. Seb’s powerful, honest, well-intentioned magic was awesome to see. It was such a part of him that mirrored his beliefs in kindness and equality and his connection with nature and the land. Meanwhile, Slaine as the Prince of Earth and Ruin was his natural counterpart.

I also loved seeing Finn and Roark again. Though I kind of wanted more in the end, perhaps a longer intimate scene between Seb and Slaine, I look forward to the final book in the series and can’t wait to find out what happens next.

I unfortunately ended up DNFing the book. I normally love these types of books but something just wasn't clicking for me. I'm only rating it because I have to.

One fear that all readers have when they start a new series is that the rest of the books won’t live up to first book. That was most definitely not the case with The Marked Prince. This is one of those rare times that the sequel was even better than the first book in a series. I really enjoyed The Prince of Air and Darkness, but The Marked Prince not only continued the action and intrigue of the first book, but added so many layers that it was pretty much impossible to put down.

Sebastian was introduced in The Prince of Air and Darkness and even though I liked him, readers weren’t given a clue as to how involved he was with both faerie courts. Then there was Duine, who was even more involved. Just when I thought I had things figured out… well let’s just say, nothing was exactly how it seemed.

I loved the relationship between Sebastian and Duine, but their relationship with the supporting characters was just as satisfying. Sebastian had no intention of claiming his place as a royal, but when he returned, he wasn’t given much choice. His relationship with those who served him and his subjects wasn’t typical, but the mutual respect that they shared was refreshing – and annoying to those who didn’t understand.

Some questions that I had at the end of The Prince of Air and Darkness were answered, but by the end of The Marked Prince there I still wanted more. There’s at least one book left in the tale of Mab’s three sons and I can’t wait to see how M.A. Grant wraps things up in The Iron Crown.

3- Stars

DARN IT!! I shouldn’t have such high hope - or any hope - after all. I thought Sebastian’s story would fare better than “Prince of Air and Darkness.” 😪Well, this is not the first time I’m proven wrong, but DARN IT!!

I ranted on the previous review how a certain “powerful” character could easily be subdued. It’s doubled here with the way a certain MC got tricked and trapped... Man oh man, was I mad (I mean, at least I hope there’s a token resistance before the succumbing!!!). What a bummer start was that... Still, considering the hell the character had put the previous book’s MC through, it might be considered sweet revenge.

The good thing about THE MARKED PRINCE was it’s black and white approach on things. Other than Sebastian and people on his side, everyone at Seelie Sidhe were considered baddies. Although I still didn’t get how this court (too) couldn’t tell the devious and dangerous blackguard among them. 🧐Likewise, Seb was so clueless to what he thought his mother’s “betrayal” until the fact was thrown on his face when it’s late in the game was really disappointing.

Although, I got to give it to the author for another take on the Seelie/Unseelie world and their circumstances. I also considered the unexpected count of casualties (quite a number of known characters) to be one of the upsides of this second installment to MA Grant’s “The Darkest Court” trilogy. Compared to “Prince of Air and Darkness” the drama portion was rather tall here, too - surely to clear the path for all necessary elements to build up. Personally I thought the conclusion was somewhat convoluted while at the same time comme il faut for a certain good character from previous book.

At this point I’m equally intrigued and wary of the last installment of the series. On the one side, it’s one more and gads I’m dying to find out what fate befall the other Seelie prince and his confidante. The flipside of it was the gnawing worry the delivery would flop and I ended up ranting again. Well, I get until Spring next year to prepare myself...


Copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

so i didn't realize this was book 2 of a fantasy series, but once i caught on to what was happening, it was all good. the marked prince finds the disgraced unseelie prince sláine at the mercy of half-blooded seelie sebastian. sebastian only knows him as duine, because sláine has been enchanted by sebastian's evil cousin aoife.

there's so much royal court intrigue and drama, but the connection between sláine and sebastian is what makes this story shine. from the first time they interact it's clear that they are more to each other than servant/master. even when neither knows the other's true identity, the spark between them smolders and burns.

they both come into their own throughout the story. they start out with so little power and what they achieve is beyond what either of them could have ever imagined.

the story isn't over by the end, there is more to the war that is happening between the seelie and unseelie courts. and i'm definitely reading book 1, just to make sure i have all the tea before reading book 3.

**the marked prince will publish on august 5, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/carina press in exchange for my honest review.

Whereas it took some time to get into the world and atmosphere of the first book in this series, this one meshed a lot sooner. That is in part due to the hard work done in Prince of Air and Darkness to build a complete and believable fairy world, with duelling kingdoms.

Sebastian's confidence and ability to help his people grows as naturally as the plants he tends to. Our masked prince, defeated and disguised learns to hope and love. The twisty turny political intrigue is well handled and balances well with the romantic thread.

Now we know what we're facing (oooh, no spoilers), I can't wait to see how it all turns out and get to know the third brother in this remarkably noble family.

Thanks Netgalley and Carina Press for advanced copy. It was out earlier this week.

The first book in M.A. Grant’s Darkest Court series was a good read, but I liked this one more.

The angst level in both romances is high, but it worked better for me this time around. In Prince of Air and Darkness, Roark spent a LOT of time pining over Finn, because he can’t have the man he loves. (Or so he thinks, anyway.) It’s sometimes OTT angst that is largely internal to the character. In this volume, though, the angst is more a product of the situation in which our heroes find themselves. Duine has been imprisoned in the Seelie Court, stripped of his power and identity and tormented by his captors. He barely dares hope for an escape. Sebastian is an outcast from the court, forced to go back to a place he fears in hopes of retrieving Roark’s wayward brother, Slaine. When Sebastian saves Duine from being tortured, the two of them learn to rely on each other in the face of mutual enemies, and along the way they fall in love.

So much potential for angst! I’m not even mentioning the truly heart-wrenching scene in the book. And then there’s the period where the Sebastian and Duine are separated by circumstances but yearn for each other . . .

The world building was stronger this time, too. I couldn’t quite get a handle on the campus setting of the first novel; it wasn’t our world, and yet it was so similar as to be a bit confusing. Confining most of the action to the Seelie sidhe created a more focused environment for the author to work with, and I think that helped her in building a stronger setting for her story.

The one quibble I have with this book is that moments where I questioned what was happening occurred a bit too often. Like, “But would this character really know that?” kinds of moments, or times when I wasn’t sure why a character reacted a certain way. I really wish the author’s editor/beta readers would be a little tougher in questioning her choices. Her writing is good, but I think it could be more. That's kind of frustrating, you know?

Still, the first book was good, and the second one better, so I have hopes for the third in the series. I’m definitely going to be reading it, because I want to find out what happened to the third brother, Lugh. Mission accomplished—I’m hooked!

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.