On the whole, I enjoyed this. I thought it was a sweet story with several important themes and moral quandaries to consider. I very much liked both Larkin and Merrick (as well as Merrick's family). There was admirable representation and little angst about any of it, letting human/fae relations stand allegorically in place of some important human/human biases. It worked and was a pleasure to read.

I did think the whole thing too long and the Hero's Quest plotting a little too apparent. There is a certain plodding, first we do this, then we do this next thing, and then we do the next thing, each progressively harder, etc.

I did read a per-publication ARC, which means the book hadn't had it's final edit. So, I can't speak to editing. All in all, however, I'd be more than happy read more of Ringle's writing.

I didn't enjoy this one. I just wasn't drawn in by the plot and found that I had no desire to finish it.

"Lava Red Feather Blue" was absolutely enchanting.
I'm so glad I got the chance to read and review this wonderfully magical, bittersweet and lovely book. It was the perfect read to end and to start the new year.
The plot is fairly straightforward: in an enchanted island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean a half-human, half-fea witch that has a penchant for trouble and a prince that gets woken up from a centuries-long sleep by said troublemaker embark on a journey to save their lives and the lives of the humans they love.
I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting myself into when I started reading this book but I definitely was not expecting to fall head-over-heels in love with the characters, the magical, and sometimes scary, setting and atmosphere, the lovely writing.
I adored both Merrick and Larkin: their feelings and emotions, their doubts and grief and insecurities, their heartstopping, adventurous and perilous journey into fairyland... plus one of the loveliest romances I have ever had the pleasure of reading about.
I also adored all of the side characters and the wonderful (gender, sexual, cultural) diversity of this enchanting island. It also raises some very thoughtful topics, especially related to the coexistence between different peoples from very different backgrounds, without making it a difficult book to read.
I'm definitely going to re-read this sooner rather than later but for now I cannot recommend it enough. Buy it, read it.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

Unfortunately, I’m going to have to put this down for the time being due to the formatting of the eARC. I have never commented on the lack of edits before when it comes to ARCs, however, the lack of editing in this book is very distracting and therefore effecting my reading experience.

I’ll definitely be adding “Lava Red, Feather Blue” to my TBR to purchase at a later date because everything about this novel appeals to me; fantasy, fae, queer rep, even the cover is gorgeous and I’d love the chance to read this again once I get to appreciate it more in its finished format.

3.5 stars! objectively this was a fairly solid fantasy book with good writing and a great atmosphere (especially once they crossed over into fae land)

i liked the concept of Larkin being a prince from the 1700s, but there were a lot of instances of really info-dumpy chapters where readers are just told what happened to Larkin and how things have changed since then, and it took a while for any real action to happen. then, in the second half of this book, SO much happens to the point where the ending felt very anticlimactic and almost rushed to me.

i enjoyed the characters, especially Larkin, and i thought they were likable main characters, but i didn't end up feeling super attached to them or the romance. i didn't dislike the romance but it didn't feel super believable to me? maybe it's just me, but it felt like their "feelings" for each other kind of came out of nowhere and it was more of a "we might die so i think i love you" situation. i liked the use of they/them pronouns with a side character, though, and that was a nice surprise to see in a fantasy book!

The ARC for this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank You.

I knew since I saw the synopsis of this book that I would like it, and guess what? Yep, I liked it very much indeed.
On this story we follow the adventures of the prince Larkin who was enchanted to lain in a magical sleep since 1799, being accidentally woke up by Merrick Highvalley a modern day witch, but with that he also releases Ula Kana a fairy that wants to destroy the humanity that lives on the island of Eidolonia.
With the trade between the fairy world and the humans broken, Merrick and Larkin had to make an alliance to stop Ula Kana and restore harmony to their island.

I love fantasy and romance books. That's why this was perfect for me. The fairy world was beautiful and magical! I love when authors create worlds that blow my mind while I try to imagine every piece of thing that they put on the pages of their books. Here as I said is beautiful and magical but also mysterious and dangerous that you can’t trust anything or anyone, because fairies are dangerous and curious and they want to enchant you to do whatever they want.

The characters of this book are perfect, being imperfect. They make mistakes, they take risks and suffer but that’s what makes them more human, more real for me. The interaction between Larkin and Merrick is wonderful, a prince who wants to escape and has to survive on the modern day, a witch that wants to be someone and saves his world, the perfect combo to have beautiful, light and funny dialogues between them, and obviously drama, fights and misunderstandings.


The adventures were amazing! And the romance! Aah ~ I really liked it. Merrick and Larkin are imperfect, they make mistakes and obviously they did it here, they said good and wrong words to each other but they accepted their mistakes and asked for forgiveness. In the end they discovered each other perfectly. I just want to add here that I wanted a little more romance, but it’s ok.

Now I want to read more books from the author.

Lava Red Feather Blue is a magical fantasy tale about Merrick Highvalley, a modern day witch, experiments with charms and accidentally wakes Prince Larkin, who has been in a magical sleep since 1799. Breaking the spell releases the faery Ula Kana, and Merrick and Larkin myst stop her from eradicating humans from the island of Eidolonia.

This book is by Molly Ringle, and I absolutely loved All The Better Part of Me, so I had already preordered Lava Red Feather Blue. However, when I spotted it on netgalley I jumped at the chance to read it early. So when it comes out I will have three copies, the netgalley ebook, the actual ebook, and a paperback version to look pretty on my shelf with all my other favourite books. I have zero regrets about this. This book literally ticks all my boxes. I mean, a bumbling demifae messing in magic beyond his comprehension meets a sexy ancient prince with a sword. What's not to love? I have to admit that a lot of my notes for this review are just squeeing or heart emojis because I loved it so much, so hopefully I can form a coherent review out of them that expresses just how much I adore this book.

I love this kind of fantasy story. There's quite a lot of exposition near the beginning of the book to explain the world but it's so worth it. Everything is just so magical. And the fae realm is enchanting. I particularly loved the woodstriders!

I also love all the characters. Merrick is a great protaganist. He's a bit of a trouble maker, but not on purpose. I have to admit I got jealous of his endo witch abilities, he has some handy tricks up his sleeve. Larkin is great as well. Every conversation between him I was just like 'aaaaaaa' because I love them both, and there's so much emotion and tension between them. And the side characters are great as well. There's a nonbinary character, Cassidy, who I really liked. They were like a voice of reason to counter Merrick's occasional bad decisions. Also, there's a giant pet rabbit, and Elemi, who is an utter delight of a person.

There's sacrifice and heroism, a quest, romantic and sexual tension, magic, and plenty of danger and excitement. Every glimpse of the romance is just wonderful, and I couldn't put the book down. This book tore out my heart and stomped on it several times, which is exactly the kind of thing I look for in a book. I just love it so much. I'm looking forward to rereading it multiple times in the future.

Lava Red, Feather Blue is a fantasy novel with witches, fae, royalty, and a lovely gay/MLM romance. I'm not a huge fantasy reader, but this one was really enjoyable for me to read. The world-building was intriguing and descriptive but not overwhelming.

On the island of Eidolonia, there has always been some degree of contention between fae and humans, as well as those who are both. Magic in the human realm is regulated or even prohibited, and humans venturing into the fae realm is rare and often dangerous. When Larkin, a prince of the 18th century, is forcibly put into an indefinite sleep by a witch named Rosamund Highvalley, as part of a deal with the fae so the destructive and human-hating Ula Kana would also be put into a sleep. Fast forward to this century, and Merrick Highvalley encounters old charms and artifacts and accidentally reawakens Prince Larkin: unleashing utter chaos on the island once again.

The story revolves around Merrick and Larkin's quest to strike another deal with the fae, defeat Ula Kana, protect Merrick's family and the island's inhabitants, and bring peace to the land. Although far from an easy journey, along the way the two find love and understand its many meanings.

Since I'm a sucker for romance, Merrick and Larkin's growing relationship and their chemistry was my favourite aspect of the novel. I also loved the casual inclusion of LGBTQ+ folks in this universe, where same-gender love and being neither male nor female is normal. Because while there is conflict, it is not brought on by homophobia or transphobia and this is so refreshing. Aspects like Cassidy, Merrick's sibling, using they/them pronouns (and being presumably nonbinary) being a casual fact was really nice to read.

This was a fantastic book that I feel super lucky to have read before its release. Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book!
Though I tend not to read much fantasy anymore, I really enjoyed this book - more than I expected to! I mean, who doesn’t love a quest? I liked that Larkin and Merrick were imperfect people that made mistakes (mondo mistakes!) they then had to go fix, and I enjoyed the long-view aspect of the story that stretched over centuries. The world building was enough to give the reader a pretty clear idea of what things were like without becoming bogged down in a lot of little details and long histories that can sometimes make fantasy exhausting. This book reminded me of a lot of the fantasy I read when I was younger and it does sort of have a younger feel to it, in my opinion, even though the characters are adults. There was a good balance of humor, action, romance, and serious, though part of me would have liked to hear more about the villain’s motives. While the book brings up real and valid concerns about what humans have done to the world and the fae as reasons for Ula Kana’s rage and actions, it doesn’t really “fix” the problems driving her actions, sort of kicking the can down the road. Overall it was a fun read with engaging characters and a well-paced plot. I’d be interested in reading more by Ringle!

I am so happy that I found this beautiful book on Netgalley. When I first read the blurb for the book, I really was intrigued by it. It only took me a couple of pages to fall in love with this story. I loved each of the characters especially Merrick and Larkin.

This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty but so much more than that. I loved how Molly took the original story and used it at the beginning of this one and then how she broke off from it. Also, her take on the original was so great. Larkin is forced into being put into a magical sleep as one side of a truce between the humans and the fae of the island Eidolonia. He is awoken over two-hundred years later by Merrick by accident and the adventure continues from there.

Lava Red Feather Blue blended many of my favorite things fairy tales, fae stories, slow-burn romances, stories with strong familial bonds, and wonderful writing. I fell in love with it instantly and did not want to stop reading it at all. It was a wonderful story and I cannot wait to pick up more books written by Molly Ringle.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC of this lovely book. All opinions are my own.* I will be getting a copy of this book as soon as it is available.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book and it in no way affects my review, my thoughts are my own.

Let me start of by saying that as I child my favorite Disney movie was the sleeping beauty, So when I head that this was a sort of sleeping beauty retelling (or had elements of it) and was LGBT, I was freaking out and SSOOOOO excited.

The writing style was really up my alley. I enjoyed the way the story telling. I adored the way the relationships and sexuality, gender of the characters was presented it felt organic and like a oh that's just apart of them rather than the story.

The representation in this book is delightful to read about. The main romance is a M/M romance, there is a married F/F couple and a they/them side character which I loved to see and get to know them. That is part of what I really loved about this book, the casual-ness of it all.

Now plot wise, this is not "the best book I have ever read in my life", I would've like a little less info dumping and more detailed imagery to really understand the image the author wanted us to see in our minds. I action is nice, but not mind-blowing. This to me felt more like a character driven story, while there is a lot of action scenes and is quite fast paced if you want to read an action packed book this is not it. The best part is the characters interacting with one another, or at least it was for me. The action was nice but did not tickle my fancy, because it is nothing out of this world or that kept me on the edge of my seat.

There is a scene which

SPOILER START

did not make sense to me .. I am all for romance and sex and all but it happens when they are on a time crunch and action is happening which is urgent. So not the best timing

END SPOILER

Anyhow, I loved the side characters and each character within this story felt tangible and not bland and boring.

This is more of a romance book in a fantasy setting to me rather than a fantasy, so if this is not something you enjoy I would not recommend it. However this is something I personally love, so it was a super fast and fun read for me, even though it wasn't marketed as a romance. The world is also super interesting, despite the world-info dumping side of it.

The writing is also not as clear for imagery all the time with a lot of metaphor-ish stuff or rather flowery writing, so beware if this annoys you.

Overall a great read for me. it ended up rounding up to a 3.85 stars and so a 4 stars is what I settled on in the end. If you love paranormal romance books, or fantasy books that are heavy on romance this is a must read.

4/5 stars

Bookarina.

I struggled to get into this book, though not due to anything being necessarily wrong with the writing. However, I requested a copy of a book labeled LGBTQIA / Romance / Sci Fi & Fantasy... and felt like I read a middle grade or *maybe* a young adult novel (if you squint).

The story was a cute and quick read, but when I think of those categories without a grade level indicator or youth-related label, I tend to imagine a more mature or heavy plot. Instead, it felt fluffy and didn't leave much of an impression on me.

Note: I couldn't find anything online to determine a grade level on this book, and I'm no expert to come up with one myself.

Cute, queer, fun, and overall a good time, with a few things that I personally just don't like that much.

Rep: Merrick and his family are black (bronze skin with curly black hair), according to Larkin much of the islanders have brown skin and black hair, the main romance is mlm, Merrick's older sibling uses they/them pronouns, and it's a generally homophobia/transphobia/racism free world, except in the use of fae/human relations as an allegory for race and colonialism.
TWs: non graphic sex scene, violence, 16+

This book I think did best in the worldbuilding and character development; Merrick is delightful and hilarious, Larkin is adorable and sweet, and they have good chemistry. They're also both really funny with Cassidy, Merrick's sibling, their daughter Elemi, and Merrick's father Nye. I think the characterization of Rosamund was also done very well, especially in relation to Larkin. But the world! What I wouldn't give to live on Eidolonia, it's such a beautiful, magic island. The plot is also quite good, it's explained well and not confusing, and it's gripping throughout the whole book. Unlike a lot of fantasies, I think the author, for the most part, finds a pretty good balance between the characters/relationships and the plot, and both are written fairly well.
As far as things I didn't like, I personally prefer slow-burn romances and get kind of bored as soon as the characters are together, so while the romance was cute, I didn't love it since they were together for a lot of the book (also, it's a pretty short timeline and I felt like they were developing feelings pretty quickly). On that note, a lot of the relationship drama happened publicly (in front of the fae), which is something I just really hate as a concept. Additionally, a lot of the plot was dependent on their relationship, which was fine, but sometimes I think the solutions felt a little too easy, especially towards the end.
But, overall, the book was entertaining, I had a good time, and Larkin and Merrick are cute together; they have good chemistry.

DNF. The bones of a really good story are here, but I think it would have benefited from another round of rewrites and edits - it feels very simplistic. However, I don't think it's a bad book, and I suspect a lot of readers will enjoy it - I know I'll be recommending it to a few people I know.

I want to note something here before getting into the review. I’m used to ARCs having poor formatting, but this was possibly one of the worst I’ve actually seen – it made reading it difficult, and I very nearly DNF’d this early on. However, I stuck with it, pushed through, and actually really enjoyed the story itself. But seriously, sometimes I think publishers do authors a disservice when ARCs are almost unreadable. I am grateful to Central Avenue Publishing for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley, I am glad I stuck with the book, but the reading experience was, at times, difficult.

Okay! Now for the review.

To secure a truce between the fairy Ula Kana and the humans on the north Pacific Island of Eidolonia, Prince Larkin is put in an enchanted sleep in 1799, one which ensures Ula Kana remains sleeping, too. His family are told it is only temporary, until another way is found. But two centuries later he is accidently awoken by modern-day witch Merrick Highvalley. The spell releases Ula Kana as well, and the two must enter the fae realm, looking for a way to stop her.

Larkin and Merrick were both really engaging characters, both starting a little self-centred and reckless, but as the story goes on, they learn to overcome their differences. Merrick cares deeply for his sibling and niece, and Larkin struggles to come to terms with the modern world and technology. They have their vulnerabilities, in a way you don’t often see with male characters.

The fae world created in this story was beautifully written, descriptions covering all five senses, and really evocative imagery used. Lava Red Feather Blue feels different from other Fantasy style Romances, and the use of fae and the different lands, their hierarchy, the use of elements all blend together really well, giving this a really solid sense of worldbuilding.

Both the story and world feel comforting in familiarity, but unique in key ways. There’s no hand wrangling over sexuality or gender, no ‘torment’ for those who are not cis het. There’s no ‘coming out’ or explanations – instead, this is very much a world where everyone is free to love who they love and be who they are, though there is danger for those who love the fae.

Despite the issues when I first started this book, I ended up really enjoying it, and getting totally engrossed in Merrick and Larkin’s quest, and the world they venture through. If you like Fantasy with strong Romance elements, fae, and wonderful world-building, I suspect you’ll really enjoy Lava Red Feather Blue.

Overall Rating: 3.7/5
World Building: 3.5/5
Character Development: 3/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Pacing: 3/5
Writing Style: 3.7/5

Content Warnings: Death, Sex, Violence.

Lava Red Feather Blue is LQBTQ+ fantasy book that follows Larkin, a twenty six year old prince who was put into a magical sleep as part of a truce to protect his kingdom and the human realm in order to stop the evil villain Ula Kana.
Many years later Merrick, a half-fae human, accidentally awakens him, putting at risk the island of Eidolonia as they know it.
Both, Larkin trying to make sense of his new reality and Merrick figuring out what to do with his life, embark into this journey to the tricky and dangerous fae lands to seek help and save the world.

I very much enjoyed Lava Red Feather Blue. I’m usually weary about fantasy standalone books because when I get invested so much in the world building or the magic system I end up disappointed when it’s finally over and I know there won’t be a continuation ‒ especially if it has potential to have a sequel. And while I still want to know more about how the fae world works, their many realms and its leaders, I'm also satisfied with what Molly Ringle provided for us.

What I liked about the book:

How it starts. I liked how we got into the action right at the very beginning and learned what went down the moment of the truce.

I loved that Larkin didn’t have the hero “ I have to save the world from doom because I'm the prince and it’s my duty to protect everyone” complex. He does want to stop Ula Kana from destroying the human lands but he’s also tired of the war that’s been chasing him for centuries and won’t be persuaded to give up on his freedom. He is his own person and won’t let anyone dictate otherwise.

The Fae World. I found it very interesting how different the lands that exist within the fae world are and exploit different emotions and desires (lust, anger, etc).

How the author managed to mix modern technology with magic.

The book title. What caught my attention besides the cover was the title name. I was pleasantly satisfied when we got an explanation for it.

The creatures and animals that roamed the fae world.

The author Afterword Notes. Molly gives us a glimpse into her mind and explains how some of the most important factors of the book came to be.

What i disliked about the book:

The pacing was really slow the first half of the book and the events of the last chapters went by so fast I had to stop several times to process what was happening to not miss anything.

The creatures and animals that roamed the place were cool but not so much when they kept showing up at the most convenient of times.

Ula Kana 's lack of backstory. I love a well written complex villain but unfortunately i didn’t get one this time. We are given an overall explanation as to why she wants to destroy humans but that alone didn’t work for me. It felt shallow and the easy way to go around it and I wasn't entirely convinced by it.


Final thoughts:

Overall I found Lava Red Feather Blue entertaining. Merrick and Larkin’s relationship is what sold this book for me. Their rants and cuteness made me root for them the entire time while i was reading. So if you are looking for a fantasy book with a magical quest, creepy creatures, romance and a satisfying conclusion, this book is for you.

I wanted SO much to love this book...
But sadly it just wasn't for me..
I like the plot, but I couldn't really bond with the characters for some reason, and the writing style wasn't my cup of tea..
Good story and loved that this was kinda a retelling of sleeping beauty, I just didn't love the whole package.

Very creative world-building in a contemporary fantasy set on a hidden Pacific island. A little bit reminiscent of Rainbow Rowell's Simon Snow books with a lot less humor and a little more heat between protagonists. The first half of the book is more character-driven, and the second half nearly all action. Despite all the goings-on in the second half of the book, I did find that my interest waned.

For me, I didn't have a solid connection to the characters that left me invested in all the action. I would have preferred a bit more insight into the quiet moments and inner worlds of the protagonists. Some of my favorite parts of this book were the several instances of very beautiful poetry interwoven into the story. I hope this author will consider publishing some of her poetry outside of her novels!

Loved: The poetry & the creative world-building of the magical society.
Liked: The early, flirtatious moments between the protagonists. (I would have enjoyed many more opportunities for these moments in the book)
Didn't like: The villain, and the action sequences, which seemed to happen very quickly back to back with little pause to digest.

Review posted on my GoodReads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3672732797

My Rating- 2.8 Stars

This book had so many folklore elements, and the Eidolonians were progressive and inclusive. The book didn’t have any homophobia, and I liked the queer rep. The fantasy bit wasn’t over the top but was exotic and adventurous. The fae realm was filled with small surprises and was the best part of the book. I just wished the book was short and had the depth that I looked for. I liked this book but didn’t enjoy it as I thought I would.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Lava Red Feather Blue was a book I constantly found myself getting pulled into. I read this book over a long period of time which is uncommon for me but it was nice getting to look more over the book. The characters in the book hooked me from the start when we met them. They are all very unique and along with them, we are given good well-hidden descriptions of how the world around them works.
We follow our two main characters, Merrik the half-fae witch, and Larkin the prince who was put in a sleep in order to keep the evil fae Ula Kana trapped. The way Ringle deals with the idea of this historical figure suddenly in the modern world and is done very well.
The character writing this book had many layers for the most part. There were some characters that I felt were just shoved into the book to have a reason for certain problems and the character seemed shallow and we didn’t meet them much. Other than that though all of the other characters had multiple layers and no layer matched with another character.
The world-building was done well. Of course, it takes place in our world, but the island that it takes place on is a world of its own and the author did a great job crafting the island around them. The fae part of the island is described in beautiful but not overwhelming detail.
One thing that bugged me with the book was how long it took to get to the heart of the plot. I felt the beginning of the book dragged for a bit before we could get to the actual adventure. It did give us time to understand our two main characters and our main villain Ula Kana. I feel though some stuff that we were given as information, in the beginning, could’ve been withheld to be put forward at a better time.
Now for character relationships. I loved our two main characters and while I did love their relationship I felt as though some aspects were too rushed. I felt as if the basis of the relationship was shallow although it does feel like something that can become more. The family dynamic between Merrick, his niece, his sister, and his father is very well written.
Overall I gave this book a five out of five stars. Despite its few faults overall I highly enjoyed it.