It was a quick read for me, and to my disappointment nothing really stand out for me. The plot was flat and the pacing was a bit slow to my liking.
But one thing I liked about it is the main character aka Faye. Faye isn't really like all of the protagonist I've read in fantasy novel, she's not a born warrior and her stubbornness makes it more realistic and fun to read

Thank you to NetGalley and The Parliament House for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my review.

I really loved ‘of beat and burden’, it’s a fairly quick and enjoyable read with great pacing and wonderful characters!! and it’s set it in fae so what’s not to love

I was really excited to jump into Of Beast and Burden but was left wanting more at the end of the book. After hearing that this story would compare to those of Holly Black, Elise Kova, and Sarah J. Maas, I think my expectations were a bit too high unfortunately. I was intrigued by the Celtic lore and appreciated the detail that when into Kicklighter's world-building. Overall, I found the story familiar yet lacking. I would still read the second book to find out what happens with Faye and learn more about her world.

Thank you NetGalley and the Parliament House for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

i wanted to love this book so badly because i’d the cover and description but honestly it was just okay. there were too many elements in one book, almost as if the author planned for it to be a standalone and then decided to make it a series but didn’t go back and edit information and just shoved the plot together at the end.

the story line was promising but seemed rushed and could have easily been spread out into multiple books. an additional 100 pages to elaborate on some of the themes and character development would have greatly benefitted this novel. the interesting scenes only had a few paragraphs or a chapter dedicated to them and i was expecting more of an acotar take on things with multiple chapters detailing events but it just didn’t happen. i thought the banter between characters was charming but charm alone cannot hold up a fantasy series. the main plot points were hashed out rather quickly with minimal details. you’re telling me an entire fight with one of the oldest mystical beings in this world lasts less than 3 pages? sigh. don’t even get me started on kellan. why introduce a character in such a way for that to be their ending? nothing with them was actually resolved and it seemed unnecessary to bring him into the ending in quite that way.

all that being said, i do believe this series and author has a promising future and can’t wait to see where it goes.

This book was very okay! I’m a sucker for a good Fae story and this delivered, but it felt like I’ve read this before. The pacing of the story was all over the place and I couldn’t quite grasp when things happened or how long they took. However, I did love the characters for the most part and I appreciated that they weren’t black or white, but were morally and emotionally gray. The story was okay overall, and the cover is beautiful!!

I wanted so badly to enjoy this book. Faye has spent her whole life knowing faeries are real and to be wary of them but she gets more than she bargained for in first experience with the fae. She discovers she’s not only a halfling but the heir to the throne. In order to save her closest friend she must challenge the king and take the thrown that is rightfully hers amongst the fae she hates so deeply.

Possible spoilers ahead!
The premise of this story has such promise. I enjoyed the trials that Faye had to face in order to achieve the crown but that was 1 chapter of the entire book. If that had been a majority of the book I would have given a much higher rating. It was spooky and engaging. I liked the setting and the action. Even if the main twist was obvious I still enjoyed it! I also enjoyed the tension with the other court. It was nice to actually see that the seelie court was perpetuating horrible treatment of humans not the unseelie!

From the beginning I was bored. The entire opening with the friend we literally never see or hear from again seemed entirely pointless. That character added absolutely nothing to the story. I was also constantly irritated that every single person our MC walked by was described by their skin color, even if we had absolutely no interaction with them other than walking by them. This continued throughout the book and I couldn’t understand the point, Next we spend chapter after chapter with an immature, brooding MC who’s only personality trait seemed to be disagreeing with everyone just to be edgy.

Once we are actually in the faerie realm there still was little to keep my attention. Kellan was annoying with his constant “love” pet name. The love triangle was not fleshed out and felt pointless. The training sessions were never more than a few paragraphs and there was once again no action or adventure. For a book about magic, the magic was never really explained all too well. I didn’t find myself engaged until about 75% through when it finally seemed as if we made it through the exposition but was ultimately disappointed by the multitude of “twists” in the last 10% of the book. The first twist (Gage) was the only one I enjoyed even if I had it figured out from the first time Gage said he wouldn’t be staying with Faye as an advisor. The second (Kellan) was just out of left field. I feel like a good twist has breadcrumbs and makes you finally piece everything together in that moment. Instead a character completely changed personalities. The final twist (Faye’s mom) just seemed silly. She went through all the stuff with the dwarf when she could’ve just tried talking to her mom.

Overall I did not enjoy this book. I wanted to because I liked the general idea of the plot but it wasn’t executed well. The writing wasn’t to my taste and there was way too much exposition for an only 280 page book.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Parliament House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

So I have mixed feelings about this book. It reminded me a lot of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black which I didn’t care for. But I love fae and love triangles so it still interested me in that standpoint. It ends in major cliffhanger. Overall, I think the world-building is and premise is promising so can’t wait to try books two.

Best thing about this? The cover. It was a cheap copy of other books I’ve read. In the description it’s said if you like holly black you’ll like it….. cruel prince anyone? I did like the characters and I would read a different book from the author… this just didn’t feel original in any way. Also the end was so rushed I feel the author could have added a little to it.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher, thank you!

It was hard for me to get into the book because everything felt like a cheap copy of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. But as I kept on reading I fell for the characters, especially Gage and Isla, so perfect. The plot wasn’t mind blowing and it took way too long to get to those trials and when they finally came to it, it was over in a literal heartbeat. The last 20% were very rushed and I don’t quite get why the author didn’t dragged it out a little, the book is below 300 pages, this could’ve been a lot longer without it being unnecessary. I really was shocked about the twist, I genuinely didn’t see it coming but it happened so fast and was discussed so little, that it lost lots of potential for me. Generally I can say that this book would’ve needed a lot more world building and a better explained magic system to be a five star read. I enjoyed the characters a lot and that’s worth so so much. But for the next book I really need the author to explain so much more in order to really feel the book. I bet they had an amazing picture painted in their head but it didn’t come through for me and that’s really sad.
I really wanna know what will happen next and I pray that we get more than 280 pages for book two!

lets read another Fae book and this one was a mixed review in honesty.
the story is entertaining and some of the characters were likeable but very predictable i have to said and so you know who is who very quickly in this book. There is some great Bi reps in this book which was great to see as i feel there should be more books out there with bi reps.

the sad thing was even though there is Bi romance there is no spark between the two characters and it comes across forced and so you kind of wonder why bother with the romance if it not going to be written in a way which makes you want to simp the couple.

also the task the MC had to complete in the story were i dont know set to easy as it felt like there wasnt much effort put in to them or hardship for the MC to over come.

its was an okay book, one you would read if you want to just zone out and read something which is not going to push you too much to think about the plot all the time. But reading it once was enough for me

Of Beast and Burden (Hollow and Hill, #1) ♦ Kelsey Kicklighter | Review

Of Beast and Burden is a debut novel written by Kelsey Kicklighter . This first book of the new Hollow and Hill series comes with all the needed ingredients for a new fantasy series. We have magic, we have a lot of fantastic creatures including my favorite ones, the fae.
When I saw the cover and read the blurb, I was blown away and crossed my fingers I won’t be disappointed in the end. But my curiosity was strong enough to request an ARC copy of the novel.

Of Beast and Burden ♦ Kelsey Kicklighter

Synopsis

We pretty much rush into the plot by Faye stumbling through the veil, following her friend Delia and two mysterious guys. Her whole short life long, Faye was drawn to the faerie realm. Not just because her Gran told her all kind of stories of the fae, no she also dived into the folklore, and her mother spend some in the other world behind the veil before she got lost to her. But the longing for this world seems to come from deep inside her, a feeling she could never explain. And during her first, mostly unwilling, visit she discovers the truth. Faye was more than just a young human woman, Faye was half-faerie. But that’s not it. She is also the heiress of the throne to the Unseelie court.

After this first encounter with the Folk, the plot comes to a developing halt in some way. Until Faye has to face her legacy to save her best friend Ellie, who was taken by Soliel, the Queen of the Seelie court. A bargain is made and Faye finds herself at her father’s court, learning and training for a trail to take her crown from the current Unseelie king Gage. Instead of throwing rocks in her way, Gage and his first knight Isla help her to prepare for it all. But also Kellan, the Seelie prince and brother to Soliel, has an agenda and throws himself in the mix.

Opinion

All things considered, I can clearly state I enjoyed this book and my worries of a possible disappointment were unjustified. There was more about the book that I liked than dislike.

But first things first. Nowadays, most fantasy series are about a heroine who is strong, courageous, and a fighter. But Faye is different. She may be stubborn, but she’s not a born warrior, nor does she know how to handle her birthright. But she is not above asking for help. Faye makes mistakes, a lot of them, while she has to learn how things in the realm work, how to fight and dance, and most important, how to master her magic. It was exciting to see how Faye gradually finds herself, mastering her abilities and even magical ones that no one has ever been able to do before.

In the beginning of the book, Faye seemed to be a bit reckless, when under the influence of her friend Delia. But once she returned into the human world and in the company of Ellie, she seemed to be more introvert and thoughtful. Yet, she immediately jumped into action once her lovely Ellie has been taken by the fae, and she knew she would do anything to get her back. Even though she had to ask for help within the Folk, which she never wanted to visit again after her first encounter.

A huge part for me liking this novel have been the characters. Yes, they were not perfect, but they still have a lot of room to improve, which makes me long for the sequel. Next to our heroine Faye and her little weird, in a cute way, Ellie, we have Gage. He seems to be the villain at first, but turns out he is just a lone fighter with a dark side and a pure, loyal heart. For the most part, Isla seemed rather pale and listless to me, though her loyalty to her chivalric task was deeply rooted in her. Unlike Isla, Kellan was just a bit too much for me. Too much flirting, too much sweet talk and a tad too much arrogance. I rolled my eyes at him once too many times, and in the end his fate didn’t exactly surprise me either. It is well known that pride always comes before a fall. But his character was needed and fitted perfectly into the plot. While the Seelie are seen as the good fae, with Soliel I quickly realized what a fake little snake in the grass she really is and that her court must be dripping with intrigue. I’m excited to see which of her plans, which she’s guaranteed to be planning, will be uncovered in the second book.

Now that I’ve found enough of the good words for this novel, let’s talk about some negative points.
It wasn’t always clear to me in which periods the plot was taking place. It was once said that Faye had been at Unseelie court for weeks, but those weeks were not apparent. Reading it felt more like just a few days. The timeline was just too imprecise.

And then there was this love triangle, which Kellan expanded into a square in part. This was just a bit too much for me. Which probably also has to do with the missing or rather misleading times of the plot. As a result, Faye threw himself on Isla and Gage emotionally too quickly. Because Isla looked so pale to me, my love interest for the brooding dark Gage was far more developed.

Bottom Line

Of Beast and Burden is a really promising first volume of a new fantasy series penned by Kelsey Kicklighter. With magic rendered impressively, emotions so pure and twists towards the end that couldn’t be more surprising, this is an absolute must-read for any fantasy fan.

Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
Writing Style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5


I would like to thank Independent Publishers Group, The Parliament House and NetGalley for providing an ARC copy of this novel.

This review was first published at theartofreading.de.

Raise your hand if you're also a fan of normal girls getting stolen away by the Fae and then finding out they're actually royalty. Everyone's hands are raised, right? Of Beast and Burden was a delightful debut novel and the start of what I can tell will be a great new fantasy series. The author wrote a relatable, funny, bad-at-a-lot-of-things heroine, which I loved. My one complaint with this book would be that things felt told to me rather than experienced..I wish the author would have included some additional details at places, and fewer at others. This book would be perfect for fans of love triangles, human-world girls who find themselves in the world of the fae, and hot unseelie kings who may or may not be involved in aforementioned love triangles.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the eARC copy of this book.

This debut tale by author Kelsey Kicklighter is not exactly original, but very enjoyable all the same. It has some of my favorite fantasy elements - fae, magic, lost princess, a crown to reclaim and of course some romance! I think the world building and character development will continue on in the next installment and hopefully be a more fleshed out. In the meantime, anyone looking for an enjoyable, quick and easy read - here you go!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author, Kelsey Kicklighter, for providing a copy of Of Beast and Burden (Hollow and Hill book 1). I have reviewed honestly.

Of Beast and Burden features, but is not limited to, the following themes:
○ YA fantasy
○ Fae
○ Royalty
○ Magic
○ Trials/challanges
○ Love Triangle
○ Bisexual MC

My overall rating for Of Beasts and Burden is...

4 Stars

What an intriguing little tale! Though slow to start, this book was made up of puzzle pieces I didn't even know I was searching for! I loved the touch of pride the author gave us with the MC being bisexual, as well as that tantalising love triangle involving both male and female characters! (Here's to hoping the author gives us a why choose ending to the series!) The faerie world was... typical, though did have some unique qualities. The trials at the end were dangerously fun (for the reader anyhow.) Overall, an enjoyable faery adventure

This was exactly what I needed and perfect for those who love all of the world building like ACOTAR. I was so engrossed by everything happening in this book. It did start off FAST and I would've liked it to be a little bit more slow with a little bit more background/introduction, but with it starting so fast, it kept me hooked from the beginning. The ending was a major cliffhanger-actually even more like you think there should be more pages but it just suddenly ends. I will be anxiously awaiting the next one!

Fae and changelings me-oh-my!! What a wonderful and imaginative story this treasure of a book was!!! READ IT!!!

Of Beast and Burden was a very pleasant surprise, a quick read that flowed smoothly, allowing me to binge it in a couple of days. Being a debut novel, I didn't expect it to be this good! It reminds me a lot of The Cruel Prince.

The story isn't original whatsoever, and a couple of plot twists are very predictable, but I think the author deserves merit for making a rather unoriginal story enjoyable and fun. I also appreciated immensely her research on Celtic mythology, and all the references to old Faerie myths, like the Thuata Da'Naan.

The main character is the typical YA heroine who acts like the teenager that she is, verbally fighting centuries-old men like it's no big deal, like they couldn't kill her in 2 seconds if they wanted to, but to be honest I didn't mind it too much. I actually loved the secondary characters, especially Gage and Kellan! And while I appreciated the bi-rep a lot, I didn't like how Faye kept going from one person to the other, without any respect for their feelings.

The ending was predictable and at the same time it was not, and I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading the sequel!

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚, 𝐅𝐚𝐲𝐞. 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐭𝐨𝐨. 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫. 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝. 𝐒𝐨, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫.” 𝐀 𝐩𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬. 𝐇𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞. “𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭?”


This is a wonderful debut. It's exactly what a reader should expect from a young adult fantasy. The world building and character development is strong, as is the plot. I found the storyline to have enough clever differences that it didn't mimic others. This book is a great start to what I hope will be a fun series with multiple entries. There are faeries, monsters, secrets and twists galore. It's very fun.

I think this story was moving a bit too fast for me to really get into it. I think, too, that because of the pacing the worldbuilding lacked a bit of necessary depth and description. I know that this story was about fae and faerie, but I was hoping for a little something special in this book to really make it stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately, this was just a sort of generic tropey fantasy YA about fae. That combined with the bland characters, lack of world building, and unhelpful pacing just left me really unsatisfied with this book. The writing style itself wasn't that bad, though, so I'd love to try out something else by this author. This just wasn't for me!
Also, TW for sexual assault. The MC gets tricked into having sex with someone else--tricky fae or not that is still literally assault, so heads up if you don't want to read that sort of thing.