I was pretty shocked at how quickly the story revealed Faye's parentage and the world of Faerie in general. I found the world-building to be lacking, and the characters to be bland. The lore in general offered nothing new and fed into the typical fey tropes seen in YA. Very little "showing" and too much explanation. I wanted to love this book, but I found myself beyond bored.

I was so excited to get this!! The story really makes you feel the danger of the Fae world and it’s tricks and it definitely had me watching Faye’s back to make sure she survives lol. I’ve never watch the Labyrinth and LOVED how the author blends the myth of the Goblin King with just the right amount of magic and romance.

If you are a fan of fae in your romance books, this will likely be an ace for you. It follows most of the fae in the human world tropes, while also managing to not feel cookie cutter. The romance is easily set up from the start between the main characters and they have a decent bit of chemistry. It is a slowish burn with a lot of tension in between.

Now onto the things that left me feeling very lackluster about this book.

1. There is a sexual assault scene smack dab in the middle with the MC getting tricked into having sex with someone else. While I get that fae can be dubious like that, it was jarring and I had to put the book down for a few days before I felt better going back to it. It is very much a situation where I wish there had been any sort of content warning to give me a heads up that this was something I would encounter.

2. The 'final battle' aspect of the storyline felt absolutely rushed. Half the lead-up was fast-forwarded through so it seems like a chunk of the story is kind of missing from the middle. Also, the battle itself was only like...maybe two pages at most so it just felt lackluster.

I am not sure if I will go back to continue the series.

Right from the start you’re immediately pulled into the story and the plot line seamlessly flows. You feel almost like a normal citizen in the human realm at first with only a slight understanding of what the folk are and what they want. We learn as quickly as Faye once she is immersed with them. I loved the story and all the little details and characters. I just wish the love interests had been more explored this book, but it looks like that’ll be further in the series. Overall would definitely recommend for a good fantasy read that doesn’t bog you down too much with world building or love, it’s a good balance.

I am sorry but I tried I really tried to see this through but I skimmed through the last 40% of this book because it was painful. I guess having read all sorts of fantasy books with faeries and lost prince/princess have numbed me to the same kind of plot with similar tropes and dynamics. This book had nothing unique about it.

I guess the author tried to make their characters interesting or three dimensional but no matter what almost all of them fell flat. Plus I think the writing could have been better. I found the main character very warm tho and the obvious human kindness she possessed was something I liked about her. Isla and Gage were interesting characters and very different from each other. But my favorite had to be Kellan. He was just so easy to like with his little flirtations. And well until the ending… I mean I did not see it coming. It rather seemed too hasty and I couldn’t find a valid reason as to WHY whatever happened, happened.

The one thing I absolutely loved was that the main character was bisexual. As a bisexual myself I really felt warm. Other than that,,, yeah sorry.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a fresh take on old school Fae/Folk Lore, I also enjoyed that the characters each seemed to be fully developed in respect to their personalities. I absolutely loved that the MC had a female love interest and a male love interest. I LOVE love triangles. Will they, won’t they and which one really kept my interest! Can’t wait to read the next one!

I really wanted to love Of Beast and Burden. The cover is lovely and I'm a sucker for an "Of Blank and Blank" fantasy. Unfortunately, the cover is largely where the appeal ends for me with this one.

I found Faye to be a rather foolish character, floating from attraction to attraction with very little real connection. She swoons over characters who literally lay their nefarious personalities bare in front of her. Faye seems to forgive every misdeed at the blink of a handsome eye. She runs headlong into every situation, either not thinking it through or willfull ignoring the inner voice saying "Hey, this is a bad idea." For me, she was infuriating to read in moments.

The faerie/fae lore is fine, nothing new or particularly exciting. The plot is pretty uninspired in terms of YA and NA fantasy: The protagonist grows up in a world she didn't fit into, longs/dreams/feels like there was a different world she was meant to be in, protagonist inherits/discovers power or skill that she is almost immediately extra great as, meanwhile she has two distinct but equally swoonworthy guys to choose from (granted Faye has a third, female love interest, but this makes her seem more indecisive than open or progressive to flit from love interest to love interest to love interest.) On the whole, the plot moved too fast with no real ebb and flow, not enough time spent digging into any particular moment or feeling. It felt hollow.

OFAB ends with a twist that I appreciate and left me wanting more for a minute. But with some distance from this first book, I don't feel any real urge to go further with the series.

Of Beast and Burden follows Faye, an 18 year old from Georgia, as she crossed the veil to the Unseelie Court to find her friend. She learns she’s half-fae with a big future ahead of her.

The cover is beautiful and eye catching. It’s the biggest reason I requested the title.

Everything happens very quickly. There isn’t much intro before we’re thrown into the story, especially with Gran. I like that we learn more along. It helps the story move along quickly, but can get a little confusing in development.

Very YA in the writing. Simple in a way that feels like a teenage girl is narrating. Faye’s biggest challenge before this was her SATs, and you can tell how upside down her world is. It makes the ending more exciting and surprising.

World building is good. Felt fantastical and magical, well though out. I love the details to sidhe and Celtic mythology.

I love Faye being bisexual, but her love interest isn’t totally defined because she has a stronger connection to Isla, but more romance to Gage.

The characters were all individual, and each one contributed well to story. I loved all their interactions and how they developed through the book.

Overall it was a good and exciting debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2.

Thanks Netgalley and Parliament House for an ARC of this book. All opinions are honest and my own.

* Received a copy for review.*.
I keep coming back to YA fantasy, hoping to find those stories that convinced me I loved fantasy in the first place. However, I keep being disappointed.
This book will work for a lot of people. The characters are solid but, fir me, there were more elements that didn’t work.
1. The dreaded triangle with a potential throuple. I love a triad but I don’t need it in every book. It seems to be the “thing” right now.
2. The heroine uses a friend as an excuse to behave in a “reckless” way and then is boring when that friend is not present.
3. Too much telling and not enough showing.
The series has potential but I am fairly certain it’s not for me.

I really enjoyed this fast paced, whimsical book! Faye was a likable main character who wasn’t the typical “chosen one.” She knows nothing about being Fae or a queen but accepts her fate to save her family. I feel like there were a good bit of questions unanswered and things I didn’t quite understand, so I hope we get more answers in the next book! There were multiple potential love interests, but Gage was definitely my favorite. I love his broody but kind personality, and I hope we see more of Faye and Gage in the next book! I did like the other characters too, and the ending was a little sad..but I’m excited to see what happens next!

Every once in a while I stumble upon a book that just gets me. Gets the inner desires to be whisked away into a fairyland full of darkness and wonder. This was one such book. I requested this book, as I do often, solely based on the cover. Let me tell you I was not disappointed.

To me Of Beasts and Burdens had a mixed bag of things that I have seen and loved in other fantasy novels and thrown into one delicious stew, while still coming across genuine. You can definitely feel the love and attention to detail that was put into crafting not only the world but the characters as well. The world building was fantastic, I loved the overlapping realms and how inner twined things were. The characters were special. I really enjoyed the main character Faye and found myself really rooting for her. The two men that dominate the story were both solid and even tho I was totally enthralled by Gage I did find myself smiling at the dialog between Faye and Kellan. I was also equally intrigued by Isla, and am excited to see her character progress in the next book. Which by the way I will be on pins and needles waiting for because the ending is ……. Wow.

Sometimes you think you have read it all in a certain genre and then you come across a book with a fresh twist on the genre. I adored Of Beast and Burden. It's an entertaining read with interesting and likeable characters. The idea how the faerie world mixed with the modern human world was very orginal. Highly recommended!

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thoughts
Congratulations on this debut novel by Kelsey Kicklighter! What a promising start to a new
series about a human girl with a hidden birthright.
Faye has always had an attraction to the Fae realm, growing up with stories and lore about the
Fae warned about their unsavory ways and always told to be careful. Little did she know, she was half-Fae and a long-lost Fae princess.
This book was filled with all the premises for a promising journey into the Unseelie and Seelie court politics, coming into the MC's power, and the discovery of a life and world hidden beyond our own.
And that ending, what a cliffhanger!!

Read this book if you love:
Bi rep
Changelings
Grumpy/Sunshine trope
Love triangles
Discovery of hidden powers
Fae in general
Lost princesses

This was a solid YA fantasy read! I enjoyed it, and really liked the ending. It was a fast paced and entertaining plot, with a little twist at the end. Would definitely recommend to those who like a softer fantasy read! Thank you to Independent Publishers group and Netgalley for this ebook in exchange of my honest review.

The beautiful cover was what made me want to read this book. Now that I have, I'm at a bit of an impasse. First books are usually the world building books, and while that did happen, I felt like there was so much left out. Maybe that's intentional with the likelihood this will be a series, but it felt like things were missing.

A fae girl with a human heart. A Seelie Queen with a penchant for stealing mortals. And an Unseelie King who must surrender his throne. On the coast of Georgia rests a small town where faeries still take changelings. Faye lost her mother to the Folk but has spent her whole life longing for a glimpse behind the veil.

When Faye finally finds her way in, she also discovers why the dark and alluring world of the Folk has always called to her: she's half faerie, and heiress to the Dark Court's throne.

When the rival court steals her best friend, Faye must claim the crown to save her. That means learning how to use her glamour so she can face three deadly trials and ensuring she doesn’t fall for the dark. brooding king she's meant to replace...or the nymph-turned-knight teaching her to fight.

i love books that have faes in it.

mix of acotar and the cruel prince. fantasy book fae court politics, love triangle, lgbqt representation, she is also bisexual.

works building could’ve been more but enjoyable read.

i received this arc and this is my voluntary review.

Where do I start - this book is basically ACOTAR meets The Cruel Prince. If you enjoyed both of them, you're bond to enjoy this as well. The story follows Faye, the (unknowing) heir to the Unseelie Crown. It has all your typical Fae Tropes - True Names, Changelings, Trial/Contest, Badass Female MC. I love Faye's character and her bond with Ellie, her sister.
She is also bisexual, so there's less of a love triangle and more of a love square situation going on here. That's one aspect I really enjoyed in the romance - I finished the entire first book and I still don't know who the love interest is. The banter and dynamic between our characters is going to keep you guessing till the end.
Coming to what I didn't enjoy as much - the pacing felt a little off at places. The beginning seemed quite slow with not as much happening and then we had a lot going on in the end but it was finished quite abruptly and not explained enough. I also felt like there were certain things that were too similar to ACOTAR for my liking, like the house. (No spoilers here)
Overall, it was an entertaining read. I'll definitely be checking out the next book when it comes out!

The writing is lovely and I enjoyed the world building, but since I had high expectations after seeing this is for SJM and Holly Black fans, I was kind of disappointed.

This book has a similar premise, but even though I began to feel very connected to the writing, I had no connection with the characters or the plot. The story is very repetitive with no twists or conflicts that made me even slightly interested, and that's after reading 70% of the book. Everything revolves around explaining the fae world and the character enjoying royalty, but I feel like nothing else happened after that even though I am close to finishing. But since I thought that it had a very creative, descriptive and poetic writing, I raised my rating to 3 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 DNF

I’m giving the book 3 stars for the benefit of the doubt even though I ultimately DNF the book.

I had high hopes for this book. It was promoted to me as “For fans of SJM and Holly Black”, and that had me hooked. Although, for me this book wasn’t it. The book started off a little slow and it just wasn’t capturing my interest. Though I pushed through, it felt too forced for me to fully enjoy.

Overall, I couldn’t get into the story and I really couldn’t care for the characters. I might go back later if I ever get a physical copy and try to push through.

I loved this story! I feel like it was a fresh take on all the things I love about fantasy with a main character who’s not annoying and is BI!! I solid 4 stars for me !!! I wish there was just a bit more tension between the characters though.