I literally just finished this. It is 6am and your girl is going to have a massive book hangover over this cliffhanger of an ending… phenomenal.

I have no more words. I loved this book. Thank you. Bye.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Realm of Lore and Lies follows several characters, many on a quest to solve a crime. Aisling is an archeology student who works in a cafe. When she ran away from home 7 years prior, Mary and Dom took her in. Aisling is from a Fianna clan. She is able to see the fairy folk no matter what disguise they take. Her brother keeps in touch with her but her mother and the rest of the clan do not. At the beginning of the book, all of the letters from her brother that were kept in her bag were stolen. She would eventually be led to them which would then lead her to the apparent scene of a murder that didn’t add up at all.

Tiernan was part of a different clan but joined the same one as Aisling a month after she left. His mother is also missing and Aisling’s mother said she was trying to find her.

The book is one of both mystery ,and mythology.

In all honesty, I didn’t love this book. That doesn’t mean that someone else won’t love it. I am positive many people will. But it just wasn’t for me. I don’t like the character perspective chapter set up. It didn’t work for me. I also didn’t quite understand how Aisling acted a certain way, and then just a few pages later she acted completely out of character. There were characters that weren’t well developed and then there were characters that were too far explained.

I did enjoy some of the suspense, mythology, and cliff hanger.

All things considered, I’d give this a 3/5.

Realm of Lore & Lies had me hooked. I love the multiple POVs, the world building, and the depth of the characters. My only complaint is that I want more!

Before I start my review I just want to say I’m a person who generally writes what I don’t like about a book and let people decide if they can look past those or not. I am 100% sure the author Claire Wright put all of her time and heart into this book and I thank her for that. It is rare these days that I see author’s who write because they do love writing, Claire is one of them. Her attention to detail, her research, and general admiration for her characters and the world she created shine through the pages. So I encourage you to give this book a chance even though I ended up not liking it as much as I thought I would. This book didn’t work for me but I am sure it will work for most. I again, thank Claire for writing this. Now…

<b>IT’S TIME FOR THE MEAN PART OF MY REVIEW!</b>
*Cue the applause*

So what I didn’t like about this book… Let’s start with my arch-nemesis who made an appearance in this book: insta-love. For the sake of keeping this review spoiler free, I won’t tell the <i>certain couple’s</i> names here but that won’t stop me from ranting about it. You guys have only known each other properly for what? 5 days? GET A GRIP. Anyway.

Looking at my notes, it is really hard to write this review without giving much away but I’ll just say some of Ash's actions do not add up with her personality and what she said or thought a few pages back. She changes her mind quicker than the song <i>Hot n’ Cold by Katta Perry.</i> Her reactions actually made my head spin. If I had that weird <i>emotion-reading power</i> like some of the characters in this book, I’d feel high AF whenever I was with her.

Speaking of, the people in this book started randomly getting that rare and <u>important</u> emotion reading power which did not add anything to the plot. That power was as rare as Sarah J. Maas’s <i>mates.</i> You are told that they are extraordinary and very special and then BOOM. You run into five thousand of them.

As I mentioned earlier in my review, I do take notes when I’m reading a book. When I look back on those notes, I can tell I was bored but didn’t want to admit it because I was just fascinated with the book. Let me give you an example: <i>“I was posting an update on GoodReads when I noticed nothing significant happens till the 50% mark. I wasn't bored or anything, it just felt dull. The book started fast and exciting just to crash everything to the ground instead of climbing up.”</i> This might sound like a diary entry but it’s true. Plus none can explain me better than myself so, here’s another one: <i>“No but I'm at 70%, and still nothing happened? No news on the murder-mystery part and no news on the big approaching fight part. Nothing. Nada. Why am I even reading this again?”</I>

<u>Now this portion will involve minor spoilers. If you decide to read it it’s on you. It won’t spoil the book for you but I don’t wanna get gunned down just because someone thought it was a big thing.</u>

<i>“Oh but Cyra, you said this review would be spoiler free!”</i> STFU dipshit, mama has to talk about <I>this.</i>

So, Set has this weird power that came straight from an episode of <I>Supernatural.</i> He randomly turns into a demonic monster. (You find out about this bit on his first POV so that’s not really a spoiler anyway.) And it is kept a secret because why wouldn't it be? His mother even designed a secret dungeon just for him and his Hannah Montana persona to come out and have time to heal afterward. Again, and I can’t stress this enough, he turns into a monster <b>RANDOMLY.</b> So tell me why on earth would his mother decide to bring him to Cath, which is like a big tournament that everybody attends, WHERE HE CAN TURN AND POSSIBLY KILL SOMEONE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT? OR GET HIMSELF KILLED FOR BEING A WEREWOLF-Y MONSTER? Even if he somehow magically stops himself without killing anyone, someone can still find out about it? THEN WHAT? I never read about ONE GOOD MOTHER whose name was <i>Imogen</i> and this one wasn’t an exception.

<b>END OF NOT MUCH OF A SPOILER-SPOILER.</b>

So if you have read this far, you deserve to know about Maebeth. She is a bisexual with mommy issues. Mae alone is a very good reason to read this book. There is a scene at the beginning where she is having a crisis and screaming “I am just as golden, just as worthy.” while beating up her own brother. She is giving <i>Marvel Loki</i> energy and I’M HERE FOR IT. Speaking of Marvel, this book can be counted as a Dr. Banner and Natasha fanfiction. (You’ll understand this joke once you read this book… And if you’re familiar with Marvel… And its characters… Okay you probably won’t get this joke but I found it funny so I’m gonna keep it, thanks.)

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was not prepared for how much I was going to love this book. Full of Irish lore, a group of misfits, unexpected twists and turns, and some incredible world building. I'm a big fan of magical quests, found family, slow burn romances, and murder mysteries. The ending destroyed me and I cannot wait to read book two!

Thank you Claire & NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to enjoy this as the premise sounded super promising, but ultimately I was left wanting more from both the characters and the plot itself.

First off, thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinion are my own.

Going into this book, I already knew I'd be biased towards liking it just because of it's location and the fact that it was high fantasy. However, since it's a debut novel from this author, I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. It had absolutely everything that I require from a fantasy novel! 10/10 recommend. An amazing start to a series and a great debut for the author. It ended with me feeling exactly as I should've: overwhelmed with many questions, predictions, and wanting to know what happens next. There's a lot of world building, different species of fae and other mythical creatures, a pronunciation guide at the end (which I really appreciated), and many familiar and unfamiliar legends. I simply cannot talk about the characters without wanting to get into spoilers so just know that at the end, the author made me laugh, cry, and root for each main one! Aisling, Tiernan, and Set were my absolute favorite characters! The levels of sympathy I have for them is off the charts, and that's all I'll say on that.

My favorite thing about this book was the world-building and LORE!!! It might seem obvious that there would be lore in this book, especially in a fantasy book, but I've had my fair share of disappointments in the past. The author does a great job on building on Irish lore and myths. It's noticeable the amount of research that had to be done for this. As someone who has always loved Irish mythology, this fed a deep part of my soul. Very rarely do we get a book so heavily focused on one specific countries mythology and that delves so deeply into it.

My main issue with it was the pacing at times, and the lack of depth into some of the main characters. It's difficult to start a series with four different main povs and keeping the reader engaged with each one. By the end of it, I was fully invested in each character, but I did struggle a bit in the beginning with that. While I liked the characters, I don't feel like I know them that well yet. I didn't get that feeling of attachment until about halfway through the book. I do think this is something that is easily fixable considering this book is also meant to be the first in a series. It definitely reads like the first in a long fantasy series.

I cannot wait for the following book in the series, and it will require an exorbitant amount of willpower to not purchase a physical copy of this book, since the ARC I received was an ebook. I have full faith that this is one of those series that will stick with me as it continues.

3.5 (rounding to 4) stars
I really enjoyed this book and the lore involved. It is written with switching viewpoints of four main characters. There's a lot of action going on along with solving a murder of a matriarch. I'm excited for book 2.

Thank you netgalley for an eARC copy of this title.

A fantasy novel surrounding Irish Mythology? I’ll read it.

I was pleasantly surprised by this page-turner. While the first few chapters read a bit slow, as the world and characters were being established, it was quick to pick up. Definitely a read that won’t let you stop till 3am, so make sure you can sleep in the next day.

I typically do not like multi-POV books, as it is nearly impossible to make each character equally compelling. Claire Wright proved me wrong. I was heavily invested in each of the four leads and did not feel annoyed when flipping the page over to find another character’s chapter. That said, Tiernan definitely was my favorite character. As a computer science major, I am a sucker for a tech genius.

Action-packed, incredible world building and lovable characters. I would totally recommend Realm of Lore and Lies to a friend. Especially if visiting Ireland is on your bucket list.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh I really liked this one!
Fantasy meets mystery, my favourite combo. It features strong characters with lots of personality and great banter. I really enjoyed how the plot developed and the twists and turns it took. Loved the gang that forms, with Tiernan being my favourite character (such a loyal one ❤️).
Loved the concept and cannot wait to see what happens next in the Fair Ones series. By the end I was completely hooked and MUST know what happens next! An easy and enjoyable read about a girl discovering where she fits amongst 2 worlds and a whole lot of magic. Thank you to Netgalley, Claire Wright & the publishers for an ARC ebook of this in exchange for a review.
It’s out OCT 3rd, put it on your wish lists!
🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book was fantastic. It has fantasy mixed with a murder mystery, a real setting of Ireland plus two romance sub-plots. It is jam packed with fae lore, monsters, strong characters and a found family.

I think this might actually be one of my favourite (if not the favourite) fae book I've ever read. The murder mystery element to it really draws you in. There aren't heavy lore dumps as it's really worked into the story.

And that ending!! I can't wait for the next book to continue reading this fantastic story.

Claire Wrights book Realm of Lore and Lies is an incredible story.

The story follows Ash, an archeologist, who comes from a clan of travelers. After the murder of the clan leader, her mother, Ash must face her past. Ash is persuaded to take on the role of Clan leader while finding the killer, but that is easier said than done once you've made the decision leave the clan behind seven years ago.

It's a mix of fantasy, mystery, romance with some Irish history. The beginning of the story took some time to get into/past, but once that happened, I found myself become fully invested in the story and characters. I was intrigued by the Irish lore and how detailed the Author took the story. My only issue with the story is the number of characters that are thrown at us, it almost felt a little too much at times.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, from Ash leading her clan after the death of her mother to having to take on the lead role in a clan she left 7 years before. I loved how in this world the faerie people are of the human realm but treated as outsiders, I'm really looking forward to the other books in the series exploring these relationships to the views of the human realm

At times it took me a bit to understand the worldbuilding as we have multiple realms, the human realm and the fae realm. I especially loved the Irish names and folklore as for me, it really brought the story alive for me and pulled me right in.

The death of Tiernan broke my heart, especially since it was all orchestrated by Eithe, and that ending cliffhanger, OMG. give me book 2 now. Maebh and Set are adorable and I'm really looking forward to their powers being explored more as they possess things that other people in their clans don't.

This book is incredibly enjoyable. I didn’t have any expectations going in. I only knew it was a fantasy set in Ireland.

I really loved the blend of murder mystery, fantasy, mythology and romance in this book. I don’t know much about Irish history or mythology, but despite this I never felt lost or confused about what was happening. After things fell into place at the beginning I really got invested in the story quite quickly, and stayed intrigued all the way through.

The characters in this one were also really captivating. I loved Tiernan, Maebh and Set the most. One of my improvements would be that I did find the main character, Ash, a bit bland to start with. I enjoyed her POV’s in the second half of the book a lot more when she started standing her ground and finding her strength. Perhaps this was due to me finding my feet in the story at the beginning, but I always felt myself more drawn to the side characters. All the side characters were really unique and had compelling stories of their own, and great dynamics with the each other.

I enjoyed the humour and all the small characters moments thrown in, such as the tattoo scene and the under the stars scene. There was a good balance between character and plot.

I enjoyed the slow burn romances in this one a lot too. They are very slow, but I’m so keen to see where things go.

All in all, I really loved this read. I did find Ash wasn’t my favourite character but that’s not to see I didn’t like her growth and where her character got to by the end. Overall this was a pretty minor gripe I had, and otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I need book two… asap!

Realm of Lore and Lies hit the spot for me this week, I'm so glad I came across this adventurous story.

It is about a budding archeologist in her mid-twenties named Ash who comes from a clan of travelers. Upon the murder of her mother, the leader of the clan, she is forced to awkwardly face her former life that she left behind seven years prior. Persuaded to find her mother's killer she agrees to accept the role as the clan leader, but she is met with hostility and rebellion. Connected by strange murders and disappearances of other leaders, Ash sets on a journey with new friends to solve the mysteries and claim her right as clan leader. As she slowly discovers each mystery, can she make it past all the details that made her run seven years ago, or will she stop struggling and finally accept it ?

One of the reasons I kept coming back for more of this story was how carefully detailed the author wrote in the Irish lore. We get all kinds of creatures and places; I really enjoyed her world building.

In this book we get multiple points of view, normally I'm not a fan of it being this many but it seemed to flow pretty well. My only complaint would be that we were introduced to too many characters too fast. Many of the recurring characters have had pasts with others or were relatives and I couldn't keep up with it very well. It took me the entire book to stop getting certain characters mixed up.

For some reason I kept getting bored in the middle of the book, the anticipation was building the entire time and the last leg of it fell flat for me.

Even though I had a hard time with that many points of view I really did enjoy each character. Set and Tiernan were my favorites. To me the dynamic between Ash and Mae reminded me a bit of Bryce and Danika from Crescent City. I did enjoy the story line as well.

We aren't left with any unforgivable cliffhangers but that epilogue...has me waiting for book two eagerly. Well done on your debut title Claire Wright !

soooooo
This book was good
Like really really good.

I loved the story building, the magic used and the supernatural aspects. Gorgeous book

Would recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc copy.

I was intrigued by the premise of this story but unfortunately I couldn't get into it. Thank you for the opportunity.

Such a fun, easy fantasy story! Consumable and quick, I found myself generally enjoying curling up and finishing this in one sitting.

this was a gleeful read. i had an arc from netgalley, and as usual i went in blind with no expectations and honestly i was not disappointed. Ash is a pillar for real i love her so so much. and the twins. i haven't read alot of fantasy this year and maybe this is a nice reintroduction into the world

Personally did not find the book as good as I had hoped to find it. I think the beginning was quite hard to get into and all the POVs were confusing at times. Even the initial worldbuilding was very chaotic and all over the place. The overall writing was good but something about the novel was not hitting the mark for me. I don't think it is terrible but just not to my taste.