I thoroughly enjoyed this read! I thought it was a great start to a new fantasy series and I’m excited for the follow up! Veyka was different type of heroine for me and I liked it. She was multilayered as was the main male character, Arran. I enjoyed getting to know both characters as well as the development of their relationship. I also thought the author did a great job with the world building. I look forward to seeing what’s next for Arran and Veyka! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC that I received in exchange for my honest review! 😊

4.5/5 Stars

👑 Crown of Earth and Sky 👑

I want to lead this off by saying that this book surprised me in a very positive way! I went into it expecting something that was focused on steamy scenes without giving enough attention to the world. WELL, I promise that is far from what Crown Of Earth and Sky has to offer.

With Throne of Air and Darkness to be released in December 2023, this is a great fantasy read for adults that enjoy fae/shifter romance, court intrigue, and Sarah J. Maas worldbuilding.

Main Characters:
Veyka is powerless. She has been told this since birth, then locked away by her mother and dealt physical, sexual, and emotional abuse until the death of her father. With his death, Veyka's twin brother, Arthur, becomes King. Even with her newfound freedom, Veyka is still haunted by the trauma of her childhood and the damage is too deep for her to escape on her own.

Arran is a 300+ year old terrestrial fae commander. When he is selected as Heir of the terrestrials and must Join with Veyka, Arran is thrust into the world of court politics with the elemental fae that he must one day rule.

My Thoughts:
Crown of Earth and Sky deals with some extreme themes that may be difficult for some readers. There are descriptions of child abuse, noncon, and suicidal ideation. The last one is most prevalent throughout the novel. Please keep that in mind before reading this novel! Your mental health should always be your #1 priority!

Emberly Ash did a fantastic job of putting a twist on the tale of King Arthur. The elements of the holy grail and knights of the round table are present, but do not overwhelm the other facets of this story. The relationship between Veyka and Arran is believable, and the pain that Veyka suffers cuts deep. I was in tears at multiple points because I have felt the loneliness that Veyka deals with, and I know how difficult it can be to believe that our lives are worth living.

This book toes the line perfectly between 🗡Fantasy🗡 and
🌶Romantasy🌶. We get all the world building and pain of Fantasy with a delightful amount of spicy scenes.

I also love that the mention of 🍑 play (if you know what I mean) wasn't just a thought and then never mentioned again, like a ton of romance/romantasy novels will do. There is no need to mention booty play if you aren't going to actually go there, so thank you for actually committing to it!!

Overall, I cannot wait to grab the sequel when it comes out at the end of 2023! There are so many unanswered questions and plenty of room for theorizing.

On the evening that King Arthur is meeting with the terrestrials to continue their peaceful relations, Arthur is suddenly killed by humans. This leaves his twin sister Veyka as the new Queen of the Elemental Fae and is now the one who must marry the next heir for the terrestrials to keep the peace. However, Veyka has other plans, such as revenge on those who murdered her brother.

I wanted to like this book, but it fell severely short for me unfortunately.

What I liked is the world. It’s a vast world with the Fae and terrestrials(who I guess are Fae also, but can be shifters or have flora magic?). I liked the little references to King Arthur and those from his story. The start of the book is very good and books you in at first, which is always a good thing when starting a new book. There was a twist towards the end that I liked, but nothing really came of it, which was disappointing.

That’s basically all I really enjoyed about the book. The only plot was Veyka wants revenge and that she has to marry Arran to keep the peace and that’s about all I got from the plot and this is not a short book.

I primarily did not enjoy this book because of Veyka. She is grieving and does seem to be suffering from a form of depression, however, she was not a likable character, she had no redeeming qualities in my eyes, and the way she acted and the decisions she made could not justify the reason why. She’s a Queen. She has a kingdom to take care of, but all she thought about was revenge and herself. She took no interest in her kingdom and only wanted to find the traitor(s) within her own counsel and kingdom that had removed her brother. I get she wants revenge, but she could have gone about that a different way. She’s supposed to be 25 and she just acted petulant like a child and her answers were to drink or sleep around. And when she has a moment of clarity and realization that she does need to care more, the next page she’s thinking of drinking again to drown out how she’s feeling. The entire book I couldn’t bring myself to like her or care.

The toxicity in this book is astounding too. I know many will probably love the characters and the weird romance in here, but it was not for me. I was looking forward to this romance, but the romance did not appeal to me at all. The word hate, which is SUCH a strong word to use, is tossed around a lot in this book and I didn’t understand why everyone hated each other so much. Veyka hates Arran, but there’s no explanation why aside from maybe realizing how much more he cares about the people unlike herself, which hey, she can do something about it. Arran I could understand being angry and resentful towards Veyka and how she only cared about herself, but he also tossed the word hate around a lot and yet, wanted to sleep with her all the time. This romance and relationship was not a romance, it was just two people lusting after each other. It was just so toxic.

I know this book gives warning about darker elements in here, but there was nothing redeeming to me about those darker elements in this story. Veyka is selfish, petty and mean and Arran may have helped her start to climb out of the hole she dig for herself, but by the end of the book, it was too late for me. I just cannot bring myself to like this character which always makes it very hard to read a book when the main character or one of them is intolerable.

I really wanted to like this book, and I gave it a shot and read the whole thing hoping that I would like Veyka or just something that would help me like it more, but alas, that did not happen. I know many would love this book and the style, it just was not for me, though.

I received a free digital copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Crown of Earth and Sky is my favorite book I've read this month. It was such a amazing adventure the entire way through.
It has fae. It has an Arthurian vibes, but so completely unique. It has deceit and intrigue. It's spicy. I don't want to give away too much, because this book needs to be read!

The fae world of Annwyn is split into two sects, elementals and terrestrials.
Ancient traditions have been set in place by the Ancestors to keep the peace between both kinds of fae.
Annwyn is facing upheaval as something sinister is happening throughout the realm.
Veyka, an elemental princess, finds herself in a position of power.
A terrestrial, Arran, is brought together with Veyka to keep balance in their world. But as the strongest terrestrial fae in history, he has earned his name as the Brutal Prince.
They hate each other. But will the hatred last?
Can they put their differences aside for the good of Annwyn?
Or will the world collapse around them?

🧚‍♀️Fae Romantasy
👑Arthurian Vibes
🖤Enemies-to-lovers
👫Fated Mates
👑Found Family
🔥Spicy Fantasy

Crown of Earth and Sky has all these themes and more. I 100% recommend this book!

The trigger warnings are listed at the beginning of the book and I suggest reading them so you know what you're getting into.

Thank you soooo much to NetGalley and the author Emberly Ash for the chance to read this! All opinions are my own.

The transformation of Veyka as she sheds the titles of Princess of Peace and the Queen of Secrets.

Trust me when I say. . . I could not put this down and lost sleep because I would have rather continued the story than enter my own world of dreams. I loved the plot, the worldbuilding, the suspense, the tension, the dark pasts, the FMC--I could literally go on and on.

The only distracting point in the story that I struggled getting over were the intimate scenes. They were SO passionate which I have nothing against... I just couldn't connect with the characters because there was no emotional ammunition behind why they were like that. I get physical attraction but it felt lacking.

Otherwise, this was a really intriguing and fast read. Recommended for NA readers who love Arthurian-inspired stories and badass female leads with a very decent amount of spice. There is action, adventure, romance, found-family, and an unexpected cliffhanger.

An awesome fantasy read . I like to thank netgalley for the earc . The author is quite talented . I liked her writing style . The main character is Veyka . The story starts with her brother . He is killed and veyka now has to be the queen. But she wasn't ready to rule the kingdom. To maintain peace , she has to marry brutal prince . I didn't liked arran . Veyka had great character development. It's a dark romance . Definitely will recommend it

Veyka Pendragon spent the early years of her life hidden away by her mother. Abused by the people that should have protected her as they tried to release her power. When her brother, Arthur, is mysteriously murdered, Veyka must take the throne and discover the traitors hiding right in front of her face.

There are quite a lot of “Arthur” retellings in fantasy books and this was pretty loosely based in my opinion. There were some familiar names and a particular round table but there was also a lot of other story going on around that.

At the beginning I wasn’t that taken by Veyka’s character and, like Arran, I thought she was a bit mopey and not quite stabby enough for my tastes. I get it, her brother and only person she loved had their head cut off, but still… 😂 As we got further into the story some of her choices made a bit more sense and I liked her a bit more. Arran was a great bad guy that isn’t really a bad guy and I was wishing to see a bit more of his story come out, maybe in later books.

The book definitely left you with more questions than answers and finished on a bit of a cliffhanger. There were so many loose ends that weren’t tied up, so I’ll be looking out for the next instalment.

Thanks to #NetGallery and the publisher. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Romance/Fantasy
Format: Digital
POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Age suggestion: 18+

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
•Spice: 🌶️🌶️(.5)
•TW: violence, gore, torture, mutilation, rape (briefly mentioned/alluded to), child abuse, neglect, death of family members, murder
•Tropes: touch-her-and-💀, morally grey, who-hurt-you, enemies-to-lovers, arranged marriage, I’d-burn-the-world-for-her, retelling
•HEA? Nope, it’s a cliffy!
•Bonuses: sexually diverse, plus-sized heroine
•Angst level: 3.5/5

I was lucky enough to snag this ARC copy of an Arthurian retelling in exchange for an honest review. And if you’ve followed my page, then you know I’m honest (brutally so), so trust me when I tell you: this book is WORTH IT!

I’m a sucker for a good retelling of the Arthurian legends - I’ve read more than I can count, and BBC’s Merlin is one of my all time favorite shows. Going into this book I was hesitant (as I am with all ARCs), especially given how much I treasure the stories of Camelot. But I was not disappointed!

Veyka has always been the expendable child: the second twin who was never meant to be born, locked away so that her brother, Arthur, could become the King that was needed. Tortured by her mother, Veyka remained a prisoner until her father died, and Arthur was finally able to free her. But after a tragic betrayal, Veyka is left with the two things she never wanted -

The Crown, and the Kingdom.

She now must take Arthur’s place and be married off to a stranger to appease the Ancestors’ Treaty formed 7000 years ago, whilst the only thing weighing on her mind is avenging her brother’s death.

Enter Arran, The Brutal Prince, who is unimpressed and disgusted by this Queen and his future bride. And so ensues a story of enemies-to-lovers, brutal betrayals, plot twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and a retelling that will beg to be reread. Your only regret will be having to wait for book 2!

Recommended for 18+ due to TW

Firstly, thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Rating 3.5 stars

I liked this book and found it entertaining however it moved too slowly for me to rate it any higher. It ended in a cliffhanger so I will have to see if the second book can hook me a bit more!

*ARC Review*
Mythology retelling
Arranged marriage
Enemies to lovers
Touch her and die
Medium burn
Spice!

I cannot stress enough how much I LOVED devouring this book. This is a twisted retelling of of the Arthur legend, but with fae and spice. The world-building was perfect for what you'd expect of a high quality fantasy novel and the detailed descriptions of the characters and their surroundings was on point.

The FMC, Veyka, is a hidden anomaly in this fae realm. She holds secrets that could destroy her kingdom. She is also hellbent on revenge and has the skills to make it happen. Who doesn't love a BA FMC that can hold her own and destroy her enemies?? Though her revenge makes her slightly close-minded, I loved witnessing her character growth throughout the story.

The MCC, Arran, is Veyka's betrothed. He is the rumored brutal prince and lives up to his legendary name. Though brutal, he genuinely cares for his kingdom and wants to protect it at all costs. He is always trying to build Veyka up instead of tearing her down, it made my heart flutter. His insta-lust towards his curvy betrothed just makes him more attractive. This man might just end up replacing your current book boyfriend if you are into hotter than sin, protective, and morally gray males.

I will be recommending this book to everyone and counting down the days until the second book is released. There will be a review posted on my booksta, @lomantasy.

Thank you NetGalley and Emberly Ash for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow! This was BOOK WAS FANTASTIC! A King Arthur retelling set in a Fae & animal shifter fantasy world with a strong FMC and morally grey MMC. This is spicy enemies to lovers, trust issues, secrets, he falls first, lots of magic, world building, past trauma, and colorful side characters, which kept me hooked from page 1 and was so hard to put down. Read this in 2 days. Loved every minute of it and was totally thrown at that cliffhanger. Love a book that surprises me at the end like that. Can't wait for book 2.

If you're looking for a fantasy world with secrets, magic, and intrigue, this is the book for you! I really, really enjoyed this. The magic system was unique and really cool, as were the different races and areas of their world. I also really loved the connection to Arthurian legend, which is why I grabbed this one to be honest. I love anything to do with King Arthur, and I really enjoyed this version of it. Magic, shifters, and so many, many secrets. Strong female lead and a tall dark and handsome man who she doesn't need, but very much wants. I cannot wait for the next one, I need to know what happens next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
*ARC REVIEW*

This does include trigger warnings in the beginning of the book.

The character building, the world, the story line and the PLOT TWIST?? I haven’t read a book quite like this. For those who like a good mix of spice and story… this one is definitely for you! Diverse characters, morally grey male lead, touch her and you die, shifters, and thick badass female lead.
I can’t believe I have to wait until December for book two 😭😭

This was a good book. Good details I could easily understand the world the author created. It’s about two feys from enemy sides who have to wed, which is tradition. The story is told alternating between Veyka and Arran. I thought the story was very good- definitely a journey. A must read!

This is an Arthurian retelling with a spicy twist. You’ve got the knights (friends), the round table, and you’ve even got the sword, Excalibur. You’ll be following Yeyka Pendragon and Arran Earthborn through an unexpected arranged marriage. Both characters have trauma to work through, and have walls to break down.

“For the girls who were broken by those that should have protected them. For the women we were forced to become all too soon. May we all, finally, be free.”
(Dedication)

Arran and Yeyka have some tension, with a few great spicy scenes. The writing here was epic- “ My pussy clung to him, the wetness of my desire sliding down his cock, creating a loud sucking sound each time he pulled back and then thrust back in.” I heard this scene as I read it- great visual here.

A ton of foreshadowing and Easter eggs… BUT a huge plot twist at the end! I was not expecting it!! “I am sorry, Majesty. But your reign ends now.” MY HEART!!

Dual POV for MFC and MMC. These books are always interesting because as a reader you get a chance to dive into both characters minds.

Tropes:
-He fell first
-Dual POV
-One Bed
-Found Family
-Arranged Marriage
-Weakness and Strength
-Honor and Safety
-Secrets
-“MINE”

I really enjoyed this book. The author leaves you on a cliffhanger, but does a great job wrapping up the storylines so you’re not going into book two trying to remember what was happening. I gave this 4 stars because the first 15ish chapters are filled with world building and took me a few days to dive into. When I got to 35% of the way through, it became a page turner. I am excited for Book 2!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. This is an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

A story of loss and revenge. Veyka was content living in her twin brother King Arthur's shadow as a Princess until tragedy struck leaving Veyka lonely, hopeless, empty and out for revenge.

Thrust into a crown that she never wanted. Surrounded by a traitorous Royal Court whom she is convinced is responsible for murder and treason and now betrothed to the most powerful and deadly Fae known as the Brutal Prince. Veyka feels as if her world is spiraling out of control.

Veyka was exhausting and very annoying in my opinion. She loss her brother, friend, sparing partner and King all in a span of minutes. Yes, she was devastated but Veyka allowed her period of mourning turn into a period of selfishness. She couldn't see how her actions affected her Kingdom because she simply didn't care. Not to mention the secret she's been hiding since birth.

Arran Earthborn is known as the Brutal Prince and Veyka's betrothed. A union that has been forged in a treaty over a millennia ago to ensure the safety of both Kingdoms by uniting their kingdoms.

Veyka and Arran had a lot of growing pains. Arran resented Veyka for how she has turned her back on her kingdom and her refusal to serve as Queen as is her birthright. Arran on the other hand was ruthless and unyielding but he stepped up to the challenge of ruling by Veyka's side as well as trying to keep control of his inner beast.

This is a story of revenge but also of hope. It took Veyka learning the concerns of her citizens and opening her heart in order to understand the importance of her role as Queen and accepting Arran as King. Veyka realized she was not the only one who suffered when Arthur was taken from her but an entire kingdom has been in pain and unrest at the loss of their one true Ruler who actually cared.

Veyka has a choice to make. Continue with her plans for revenge or accepting the crown from the Royal Council she suspects is partially responsible for her brother's death.

Crown of Earth and Sky starts out strong, throwing the reader into the middle of the action. It has classic fantasy elements that are enjoyable to read, such as Elemental and Shifting Fae, and romance tropes such as forced proximity/arranged marriage. Despite the strong start though, the book seems to drag through the middle and is longer than it needs to be. I personally don't feel that the Arthurian retelling elements added much to the story, though others may disagree. It didn't detract from the story either, it was just kinda...there? The biggest issue for me, however, is that while the physical attraction between the main characters is thrown in our faces on almost every page, their relationship doesn't seem much deeper than that, and doesn't grow much toward the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Emberly Ash for the ARC!

Sometimes you know you're going to love a book before you even open it up, and that was exactly the case for me with Crown of Earth and Sky. Fae, fantasy, romance, mystery, prophecies, darkness and elements of Arthurian Legend? Check, check, check to all of it. The ingredients are beautifully woven together to create a fantastic story that kept my interest from start to finish.

The MFC, Veyka, is fierce but comes across at first as deeply flawed. As the story goes on however, we receive glimpses into her past which gives an understanding as to why she is the way she is. She grows significantly throughout the book, from a seemingly disinterested monarch who has been thrust onto the throne in the wake of her brother's death to a true Queen in her own right.

As for the MMC Arran, aka The Brutal Prince, he is a true King from the start. Despite having been handed the role just as unexpectedly as Veyka, he is immediately determined to do what is right for his new Kingdom. Just as fierce as Veyka, which is only to be expected from his moniker, his strength and power are clear to see from the start, as is his high regard for duty, which initially puts him at odds with his reluctant new Queen.

Complete with some great worldbuilding and a host of interesting side characters who I would love to know more about, including the would-be-Queen Gwen, I found this a fantastic start to a new series and I can't wait to read the sequel when that comes out.

Beautiful writing. This was such an interesting story. I loved that it was fast paced yet well written at the same time. Velka is such a strong MC with her flaws like anyone else which made her relatable. I enjoyed the growth of both characters and the LOVED the dual POV to get a deeper insight on both main characters. Great story!

Crown of Earth and Sky by Emberly Ash
Release Date: September 17th
5/5 Stars
Thank you NetGalley and Emberly Ash for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

I love any retelling of a classic story, whether it’s modern, alternate timeline, or in this case, a fantasy twist. This book is a retelling of the classic story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Veyka was not supposed to be the fae queen; her twin brother Arthur had spent his life preparing for the crown. When Arthur is suddenly murdered, Veyka has not choice but to rule Annwyn. To make matters worse, she must now marry Arran, the Brutal Prince. Together, they must, reluctantly, work together to find Arthur’s killer and bring the grieving and fractured fae kingdom together.

I devoured this book! The writing was incredibly well done, the plot was sharp, well done cliffhanger, and the love scenes….ultra steamy. Veyka and Arran’s story had me engrossed from the start. The one thing I didn’t like? That I have to wait until December for the next book!