Thanks to Hachette Audio for the gifted listening copy!

“You are all those things and more. You are dangerous and intoxicating. You are the darkness and the starlight shining within. You are whatever you wish yourself to be. Do not let anyone tell you what you are or what you are not.”

Fia is a changeling, swapped with a Queen's daughter at a young age and raised in the human world. As a woman, she is tasked with using a hidden gate to the fae realm to bring back the Queen's daughter, save magic, and stop an impending war.

A FEATHER SO BLACK is a perfect March read, filled with rich folk magic and Irish mythology. It is definitely a slower-paced read filled with a lot of new vocabulary (and thankfully a glossary at the back), but one that I really enjoyed savoring over a week of reading. The forest is brought to life so vividly through lyrical writing, and I loved Fia's personal growth as she interacted with the Folk and and re-evaluated the relationships in her life and her upbringing. The romance storyline was also really captivating, with a love triangle and morally grey shadow daddy. Highly recommend this one, especially on audio narrated by Heather O’Sullivan, who is Irish and an absolutely perfect voice for this book!

"For the first time, I didn't want to choose either man. I wanted to choose myself"

Gosh I loved this one. Im.forever searching for solid world building and fun magic systems. This one had botanical magic and that's very much my vibe lately.

Low on spice but heavy on shadow daddy vibes. Thank you so much NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC!!

I wasn’t sure I would love this book based on the description but I was intrigued and loved the cover. The story is interesting, the world building is kind of beautiful, the magic, the characters, the atmospheric feelings. Unfortunately some parts of the story didn’t sit well with me, I struggled with some of the decisions and actions taken by the main character. It’s a long book, and it felt slow at times, with a lot of waiting around that felt unnecessary at times.

I really liked the ending and I do want to read a second book in this world. I am
curious to see what happens next.

I listened to the audiobook and I am convinced it is the way to go. I loved the narrator, her voice and the way she is telling us the story is perfection. I think this is closer to a 3 star read but the narration brings it up to 4. That’s how good this narrator is.

3.5 stars

MIXED THOUGHTS.

This one kind of ran me around a bit.

Audio thoughts first: LOVED. I loved the narrator. I was really swept away by this story listening and highly recommend this avenue for trying A Feather So Black out.

Back to bookish thoughts: At first, I was really into it. I loved the set up and the plot. I liked the main character and alllll the fae things. This had all of those hallmark fantasy + fae aspects that I love about this genre.

And then the love triangle came into play. NOW. I knew it was a love triangle and was perfectly fine with that fact. I honestly didn’t mind the bones of it. There’s good push and pull between characters. Conflict of interest and wondering where Fia was going to land. But I didn’t love that she slept with both men throughout the story. It took away from the emotional connection by focusing so heavily on the physical connection instead. I liked both of the guys for different reasons and I am curious where things will go in the second book.

Some scenes did drag on a bit and there’s a lot of hurry up and wait. And there’s a more young adult writing style, but very adult content. The vibes are there and the ending had my attention enough that I plan to continue the series.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: low
Romance: 3+ open door
Violence: moderate-high

4.5 ⭐️ - audiobook

A gothic, damp forest at night with yellow eyes watching you vibe to this whole book. I really love the feel of this story and the story itself. I would describe this as a slower paced, intellectually driven plot. There’s no epic adventure or major battle scenes. There are very captivating characters, political intrigue/human vs Fae intrigue, and an excellent take on Fae. Our main lady, Fia, is a changeling with no memory of her previous life. The story follows her evolution of knowledge re: her history, her “family” and her heart. The use of stories as riddles to present information for the character and reader to sift through was fantastic. If there’s riddles, I’m game. Fae in this story are ruthless, cunning, self-serving, and hoarders of magic. Very folkloric - this is my very favorite portrayal of Fae (similar to folk in the Emily Wilde stories). My only negative thing to say is, as the reader, I got lost a few times in story. A location would be mentioned that I didn’t recall; boom you’re there. I had no idea where we were or how we got there. I did get the hang of it but it wasn’t intuitive for me.

I enjoyed the narration of this story. O’Sullivan provided a delightful Irish accent, that added to the folklore vibe I got from the book. They gave a dynamic performance that enhanced the characters beautifully.

audiobook ARC - thank you netgalley, Lyra Selene, Oribit, and Hachette Audio

Thank you profusely to Orbit Books, Hachette, and NetGalley for the ALC, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one at about 50%. I struggled to stay focused, even with an exemplary and pleasingly-voiced narration that allowed me to listen at 2x speed. The events in the book are much too repetitive, and I just could not bring myself to be motivated to read when I knew I had to pick this one up. The audiobook length is around 17 hours, which is hefty even when listening at increased speed. I love the narration and heartily give it 5 stars; but the story, which I can only give two stars, just returns back to the same things over and over again.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the eAudiobook ARC! A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene follows Fia. a changling trapped in the human realm as the gates separating the two worlds have been sealed shut. Fia feels loved by her adoptive parents, but knows that the replaced pricess is out there and should one day return to her place. Eala, the High Queen's true daughter, is trapped in Tír na nÓg, spending the day as a swan and returning to her true form by night. When a hidden gate to Tír na nÓg is discovered, Fia sets out with her first love (and Eala's betrothed) Rogan, to break Eala's curse and return her home. But once there, Fia meets the Fae Lord holding Eala captive and is surprized by his complexities and her attraction to him. Filled with intrigue and deeply romantic, A Feather So Black is sure to please readers of Romantasy. Heather O’Sullivan expertly narrates the audiobook breathing life into each character.

Thank you so much for the audiobook Hachette Audio and Orbit.

I DNF the audiobook at 5%. I don’t think I was vibing with this book.
I really love the premise of this book and may try to reread with a physical copy.
I was having a hard to understanding the audio and comprehending the names and places.

There is not a single thing I like about this book. I’m going to keep this nice and say simply that everything is unoriginal and repulsive.

Fia the changeling that took Eala’s spot when the fairies took the princess. Despite being part fairy the queen took Fia and raised her as her own. Welding her into a weapon the queen could use to being down the fairy’s and bring her true daughter back.

Rogan is Eala’s betrothed and Fia’s child hood friend, go out to save Eala. But as Fia does the side mission for the queen, Fia realizes that Irian is not the monster she was told he was. He was so much more.

Fia fell in love with Irian despite his doomed fate.


To save her world from her evil sister, and to save the man she fell in love with she sacrifices herself and is rewarded with a new life with the man she loves.


Loved this book. So many up and downs and riddles to figure out. She thought she was unloveable, but she was wrong. She was the heart to saving them all

Actual 3.5
A Feather So Black is a dark fairytale retelling that is predominantly told through a series of single nights, once a month during the full moon over the course of a year.
Fia is a changling left in the place of a princess and is fostered and raised by the High Queen. When a previously unknown gate to the faerie realm is discovered, she is tasked to travel to the gate, and using her folk blood, cross into Tír na nÓg and break the curse on Princess Eala so she can come home. Her traveling companion is her childhood friend and former lover Prince Rogan, who is betrothed to Eala.
Selene's writing is very lyrical and descriptive, but the plot is very slow moving because Fia and Rogan can only truly make progress towards their goal of freeing Eala one night a month and then they have to return to the human realm and wait another month to do anything else. In the interim in the human world, Fia tends a garden and greenhouse and makes friends with a sprite/spirit Corra who brings Fia and Rogan the supplies they need. Despite the limited time to complete their mission in the faerie realm, there isn't a huge sense of urgency during the nights spent in Tír na nÓg until it's absolutely crunch time. Fia splits her time during those nights listening to her "sister" and swapping stories with the dark, broody Fae Irian who is the last of the ruling fae with the magic filled objects. Surprise! One of these two people is a duplicitous jerk who completely lies to and misdirects Fia, almost to the point where there are potentially world ending consequences.
Fia has some decent character growth, but for a book that was meant to be a story of female empowerment, she spends too much time with the spineless character of Rogan accepting his overall poor treatment of her.
By the end, the story feels unfinished because there were too many plot points left answered and not solved. I imagine Selene is going to continue the story in future book(s) because this was not a book that can have an ambiguous ending and have it feel complete.
The narrator of the audiobook was an excellent choice. She added an emotional level to the story with her recitation as well as helping me with pronunciation and comprehension of some of the Celtic names, places, and creatures.

I'm torn on this book. It had things I really loved, and other things I didn't. I'm somewhere around 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.
The book:
The good: I really enjoy fairytale retellings, and always love a Celtic inspiration in books. Once I got about 30% through I couldn't put it down. Think you need at least a small understanding of the folk and their ways before reading, but I enjoyed the little touches of magic, sly wording, bargaining, etc. I thought the juxtaposition and reversal of personality and morals of the "sisters" after coming up in the different realms was interesting. It kept me guessing at who was genuine and who was not through most of the book.
The less good: I think it was a little too long and slow, it spanned over like a whole year, so there were parts that had to be breezed over, and I think less time and more detail could have benefitted some parts. Less spicy scenes (which were more or less the same) would have left time for that. I found it a little confusing how much Fía talks of the way she was brought up and how she was made to be a weapon, but her resolve is nearly nonexistent too quickly if that's the case. Maybe because of the revelations by Rogan putting questions in her mind, but still I'm not sure I bought it. A couple times I was a little confused with time jumps, not sure if it was because I was listening or it was written that way too.

The audio:
The narrator was excellent, I always enjoy having a narrator with an accent that fits the location of the story. It helps me get into it even more. It also helps with pronouncing words correctly and not having to stumble over them. The speed of speaking was perfect, cadence was great, easy to understand and follow along. Sound quality was excellent as well.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC of this book!

In a lush tapestry of perilous magic and entwined fates, this romantic fantasy captivates with its tale of a defiant changeling, Fia, her cursed sister, and their encounter with a dangerous fae lord. Masterful world-building, combined with a balance of romance and fantasy, makes for a refreshing read in a crowded genre. Fia's journey—marked by strength, wit, and poignant self-discovery—is enhanced by vibrant character dynamics, especially her banter with childhood friend Rogan and the enigmatic fae lord, Irian. The audiobook narration adds a delightful layer to the experience, making this story not just a read, but an adventure.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I listened to it on audiobook (which I usually don't like) so I'm hoping my review doesn't reflect that.

The way the FMC is portrayed as insufficient just because of what she is made me mad but hey that was the motivation to see what she'd become.

I really hoped her and the prince's relationship was dissolved way faster.

How everyone kept justifiying mistreating her also made me mad.

I really liked Irían though.

The princess was annoying.

I'm intrigued on what's happening next and will be looking forward to the next book.

The longer I listened to this book, the more captivated that I was. The prose alone was uniquely perfect for the enchanting story that went along with it. Highly recommend the audiobook, as I could not imagine a better narrator for this storytelling.

As I was listening, all of the unique elements sprang to life in vivid detail. The idea of balance was seen in this book so many times and in multiple different ways that didn't even really sink in until the very end (from the most obvious to very discreet ways). Hands down, this book with stick with me for a long time.

The characters and their development were interesting. I don't know if I agree with the motivations of every single character. However, if I did it would be dreadfully boring. If a good book makes me mad at some characters, adore others, yet still want the best for everyone because of or despite of circumstances, then this is a great book. Even after all of the things that I love about A Feather So Black, I still think my favorite (or at the very least, the most entertaining) part of the story is Cora's riddles and Fia's interaction with them.

ARC through NetGalley

The premise of this book sounded amazing…A changeling left behind, honed as a weapon, and on a mission by the Queen to retrieve the real princess while meeting a dark and brooding Fae lord. Maybe this did sound a little romantasy-ish but I was in for it. The beginning of the novel started strong and though Fia was at times super annoying and self-deprecating, I enjoyed the plot setup. Somewhere in the middle the story was lost and became one-chapter long sex scene after another.

Fia and what she believes to be her unrequited love, Rogan, were sent to retrieve the princess from Tír na nÓg as the gates have been weakened. Once there, their love affair reignites and both of them struggle with their mission. Fia meets with her “sister” the devious princess Eala and learns about the curse that ties them to the land. She also has a run in with the princess’s captor, dark and brooding Irian.
Irian recognizes something in Fia and he is drawn to her and her power. After saving his life they become romantically involved and she realizes how he struggles to hold the power of the Fae world in check. She also realizes that she is a pawn in a game between monarchs and she will have to rebel against everything she holds dear to find her true purpose.

Thankfully I was able to skip the overplayed love scenes to finish the actual story, but the love triangle was incredibly tedious to navigate through. This book is also incredibly long at 17 hours on the audio production. About half of that felt like the true story unfortunately. The audio production was well done and I enjoyed the narrator’s accented voice.

I had a great time reading this romantic fantasy series-starter on audio courtesy of Hachette Audio. Steeped in Irish mythology, A Feather So Black features a changeling heroine raised by a human queen and sent to free the princess she replaced almost two decades earlier. Similar to Malice and Wicked, this is an adult coming-of-age story and the heroine gradually deprograms herself. As she learns that she deserves better than the conditional love for which she's expected to be grateful, she falls in love and harnesses her magic. There's also a bit of a love triangle with a morally gray (or is he) male love interest and a childhood best friend/former lover/prince. Reviews in my friend group seem to be mixed, but I really loved this book and look forward to the next. The audio narrator, Heather O'Sullivan, speaks with a lovely Irish lilt and helped me with the pronunciation of many new-to-me fae creatures. I did recoil at one point when a giant worm-monster was stabbed in the eyeball with a magic sword, though. You've been warned.

"I thought I might not mind oblivion, if you were the one to deliver it."

Oh my god?? This was incredible. The prose was beautiful. I received an arc of the audiobook, and when I wasn't able to listen to it, I was wishing I had the physical copy because I didn't want to stop with the story. There were so many instances of beautifully quotable dialogue that I had more bookmarks than I ever have in an audiobook. The narration of the audiobook was incredible. Sometimes I struggle with listening to fantasy on audio because my mind tends to wander, but that was not the case here. The narrator had a beautiful accent, she used inflection at all the right places, and was just really able to keep the reader's attention.

The romance was addicting and fun and dramatic. The love interests said all the things I crave from the development of a romance. I was continually celebrating at all of the little moments and delicious one-liners. Like, I was literally physically celebrating. I'm talking fist pumps and little dances. It was embarrassing, but completely necessary (don't worry, I was alone). I know it's only March, but this book will definitely be one of my favorite reads of the year and has a permanent place on my 'favorites' bookshelf.

If you love:

🍃Fairytale retellings
🍃Celtic mythology
🍃Botanical magic
🍃Love triangles
🍃Morally gray love interests

then this book is definitely for you. I recommend this book if you enjoyed One Dark Window/Two Twisted Crowns and Little Thieves/Painted Devils.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book! It was such a fun read/listen, and the narrator was great.

What I liked:
- faes but make them evil
- the FMC's character development
- steamy love triangle
- fae folklore
- human vs folk conflict

I cannot wait for the next book in the series, I have high hopes for this trilogy!

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think people are going to love this romantic fantasy read! It definitely leans more on the romance and has beautiful storytelling elements of folklore, a Swan Princess retelling, Irish Gaelic words, and Celtic mythology threaded within the narrative. This is also an adult read so there is a bit of spice!

I have to say what stood out the most to me was the brilliant narrator, Heather O'Sullivan, for her work on relaying this story in such a beautiful narration. It was such a joy to listen to (even when some of the pacing was a bit slow) because the narrator's voice is pure magic and set the tone of the story really well.

If you lean more towards romance than fantasy world building, this is the book for you. I think this may have been a different experience reading it vs listening to it, but I recommend listening to it because of the Irish Gaelic pronunciations.

I really enjoyed the experience, and I loved the ending, but I wish I connected to the FMC and the MMC a bit more. I wasn't sure why they really liked each other. I guess they needed more quirks and personality traits that compliment each other. I want to see why they have an emotional connection besides the physical attraction.

I also think I'm outgrowing the ACOTAR romantasy trope-y bits and am more interested in a higher stakes plot, character development, and unique world building in fantasy at the moment. There might have been high stakes, but the pacing made it feel a bit more relaxed and not immediate urgency for the FMC. But I think if I read this years ago, I would have felt entirely different. I just need a bit more depth and substance in romance for it to be believable vs just being excited that a book has spice in it.

Overall enjoyable read, and I am so honored to have listened to an ARC! Comes out March 12th, 2024.