This was an incredible story that is enough like other romantasy books to reel people in and different enough to elevate it a little above the others. The FMC is perfectly imperfect making he feel far more realistic, I loved to hate her in parts. The MMC is just perfect grumpy and deadly but gentle when needed - perfect book boyfriend vibes.

It very much feels like FM romance with fated mates and a looming arranged/forced marriage; however, it is so sex positive with other dalliances. I think it was a wonderful representation and refreshing when compared to the sea of virgin FMCs in other romantasy.

Just because it has romance, doesn't mean it lacks on actual plot and political intrigue. However, it is 100% the characters driving the story.

Overall, I loved it. Can't wait to get into book 2 and 3.

An enjoyable read!

Veyka's coronation was not what it should have been. And now, the court plots against her and she must take revenge on the humans who betrayed her. Without revealing her secret. But when she is betrothed to the Brutal Prince, Arran, the strongest terrestrial fae in millennia, Veyka knows she has to go through with it to keep the peace in the land. No matter how ruthless, dangerous, and detestable he is.

This book was quite a fun read. I really enjoyed the political intrigue in itself, it's filled with betrayals, schemes and surprises that kept me hooked. The characters are intriguing, although a bit unidimensional at times for some, and they maintained a gripping pace on the story. The writing was addictive, fun and immersive, which made for an amazing read. As for the romance, it was hot, with lots of sexual tension like I love in enemies to lovers fantasy romance. The chemistry between Arran and Veyka is undeniable and enjoyable. However, I did find that the lust between them was a bit too present at times, overshadowing the rest, as well as slightly misogynistic in a heteronormative way on Arran's side. It's a very personal preference and I still had a good time reading this book. I look forward to discovering the sequel!

"And no one can save me - not even you. Because I do not wish to be saved."

I was able to read this because NetGalley provided with an arc. I loved this romantasy. Great Read. I would read more by this author.

What do I want?
A quick death.
Barring that, I only dream of one thing—revenge.

This was a decent romantasy. I feel like I'm a little over the whole fae thing at this point, but that's not the author's fault.

That ending!😮 This is the kind of book that’s easy to get lost in, and I loved that it was King Arthur inspired!

The main thing driving the plot in this one is the mystery of who is responsible for Arthur’s death and Veyka finding her revenge. Aaron’s main concern is the kingdom and their people which I’ll admit made him more likeable to me than Veyka at first. Her laser focus on revenge when she was ruling over an entire kingdom did make her seem immature and selfish. As we get to know her and see her relationships we see glimpses of sides of her she tries not to acknowledge. The sides of her that mean showing vulnerability. We see her care about more than just her brother’s loss.

The romance between Veyka and Aaron was good, but didn’t completely drag me in. The spicy scenes are plentiful but do not over take the story. I hope to connect more with the romance in book 2, but ultimately I’m reading this one for the politics and the interesting world Ash has created!

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.**

The world that Ash has painted is quite interesting and while I was not absolutely devoted to the book, the cliffhanger grabber me strong enough to want to dive into book two

This book wasn’t what I expected and I personally got irritated with the main character so therefore didn’t not finish this book.

Crown of Earth and Sky

Title: Crown of Earth and Sky by Emberly Ash
Series: Secrets of the Faerie Crown - Book 1
Author: Emberly Ash @emberlyashauthor
Genre: Adult fantasy romance with dark elements and spice

Book in emojis: 🧝‍♀️🗡️👑🐺🌳🏰🔮❤️‍🔥🌶️


Crown of Earth and Sky is the first book in the Secrets of the Faerie Crowns series and is a twisted mythology retelling of the Arthur legend with an interesting magic system, court politics and delicious slow burn. Veyka Pendragon is crowned the Queen of the Elemental Fae after her brother Arthur is killed and must now choose between keeping her kingdom safe or revenging her brother.
Arran Earthborn the strongest terrestrial faerie in millennia and would rather be on the battlefield than marrying Veyka Pendragon, even if he is destined to become high king.

At first I thought this would be a fun read as I enjoy mythical retellings and the Arthurian myths are very interesting. However, I did not expect it to be so refreshingly different and more than just a retelling, even if there are subtle hints to the original myth throughout.
I went in pretty blind, only knowing that it was a fantasy romance with dark elements and spice.
I enjoyed this book and I HAVE to read the next because that cliffhanger was brutal! It was an easy read, not as world building heavy as some, but enough to get an idea of how the world is, and would probably work for you if you enjoyed Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout or Scarlett St.Claire’ books and want something with a slightly lighter world building.
The tension and banter between Veyka and Arran was so good, and it only gets better. And the side characters are also an interesting addition to the story as there is so much going on with them and hopefully we’ll get more of their relationships with Veyka and Arran in future books.

Tropes:
He falls first
Plus size FMC
High Steam
 Fae Fantasy Romance

Morally gray hero

Enemies-to-Lovers

Found Family

Fated Mates
Arranged Marriage
Dual POV

Who did this to you?

Shifters

Fairytale retelling

Arthur legend reimagined

ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating or review.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC!

i got this on Netgalley for an honest review.

👎🏼 thumbs down for me. i got through about 76% of it before deciding to DNF. truth be told, veyka and arran were unlikable. i just simply was not rooting for them as a couple or individually. i understand that veyka was seeking revenge for her brother, but … it really did not capture me the way i wanted it to.

while i typically skip open door spice, this was littered with it in almost every chapter that made it difficult to read. i read the CW and understood what i was getting into, ready to skip, but when its brought up almost all the time … it didn’t seem to me to add anything to the story plot.

overall, it just wasn’t for me. two stars ⭐️⭐️ … 😔

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for my ARC of this book.

Not as good as I thought it would be and I really struggled to finish it. The main character was annoying and boring

3/5

This one unfortunately wasn't for me. I do like the general plot and the inspiration for the story, however I found myself frustrated with the FMC far too often. I couldn't really excuse her behaviour even if it was due to grief, and it made her chapters much harder to read. It really felt like her single-minded approach to the issue was hindering the progression of the story. I did enjoy the world building elements. I found the magical system interesting, a lot of the secondary characters were as well. There were some really good points of dialogue too, I just don't think i quite mesh with the writing style overall.

I only made it about 10 chapters into the book. The characters felt very flat, the setting felt like a poor imitation of ACOTAR, and overall I did not enjoy a single minute of reading this book. Just not my style I guess.

I do enjoy Arthurian retellings, and this one was pretty decent, as it was combined with the Fae. I’m also a sucker for enemies to lover romance, and this one delivered on that. I liked how there was mental health rep in this novel. The pacing was fast and kept me entertained from start to finish. I also liked the dual storyline, it worked for the plot, and I find that dual POV is usually a win in fantasy. My only complaint is that I think the world building could have had more detail. But overall an entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

A bit of a mixed bag for me. While I loved the premise of the King Arthur retelling with mental health added into it... it just well, fell flat. The world building was missing so much detail that I found myself losing interest the longer I read it.

Crown of Earth and Sky was an exceptional read. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, captivated from start to finish by Emberly Ash’s vivid storytelling. The character development, especially Veyka’s, was a highlight for me—I love when characters grow in a way that makes them even more enjoyable to follow. Although the magic system wasn't immediately clear, I eventually grasped it and found it quite fascinating. Overall, it’s a fantastic story, and I’m excited to see where it goes next.

This book was great I really enjoyed getting immersed in the world, the character are great a really enjoyable story

Hmm, where to start here.

Crown of Earth and Sky could have been a pure banger of a book, but it wasn't. It made me want to bang my head into the wall. Which is so unfortunate because the premise is exceptional and there were points within the story and the world that could have been chefs kiss if they had been properly developed.

As a King Arthur retelling which combined with the Fae and mental health rep, dealing with depression and grief could have made for such a compelling book but all this book gave me was a headache. The potential in this story was UNREAL, the world which was so minimally built upon was so intriguing, I wish we had more from the world and the lore of the Fae, falling into either Elementals or Terrestrials, their magic and traditions differ and there are long standing hostilities between the two.

We are gifted with a dual POV which is always a win in a romance, fantasy or not. However I didn't like either character enough to care about their POV, Vekya never expected to rule but after a tragic loss she is thrust into power and she is unsure how to deal with it, so her coping mechanism is sex. Arran's POV is just all about Vekya's boobs, I looked it up they're mentioned 50 mines in the book. there is just absolutely no need for him to be so boob conscious, sir are you 15?

Overall this book had the potential to be a truly riveting fantasy romance book, an Arthurian retelling, a potentially vast and complex world with an original magic system, royal politics, enemies to lovers BUT no, we got Vekya's boobs.

Fast paced and interesting Arthurian retelling. I was hooked from the very first pages and couldn’t put the book down.

The dual POV worked well for the storyline. I liked both the FMC and MMC and found them both to be interesting characters. I liked their character development, both individually and together, and would have loved to learn more about their pasts.

The side characters seemed interesting and I would also like to learn more about them.

The storyline itself was interesting and full of action. I’m interested to read the next book in the series and see where the story goes next.

A King Arthur retelling?! Yes!! When Veyka is required to marry a brutal prince to take the throne after her brothers death, she doesn’t plan to stay there for long, only until she can find out who killed her brother.
The tension, the spice, the banter is off the charts in this book and perfect for any romantasy lover

Crown of Earth and Sky is a steamy enemies to lovers fantasy romance with Arthurian flavour. Arthur Pendragon, destined to secure peace and unite the Terrestrial and Elemental kingdoms of Annwyn, is murdered before he can ascend the throne. His twin sister, Veyka has been the spare “Princess of Peace”, sequestered most of her life, becomes the Queen of Secrets. To be Queen demands power, but Veyka’s secret is that she is the only fae without any power at all. Knowing her time is likely short, she crumples under her grief and lives only for the hope of revenge.

A new Terrestrial Heir emerges to unite Annwyn, the Brutal Prince Arran Earthborn, the most powerful terrestrial fae to exist. Thrust into an unexpected destiny together, Arran and Veyka have to overcome well placed mistrust in order to survive a scheming court in a power vacuum, for the sake of their people if not anything else.

The turns with the mystery first offered to Veyka and Arran was really impressive, as someone who has heightened pattern recognition, the foreshadowing sometimes felt imperceptible in a way that delighted me! I didn’t spend half the book waiting to call my hunch which was SO refreshing.

At first I REALLY didn’t like Veyka despite how similar she is to me, but this Queen of Secrets is an onion with layers. Usually I’m turned off by instant attraction, enemies who can’t stop thinking about each other for no discernible reason but I found Veyka and Arran’s relationship played out well with heavy complex feelings from both sides. Huge points for having a powerful, large woman in charge, taking up space apologetically. Bigger points for an alpha male who clearly wants to worship her despite better judgement.

What initially kept me was the world building which is weaved through dual perspectives, enough to provide appropriate structure for the reader to build upon visually. You get dropped right into trouble the second you have your bearings which can be so difficult to time, but I think Emberly Ash nailed it. Both protagonists brought something to the table, the way Ash has structured their perspectives felt like a very natural multiple POV. With a medium pace, I never felt jarred by the change, and there were only one or two points where I had to check whether I was reading from Arran or Veyka’s perspectives.

The spice was everywhere and absolutely delightful, the voices felt comfortable, confident and not cringy. Ash writes proper eye-porn, liberally sprinkled throughout. If it was a slow burn I would’ve chucked my kindle across the room because the sexual tension is just always there even with a robust plot. Though I was left a bit dissatisfied with this first resolution to the threat within the kingdom, the reveal fell a little flat, BUT I feel like that’s for a reason, because I love a good cliffhanger that speaks to the much larger conflicts ahead.

All that to say, I’m enthused about starting the sequel today with high regards, and even higher expectations ☺️