Today I’m reviewing the new fantasy romance from author Sarah Hawley, Servant of Earth. In this fantasy we follow Kenna Heron into the realm of the Fae. When Kenna’s best friend is chosen as a tribute from their village, she must enter the Dark Wood, which leads to the Fae realm. Not able to accept that her friend was chosen, Kenna attempts the impossible to save her friend and herself. Hunger Games meets A Court of Thorn of Roses, in a seductive fantasy romance filled with twisted games and ruthless Fae.

Wow, book friends, this one is full of potential to be an epic fantasy romance. Hawley creates an underworld filled with beautiful nightmarishly cunning Fae. These immortal Fae are stuck in their underground kingdom, ruled by a tyrant king.

First let’s talk about the magic. It’s broken up into six royal houses or branches of magic: Fire, Earth, Light, Void, Illusion, and Blood. And each royal house’s heir will be tested. To see if they are worthy of their magic.

Unlike Sarah J. Maas’ ACOTAR’s magical Fae realm split into seasons, the world building and magic system in Hawley’s Servant of Earth is fascinating. Throughout the novel, readers will get a taste of what each house is capable of, magic that feels intentionally cruel.

From the moment we step into the Fae’s magical realm readers are aware of how the houses are pitted against each other. No one can be trusted. Because everyone seems morally corrupted. I mean, they are Fae…

With the general turmoil it propels the story into the need for change.

Enter Kenna.

Kenna is a human woman who stands apart from everyone even from the onset. She is attuned to her surroundings, especially the Dark Wood. And when she finds a mysterious magical blade, she becomes even more fierce and almost magical. Which makes her perfect for the story that unfolds.

Now, when I mentioned the novel has a lot of potential, I felt there were some missed opportunities. I won’t go into too much detail on those, but I’ll start with the dagger. It felt like a sentient being. And the relationship between the dagger and Kenna is interesting, but could’ve been explored further had Hawley dived deeper into it being a sentient being that can communicate with Kenna. Again, I’ll let you discover more, but this was one I thought could have been developed to further the story. The other missed opportunity was the romance. I was a bit on the fence with this one. It was obvious where Hawley was taking Kenna romantically, but I really wanted Hawley to focus more on a certain morally gray Fae lord known as the Kings Vengeance. He gave me Rhysand vibes.

I’m eager to see where Hawley takes Kenna in the next novel. I’m hopeful she’ll expand more on the magic, the lore, and the romance!

While we wait for the next novel, we all can re-read our favorite fantasy romances or see some new ones that I recommend below.

Bookmark this one friends for your November TBR.

I am a huge fan of Sarah Hawley's writing and her Glimmer Falls series and I was so excited to see her dive into a heavier fantasy setting. Servant of Earth is gripping, engaging, and sexy. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

This was a good and promising fantasy book i am so excited for the next book. This had a unique fae and world-building set up that made the book very intriguing. I loved the character development and also the romance and how it turned out. The fmc is from a poor village and follows her best friend when she is chosen by the faes. She ends up in the fae kingdom being the only human to survive the journey to the kingdom and meets the horrible king of the Fae kingdom. She is given to a Fae named Laura as her handmaiden and she spends a lot of time helping her survive the deadly trials so she can get immortality and her magic. There is a romance with a prince, secrets, political intrigue, betrayal, and a dagger that needs blood and twists. This was a good fantasy debut and I'm excited to see what comes next. Thank you Ace Books for this arc for an honest review.

Read for:
- Deadly trials
- Fantasy with a romance subplot
- Secrets, betrayals
- Deadly trials
- Political intrigue
- Magic and fae's

Trust me when I say you have never seen Fae lore like this before. Sarah Hawley is a genius in fantasy world building and romance. I want to take her masterclass. Seriously, if you love story structure then read this book! Every single beat hit! Every single character and their development was amazing. The hints and watching the plot unfold was delicious! I will be anxiously awaiting the sequel.

I didn't expect to get so emotional over the main character but, I did. I love how faithful she is to her friends. I love how she sacrifices so much for those she loves and when those around her were rude to her/betrayed the friendship, I felt so sad for her. She JUST wanted a friend. She has been through so much in her life, girl has not gotten a single break. My one big issue with this book is that I feel like the friendships in this book are better developed than the romances. I understand maybe why the romances were thrown to a the side a bit especially because of the ending but I still can't help but feel its lacking in this book. The plot was unique enough that I did not expect the direction this book to go in. I felt like a lot of times I was kinda lost but that's ok. That's on me.

Kenna is a known as a feral human in her town who, suddenly against her wishes, ends up in Mistei, the faeries' mysterious underground kingdom. Soon, she finds herself thrust into court drama with the different fae houses and trying to help her mistress survive the deadly trials that will allow her mistress to keep her magic and become immortal.

This book is a fast paced story full of intrigue, adventure, politics, and romance. The writing hooks the reader quickly, and has enough world building to keep you reading and not being overwhelming. There are many similariities with the fae houses as other current fantasy romance series, but this stands apart with it's interesting underground world, tyranical and cruel king, and the intracacies of the servants who serve the fae.

Any fan of Sarah J Mass, new adult fantasy romance, and Fourth Wing, minus the dragons, will enjoy this story. The cliffhanger is on par with I can't wait for book two!

3.5ish stars rounded down.

There will be spoilers in the review, so read at your own risk.

I liked this one, but not as much as I thought I would. Unfortunately, I found a lot of the plot points and the way the story was trending to be very obvious, and none of the reveals brought too much surprise to me, which did detract from me wanting to sit down and read it, as I felt I knew what was already going to happen.

I also wasn't too attached to the characters, unfortunately. I did like Kenna and Lara, but didn't love them. I didn't like the main love interested in this one, unfortunately, but I do believe there will be some interesting things happening in book 2 on that front.

As soon as Kenna began enduring the trials alongside Lara, as well as having the blood dagger from the beginning, I knew by the end she would be a blood fae. Not that that's a bad thing, it was still an interesting story, getting to that point! I just wish that it had felt a little less obvious, and a little more mysterious.

Same with Anya being taken by the King, it didn't feel like much of a mystery, but the way the story ended and set up for book two I do think will make for a good story.

Same with the betrayal at the end of the book. It says a lot about me as a reader, I think, and the stories I consume, that I could tell that Drusten was going to end up doing something horrible, and than Kallen is probably going to be the true Love Interest (or at least, compete for the title). I have to say, I really hope there isn't any big leaning into the love triangle trope in a sequel. I like Kallen much more than I like Drusten.

Overall, I definitely think this is going to have mass appeal. I could see this being a big release and a favorite for some people, as I do think it has that inherent spark that people look for in the new Romantasy trend! and I did definitely still enjoy this, just not as much as I had hoped.

Final thoughts- I will continue with this series when the sequel comes out! Because I think the set up for book two makes for an interesting premise, and I'm intrigued enough to keep going.

Thanks for the eARC!

I haven’t had this much fun reading in a long time! This book hooked me from the first page and I didn’t want to put it down. I enjoyed the authors other books and was slightly nervous how she was going to pivot from silly paranormal romcoms to a gritty, epic Romantasy series but Sarah nailed it she has RANGE!!

I really enjoyed Kenna she was fierce, relatable and loyal. Her journey was intense and kept my jaw dropping. I devoured this book because i was so immersed in the world and trying to figure out who was trustworthy or not. I love a book that has me second guessing my predictions the entire time!! This was such a great read and I’m so sad I read it early because that means I just have longer to wait for book 2!

A fast paced fantasy book with a hit of romance!

I loved this story so much, Kenna is such a bad ass!
It also includes my favorite micro-trope which is magic weapons.

The ending!!!! Sarah I’m going to need book 2 ASAP

Full review on my TT/ IG

This is the first book I've read by Sarah Hawley and I will definitely read the next book in this series as well as seek out her other titles for my TBR list.
The book started out a little slow for me, but I knew the author was really giving the reader an opportunity to know and understand the characters and see their development. I also am not a fan of first person narrative - but I got over it!

The MC, Kenna, is feisty but unsure of herself - which drove me crazy! The last 1/4 of the book really caught my attention and Kenna becomes a more likeable character to me as she becomes stronger in her convictions and decision making due to knowing more about the world she now lives in and the person she wants to be.

A captivating fantasy story with a strong female protagonist and a plot that takes you from one surprise to another. A memorable reading journey, I'm eagerly anticipating the next book. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the DRC in exchange for my honest review.

Servant of Earth is a dark fantasy with high stakes. Sarah Hawley has created a unique world with a storybook-like human world and a dark Fae realm. We follow Kenna, a human navigating the Fae realm, being a lady’s maid to a faerie participating in trials. While trying to help her lady succeed, she is pulled in two other directions, spying on a secret rebellion. Readers will enjoy the unique Fae realm, the friendship Kenna develops with her lady, and the relationships she develops with other Fae.

Thank you for this ARC!
This definitely starts off exactly how you’d expect a fae romantasy to start, but once the scene is set and the book takes off- wow. This is amazing!! Highly recommend to all the fantasy romance loving readers out there!

I enjoy Sarah Hawley as an author and I really liked her previous books. This is a different direction than her previous work so I was excited to read it. I made it to about 60% and took a break and just never went back to it. This story was sort of interesting, but it was like every other fantasy romance/ fae book I've read in the last couple of years. There was not enough original plot to the story, it just felt like basic recycled fantasy plot lines. I was particularly disappointed by this because I feel like her previous writing was original and her world building was great. I might come back to it in the future, but as for how it was just too generic.

this was interesting. i liked the fae incorporations and overall fae court. i really enjoyed kenna's character and her development and i'm looking forward to the next book

This book is for the stabby girlies. For everyone who ever wanted a magic dagger and the courage to shank the people who have it coming. Rock on, Kenna Heron. May you shank a thousand more.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley is a fairytale romantasy following a scrappy human as she's thrust into the court intrigue of the fae realm that is teeming with rebellion, monsters, and trials of the young fae lady she's forced to serve.

Wow, wow, wow, I absolutely loved this! It started off similar to other fae-centered stories but quickly veered into finding its own once our main gal hits the fae realm. I can honestly say by a quarter of the way in, you'll be sucked into a tale that stands out amongst the rest. Yes, there are tried and true tropes at play, but overall the story felt fresh, the magic system unique, and the pacing and stakes were a perfect mix to keep you on your toes.

Needless to say, I gave this book a five-star rating and would highly (HIGHLY) recommend this to any fantasy romance loving reader. You will not be disappointed, I guarantee. And with the way book one ended, I'll be chomping at the bit for the next installment. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing a DRC of this title for review.

This book is for the readers who grew up reading Divergent and The Hunger Games and are now looking for their latest post-Fourth Wing fix. With immersive world building, a fierce heroine, morally gray love interests, and enough twists and turns to keep you hooked, readers (including me!) will finish race to the last page and be clamoring for the next book in the series. Looking forward to adding Servant of Earth to my list of romantasy recs for patrons! 4.5 stars/5.

I enjoyed this! I like Hawley’s romances so was super interested to see how she’d fare in a fantasy setting, and overall I had fun. The beginning was slow, but it picked up around the 30% mark, and then I flew through the rest. As a romance girly I’m obviously very intrigued and excited to see how Kenna and Kallen’s relationship evolves (not sure how many books are planned but I’m READY for that slow burn). But the absolute highlight of this book was Kenna’s friendship with Lara. I loved seeing them work together and grow closer and I just adore Lara, she’s so sweet.

The ending had my jaw dropping multiple times and I’m so excited to see where this goes!

An epic high fantasy with stunning world-building and an intricate plot. The characters are well-developed and the magical elements are seamlessly integrated. A brilliant read! I would definitely be on the lookout for the next book in the series.