When the main character is described as "feral" I know I'm going to love the book! This was a fabulous read, spicy and engaging. I loved watching the character development and can't wait for the next in the series.

Why did I put this off?! Servant of Earth completely consumed me. I was hooked from chapter one and stayed feral the whole way through. 😵‍💫

Kenna is wild, stubborn, and fiercely loyal—the kind of heroine you root for with your whole chest. The Fae court is as brutal as it is fascinating, and those magical trials? Intense, creative, and full of jaw-dropping twists. I’d die for the sentient dagger alone, but then the rebellion, the tension, and that love interesttttt!! Game over.

Sarah Hawley knows how to balance high-stakes danger with a character-driven story that feels. Every reveal was perfectly timed, every choice felt earned. I swear if she doesn’t end up with the one I’ve claimed as mine, I will spiral… but I already know Sarah will make it worth it. 👀

Huge thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC—Princess of Blood can’t come fast enough. 🩶

Ummmm, why did I wait so long to read this?! So excited to read Princess of Blood asap.
As a human, Kenna is limited within her resources, but one thing is certain: her best friend will NOT be left to her own devices to travel through the bog to get to the fae courts, risking her life alongside the other chosen. Losing everyone she holds dear, Kenna surprises the fae with her survival and is immediately made the servant in the Earth house where she is tasked with keeping her lady safe through the upcoming trials.
Every theory I had came to pass but the way that Sarah did it was completely unexpected and left me in awe of her ingenuity. I am always on board for a character driven fantasy and discovering the world with the main character. It is seamlessly done here. Kenna is the perfect mix of good-hearted and badassery that I want from a female lead. There's threads of a love triangle which I'm feral for in a fantasy especially. If she doesn't end up with my "man", I may revolt but I suspect Sarah will convince me I was wrong in the first place.
Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Oh I loved this! It's been hard for me to get in to romantasy lately, but this book, while formulaic, just really did the whole "human goes to the underground Fae world" trop really well. It gives ACOTAR, but in a good way, not a copycat way. I loved that female friendship was such a strong part of the story. I'm sensing a love triangle, and honestly I'm not mad at it. And that finale was so good! Anyway, I will await with bated breath for the sequel!

Servant of Earth had an interesting spin on the trials trope. Instead of her competing she is helping someone else compete in trials. I enjoyed the world and the mystery that surrounded the court.

This was a very captivating story for me. From the setting to the characters, I was truly left wanting more. I usually take books slowly when I start but I found that I couldn’t put it down! I ended up finishing this within two days. The author has a way with world building. We’re stuck underground and yet there is so much rich history and deep shadows to discover. The drama was constant, there was always something going on and with that there was something new to discover about our lead’s circumstances. How was she going to survive as a human in the world of Fae? How would she adapt and use her wits to stay on her toes? The revelations and elaborations were satisfying to discover. There were genuine moments where my jaw dropped because of the vividness of the moment. I could imagine it in my head so clearly with the way the author writes. The characters were well thought out and I found that I was keeping track of how they interacted with our lead and where those relationships would be hinting at. Everyone that was introduced had something bubbling under the surface, there would be hints or dialogue that would leave me debating future interactions, betrayals, and alliances. I genuinely enjoyed how the characters were written, even those that didn’t have as much time on the pages as some of the others. I really loved how the lead’s personality evolved over time. How much more cunning and curious she got, how she thought ahead. Her determination was infectious and I found myself rooting for her success and safety throughout the story. Overall, this was a fantastic read and I’ll definitely be grabbing a physical copy for my own collection. I thank Net Galley for this opportunity, it was an absolute delight exploring this story and I can’t wait to read more of the series in September!

Servant of Earth is a wonderful fantasy, that showcases politics, romance, and had great twists and turns! Great for anyone looking for a fast paced read that hooks you from the start!

Servant of Earth wasn’t my favorite. It seemed really slow to get into the main story and it almost lost me. The trials were interesting though, but kind of repetitive and similar to a lot of other novels in the genre. Kenna was interesting, a little vicious at heart, and I liked how she interacted with the other servants and humans in Mistei. The dagger was a nice touch too.
The romance wasn’t a huge feature, and I liked that. It’ll be interesting to see how it works out in the next book after the way things ended.
I’ll probably pick up the next book when it comes out to see how things resolve, but there wasn’t anything that absolutely wowed me.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an Arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun fantasy! There was so much intrigue with the politics of the world, and I enjoyed the dynamics between all the characters!

Sarah Hawley shines with Servant of Earth, a captivating and beautifully layered fantasy romance that delivers both heart and high stakes. The world she builds feels rich and vivid — a place where magic hums just below the surface and nature itself is a force to be reckoned with. Against this backdrop unfolds a slow‑burn, deeply emotional romance between two complex, compelling characters.

Hawley’s gift lies in making her characters feel so fully alive. The heroine is strong, resilient, and deeply relatable, grappling with loyalty, belonging, and the weight of her own gifts. The hero, broody and honorable, is the perfect counterpart — a man torn between duty and desire, grappling with his own vulnerability. Together, their banter crackles with tension, and their moments of intimacy pulse with emotion, making every scene feel charged and authentic.

With its lush world‑building, magnetic character dynamics, and a romance that balances swoon‑worthy moments with genuine depth, Servant of Earth is a spellbinding, memorable read. It’s a testament to Hawley’s talent for crafting stories that linger long after the final page.

A good time. Subverts a lot of the standard romantasy cliches neatly. I could usually tell what was going to happen, but the "how" was an ever changing surprise. It's a "trials" book without being a "trials" book, following an acerbic, intelligent heroine as she does her level best to not die.
More detailed description of plot setup: We have our heroine, Kenna, who lives in poverty at the edge of her village swamp, eking out a living selling peat bricks and faerie garbage she finds in said swamp. Her village sits in the borderlands between human and fae realms, and there is a ritual her village performs every 6 years on the winter solstice to pick out young women to send out into the swamp to join the fae as... well, it's unclear. The legends say to marry princes and live in splendor, but Kenna, being the village bog goblin, is like, "I have seen the swamp and the monsters that lurk here. I suspect if this isn't an obscure fae prank, we're breeding stock at best." So she gives not a single flying fuck about the ritual and isn't planning to participate.

Digging around in the mud as the book opens, she finds a weird fae dagger. Kenna: "Sweet, I can sell this at the festival post ritual and me and my BFF Anya can get out of this trash heap." Anya: "oops, I've been chosen!" Kenna: Nope nope nope, bestie, me and this weird knife are going to get you out of the swamp and then we are LEAVING."

Unfortunately, everyone gets attacked by horrible monsters and Kenna and Anya are separated, Kenna presuming Anya is dead. Weird knife: *vibrates when monsters are close, seems... happy...? when Kenna feeds it blood, and shows her the path across the swamp to Fae*

Fairies, looking at this literal swamp woman who blundered in blindly: "oh! Lol, how long has it been since one of you actually made it here? Do you have a trace of Fae blood?" Kenna: "Yeah! Totally, I guess!" *Hiding knife, which has thoughtfully become a bracelet*

Because yep, this is basically elaborate entertainment. Bet on the random humans and see how far they get before something eats them. Kenna's the first to actually go all the way.

Fairies: "well, now what do we do with her? Well, we're about to do our elaborate coming of age trial games! Send her to the Princess of Earth to be her servant while she competes!"
In this universe, young royal fairies have to earn immortality and full access to their magic by succeeding in 6 trials that each test a different fae virtue. So Kenna is stuck in a fairy court as a servant, but instead of a powerful immortal princess, it's an absolutely TERRIFIED twenty three old who is convinced having a human handmaiden is a joke or an elaborate plot to ensure she dies.

Can Kenna make it home? Can Kenna guide Princess Prickly Pear to success? Can Kenna get this stupid fae knife to stop CUTTING her? You'll have to read the book and find out how.

This was a great read! It kept me hooked from the beginning to the end. I would definitely recommend this story. Kenna is a character you can really get behind and you want to see good things happen to. I'm counting down the days until I can read the next one in the series. This is my first book by this author and she will be someone I keep my eye out for now.

Kenna is a very strong FMC, a human in a fae world who is a servant and has a dagger who is bloodthirsty & talks to her into killing. Definitely a spicy Romantsy, loved this book and cannot wait for more in the Shards of Magic series! Thanks to netgalley & the publisher for the chance to read this amazing, toe curling novel.

Thank you NetGalley and ACE for the RC! Kenna is a bit of an outcast in her community with only her best friend by her side. But when her friend is chosen to go to the fae and serve them, Kenna is determined to see her there safely. When the two are separated, Kenna finds herself among the fae and made to serve Lara, a princess's daughter who is entering the trials to win her immortality. In the background is a plot to overthrow the king, and a plot to route out the rebels. There are also two male leads that are vying for Kenna's attention; one she fears and one who she can't help but be drawn to. This is book one of the Shards of Magic series.

WOAH what an excellent faerie world adventure! Murder, betrayal, trials, magic, rebellion. There’s a little of everything. I loved this adventure and can’t WAIT to see what’s next!!

Kenna is a human who unexpectedly becomes a servant to Lady Laura of Earth house to help her with the immortality trials. Armed with a secret, sentient magical dagger and her wits, which navigates the trials and courts of Mistei to help Laura and try to fight for a better world for herself and all folk.

Great for fans of romantasy, magic and adventure!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of the book. At first I wasn't sure if I would like this book or not, but as the story progressed I found myself pulled in more and more. The world was interesting and I look forward to what the next book brings in regards to building out the world even more. This was a good first book for a series. 3.5 stars

Did not finish. The writing was good and I enjoy Hawley's storytelling, but fae stories seem to not be for me. I can see why people love this though and I think fae/faerie fans of other books would love this too.

This was sooooo good I'm running to request the sequel asap!
The world building and details of the different houses was so beautiful and one of my favorites in a long time.
The characters! I have so many faves it's so hard to choose but what I will say is that our fmc kicks ass! she's so headstrong and that ending!
If you ask me about the vibes, they were through the roof!
I'm left gasping because I was hoping for a bit more towards the end especially the house we were heading to I wanted all the details and descriptions of! So unfair that I have to hope it's in the next book!

Thank you big time to the publisher for giving me a copy of this book because it truly delivered!

The Servant of Earth delivers a darker, grittier fae world than expected, and I was hooked from the opening pages. Kenna, a human hunter turned reluctant handmaiden, is pulled into a brutal world of court intrigue, looming war, and deadly magical trials. The worldbuilding is so rich (talking daggers, six elemental Houses, and Fae lore galore), and the tension never lets up! Especially when it comes to who Kenna can actually trust.

The friendships in this book were a highlight, especially Kenna and Anya, and later Lara. And while the romance took a backseat for most of the book, the slow burn setup is chef’s kiss. (Even if Kenna’s taste in men made me want to shake her a few times.)

Some pacing issues and a slightly underwhelming ending kept this from being a full five stars for me, but the political maneuvering, layered characters, and high-stakes magic totally make up for it. Already counting down the days for book two!

This book knocked it out of the park for me! I am stoked for book two, and I absolutely loved reading this one!

Kenna is a human who finds herself in the world of the fae, where they are separated into five houses. Each house has a specific type of magic - fire, earth, void, light, and illusion. Kenna is assigned as a lady’s maid in Earth House and tasked with helping their princess make it through the trials. If the princess succeeds, she will receive her full powers and immortality, but if she does not perform well enough, she will die.

Servant of Earth felt fresh while also containing many of my favorite fantasy elements. I love that the fae houses were well crafted and each had a trial event associated with them! There are some great friendships explored in the story, and I loved the romance! I’m very excited for book two after that cliffhanger!

Read for:
🗡️ Sentient dagger
🗡️ Love triangle
🗡️ Magic
🗡️ Court intrigue
🗡️ Great pacing
🗡️ Clandestine kisses

Thank you to Ace Books for the gifted eARC. All thoughts are my own.