The book was an over all great Dark Fantasy. The plot was very intriguing and the world building was done really well. Kinda reminds me of cruel prince a little bit but in all the good ways. It was a little bit of a slow burn but if your into that you’ll love this. The plotting and scheming is what really kept me into the book.

A good dark fantasy that made me think of The Cruel Prince. Well plotted, a bit disturbing at time.
The world building is well done even if it pays homage to other novel set in the world of Fae.
I found the talking dagger very interesting and original.
Some more humour would help but it's a compelling read nonetheless
The cover is gorgeous and I'm curious about the next installments
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The first book since ACOTAR and Fourth Wing that I couldn't put down. Imagine the plot of A Court of Thorns and Roses but if Feyre was actually strong and intelligent and Tamlin wasn't a complete psychopath. My familiarity with the genre may have given me a leg up predicting the outcome of the story, but I thoroughly enjoyed the journey anyway. This book isn't even officially out yet and I'm already eying Hawley for book two!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me access to the ARC.

There are a million and one Fae romantasy titles coming out nowadays (it’s probably a tie between dragons and Fae, though I think Fae has the lead). It’s a good problem to have if you enjoy these subgenres (which, in theory, I do, regardless of some of the bigger misses I’ve read recently), but it also makes it difficult to wade through and decide which titles to check out. That being the case, I was excited when I was approached to participate in this blog tour! Yes, please take some of the decision making out of my hands!

This book was a bit of a hit-and-miss experience, but there were definitely aspects that I enjoyed. For one thing, I’m always down for a fantasy story that involves sentient weapons! No on will do it better than T. Kingfisher with “Swordheart,” but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate other author’s take on the concept! And this one was pretty fun!

I also enjoyed exploring this Fae world. I always appreciate it when authors don’t shy away from some of the darker aspects of Fae that are often present in older fairytales and folklore. Of course, this is often immediately counteracted by some super sexy shadow daddy of a character (yep, we potentially have one here as well!). But this book definitely goes into some darker themes, elevating the danger that our heroine faces to levels that truly feel threatening at times.

The writing was also strong and compelling, and I found it easy to become drawn into the story. However, as the book progressed, some of the plot points and twists started to feel pretty obvious. One fairly major reveal, in particular, was telegraphed so early and so strongly that it ended up landing with a bit of a thud when it was finally confirmed. It had gotten to the point where there was literally no other explanation for what was going on, which made it a bit frustrating to deal with a main character who wasn’t putting two and two together.

I also struggled with the romance. I can’t say for sure, but it feels like this one may be going the ACOTAR route, with one love interest being set up at the beginning and then with another to take over as the true partner in the next book. Personally, I always struggle with books that go this route. For me, it makes it feel as if I’ve wasted an entire book’s worth of character growth and interaction on a story that was, essentially, meaningless preamble before we get to the true good stuff.

It also doesn’t help that this book, like ACOTAR and so many like it, goes with the obvious choice where the handsome, charming one may end up being the jerk and the cold, dark one is actually the greatest guy ever. If some author wants to truly write a unique and compelling romantasy novel with an actual twist, for the love of god, I beg you, write your first guy as the cruel dark one and then have him (surprise!) end up actually just being cruel and then have the kind, charming one (let’s make him blonde to really shift the tropes) swoop in to show a heroine how healthy relationships should look! If anything, this would be a true twist in a genre that is too often drowning in predictable plots and tropes.

Overall, this was an enjoyable enough read. It felt overly familiar in a lot of ways and relied on particular tropes that I find tedious. However, the writing was strong and the world-building had potential. For those not feeling worn out by the current trends, this one is likely a great next read!

Rating 7: A bit too predictable to be truly enjoyable, however I enjoyed exploring this world and would probably be interested in seeing where the story goes from here (particularly with regards to the direction of the romance).

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on Nov. 15

As a fan of Sarah Hawley “Glimmer Falls” series. When I found out she was writing a brand new adult high fantasy series I was giddy. When I found out I got approved for the arc I freaked the F out. I already knew Sarah could right fantasy characters well in a romcom setting. I was excited to see how she pulled off this high fae fantasy world. And let me tell you folks she did not disappoint.

Little background for “Servant of Earth” We follow our MFC Kenna as gets pulled from the human world into the underground fae kingdom. Where she is forced to work for the princess of Earth House. Her sole job is to help aid the princess as she partakes in six trials to gain her full magic and immortality. If she doesn’t aid the princess, she dies. If the princess loses, she dies. And of course let the chaos of fae court politics begin!

Let’s talk about what I loved. Freaking Kenna! It’s been a while since I’ve read such a strong, smart heroine. I immediately connected to her and couldn’t wait to see how she dealt with each trial she faced. My only hiccup with Kenna however was at times I did think she was a little too trusting and naive. Honestly if I was in her shoes I would’ve done the same thing.

My next favorite thing Kenna’s sentient dagger. I don’t know about yall but I love a good “stabby” sentient being. (See what I did there 😉) Besides the dagger having some attitude I loved learning about the magic system behind it. I found it unique and couldn’t wait to learn more about where it had come from.

My last pro of this book. Goes to our world building. Sarah did a great job of building this world and bringing us in without overwhelming us. And now that we’ve had a taste I cannot wait for book 2 to learn more about this world.

With that said I highly recommend “Servant of Earth”. Please check it out when it releases later this fall. Also big thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

2.5 Stars

Servant of the Earth is an exciting, fast-paced romance. The plot is refreshing and intriguing, and the story has everything you could want such as great world-building, action, and romance.

Unfortunately, there was just something about this book that was a miss for me. Despite the fast pacing and other positives I mentioned, I felt like some parts of the story were either too predictable or needed to be fleshed out more. Don't get me wrong, this story does have a lot of potential, but I think since I've been on a bit of a romantasy kick lately, this one just didn't live up to my expectations. Definitely a me thing and that's okay.

4 ⭐️

Servant of Earth is going to be a fantasy of the season!!! This had such a unique and addicting plot. I honestly thought it would be similar to other “trial” type of fantasies, but I found it to be unpredictable and it has super strong word building. The characters were engaging and I felt invested in the storyline & the political scheming/betrayals (the tidbits of romance are going to be goooood for the next book) Definitely recommend this one! Dying for the next book and this one isn’t even released yet!!!

Thank you to Berkley for the advanced copy.

I thought this book was really interesting! It is a little bit of a slow burn but i thought it was structured well. I will say that most of the book felt like just a little taste of what is to come. You spend a lot of time learning about how the system works, the magic and the politics. There is a little sprinkle of romance in there but I won’t say more about that because I don’t want to spoil it. Why I am trying to say is that this book felt like a good foundation and I am so excited for what its yet to come!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I'm a huge fan of Sarah Hawley's other supernatural romance books, so when I heard that she'd written a romantasy, I was intrigued, if a little worried. Romantasy isn't my genre, for whatever reason, but I figured I'd give it a shot and see where it landed. Well, romantasy is still not my genre, and I'm not sure it's Hawley's, either - her character are likeable and I appreciated her down-to-earth writing style in this one, but it felt like a patchwork quilt of other genre staples that come before it, a mix of every "faeries, but make it sexy" that you see all over shelves these days. I made it further here than I did with ACOTAR or Fourth Wing, which is solely because I really enjoy Hawley's writing, but alas, it just didn't do it for me, and it felt very generic.

ONE OF MY NEW FAVORITE FANTASIES WITH ROMANTIC UNDERTONES. I'm so unwell, this book was incredible. The magic system, the world-building, the Fae, the political scheming, the court intrigue...literally this book is up there with Throne of Glass and One Dark Window. If you like the way romantasies are written but want a book that's less heavy on the romance + has plenty of plot...add to your TBR! And the way I'm SO EXCITED for the sequel even though this doesn't release for like another month.

From the get-go, I LOVED the concept that Kenna wasn't "the chosen one" nor was she the "princess." She was a human thrown into a bad situation and forced to make the best of it in order to survive. She was smart and kind, and I think she made overall great decisions.

The world-building and setting were incredible! I loved the concept of an underground Fae city + different houses with unique powers. And how each house had an opposing house. The Shards being the gods in this world was amazing. Also a sentient weapon...always on board with that.

Trials in books always intrigue me, and these were done perfectly. I feel like sometimes in books with trials, it can get a bit repetitive. However the trials here felt complex and relevant to the plot. I also loved all of the various scheming going on behind the scenes, on a small scale to win the trials + on a larger scale to usurp the throne.

The side characters were great as well. I think this book sets up the side characters to have complex character arcs in the remaining books. I just know the character development will be off the charts in this series. And the plot was so good it's like the romance is almost an afterthought. I definitely think the romance will be more of a feature in the remaining books, but it was interesting to see how the author set up the potential pairings in this book. I don't want to reveal too much, but I did predict something that happened in the romantic realm of this book. You can never be too trusting hehe.

I will be screaming about this book from the rooftops...PLEASE read it as soon as it releases!!

Thank you so much to Berkley for sending me a copy of Servant of Earth. As always, my reviews are one hundred percent voluntary and all opinions are my own :)

There are several things I really enjoyed about this and several things that fell flat.
Overall the storyline is good but to me the characters just felt a little flat. The humor and character work that Sarah Hawley has in her other series was missing here and I understand this book is meant to be higher fantasy more serious but some moments of reprieve I think could have given the characters a bit more life.
The start of the story was very interesting and I was wildly invested. However; there is a lot of over saturation of descriptors. The paragraphs after paragraphs of describing clothes could have been reduced and I found I was forcing myself to not skim those sections because it didn't feel relevant to the story-line. The trials is something we have seen in a lot of fantasy and it didn't yield anything new because obviously they were going to make it to the end so for me the middle dragged a bit. I loved the connections that were made with the human servants and the spy work those were the parts throughout the middle that held my attention the most. Also the storyline about the blade was soooo good I loved that and hope we see a continuation of that with more lore in the next book.
The ending was good, I loved seeing everything tie together in an epic way but then it was just done. I would have liked to seen more strife at the end for all the darkness and horrific moments the rest of the story entailed.
Overall this story is easy to read, simple world building, with similar things in other fantasy books that if you are a romantasy lover you will probably enjoy. The writing style is very easy to read and flows nicely but overall its a book that I would recommend to certain readers but not ALL depending on where they are in their fantasy journey.

I regrettably lost interest in this pretty fast. The concept was intriguing, but the execution fell flat, the FMC did not feel entirely fleshed out and I found myself getting bored and confused throughout. Yes, it’s very fast paced, but it just couldn’t hold my attention.

4.25 Stars

Thank you to Ace for an ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

This is a highly bingeable romantasy that I literally could not put down. I finished this in just about one sitting, and let me tell you, I’m obsessed.

While I did find this very predictable, and I did know exactly what was going to happen, I enjoyed it nonetheless. I was hyped for the ending, I couldn’t wait to see everything play out, and I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and storytelling.

This author is incredibly talented and what a tale to tell. I loved this and I need the second book asap.

What a ride.

Absolutely devoured this one, and it left me with a major book hangover. Hawley created rich worldbuilding without it being at all complicated, and an interesting and likable heroine who earned her skills instead of falling into the "she's so special and not like other girls" trap that turns me off of a lot of romantasy. Honestly, all the characters are interesting and complex. If you like books about the fae, twisted politics, underdogs, and a Hunger Games-ish plot, you'll need this one! Just be aware that it's VERY different from Sarah's Glimmer Falls series.

Servant of the Earth is a perfect addition to the Romantasy genre. Those who loved ACOTAR will enjoy this for certain. I found the heroine to be a lot of fun. She's plucky, clever, and forced into a constantly life-threatening situation in Faerie. I throughly enjoyed it, My only (small) critique is that I found the plot a little obvious. As an avid reader in this genre, I knew exactly where the story was going the whole time. But this did not diminish my enjoyment and I do recommend it.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for access to an ARC of Servant of Earth.

Servant of Earth is the story of Kenna Heron, a young woman in her mid-twenties who lives in poverty in a small village right outside Fae territory. The village worships the Fae and every 6 years, they select women to send across the bog into Fae territory to act as servants or brides to the Fae, and live in comfort. Kenna is rightfully skeptical of the version of Mistei that the leaders of her village promote, but ends up crossing the Bog.

Kenna ends up in a cruel world where she doesn't know who she can trust. The Noble Fae are backstabbing, cruel, and self-serving and see humans as little better than animals, but there are a few who show kindness to Kenna and who intrigue her. Kenna must navigate the Fae court and help her mistress succeed through trials to have a chance at survival - and perhaps escape.

Kenna is a competent character. She uses her cunning and intellect to help her mistress complete the trials and to navigate the Fae court's intrigues and survive. There aren't any moments where I was exasperated with her decisions or felt like she was being stupid. I'm very excited to see what happens in the rest of the series.

The plot is full of intrigue and although I was never surprised by the plot twists or what happens, I enjoyed the journey and couldn't put it down. Fans of Sarah J Maas will notice similarities between Mistei's Fae and the Fae in A Court of Thrones and Roses, but the world is different enough that it's an exciting read and a welcome addition to the genre.

Let me start by saying I rarely read high fantasy. I usually avoid it because I get lost in all the world building and magical politics. But I loved The Glimmer Falls series by Sarah Hawley (it’s magical realism, which is one of my favorites) so I decided to try her new high fantasy novel. And I’m SO glad I did. The writing is amazing. I never felt overwhelmed by descriptions or history or politics. The world was given the perfect amount of description. I could see it clearly in my mind. And what a beautiful world it is. Kenna, the main character lives on the edge of a bog and is an outcast from the small village nearby. But through her ingenuity and passion to help a friend she finds herself in possession of a magical dagger and then transported to live among the fae, working as a servant to a noblewoman undergoing a set of coming-of-age trials.

The main character is such a badass. She’s strong and resourceful but also wary and able to navigate the various shifting loyalties of those around her. The plot is exciting and fast paced, with so many twists and turns. I truly had no idea how it would go. I appreciated that even though this is book one, it didn’t end on a cliffhanger. Everything came to a resolution, while still leaving more threads to pick up in book two. I loved the descriptions of the fae and their home. They were not so otherworldly as to be unrelatable.They were definitely sympathetic characters.

I loved everything about this book and I will definitely be purchasing my own copy. I am already eagerly awaiting book two next year!

Perfect for fans of Cruel Prince and ACOTAR.

Once I sat down and started reading this I got very hooked and read it in two days. I will for sure be reading book two as well. My only small nit-picky thing is... it was predictable. I don't know if this is a result of me just reading so many of these kinds of books, or if Sarah was just too heavy handed with her foreshadowing, but I saw everything that was even close to a twist coming. But again, I had so much fun reading it anyways that it was not a deal breaker by any means.

A bit spicy and dark, I would be careful recommending this to teens, especially since there is a brothel with a lot of abuse mentioned.

Kenna Heron started life as a poor child of an essentially single mother who revered the Fae. When Kenna attempts to accompany her best friend Anya to Mistei, the fairy realm, as tribute, she finds that Mistei is totally different from the stories she had been told. It's much darker and crueler, ruled as it is by Osric. Kenna's adventures in the fairy realm as she struggles to survive make for pulse-pounding reading.
The characters are very complex, and while Kenna is certainly a sympathetic one, many of the others have layers upon layers and are rarely what they first appear to be. The world-building is solid and while some aspects are a bit predictable, on the whole this is a very enjoyable read.

Ok this book was SO GOOD!!!! And look how pretty the cover is 😫😫😫😫

The political scheming and world building enraptured me. Faeries and courts and betrayal and spies and secrets and sentient blood thirsty weapons!! In the romantasy genre it leans more heavily to the high fantasy side, but does have some ~intriguing~ romance (and 🌶️) as a subplot. There’s so much going on and I am thirsty for more!!!

Thank you to Sarah Hawley for sending me this arc!!!!