Member Reviews
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!!!!
DNF @ 18%.
I think this is going to be a big book series, it is just not for me.
I haven't read this author before, so I was excited to give this one a go. However, I didn't enjoy the writing style and felt a bit apathetic towards the characters and world. I'll be picking this one up again in the future to give is another go.
Rated 4 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC ebook.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
The first book in a new fantasy series introduces Kenna Heron, a human woman trying to survive the deadly underground Fae kingdom of Mistei.
This was FANTASTIC, and I truly can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on it in November. It has some of my favorite tropes/elements: Fae courts, deadly trials, rebellion against tyranny, and a badass heroine. It also has a love triangle which is a hit or miss trope for me but *is a hit here.*
I also loved the characters in this book—so many of them have my heart, and I appreciated that there is so much nuance…no one is only one thing and no one is exactly what they seem on first impression. The ending of this book also sets up book two SO well and I cannot WAIT to find out where everything goes…I actually squealed out loud as everything was unfolding and how PERFECTLY it all came together.
All the romantasy/fantasy girlies need to snag this one as soon as possible!
CW: Murder/death/violence/gore; death of parent; torture; grief; sexual violence
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.