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!!!!

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