I have very mixed feelings about this book.

I really enjoyed the first ~40% of it. The premise was interesting and different, I was really getting into the story and the world was super cool and intriguing. There are so many things about it that I wish were explained and/or explored more!
Unfortunately the next ~45% became increasingly boring and repetitive - Ash recieves a lesson about Atlantis/being Queen, she thinks about how hot Draevyn is. She gets taught magic, she thinks about how hot Draevyn is. Bad guy antagonizes or threathens her, she thinks about how hot Draevyn is. Rinse and repeat.
At some point they get together and we replace thinking about his hotness with sex.
Then at the 85% mark the story finally gets moving again, but at this point we already know exactly what's going to happen because the hints were more like a step-by-step guide.
Now I know this all doesn't sound very positive but, and it's a big but, the ending has left me with high hopes for the other books in this series and I definitely want to know how Ashs story continues!
3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Azalea Press for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had such high hopes for this book based on the gorgeous cover and description; it seemed like the ideal summer mermaid fantasy. My favorite parts about this book were the lore and the magic system, which clearly had time, effort and detail put into it….and of course the sharks. The rest was a disappointment for me and I sadly will not be continuing the series.

The fantasy world I was looking forward to the most was riddled with real world elements, sayings, characteristics, book and trope references (and so much more but I’m trying not to spoil) to the point I couldn’t lose myself in the fantasy and it all felt disconnected. The relationship felt very instant love and seemed very “these characters love each other because that’s the plot.” Beyond the relationship, so many of these characters simply seemed to just lack intelligence (I’d go into detail but again, trying to avoid spoilers). I found myself frustrated and struggling to root for any of them. I also struggled with pacing, the climax and predictable outcomes.

I’m trying to word this without spoiling but my biggest concern about this book (that I think people should know about beyond the trigger warnings) lie in an aspect of the “fated mate” bond that reminded me a little too much about a very specific aspect of the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (if you know, you know). It turned the relationship into something very different and it truly ruined the “romance” for me. If you read Breaking Dawn or know what I’m talking about, and that storyline made you uncomfortable, then this book is not for you.

As always, reading is subjective. What is not meant for me may be wonderful for you; if you read the trigger warnings and they don’t bother you and you are still intrigued and then by all means! I wanted to love this and it great potential but I personally would not recommend.

Wow I love a unique fantasy story, I love a fantasy story that pulls from less commonly used and fading cultures, I love finding new types of fae stories!!!!

What an absolutely fun journey this story took us on. Asherah thinks she’s just a normal girl living in the Florida Keys, studying marine biology and working on tourist water adventures, but surprise- she’s the secret heir to the queendom of Atlantis!!!!

From learning about the different elemental fae to training to control water to speaking to sharks to finding a special connection with her guardian Draevyn to building a wonderful group of friends around her to manipulating her scales to make her into a mermaid to discovering secrets about a world she didn’t know existed- asherah goes on QUITE an adventure. And that’s all to set up a seemingly adventurous journey in the next book!

The romance was very insta love (as is to be expected in a fate situation if you catch my drift), Ash waffled a bit and had to be reminded to get out of her head a lot, and some parts of the story were definitely easy to predict- but that’s all just the baseline. What comes from the story is so much more!! The twists are fun, the characters are extra cool with sick powers, the connection to indigenous Caribbean culture and language is wonderful, and the world building is top notch. The last 30% of the book just absolutely FLEW and I can’t wait to find out more about this world on our next quest through Atlantis!!

Thank you so much to ST Fernandez and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

AI voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, S. T. Fernandez and Victory Editing for this ARC.

The Veiled Heir is book 1 in The Heir of Atlantis series.

Asherah Delmar was looking forward to start her marine biologist course but the day before she's due to leave, she's followed by two strange men. But when she gets home she's sent with her dad to Atlantis, where she learns her true form and that she is the Heir to this queendom and now must prepare to be queen as her mother, the Queen, was murdered!

I really liked Ash when I first started reading the book, she sounded like a true heroine. The world-building was okay too. However, at about 35%, the book really dragged and was boring as there wasn't much going on. I was quite surprised with how the main villain kept getting away with everything when everyone knew exactly who was tormenting Ash; it got quite ridiculous, boring and hard to believe that Ash's friends and family kept leaving her alone with random people despite the danger to the Heir.

Overall, there was great potential but more than half the book felt like a waste of time and then a lot of things happened in the last 10%, most of which suspected.

Ashera finds out that she’s secretly the princess of Atlantis after growing up with humans for the first 22 years of her life. While fleeing from attacking fire fae, her mom, the queen of Atlantis is killed making Ashera the next in line for the throne. Lots of people are mad, there’s scheming, and a group of people are specifically out to kill her and make her miserable.

I’m mostly mad about the fact that this went through editors and beta readers and nobody mentioned that Earthos and Airelandia are BAD names for realms. The names for everyone are so like try hard fae sounding fake names. Melysa is a bad name for a character. Reneah is a bad name for a character. There are normal English spellings for those names we don’t need to make it quirky. The first probably third of this book needs heavy edits and it was hard to get through. The phrase “cock pocket” should NEVER be used, and the physiology of the scales doesn’t make any sort of sense (specifically shaping what is essentially skin into a tunic? Or a dress???) other than all that, this was a creative and inventive take in the legend of Atlantis and I did enjoy it in the end. I am still VERY mad that when Ashera has a whole group of her friends who have endless knowledge on Atlantean politics, she’s screwed over by one of those laws that anyone including her father the king should know???

I really enjoyed this book! As a lifelong mermaid fan the setting of Atlantis and underwater Fae was a winner for me. The world building was great and I found myself eager to learn more. I liked most of the characters but I struggled a bit with some of their decisions or their reasoning for lack of action.

The cover is beautiful and I especially enjoyed the second half of the story. I'm not really a fan of cliffhanger endings but it still felt like a whole story which I liked. I'm looking forward to the next one!

Thank you Netgalley and Azalea Press for this ARC to review.

First things...that cover is beautiful! This had a unique fantasy world based loosely around the lore of the lost city of Atlantis with water fae and other elemental fae. I enjoyed the character development, the romance, fated mates trope, discovery of hidden magic, and secrets. And the last 10% of the book had me on edge...so good! Overall s fantastic story and I can't wait for more.

This book is probably the most disappointing read I have had in a while. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and from the description it sounded right up my alley. I really think the fact that I was invested enough to finish is what brought this up from a one star though.

The first thing that stood out to me is that the writing style was very choppy. This was a dialogue-heavy book, which normally I don't mind, but it felt like the story was just "'Dialogue.' Action." over and over.

Sometimes, there is a book where the characters just do not click with me. They don't do what I would expect them to do, and not in a fun plot twist way. You guessed it, this book falls into that category. There was some insane behavior and actions that some of the characters got away with and the MCs were just like, "Oh, we can't do anything." Just really rubbed me the wrong way.

Speaking of rubbing me the wrong way! This book had some actually insane lines! I was uncomfortable every thirty pages. For example (no spoilers), when the MC was told that her "breasts were dangling flesh ornaments with tips that did nothing for him." I'm sorry, what? The romance was SO fast, and some of the things they said to each other made me cringe hard. Do not get me started on the webbed feet, I ignored that part in my mind.

Despite all of this, I definitely could have gotten behind this book if the plot had been a little more fleshed out. There were two main concerns plot wise, the first being that nothing went wrong until the the end. Other than the beginning conflict, the MC figured out everything in this new world without issue. I would get that feeling in my gut when something is about to go wrong, but then absolutely nothing would happen. When I was younger I used to wish for a book with everything going as planned, but now I realize I want some drama!! However, this changed to the other end of the spectrum at the end of the book. Not only did everything go wrong, it went wrong to unrealistic amounts. You're telling me that the characters that lived in this world for a thousand years wouldn't have known that big plot twist? The last issue I had with this book is I was advertised a girl working through her grief. Instead, I was being told how sad she was every couple of pages, and then about halfway through even that stopped.

I never critique books harshly, but I think my frustration with this one is I was so excited. I might be judging too harshly, but I really am so disappointed.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. S.T. Fernandez did a great job of writing a story that sends you into the depths of the sea and creates such a unique world there. It captured my attention, and made me not want to put it down until I was finished! I would highly recommend it!

This was such an adventure! The Veiled Heir is a cool mix of fae/elf fantasy with a sprinkle of mermaids - given the setting in an aquatic realm, and I thought it was so fascinating to read. I really liked the worldbuilding and thought the dynamics between the different elf races! Was a solid read overall!

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4.

My main critique of this book is that it felt slow at the start and that made me take a while to get into it.

The setting of Atlantis and the world building is incredible! As someone who loves the ocean, I always enjoy books that take place in the water - a lot of fae books have more forest/mountain settings.

Overall a solid start to the series and I’m looking forward to where it goes next!

I ended up absolutely loving this book and recommend it to anyone looking for a fun fantasy fae read. It took a little in the beginning to get into it and get to a point where I didn't want to put it down. But as we followed Asherah's story into her secret family it started to get where I binged the book in a day or 2. I will say I'm so mad at the ending (not really) but it was such a cliffhanger and I can't wait until the next book.

Thanks to netgalley and Azalea Press for the early eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story line almost felt like it should be for a younger crowd, but the spicy scenes suggest otherwise? I was hooked enough to want to find out what happens in the end, but didn't even get that because it ends on a massive cliffhanger! This book just wasn't for me.

I think I either need to take a break from NetGalley books, lower my expectations for these kinds of books, stop trusting reviews, or all of the above because this book was not a good time. I had such high hopes for this book. I've been looking for mermaid stories, and it's so hard to find any that aren't middle grade level. However, this was turning out to be just like any other romantasy book with an unsuspecting FMC who is suddenly thrust into the hidden world of fae and has an uber-masculine love interest. There was potential with the world-building and the overall plot, but honestly it was just boring. The pacing was already weird, and based on the few negative reviews out there, it was just going to get worse.

I think the two things that really solidified it for me that I was not going to enjoy this book was the name of the other faerie kingdoms and the character of Aurelio. First of all, the Air Fae's kingdom is called Airelandia and the Earth kingdom is called Earthos. That has to be the most uninspired and uncreative names I've ever heard. There was not more than a second of thought that went into those names, which seems so weird since all the other character and place names seemed pretty unique and interesting. I don't know why the author decided to phone those names in. Second of all, the author created the most stereotypical gay male characters, that even as a straight female, I felt hate-crimed. The FMC meets her stylist is a gay man whose first words are "...or else that rigid wench with the unstyled hair and bland manicure will rip away what is rightfully hers". On it's own, this one quote isn't bad, but every sentence out of his mouth is this same "sassy" and "flamboyant" vibe. Eventually, the FMC even calls them her "two fashionable guardian angels". Of course I didn't finish the book, so I don't know if they were given any other personality traits, but this was too much.

I tried so hard to give this book it's fair shot, but once I got to the 20% mark, I was just dreading picking up this book. I could see some people liking this book, and there definitely are people who have liked this based on the reviews, but maybe I'm finally just sick of the romantasy genre.

I’m giving this 4.25 ⭐️
3🌶️
1 💧

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.


I’m so upset. SEETHING.
BECAUSE I NEED THE NEXT BOOK. That was one brutal cliffhanger that I did NOT see coming !!!


Plot: I was hooked in the start, it did hit a bit of a lull in the middle, but once I got to about 55% it picked up for me and literally could not stop reading. I canceled all plans and ignored all responsibilities. The concept of elemental Fae in Atlantis - SO cool and unique. The development of the MFC coming into her new role - very cool process throughout the book. Lots of scheming and plotting and mystery.

World building: NO INFO DUMP. THANK YOU. It was so well done ! And again, so unique.

MFC- I enjoyed Ash. She was truly a strong female character. Made some dumb decisions here and there that I couldn’t quite forgive lol

MMC- I had a pull to him, he had me swooning. It wasn’t until the end that I went full *sell my left kidney* to have a man as sweet as him UGH. His piece at the end with the MFC nearly tore me apart.

Side characters: The antagonist is so easily hateable. I want nothing but horrible things for her. The rest were so SO lovely !! And added so much to the story.

Spice/Romance: It was a steamy one for sure. Weird language used at times 😅 but not over-used where I had to put the book down lol. The romance is a bit insta-love but the book still had a slow burn feel. The things that come out in terms of the love confession - rip my heart out and step on it why don’t you ????



Honestly if you liked the second book from ACOTAR - read this book. That’s all I have to say.

✨️💚✨️Book Review✨️💚✨️

Book: The Veiled Heir
Author: ST Fernandez
Rating: 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

"You are a dream I never want to wake up from," he whispered against my skin.

Let's start with: if ST Fernandez writes it ... I'm going to read it.

I absolutely loved this spicy romantasy Atlantis wild ride of a book so so so much.

I am most definitely now a "drae bae" and will never go back.

My favourite part of this whole book was the found family aspect for the people Asherah ends up with around her. I love every single one of those characters.

I also really enjoyed Asherah and how strong and brave she handled her whole situation with what happens at the beginning.

You get:
• Romantasy
• Fated Mates
• Spicy
• Dual POV
• Secret Identity
• Atlantis
• Found Family

Pick up this book on July 23rd and prepare to be thrown into a spicy underwater, war brewing, goddess filled, magic and saucy (spicy romance book lovers) characters masterpiece.

"You are my path. You have my heart. You have my soul. And love is such an inadequate word for how I feel about you, but you have it, too, nonetheless."

I Enjoyed the story and the romance. The world building was really different and interesting. And, wow the cliff hanger. Looking forward to book two.

I had high hopes for this as I love mermaids but I unfortunately I was more bored than anything. Its written as if its intended for a middle grader but then there are terms like 'cock pocket' so that has me thinking its aimed at a more mature audience but I just felt like I was reading a teen drama.

This was so much fun! A very unique fantasy, with a world and lore that I’ve never read before. The introduction of water fae (and other elemental fae) was so unique! The world building and political intrigue was really great. The romance between the two main characters seemed (a tad) rushed but overall was entertaining. Would definitely recommend if you love fantasy that’s relatively easy to follow with good characters!

Oh gosh where do I begin? This is like an avatar meets fae meets romance book! I absolutely loved this book. I’m still gathering my thoughts and wrapping my head around it because omg!

It was lovely. It made me laugh, it made my heart hurt, it gave me the feels I needed while I even kicked my feet too. I loved Ash and wanted to support her and Drae so much. I can’t wait to see where this book/ series heads. I’ll definitely be supporting and keeping an eye on this author! For sure recommending as well!

I’ll be posting a review on my Instagram with the upcoming days as well as good reads. Once I finish that I’ll be updating this post here with links to them. Along with updating this because wow just wow.

Did it have moments where I could tell what would happen? Sure. BUT it didn’t make it any less of a fun and great read. I still enjoyed myself and found myself wanting more and wanting to see what happened next. It was easy to read while still being engaging and just mwah. I loved it. I hope there are some character art designs or something in a preorder package or future benefit because I would love to see some visuals for these characters *especially* drae.

Also the cliffhanger? Omg I was shocked. My heart sank, I screamed, I couldn’t believe it. I need the next book asap please and thank you! Haha. I seriously can’t wait to see where this goes… I’ll definitely be looking forward to it.

I’m newer in terms of Fae fantasy books and haven’t read many water fae specifically, so this was still very refreshing to me and explained it well from a basic level but not so basic that someone who is familiar with this genre would get bored. It had enough romance for me to enjoy it still and lean into the idea of adventure which I hope and believe the next books will have with the fantasy adventure aspects!

The cover is also GORGEOUS. Bravo all around!.