A fantastic read from cover to cover! A.E. Asavi has penned an impeccable fantasy novel. So good I could hardly put it down.

I was hooked by the book right away, getting sucked into the plot. As I read further I fell in love with Anthea and Endreth.

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

Frankly, I have nothing nice to say about this book, so I'm going to keep it as simple and short as I can. The book follows Anthea Clark, who gets handed a rock in the first chapter and is teleported to a Different World where magic exists, and is full of elves. However the elves are super racist and the only way for Anthea, a human, to fit in is to act as a sexy slave (awful, awful sentence to write out) so the other elven courts don't find out her secret and beat the shit out of her for it. I guess.

The entire novel is a poor excuse for trying to navigate fantasy politics. Which it fails at utterly. Also, every single thing is taken verbatim from another more popular fantasy novel. I won't name them, you can guess. There's nothing original or interesting here, and it was not worth the time I spent reading it. I had no idea this was going to be a slave fantasy because nowhere in the description is that stated. In fact, the description is so vague I wonder why I picked up the ARC at all.

The writing itself is fine, but not enticing. There was just no fun to be had at all in this experience, and the "spice" was not earned. Also there are like 100 men and all of them have vaguely similar names. The Queen of Elves and a random footsoldier have extremely similar names, to where I didn't realize they were two different people.

"Fyrlion" = random footsoldier
"Fyralin" = QUEEN OF ELVES

Also "Endreth" and "Endrion" my god please come up with something else

If you change nothing else, change these names. I hated when George R. R. Martin did it, hated it here, too. Marika Melina Maliketh Melania lookin'. I would have fully DNF'd if this wasn't for a review, so like, a .5 star rating from me.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have dnfed it half way through I just couldn’t stand it any longer. On paper it had everything I love: fantasy, romance and mystery, but that’s only in the surface. If you dig deeper you’ll the deeply unlikable heroine, nonsensical plot ridden with cliches to drown in. The writing was ill-done, the lacklustre description and boring dialogues that could have been forgiving if the characters were truly captivating or the plot truly fascinating, but alas.

I was fortunate to get an arc . I was excited by the premise and the cover is gorgeous but, I couldnt get into it.

I didn't know how the author blended together a modern world with fantasy but they did. I'm pleasantly surprised at the world building is really great. Anthea Clark is a great character she's a match for her male counterparts. I love her fire and spunk! They're too many elements that could be spoiled and i won't do that to my fellow readers. Suffice to say I want the next book now. Until next time Happy Reading!

I want to thank A. E. Asavi for this ARC via Netgalley.

Brief summary: The False Pawn follows Anthea, a normal girl working a morally questionable PR job. That changes when she is abruptly whisked away to a fantasy realm with elves and magic. With only her wits and a unique immunity to magic she must navigate the politics of the different elven courts in this new world and do what she must to survive.

Thoughts: I saw lots of potential with this book. The premise was unique and centered more on the politics between the different elven courts with some elements of romance. I did feel that we got to know the FMC pretty well and I found myself wanting to keep reading to see how she would get out of the situation she was in. Unfortunately, the pacing felt very slow until about 40% when it started to pick up a bit. This book has some dark themes since humans are second class citizens in the elven courts so read with care. Overall I think if you like politics and mystery in a darker fantasy setting this could be for you, I just wouldn’t recommend if you are looking for a true romantasy because the romance is truly secondary.

II started reading this book feeling like it had potential, and I got engrossed in the story rather easily with how her writing style and what goes on. Overall, I love the premise of the story of a human falling into another realm and becomes a useful pawn in Elven politics. I would love to read the second book whenever it is available to read! I am interested in seeing where it will go.

The story follows Anthea, a 30 year old human working in a PR firm... until one day she, drunkenly, wrestles with a prophecy-crazed man in the street and moments later finds herself in the bed of an Elven Prince, from a different realm. How did she end up there, I hear you say? Maybe we will find out in the 2nd book. Oh also, the Elven Prince quickly finds out she's immune to magic, otherwise I'm pretty sure the book would've ended there and she would've been dead due to his spell casting. Thank goodness she's immune to it, phew.

From here on out, Anthea has to survive in this new world through an array of challenges: imprisonment, torture, harassment, being deceived and lied to, manipulated, and even having to play the part of a human sex slave in order to prevent suspicion from other Elves and their courts. Anthea is told, time and time again, to obey the royalty of the court and the Elves who are deemed a higher being than her own race, and to "learn [her] place" as a human. I find this does get a bit repetitive in the book, where the same conversation happens over and over, and both parties are just as stubborn as each other. So she is not going to concede. She is not going to back down. She is NOT going to lose hope of somehow returning home; of returning to her sisters she misses so dearly. She is going to stand her ground and demand to be treated with respect and dignity; as an EQUAL. Let's say it doesn't make her life easy. There are harsh consequences for those who don't comply, and Anthea learns that the hard way.

During her time in the Crimson Court in which she first finds herself in, the Elven Princes' carry out a duty to protect her from harm (despite inflicting harm on her themselves, the hypocrites), to determine how she is immune to magic (and why), and to train and task her in dangerous quests that could leave her dead if she isn't careful. Anthea doesn't really get many questions out of the Princes' of what the heck this is all about until later on in the story, which got me a little impatient when all I want is for someone to answer her simple questions. Throughout the book, the Elves drop nuggets of information and answers, in which (only sometimes) are mixed with lies and twists that are later on revealed as just that. She soon discovers she is useful to the Elves, but in what way? Why are they so interested in her immunity to magic? How would that even benefit them? These questions will be answered eventually.

I found the characters interesting yet the Elven men are mostly controlling and deceitful towards the FMC, and there is some repetitive back and forth arguments between them like I said, regarding how she should behave, speak, and respect those "above" her and to know her place in the world.. I have read reviews that say the FMC isn't all that likeable, but I think she's a realistic character. I'd be wanting to stand my ground if a bunch of ridiculously handsome men told me to obey them. Well, they should at least pay me first.

There is some slight romance in this book, though more of a hint of it than anything, and there definitely is a couple of spicy scenes. This doesn't play a big role in the plot, but politics does play a crucial part in it. There is a reason as to why the growing bond between herself and an Elven man is a bit confusing, and it will become obvious over time. I'm hoping there'll be romance in the second book, but not all books need romance, and I am happy enough to just reading the rest of the tale. Also, Andrea eventually becomes forgiving toward those who have horrendously harmed her, but it definitely takes a while for anyone to earn back her trust after they just shatter it so many times.

I was hoping for more of an adrenaline rush at the end of this book, but it only spiked a little. The ending, I find, isn't too exciting, and I wouldn't consider it as a cliff hanger, but rather a "the adventure will be continued...".

Overall, I recommend it if you like handsome Elves manhandling you and tell you what to do, and saying it's for your own good when really, is it? Is it for your own good? Or are these Elves just misogynistic and racist towards humans? I'd say the latter. They can and do get sweet though. Don't be fooled, some do have hearts.

I'd like to thank the author and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book freely! I enjoyed it, and I am looking forward to the next book!

This book had so many things I love in a fantasy, but my god the events that took place made me so angry! I loved the fiery FMC but my heart continuously broke for her because of all she was put through. Every other character was the WORST and they put her through hell for their own selfish desires. There were many times that I almost put the book down because it was so. damn. frustrating. Poor Anthea. I hoped to enjoy this more. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

The novel starts with a lot of promise but struggles in several key areas. The pacing feels uneven, especially in the first half, which might leave readers feeling disconnected. The main character, who initially appears strong and capable, comes off as unlikable and inconsistent. Her transition into the new world lacks the cleverness and skill one might expect, leading to a series of poor decisions and an overall lack of connection with the plot. A romance that feels forced and unconvincing compounds this, partly because of the male characters often overshadowing her. Although the world-building and fantasy elements are intriguing, with rich courts and landscapes, the execution falters with noticeable plot gaps and editing issues. The book ends on a cliffhanger, which might appeal to some, but leaves the narrative feeling incomplete. Despite its potential, the story suffers from a lack of coherence and depth, making it a mixed read that may not satisfy fans of intricate fantasy adventures.

Most of the book I felt like the pacing was a little off. I also felt as though we were supposed to dislike the main character. She just seems to be a little rough around the edges.

The second half of the book is much better than the first. I really feel like when the edits were done that there wasn’t a reread, because we jump, and I feel like things are missing that would help pull me in. I personally didn’t feel like the characters didn’t have much of a connection which caused the romance scenes to be lack luster for me.

Does the whole book need to go back through an edit? Yes. Is there potential 100%

Thank you so much for the arc
I was very excited based on the premise for this book but I had a hard time getting through it. The female lead was hard to like as well as one of the "love interests." I think this would be a better read for someone who is more new to the genre of "romantasy".

This book was a little slow to get into and hard to get attached to the characters. The beginning 40% of the book was so slow and I feel like there was no plot but once you got past that, the characters & storyline developed better. I am excited to read the next book because I loved the last 20%.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc!

While a pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book would have been helpful, I found myself enjoying the adventure that Anthea and her new found friends found themselves on. Warning, it ends on a slight but not overwhelming cliffhanger so keep that in mind when flying through the pages like I did.

Anyone looking for a fantasy adventure that isn’t overly complex will greatly enjoy this book.

The main character falls into a fae relam with attractive hunks. I enjoyed the premise and how the author described things, but the dialogue didn't make the characters very likeable. I think this book has a lot of potential. The in-between moments were captivating.
I would recommend people that enjoy portal fantasy to give it a go.

Asavi's first book didn't hit the mark for me. I really wanted to like it because it had things I enjoy—fantasy, new worlds, and a strong main character.

At first, I wasn't sure if the author meant for readers to dislike the main character because she comes off as really angry and harsh for no good reason. When she enters this new world, I thought she’d shine with her cleverness and skills, but instead, she felt like a totally different person who wasn't even using her talents! Throughout the book, she often forgets about the unique abilities that could help her in the tricky world of court politics and instead makes some really bad choices.

The main character’s anger comes from seeing how badly everyone is treated, but it’s shown in a pretty straightforward way without much complexity. There’s a clear difference between being oppressed and having a voice. I found it confusing how she ended up falling for some of the characters, the ones who actively subjected her to harm and manipulated her. It bothered me that the male characters often took the spotlight, needing to come to her rescue instead of her being strong on her own. Honestly, I was hoping the main character would outsmart everyone and shake up the whole system.

I even started to wonder if the author was a man because the relationships felt off-balance, with her ignoring bad behavior from friends or romantic interests. The intimate scenes felt overly focused on just penetration and made me question if she really would enjoy those moments.

I won't give it a one-star rating because the world-building was interesting, with different courts and landscapes. The flow was good most of the time, too. But the plot was pretty weak, with noticeable gaps and plenty of grammar and spelling mistakes. There were repetitive storylines and thoughts. If the author had spent more time on the fantasy parts and less on the questionable relationships, it could have been a much better read. I see some potential for the series, but I don’t think I’ll be reading the next books anytime soon. By the end, I was just ready to be done with it.

Anthea has spent most of her life taking care of her sisters on the other hand working at a PR company that caters to the whims of Guilty, arrogant and repulsive men can be soul crushing. However it pays well, she can’t complain too much if she has her sisters to think about.

Something her younger sister refuses understand how she could do such a thing no matter how much it supports them.

One night when she decides to unwind and have fun after another fighting match with her younger sister turns into a trip to world full of magic and elves but a problem arises when she has no recollection of how she tumbled into the bed of an elven prince neither does she know the way back home.

Be as it may, Anthea still thinks it’s dream yet when she wakes in a dungeon with two elven princes’ staring down at her she realises what a precarious position she has landed herself in.

They proposed a bargain, Do everything we ask and we shall provide with food, shelter, protection whiles we find you a way back home. Being a human is a dangerous thing to be in the world of Isluma dominated by elves with strange powers. she accepts the bargain and hopes that she hadn’t made a mistake.

This was such a cool concept and i was much eager for the plot to unravel like spools of thread but the pacing was considerably slower than I anticipated. It got to a point I was consistently disappointed and frustrated over the lack of development and detail which mirrored what the FMC was feeling.

I think it speaks a lot about the author’s writing. I was feeling every bit of her frustration and helplessness. she was far vulnerable than anything, She was alone, solated and the mercy of two men who did not have her best interests at heart and her only friend seems to be questionable at best.

30% through the book my thoughts felt muddled like I was underwater with the shrinking of pacing which luckily the plot picked up pace at 50% except I got angrier. I don’t think Anthea was angry enough in my opinion, I don’t think the men and women who opposed her were aware of themselves enough to see what they put her through and I think her whole blossoming romance with Eldrian was too soon, not enough development.

I thought it was because it was a long time since Anthea experienced any intimacy so when she got the first taste she was hungry for more. Her sleeping with Endreth caught me off guard and it appears she had a taste for men who treats her horribly and has a thing for men whose name begins with the letter E.

Eldrian needed a lot of self reflection, grovelling and growth to be worthy of my Anthea.

Aside from that! I would love to read about all the new addition to the sequel.

Thank you Netgalley for for providing a review copy!

Fantastic start for a fantasy debut author! The pacing was a little off from my normal taste but the world building a political intrigue were so good it still kept all of my attention. The book good better and better as it goes along and I could feel the author getting more comfortable and confident with their work. I can not wait for the next books to come out from this author. They will be an instant add to my TBR shelf

An overall light fantasy that does a great job world building and introducing the main characters. It has the right amount of fantasy to really pull you in.

I had high hopes for this book because it had a lot of the elements of fantasy I enjoy, but I struggled through it. The book follows a human woman who falls into a elven universe and is caught a web of conflict.

- The world building was not believable. I'll try to explain this without spoilers, but this was 95% of the reason why I was unconvinced by the book's plot. This was my main problem with the book because what ends up being one of the main issues for the protag hinges on this world building that is severely underdeveloped. There was a social strata that the author wanted to portray but also didn't engage with at the same time. It felt like the author couldn't bring herself to faithfully display what she was writing about, which watered down the point she seemed to be attempting to make.

- We don’t find anything out about the protagonist's history until significantly into the book, and the only thing we know about her is that she had tragic things happen to her in some vague past. Also, she has two sisters that are present for the first couple of chapters then barely remembered. It’s hard to see the protag as a fully formed character and really makes it difficult to root for her. This is especially painful when her character is supposed to be complex (because of her morally unpleasant career choices she makes).

- There's multiple time skips in the book during what would normally be considered important moments for character growth.

A cold-hearted workaholic women with questionable ethics works in the PR industry, scrubbing reputations clean, trying to support her family of sisters until one day she is whisked away to a completely different world of elves. It is political intrigue, adventure, romance and dragons ! This book has all the makings of a great story. It has a main character who is vulnerable yet stubborn and resilient. It has brooding males who fall hopelessly for the main character. The political intrigue involves plots, schemes and betrayals. Then there is the magical element of the elves and the dragons.

I like how the world and the political intrigue have been set up. I like the main character and find her actions relatable. There is never a point where her actions feel unreasonable. The writing, in the later half as the political intrigue picks up, is good. I liked the second half of the book much better. The pace picks up in the second half making far more engaging than the first half ever is.

This easily could have been a five star book but it fails due to some reasons. First and foremost is the linearity of events in the beginning. It gets better in the second half of the book where the linearity helps the story along but in the beginning, it gets a little tedious to keep reading chapters that start along the lines of "weeks passed .... " essentially nothing changing in the character's life. While I understand the need for the stagnancy at this point as a contrast to the coming twists and turns, moving back and forth between the character's past and present would have been a better approach.

The second thing is the romance. While I am perfectly fine with romance taking a back seat to politics and adventure, there needs to be some connection to the pairings. I did not feel it at all. I have no opinions on the couples whatsoever. While I understand how it may have arisen, it falls flat in terms of emotions. I liked to be shown that the character is attracted rather than being told that they are.

The writing is really good sometimes, however there are places where the story reads as if written as part of a creative writing exercise with no novel elements, just a reuse of the age old ones. This book does not make any novel commentary or bring out anything that has not already been said before. While the twists and turns sure are unpredictable, some of the reasoning seems flimsy as if the twists were brought in simply for the sake of bringing in twists, as if the creative writing prompt had mentioned five twists and hence they must be introduced and reasonably explained.

Love the lore and the legend. Love the overall concept. Needs a bit of editing though as most of the characters fall flat. The main character's relatability is what keeps it going, otherwise I do not find myself particularly attached to anybody else. The other characters need to be fleshed out more. Has all the right elements in it but would not be recommending it as it isn't worth the time ultimately.