A Crown So Silver was everything I wanted it to be and MORE. It's prequel, A Feather So Black was one of my favorite books read earlier in the year...the gasp I gusped when I received this eARC🤩

Lyra Selene really knows how to transport a reader with such beautifully written prose.

Things I keep thinking about after finished this book, the character development, the tension, the unexpected twists, THE ENDING 😱 can't wait to set my eyes on book 3

While not quite as strong an entry as the preceding book in the series, it doesn’t suffer from quite so bad a case of middle book syndrome as other fantasy stories tend to. While the plot wasn’t quite as engaging, I do believe Lyra Selene’s prose is a bit more mature and refined in this second book, which I thought was a weak point in “A Feather So Black.” All in all, excited for book 3!

I cannot get enough of this story and these characters! I absolutely loved A Feather So Black, and was so excited to be approved for this sequel. The writing is beautiful and lyrical, and I was immediately pulled back into the world of Tír na nÓg. We learn so much more about the Septs, the magic system, and Irian’s upbringing.

All the characters are extremely well developed - I loved the addition of Laoise and getting to know Wayland. His relationship with Fia was exactly what she needed and I adored how much he supported her goals. Pond Scum/Linn is a personal favorite of mine - I think she personally carried the first half of the plot and I cannot wait to see her future antics.

The most realistic part of the story was Irian and Fia’s relationship - both reeling from Fia’s death and resurrection, navigating a marriage neither expected to last beyond a night, and a death threat still hanging over their heads. I loved how they worked through their individual heartbreaks and wants to come together even stronger.

I look forward to seeing how Eala and Fia’s duality comes into play as they come closer to their inevitable battle. Both opposite sites of one coin - light and dark, life and death, the white swan and the black swan.

I loved everything about this story - it’s perfect for lovers of fairytales and those who like to see authentic growth and relationships between characters. The ending left me shook and I cannot wait to get my hands on the third book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The writing style is lush and beautiful, but I do not feel invested in the story. I am having a hard time staying in the flow of the story due to many words I need to look up in the end of book glossary. By interrupting my reading flow I cannot maintain interest or investment. I appreciate other cultures very much and think it’s important to recognize them in books, but I do not think this book is a good fit for my attention span.

This book is going to be a DNF for me sadly, I got to about 30% and the story was just draggggging. I had the same issue with the first book but naively thought this duology conclusion would’ve been a bit more substantial.. alas no. This should have been 1 book

I enjoyed A Feather so Black and as such, I was very happy to receive the eArc for this next book.

The first half is slow but spicy. Honestly, I think I could have done without the spice. I enjoyed the first book so much because of the lyrical writing and world building. I didn’t need the spice.

If you love Irian in the first book, I don’t know if you’ll like him as much. He comes off as possessive and controlling and because of this there’s tension between him and Fia.

Halfway through, I did feel the book began to pick up! Some Hunger Games type competition with a little love triangle action.

This does end on a cliffhanger!

Overall, this was okay for me. I still would recommend to readers that picked up A Feather so Black and enjoyed it.

I absolutely LOVED this sequel to a great first novel. I am such a fan of trials (think Hunger Games, Lightlark, etc)...it just adds so much suspense to a novel. The main character definitely grew on me during this book and had great development throughout. Such a good book in the genre and would definitely recommend!

I received this arc and am giving my honest opinion.
A Crown so Silver, the sequel to A Feather so Black was an odd mix. I wanted to love it but I didn’t. The first half was really slow. Mostly just sex scenes and traveling. The second half was okay. I just didn’t love Fia. The first book was a love triangle and then the second was an additional triangle that was absolutely unnecessary. Irian who I liked in the first book was awful in this one. He’s supposed to be super romantic and touch her and die but he just comes off possessive and needy. They do fight about it but she forgives him. In this whole saga poor Rogan (who is my favorite character) sits as a robot and never gets a chance to come back.
There was just way too much going on. A lot of threads never finished. Like why did the one fae want a bad memory? What is he going to do with it? We’ll never know I’m sure. Then at the end poor Rogan is still left in the dark.
The added characters seemed like a boon but other than one they weren’t really fleshed out. Insta friends and trusting Fia when she was trained as an assassin doesn’t seem accurate.
This middle book just wasn’t what it should have been. Will I read the conclusion probably, I just hope things become a little clearer, a little less tangled with more fleshed out characters.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

A Crown So Silver is book 2 in the Fair Folk Series and continues following the characters from book 1.

This book is full of mystery, action, unexpected turns, and an ending that leaves you wanting more. I devoured this book right after I finished A Feather so Black because I needed to know what was going to happen.

The romance, friendships, rivalries, and angst make this book absolutely amazing. The only thing that keeps this book from being 5 stars for me is the same argument between the main characters keeps coming up again and again and doesn’t get resolved until the end of the book.

Just like the first book this was hard FOR ME to read in some spots because I’m newer to fantasy books. I think if I come back to this later on, it will be easier to read.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

I loved A Feather So Black and have been looking forward to this next book in the series. It started a bit slowly, but definitely picked up about halfway through. I'm glad I stuck with the story because it ended up being so so good!!

Rounding up to 4 stars.

First and foremost, I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC, all thoughts are my own.

A Crown So Silver opens with a slow pace and does not fully pick up until about the 55% mark. I had a difficult time making my way through the first half for a few reasons. I was a bit unsure about the setting change at first, though I ended up enjoying it. And secondly, I absolutely LOVED the FMC, Fia, in A Feather So Black, but was really quickly annoyed with her in the first half of the book. Her character seemed to shift, and I didn't understand why she was acting so impulsively and a bit immature. And I was a bit confused how quickly so much conflict developed with the MMC, Irian, especially as it seemed their characters developed together in the first book.

BUT I am so glad I kept reading, because the second half of the book was really great. Fia's character change, actions, and the difficulties in her relationship were more heavily explained, and I began to understand and feel more empathetic towards her character. Additionally, we learned much more about Irian and what motivated his actions, which allowed for more development of their characters together. It was suspenseful, magically, and that ending!!!!! I cannot believe I will have to wait so long to get answers! The second half of the book is what brought this up to four stars for me.

Lyra Selene is fantastic, and I think her writing is beautiful!

I would 100% recommend both A Feather So Black and A Crown So Silver, and truly urge readers to be patient with the book while the story develops. It is worth it! Really, really looking forward to the next book.

Publication date: Jan 21, 2025

This book took me for a ride. Man. I adore Irian, I adore Fia, and their conflict absolutely tore me apart. I absolutely see both sides, they both made good points and both did/said terrible things to each other. But they are in LOVE and they both suffered so much because of each other and when they were apart. The romance and the romantic conflicts were so well written, I was INVESTED.

Romance aside, the plot was fantastic! Normally I’m a few steps ahead in romantasy plots and I almost always figure out the riddles right away, but I was truly just as flabbergasted as Fia was, many many times. The stakes were high once again, the magic was complex, and the solutions were devastating.

Fantastic characters were introduced, as well as compelling villains. I love Barol, I love Wayland, and i despise Eala and Gavida!!! Everyone had their own story, and the interweaving of those stories was masterfully done.

Lyra Selene also has such a way with words! The Celtic language is beautiful and I surely pronounced everything incorrectly, but I loved all the inspiration from Celtic mythology! Also, the prose and the lyrical quality in the similes used in the story were just phenomenal. Her words tugged on my heartstrings and absolutely ripped my heart out of my chest before stitching it back together, over and over again, cyclically. I learned a lot of new words, both Irish and English, and got absolutely swept up in everything.

Cannot WAIT for the conclusion!! THANK YOU NetGalley and Orbit for one of my most anticipated sequels!!!

Thank you Lyra Selene and NetGalley for providing me with an arc! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What to expect:
- Competition/trials
- More information on Irian’s past
- Intriguing plot
- Lots of tension/arguing in Fia and Irian’s relationship
- Powerful couple
- Spice 4/5 🌶️ beginning is 🥵🥵🥵
- BEWARE ⚠️ Cliffhanger

My thoughts:
I will start this review by saying that I did not enjoy the first half of the book. I honestly considered putting it down before reaching the 50% mark. Do I blame others for not finishing it early on? Not at all. I completely understand why someone would choose to stop reading at that point, and I almost did myself. The first half was grueling to get through. The main character, Fia, nearly drove me crazy. She comes off as immature and impulsive at the beginning and it's hard to accept this version of her.
 
Moreover, Fia and Irian's relationship deteriorated significantly. They spend an excessive amount of time arguing over the pettiest issues, and I found myself face-palming repeatedly. They managed to ruin their relationship in just two weeks, despite having been together for a year. In the realm of fantasy novels, a year is a substantial amount of time to build a relationship, so I struggled to understand how they could fall apart so quickly. These were two major disappointments, especially given how much I enjoyed them in the first book.
 
Just as I was about to give up on the book, I read a review that said something along the lines of, “In this book, you have to have patience. You need to give the author time to explain the reasons behind the characters' actions. You have to trust that the author knows what she’s doing.” Those words encouraged me to keep reading. I'm so glad I did; otherwise, I would have missed out on how good this book turned out to be.
 
Around the 50-60% mark, things took a turn for the better. Fia's actions started to be explained, which made the book significantly more enjoyable. We finally began to sympathize with her and understand her motivations. Additionally, we learned what went wrong in her relationship with Irian. With this new understanding, I found myself appreciating the book much more. It took me a week to get through the first half, but only a day to finish the second half. For this reason, I urge anyone thinking of putting the book down to reconsider—have patience and trust the author.
 
That being said, I'm still only giving this book four stars. While the second half was truly amazing, the first half diminished my overall enjoyment of the read. I will note that one aspect that remained consistently well-done throughout was the plot. I loved the competition aspect, although I wish Fia had participated more. Thanks a lot, Irian. 😒
 
Shout out to my favorite character, Wayland. I love you!!!! 😘
 
I recommend this book.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Orbit books for approving my request to read A Crown So Silver by Lyra Selene! This is one my most anticipated sequels of 2025 and it did not disappoint! At first I thought this would be another case of a heroine getting into a tournament of trials, a plot line that’s becoming a tad over-saturated, so I was thrilled when this plot point got turned on it’s head, especially in such a way that introduced great conflict between characters and really heightened the stakes.

The story between Fia and Irish is amazing. After everything and the strain in their relationship, their love was too powerful to be defeated.
This book was such an amazing sequel to A Feather So Black. Which, was one of my favorites from last year! Not to mention the cover art is to die for! This will be added to my Fantasy collection at home! If you like Fantasy/Romance, you'll love this series!

Sigh. I was hesitant to even read this book because I was actually fine with how A Feather So Black ended, and didn’t want to tarnish any enjoyment I had while reading that book! Unfortunately my hunch was right because this book was SO frustrating. Fia and Irian’s squabbles annoyed me endlessly and I know there has to be tension in a story but they just felt like they were going in circles. I could tell from the beginning that they would be clashing a lot in this book but I wasn’t prepared for how tired I would get of it. I’ll just stick to the first book!

Unfortunately for me this wasn’t as good as the first book. The writing is still beautiful and I loved the Celtic mythology but a lot of what I liked about the first book is missing. (Ex; complicated mother/daughter relationship, less of Corra) It was slow and I never really got into it. The romance overpowered the plot for me. Within the first 20 percent there were already three steamy scenes which isn’t necessarily my cup of tea. I wish I enjoyed this more. There was nothing compelling me or hooking me into the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

While I really enjoyed A Feather So Black, I felt like this book fell short of the first book’s plot and engaging pace.
The beginning dragged quite a bit, making it tough to stay invested in the story. There were glimpses of potential, but the plot just didn’t capture the same excitement for me.

The romance ended up feeling a bit frustrating, as lot of it was focused on Fia and Irian's struggles as a couple. I couldn't get past the miscommunications and pettiness. The chemistry between the main characters was often overshadowed by their argumentative banter. While I understand the need for tension, it sometimes felt like they weren’t making any real progress in their relationship. Overall, it was an okay read, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations.

Cute quick read. Reminded me of the new Quicksilver book. Could use a little more connection between the characters. Otherwise great read

Though slow to start, this book quickly picks up the pace and draws you back to the amazing world the author has created. Through the introduction of some incredible new characters and the addition of high tension and even higher stakes, this book takes you on a very enjoyable journey that will leave you wanting more. Wayland is a new favorite! I cannot wait for book 3 - book 2 ends with another brutal cliffhanger.