Emrie is an obedient second daughter of the noble Das family in the city-oasis of Po;-Thiri. Still a teenager, she is unready for the illegal witchcraft that tingled her hands. Because of politics, her father needs her to bring food to a kidnapped second son of the ruler, Deriek. He also gives her a book on witchcraft that might help her protect the prince. The main problem the city-oasis faces is that the heir to the throne is a sociopath, killing anyone in his way. Feather and Blade (self published paper) is a fun look at politics. Rachel Taylor Thompson keeps the romance on low, and the excitement high, and Emrie masters her witchcraft and makes peace with the goddess of the tree that protects the city.

Unfortunately, the focus on world-building without a parallel focus on character development and conflict caused this one to fall pretty flat. Over a third of the way through the book, I found I had no reason to keep reading--so I didn't. This read like a first draft that hadn't been fleshed out yet...which is a shame, because there was a lot of potential!


Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.

Witchcraft.... that's what the writing in this book is, it is amazing and awesome and so many other adjectives that I cannot adiquately discribe my love for this book. In fact I am waiting to pick it up and re read it again as I cannot get the characters out of my mind. Let's do this

Thank you Netgalley and the author for the chance to review this magical story!

This was a really good book! The world was very well written, if not a bit confusing at a times. The characters are very beliveable, specially Emrie.
What really stood out for me was how the author changed her writing according to which character is telling the story. Emrie's was all full of doubts and questions; and Deriek's was so much simpler, and a lot darker.
The story has it's slow parts, but towards the end it gets so much better. I just wish the ending had a bit more flair....

Thank you Netgalley and Rachel Taylor Thompson for the chance to read this magical story!

This book was an absolute gem to read and really enjoyed the political intrigue. The plot was well thought out and full of information, some of which might seem unimportant , but is actually an essential part of the plot. This wasn’t a light read by any means, but is absolutely worth it, the ending definitely packs a punch!

" "Alas, you aren't perfect", he said, his voice full of jest. "What a relief for the rest of us." "

I'm ashamed to say I have very little experience in pure fantasy, especially ones based in orient-inspired worlds. This romantasy was then a totally novel experience for me, but god why didn't I read these kind of books sooner?

I absolutely LOVED the worldbuilding. Yes, I was completely lost for the first 50 pages, as one good fantasy does to anyone, but the more I discovered the politics, roots of religion and general world where our characters are living, the more I fell in love with it. I found incredible how the author managed to create such complicated relationships, links and schemes and managed to convey all THAT to the reader without making it too hard to follow, or like a headache was coming. It was all very simple to understand, and I had to rip off the book of my hands to sleep for the last 70% of the book, with how addicting it was!

The characters, and moreso, the romance, were a bit less interesting to me, but mainly because I was so engrossed in the political aspect of the book that I just wanted to know what would happen next, not fan myself over the banter and the strangers-to-friends-to-ennemies-to-lovers that happened here. But yes, these developments were much more original than I thought the romance would be, and I was just LIVING for it.

I felt like this book needed a second one (and I'm not saying this much for standalones) mainly because I felt like the end was a bit rushed, and I wanted to see more romance between the two protagonists. Also there was a big plot-twist at like 99% of the book and I just needed to know more about this, because it felt INSANE to me!

All in all, I'm absolutely RAVING about this book, and will definitely recommend it to my fantasy/romantasy/ennemies-to-lovers girlies!

A girl with power, more precisely witchcraft .. how bizarre? Not at all but still in the book yes. The book is amazing, the world building, the plot, the intrigue and the romance? Slow burn but still amazing.. It was a wonderful discover and I'm very thankful to NetGalley and the author to let me read the story

This was a great book. The writing was very good and it is such an enjoyable book. The main characters were very well written and I would highly recommend this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ You should read “Feather and Blade” by Rachel Taylor Thompson because…

You like:

* Rich world-building
* Shocking political intrigue
* Relatable characters
* Emotional self-discovery
* Sweet slow burn romance

HER:
Emrie is the sheltered, dutiful second daughter of a noble house who is determined to prove she has value and uphold the honor of her family.

HIM:
Deriek is the bitter, unwanted spare heir who expects betrayal from everyone and is determined to live his life on his terms, or not at all.

THEIR STORY:
Being second is never easy. When an innocent, sheltered Second Daughter of a noble inner-ring house is tasked with keeping an imprisoned Second Heir alive to uphold her family’s honor, she never dreamed she’d have to risk her own life and learn the forbidden witchcraft to do it.

Emrie is thrust into an imaginative world steeped in tradition and honor, alone and unprepared to navigate the treacherous politics surrounding her family. One false step may bring dishonor, reveal her secrets, or end a life.

But how can she know what to do, or not to do, if everyone keeps her in the dark? The only person who can help her is Deriek, the Second Heir himself.

Forced to trust the bitter prisoner who is convinced she will betray him, Emrie may have to break all the rules to keep them both alive and her heart from breaking in the process.

Pre-order your copy now! ⬇️ (Release date 10/1/24)

https://amzn.to/3AYiLz9

Thank you to @rachel.taylorthompson + #NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

This is a captivating story that will surprise you, move you, and stay with you. Don’t miss out on this beautiful love story.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review this magical story!

Feather and Blade by Rachel Taylor Thompson is an absolute gem of a fantasy novel.

The plot was highly politically motivated woven with magical elements and the romance kind of felt on the sideline for the most part.

One of the standout elements of the book is the relationship between the characters, especially between the Second Born Daughter and the Second Born Heir. Sorry I am bad with remembering character names and these ones were particularity unique.

Themes of identity, sacrifice, and resilience were explored throughout the story as the FMC struggled with honoring her family and her gods while trying to navigate using forbidden magic and keeping the MMC alive.

I really enjoyed the ending of the book with the FMC manipulating the Sovereign and the First Heir. The romance was not the most believable though as she did betray him and even though saved him, still aided in keeping him captive and manipulating everyone around her.

I believe this is a stand alone but I would read more of this world if it came out.

This was a good book. I was a little to slow for my liking though. There was a lot of fluff in my opinion.

From the beginning, I really loved the setting and the religion. It took me a while to connect all the dots, understand the power and family dynamics, but it's all worth it. While I did eventually understand it, I think spending a bit more time in explaining the importance of "first" and "second" wouldn't have hurt.

The characters are great, they feel real and the more you get to know them and understand their situations, both with their own thoughts and feelings as well with their positions, the more you like them.

I went into this completely blind, and I was greatly surprised.

Emrie Das understands her status in her family. She’s to be quiet and obedient. When she gets struck with the gift of witchcraft, she must get rid of it before she is caught and killed. That is until her father tells her to master witchcraft. To keep alive the younger son of the city-oasis’s ruler.

Emrie Das is the second daughter of House Das. She is naive but clever in a setting where many people are power-hungry, seeking a raise in status by using each other. Meanwhile, Deriek Valiyard - youngest son of the city-oasis’s ruler - is the opposite, he is cautious and perceptive. He knows the political scheme and manipulations since he was born and raised in a family who wanted him dead.

Two characters - with their conflicts - interact, learn from each other, and ultimately they develop attraction. The question is whether they can trust each other. After all, betrayal is not uncommon.

My reason for not giving a 5/5 rating is the ending. It did not end properly as there was a secret that was revealed last second. Considering Emrie’s father who is conniving and full of hidden agendas, the ending seemed out of character for him.

I enjoyed the story and characters. The characters were relatable to me as they were not perfect. In the case of Emrie, she is trusting and naive, but as the book progress she becomes aware of the secrets lingering in both her house and others.

#NetGalleyARC

I really liked this book which is saying a lot because the ARC's I have received lately have been falling flat. This book takes place in world where the order of your birth determines your life in a way that is very specific. Gender has nothing to do with who controls the family and lesser children are not only given different tasks, but are taught differently to be less knowledgeable.

Emrie is a Second Daughter and so we see the world from her POV and we learn about the politics and history as she does. This is good for the writing style of the book, but I wish I knew more.

There is great character development and I loved watching Emrie grow more confident and get what she deserves.

I hated Emrie's brother Ahrens. This did not take away from the story I just wanted everyone to know.

I have so many worldbuilding questions and would like another book in this world from a First child's POV, or even a guild master.

I really tried with this one. I only got around a quarter of the way in and couldn't finish. The world was gorgeous, but a little bit confusing. I felt like I was a few steps behind what was going on, and was super confused the whole time.

This was INCREDIBLE! Rachel had me hooked from the dedication and I was astonished to learn this was her first novel. I loved our FMC, Emrie and found her very endearing. It was a quick read and I loved the magical elements and the intricate world that Rachel created. It was fascinating to watch Emrie learn about witchcraft and powers. I also loved the incorporation of the magical tree and learning the history of it and this beautifully depicted world. If you love magic, mischief and clever world-building-this is the book for you! I can’t wait to read more from Rachel Taylor Thompson. A truly stunning debut novel!

This was EXCELLENT. One of those 'I stayed up all night to finish it'.
There's been so much fantasy romance released in the past few years, it can be hard to find the gems. This is absolutely one of them. A lovely mix of high stakes politics and court drama, with intrigue and treachery, plus an excellent magic system - one that the heroine knows nothing about, so we too, do not understand it. I loved that..
There better be a sequel!
Well written and with an excellent narrative flair, I can't wait to read more from this author.

3.5/4 stars.

A very enjoyable political thriller set in a world different from our own. Loved the growth of the main character and found the world fascinating. I would love to read more about this world through other stories.

I did find the sheer amount of info and names overwhelming at the beginning but it cleared up and was easier to follow by 1/3 through. There is a lot to understand in this world but it leads to some great twists at the end and an action-packed finale.

Politics, betrayals, and a dash of romance had me eating this story up!

Emerie is a fantastic character that I adored from the first few pages! I really enjoyed the very in-depth world-building that went into this novel.

First and foremost I gave this book 4.5/5 stars. I went into this book completely blind and adored every second of it. The politics, betrayal, espionage and small bit of romance made this novel absolutely unforgettable. The magic system is also so refreshing compared to what else is being published currently. The ending I also saw come out of absolutely no where which made this book even more enjoyable. I felt like I knew Emerie on such a deep and personal level; it was fantastic. I also greatly enjoyed our morally grey male, he was phenomenal. I cannot wait to follow you as an author and see your further work!!