As always this fantasy Romany was amazing swoony and I absolutely devoured it! The zemkoska chronicles has been a be comfort world of mine when it comes to romantasy and an all of you are sleeping on this inspiring indie author

Algaia has always protected and sheltered from their enemies and everything really. But now, their enemies have come knocking on their door and war is coming.

Algaia’s mother wants to keep Algaia protected, but Algaia wants to help her people and be there to protect them, to make a difference and to show she cares for all her people, including the humans. So, she does. She leaves and joins a military camp where she learns how to fight and how different humans and those with magic are treated and that as the princess, maybe she could make a difference.

This is an interesting take on the story of Mulan. A princess in disguise joining a war camp to learn how to fight, but cannot reveal who she really is. It was definitely a wake up call for Algaia. She learned a lot, mainly how sheltered she truly was and what people really were like out there. How humans were treated versus everyone else. She grew as a person and even though she already cared a lot about humans, she decided to take charge and make changes unlike her rather insufferable mother.

The romance is sweet, but I also wish it wasn’t so rushed. It was probably the biggest thing in here that I wish more time was taken on it. Rather than have Algaia bump into someone and bam, that’s who she falls in love with. Despite how rushed it was, it was still sweet and I really liked Garrick. There’s some miscommunication in here too, which usually bothers me, but it didn’t hit me as hard as it usually does since it did make sense as to why things were kept secret.

There’s a small found family formed in here which I know everyone loves! It’s very sweet and good for Algaia I think to have such rounded out friends that are so different from her and her way of life.

The world is very unique as well. The magic system is explained well, and I especially appreciate not feeling like I missed out reading the previous books in this series. This one is definitely a standalone, and while I could tell there were Easter eggs in here from previous books, I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything. This truly was Algaia’s story set in the same world.

This was a very enjoyable read. The pacing was a bit fast and there are small things that I wish were maybe expounded on more, but overall, the story is wonderful and I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the gifted e-ARC to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Helen Rygh-Pedersen continues her wondrously magical yet surprisingly dark Zemkoska Chronicles with Where Golden Feathers Fall. Filled with immersive atmosphere, military action, rebellious characters, and scorching hot spice, this third standalone instalment is a delicious romantasy read for fans of Carissa Broadbent’s The War of Lost Hearts and Helen Scheuerer’s The Legends of Thezmarr series.

Through the eyes of pampered princess Algaia Domonov, the daughter of the main couple in Apple Seeds in the Snow, we are drawn (back) into this dangerous and deceptively enchanting world where war with the vicious Oderbergs is looming ever closer. Living up to her parents’ rebellious and (frustratingly) wayward nature, she decides to flee the safety of the palace and disguises herself to join a military camp. Soon, she starts growing closer with her human subjects than she ever thought possible, and especially the brooding Captain of her team has an irresistible allure that could be even more dangerous for her heart than the war that is about to break out.

Now, in many aspects, Where Golden Feathers Fall still provided all the elements that made me enjoy the first two standalone instalments of this fun romantasy series so much. I am simply enamoured with the beautifully atmospheric world that Rygh-Pedersen has created, and the whimsical yet dangerous nature-focused magic continues to intrigue and entrance me. Moreover, I really like the expansion of the lore with all the surprising easter eggs to the other books in this series, and I thought it was especially interesting to see some familiar faces from book 2 in a new light.

However, Where Golden Feathers Fall unfortunately fell flat for me as a romantasy novel, in the sense that neither the fantasy plot nor the romance felt well developed enough for me to feel invested in them. And on a more personal note, it had a few things working against it in the romance department for me, considering the fact that age-gap romance, dirty talking, and uneven power dynamics are all anti-buzzwords for me. See, I prefer it when two love interests develop an emotional bond before/alongside their sexual attraction, and I personally felt like the romance between Garrick and Algaia was fully focused on lust and lacked any real depth or chemistry.

Additionally, I found some content in this book to be shockingly (and dare I say, needlessly) dark vulgar and disturbing, especially in its treatment of sexual harassment, dubious consent, and abuse of power. On the one hand I can appreciate that Rygh-Pedersen didn’t shy away from showing the atrocities of war and the brutality of life in a military camp, but at the same time I felt like some of the heavy themes were not given the time to be treated with the care and sensitivity that they deserve.

All that said, I did quite enjoy the fun found family vibes that organically started to develop between (Al)Gaia and her mates in the camp, and I especially appreciated the strong female friendships in Where Golden Feathers Fall. Also, Rygh-Pedersen works quite a few empowering messages of self-discovery, resilience, standing up against injustices, and creating your own destiny into Algaia’s journey, which added some much welcomed weight, nuance and depth to both her character and this narrative as a whole.

While this instalment in the Zemkoska Chronicles didn’t totally suit my own reading tastes, I have no doubts that the dark romance girlies will gobble up this deliciously spicy book. And after that enticingly ominous epilogue, I am more than curious and excited to see what the next book is going to bring. If you like your romantasy to be dark, magical, and dangerously action-packed (both on the training grounds and in the bedroom), then I would recommend giving Where Golden Feathers Fall a shot!

2.5/5 stars

Thank you to the author for providing me wiht an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Where Golden Feathers Fall is scheduled for release on October 15th, 2024.

4.5
I struggled with my rating because of certain aspects of the story.
But first I’ll expound on the positive parts. Ouna is not the main character here but her daughter, Algaia. She seems to be as stubborn and headstrong as her mother. In order to learn more about the world and protect her country from Bergam’s constant threats, she clandestinely joins the army.
I thought her slowly budding relationship with her captain, Garrick Kravisi, was very well thought out and given time to flourish. However I also felt that their sexually tinged remarks to each other were totally inappropriate for a captain and his underling. These conversations made me very uncomfortable. I especially didn’t care for the “alternative” punishment given to now Gaia Damm instead of the whipping. I actually cringed at that whole exchange between the two.
Luckily eventually the captain comes around and realizes how wrong his actions have been to a cadet. On the other hand, the smoldering attraction between the two was slow to its inevitable conclusion. These were taken at a leisurely pace. So although there were very graphic sex scenes, they were handled well with these two characters. I did like these two together.
Another standout character is Yesilga, a Messenger harpy to the gods. She brings some friendship and comic relief. We have appearances from centaurs, satyrs and fauns as well. I would like to see more of these citizens in future stories.
The plot really moved along and there were plenty of tense moments and situations. The ending does not surprise you, but leaves you asking for the next book!

✨When Golden Feathers Fall✨

Book 3 in an interconnected standalone series, When Golden Feathers Fall is an intriguing Mulan retelling that can easily be read on its own.

Set in a world full of interesting monster/faerie like magical peoples, we mainly follow the 3rd person POV of Algaia, crown princess of her kingdom that controls plants and water. When the neighboring kingdom begins to invade, Algaia no longer allows herself to be a caged bird and instead runs away and into the training troupes under a false name. Here she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and love.

With quite the slow burn, WGFF is delightfully full of empowerment and tension. The moments in the mess hall and “punishment” will have you wishing the MMC was calling you “good girl” instead.

Tropes you may find in WGFF are age gap, forbidden love, captain x cadet, myriad of monster-people (satyrs, harpies, amphibious), hidden identity, grumpy x sassy sunshine, erotic dishwashing 🤭, slow burn and tensionnn, “good girl”, found family, and medium spice.

Thank you so much, Helen, for letting me read this gifted arc. It was so fun!