Bride Of The Fae Prince // Book Review

When I first applied to ARC read Bride of the Fae Prince by Anastasis Blythe, I will fully admit I didn't expect to get accepted. There were a limited number of seats to be filled, and I had been a couple days late to the notification. So, when the email entered my inbox, telling me I'd been accepted as an ARC reader, the overwhelming emotions were surprise and shock. But these quickly faded away to utter joy as I delved into the rich, intricate world of Faerieland and all the shenanigans that came with it.

Isabelle Louise has always known she is to be married off to whomever will form the strongest alliance for her father's kingdom. It is her fate, her duty, and their kingdom's best defense against the fae attempting to obliviate their borders. All her sisters have done it before her, and she accepts it now without a whisper of complaint.

No matter how cruel or disgusting her future husband may be.

However, all her thoughts on living a quiet, subdued life of fading into the shadows are blanched when her latest suitor Trenian Ashrift Solavirth, the Prince of the Fae himself, arrives from Faerieland in search of a wife.

A human wife.

As Isabelle Louise is swept into a world of danger and politics, will she learn to love her fae husband? Or is she truly just another pawn in his immortal game?

"For a world of people who supposedly cannot lie, I feel as though I swim blind and deaf through a sea of falsehoods and half-truths."

From the very first chapter, I knew I was going to absolutely adore this book. Isabelle Louise was so relatable to me. Her quiet, self-sacrificial demeanor and nervous anxiety grabbed my heart in a way that only a kindred belief could. The way she fully expected to be the wife of a cruel, self-serving man--had resigned herself to a life of limitation and unhappiness. Yet still hadn't fully smothered the flame buried within her soul.

Isabelle Louise could reasonably complain about a number of things in her life--her distant father, her cold sisters, the unfairness of the situation that her kingdom's in that requires her to make a prudent match before the clock strikes out. But she didn't think to pity herself, or play the victim card. Whatever she did, she did for the benefit of her kingdom and her people. There was no word of complaint to leave her lips--despite the utter devastation it would bring to her personal life.

And this stubborn, determined morality really intrigued me while simultaneously revealing my own inclinations towards what is comfortable and safe as opposed to what is right.

"At least if I'd been married off to Prince Brochfael, I would know exactly my place in the world. I would be the quiet Isabelle Louise who submitted to the whims of her husband, just as I submitted to the whims of my father. I knew my role: to take whatever was given to me, to give whatever was asked of me, and to do so without complaint."

Isabelle Louise's transformation and development into Stella, the wife of the Prince of Faerieland, was amazingly executed! Though hints of it were still underdeveloped or cliche, the overall effect was beautifully orchestrated to portray themes of overcoming fear and being true to yourself. Despite the fact that Stella is in a foreign realm, full of dangers and deceptions she can only begin to wrap her mind around, she takes the opportunity to step into herself, away from the husk of a girl she was before marrying Ash, and to discover and embrace the person she is and the power she holds. Losing the fear and the stutter that held her back, until she becomes more than anyone could have ever dreamed of.

Until she becomes his butterfly.

"It's so oblivious to the dangers of the world it lives in. So oblivious to its own vulnerability. And even to its own beauty."

While Stella was by far the most relatable character in the book for me, this review would not be complete without at least a few ramblings on Ash, the prince who stole Stella's heart... as well as my own!

Caring. Chaotic. Cunning. Protective. I was giggling like a schoolgirl almost every scene that Ash was involved in. The man's sassy personality and dangerous smiles simultaneously caused butterflies in the stomach and heart palpitations. And his devoted, well-intentioned--though sometimes ill-managed--care of Stella? Absolutely magnificent!

Threatening kisses, drinking poison, asking for thoughts--so many elements of this story had me bolting upright in my seat or stealing away late nights of reading.

And Ash is certainly not the least of those reasons. 

"I'm not lying. She will go down in history as the High King's beloved human wife. Stories will be told of her, regaling her beauty and goodness. She will be the subject of legends. Of tragedies. I will be sung of, too. As the lover who wept over his dead bride's body."

Anastasis Blythe's unique storytelling and writing style, though admittedly a little hard for me to get into at first, was a work of absolute genius! My limited experience with first person POV in books was definitely a factor in this, as well as Ms. Blythe's intriguing sentence structures. But once I understood the writing style and flow, I found myself captivated by the effect it maintained in influencing the story.

The portrayal of tyranny, devotion in marriage, and enthralling political maneuvers, like chess pieces on a gameboard, were all the better because of the talented verbalism attributed to Blythe's writing.

"I have no place in this game of immortals--except as a pawn. A piece on the gameboard for him to maneuver. It's time I recognized that. I might be a favored piece. Even a beloved one. But I'm still a piece."

Overall, this swoony romantic fantasy full of high-stakes plots and mesmerising tension definitely earned its right into my late-night-reads of fame, and I'm so thankful I had the privilege of experiencing it.

Does this review pique your interest in the book? Have you read it yourself? What were your thoughts? Or do you have a similar book you would recommend based on this review?

Chat with me in the comments about it! I'd love to hear everything you have to say.

Vocabulary Word: Susurrus // a soft murmuring or rustling sound; whisper.