Tessonja Odette

Have you had reason to question the nature of of your memories?

I couldn't help the less than subtle reference to Westworld ok? In some ways this reminds me of the experimental psycho-therapy happening to some of the characters in season 3 right now.

Then again its all some form of brainwashing right?

I felt almost physically sick at the end when the nature of Claire's reality is revealed. Without spoilers (that would definitely change how you view what's happening) suffice to say it show more reinforced certain paranoias I have about medication and therapy.

I'm not sure I'd necessarily classify the ending/culmination happy - Claire gets answers and overcomes her demons (so to speak), but no one skips off into the jewel colored sunset nor does the severely broken but uncannily possible society get any sort of revolution.

Its not that kind of book. Through her own choices Claire works the system against itself, but the end result is maybe the best she could have hoped for in such a mercenary world.

Odette's writing is on key and after some narrative slowness at the beginning, picks up speed. The trauma that Claire is reliving, and in some ways deepening, can be felt as she struggles to piece together her fragmented mind. The story sweeps you into a near future where empathy is played for views and manipulating a person's mind on camera is family viewing. show less

Aha Bargain with a Fae will you?

Having read (and enjoyed, a lot) the Fair Isle Trilogy that precedes this series (set 20 years earlier, with overlapping cast, but not circumstances) plus having read more Beauty and the Beast retellings then I can shake a staff at, I was so ready for this.

Our dear "Beast", the Unseelie King of Winter, is a grumpy, petulant Fae who is undone by a no-nonsense "Beauty" intent on freedom. I was cracking up at their first meeting, even more after realizing he show more clearly had no idea what he was doing.

Nor could he act.

Gemma I liked from the first. Not just because of her love of books, but because she had a spine of steel. She acknowledged she messed up, and refused to let it ruin her chances of getting away.

Their plan to break the curse, while somewhat... idealistic, gave a good showing of how they both find solutions. They're both clever and quick, however they use their individual talents in different (occasionally frustrating for the other) ways.

Odette balances the original world with the beats of the fairy tale quite well, incorporating recognizable elements for those who enjoy the original and those who are fans of the Disney version.

In all, a wonderful addition to the Fair Isle world as well as an engaging way to kick off the new series. show less

I absolutely loved My Feral Romance at first. It’s set in a gaslamp-esque fantasy world: Daphne is a socially awkward fae who has recently taken on her human form and chosen to live in a human city, where she works at a publishing company. She had an enemy-to-friend relationship with her coworker Monty until he began keeping his distance and was then fired and disappeared from her life.

At the start of the story, Daphne and Monty reconnect and begin spending time together with the excuse show more that each needs help from the other. I felt their simmering tension right from the start and it continued throughout the book, and that was delightful. I also appreciated the world and how unique this book seems compared with so many other fantasies.

Daphne and Monty have compelling magical reasons keeping them apart, so initially the conflict felt genuine. But about halfway through, I wanted new or difference conflict to keep the plot going; the reasons keeping them apart began to seem like the type that could now be solved with one good conversation. Eventually the action picked up and I loved the ending.

This would have been a 5-star read for me if the story had kept its initial momentum, either with new conflict introduced or tighter editing of the middle section to shorten it a little. I’d still recommend it, though; it’s part of a series but made sense on its own. show less

A well-done Beauty and the Beast retelling where the Beauty, in this story Gemma, is human and the Beast is a Fae King. They each struggle to escape a curse. The Fae King was cursed because of his past transgressions and his prejudice against humans. His curse can only be lifted if a human feels so grateful to the Fae King that they would sacrifice their greatest treasure. If the curse isn't lifted in 3 months, he dies. Gemma, on the other hand, isn't under a curse in the literal sense of show more the words, but because of a past scandal with a viscount that deceived her and ruined her reputation, she is looked down on by society. In a patriarchal society where women don't work (it's not forbidden, just shameful), unless she can find a rich husband, her future is bleak.
So Gemma and The Fae King strike a bargain. She will trick her nemesis into falling in love with him under false pretenses, hoping that Imogen will give up her greatest treasure (which Gemma thinks might be a dress or something just as trivial) to lift the curse. In return, The Fae King will make her wealthy enough to have the freedom she's always wanted.
Needless to say, things don't go as planned.
The prose is fun and light, the characters are endearing. Well, some of them anyway. Imogen is obnoxious, as is Gemma's father. The first few chapters are a bit slow, and the first encounter with the Fae King is ridiculous at best, but if you move past that, you get a delightful story and a happy ending.
I noticed a strong Sarah J. Maas influence. The story is set in the Winter Court. show less