Name: Heart of the Fae
ISBN: 9780999424414

Emma Hamm

Beauty and the Beast meets Irish Mythology in this sweeping retelling of the beloved fairytale.

Heart of the Fae

Natalie Sypeck 

Julia Seiser

Nothing is evil. The very idea was created by those who won wars and wished to paint their poor choices as the right thing. No one goes into war or battle thinking they are evil."

The kind of slow moving cozy fantasy romance that I love. I enjoy a good slowburn, I love world building that incorporates intricate and vivid details and I absolutely love mythology. This was delightful

Emma Lechner

Emily

Loved the mythology but I found the pacing to be a little bit weird, and it got super slow in the middle.

Dang, I wish I could give this a higher score! But I went in with high expectations and was left rather underwhelmed. 

I don't have much experience with adult fantasy romance, but I have to admit I was expecting a bit more spice. I know this book is part of a series, so I understand that this is an introduction to the world, but I felt we spent a lot of time "hanging around" and then rushed through events that would be considered important to moving the story forward, character development, or world building. I think we got a decent view into the world building, but I'm still left with a lot of question (in other words, I'll still be reading book two in hopes I get answers). 

I also had trouble with the romance. I expected our characters to spend more time together, but we spent so much time with our MC just wondering around alone. It made it hard to believe they really had any feelings for each other by the end. They also had a lot of back in forth...we hate each other, now we get along, now we are mad at each other, now we are flirting, now we are mad again. I love a good slow burn with angst, but often times the author wouldn't even say why they were mad! Just that they were! I really hope they spend more time together building a believable relationship in book two. 

I also want to see more of our MC's healing and more politics. When it came to the political maneuvering in this book, it was all behind scenes which seemed like a bit of lazy writing in my opinion.

Even though they were both frustrating at times, I overall did like our characters (though our female MC could be "such a fool!"). I hope we get more time from Eam0nn's POV. I though the concept of his curse interesting (IDK actually if it is a curse lol), and would like to learn more about his affliction. I also want more steamy scenes! We only get one and it was rather short. I guess i have a certain expectation for fantasy romance based off what I heard from them and it just wasn't quite met with this book. 

TW: Plague, injury, blood, mention of opium, death, semi explicit sex, mention of slavery, death of parent 

Grace O'Callaghan

When a Fae gives Sorcha the opportunity to save her town from a disease, she takes it with both hands. She must venture to find a forgotten king in exchange for curing the town. 

Eamonn was going to be king of the Seelie until his twin brother betrayed him. Now he lies in exile, disfigured and defeated. That is until Sorcha comes along with her determination and strong spirit that has him starting to believe he can take back his throne. But how could she ever love someone as monstrous as him?

I firstly have to say just how beautiful the writing was. The descriptions of the places felt very atmospheric. 

Considering I live in Ireland I don't know that much about the mythology and fairytales. I still appreciated seeing it in the story though. I loved all the different fairytale creatures. I definitely want to pick up more about or containing Celtic and Irish mythology.

Sorcha was such a strong heroine. Like a lot of women in fantasy she's impulsive and stubborn, but I still found her unique. She just felt like a confident character that knew what she wanted. 

“I am not a woman, but sword and shield. I will carve my own path, or I will force others to create it for me.”

I can't say that Eamonn was a bad hero, but his personality just wasn't for me. He was a very angsty and dark character and I also didn't quite understand his motivations.

In terms of the romance, I thought it was well done. There were some amazing lines that had me clutching at my heart. However I thought that perhaps Sorcha trusted Eamonn too quickly. I loved the banter between them, even if their nicknames were a little cringey.

The Beauty and the Beast elements were there in terms of their dynamic but it never felt like a straight retelling. I personally found this better than a direct retelling as I think it's been done so many times before.

What disappointed me the most was the plot outside the romance. It felt like no plot points were concluded at all. I know that this is a series but even so I still feel like some of the plot is usually wrapped up in the first book. I think I'll continue but that left a bitter taste for me, especially as it's quite long and nothing is wrapped up.

Overall while I was a little disappointed I did enjoy it. I'm intrigued about Emma Hamm's other work even if I don't continue with this particular series.

Sophia De La Garza

Despite the slow start, I truly enjoyed so much of this book! From the lovely beauty and beast elements to the faeries, to pretty much everything. 
I need to read book 2 soon as that ending was 😭

4.5 out of 5 stars

Aleena Korell

I'm settling on 3 1/2 stars for this one. The Irish mythology and setting, the worldbuilding and the twist that the author put on Beauty and the Beast were the best things about Heart of the Fae. Definitely one of the more creative approaches to retelling this fairy tale. But I couldn't get past the cheesiness, and some of the stilted dialogue (expositional as well as just awkward), and a few more typos than I can easily overlook. I have Veins of Magic from the library-- good thing, because Heart of the Fae ended on a strange cliffhanger-- so I'll finish out the story and formulate a better opinion once I know how it ends.

Kelly Casey

I have so many thoughts. First, the writing style was hard for me to get into at first. The pacing of the book was very slow and very detail heavy. I also struggled with understanding the familial relationships in the beginning. This book was very loosely based on Beauty and the Beast which is one of my favorites. I liked how it was still it's own story while also having elements of the original story I enjoy. This was a very gritty story. There are whores, monstrous creatures, monstrous humans, and a deadly warrior king whose touch can cause pleasure and pain. There are also cute and kind lesser fae creatures such as brownies and pixies. It has this very gray area kind of feeling. Nothing is black and white. The story although slow to get into eventually sucks you in. It is so atmospheric. The romance is also really good. I would suggest people read the first six chapters before deciding whether or not they want to continue the book because it does take quite a while to get into. Also, it's kind of a cliffhanger at the end. You will definitely want to read the next book when you finish.

Sofia Blomqvist Rytters

** spoiler alert **
           2.25 i mustve blacked out multiple times while reading this because suddenly things were happening and wdym u love him youve seen each other thrice

celeste

this book might be the best fae-related book i've ever read in my life. the atmospheric writing, the level of thought and research that went into this book when it comes to irish mythology and folklore oof. i was mindblown. the characters were well developed and the relationship between the main characters wasn't rushed or insta-lovey at all, which i appreciated a lot. and the characters!! sorcha was such a strong and independent female character; i fell in love with her and how she didn't take shit from no one. and eamonn as well was a very well-developed and complex character with such a tragic backstory. the only thing i wish i would have gotten more of it was the romance. it wasn't a heavy romance book because it was mostly focused on the portrayal of the different fae and kingdom politics, which was really interesting as well. i can't wait to continue with this series. again, if you are interested in anything fae-related at all, pick this book up. it's the best i've read so far when it comes to the topic.

Roberta Falco

Ma che significa che finisci in questo modo aaaaaaa
Era fuori dalla mia comfort zone, ma ora mi sono affezionata, quindi sì, sto per iniziare il secondo. 
L’unico trigger è che Sorcha is ✨not like other (human) girls✨

diana

Joleen

5 Stars

A brilliant retelling of a classic fairytale. Sorcha, a midwife is on a mission to save her people and on this mission, she meets Eamonn, a king of the fae. No matter how much both Sorcha and Eamonn try to stay away from each other, their fates seemed tied together.

I was blown away by this book, Emma Hamm created not one but two strong main characters. I am in love with Sorcha, she is smart, strong-willed, and doesn't take crap from anyone. And Eamonn, he is beautiful, sweet, and so stubborn. Together they create a beautiful relationship and I cannot wait to see where this goes.

I already know this series is going to be amazing. I am for this journey. If you are a fan of fae and retellings, then this book is for you!

Stephanie BwaBwa

Absolutely loved this Beauty and the Beast retelling. The character development is beautiful. The world building is enchanting. The romance is captivating. And the messages of true beauty, kindness, equality, compassion, and respect no matter the gender or background is empowering. LOVE it! Nicely done Emma! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Manon van Heumen

I really enjoyed reading this! It had all the amazing elements. The only downsiders for me were the romance: I kind of missed the build for that? And the fact that the chapters were HUGE. And I really, really dislike long chapters.