A Dance with the Fae Prince

4.5/5 ⭐️

GENERAL REVIEW

I absolutely freaking love this book.
I don't even know where to start.

As per my desire from the last book for more insight of their culture, I am definitely fed. The author did a great job of introducing us to the Fae Kingdom, outside of the ravage & rebellious streak that we got from the elves' perspective. It was also fascinating how the rebels were actually in the right, albeit their actions were still not acceptable in the previous book.

The setting. The steady flow of information that was started in the first book was continued in this book. I'm glad for that because it didn't really feel like a heavy book to read and absorb for me.

The side characters. I love love Raph so much. That cute munchkin really got my heart with his antics and skills. At first I thought Raph is going to be used as someone who Davien will be jealous of. And then I realized he was an actual child and not just a childish, playful guy. From then on, he became a fun character that contradict the dark world that the characters lived in. The king's knights were also a bit of an improvement to what we had in the 1st book. There's a plethora of characteristics shared among them but I would have loved it if we got more interactions with them aside from their travel to the camp. Because as soon as they reached the camp, we saw less of them.

The main characters. In the beginning, I thought it was some sort of Beauty & the Beast plot where Lord Fenwood was a fae prince who was cursed into being stuck with his monstrous form, horns and all. I'm not really sure where the Cinderella part was aside from the stepmother & stepsister, I was expecting that he chose her because of something akin to Cinderella's glass slipper. The romance isn't lost between this two. There's been a zap of attraction between them, even though Katria never really saw her husband's face. The angst was only present for a few minutes because we learned that Davien is a self-admitted cinnamon roll who only acted like a mean girl to her in the Bleeding Forest because of what he felt, because he was overwhelmed and got caught off guard. He was the type of guy who thinks everything through before doing anything. So him being reckless or impulsive when it comes to his feelings for Katria was a great characterization of how he loves. He rules methodically, he loves without a second thought. Meanwhile, Katria was a mess, in a good way. She was a mess because of the trauma that she endured from her Cinderella family. She was just finally realizing her worth and her strength. Of course, both everything has to be because of her lover but it's still worth mentioning that Davien has always been supportive and encouraging to her from the very beginning. For me, that was beyond better than a couple or more tryst in the bed. For anyone who got mad that they didn't end up together officially in the end does not understand that the hardship of finding yourself and being accustomed to it. What mattered was they're together and he's always going to be there for her.

Lastly, the plot. I think I liked this plot better than what we got from the first book. Of course, that doesn't mean the first book was trash or something. What I meant to say was, this storyline was the kind of romantasy that I like. It was sweet but it was also equally thrilling. In true Cupid & Psyche fashion, the book really executed the “without trust there can be no love.” Davien learned to trust her and get her to trust him while Katria learned to love (both herself and Davien). I liked the idea of Katria having a difficult relationship with the idea of love. It helped with the self-discovery she got going on and it became a catalyst for their relationship, with him being one of her biggest cheerleader. The birthright fo the throne not belonging to Davien can be easily predictable if you've read a lot of romantasy books. We've already seen hints of it being Katria's from the Bleeding Forest, especially when Vena became curious with her taste in food and everything else. Davien immediately being a good sport was a great addition and a bit of a surprise since he got mad at first when Katria “stole” his magic. Immediately accepting that he's not the rightful heir, he insisted on only taking a temporary reign while he's already actively looking for him/her. Only for the rightful heir to appear right under their noses. Or rather under him