I could make you scream.
Forest of Dreams and Whispers
Katherine Maxdonald
The Fae of the Forest, book one
ebook, 417 pages
Published July 13, 2022
ASIN B09RPHJ6JK
ISBN 9798831387155
Review Copy via Booksprout
A mortal raised in the land of Faerie, Juliana Ardencourt doesn’t remember the curse being cast.
But the rest of Faerie does.
On Prince Hawthorn’s eighteenth birthday, at the first drop of his blood spilled, the kingdom will be plunged into a century-long slumber…
And the Unseelie King will reign.
As his personal guard, Juliana is sworn to serve the vain, arrogant prince only until the fateful day, but when the curse is unleashed, Juliana alone is the one that can save him.
Connected to Hawthorn through their dreams, Juliana soon finds her feelings shifting for the boy she once swore to hate…
And soon swears to sacrifice anything to save him.
A faery prince cursed as he lay in a cradle, and a little girl who witnessed it all.
The story is divided into two parts: before the curse coming to fruition and the happenings thereafter. But throughout there is a back and forth hop between a timeline of the present and that of the past. A childhood of teasing and taunts to the three years Juliana serves as Hawthorn's personal guard. We witness the evolution of their acquaintanceship, from the stirrings of attraction to the blossoms of affection.
Heart aching at a prince's yearning for her tolerance, her acceptance, mayhaps her friendship but never managing to quite bring himself to dare hope for her love.
Heart bleeding as Hawthorn comes the closest he's ever been to death, with his greatest fear-fear of dying alone-looming so heavily and Julianna won't, can't, manage to force herself to his side.
RIP to the fallen, because that tore at the wreckage of my heart, too.
Perfect for fans of fairy tales, obviously, but also those that are chasing those thrills when they experienced Folk of the Air for the first time, albeit with a prince who's much less wicked and a mortal who chose not to become so much worse.
4 out of 5 stars.
Available in ebook | paperback
Next in the series:
2026/23