Set in a world of perilous magic and moonlit forests, this seductive romantic fantasy tells the story of a defiant changeling, her cursed sister, and the dangerous fae lord she must defeat to save her family.
In a kingdom where magic has been lost, Fia is a rare changeling, left behind by the wicked Fair Folk when they stole the High Queen’s daughter and retreated behind the locked gates of Tír na nÓg.
Most despise Fia’s fae blood. But the queen raises her as a daughter and trains her to be a spy. Meanwhile, the real princess Eala is bound to Tír na nÓg, cursed to become a swan by day and only returning to her true form at night.
When a hidden gate to the realm is discovered, Fia is tasked by the queen to retrieve the princess and break her curse. But she doesn’t go alone: with her is prince Rogan, Fia’s dearest childhood friend—and Eala’s betrothed.
As they journey through the forests of the Folk, where magic winds through the roots of the trees and beauty can be a deadly illusion, Fia’s mission is complicated by her feelings for the prince…and her unexpected attraction to the dark-hearted fae lord holding Eala captive. Irian might be more monster than man, but he seems to understand Fia in a way no one ever has.
Soon, Fia begins to question the truth of her mission. But time is running out to break her sister’s curse. And unraveling the secrets of the past might destroy everything she has come to love.
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A Feather So Black is an immersive and layered romantasy by Lyra Selene with an enchanting plot, great characters, a complicated love story, and fantastic fantasy elements. I adore the author’s writing style so much that I scheduled a post on my blog that highlights a dozen of my favorite lines from the book. It was hard to narrow down – there are so many powerful and poignant quotes!
The story includes Celtic mythology and pulls from several fairy tales, including The Swan Princess and The Twelve Dancing Princess. It was fascinating to see how the author wove both stories into the story and created an entirely different feel. And the world-building is fantastic. Immersive, dark, and atmospheric, it’s a unique and dangerous world, and I’m hoping we’ll see more of it in future books in the series.
The characters are compelling too, especially Fia, the protagonist and a changeling switched with the Queen’s daughter and raised by the Queen. Fia has a tragic and traumatic story, and she is treated more like a weapon than a person. When Fia is tasked with rescuing the Queen’s daughter with the help of her long-time friend, she’s torn because, though she’s been trained for battle, she’s also in love with her friend, and he’s engaged to the woman they’re rescuing. Fia also feels a tremendous sense of responsibility, and it takes time for her to see that her loyalty might be misplaced. Her journey is both physical and emotional, as she returns to the Fae world, tries to rescue the princess, and deals with her confused feelings, betrayal, secrets, surprising revelations, and more.
At first, I was going to say the story had a love triangle, but it actually feels more like a love square. lol Fia loves her best friend, her best friend loves her but is engaged to someone else, and there’s a fae Fia develops feelings for. I did wish Fia stood up for herself a bit sooner than she did, but I think she has spent so much of her life being manipulated and abused that she doesn’t realize her own worth, which is why it took her so long to come to a decision about her love life. The love triangle reminds me a little of the Feyre/Tamlin/Rhysand situation, and I was so ready for Fia to end things with the Tamlin-esque character and leap into the arms of the Rhysand-esque character!
I love me a dark and brooding, morally gray bad-boy, and I just adore Irian. *Insert deep, swoony sigh here* A powerful and foreboding Fae, Irian strikes fear in most, but the way he treats Fia is wonderful. He’s protective and sincere, and I love how he empowers Fia and helps her learn how to love herself. This is difficult considering she’s been told her whole life how unlovable she is. Irian’s love is very different from the other love Fia experiences, as there are no conditions to it. It’s an interesting contrast as Fia experiences a toxic, unhealthy relationship while developing a healthier connection with another.
I really enjoyed this book, and I’m eager to see how the story progresses in the next book. There are so many different directions it could take, and I feel like Fia’s story is just beginning. Special thanks to Orbit Books for sending me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
If you are sharp with broken thorns, let them cut me. If you churn with dark shadows, let them engulf me. And if your love only destroys, let it destroy me. I am already a doomed man.
I was made of earth and sky and endless waters. I was made to be loved fully, or not at all.
A story, once told, exists beyond the truth of the thing that inspired it.
friends to lovers
enemies to lovers
love triangle
fairy tale reimagining
Celtic mythology
botanical magic
Lyra Selene was born under a full moon and has never quite managed to wipe the moonlight out of her eyes. She grew up on a steady diet of mythology, folklore, and fantasy, and now writes tall tales of twisted magic, forbidden romance, and brooding landscapes.
Lyra lives in New England with her husband and daughter, in an antique farmhouse that probably isn’t haunted. She is the author of the young adult duology AMBER & DUSK. A FEATHER SO BLACK is her adult debut.
6 thoughts on “Book Review: A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene”
I’ve been quite intrigued by this one, and this review has me bumping it way up my list! I love a good fairy tale retelling (especially the 12 Dancing Princesses) and this sounds so so good.
Title: A Feather So Black
I’ve been quite intrigued by this one, and this review has me bumping it way up my list! I love a good fairy tale retelling (especially the 12 Dancing Princesses) and this sounds so so good.
Nice! I hope you enjoy it if you get a chance to read it! 🙂
Thank you for this! I got an ARC of this and now you’ve got me excited to read it.