Fae's Defiance (Queens of the Fae Book 2)

What an amazing read! Fae’s Defiance by M. Lynn & Melissa A. Craven is the second book in their series Queens of the Fae and picks up right where the first left off. This book does not suffer second-book syndrome. It is not a bridge to the end. It doesn’t lag in its pacing. Nope, Fae’s Defiance is a sprint to the cliffhanger I happily dove off of. And thank the good Fae that this is a rapid release, and we do NOT have to wait long for book three. Please note that if you have not read book one of this series, there may be minor spoilers to that book in this review. Read at your own risk!

“Brea Robinson is a princess.” Brea is adjusting to her new life in the Fae world, her world. This isn’t an easy task for her. It isn’t something she is excited about, especially after the betrayals from the first book. She doesn’t trust easily, and she makes the new Fae in her life work for it. Despite her internal monologue that she is ready to fall apart, Brea is strong on the outside and displays a fearless outlook on her new situation. She faces each new challenge head on, and I love her for it. She isn’t some damsel in distress, waiting on someone to save her. She’s her own hero and making her own path in this new world.

Despite that outlook, Brea is insecure. Her time in Fargelsi, the eternal Spring realm, left her shaken. She doesn’t trust those that have saved her and brought her to Eldur, the desert realm, and she doesn’t trust herself. Letting her own guard down is hard for her. Brea doesn’t trust her judgment after she placed her trust in the wrong Fae. Between this and her horrid upbringing, Brea is having a hard time believing that her true mother loves her and wants what is best for her. It also plays a pivotal role in her relationship with the two Fae that brought her to Eldur, Finn and Lochlan.

Can I just say how much I love these two Fae? Finn is light-hearted and reminds Brea of her best friend Myles. He doesn’t treat her like a princess, but another person. He sees her and understands her in a way that allows her to let her guard down easily. Lochlan, on the other hand, is unfortunately the brother of Griffin O’Shea, who broke Brea’s trust in the first book. This, along with his role in her kidnapping from the human realm, does not win him any favor with Brea. He’s broody and pushes her buttons every chance he gets. Despite that, he’s never once put her in danger. Lochlan puts Brea’s safety above his own. To say he wormed his way into my heart is an understatement. I love this broody Fae, and I absolutely LOVE that we get a few chapters in his POV this book.

As I mentioned earlier in this review, this story moves at a lightning pace. The plot is just as intricate, if not more so, than book one. We get more world-building as Brea becomes accustomed to her new life in Eldur. Y’all the imagery here had me sweating. It feels so real. I could feel the desert sun on my neck. I love that the authors transported me to Brea’s world!

Now let’s talk foreshadowing for a quick sec. Few authors pull off good foreshadowing. Most of the time you’ll see reviewers mention how predictable a book was and that they didn’t enjoy it as a result. That’s bad foreshadowing. What we have here in Fae’s Defiance is the exact opposite. This is an example of fantastic foreshadowing. This is the kind where you are reading and you pick up little hints along the way, but those surprises still smack you in the face when you get to them. It’s not there for shock and awe, but there because it was clearly planned to be. I love this!

Overall, if you haven’t already guessed, I love Fae’s Defiance! Brea is one of those characters that you just love and root for from page one. I love her character development so far in the series and can’t wait to see where the authors take her next. I highly recommend this series for anyone that enjoys YA fantasy.