Review Detail

This book feels like stepping into a fae story that absolutely does not want you to feel safe, and I mean that in the best way.
Nettle is dark, eerie, and dripping in that old-school folklore energy where the fair folk are not your friends, they’re manipulative, beautiful, and one bad decision away from ruining your entire life. And guess what? Our girl Nettle makes that bad decision.
And I ate it up.
Nettle is such a vibe of a main character, lonely, prickly (literally), and so desperate to save her grandmother that she walks straight into a bargain with the fae king. Three tasks. Sounds manageable. It is not. Because this is a fae court, and nothing is ever what it seems.
What I loved most is how this book leans HARD into that classic folklore warning: don’t trust the fae. don’t make deals. Don’t go into the woods. And then Nettle does all three.
The atmosphere? Immaculate. Two moons, scarlet stars, shadowy courts—it’s giving dreamy but cursed. You can feel the danger under every interaction, especially with Ellion (shadow fae = immediate red flag but also… intriguing. Conor adds that soft, tragic edge that keeps things grounded.
But let’s talk about the emotional core because this isn’t just vibes and trickery. It’s grief, desperation, and the kind of love that makes you do something reckless. Nettle isn’t trying to be brave or heroic; she’s just trying to save the only person who’s ever truly loved her. And that makes every mistake hit harder.
Also: the deception?? The slow realization that she’s been played? Yeah. That hurt.
If I had one critique, it’s that the pacing can feel a little floaty at times, like you’re drifting through the story rather than being yanked through it. But honestly, it works with the dreamlike, slightly unsettling tone.