A Feather So Black (Fair Folk #1), by Lyra Selene
The Book
Synopsis:
The Cruel Prince meets For the Wolf in a sizzling fantasy romance inspired by Celtic mythology, spinning a magical tale 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.
My Review
A Feather So Black is the first book in the Fair Folk series, a romantasy proposal written by Lyra Selene, and which represents her adult debut, published by Orbit Books. When the Folk stole the High Queen's daughter, they left Fia, a rare changeling behind; magic has been lost from the kingdom, and the Folk are hated by most. By extension, Fia is also hated due to her origin.
However, the High Queen has raised her to be a spy and a weapon for the kingdom, as her own daughter; her actual daughter, Eala, is lost and bound to Tir na nÓg, cursed to only show her true form during nights. But when a hidden gate to the Folk realm is discovered, the Queen tasks Fia with retrieving her daughter and break the curse, in the company of Prince Rogan, Eala's betrothed.
But once they start their journey through the Folk's world, their mission will prove to be harder than it seemed; not only due to Rogan's feelings towards Fia, and the mystery behind Eala's curse, but also because Fia's starts developing a bond towards the dark-fae captor to which Eala's is bound, Iaran.
And seriously, Selene has outdone herself at creating Fia; raised as a weapon, made strong by the circumstances, and she's only trying to fulfill the Queen's mission. You find yourself cheering for her and her cursed love, especially once the secret behind Iaran is revealed; she's snarky and decided, and at the end will be put in front of tough choices.
Even with the clear influences you can guess in the plot, Selene manages to include certain twists that make it really enjoyable to read. Romance wise, I found it really engaging to read, kinda slow burn but well threaded in between the plot advances, reinforcing the emotional weight implied in Fia's journey; maybe I would have liked to know more about Iaran, as it felt a bit too abrupt how Fia falls in love for him.
The magical nature of Tir na nÓg is perfectly captured through the onirical and descriptive prose of Lyra Selene; the attention to detail and how many of the Celtic mythology is blended into the world makes it even more memorable, in conjunction with many sentences that by themselves deserve to be highlighted.
A Feather so Black is an excellent debut, which blends Celtic mythology with romantasy plots and tropes; emotional damage is all over there. And after how it ends, we can only hope time passes faster so we receive A Crown so Silver as soon as possible.
The Author/s
Lyra Selene
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 and Dusk. A Feather So Black is her adult debut.