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Vicious Faeries #2
Hunt the Fae
The moment I step into Faerie, I become his.
Everyone knows about the Fae of the forest—gorgeous, sinful, deadly. When I trespass into their magical world, I need more than my sharp tongue to survive. Especially against the ruler of the woodland.
Puck is a smooth-talking rogue with a cruel smirk that sets me aflame in more ways than one. And because the Fae bastard likes to play with his captives, he gives me two choices: either hunt or be hunted.
Now I'm trapped in a dangerous game of hide and seek, lost in this dark, seductive realm where Faeries wield blades and whisper lustful temptations from the shadows.
He’s the predator. I’m the prey.
But I’m not submitting without a fight. I refuse to be Puck’s toy. If my rakish enemy wants to hunt me, I’ll hunt him back and beat him at his own treacherous game.
Yet I can’t resist the wicked desire in his eyes, nor his heated touch and devious kiss. And if I’m not careful, he’ll crush my very soul.
For fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Holly Black, Laura Thalassa, CN Crawford, Emma Hamm, and Miranda Honfleur.
Warning: This is NA/New Adult fantasy romance with explicit sexual content and language. For mature readers 18+.
Step into the Dark Fables World, where defiant mortals and deceitful faeries clash. Hunt the Fae is the second book in Natalia Jaster’s hot fantasy romance series, Vicious Faeries. If you like forbidden love, enemies to lovers, angst with heart, and a slow burn that ignites between a prickly huntress and devilish dark lord, prepare to swoon like a human.
Everyone knows about the Fae of the forest—gorgeous, sinful, deadly. When I trespass into their magical world, I need more than my sharp tongue to survive. Especially against the ruler of the woodland.
Puck is a smooth-talking rogue with a cruel smirk that sets me aflame in more ways than one. And because the Fae bastard likes to play with his captives, he gives me two choices: either hunt or be hunted.
Now I'm trapped in a dangerous game of hide and seek, lost in this dark, seductive realm where Faeries wield blades and whisper lustful temptations from the shadows.
He’s the predator. I’m the prey.
But I’m not submitting without a fight. I refuse to be Puck’s toy. If my rakish enemy wants to hunt me, I’ll hunt him back and beat him at his own treacherous game.
Yet I can’t resist the wicked desire in his eyes, nor his heated touch and devious kiss. And if I’m not careful, he’ll crush my very soul.
For fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Holly Black, Laura Thalassa, CN Crawford, Emma Hamm, and Miranda Honfleur.
Warning: This is NA/New Adult fantasy romance with explicit sexual content and language. For mature readers 18+.
Step into the Dark Fables World, where defiant mortals and deceitful faeries clash. Hunt the Fae is the second book in Natalia Jaster’s hot fantasy romance series, Vicious Faeries. If you like forbidden love, enemies to lovers, angst with heart, and a slow burn that ignites between a prickly huntress and devilish dark lord, prepare to swoon like a human.
396 pages, Hardcover
First published April 24, 2021
414 people are currently reading
3395 people want to read
About the author
Natalia Jaster
22 books1,522 followersNatalia Jaster is a fantasy romance author who routinely swoons for the villain.
She lives in a dark forest, where she writes spicy tales about morally grey jesters, immortal deities, and vicious faeries.
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She lives in a dark forest, where she writes spicy tales about morally grey jesters, immortal deities, and vicious faeries.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Natalia-Jaster...
NEWSLETTER: www.nataliajaster.com/newsletter
TIKTOK: www.tiktok.com/@nataliajasterauthor
FB GROUP: www.facebook.com/groups/1864531780235981
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/nataliajaster
BOOKBUB: www.bookbub.com/authors/natalia-jaster
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
May 3, 2021
"Mind the trees. Touch the roots. Hunt your fears. Chase your desires. Miss your target. Hit your mark."
Natalia Jaster serves yet another enemies-to-lovers excellence with this story. Dark Fables is shaping into a captivating, thrilling world full of mystery, one I'm more than happy to sink my teeth into.
In some ways, story of Puck and Juniper runs parallel to that of Cerulean and Lark from 'Kiss the Fae', yet it's also rich in its own original elements. I loved the idea of Fae Hunt, with Juniper playing both the role of the huntress and the prey.
An occasion such as this requires ceremony. I flip through without reading yet, examining the book as a whole. I introduce myself, saying, “Hello, my name is Juniper. I’m honored and will take good care of you.”
What I truly appreciate about Jaster's writing is that each of her characters is unique and is more than just a combination of two or three characteristic. Juniper is a bookish, reserved, wickedly smart huntress who's just a little on the side of prudish. She KNOWS she's intelligent as hell and she's not afraid to show it, regardless of fragile egos of those around her. Just on the verge of being arrogant and big-headed, or actually a bit past that line, she's also not perfect and unsurprisingly, I adore her for it.
"If I roll my eyes any further back, I’ll see my own asscheeks. Is this piss-poor display the best you can do to goad me? What a subpar human, you are."
Puck is the perfect counter balance to Juniper, wickedly smart himself (with the emphasis on "wickedly"), but also cunning, rakish and lewd. At the same time, he cares deeply for the world of which he's the ruler and the protector, he longs for a family, a connection to someone beyond what he has now.
"You’re so motivated to be right, you don’t stop to ponder what you’d learn if you were wrong."
As often happens in the romance stories written by NJ, what I love most about the couple is the way they challenge one another. At first, Juniper comes off as quite the know-it-all, but both Puck and the circumstances of their acquaintance make her question her views and her knowledge of the world, push her in unknown directions.
Same with Puck, who starts the challenge between Faerie and Juniper with sole intention to make her fail, a notion that is quickly put to rest by his growing feelings, feelings which, as a satyr, he's not accustomed to at all.
"When we combatted in the wild, all the way to The Fauna Timbers, I held back because I didn’t want to hurt you. Yet I prolonged the battle because I didn’t want it to end, because I wanted to be near you, because I wanted to know how good you were - and fuck, you were good. I drew it out because I wanted to see my world as you saw it, to discover it as you discovered it. I wanted to be close to you, no matter how torn I was. You broke me long ago, but I just couldn’t break you back."
If they don't try to kill each other at least once, then what's the point? I said this was enemies-to-lovers excellence and I meant it - it's a heady mix of angst, conflicting interests, feelings slowly creeping in and reluctant co-operation. The reason I'm such a fan of ETL couples is because, IF written well, the characters bring out the very best and worst of each other, they make each other confront their worst fears and preconceived notions. Here, it works very well, and both Juniper and Puck end up in a different place than when the story has begun.
The freaking poetry of it all
The words of this story flow easily and flow beautifully. As always, there's this poetic quality to Jaster's writing that just makes me want to read a certain line over and over again, out loud, just to test how the sentence sips from my tongue.
"You were so familiar and strange, like I really saw you but hadn’t yet seen everything."
"Frankly, the thought of you touching yourself drives me out of my fucking mind, just like the exquisite sight of you wielding a weapon. To say nothing of how it would feel to pleasure you with my own hands. In fact, I wager it’d be the only type of magic actually worth having."
"When you scowl, it does fabulous things to your mouth."
"There’s no point in me hiding, because there’s nothing of me you can’t access."
The world-building is intriguing is well, although at times it was too much of a mix-up between Fae lore and different mythologies for me. Still, I love how Fae are shaped to be so different from humans, although still with some very human qualities. It reminds me of Holly Black's writing, with Faeries having horns, tails, hooves etc. and not just pointy ears.
All in all, this might not have been my favourite book from Miss Jaster, but once again, the experience was just a little bit magical. I'm definitely captivated by this world of Dark Fables, and not only I cannot wait for the next installment and Cove and Elixir's story, but also for the (hopefully!) upcoming series in the same world.
ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Natalia Jaster serves yet another enemies-to-lovers excellence with this story. Dark Fables is shaping into a captivating, thrilling world full of mystery, one I'm more than happy to sink my teeth into.
In some ways, story of Puck and Juniper runs parallel to that of Cerulean and Lark from 'Kiss the Fae', yet it's also rich in its own original elements. I loved the idea of Fae Hunt, with Juniper playing both the role of the huntress and the prey.
An occasion such as this requires ceremony. I flip through without reading yet, examining the book as a whole. I introduce myself, saying, “Hello, my name is Juniper. I’m honored and will take good care of you.”
What I truly appreciate about Jaster's writing is that each of her characters is unique and is more than just a combination of two or three characteristic. Juniper is a bookish, reserved, wickedly smart huntress who's just a little on the side of prudish. She KNOWS she's intelligent as hell and she's not afraid to show it, regardless of fragile egos of those around her. Just on the verge of being arrogant and big-headed, or actually a bit past that line, she's also not perfect and unsurprisingly, I adore her for it.
"If I roll my eyes any further back, I’ll see my own asscheeks. Is this piss-poor display the best you can do to goad me? What a subpar human, you are."
Puck is the perfect counter balance to Juniper, wickedly smart himself (with the emphasis on "wickedly"), but also cunning, rakish and lewd. At the same time, he cares deeply for the world of which he's the ruler and the protector, he longs for a family, a connection to someone beyond what he has now.
"You’re so motivated to be right, you don’t stop to ponder what you’d learn if you were wrong."
As often happens in the romance stories written by NJ, what I love most about the couple is the way they challenge one another. At first, Juniper comes off as quite the know-it-all, but both Puck and the circumstances of their acquaintance make her question her views and her knowledge of the world, push her in unknown directions.
Same with Puck, who starts the challenge between Faerie and Juniper with sole intention to make her fail, a notion that is quickly put to rest by his growing feelings, feelings which, as a satyr, he's not accustomed to at all.
"When we combatted in the wild, all the way to The Fauna Timbers, I held back because I didn’t want to hurt you. Yet I prolonged the battle because I didn’t want it to end, because I wanted to be near you, because I wanted to know how good you were - and fuck, you were good. I drew it out because I wanted to see my world as you saw it, to discover it as you discovered it. I wanted to be close to you, no matter how torn I was. You broke me long ago, but I just couldn’t break you back."
If they don't try to kill each other at least once, then what's the point? I said this was enemies-to-lovers excellence and I meant it - it's a heady mix of angst, conflicting interests, feelings slowly creeping in and reluctant co-operation. The reason I'm such a fan of ETL couples is because, IF written well, the characters bring out the very best and worst of each other, they make each other confront their worst fears and preconceived notions. Here, it works very well, and both Juniper and Puck end up in a different place than when the story has begun.
The freaking poetry of it all
The words of this story flow easily and flow beautifully. As always, there's this poetic quality to Jaster's writing that just makes me want to read a certain line over and over again, out loud, just to test how the sentence sips from my tongue.
"You were so familiar and strange, like I really saw you but hadn’t yet seen everything."
"Frankly, the thought of you touching yourself drives me out of my fucking mind, just like the exquisite sight of you wielding a weapon. To say nothing of how it would feel to pleasure you with my own hands. In fact, I wager it’d be the only type of magic actually worth having."
"When you scowl, it does fabulous things to your mouth."
"There’s no point in me hiding, because there’s nothing of me you can’t access."
The world-building is intriguing is well, although at times it was too much of a mix-up between Fae lore and different mythologies for me. Still, I love how Fae are shaped to be so different from humans, although still with some very human qualities. It reminds me of Holly Black's writing, with Faeries having horns, tails, hooves etc. and not just pointy ears.
All in all, this might not have been my favourite book from Miss Jaster, but once again, the experience was just a little bit magical. I'm definitely captivated by this world of Dark Fables, and not only I cannot wait for the next installment and Cove and Elixir's story, but also for the (hopefully!) upcoming series in the same world.
ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review.
April 30, 2021
Ummm . . . I may need a minute to recover from my massive book hangover caused by “Hunt the Fae” by Natalia Jaster. I am confident that this is the BEST book she has written to date and I need more!!
While “Kiss the Fae” was fun and steamy “Hunt the Fae” was so chock full of world and character building that it will blow you away! It’s a slow burn that will set your heart a flutter and steamy enough to fog your glasses. I absolutely loved Puck and Juniper separately as their own characters, but I loved them even more together! Together they both came alive, bringing out the best in each other.
The foreshadowing for Puck and Junipers future was also just mean. I seriously need book 3 NOW! And the snippets we get about Elixir and Cove are so tantalizing, I cannot wait to read about those two! To see how their personalities are going to unfold and play off each other, ah! It is going to be such a good read!
Thank you, Natalia, for the chance to get an ARC of book two! It was well worth the begging!!
Ahhhh! Go read, enjoy, repeat!
While “Kiss the Fae” was fun and steamy “Hunt the Fae” was so chock full of world and character building that it will blow you away! It’s a slow burn that will set your heart a flutter and steamy enough to fog your glasses. I absolutely loved Puck and Juniper separately as their own characters, but I loved them even more together! Together they both came alive, bringing out the best in each other.
The foreshadowing for Puck and Junipers future was also just mean. I seriously need book 3 NOW! And the snippets we get about Elixir and Cove are so tantalizing, I cannot wait to read about those two! To see how their personalities are going to unfold and play off each other, ah! It is going to be such a good read!
Thank you, Natalia, for the chance to get an ARC of book two! It was well worth the begging!!
Ahhhh! Go read, enjoy, repeat!
May 10, 2021
(2.25)
I have discovered a way to get around my absolute irritation and hatred of a word being overused in a novel. Make a game out of it! Mentally count the word, and see if you can keep track. I found that doing this stopped me from wanting to throw my phone across the room every time the word 'digit' appeared on screen, because I was too busy wondering if that was the 12th or 13th time I had read it.
So, what was my guess by the end of the book? 32. I'd lost track a couple of times but that was the number I was up to, which was beating Kiss the Fae's 30 uses of the word. I was wrong however, the actual number is 36.
36 fucking times, the word 'digit' or 'digits' was used. THIRTY SIX. In a THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-TWO page book. That's one for every 10 pages!
I recommend reading my review of Kiss the Fae to understand my history with this series and it's writing, because unfortunately these books have the worst case of purple prose I have ever come across. It was still terrible, but strangely enough I didn't mind it as much in this book (hence the .25 star higher rating than book 1). I don't know if it's because it wasn't quite as bad or I just became numb to it.
I suspect the latter.
'Pine needles poke my skirt and ankles while the air tickles the slot behind my ears.'
(Side note, the author has a love of describing air or sweat behind the ears. Maybe I'll try to keep track of this too in Curse the Fae?)
'Oxygen siphons from us both, the fabric of our garments in danger of colliding.'
'That Satyr cups his mouth and leans toward me. His mercenary breath caresses my ear, his voice as slitted as a paper cut.'
'"I did once," he professes, the words knitting around my waist.'
What does that even mean?!? How can one have mercenary breath or have words knit around someone's waist?? Make it make sense!!
And if that weren't enough, here's an example of the author's love of describing too much.
'Those plush lips strap around the nozzle, his throat contorting as he tips back the liquid. I avert my gaze from his puckered mouth. All the same, the slosh of fluid leaks into my ears, followed by his thirst-quenched grunt.'
This also somewhat shows some of the questionable choice of words used. Especially in the smut scenes. There's nothing quite like describing someone's hips "swatting" the other's to take me out of the mood. I'm sorry, but that's not sexy, that just makes me think of flies.
I feel mean saying all this, but it truly is the writing that is letting down this whole series for me. The world feels vivid and real in my head, the plot is great, the characters and their dynamics super fun to read about, and I finish each book immediately wanting to read about the next sister. I'm super intrigued to read Cove's book! I want to know just how she and Elixir will get past their differences, especially with how Elixir has been portrayed so far.
I was disappointed to find out that Juniper and Puck have the same backstory that Lark and Cerulean had, especially as what most intrigued me about this was how Juniper and Puck would get together without that shared history. I sadly suspect the exact same thing happened with Cove and Elixir.
It's starting to push the whole 'each sister is perfect for each fae territory' thing too far. I mean Lark, the white haired one, who's great at climbing, who has a special bird, ends up in the Mountains with the flying fae and just so happened to have rescued their leader when she was younger. Juniper, the green haired one who likes to wear antlers, who has a special connection with a deer, and is a huntress, ends up in the forest and also happens to have a past with the leader of those fae. And now Cove, the blue haired one, who's special animal is a sea snake (or some water serpent), is with the river fae and the leader is literally half sea serpent? This is one of those things that was cute at first, but now being taken too far.
But hopefully Cove and Elixir's dynamic and relationship will make up for that. I'm sure it'll be enough to make me read and ultimately enjoy the book, but not enough to make me rate these books any higher because of the, I hate to say it, but bad writing.
I have discovered a way to get around my absolute irritation and hatred of a word being overused in a novel. Make a game out of it! Mentally count the word, and see if you can keep track. I found that doing this stopped me from wanting to throw my phone across the room every time the word 'digit' appeared on screen, because I was too busy wondering if that was the 12th or 13th time I had read it.
So, what was my guess by the end of the book? 32. I'd lost track a couple of times but that was the number I was up to, which was beating Kiss the Fae's 30 uses of the word. I was wrong however, the actual number is 36.
36 fucking times, the word 'digit' or 'digits' was used. THIRTY SIX. In a THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-TWO page book. That's one for every 10 pages!
I recommend reading my review of Kiss the Fae to understand my history with this series and it's writing, because unfortunately these books have the worst case of purple prose I have ever come across. It was still terrible, but strangely enough I didn't mind it as much in this book (hence the .25 star higher rating than book 1). I don't know if it's because it wasn't quite as bad or I just became numb to it.
I suspect the latter.
'Pine needles poke my skirt and ankles while the air tickles the slot behind my ears.'
(Side note, the author has a love of describing air or sweat behind the ears. Maybe I'll try to keep track of this too in Curse the Fae?)
'Oxygen siphons from us both, the fabric of our garments in danger of colliding.'
'That Satyr cups his mouth and leans toward me. His mercenary breath caresses my ear, his voice as slitted as a paper cut.'
'"I did once," he professes, the words knitting around my waist.'
What does that even mean?!? How can one have mercenary breath or have words knit around someone's waist?? Make it make sense!!
And if that weren't enough, here's an example of the author's love of describing too much.
'Those plush lips strap around the nozzle, his throat contorting as he tips back the liquid. I avert my gaze from his puckered mouth. All the same, the slosh of fluid leaks into my ears, followed by his thirst-quenched grunt.'
This also somewhat shows some of the questionable choice of words used. Especially in the smut scenes. There's nothing quite like describing someone's hips "swatting" the other's to take me out of the mood. I'm sorry, but that's not sexy, that just makes me think of flies.
I feel mean saying all this, but it truly is the writing that is letting down this whole series for me. The world feels vivid and real in my head, the plot is great, the characters and their dynamics super fun to read about, and I finish each book immediately wanting to read about the next sister. I'm super intrigued to read Cove's book! I want to know just how she and Elixir will get past their differences, especially with how Elixir has been portrayed so far.
I was disappointed to find out that Juniper and Puck have the same backstory that Lark and Cerulean had, especially as what most intrigued me about this was how Juniper and Puck would get together without that shared history. I sadly suspect the exact same thing happened with Cove and Elixir.
It's starting to push the whole 'each sister is perfect for each fae territory' thing too far. I mean Lark, the white haired one, who's great at climbing, who has a special bird, ends up in the Mountains with the flying fae and just so happened to have rescued their leader when she was younger. Juniper, the green haired one who likes to wear antlers, who has a special connection with a deer, and is a huntress, ends up in the forest and also happens to have a past with the leader of those fae. And now Cove, the blue haired one, who's special animal is a sea snake (or some water serpent), is with the river fae and the leader is literally half sea serpent? This is one of those things that was cute at first, but now being taken too far.
But hopefully Cove and Elixir's dynamic and relationship will make up for that. I'm sure it'll be enough to make me read and ultimately enjoy the book, but not enough to make me rate these books any higher because of the, I hate to say it, but bad writing.
July 19, 2021
Hunt the Fae is the second book in the Vicious Faeries trilogy by the wonderful Natalia Jaster. If you haven't read book 1 yet (Kiss the Fae) then download it immediately, so you can start on this one next up 😁. Come to that, check out Jaster's Foolish Kingdoms and Selfish Myths series while you're at it - ALL TOTALLY DIVINE💚.
Anyway, back to the review in hand - this is Juniper's story and she has found herself in the woodland realm of the king of the tricksters, the satyr Puck. As with her sister Lark before her, Juniper has to undertake a quest, solve three riddles and win the game, to save herself and her sisters from the retribution of the fae Solitaries.
As always, and I can't stress this enough, Natalia Jaster's writing style is divine. She manages to weave a complex tale in a magical, intrinsically beautiful world, with flawed yet lovable characters and you're just sucked in to it with her. In these types of fantasy tales, you know where you're going to end up from the start, but the journey there is full of twists and turns and the SLOWEST OF SLOW BURNS. But when it hits, it’s worth the wait...🔥🔥🔥.
Highly recommended😍.
All the stars ✨✨✨✨✨.
Anyway, back to the review in hand - this is Juniper's story and she has found herself in the woodland realm of the king of the tricksters, the satyr Puck. As with her sister Lark before her, Juniper has to undertake a quest, solve three riddles and win the game, to save herself and her sisters from the retribution of the fae Solitaries.
As always, and I can't stress this enough, Natalia Jaster's writing style is divine. She manages to weave a complex tale in a magical, intrinsically beautiful world, with flawed yet lovable characters and you're just sucked in to it with her. In these types of fantasy tales, you know where you're going to end up from the start, but the journey there is full of twists and turns and the SLOWEST OF SLOW BURNS. But when it hits, it’s worth the wait...🔥🔥🔥.
Highly recommended😍.
All the stars ✨✨✨✨✨.
December 29, 2021
Thanks to the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Hunt the Fae is the second in the Vicious Faeries series and follows Juniper. Instead of dealing with the Fae lord of the Sky, in this one we have Puck, the lord of the Forest. Juniper is the next human toy in a hunt and she's determined not to be Puck's toy.
First of all, definitely do not read this before book 1! I know this is about a different sister, but there are spoilers at the end of this that have to do with book 1.
I really enjoy this series and how there are queer fae. Even if it's not the main pairing in book 1, in this one the love interest is bisexual and there are several other queer and poly fae side characters. That's something I don't always see a lot in indie romance books so I'm just really grateful to see it here!
I loved Juniper. She is such an adorable nerd and bookish girl. If she was in the modern world, she would definitely have a bookstagram, no doubt about it. I really loved how she solved as many of her problems with her brain. Not to say that Lark didn't, but it's definitely more of an instinct for Juniper.
The humor that I enjoyed in book 1 is still present in this installation as well. There's also quite a lot of steamy scenes. I feel like there might have even been more than book 1, but I'm uncertain because it's been so long since I read it. I will one day pick up book 3, I'm super excited for Cove's story because she bisexual!
I really love the lore and mythology involved in fae worlds. It was only expanded in this book with the addition of the original book of fables (or whatever it's name was, I definitely forgot the title). There also seems to be something brewing between the three adopted sisters and the three fae brothers. I'm very curious to see it all play out.
Rep: Female MC who uses glasses, bisexual male satyr love interest, bisexual female side character, queer side characters.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, blood, injury/injury detail, sexual content, violence. Moderate: Past mentions of animal cruelty/death/poaching.
Hunt the Fae is the second in the Vicious Faeries series and follows Juniper. Instead of dealing with the Fae lord of the Sky, in this one we have Puck, the lord of the Forest. Juniper is the next human toy in a hunt and she's determined not to be Puck's toy.
First of all, definitely do not read this before book 1! I know this is about a different sister, but there are spoilers at the end of this that have to do with book 1.
I really enjoy this series and how there are queer fae. Even if it's not the main pairing in book 1, in this one the love interest is bisexual and there are several other queer and poly fae side characters. That's something I don't always see a lot in indie romance books so I'm just really grateful to see it here!
I loved Juniper. She is such an adorable nerd and bookish girl. If she was in the modern world, she would definitely have a bookstagram, no doubt about it. I really loved how she solved as many of her problems with her brain. Not to say that Lark didn't, but it's definitely more of an instinct for Juniper.
The humor that I enjoyed in book 1 is still present in this installation as well. There's also quite a lot of steamy scenes. I feel like there might have even been more than book 1, but I'm uncertain because it's been so long since I read it. I will one day pick up book 3, I'm super excited for Cove's story because she bisexual!
I really love the lore and mythology involved in fae worlds. It was only expanded in this book with the addition of the original book of fables (or whatever it's name was, I definitely forgot the title). There also seems to be something brewing between the three adopted sisters and the three fae brothers. I'm very curious to see it all play out.
Rep: Female MC who uses glasses, bisexual male satyr love interest, bisexual female side character, queer side characters.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, blood, injury/injury detail, sexual content, violence. Moderate: Past mentions of animal cruelty/death/poaching.
Want to read
November 26, 2020April can't come soon enough. I need Juniper and Puck's story.
April 28, 2021
You can find this review of Hunt the Fae on my blog, Heart's Content!
Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. A big shout out and thank you to Natalia Jaster for this opportunity!
I’ve always always found home in Natalia Jaster‘s writing. It has always held a certain lyrical note, weaving wit and magic and bringing a lot of emotion to me personally. This series is one of those where there’s a similar plot thread that connects all the books, which as a reader we find exciting, because we’re curious as to how it’ll work out differently despite the common ground they share. But as an author this is hardly an easy feat: three similar plot lines, but the reader must not perceive any kind of repetition, which will undoubtedly kill the magic.
Somehow, NJ did it. She made Hunt the Fae nothing like Kiss the Fae and it was different in ways I did not ever expect. It was one of the longer books NJ has written but you don’t feel the book going by at all, and at the same time you definitely feel every page because: sloooow burn and LOTS of tension.
The first thing I noticed was the narrative. Juniper has a very clear voice of her own and at no point does her personality, her strengths, struggles or tasks overlap with Lark’s but at the same time they’re familiar to a reader in a way that you’d see between family (and from having heard about her from Lark). The consistency in the image of Juniper and the reality was certainly fantastic. Her obsession with reading was so relatable I was grinning every time a book featured in a scene or chapter.
Now Puck. *starts laughing* Puck is everything you’d expect to see, fitting of Natalia Jaster‘s description of a hooved trouble-maker. I’m going to be as tight-lipped as a Fae and reveal nothing because it’s certainly something to leave for the reader to feel and find out about.
The pace, the plot, the characters and set-up for the next book was all perfectly in place. There’s something that I had to think about, something that doesn’t happen that… I liked that NJ chose to do. The poignancy was thoughtful and important. The only thing that I felt a little less staggered by (as compared to the previous book) was how a certain plot thread was tied together. But perhaps that’s the dramatist in me. So I decided to round off the rating to five stars.
Be safe and happy reading <3!
Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. A big shout out and thank you to Natalia Jaster for this opportunity!
I’ve always always found home in Natalia Jaster‘s writing. It has always held a certain lyrical note, weaving wit and magic and bringing a lot of emotion to me personally. This series is one of those where there’s a similar plot thread that connects all the books, which as a reader we find exciting, because we’re curious as to how it’ll work out differently despite the common ground they share. But as an author this is hardly an easy feat: three similar plot lines, but the reader must not perceive any kind of repetition, which will undoubtedly kill the magic.
Somehow, NJ did it. She made Hunt the Fae nothing like Kiss the Fae and it was different in ways I did not ever expect. It was one of the longer books NJ has written but you don’t feel the book going by at all, and at the same time you definitely feel every page because: sloooow burn and LOTS of tension.
The first thing I noticed was the narrative. Juniper has a very clear voice of her own and at no point does her personality, her strengths, struggles or tasks overlap with Lark’s but at the same time they’re familiar to a reader in a way that you’d see between family (and from having heard about her from Lark). The consistency in the image of Juniper and the reality was certainly fantastic. Her obsession with reading was so relatable I was grinning every time a book featured in a scene or chapter.
Now Puck. *starts laughing* Puck is everything you’d expect to see, fitting of Natalia Jaster‘s description of a hooved trouble-maker. I’m going to be as tight-lipped as a Fae and reveal nothing because it’s certainly something to leave for the reader to feel and find out about.
The pace, the plot, the characters and set-up for the next book was all perfectly in place. There’s something that I had to think about, something that doesn’t happen that… I liked that NJ chose to do. The poignancy was thoughtful and important. The only thing that I felt a little less staggered by (as compared to the previous book) was how a certain plot thread was tied together. But perhaps that’s the dramatist in me. So I decided to round off the rating to five stars.
Be safe and happy reading <3!
May 7, 2021
This was just fan-bloody-tastic and I adored every second of it.
It had everything that I loved about the first book an dim so glad Juniper and Puck were such different characters, so the story felt different and fresh.
I felt Juniper went on such a wonderful character arc and Puck was just brilliant throughout. Their relationship and chemistry was flawless.
So, yeah, I 100% recommend you read the first book and this one. The first book is the closest I've ever good to proper Labyrinth vibes and this book was just as good. Jaster's writing is so suited to fairy tales. Whilst her language can occasionally be a but overblown (like the use of visage when face would do every now and again) her writing really is beautiful.
It had everything that I loved about the first book an dim so glad Juniper and Puck were such different characters, so the story felt different and fresh.
I felt Juniper went on such a wonderful character arc and Puck was just brilliant throughout. Their relationship and chemistry was flawless.
So, yeah, I 100% recommend you read the first book and this one. The first book is the closest I've ever good to proper Labyrinth vibes and this book was just as good. Jaster's writing is so suited to fairy tales. Whilst her language can occasionally be a but overblown (like the use of visage when face would do every now and again) her writing really is beautiful.
April 25, 2021
Three mortal sisters against three brothers, rulers of faerie. All will win or all will lose, it's a game of cleverness, bravery, and wits, it's a study in mortals, fae, and love. In the first book in the Vicious Fae series, Lark and Cerulean played a vicious game on the mountain, in a labyrinth, now it's Juniper's and Pucks turn in the forest during one wicked hunt. Questions and answers, facts versus deception, mortal versus fae, hearts up for grabs. Puck is one sexy beast with a quick mouth but can he beat the whip-smart girl? Let the games begin.
It's no surprise by now that Natalia Jaster is one of my favorite authors with the whimsical way she tells a story, the incredible worlds she builds, and the incredibly complex characters she creates. Hunt the Fae is no exception to this, I loved Natalia's previous works but the Vicious Fae series is beyond compare. To say I was looking forward to this book is an understatement, from the first book she had me, I fell in love with the characters, with the world and the same has happened with Hunt the Fae. I was completely enraptured and didn't want to leave.
As I said, this is Juniper's and Puck's story. Juniper is very analytical, she is book smart, and follows the rules while Puck is (the very definition of sexy beast) a satyr, who is wicked smart himself and has an incredibly quick tongue but like most fae he has a cruel streak. Together, they have a past and their present will very much impact the future. In the first book, Lark had a maze, a labyrinth, Juniper has a hunt, on this hunt Puck being Puck, and fae, is very involved and two beings go from being enemies to maybe something more. Puck and Juniper change each other on this journey. Juniper was already brave but she starts to use that to take risks, to have a little spontaneity, and learn to think outside the box. While Puck learns to care, see things from the mortal's side, and maybe that some things need answering.
Not gonna lie, I loved Puck right from the start, not only did I find him devilishly handsome but he was nothing like I expected. Puck cared more, even from the beginning, than I thought he would, his wants and desires, his past and present, all are totally different than what I was expecting, there was a depth to him that took me by surprise. Then there is Juniper, I loved that she was ordinary in most ways, but still so very brave, that she was so smart. Juniper was an unapologetic nerd, who loved books, used her wits in tough situations, and was very loyal, she loved her family unabashedly. Through her past, I learned a great deal about her which made me like her even more. I have to say the romantic couple in this series are fantastic, the banter, the game, the attraction, and the depth of the feelings all combine to make something excellent.
Then there are the supporting characters, Lark had Moth and Taminin (the owl), Juniper finds two to bond with as well. The differences between fae and mortal seem to become less and less. The overall story is coming together very well, the explanation of how different things work in different fae territories the air, forest, and water creatures. The people of each land, the animals that inhabit them, and the magic that surrounds them. The forest different from the mountain, the forest was a very lush setting and was wilder than the mountains. Natalia's descriptions jump off of the page, they are detailed and create such a vivid and entrancing world.
Of course, I loved everything about this book but a few of my favorite are the fables that keep popping up (I would love the fables that are talked about in this series), certain wildlife that just grabs my attention (and this is from someone who doesn't like nature), and how the each of the couples stories are intertwining. I can't say more without giving anything away but there is a scene that got me about three-fourths in and it was everything, I wanted that to happen and I'm glad that it did.
There were quite a few surprises in Hunt the Fae and the fantastical book evoked a variety of emotions and thoughts. Like Lark's and Cerulean's story, Juniper's and Puck's story got to my heart and now lives there. Vicious Fae has now become one of my favorite series and it's not over with yet, there is still one more sister to play her game, one more sister to win a heart, up next is Cove's and Elixer's story and I cannot wait.
It's no surprise by now that Natalia Jaster is one of my favorite authors with the whimsical way she tells a story, the incredible worlds she builds, and the incredibly complex characters she creates. Hunt the Fae is no exception to this, I loved Natalia's previous works but the Vicious Fae series is beyond compare. To say I was looking forward to this book is an understatement, from the first book she had me, I fell in love with the characters, with the world and the same has happened with Hunt the Fae. I was completely enraptured and didn't want to leave.
As I said, this is Juniper's and Puck's story. Juniper is very analytical, she is book smart, and follows the rules while Puck is (the very definition of sexy beast) a satyr, who is wicked smart himself and has an incredibly quick tongue but like most fae he has a cruel streak. Together, they have a past and their present will very much impact the future. In the first book, Lark had a maze, a labyrinth, Juniper has a hunt, on this hunt Puck being Puck, and fae, is very involved and two beings go from being enemies to maybe something more. Puck and Juniper change each other on this journey. Juniper was already brave but she starts to use that to take risks, to have a little spontaneity, and learn to think outside the box. While Puck learns to care, see things from the mortal's side, and maybe that some things need answering.
Not gonna lie, I loved Puck right from the start, not only did I find him devilishly handsome but he was nothing like I expected. Puck cared more, even from the beginning, than I thought he would, his wants and desires, his past and present, all are totally different than what I was expecting, there was a depth to him that took me by surprise. Then there is Juniper, I loved that she was ordinary in most ways, but still so very brave, that she was so smart. Juniper was an unapologetic nerd, who loved books, used her wits in tough situations, and was very loyal, she loved her family unabashedly. Through her past, I learned a great deal about her which made me like her even more. I have to say the romantic couple in this series are fantastic, the banter, the game, the attraction, and the depth of the feelings all combine to make something excellent.
Then there are the supporting characters, Lark had Moth and Taminin (the owl), Juniper finds two to bond with as well. The differences between fae and mortal seem to become less and less. The overall story is coming together very well, the explanation of how different things work in different fae territories the air, forest, and water creatures. The people of each land, the animals that inhabit them, and the magic that surrounds them. The forest different from the mountain, the forest was a very lush setting and was wilder than the mountains. Natalia's descriptions jump off of the page, they are detailed and create such a vivid and entrancing world.
Of course, I loved everything about this book but a few of my favorite are the fables that keep popping up (I would love the fables that are talked about in this series), certain wildlife that just grabs my attention (and this is from someone who doesn't like nature), and how the each of the couples stories are intertwining. I can't say more without giving anything away but there is a scene that got me about three-fourths in and it was everything, I wanted that to happen and I'm glad that it did.
There were quite a few surprises in Hunt the Fae and the fantastical book evoked a variety of emotions and thoughts. Like Lark's and Cerulean's story, Juniper's and Puck's story got to my heart and now lives there. Vicious Fae has now become one of my favorite series and it's not over with yet, there is still one more sister to play her game, one more sister to win a heart, up next is Cove's and Elixer's story and I cannot wait.
April 25, 2021
Let me see if I do this book justice with my review. I devoured this book in 2 days people. TWO DAYS. It was that good. The author outdid herself with this book. I related so much with Juniper (h). How she sees things in a total nerdy kind of way since she relies so much on books, however, she learns a long her journey and with Puck that life is not always a textbook and you need to experience things in order to learn from them. That is why this book will hold a special place in my heart. Sometimes you go through life having experiences that you don't like, but is ok, you move forward because you learn from them. Now, don't get me started with Puck, oh my, what a ride with this hero. I didn't expext him. My mind is so blown away with how Puck motivated Juniper to accept her choices and believe in herself. The slowburn was of the charts and when finally we get the sexy times...OMG... that's all I am saying about that. Finally, I have to write about the forest and it's creatures. It was trully marvelous how the author let me be in this story with this characters. It was like I was with them throughout the book. I was living for it. Natalia Jaster, you are trully a storyteller and can't wait for my next adventure with these characters. I was provided an ARC for my honest review, however, I pre-order this book and would have bought either way. It's that good people. Read this book. You won't regret it.
April 27, 2021
Where to start? Thank you Natalia Jaster to have gifted me with this ARC. This book has taken me on a RIDE. Being familiar and a fan of Jaster’s writing, the Vicious Fae series delivers everything a reader wants in a fantasy adult romance novel. Superb world building ✔️. Intricate plot and character detail/development ✔️. Badass female character ✔️. Sexy, alluring Fae trickster ✔️. Banter ✔️. BANTER ✔️. Did I mention banter? And last, but certainly not least: STEAM SO HOT I DEVOURED THIS BOOK IN 1 1/2 SITTINGS ✔️✔️✔️✔️.
Juniper and Puck’s story is my favorite thus far. Their chemistry and growth throughout the novel is *chef’s kiss*. They both carry mutual respect, depth, and appreciation for the other. I CANNOT wait for Cove and Elixir’s story next.
If you’re anything like me and are a fan of the enemies to lovers trope, get on the bandwagon. Read this book. Oh, and welcome to Faerie.
Juniper and Puck’s story is my favorite thus far. Their chemistry and growth throughout the novel is *chef’s kiss*. They both carry mutual respect, depth, and appreciation for the other. I CANNOT wait for Cove and Elixir’s story next.
If you’re anything like me and are a fan of the enemies to lovers trope, get on the bandwagon. Read this book. Oh, and welcome to Faerie.
April 30, 2021
Cards on the table: this might just be one of the rare times I have found myself lost for words. Hunt the Fae managed to exceed my enormous expectations and Juniper and Puck are rivalling Poet and Briar (from the Foolish Kingdoms series) and Wonder and Malice (from the Selfish Myths series) as my favourite pairing concocted from the devious mind of Natalia Jaster!
Before I get into my review, I just wanted to make clear that I am part of the author’s ARC team but this in no way influences my rating. Alrighty then now that's out of the way... time to get Pucked!!
This is the second book in the Vicious Faeries trilogy and follows the previous heroine Lark’s sister; the studious and righteous Juniper. She is a very different character from Lark; who is sassy and bold and very sex-positive. Juniper, on the other hand, is careful with her affections and prefers the company of books and the fauna they look after to other people. The only ones she really lets in are her sisters and adoptive father Papa Thorne.
Juniper was called to the Faerie lands at the same time as her two siblings (the aforementioned younger sister Lark, and Cove, her sweet and unassuming elder sister). Unlike Lark (who found herself in the mountain lands), Juniper was summoned to the realm of the forest faeries by its ruler: the roguish trickster Puck, a satyr who is as deadly with his bow and arrows as he is with his sharp tongue and witty repartee.
Bookish Juniper will have her hands full, what with being forced to undertake a grave task (a hunt for something that cannot be hunted) lest she lose her only family (her beloved sisters) forever. Little does she know she is also in danger of losing her heart…
This book. All I can say is whoa… it is sweet and spicy and everything I wanted it to be and more. I adored Lark and her paramour Cerulean in the first book Kiss the Fae and I didn’t expect Juniper and Puck to have the same kind of impact. I was right – but I was also wrong at the same time. Juniper and Puck are a whole other animal altogether.
From the moment these two cross paths, I was sold on their connection (that neither seemed to want at first). The push and pull between them was palpable. Their dialogue was snappy (as expected from such a pair of know-it-alls!) and whenever they were apart I couldn’t wait until the next time they shared a scene.
I always tend to have a soft spot for bookish characters so Juniper appealed to me right away. I wasn’t sure if Puck would steal my heart or not but he certainly did (that naughty satyr!) I found myself falling for him right along with Juniper. Their romance was slow burn at its very finest – it took a while but the resolution was oh-so-worth-it!
The supporting cast were interesting too – I loved Cypress a whole lot and Tinder also managed to creep up on me. I also loved getting to see a few familiar faces again (I was so happy when a certain other pairing showed up!)
The forest realm was every bit as magical and the mountain lands in the first book and the fauna were just as lovable and majestic. The world-building was amazing as always and the story was both satisfyingly familiar and surprising at the same time.
Natalia Jaster’s writing just manages to get better and better with each book (and it was already amazing from her very first published novel so that really is saying something!) Her prose is just so beautifully lyrical and she is able to wield a pen to create pure magic. She has definitely become one of my all-time favourite authors and it goes without saying that every release is an auto-buy for me (yep, I have bought this book even though I was so lucky to get an eARC – the Kindle edition made its way to me today and I plan on buying the paperback too).
I didn’t think I could enjoy Hunt the Fae as much as Kiss the Fae but I was very happy to be proven wrong. Being in Juniper’s head was wonderful – she is such a strong personality very different from her sister but equally as lovable. Puck: that silver-tongued devil was completely and utterly shameful yet also such a lost soul who is desperate for familial connections. Watching the love blossom between them (and seeing them equally as flummoxed about it!) was a pure joy.
The story itself was also very strong although, as with the first book, the romance is very centre stage and integral to the plot. Seeing little glimpses of what could be happening with Cove (and the last Fae ruler Elixir) also piqued my interest. Natalia Jaster has weaved such an intriguing tale and you get bits and pieces of information that clearly will become important later on as teasers – so let’s just say I am so there for the next book!
Middle books can sometimes be a bit of a let-down given that they link the first and third books together and oftentimes struggle to stand on their own (middle book slump I call it!) but Hunt the Fae did not suffer from this at all whatsoever. It was a magnificent read that added so much to an already fascinating and detailed world. I cannot wait to read it again (and I’m so gonna!)
Before I get into my review, I just wanted to make clear that I am part of the author’s ARC team but this in no way influences my rating. Alrighty then now that's out of the way... time to get Pucked!!
This is the second book in the Vicious Faeries trilogy and follows the previous heroine Lark’s sister; the studious and righteous Juniper. She is a very different character from Lark; who is sassy and bold and very sex-positive. Juniper, on the other hand, is careful with her affections and prefers the company of books and the fauna they look after to other people. The only ones she really lets in are her sisters and adoptive father Papa Thorne.
Juniper was called to the Faerie lands at the same time as her two siblings (the aforementioned younger sister Lark, and Cove, her sweet and unassuming elder sister). Unlike Lark (who found herself in the mountain lands), Juniper was summoned to the realm of the forest faeries by its ruler: the roguish trickster Puck, a satyr who is as deadly with his bow and arrows as he is with his sharp tongue and witty repartee.
Bookish Juniper will have her hands full, what with being forced to undertake a grave task (a hunt for something that cannot be hunted) lest she lose her only family (her beloved sisters) forever. Little does she know she is also in danger of losing her heart…
This book. All I can say is whoa… it is sweet and spicy and everything I wanted it to be and more. I adored Lark and her paramour Cerulean in the first book Kiss the Fae and I didn’t expect Juniper and Puck to have the same kind of impact. I was right – but I was also wrong at the same time. Juniper and Puck are a whole other animal altogether.
From the moment these two cross paths, I was sold on their connection (that neither seemed to want at first). The push and pull between them was palpable. Their dialogue was snappy (as expected from such a pair of know-it-alls!) and whenever they were apart I couldn’t wait until the next time they shared a scene.
I always tend to have a soft spot for bookish characters so Juniper appealed to me right away. I wasn’t sure if Puck would steal my heart or not but he certainly did (that naughty satyr!) I found myself falling for him right along with Juniper. Their romance was slow burn at its very finest – it took a while but the resolution was oh-so-worth-it!
The supporting cast were interesting too – I loved Cypress a whole lot and Tinder also managed to creep up on me. I also loved getting to see a few familiar faces again (I was so happy when a certain other pairing showed up!)
The forest realm was every bit as magical and the mountain lands in the first book and the fauna were just as lovable and majestic. The world-building was amazing as always and the story was both satisfyingly familiar and surprising at the same time.
Natalia Jaster’s writing just manages to get better and better with each book (and it was already amazing from her very first published novel so that really is saying something!) Her prose is just so beautifully lyrical and she is able to wield a pen to create pure magic. She has definitely become one of my all-time favourite authors and it goes without saying that every release is an auto-buy for me (yep, I have bought this book even though I was so lucky to get an eARC – the Kindle edition made its way to me today and I plan on buying the paperback too).
I didn’t think I could enjoy Hunt the Fae as much as Kiss the Fae but I was very happy to be proven wrong. Being in Juniper’s head was wonderful – she is such a strong personality very different from her sister but equally as lovable. Puck: that silver-tongued devil was completely and utterly shameful yet also such a lost soul who is desperate for familial connections. Watching the love blossom between them (and seeing them equally as flummoxed about it!) was a pure joy.
The story itself was also very strong although, as with the first book, the romance is very centre stage and integral to the plot. Seeing little glimpses of what could be happening with Cove (and the last Fae ruler Elixir) also piqued my interest. Natalia Jaster has weaved such an intriguing tale and you get bits and pieces of information that clearly will become important later on as teasers – so let’s just say I am so there for the next book!
Middle books can sometimes be a bit of a let-down given that they link the first and third books together and oftentimes struggle to stand on their own (middle book slump I call it!) but Hunt the Fae did not suffer from this at all whatsoever. It was a magnificent read that added so much to an already fascinating and detailed world. I cannot wait to read it again (and I’m so gonna!)
May 10, 2021
Hunt the Fae is the second book in the adult romantic fantasy series called Vicious Faeries by Natalia Jaster. The Vicious Faeries series follows three adopted sisters as they find themselves up against a massive challenge imposed on them by the fae rulers of the sky, the river and forest. They each have to face their task and win, or they all lose! I love the idea of this, and it sets itself up perfectly for a three book series, because each of the books focuses on a different sister. Book one- Kiss the Fae was all about Lark and Cerulean, the fae ruler of the Sky. I absolutely loved Kiss the Fae, and I was super excited to check out book two, which is all about Puck and Juniper. Puck is the ruler of the forest. I love that all three of the stories are running alongside each other because you can see little hints and spillovers from the sisters quests, and I do love a good Easter egg hidden in my books.
I mentioned in my previous review that I was anxious to see if Juniper would have a similar connection with Puck and that Cerulean had with Lark, and I am a super happy to report that I was right! I can't wait to see if that will be the case for our last sister Cove. In the last book, we got to see Lark journey up and solve the puzzle of the mountain in the sky kingdom, but here we get to know the brainy huntress sister of the trio- Juniper. Her quest is in the forest and she gets a riddle to solve, all while she is being hunted by the other forest fae. So not only does she need to evade capture but she also needs to solve her group of riddles to win her side of the quest. I loved how smart, and distrustful she is. She has a tendency to be a bit of a know it all, but darn it if I couldn't relate to her on that count too. (I like to think I'm not as bad as her in that department though) Puck is just as much of a riddle as her quest. On the outside he is super carefree, always down for a good time, but you just know more is bubbling beneath the surface with him.
This book, just like the first book in the series is very romance heavy, and it is adult in content, but it is oh so sizzling and satisfying. I loved Juniper and Puck. Their journey together was different than Lark and cerulean but I loved seeing it just much. Now I am even more excited to read Cove and Elixir's story. Natalia Jaster wove such a fantastic world that I am completely ensconced in it all. I loved the fae fauna and how animals were such an integral part of the story. That was really beautiful to read about, and I know it will also be present in Cove's story as well, which is something I look forward to. After hearing about Elixir from both Cerulean and Pucks point of view I am even more anxious to meet him right now! I have to see what he is like with Cove because both of his brothers make him out to be a ruthless monster. I think Cove and Elixir's story might be my favorite of the three. This is a fantastic series, and it is high up there on my list of favorite romantic fantasies. If you like fantasy, fae and enemies to lovers romance, what are you waiting for? You need to read the vicious Faeries series, right now! I have loved both book 1 and book 2. I need to read more from Natalia Jaster right now because she can write romances that will make you fall in love right alongside the characters.
I mentioned in my previous review that I was anxious to see if Juniper would have a similar connection with Puck and that Cerulean had with Lark, and I am a super happy to report that I was right! I can't wait to see if that will be the case for our last sister Cove. In the last book, we got to see Lark journey up and solve the puzzle of the mountain in the sky kingdom, but here we get to know the brainy huntress sister of the trio- Juniper. Her quest is in the forest and she gets a riddle to solve, all while she is being hunted by the other forest fae. So not only does she need to evade capture but she also needs to solve her group of riddles to win her side of the quest. I loved how smart, and distrustful she is. She has a tendency to be a bit of a know it all, but darn it if I couldn't relate to her on that count too. (I like to think I'm not as bad as her in that department though) Puck is just as much of a riddle as her quest. On the outside he is super carefree, always down for a good time, but you just know more is bubbling beneath the surface with him.
This book, just like the first book in the series is very romance heavy, and it is adult in content, but it is oh so sizzling and satisfying. I loved Juniper and Puck. Their journey together was different than Lark and cerulean but I loved seeing it just much. Now I am even more excited to read Cove and Elixir's story. Natalia Jaster wove such a fantastic world that I am completely ensconced in it all. I loved the fae fauna and how animals were such an integral part of the story. That was really beautiful to read about, and I know it will also be present in Cove's story as well, which is something I look forward to. After hearing about Elixir from both Cerulean and Pucks point of view I am even more anxious to meet him right now! I have to see what he is like with Cove because both of his brothers make him out to be a ruthless monster. I think Cove and Elixir's story might be my favorite of the three. This is a fantastic series, and it is high up there on my list of favorite romantic fantasies. If you like fantasy, fae and enemies to lovers romance, what are you waiting for? You need to read the vicious Faeries series, right now! I have loved both book 1 and book 2. I need to read more from Natalia Jaster right now because she can write romances that will make you fall in love right alongside the characters.
July 11, 2021
5 stars! This book is a SENSUAL experience. I quite enjoy Jaster's books, they're lyrical, whimsical, and beautifully written. While the writing style may not be for everyone, it really worked for me. You definitely have to read this series in order as the first book sets up the world, but this is a standalone story focused on Puck, the fae guardian of the forest, and Juniper, a human girl caught up in his deadly riddles.
It's not that I'd forgotten the game. It's not that I'd forgotten anything about our present circumstances.Despite being a fantasy book with plenty of whimsy involved, it was also quite an emotional read. I loved Puck and Juniper equally, and you get to understand both sides of the conflict between fae and humans.
It's that I'd remembered our past.
"You're so motivated to be right, you don't stop to ponder what you'd learn if you were wrong."This was a beautiful romance that I just wanted to savor. And the intimate scenes were HOT! They're detailed and really emotionally intimate.
No Fae touches like this.The stream of consciousness with which the characters banter and narrate their experiences with each other was an enchanting experience. I'd definitely recommend.
"No," I agree, licking my lips. "But I do. I touch like this."
"When we combatted in the wild, all the way to The Fauna Timbers, I held back because I didn't want to hurt you. Yet I prolonged the battle because I didn't want it to end, because I wanted to be near you, because I wanted to know how good you were—and fuck, you were good. I drew it out because I wanted to see my world as you saw it, to discover it as you discovered it. I wanted to be close to you, no matter how torn I was. You broke me long ago, but I just couldn't break you back."
May 1, 2021
I have had the utter joy to have discovered Natalia Jaster after her second book: Trick, part of the Foolish Kingdoms series. She was gearing up for the release of the second book in the series: Dare. Her third book. Her first book, Touch, was amazing. I devoured it.
Trick was a single sitting read for me, as was much of the series. The difference is that I learned I could not wait with the rest of the world to see what other fantastical stories and amorous couples would sprout from Natalia’s head. After I read Dare, I applied to her street team. I received a free Advance Readers Copy for my honest review and I have endeavored to do so at every release since.
It has been five (5) books since I joined and each one I say is the greatest I’ve read from her. I will continue to say so. Her writing matures and flows and grows along with her readers. I adore it so so much.
The way she weaves old tales that we all somehow grew up listening to and learning from, familiar tales, with her amazing storytelling and provocative and attractive characters is next level.
Juniper is so relatable to anybody remotely identifying as bookish. She lives and breathes her books, memorizing her favorite ones and quoting them whenever the occasion arises. And even sometimes when the occasion isn’t there.
Puck is the mischievous adorable rogue that we all know and love. I think that’s why Hunt The Fae is great. Because Puck is an extremely old character. But in Hunt The Fae, Puck is all at once, brand new and centuries old. Jaster doesn’t try to change his characteristics that we all recognize from the various plays and any faerie book that mentions the Old Courts. She merely enhances them and adds to them.
It’s an issue because I have another book boyfriend now….
The moral of this fable is that one should listen to one’s head alongside one’s heart(cue Nothing is Written by Mumford and Sons) and Jaster displayed that perfectly.
The heat and sass and wit that Juniper and Puck had and played off of each other words was superb. The characters fell in and out of love with each other, themselves and all surrounding them. This lowkey enemies to lovers is something that Jaster does so well. She displays that is her Selfish Myths and Foolish Kingdoms series and continues to that in this Vicious Faeries series.
Please read this, it’s the perfect form of escapism.
But also what’s Elixir doing?!
Trick was a single sitting read for me, as was much of the series. The difference is that I learned I could not wait with the rest of the world to see what other fantastical stories and amorous couples would sprout from Natalia’s head. After I read Dare, I applied to her street team. I received a free Advance Readers Copy for my honest review and I have endeavored to do so at every release since.
It has been five (5) books since I joined and each one I say is the greatest I’ve read from her. I will continue to say so. Her writing matures and flows and grows along with her readers. I adore it so so much.
The way she weaves old tales that we all somehow grew up listening to and learning from, familiar tales, with her amazing storytelling and provocative and attractive characters is next level.
Juniper is so relatable to anybody remotely identifying as bookish. She lives and breathes her books, memorizing her favorite ones and quoting them whenever the occasion arises. And even sometimes when the occasion isn’t there.
Puck is the mischievous adorable rogue that we all know and love. I think that’s why Hunt The Fae is great. Because Puck is an extremely old character. But in Hunt The Fae, Puck is all at once, brand new and centuries old. Jaster doesn’t try to change his characteristics that we all recognize from the various plays and any faerie book that mentions the Old Courts. She merely enhances them and adds to them.
It’s an issue because I have another book boyfriend now….
The moral of this fable is that one should listen to one’s head alongside one’s heart(cue Nothing is Written by Mumford and Sons) and Jaster displayed that perfectly.
The heat and sass and wit that Juniper and Puck had and played off of each other words was superb. The characters fell in and out of love with each other, themselves and all surrounding them. This lowkey enemies to lovers is something that Jaster does so well. She displays that is her Selfish Myths and Foolish Kingdoms series and continues to that in this Vicious Faeries series.
Please read this, it’s the perfect form of escapism.
But also what’s Elixir doing?!
May 11, 2021
"When we combatted in the wild, all the way to The Fauna Timbers, I held back because I didn’t want to hurt you. Yet I prolonged the battle because I didn’t want it to end, because I wanted to be near you, because I wanted to know how good you were - and fuck, you were good. I drew it out because I wanted to see my world as you saw it, to discover it as you discovered it. I wanted to be close to you, no matter how torn I was. You broke me long ago, but I just couldn’t break you back."
Ahhh, what to say... I’m speechless! 🤩❤️😊🙌
This has got to be one of my favorites to date! I absolutely loved it. It’s better than the first book, Kiss the Fae. And I loved both so much.
I love Puck. He’s hilarious, playful, mischievous, and sensual. He’s a delight to read about. I just kept reading through the pages. It hooked me in! 😍😍
I also loved Juniper’s character. If you’re a bookworm, you’ll love her. She loves to read and loves to analyze. I adored her banter with Puck.
The romance was everything in this book!! I can’t praise it enough. Worthy of 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ !!!
This book is perfect!
- Enemies to lovers
-Playful, witty banter
-Playful Fae
- slow-burn romance
- Steamy romance 🔥 🔥 🔥
- Beautiful world building
- such heartfelt companions
I’m amazed ! I’m a huge fan of Natalia Jaster now. I can’t wait for the 3rd book to come!!
It’s going to be agony to wait....
Ahhh, what to say... I’m speechless! 🤩❤️😊🙌
This has got to be one of my favorites to date! I absolutely loved it. It’s better than the first book, Kiss the Fae. And I loved both so much.
I love Puck. He’s hilarious, playful, mischievous, and sensual. He’s a delight to read about. I just kept reading through the pages. It hooked me in! 😍😍
I also loved Juniper’s character. If you’re a bookworm, you’ll love her. She loves to read and loves to analyze. I adored her banter with Puck.
The romance was everything in this book!! I can’t praise it enough. Worthy of 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ !!!
This book is perfect!
- Enemies to lovers
-Playful, witty banter
-Playful Fae
- slow-burn romance
- Steamy romance 🔥 🔥 🔥
- Beautiful world building
- such heartfelt companions
I’m amazed ! I’m a huge fan of Natalia Jaster now. I can’t wait for the 3rd book to come!!
It’s going to be agony to wait....
May 4, 2021
We are thrown back into the world of Faerie and pick up at the beginning of Juniper's journey into the Solitary Forest. This novel was full of action, great banter, interesting animals/characters, and some major steamy scenes 🔥.
However, the thing that always makes me fall in love with Jaster's novels is her prose. She has a way of making you feel like you are a part of the worlds she creates. Hunt the Fae was no exception.
I may be partial to forests, but even if I wasn't, Jaster's descriptions of the Solitary Forest would have had me craving a hike through some trees no matter what. Add in the unique fauna, and Juniper's quest was filled with lovely scenery and animals that kept her (and me) mesmerized. Of course, no quest in the Solitary Forest would be complete without the intriguing and alluring Puck.
Puck was a fantastic counterpart to Juniper. They were complete opposites in many ways, and that made for some fantastic banter. I loved that Puck was a complete hedonist and made no apologies for it, but there was still a part of him that yearned for something deeper, even if he didn't truly realize it until Juniper came along.
Juniper on the other hand was all about books and logic and control. Something I could definitely relate to at times. It was thrilling to read how Juniper slowly came to see how leading with your heart and desires instead of your brain could bring about new experiences and adventures. And in turn, Puck learned that having all your fantasies fulfilled doesn't always mean that you are sated on a deeper and emotional level. It was fun to see how both Juniper and Puck learned similar lessons in different ways.
I'm very much looking forward to Cove and Elixir's novel. It looks like it will be very unique and will take place in a setting that will surprise us.
*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
However, the thing that always makes me fall in love with Jaster's novels is her prose. She has a way of making you feel like you are a part of the worlds she creates. Hunt the Fae was no exception.
I may be partial to forests, but even if I wasn't, Jaster's descriptions of the Solitary Forest would have had me craving a hike through some trees no matter what. Add in the unique fauna, and Juniper's quest was filled with lovely scenery and animals that kept her (and me) mesmerized. Of course, no quest in the Solitary Forest would be complete without the intriguing and alluring Puck.
Puck was a fantastic counterpart to Juniper. They were complete opposites in many ways, and that made for some fantastic banter. I loved that Puck was a complete hedonist and made no apologies for it, but there was still a part of him that yearned for something deeper, even if he didn't truly realize it until Juniper came along.
Juniper on the other hand was all about books and logic and control. Something I could definitely relate to at times. It was thrilling to read how Juniper slowly came to see how leading with your heart and desires instead of your brain could bring about new experiences and adventures. And in turn, Puck learned that having all your fantasies fulfilled doesn't always mean that you are sated on a deeper and emotional level. It was fun to see how both Juniper and Puck learned similar lessons in different ways.
I'm very much looking forward to Cove and Elixir's novel. It looks like it will be very unique and will take place in a setting that will surprise us.
*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
May 8, 2021
First I want to thank the author Natalia for gifting me an eARC of this amazing book. After reading book 1 in the Vicious Faeries series, I knew I NEEDED book 2 ASAP.
If you know me, you know how much I loved the first book in this series, "Kiss the Fae". I kept recommending it to everyone on bookstagram, because I know my followers and friends love a good enemies to lovers story.
I was SO excited to get to know Juniper and follow her journey through the forest. I have to admit, I prefer Lark for some reason, she's just more "my type", but Juniper is absolutely amazing too. She's well-read, she is smart, she is kind and beautiful. So seeing her with the devilish Fae, fighting and hunting each other and trying to overcome their differences - I loved every single part of it!
Natalia's writing style is so beautiful, the descriptions are so good and they made me feel like I was part of the hunt, running right next to Juniper. The words flow smoothly, the characters are beautifully written and every part of this book was great.
If you're an enemies to lovers fan and you like STEAMY, HOT FAE ROMANCE, you need to read this book ASAP!
If you know me, you know how much I loved the first book in this series, "Kiss the Fae". I kept recommending it to everyone on bookstagram, because I know my followers and friends love a good enemies to lovers story.
I was SO excited to get to know Juniper and follow her journey through the forest. I have to admit, I prefer Lark for some reason, she's just more "my type", but Juniper is absolutely amazing too. She's well-read, she is smart, she is kind and beautiful. So seeing her with the devilish Fae, fighting and hunting each other and trying to overcome their differences - I loved every single part of it!
Natalia's writing style is so beautiful, the descriptions are so good and they made me feel like I was part of the hunt, running right next to Juniper. The words flow smoothly, the characters are beautifully written and every part of this book was great.
If you're an enemies to lovers fan and you like STEAMY, HOT FAE ROMANCE, you need to read this book ASAP!
May 3, 2021
First and foremost, thank you so much for sending me this ARC, Natalia. Ever since I read the first book I’ve been in pain waiting for this one. And oh, it was so worth it.
In this sequel we follow the middle sister, Juniper, as she is tasked with an impossible task to save herself and her sisters. To hunt that which can’t be hunted.
Armed with her crossbow and clever mind, Juniper embarks on the hunt while at the same time being hunted herself. And the filthy mouth and seductive way of the ruler of The Solitary Forest doesn’t make things easier.
This story, which shouldn’t come as a surprise, follows the same structure of the first book. At first, I was a bit scared that it would feel like the same book, but Natalia made this story an entirely new one. Sure, some of the bigger plot points were very predictable, both because of what this story is and because of the first one, but others were so well written that I couldn’t see them coming.
Juniper is very different to Lark. While her younger sister is very feisty, Juniper is too clever for her own good. It was very interesting to follow her train of thought about things that, too her, were entirely new.
Puck had me intrigued from the moment we met him, and his words and temper made me, and surely many others, swoon and laugh.
I loved this book a ton and it made me even more excited to read about Cove’s journey which I can see go in many different directions.
Thank you again for sending me this ARC - and good lord, if you haven’t read these books yet, I strongly suggest that you pick it up as soon as possible.
In this sequel we follow the middle sister, Juniper, as she is tasked with an impossible task to save herself and her sisters. To hunt that which can’t be hunted.
Armed with her crossbow and clever mind, Juniper embarks on the hunt while at the same time being hunted herself. And the filthy mouth and seductive way of the ruler of The Solitary Forest doesn’t make things easier.
This story, which shouldn’t come as a surprise, follows the same structure of the first book. At first, I was a bit scared that it would feel like the same book, but Natalia made this story an entirely new one. Sure, some of the bigger plot points were very predictable, both because of what this story is and because of the first one, but others were so well written that I couldn’t see them coming.
Juniper is very different to Lark. While her younger sister is very feisty, Juniper is too clever for her own good. It was very interesting to follow her train of thought about things that, too her, were entirely new.
Puck had me intrigued from the moment we met him, and his words and temper made me, and surely many others, swoon and laugh.
I loved this book a ton and it made me even more excited to read about Cove’s journey which I can see go in many different directions.
Thank you again for sending me this ARC - and good lord, if you haven’t read these books yet, I strongly suggest that you pick it up as soon as possible.
April 30, 2021
*ARC Review* *No Spoilers*
This book has everything I'm looking for in a fantasy romance: beautifully crafted storyline, rich, descriprive imagery and language, make-you-fall-in-love characters, and extensive, incredibly detailed smut. ;) Highly recommend for anyone who likes enemies to lovers, magical world building, excitement, romance and lots of detailed sexcapades.
As a long-time fan of Natalia Jaster I wasn't surprised to fall in love with this book. Puck is truly one of my favourite male leads ever, and his relationship with Juniper is the perfect enemies to lovers progression. One of the most amazing things in the book was the wit. The WIT! The verbal sparring, banter and repartee was stimulating, hilarious, intriguing, and sometimes I had to re-read entire paragraphs just for the pleasure of reading it again. The story moves at a great pace, keeping you on your toes without rushing from one sequence to another. There are plenty of ups and downs, and many moments that tug at your heartstrings, and the relationships unfurls beautifully.
Fans of Natalia will know she deals in happy endings, and we love her for it. There was definitely much more intimacy in this book than in her previous series and that was a huge win for me, it's stunningly written erotica but does not bleed into cheesy like many books tend to. Jaster does not write bad love scenes.
Aside from all of this, the details of the story unravel perfectly and leaves you with a satisfied, fuzzy feeling. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer, I needed more Puck in my life. What a beautiful book, no surprise. Rest assured you won't be dissapointed.
This book has everything I'm looking for in a fantasy romance: beautifully crafted storyline, rich, descriprive imagery and language, make-you-fall-in-love characters, and extensive, incredibly detailed smut. ;) Highly recommend for anyone who likes enemies to lovers, magical world building, excitement, romance and lots of detailed sexcapades.
As a long-time fan of Natalia Jaster I wasn't surprised to fall in love with this book. Puck is truly one of my favourite male leads ever, and his relationship with Juniper is the perfect enemies to lovers progression. One of the most amazing things in the book was the wit. The WIT! The verbal sparring, banter and repartee was stimulating, hilarious, intriguing, and sometimes I had to re-read entire paragraphs just for the pleasure of reading it again. The story moves at a great pace, keeping you on your toes without rushing from one sequence to another. There are plenty of ups and downs, and many moments that tug at your heartstrings, and the relationships unfurls beautifully.
Fans of Natalia will know she deals in happy endings, and we love her for it. There was definitely much more intimacy in this book than in her previous series and that was a huge win for me, it's stunningly written erotica but does not bleed into cheesy like many books tend to. Jaster does not write bad love scenes.
Aside from all of this, the details of the story unravel perfectly and leaves you with a satisfied, fuzzy feeling. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer, I needed more Puck in my life. What a beautiful book, no surprise. Rest assured you won't be dissapointed.
April 29, 2021
Once upon a time, three sisters are separated, they are forced to enter the Fae kingdom and survive. This is the story of Juniper, the intellectual of the sisters, she will enter into The Solitary Forest where she will face Puck, the satyr and guardian of the woodland.
The woodland was fascinating and dangerous too, Juniper is on a mission, she needs to resolve riddles if she wants to win and see her sisters again, she is being hunted and must not be enchanted by certain sexy satyr.
I adore both characters. Juniper is a bookdragon, she is smart and analytical. Puck is a wild creature, likes to have fun, play tricks. They have a lot in common, their love towards his family, nature and sense of duty.
The romance was hot, the tension, the slowness, it was everything, I love how they complement each other, at no time is one superior to the other.
Natalia Jaster is one of my favorite indie authors, has the prettiest writing style, it's very whimsical and poetic, she uses unusual words and has a very fairy tale vibe. In the descriptions of the woodland, you can see the love that the author has for nature and animals, the forest is beautiful, the creatures that live very interesting.
Also, I loved the fables. I wish they were published and preferably an illustrated edition please, that would be wonderful.
May 11, 2021
I liked this one much more than book one! I felt like the story flowed better. I enjoyed the characters much more. The world building was expanded upon. Overall everything about this book was better than the first. Again to much sex for my tastes but that’s a preference thing and I honestly don’t mind skipping the nitty gritty details.
May 3, 2021
5 stars ✨ I love this series so much. From the world building, the characters, the descriptions; everything about this fairy-tale-esque story just makes my heart squeeze. Juniper and Puck were perfect for one another. From his saucy attitude to her scholarly one. I liked this world better than the first; the woodland Fae have a special place in my heart. Cypress 🥺💖 seeing the peeks of Lark and Cerulean made me so happy as well. But I still have so many questions!!! What did Puck say to Sylvan in faeish? What’s Puck’s real name?! And of course Elixir.. I literally cannot wait for Cove and Elixir. My favorite trope is the villain gets the girl.. so I’m hoping that book sums up this series beautifully. Loved it and cannot wait for the next!
May 2, 2021
I liked book two better than book one. While Juniper is a bit more tightly wound, to me, she was more relatable. Some of the plot for this book was predictable as book one kind of sets it up...three sisters...three Fae brothers mysteriously saved on one night...and in book one we know Lark saved Cerulean. The banter and wit was stronger within this book and the twists and turns unexpected. I did figure out the riddle before the MC but the author leads the reader there. It’s in plain sight. Puck and Juniper are fire and ice and their story does not travel in a straight line. Curious how book three will play out....especially as we learned a bit more about the elusive Elixir
May 1, 2021
Lots of fun magical adventures! Exciting trip in the Fae world! This author does a great job creating an interesting, cool world. This is book 2, so I’d recommend reading book 1 for the best reading experience; each book is about a different sister, but there are connecting storylines within. Each sister has a quest to accomplish to save them all. I’m really enjoying this author’s writing style! This book is about Juniper; it is her turn for her quest, and trickster Puck happens to be the Fae causing a bit of issue for Juniper. Juniper is great; strong-minded and intelligent. Puck is his wily self! A great connection between them! Sweet and wonderful depth of passion! Fun action and excitement! Looking forward to the next!
April 30, 2021
What a wild ride this story was! I loved Juniper and her bookishness. And Puck! The satyr with the roguish tongue. I’m not sure who’s my favourite between him and Cerulean. There was plenty of action in this steamy romance! Not just stolen, intimate moments , although there was plenty of that. But the stabby, owie, bows and arrows kind of action. It was difficult to put the story down with that kind of pacing!
So delightful.
So delightful.
May 1, 2021
This book was so good I finished it in a day! I’ve read all of Jaster’s books and yet I’m still surprised at how well she writes romance beyond just the steamy scenes. This little moments between characters always feel so real and raw. And no one writes enemies to lovers better than her. Besides the romance the plot of this book was great and kept me engaged with the story. I love the overarching story she is setting up between the books and I can’t wait for the next one.
Want to read
January 11, 2021I just finished Kiss the fae and i cant wait until april to hold the second book .
Im already missing my birdies.
Im already missing my birdies.
December 2, 2021
Okay but Puck and Juniper are amazing!! I can see why everyone I know loves these two so much.
The writing? Amazing as always.
The smut? Top notch!
I need book 3!!
The writing? Amazing as always.
The smut? Top notch!
I need book 3!!
March 16, 2024
Given my last Natalia Jaster book (in the same series, mind you), I was a bit hesitant to return to the realm of Vicious Faeries. And I was trying so hard to wait out the hype, but I couldn't. My strange brand of anticipation and dread prompted me towards something I never do: order this on release day. I know, right? Who do I think I am, a Booktuber? Please. Speaking of, please forgive my ramblin' rave and please give this book a go (especially if K.T.F. wasn't your jam).
Pros
-Language
*Lush prose mixed with witty banter? Trick, is that you? There were also funny scenes (Ex: Juniper warns Puck to watch his antlers-he's a satyr-when walking beneath a low hanging branch. Puck puffs out his chest and goes: "They're my antlers. I think I know how to-" and gets promptly tangled up in leaves). It got me.
*Juniper's characteristics make the language differ quite a bit from K.T.F. as well: unlike Lark, she's not brash and is in fact quite shy, and comes from a long line of poachers/hunters. Being a hunter from a young age required stealth and methodical action. So whereas Lark jumps into bed/tasks, guns a blazin', a lot of Juniper is subdued: hiding behind trees, surveying land, and pouring over texts that better help her solve the Fae crisis while living to tell the tale. On a similar note, her bookish nature makes her vocabulary/dialect a bit less... all over the place. This reads like a fairy/folk tale because that is what Juniper enjoys reading.
-Topsy Turvy Equality
*Unlike Lark and Cerulean, Puck and Juniper spend a majority of their time together (despite Juniper pointing out the fact that he and the rest of the forest folk are supposed to be hunting her). He's not leaving cryptic hints, nor is he spying on her to catch her in fit of vulnerability. He does toy with her, but it's due to his own personal challenge (more on that next) posed to her.
*Can't say he doesn't have the upper hand though (his knowing she's meant to be sacrificed to save his people and all), but their interactions make it feel like a companionship: they sleep near one another, walk the same paths in plain sight, survey only the parts they allow one another (which for Puck, the rakish satyr is all of them).
*Even their speech patterns place them on equal footing, seeing as they're both well-read.
-Call and Response
*Moth (a character from K.T.F.) remarks upon meeting Juniper that since she's not as obnoxious as Lark that she just might like her. I'd be inclined to agree. Et tu, Goodreads patrons?
*Puck challenges Juniper to think outside of books, to write her own story instead of relying on the words of others. To me, this was a double meaning: readers, flex the creative muscle and experience life beyond the pages. And on a character note, Puck pushes Juniper to realize that her experiences have value. That despite the guilt of her poaching past, she's got something meaningful to say. And also that to make it out, she has to think outside the confines of legend/lore.
*However, being a bookworm does eventually serve her well, as she's able to gain extra time and remember the antidote needed to save an injured doe by recalling Fae facts and medicinal texts.
-Connection Through Communication
*From their first meeting, when Juniper frees Puck from a trap as children, they're gaining trust through talking. And it's organically done too: Puck and Juniper ask one another their favorite fable, and for them to recite it, and much later, after their initial love making, she asks him who he wants to be. He replies "To be someone's son, someone's father", AKA live a normal life through what he deems to be extraordinary circumstances (Fae children half or otherwise are rare). They are matched once more in this way when we take into account that Juniper's life with her adopted sisters and Papa Thorne exemplifies this very thing.
*Juniper asks him how to say I love you in Faeish! My list incarnate!!
*Bonus: sometimes words aren't necessary (Ex: Puck plays with several young animals, cooing as one would to a baby, as well as tending to his people's needs, displaying his want of family/eventual fatherhood, as well as normalcy among the fantastical. Also, on Juniper's side, she doesn't slow in her task despite her intense worry and wonder, each literal step forward showing-not telling-she values her methodical mind over emotions).
-Coming to Terms
*Juniper's task of hunting in the Fae woods brings back memories of her poaching past and all she's done to make amends (working in Papa Thorne's animal sanctuary, rescuing Puck). She's so ashamed that when they make love, she keeps her skirt/shirt rucked round her body so as to hide her poaching tattoo. Only after she saves the doe and does she realize she's not that person anymore. Her whole task enables her to break the toxic ties.
*Puck's a bit of an abstract one: here, satyrs can only recognize love when it's requited. He lets loose all the ways she makes him happy and in turn because he doesn't understand love, how the very same aspects fuck him up inside. Cliché in other novels (rakish guy fucking everything that moves because he doesn't understand emotion), but heartbreaking here. Even when a male friend of his confesses affection, Puck can't see it because of its rarity.
-Interesting Notions
*Puck's anger at Juniper falling for the Fables' okie doke regarding his "violent/human oppressing" race seems akin to modern day criticism of race in school history books. Much like the Fables, they're mostly recorded by a ruling class (In Hunt, its the humans who trivialize the Fae struggle/demonize their rightful uproar against the humans' tyrannical trappings, who in turn are made brave victors) who are looking out for number one. Like Juniper, we find that looking past our own racial narrative into reality is a rough but necessary process.
*When they meet, Juniper is running 'round the woods in an antler headband and a doe mask. She becomes embarrassed when she comes across Puck (being a satyr with and all) and before freeing his foot from the metal trap, hastily removes her costume. This could be read as a simple he's vulnerable, thus removing mask/revealing her true face will equal the playing field. But given the tumultuous tirade between Fae and humans, I kind of saw it as embarrassment for her unintentional cultural appropriation. Similar to someone wearing a racially insensitive Halloween costume.
-Puck
*Jesus! A sexy satyr with a wild tongue (do with that one what you will)? What else can I say? Oh, yeah, tons! A satyr who cares about consent (the guy never complains or asks Juniper to remove her clothes before her tattoo reveal), who can trade witty barbs with the best of 'em. He's giving Poet a run for his money.
-Juniper
*A beautifully understated bookish brunette would usually have me running for the hills. But she's not too stupid to live. She chooses her words and actions carefully (our girl fools an entire kingdom of creatures who tried to make her miss three weeks of a week long task by working words against them: she claims she never specified if it was a human or Fae week. Time goes by faster in their world, slower in hers). She's smart, swift, and not to be bullied into giving it up. Prudish? A bit, but she's moving away from it at her own pace.
-Setting
*It's like Legend (1985) meets A Midsummer Night's Dream. There's leprechauns, brownies (no, not the dessert) human-lite animals, and of course Puck and his gang of amorous Fae.
*Plus, the forest itself is a bit of a trickster (Ex: a tree root sprouts up to trip Juniper while sprinting from her predators. Eerie way of letting her know maps/books don't show all...)
-That Emotional Epilogue
*Not only do we get Puck's POV, but... Pretty sure Juniper's pregnant (she feels the equivalent of a quickening but brushes it off as hunger) and I mean, kind of saw it coming when Puck says "None of my kind's ever fathered with a human woman before". Umm, want us to write that Fable now or...?
*I wished we could've gotten her telling him, giving him a facet of what he's always wanted. But alas, we'll probably brush past it in the next book. They'll show up with a baby in tow or Juniper giving birth will be part of the action/conflict. Too bad I don't plan on reading that one. Feel free to spoil me if I'm right on Puck/Juniper, btw.
-Is Puck's name "Oak"?
*Three letters, two vowels and a consonant... Plus, oak trees symbolizing resistance, knowledge, and morale would be the ironic cherry on this hedonistic-satyr sundae.
-Puck offering up half his life to Juniper
*Aww! After she agrees to stay, Juniper points out she'll die way before him. In response, our sweet satyr offers to divide his long life line, giving half to her. Brings new meaning to "I'd give up my life for you", huh?
Homages
-Before I start, I like that unlike K.T.F, this isn't ripping off certain scenes from another property. It's influenced by many while being its own thing.
1.A Midsummer Night's Dream
*The woodland setting and all its creatures are so aesthetically similar
*Both contain characters called Puck, (In M.N.D, Puck is portrayed as a meddling fairy, who loves pranks and jests. Whereas here, Puck still maintains a mischievous nature but his jests take the form of sexually charged banter). Both are seen as comic relief characters who pull all the chaotic strings. Both Pucks have similar attire as well: clothes fashioned from leaves/twigs with horns or antlers along their heads.
*The notion of chaos in love is also felt in both stories, as well as the woods being fraught with restlessness and becoming untamed (AKA the tripping tree roots and Fae anger at decreased population). Untamed in Puck and Juniper's case in that they cannot control their growing affection. They deal with the dilemma of M.N.D characters: falling in love with the wrong person, although here, it's a lot more R&J forbidden, given human treatment of Fae.
2.The May Queen/Jack o' the Green
*Juniper being a sacrifice to preserve Fae land is akin to the idea of the May Queen bringing about summer and spring (spring being rebirth and summer= youth are similar to Juniper's death bringing back Fauna-plants who house the Fae offspring-ensuring rebirth from youth in Fae population).
*A variation of Jack 'O the Green is also worn by Juniper: she enters the forest party adorned in a handmaid crown of wooden antlers decorated with greenery and a skirt fashioned of leaves, similar to the May Queen arriving in a Jack 'O the Green (a wooden frame lined in flowers and foliage covering/encasing the queen).
3.Peter Pan
*Puck's auburn locks and admittedly untrue admission "At least I've never been told to do my chores or become an overprotective parent" echoing "I Won't Grow Up".
4.Labyrinth (1986)
*Small, but still: Juniper momentarily laments on her despair/sadness regarding her sisters, but soon shakes it off, opting instead to take on the woodland walk, felt very much like Sarah's "come on, feet" when she begins her own journey.
Cons
-The story itself kind of fell to the wayside. I had to keep remembering why certain things were happening because so much time is dedicated to Puck and Juniper's relationship/sexual tension.
-So many things (emotions, Puck's... Fae seed, shall we say?, words) penetrated/shook Juniper's womb.
*NO! Leave this horrid trend in Old-School Romanclandia.
Still not in a real rush to get to the third one. Again, I'm really only into Puck and Juniper, and maybe that's what makes Natalia Jaster's books so great: Didn't like the first couple? No worries, next one's all new. Fair warning: this is a a chunkster. Brick of a book. Nearly four hundred pages. That's long for Natalia Jaster (Dream clocks in at 361, but still...). Patience, grasshopper.
Pros
-Language
*Lush prose mixed with witty banter? Trick, is that you? There were also funny scenes (Ex: Juniper warns Puck to watch his antlers-he's a satyr-when walking beneath a low hanging branch. Puck puffs out his chest and goes: "They're my antlers. I think I know how to-" and gets promptly tangled up in leaves). It got me.
*Juniper's characteristics make the language differ quite a bit from K.T.F. as well: unlike Lark, she's not brash and is in fact quite shy, and comes from a long line of poachers/hunters. Being a hunter from a young age required stealth and methodical action. So whereas Lark jumps into bed/tasks, guns a blazin', a lot of Juniper is subdued: hiding behind trees, surveying land, and pouring over texts that better help her solve the Fae crisis while living to tell the tale. On a similar note, her bookish nature makes her vocabulary/dialect a bit less... all over the place. This reads like a fairy/folk tale because that is what Juniper enjoys reading.
-Topsy Turvy Equality
*Unlike Lark and Cerulean, Puck and Juniper spend a majority of their time together (despite Juniper pointing out the fact that he and the rest of the forest folk are supposed to be hunting her). He's not leaving cryptic hints, nor is he spying on her to catch her in fit of vulnerability. He does toy with her, but it's due to his own personal challenge (more on that next) posed to her.
*Can't say he doesn't have the upper hand though (his knowing she's meant to be sacrificed to save his people and all), but their interactions make it feel like a companionship: they sleep near one another, walk the same paths in plain sight, survey only the parts they allow one another (which for Puck, the rakish satyr is all of them).
*Even their speech patterns place them on equal footing, seeing as they're both well-read.
-Call and Response
*Moth (a character from K.T.F.) remarks upon meeting Juniper that since she's not as obnoxious as Lark that she just might like her. I'd be inclined to agree. Et tu, Goodreads patrons?
*Puck challenges Juniper to think outside of books, to write her own story instead of relying on the words of others. To me, this was a double meaning: readers, flex the creative muscle and experience life beyond the pages. And on a character note, Puck pushes Juniper to realize that her experiences have value. That despite the guilt of her poaching past, she's got something meaningful to say. And also that to make it out, she has to think outside the confines of legend/lore.
*However, being a bookworm does eventually serve her well, as she's able to gain extra time and remember the antidote needed to save an injured doe by recalling Fae facts and medicinal texts.
-Connection Through Communication
*From their first meeting, when Juniper frees Puck from a trap as children, they're gaining trust through talking. And it's organically done too: Puck and Juniper ask one another their favorite fable, and for them to recite it, and much later, after their initial love making, she asks him who he wants to be. He replies "To be someone's son, someone's father", AKA live a normal life through what he deems to be extraordinary circumstances (Fae children half or otherwise are rare). They are matched once more in this way when we take into account that Juniper's life with her adopted sisters and Papa Thorne exemplifies this very thing.
*Juniper asks him how to say I love you in Faeish! My list incarnate!!
*Bonus: sometimes words aren't necessary (Ex: Puck plays with several young animals, cooing as one would to a baby, as well as tending to his people's needs, displaying his want of family/eventual fatherhood, as well as normalcy among the fantastical. Also, on Juniper's side, she doesn't slow in her task despite her intense worry and wonder, each literal step forward showing-not telling-she values her methodical mind over emotions).
-Coming to Terms
*Juniper's task of hunting in the Fae woods brings back memories of her poaching past and all she's done to make amends (working in Papa Thorne's animal sanctuary, rescuing Puck). She's so ashamed that when they make love, she keeps her skirt/shirt rucked round her body so as to hide her poaching tattoo. Only after she saves the doe and does she realize she's not that person anymore. Her whole task enables her to break the toxic ties.
*Puck's a bit of an abstract one: here, satyrs can only recognize love when it's requited. He lets loose all the ways she makes him happy and in turn because he doesn't understand love, how the very same aspects fuck him up inside. Cliché in other novels (rakish guy fucking everything that moves because he doesn't understand emotion), but heartbreaking here. Even when a male friend of his confesses affection, Puck can't see it because of its rarity.
-Interesting Notions
*Puck's anger at Juniper falling for the Fables' okie doke regarding his "violent/human oppressing" race seems akin to modern day criticism of race in school history books. Much like the Fables, they're mostly recorded by a ruling class (In Hunt, its the humans who trivialize the Fae struggle/demonize their rightful uproar against the humans' tyrannical trappings, who in turn are made brave victors) who are looking out for number one. Like Juniper, we find that looking past our own racial narrative into reality is a rough but necessary process.
*When they meet, Juniper is running 'round the woods in an antler headband and a doe mask. She becomes embarrassed when she comes across Puck (being a satyr with and all) and before freeing his foot from the metal trap, hastily removes her costume. This could be read as a simple he's vulnerable, thus removing mask/revealing her true face will equal the playing field. But given the tumultuous tirade between Fae and humans, I kind of saw it as embarrassment for her unintentional cultural appropriation. Similar to someone wearing a racially insensitive Halloween costume.
-Puck
*Jesus! A sexy satyr with a wild tongue (do with that one what you will)? What else can I say? Oh, yeah, tons! A satyr who cares about consent (the guy never complains or asks Juniper to remove her clothes before her tattoo reveal), who can trade witty barbs with the best of 'em. He's giving Poet a run for his money.
-Juniper
*A beautifully understated bookish brunette would usually have me running for the hills. But she's not too stupid to live. She chooses her words and actions carefully (our girl fools an entire kingdom of creatures who tried to make her miss three weeks of a week long task by working words against them: she claims she never specified if it was a human or Fae week. Time goes by faster in their world, slower in hers). She's smart, swift, and not to be bullied into giving it up. Prudish? A bit, but she's moving away from it at her own pace.
-Setting
*It's like Legend (1985) meets A Midsummer Night's Dream. There's leprechauns, brownies (no, not the dessert) human-lite animals, and of course Puck and his gang of amorous Fae.
*Plus, the forest itself is a bit of a trickster (Ex: a tree root sprouts up to trip Juniper while sprinting from her predators. Eerie way of letting her know maps/books don't show all...)
-That Emotional Epilogue
*Not only do we get Puck's POV, but... Pretty sure Juniper's pregnant (she feels the equivalent of a quickening but brushes it off as hunger) and I mean, kind of saw it coming when Puck says "None of my kind's ever fathered with a human woman before". Umm, want us to write that Fable now or...?
*I wished we could've gotten her telling him, giving him a facet of what he's always wanted. But alas, we'll probably brush past it in the next book. They'll show up with a baby in tow or Juniper giving birth will be part of the action/conflict. Too bad I don't plan on reading that one. Feel free to spoil me if I'm right on Puck/Juniper, btw.
-Is Puck's name "Oak"?
*Three letters, two vowels and a consonant... Plus, oak trees symbolizing resistance, knowledge, and morale would be the ironic cherry on this hedonistic-satyr sundae.
-Puck offering up half his life to Juniper
*Aww! After she agrees to stay, Juniper points out she'll die way before him. In response, our sweet satyr offers to divide his long life line, giving half to her. Brings new meaning to "I'd give up my life for you", huh?
Homages
-Before I start, I like that unlike K.T.F, this isn't ripping off certain scenes from another property. It's influenced by many while being its own thing.
1.A Midsummer Night's Dream
*The woodland setting and all its creatures are so aesthetically similar
*Both contain characters called Puck, (In M.N.D, Puck is portrayed as a meddling fairy, who loves pranks and jests. Whereas here, Puck still maintains a mischievous nature but his jests take the form of sexually charged banter). Both are seen as comic relief characters who pull all the chaotic strings. Both Pucks have similar attire as well: clothes fashioned from leaves/twigs with horns or antlers along their heads.
*The notion of chaos in love is also felt in both stories, as well as the woods being fraught with restlessness and becoming untamed (AKA the tripping tree roots and Fae anger at decreased population). Untamed in Puck and Juniper's case in that they cannot control their growing affection. They deal with the dilemma of M.N.D characters: falling in love with the wrong person, although here, it's a lot more R&J forbidden, given human treatment of Fae.
2.The May Queen/Jack o' the Green
*Juniper being a sacrifice to preserve Fae land is akin to the idea of the May Queen bringing about summer and spring (spring being rebirth and summer= youth are similar to Juniper's death bringing back Fauna-plants who house the Fae offspring-ensuring rebirth from youth in Fae population).
*A variation of Jack 'O the Green is also worn by Juniper: she enters the forest party adorned in a handmaid crown of wooden antlers decorated with greenery and a skirt fashioned of leaves, similar to the May Queen arriving in a Jack 'O the Green (a wooden frame lined in flowers and foliage covering/encasing the queen).
3.Peter Pan
*Puck's auburn locks and admittedly untrue admission "At least I've never been told to do my chores or become an overprotective parent" echoing "I Won't Grow Up".
4.Labyrinth (1986)
*Small, but still: Juniper momentarily laments on her despair/sadness regarding her sisters, but soon shakes it off, opting instead to take on the woodland walk, felt very much like Sarah's "come on, feet" when she begins her own journey.
Cons
-The story itself kind of fell to the wayside. I had to keep remembering why certain things were happening because so much time is dedicated to Puck and Juniper's relationship/sexual tension.
-So many things (emotions, Puck's... Fae seed, shall we say?, words) penetrated/shook Juniper's womb.
*NO! Leave this horrid trend in Old-School Romanclandia.
Still not in a real rush to get to the third one. Again, I'm really only into Puck and Juniper, and maybe that's what makes Natalia Jaster's books so great: Didn't like the first couple? No worries, next one's all new. Fair warning: this is a a chunkster. Brick of a book. Nearly four hundred pages. That's long for Natalia Jaster (Dream clocks in at 361, but still...). Patience, grasshopper.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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