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The Forbidden Heir Trilogy #1
The Dagger and the Forbidden Heir
A century ago, an exchange was proposed: a life saved for a war of revenge.
For Captain Lia Solus of the fae army, and the secret bastard daughter of the king, she’s reminded of those consequences daily. Unable to claim her heritage or her throne, she’s powerless to stop the innocent bloodshed that her birth ushered in.
On the other side of the lines, Commander Jace Cadoria gladly fights the war of his ancestors to slaughter the fae who have terrorized the humans of their realm for generations. And with a cunning plan to trap them, the end could finally be in sight. Except it quickly spirals out of control, leaving Lia and Jace, enemies of opposite sides, stranded together in a dangerous terrain.
Engaged in an intimate battle of their own, both warring to take control, they’ll need their wits now more than ever to survive. Because this fight could cost their lives—and their hearts.
(The Forbidden Heir Trilogy is a fun and chaotic new take on fantasy, featuring enemies-to-lovers, fun modernized banter, dragons, heartache, adventure, and dark sorcery that grows throughout the series. This is written in multiple, 1st person POV, including the villains, and is a character-driven romantic fantasy. The story will be enjoyed by lovers of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Carissa Broadbent. Throne of Glass meets House of the Dragon.)
CONTENT WARNING: Please note that this book is not intended for readers below the age of eighteen (18). This warning is due to explicit language, violence/gore, mentions of past child abuse, and mentions of sexual assault.
For Captain Lia Solus of the fae army, and the secret bastard daughter of the king, she’s reminded of those consequences daily. Unable to claim her heritage or her throne, she’s powerless to stop the innocent bloodshed that her birth ushered in.
On the other side of the lines, Commander Jace Cadoria gladly fights the war of his ancestors to slaughter the fae who have terrorized the humans of their realm for generations. And with a cunning plan to trap them, the end could finally be in sight. Except it quickly spirals out of control, leaving Lia and Jace, enemies of opposite sides, stranded together in a dangerous terrain.
Engaged in an intimate battle of their own, both warring to take control, they’ll need their wits now more than ever to survive. Because this fight could cost their lives—and their hearts.
(The Forbidden Heir Trilogy is a fun and chaotic new take on fantasy, featuring enemies-to-lovers, fun modernized banter, dragons, heartache, adventure, and dark sorcery that grows throughout the series. This is written in multiple, 1st person POV, including the villains, and is a character-driven romantic fantasy. The story will be enjoyed by lovers of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Carissa Broadbent. Throne of Glass meets House of the Dragon.)
CONTENT WARNING: Please note that this book is not intended for readers below the age of eighteen (18). This warning is due to explicit language, violence/gore, mentions of past child abuse, and mentions of sexual assault.
420 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 12, 2023
677 people are currently reading
15873 people want to read
About the author
Emilia Jae
5 books361 followersEmilia is an author of dark, epic, and romantic fantasy stories, and has been in love with disassociating through fantasy realms her entire life. She was born and raised in scenic New England, and when she isn't cuddled up with a good book, or writing her own, you can find her playing with her dog, or being the chaotic human that she is with her loved ones. Emilia is a Pisces and INFJ.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 586 reviews
February 17, 2026
Conflicted about this one. It was good especially the plot idea but the execution of it was a bit on rocky ground. With how it was compared to ToG, my expectations were unrealistic and it sort of backfired. But for a debut novel, that was quite a decent book.
I think the first half was far more stronger for me than the second half. I was interested in the kingdom's politics between the fae and humans, and the very messed up family dynamics of the fmc far more than the romance that was burning in the second half amongst other things.
The writing is decent, it definitely needs some refining imo. There were times when the characters were giggling too much and the logic in certain situations didn't make much sense to me. But it really was too much giggling that irked me.
Elianna is an interesting character, I liked that she was the fae and with more experience and power than our love interest Jace who's a human. That's a unique dynamic and one that I absolutely adore and appreciate. But at the same time, I didn't really connect with either. I think for a Captain and Commander, they both acted like children at times. For enemies, they trusted each other way too easily. I also do think that their dynamic was a bit forced than natural, the romance even in tidbits was developing too fast.
The side characters are complex, some really vile that made my blood boil. But it all adds up pretty decently. I must say, I was far more interested in the King's story with Ophelia than our main characters tho 😅
The ending was pretty interesting though and captivated me enough. I'll continue with the journey in the next book and with better managed expectations, hopefully more rational dialogues to come.
~•~•~
My beautiful bestie Leonie gifted this book to me for Galentine's Day. Gonna dive in a collect a new book boyfriend xD
I think the first half was far more stronger for me than the second half. I was interested in the kingdom's politics between the fae and humans, and the very messed up family dynamics of the fmc far more than the romance that was burning in the second half amongst other things.
The writing is decent, it definitely needs some refining imo. There were times when the characters were giggling too much and the logic in certain situations didn't make much sense to me. But it really was too much giggling that irked me.
Elianna is an interesting character, I liked that she was the fae and with more experience and power than our love interest Jace who's a human. That's a unique dynamic and one that I absolutely adore and appreciate. But at the same time, I didn't really connect with either. I think for a Captain and Commander, they both acted like children at times. For enemies, they trusted each other way too easily. I also do think that their dynamic was a bit forced than natural, the romance even in tidbits was developing too fast.
The side characters are complex, some really vile that made my blood boil. But it all adds up pretty decently. I must say, I was far more interested in the King's story with Ophelia than our main characters tho 😅
The ending was pretty interesting though and captivated me enough. I'll continue with the journey in the next book and with better managed expectations, hopefully more rational dialogues to come.
~•~•~
My beautiful bestie Leonie gifted this book to me for Galentine's Day. Gonna dive in a collect a new book boyfriend xD
October 5, 2023
DNF @ 53%
🛑🛑🛑 This review will have spoilers! 🛑🛑🛑
My main issues with this book (in a nutshell) was that it was a fae fantasy book, but the fae had no powers. The society was sexists & patriarchal except for in the castle I guess (?), the characters were shallow, and there was no driving factor for why this “war” lasted so long and why we should care about it as a whole, and there was so much of a disconnect between what we (as readers) know to be a fae story and what this story was.
Deep dive (again, there are spoilers):
• I got about halfway through, and if there was going to be a magic system it should have come up by then. The only magic talked about was that the fae had heightened senses and lived longer than humans (which to me was boring if that’s the only difference). They were supposedly in a war with humans for over 100 years, but if they were so much stronger, why did the war last so long? Did the humans have something that leveled the playing field? Were we supposed to believe that the entire fae country was onboard and in support of a throwaway war with the humans just because the Queen demanded it? That plot line did not make any sense, there wasn’t any urgency or driving factor on what was happening there.
• The original love interest literally cheated on the FMC and she took him back (I HATE the cheating trope). There was no reason she had to work with him again, and honestly this just drove home the fact that the society was patriarchal (insert the brothel), and I have no idea how the FMC became captain if the men never followed her. But that’s a whole other issue (like why when they were putting a scout group together, she didn’t choose men that supported her, you’re the CAPTAIN)
• The FMC was said to have been this badass fighter, but she was undermined by almost everyone and had no say in anything. She never stood up for herself. I mean the queen completely walked all over her and the king and verbally abused the FMC. And where was the king? He never stood up for his own daughter and for what, just so the secret of him having an illegitimate child never leaked? That isn’t a strong enough reason imo
• I felt like the foreshadowing was really poorly done. For example, one scene was basically written “oh, she’s leaving with a cup of wine. That’s weird, I wonder why she’s leaving with this cup” like two lines after saying one way to administer poison was through wine. It was so obvious what was happening, I cringed. Like make it interesting!
• The characters were annoying and immature (& she’s supposed to be 137 years old). There’s a part in the middle of the book where the FMC is literally traveling with a human as his prisoner (!!!), and then she is roaming the surrounding trees and comes back to ask him if he wants to smoke weed. what ?? (this is where I had to stop)
• Which brings me to my next point, if she has all this strength and was (literally) armed with a knife, why is she not defending herself or escaping from being the human’s prisoner ? There wasn’t anything that he held over her to keep her from escaping
• The author used modern slang when the setting was not modern, so there was a disconnect there. Also, the characters themselves had no depth. I didn’t really connect with any of them, and the conversations between the characters were boring. Like barely any banter, no personality (ex: “we should board this ship” “ok” *boards ship*). Idk that might be a super shallow reason but everything piled together, I just did not enjoy it
I think I’ve just read so many fantasy/fae stories that this one fell so flat. I did like that the typical genders in human/fae story was swapped so it was a female fae and human man, but I feel like if you’re gonna do that, she has to be a super badass FMC and not a walking doormat.
This book has enough 5⭐️ reviews that I feel I need to write what I feel, because I genuinely don’t think myself and other reviewers read the same book (i know because I have read these reviews)
Thank you to the author for an eARC of this book, but I cannot recommend it.
🛑🛑🛑 This review will have spoilers! 🛑🛑🛑
My main issues with this book (in a nutshell) was that it was a fae fantasy book, but the fae had no powers. The society was sexists & patriarchal except for in the castle I guess (?), the characters were shallow, and there was no driving factor for why this “war” lasted so long and why we should care about it as a whole, and there was so much of a disconnect between what we (as readers) know to be a fae story and what this story was.
Deep dive (again, there are spoilers):
• I got about halfway through, and if there was going to be a magic system it should have come up by then. The only magic talked about was that the fae had heightened senses and lived longer than humans (which to me was boring if that’s the only difference). They were supposedly in a war with humans for over 100 years, but if they were so much stronger, why did the war last so long? Did the humans have something that leveled the playing field? Were we supposed to believe that the entire fae country was onboard and in support of a throwaway war with the humans just because the Queen demanded it? That plot line did not make any sense, there wasn’t any urgency or driving factor on what was happening there.
• The original love interest literally cheated on the FMC and she took him back (I HATE the cheating trope). There was no reason she had to work with him again, and honestly this just drove home the fact that the society was patriarchal (insert the brothel), and I have no idea how the FMC became captain if the men never followed her. But that’s a whole other issue (like why when they were putting a scout group together, she didn’t choose men that supported her, you’re the CAPTAIN)
• The FMC was said to have been this badass fighter, but she was undermined by almost everyone and had no say in anything. She never stood up for herself. I mean the queen completely walked all over her and the king and verbally abused the FMC. And where was the king? He never stood up for his own daughter and for what, just so the secret of him having an illegitimate child never leaked? That isn’t a strong enough reason imo
• I felt like the foreshadowing was really poorly done. For example, one scene was basically written “oh, she’s leaving with a cup of wine. That’s weird, I wonder why she’s leaving with this cup” like two lines after saying one way to administer poison was through wine. It was so obvious what was happening, I cringed. Like make it interesting!
• The characters were annoying and immature (& she’s supposed to be 137 years old). There’s a part in the middle of the book where the FMC is literally traveling with a human as his prisoner (!!!), and then she is roaming the surrounding trees and comes back to ask him if he wants to smoke weed. what ?? (this is where I had to stop)
• Which brings me to my next point, if she has all this strength and was (literally) armed with a knife, why is she not defending herself or escaping from being the human’s prisoner ? There wasn’t anything that he held over her to keep her from escaping
• The author used modern slang when the setting was not modern, so there was a disconnect there. Also, the characters themselves had no depth. I didn’t really connect with any of them, and the conversations between the characters were boring. Like barely any banter, no personality (ex: “we should board this ship” “ok” *boards ship*). Idk that might be a super shallow reason but everything piled together, I just did not enjoy it
I think I’ve just read so many fantasy/fae stories that this one fell so flat. I did like that the typical genders in human/fae story was swapped so it was a female fae and human man, but I feel like if you’re gonna do that, she has to be a super badass FMC and not a walking doormat.
This book has enough 5⭐️ reviews that I feel I need to write what I feel, because I genuinely don’t think myself and other reviewers read the same book (i know because I have read these reviews)
Thank you to the author for an eARC of this book, but I cannot recommend it.
January 19, 2024
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
DedicationTo all the readers that always felt like a side character in their own story, & were never brave enough to stand up for themselves, or be the hero. Our time is now. This is for you.
What to Expect
🗡️ Multiple POVs
🗡️ Game of Thrones mixed with Throne of Glass vibes
🗡️ Modern Dialogue
🗡️ Secrets and Deceit
🗡️ Fiesty FMC
🗡️ Touch her and ☠️
🗡️ Fae vs Human
🗡️ Diverse cast of characters
“You may keep your bastard daughter, but I will have my war and an heir of my blood. Mark my words, Jameson.”
Thoughts
**My rating and review is solely off of vibes.**
Full disclosure, I was confused for the first 32% of this book - not because it was hard to follow or the plot did not make sense, but because I truly could not understand where the story was going [could just be a 'me' issue]! I almost DNF'd this but I am so glad I didn't! This book took my chin between it's fingers, made our eyes meet, pushed me against a wall and devoured me whole. This has a slow-burn political turmoil plotline, similar to what I felt when I watched Game of Thrones mixed with elements found in Throne of Glass. I kicked my feet & giggled, I wanted to scream, cry & throw up and by the end of the book, my jaw was stuck on the floor. This is a series and I am excited and absolutely terrified to see what happened next 👀
If you love Rowan Whitethorn, you will love Jace 🥵🤭
** The ending has my head spinning. This book does end on a cliffhanger.
Characters
Elianna (Lia)
She's the bastard daughter of the king, the true heir to the throne and quite possibly the person the queen despises the most; her true identity hidden in secret from everyone around her, including those she loves most. She is stubborn, fierce, more compassionate than even imaginable yet forced to be devoted to the queen (who let's be honest, is an absolute tyrant). She grew up in the castle, is believed to be an 'orphan' by everyone around her and is captain of the land army. I ADORE HER.
Kellan
I do not want to spoil anything, but.... if he were to kick rocks and trip over the side of a cliff, I. would. not. shed. a. single. tear.
The bitch was mine. She could hide all she wanted, but no other male with half a brain in this kingdom would even dream of looking in her direction without receiving the consequences.
Avery
Lia's best friend, and the princess. She has an adventurous soul with no place she is allowed to go... she yearns for a life beyond the mundane pageantry her royal life offers.
“Oh, you know, I am just your typical princess locked away in a tower full of every beautiful item and artifact you could dream of. I will never get to experience what you do. I have no life outside of these gates. I also will never know the feeling of spontaneous love. I am eventually to be married off to some far-off Lord across the sea, never truly knowing if I have a mate out there, or if I could’ve loved without it being forced upon me,” she explained to me, each word hitting me harder than the last.
Kai
Imagine, Jeoffrey 2.0. He's the queen's firstborn, and who the kingdom believes to be the rightful heir to the throne. He is a brute, the absolute worst kind of person fathomable. I think hell itself would not be kind enough to accept him and spit him back out instead.
Jace
If I need to bathe in the blood of my enemies to make sure my people are able to sleep soundly at night, then so be it.
He is the commander of the human army, he is headstrong, stubborn, arrogant, loyal to a fault and he would sacrifice himself for those he cares for.
“I couldn’t let you die. Even that first night on the ship. I thought about letting you drown, but I couldn’t do it. The thought of you even being injured…I can’t explain it. It feels as if flames ignite within my very veins and light my entire existence on fire. It's not an option I was willing to accept. Nor will I ever.”
Quotes
“Your lies are like a siren’s song, Solus. They roll off your tongue so sweetly, beautifully. Almost enough to convince me”
“So you will die for the secrets of a queen you do not respect?” he asked, as he looked over at me. “No.” I paused and my stare slowly rose to meet his. “But I will gladly die protecting the few individuals that I do.”
“Is it respect you want, Elianna?” he asked, his tone alluring and wicked. The way he said my name sent a shiver down my spine. My eyes darted across his face. “On most occasions,” I answered in a soft, submissive voice I barely recognized, refusing to break his stare.
“Who did that to you.” His tone seeped with rage. Not a question, but a demand.
Once my face was above water, I was terrified to look in his direction. He kissed me. The rude, arrogant and…extremely attractive commander kissed me. And I enjoyed it. Wanted it even. Gods, Lia, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?
“You can brace yourself for whatever you see fit. But mark my words, you will die for what you did today. You will die for the havoc and devastation you caused this village of innocents. And you will die for harming what’s mine.”
😯😧 MY JAW IS ON THE FLOOR! RTC
DedicationTo all the readers that always felt like a side character in their own story, & were never brave enough to stand up for themselves, or be the hero. Our time is now. This is for you.
What to Expect
🗡️ Multiple POVs
🗡️ Game of Thrones mixed with Throne of Glass vibes
🗡️ Modern Dialogue
🗡️ Secrets and Deceit
🗡️ Fiesty FMC
🗡️ Touch her and ☠️
🗡️ Fae vs Human
🗡️ Diverse cast of characters
“You may keep your bastard daughter, but I will have my war and an heir of my blood. Mark my words, Jameson.”
Thoughts
**My rating and review is solely off of vibes.**
Full disclosure, I was confused for the first 32% of this book - not because it was hard to follow or the plot did not make sense, but because I truly could not understand where the story was going [could just be a 'me' issue]! I almost DNF'd this but I am so glad I didn't! This book took my chin between it's fingers, made our eyes meet, pushed me against a wall and devoured me whole. This has a slow-burn political turmoil plotline, similar to what I felt when I watched Game of Thrones mixed with elements found in Throne of Glass. I kicked my feet & giggled, I wanted to scream, cry & throw up and by the end of the book, my jaw was stuck on the floor. This is a series and I am excited and absolutely terrified to see what happened next 👀
If you love Rowan Whitethorn, you will love Jace 🥵🤭
** The ending has my head spinning. This book does end on a cliffhanger.
Characters
Elianna (Lia)
She's the bastard daughter of the king, the true heir to the throne and quite possibly the person the queen despises the most; her true identity hidden in secret from everyone around her, including those she loves most. She is stubborn, fierce, more compassionate than even imaginable yet forced to be devoted to the queen (who let's be honest, is an absolute tyrant). She grew up in the castle, is believed to be an 'orphan' by everyone around her and is captain of the land army. I ADORE HER.
Kellan
I do not want to spoil anything, but.... if he were to kick rocks and trip over the side of a cliff, I. would. not. shed. a. single. tear.
The bitch was mine. She could hide all she wanted, but no other male with half a brain in this kingdom would even dream of looking in her direction without receiving the consequences.
Avery
Lia's best friend, and the princess. She has an adventurous soul with no place she is allowed to go... she yearns for a life beyond the mundane pageantry her royal life offers.
“Oh, you know, I am just your typical princess locked away in a tower full of every beautiful item and artifact you could dream of. I will never get to experience what you do. I have no life outside of these gates. I also will never know the feeling of spontaneous love. I am eventually to be married off to some far-off Lord across the sea, never truly knowing if I have a mate out there, or if I could’ve loved without it being forced upon me,” she explained to me, each word hitting me harder than the last.
Kai
Imagine, Jeoffrey 2.0. He's the queen's firstborn, and who the kingdom believes to be the rightful heir to the throne. He is a brute, the absolute worst kind of person fathomable. I think hell itself would not be kind enough to accept him and spit him back out instead.
Jace
If I need to bathe in the blood of my enemies to make sure my people are able to sleep soundly at night, then so be it.
He is the commander of the human army, he is headstrong, stubborn, arrogant, loyal to a fault and he would sacrifice himself for those he cares for.
“I couldn’t let you die. Even that first night on the ship. I thought about letting you drown, but I couldn’t do it. The thought of you even being injured…I can’t explain it. It feels as if flames ignite within my very veins and light my entire existence on fire. It's not an option I was willing to accept. Nor will I ever.”
Quotes
“Your lies are like a siren’s song, Solus. They roll off your tongue so sweetly, beautifully. Almost enough to convince me”
“So you will die for the secrets of a queen you do not respect?” he asked, as he looked over at me. “No.” I paused and my stare slowly rose to meet his. “But I will gladly die protecting the few individuals that I do.”
“Is it respect you want, Elianna?” he asked, his tone alluring and wicked. The way he said my name sent a shiver down my spine. My eyes darted across his face. “On most occasions,” I answered in a soft, submissive voice I barely recognized, refusing to break his stare.
“Who did that to you.” His tone seeped with rage. Not a question, but a demand.
Once my face was above water, I was terrified to look in his direction. He kissed me. The rude, arrogant and…extremely attractive commander kissed me. And I enjoyed it. Wanted it even. Gods, Lia, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?
“You can brace yourself for whatever you see fit. But mark my words, you will die for what you did today. You will die for the havoc and devastation you caused this village of innocents. And you will die for harming what’s mine.”
September 15, 2023
I received a copy of The Dagger And The Forbidden Heir as an ARC and now here is my honest review!
I was hooked IMMEDIATELY. From page one, I was drawn into the story of Lia. The book starts with her entrance into the world (which is just as traumatising for us as it is the characters) and from there, we delve into a war between Fae and Humans.
137 years from her birth, Elianna is a kickass, badass FMC with the sassitide to boot. She leads armies. She bosses men around like the badass bitch we all should be. Her story progresses so nicely, flows so smoothly. We're introduced to key players in her life such as Kellan (if you're from Penns Street team, you'll understand me when I say he's Henri level gross, plus some note), Avery and Finn (I love them), Kai, Lukas, the queen and her father, the King.
The Queen is making out to be like a chess player level evil and I seriously can't wait to see her get her comeuppance. Her distaste for Elianna, the kings illegitimate daughter, is palpable through each interaction. It's so real that I feel uncomfortable reading it because it's like being in the room.
Then we have Jace. Jace enters the chat and then we get ALL OF OUR FAVE TROPES!
Forced proximity, enemies to lovers, ONE BED IN THE ROOM, WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!
When his chapters came along, I was kicking my legs and squealing like a little girl with a lollipop. With him we get his best friends, Gage and Zae. Their development, whilst not having an overly huge part in the story yet, is so well done and I was immediately attached to Gage and his golden retriever energy that I LOVE.
Jace and Elianna leave us on a cliff-hanger of epic proportions and I'm absolutely addicted. I need more. I need to see how the puzzle falls together, how love is going to grow and most of all, I need some gosh darn revenge and an epic death(s) to follow.
I can't wait for this book to be released so I can claim it physically and have it sitting pretty on my bookshelf 😍
I was hooked IMMEDIATELY. From page one, I was drawn into the story of Lia. The book starts with her entrance into the world (which is just as traumatising for us as it is the characters) and from there, we delve into a war between Fae and Humans.
137 years from her birth, Elianna is a kickass, badass FMC with the sassitide to boot. She leads armies. She bosses men around like the badass bitch we all should be. Her story progresses so nicely, flows so smoothly. We're introduced to key players in her life such as Kellan (if you're from Penns Street team, you'll understand me when I say he's Henri level gross, plus some note), Avery and Finn (I love them), Kai, Lukas, the queen and her father, the King.
The Queen is making out to be like a chess player level evil and I seriously can't wait to see her get her comeuppance. Her distaste for Elianna, the kings illegitimate daughter, is palpable through each interaction. It's so real that I feel uncomfortable reading it because it's like being in the room.
Then we have Jace. Jace enters the chat and then we get ALL OF OUR FAVE TROPES!
Forced proximity, enemies to lovers, ONE BED IN THE ROOM, WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!
When his chapters came along, I was kicking my legs and squealing like a little girl with a lollipop. With him we get his best friends, Gage and Zae. Their development, whilst not having an overly huge part in the story yet, is so well done and I was immediately attached to Gage and his golden retriever energy that I LOVE.
Jace and Elianna leave us on a cliff-hanger of epic proportions and I'm absolutely addicted. I need more. I need to see how the puzzle falls together, how love is going to grow and most of all, I need some gosh darn revenge and an epic death(s) to follow.
I can't wait for this book to be released so I can claim it physically and have it sitting pretty on my bookshelf 😍
August 29, 2024
I normally don't DNF but I could just tell by page like 4 that I was gonna hate this... respectfully the writing sucks
March 5, 2024
"And then you touched her. You will die for that."
This is a six POV book, told by the POV´s of Eliana, Jace, Avery, Finnian, Lukas and Kellan. The POV´s which frequent the most are those of Eliana and Jace.
Eliana as a character is right up my alley. Brave, strong, an amazing fighter and smart and cunning on top. I liked her character and I loved her position as a Captain in the King´s army. It made her a powerful FMC. Really loved Jace as well, their banter was so entertaining and I love how he is more of a softie out of the two of them.
Regarding side characters I really liked Avery and Finnian and their sibling bond as well as Lukas. I think some of the other side characters still need to grow on me.
I mostly enjoyed the plot, we have an enemies to lovers trope, which is in my opinion, for the most part well done. I lived the classic "who did this to you" and one bed tropes thrown in there. The chemistry between the characters is there and I enjoyed their story. I liked the fantasy elements, especially that women were put in higher up/more powerful positions in this world, however the worldbuilding wasn´t as fleshed out as I had hoped but maybe that will come in with the second book of the series. There is a spice scene in here, but I have to say it was a bit weirdly written. It was really short and "quick". In my opinion it should have been either changed to a more detailed scene or a closed door scene, because it felt like an inbetween.The pacing of the book itself was good, it starts of fast paced and only slows down a bit towards the ending, but picks up again in the end. I have to say for a debut novel, this is pretty well done!
Overall it was a good fantasy read and I am excited to get to the second book.
trigger warnings: death/murder, sexual assault (not caused by the love interest), war scenes, attempted rape (not caused by the love interest), loss of loved ones
This is a six POV book, told by the POV´s of Eliana, Jace, Avery, Finnian, Lukas and Kellan. The POV´s which frequent the most are those of Eliana and Jace.
Eliana as a character is right up my alley. Brave, strong, an amazing fighter and smart and cunning on top. I liked her character and I loved her position as a Captain in the King´s army. It made her a powerful FMC. Really loved Jace as well, their banter was so entertaining and I love how he is more of a softie out of the two of them.
Regarding side characters I really liked Avery and Finnian and their sibling bond as well as Lukas. I think some of the other side characters still need to grow on me.
I mostly enjoyed the plot, we have an enemies to lovers trope, which is in my opinion, for the most part well done. I lived the classic "who did this to you" and one bed tropes thrown in there. The chemistry between the characters is there and I enjoyed their story. I liked the fantasy elements, especially that women were put in higher up/more powerful positions in this world, however the worldbuilding wasn´t as fleshed out as I had hoped but maybe that will come in with the second book of the series. There is a spice scene in here, but I have to say it was a bit weirdly written. It was really short and "quick". In my opinion it should have been either changed to a more detailed scene or a closed door scene, because it felt like an inbetween.The pacing of the book itself was good, it starts of fast paced and only slows down a bit towards the ending, but picks up again in the end. I have to say for a debut novel, this is pretty well done!
Overall it was a good fantasy read and I am excited to get to the second book.
trigger warnings: death/murder, sexual assault (not caused by the love interest), war scenes, attempted rape (not caused by the love interest), loss of loved ones
September 14, 2023
I received this book as an ARC and was asked to provide an honest review on this upcoming book. The Dagger and the Forbidden Heir is due to release on the 12/10/2023 and honestly I wish everyone could go read this book right now
When I say this book gave me the same vibe as ACOTAR, TOG and Fourth Wing I’m not kidding - this is Emilia’s first novel and with the way she writes you would never think that. This book was absolutely amazing and beautifully written - I wish I could go back and re read it for the first time again.
The characters are well written and have personality that just screams off the pages and you form connections with them in such a short space of time. The politics are amazing in this novel and I did not find them confusing at all which is surprising because sometimes in fantasy novels the politics and world building can be really confusing but everything about this book was a breeze
There wasn’t just plot twists at the end of this book they happened all throughout so I was consistently kept on my toes. I got this book this morning sent to me and I finished it within a matter of hours. I need book 2 like literally right now I don’t know how I’m going to go waiting for the next one after that cliff hanger 😂😂
Thank you so much Emilia for letting me be one of your ARC readers, it was an absolute privilege to be able to read this book before it is released and I am so excited for you and all the places your writing is going to take you
Tropes:
✨Enemies to lovers
✨touch her and you die
✨lovers to enemies
✨one bed/ forced proximity
✨fated mates
✨found family
✨morally grey characters
✨revenge
✨fun banter
✨multiple, 1st person POV
✨lgbtq+ representation
I will post a more in-depth review closer to the release date, I would hate for anyone to see spoilers
When I say this book gave me the same vibe as ACOTAR, TOG and Fourth Wing I’m not kidding - this is Emilia’s first novel and with the way she writes you would never think that. This book was absolutely amazing and beautifully written - I wish I could go back and re read it for the first time again.
The characters are well written and have personality that just screams off the pages and you form connections with them in such a short space of time. The politics are amazing in this novel and I did not find them confusing at all which is surprising because sometimes in fantasy novels the politics and world building can be really confusing but everything about this book was a breeze
There wasn’t just plot twists at the end of this book they happened all throughout so I was consistently kept on my toes. I got this book this morning sent to me and I finished it within a matter of hours. I need book 2 like literally right now I don’t know how I’m going to go waiting for the next one after that cliff hanger 😂😂
Thank you so much Emilia for letting me be one of your ARC readers, it was an absolute privilege to be able to read this book before it is released and I am so excited for you and all the places your writing is going to take you
Tropes:
✨Enemies to lovers
✨touch her and you die
✨lovers to enemies
✨one bed/ forced proximity
✨fated mates
✨found family
✨morally grey characters
✨revenge
✨fun banter
✨multiple, 1st person POV
✨lgbtq+ representation
I will post a more in-depth review closer to the release date, I would hate for anyone to see spoilers
March 19, 2024
I enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to the next one. It felt easy to read and not crammed with so much information that you get confused. The world building flowed good with the plot. Multiple POVs including the villain. I did feel like the plot was very predictable and the love was a little too insta for my taste, but I still think it’s worth reading.
September 15, 2023
✨ARC REVIEW✨
🗡️The Dagger and The Forbidden Heir by Emilia Jae🗡️
5/5⭐️
This review is 100% honest. First, thank you to Emilia for letting me be apart of your ARC team! I am so excited for this trilogy! This book will be published on 10/12/2023.
⚔️TROPES:
❤️🔥Lovers to Enemies
❤️🔥Touch her and ☠️
❤️🔥one bed/forced proximity
❤️🔥Enemies to Lovers
❤️🔥Fated Mates
❤️🔥Morally Grey
❤️🔥Found Family
❤️🔥”Who did this to you?”
⚔️TW: murder, gore, physical assault, sexual assault, mention of rape, strong language
Now let’s get to the good stuff (this entire book in my opinion‼️). Elianna, the badass FMC, resides within the walls of a castle in Isla, on the continent of Velyra. As a commander of an army in an ongoing war against the humans, she is no stranger to the brutality and horrors of battle. Raised under the care of the king and the disapproval of the queen, she holds onto one of the largest secrets in her kingdom. When she is called to assist in Command on an upcoming attack, she plans to do what she always does-survive. But this trip is different, and will leave Elianna questioning everything she thinks she knows about herself and her kingdom.
You guys, when I say this is one of the best books I’ve read in a HOT minute, I mean every word. The world building flows into the story easily, and the characters are well written. Their personalities blossom throughout the book, and I found myself growing attached to them. When I tell you I laughed, I cried, I RAGED during this read, I mean it whole heartedly.
Emilia-this book was fantastic. I cannot believe this is your first work. I am obsessed and need the second book ASAP. If you love fantasy/romantasy, this book is for you.
🗡️The Dagger and The Forbidden Heir by Emilia Jae🗡️
5/5⭐️
This review is 100% honest. First, thank you to Emilia for letting me be apart of your ARC team! I am so excited for this trilogy! This book will be published on 10/12/2023.
⚔️TROPES:
❤️🔥Lovers to Enemies
❤️🔥Touch her and ☠️
❤️🔥one bed/forced proximity
❤️🔥Enemies to Lovers
❤️🔥Fated Mates
❤️🔥Morally Grey
❤️🔥Found Family
❤️🔥”Who did this to you?”
⚔️TW: murder, gore, physical assault, sexual assault, mention of rape, strong language
Now let’s get to the good stuff (this entire book in my opinion‼️). Elianna, the badass FMC, resides within the walls of a castle in Isla, on the continent of Velyra. As a commander of an army in an ongoing war against the humans, she is no stranger to the brutality and horrors of battle. Raised under the care of the king and the disapproval of the queen, she holds onto one of the largest secrets in her kingdom. When she is called to assist in Command on an upcoming attack, she plans to do what she always does-survive. But this trip is different, and will leave Elianna questioning everything she thinks she knows about herself and her kingdom.
You guys, when I say this is one of the best books I’ve read in a HOT minute, I mean every word. The world building flows into the story easily, and the characters are well written. Their personalities blossom throughout the book, and I found myself growing attached to them. When I tell you I laughed, I cried, I RAGED during this read, I mean it whole heartedly.
Emilia-this book was fantastic. I cannot believe this is your first work. I am obsessed and need the second book ASAP. If you love fantasy/romantasy, this book is for you.
July 12, 2024
i will be forwarding my therapy bill to Emilia asap.
September 3, 2024
**𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘** 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒃𝒚 𝑬𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒂 𝑱𝒂𝒆 (𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝑻𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 #1)
Release Date: October 12, 2023
5⭐️3.5 🌶
This book sucked me in! I could not stop listening to it! Enemies to lovers, forbidden love, fated mates, evil step mother, evil queen, and so much more!
Elianna is the first born daughter of the King. Her mother was the King's fated mate, but the queen didn't know about her until after Elianna's birth. Unfortunately, her mother died during child birth, and the queen made a deal with the King that she would get her war with the humans if he got to keep his first born daughter.
Elianna was raised as a ward of the castle and rose the the ranks to become the Commander of the land forces. She has seen the horrible results of war, and has tried and tried to convince her father to stop the war. He always seems to find a reason it can't be stopped.
Jace is the commander of the human forces, and he plans a trap for the fae forces that goes wrong. Elianna and Jace end up at each others throat.
I can't put this series down!
Release Date: October 12, 2023
5⭐️3.5 🌶
This book sucked me in! I could not stop listening to it! Enemies to lovers, forbidden love, fated mates, evil step mother, evil queen, and so much more!
Elianna is the first born daughter of the King. Her mother was the King's fated mate, but the queen didn't know about her until after Elianna's birth. Unfortunately, her mother died during child birth, and the queen made a deal with the King that she would get her war with the humans if he got to keep his first born daughter.
Elianna was raised as a ward of the castle and rose the the ranks to become the Commander of the land forces. She has seen the horrible results of war, and has tried and tried to convince her father to stop the war. He always seems to find a reason it can't be stopped.
Jace is the commander of the human forces, and he plans a trap for the fae forces that goes wrong. Elianna and Jace end up at each others throat.
I can't put this series down!
August 9, 2024
A wrathful and power hungry Queen, A spoiled and monstrous prince and a bastard princess.
Tropes:
🗡️multiple povs
🗡️Secret identity
🗡️Fae against humans
🗡️Fated mates
🗡️Enemies to lovers
🗡️A wolf pet
🗡️A warrior female
🗡️Wyvern
🗡️One bed
In this story, the fae and the humans hate each other and Queen Idina is set on exterminating them all for having killed her father.
Blinded by rage, greediness and revenge, she starts a war on the humans despite the king’s objections.
We have great characters, an interesting plot and a lot of antagonists.
Elianna is a strong and kind female lead and I stan her. Having grown up with a queen who hates her and a cruel half brother who equally despised her was a lot but she was able to hold her ground.
Her bond with the king was so sweet to read though, despite her having to hide her identity to practically everyone.
It was also interesting to read this story from multiple point of views, one of them being an antagonist’s. It makes us feel closer to some characters while discovering the motives of others.
While the plot was good but déjà vu, it was refreshing to get a fae female, human / half fae male dynamic for once. She saved his ass quite a few times and I loved seeing their relationship.
I’m truly curious about where this story is going!
Tropes:
🗡️multiple povs
🗡️Secret identity
🗡️Fae against humans
🗡️Fated mates
🗡️Enemies to lovers
🗡️A wolf pet
🗡️A warrior female
🗡️Wyvern
🗡️One bed
In this story, the fae and the humans hate each other and Queen Idina is set on exterminating them all for having killed her father.
Blinded by rage, greediness and revenge, she starts a war on the humans despite the king’s objections.
We have great characters, an interesting plot and a lot of antagonists.
Elianna is a strong and kind female lead and I stan her. Having grown up with a queen who hates her and a cruel half brother who equally despised her was a lot but she was able to hold her ground.
Her bond with the king was so sweet to read though, despite her having to hide her identity to practically everyone.
It was also interesting to read this story from multiple point of views, one of them being an antagonist’s. It makes us feel closer to some characters while discovering the motives of others.
While the plot was good but déjà vu, it was refreshing to get a fae female, human / half fae male dynamic for once. She saved his ass quite a few times and I loved seeing their relationship.
I’m truly curious about where this story is going!
September 15, 2023
𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒓 ⚔️
𝙾𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝟷𝟸/𝟷𝟶 (𝟷𝟶/𝟷𝟸 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚄𝚂𝙰).
⚔️Enemies to lovers
⚔️Lovers to enemies
⚔️Curvy and strong FMC
⚔️Forced Proximity
⚔️Found family
⚔️Fated Mate
⚔️Touch her and ☠️
⚔️Who did this to you
⚔️Revenge
⚔️Dragons
Sooo. Did I read this book in 4h after receiving it? I sure did.
Did I DM Emilia with a “MF I NEED BOOK 2 NOW?” Also yes 🤣
I’ve been in a reading slump all summer, putting back every book I started to read.
Well, let me tell you I ate this baby up 🙌🏼
I loved the fact that we had many different POVs not just the FMC and MMC POVs. It made me feel like I was part of the story.
Elianna is all I want in the FMC. Badass Fae who doesn’t need anybody to defend herself. Did I say badass?
I want to write so much more about the characters and the story but I know I’ll spoil everything and I don’t want to 🤣
Just know that you have humans, fae, characters I loved and characters I hated. Here. I’ll leave that there haha
This book gave me a cosy feeling, the kind that you have when you read one of your favourite fantasies.
The story was well-written. The characters were well-written. Emilia didn’t throw a bunch of information like we mostly have in fantasy and I loved it. You don’t feel lost in understanding what’s happening and what roles each of them play.
Well, you got it. I loved it. The magic system will be more involved in book 2 and I cannot wait for it.
Ps: I cannot wait to see more of Nox as well 🐉
If you know me, you know you can trust me. If you don’t know me… well, trust me anyway 🤣
Thank you Emilia Jae for this ARC. And you know I’ll preach for more information for book 2 🤣
𝙾𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝟷𝟸/𝟷𝟶 (𝟷𝟶/𝟷𝟸 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚄𝚂𝙰).
⚔️Enemies to lovers
⚔️Lovers to enemies
⚔️Curvy and strong FMC
⚔️Forced Proximity
⚔️Found family
⚔️Fated Mate
⚔️Touch her and ☠️
⚔️Who did this to you
⚔️Revenge
⚔️Dragons
Sooo. Did I read this book in 4h after receiving it? I sure did.
Did I DM Emilia with a “MF I NEED BOOK 2 NOW?” Also yes 🤣
I’ve been in a reading slump all summer, putting back every book I started to read.
Well, let me tell you I ate this baby up 🙌🏼
I loved the fact that we had many different POVs not just the FMC and MMC POVs. It made me feel like I was part of the story.
Elianna is all I want in the FMC. Badass Fae who doesn’t need anybody to defend herself. Did I say badass?
I want to write so much more about the characters and the story but I know I’ll spoil everything and I don’t want to 🤣
Just know that you have humans, fae, characters I loved and characters I hated. Here. I’ll leave that there haha
This book gave me a cosy feeling, the kind that you have when you read one of your favourite fantasies.
The story was well-written. The characters were well-written. Emilia didn’t throw a bunch of information like we mostly have in fantasy and I loved it. You don’t feel lost in understanding what’s happening and what roles each of them play.
Well, you got it. I loved it. The magic system will be more involved in book 2 and I cannot wait for it.
Ps: I cannot wait to see more of Nox as well 🐉
If you know me, you know you can trust me. If you don’t know me… well, trust me anyway 🤣
Thank you Emilia Jae for this ARC. And you know I’ll preach for more information for book 2 🤣
January 5, 2025
This was so fun and addictive I literally read it in one sitting. It’s a solid first book in a romantasy series. I wouldn’t say it’s anything particularly unique but I’m reading for the vibes okay?? I had a great time.
I liked Lia a lot as a FMC—she was a strong badass who’s had her share of trauma, but remains kind and tried to do the right thing. I also just appreciate that she’s already a 100+ year old badass and a commander of armies in her own right instead of being the best fighter ever while being an 18 year old with two days of fighting experience lol. I also liked Jace, and how they were able to find mutual ground. I really enjoyed the banter between them, but I do wish the “enemies” part of the “enemies to lovers” had lasted longer. I did feel like their relationship progressed really fast, but that usually seems to be the case with fated mates.
Overall, this followed a lot of the classic romantasy outline with all the tropes we know and love, but it was fun. I wouldn’t say this is a book you read for crazy plot twists or anything, but it’s great entertainment and a fast read. Like I said, I’m here for the VIBES and I will be starting book two immediately
I liked Lia a lot as a FMC—she was a strong badass who’s had her share of trauma, but remains kind and tried to do the right thing. I also just appreciate that she’s already a 100+ year old badass and a commander of armies in her own right instead of being the best fighter ever while being an 18 year old with two days of fighting experience lol. I also liked Jace, and how they were able to find mutual ground. I really enjoyed the banter between them, but I do wish the “enemies” part of the “enemies to lovers” had lasted longer. I did feel like their relationship progressed really fast, but that usually seems to be the case with fated mates.
Overall, this followed a lot of the classic romantasy outline with all the tropes we know and love, but it was fun. I wouldn’t say this is a book you read for crazy plot twists or anything, but it’s great entertainment and a fast read. Like I said, I’m here for the VIBES and I will be starting book two immediately
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2023
i FLEW through this book. i love the writing, the characters, and the new and refreshing take on fantasy (new to me at least!) highly recommend this one!!!
the snapshots on the characters on the authors instagram made this book even more appealing - picturing these characters were 100% easier and made me love lia and jace even more.
things i’m looking forward to in the next book:
jace and lia’s relationship
more of the redheads (PLEASE MORE MORE MORE!!!!!!)
aelin-style badassery from lia
received an arc for an honest review
the snapshots on the characters on the authors instagram made this book even more appealing - picturing these characters were 100% easier and made me love lia and jace even more.
things i’m looking forward to in the next book:
jace and lia’s relationship
more of the redheads (PLEASE MORE MORE MORE!!!!!!)
aelin-style badassery from lia
received an arc for an honest review
October 12, 2023
✨This is an honest review of an ARC copy that I have been sent ✨
Emilia Jae’s debut series has been nothing short of AMAZING. If you are interested in a great, fast paced, introductory to romantasy, then please look no further than the first book of The Forbidden Heir Trilogy. This book is filled with a few of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, one bed/forced proximity, explicit banter and a strong female lead.
Grab your copy 10.12.23
I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the series!
Emilia Jae’s debut series has been nothing short of AMAZING. If you are interested in a great, fast paced, introductory to romantasy, then please look no further than the first book of The Forbidden Heir Trilogy. This book is filled with a few of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, one bed/forced proximity, explicit banter and a strong female lead.
Grab your copy 10.12.23
I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the series!
July 29, 2024
Absolutely masterful! This book made me feel everything! I was sickened, giddy, tense, shocked, sad, crying, everything. My full range of emotions came out!
Here are some things I LOVED about this book!
- 3 dimensional characters
- Clear plot
- 2 clear storylines
- Slow burn and back and forth love and hate
- Simple world
- Emotions: stress, sad, smiling, tense, my jaw dropped, I wanted to scream
- Betrayal
- FMC is hilarious, captain of the army, 137 years old, sassy and snarky
Absolutely 10/10 recommend!
Here are some things I LOVED about this book!
- 3 dimensional characters
- Clear plot
- 2 clear storylines
- Slow burn and back and forth love and hate
- Simple world
- Emotions: stress, sad, smiling, tense, my jaw dropped, I wanted to scream
- Betrayal
- FMC is hilarious, captain of the army, 137 years old, sassy and snarky
Absolutely 10/10 recommend!
June 20, 2025
Multiple POV, enemies to lovers, hidden identity, who did this to you, stabby FMC, long standing war, captured by the enemy, they save each other, betrayal, evil queen and prince
Lia is the secret child of the king, but though her father loves her, the Queen hates her. She has worked her way up to being the captain of the fae army, but she isn't accepted by all. Jace is the commander on the human side in this war that has lasted as long as Lia has been alive. When Lia ends up captured by Jace and starts to see their side of the conflict, her already sympathetic ideals towards the humans tips her further to their side.
Audiobook- I enjoyed the narrators' performances! They were full of emotion and helped me stay focused on listening!
I enjoyed this story and Lia and Jace's meeting! I like how each of them are confronted with wrongs that their side has done and starts to see things as not so black and white. I also enjoyed starting to get to know the side characters! I'm excited for the next book!
Lia is the secret child of the king, but though her father loves her, the Queen hates her. She has worked her way up to being the captain of the fae army, but she isn't accepted by all. Jace is the commander on the human side in this war that has lasted as long as Lia has been alive. When Lia ends up captured by Jace and starts to see their side of the conflict, her already sympathetic ideals towards the humans tips her further to their side.
Audiobook- I enjoyed the narrators' performances! They were full of emotion and helped me stay focused on listening!
I enjoyed this story and Lia and Jace's meeting! I like how each of them are confronted with wrongs that their side has done and starts to see things as not so black and white. I also enjoyed starting to get to know the side characters! I'm excited for the next book!
July 15, 2024
This story is told in multiple POV following Elianna (Lia) Solus, who is captain of the fae army. She is also the secret eldest child to the king and the true heir.
War between the fae and humans has lasted for over a century. When Lia embarks on an attack she meets Commander Jace Cadoria, who despises the fae for all the harmed caused to his people. The pair is forced to journey through the perilous forest and soon realize that they may have more in common than they previously believed.
It did not take me long to fall in love with Lia - she is a fierce FMC who can face any foe with a sharp tongue and a sharp blade. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly I fell for all of the characters - Em is so talented in drawing the reader into these characters’ lives and having you feel strongly, whether it’s love or hate!
The tropes were troping HARD in the story and I loved it all so much. Jace may not be a fae, but he doesn’t let that stop him from keeping up with Lia. There are strong found family connections that I loved!
The ending of the story had me anxious and immediately grabbing book two!
War between the fae and humans has lasted for over a century. When Lia embarks on an attack she meets Commander Jace Cadoria, who despises the fae for all the harmed caused to his people. The pair is forced to journey through the perilous forest and soon realize that they may have more in common than they previously believed.
It did not take me long to fall in love with Lia - she is a fierce FMC who can face any foe with a sharp tongue and a sharp blade. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly I fell for all of the characters - Em is so talented in drawing the reader into these characters’ lives and having you feel strongly, whether it’s love or hate!
The tropes were troping HARD in the story and I loved it all so much. Jace may not be a fae, but he doesn’t let that stop him from keeping up with Lia. There are strong found family connections that I loved!
The ending of the story had me anxious and immediately grabbing book two!
January 10, 2024
Another absolutely fantastic debut read from an indie author! I've been on a debut indie kick this summer, and have been absolutely LOVING the books that I’ve picked up by debut authors. The Dagger and the Forbidden Heir is available for everyone on October 12!
The first in a trilogy, The Dagger and the Forbidden Heir follows Captain Elianna (Lia) Solus, the bastard daughter of the King and his soulmate, a healer named Ophelia. The King, wanting to see nothing but the good in people, told his (rather vindictive) wife of not only his affair with the healer, but also of the birth of Lia. Coincidentally, on the same day of Lia’s birth, the Queen received word that both her father and brother were killed by a human colony. In direct response to both the ‘betrayal’ of the King and the death of her family, the Queen declares war on the humans in a bid to eradicate them from the realm. The King, saddened over the distress he’s caused his Queen, allows her to wage her war in exchange for Lia’s life. Lia is allowed to reside within the castle, but her heritage is kept a secret from the kingdom. Instead of becoming a princess, Lia is trained as a soldier and quickly rises through the army to the rank of Captain of the ground forces. While Lia disagrees with the war against the humans, the Queen refuses to see any side but her own, often employing barbaric tactics to get what she wants. With her father gradually succumbing to an unknown illness, Lia must take the Queen’s vitriol in stride and continue to wage war against the humans alongside her Claimed, Captain Kellen of the sea forces. After receiving information regarding a small outpost of humans, Kellen and Lia sail for the coast. However, not everything is as it seems—both in terms of her relationship with Kellen and the information regarding the humans. Jace is the Commander of the human forces, and he’s hiding a few massive secrets. After being captured by the Fae, and in turn capturing Lia, he is forced to cooperate with those he hates most. He and Lia must find a way to work together in order to come out of this war alive, if they can set aside their differences and centuries-long hate, that is.
I absolutely LOVED this book. The writing was easy and flowed really well—the characters used some modern slang and innuendos, which I didn’t find off putting in the slightest. Normally I prefer for language to match that of the modeled time period, but I really enjoyed that the characters had more modern dialogue and actions. The world-building was wonderful, and I particularly enjoyed the fact that it was built as the story progressed. It felt sort of like I was looking at a dark map that would then light-up based on where the characters were or what they were doing. This type of world building feels like the world is never fully built, allowing for more fluidity in geography and movement of characters.
The character development was top-notch and, in my opinion, the best part of the book. There are multiple POVs (including from those of a more dubious nature), and each POV added important elements to the storyline and world that would have otherwise been left out if the story was a dual-POV. The story is completely character driven, which renders a feeling of “being apart” of the action taking place. The emotional reactions and outbursts of each character are well written and feel authentic rather than placed for dramatic effect. Each character’s motives and desires are revealed in detail through actions rather than through the author’s explanation/telling, which I really enjoyed. This ability made each character feel authentic and raw, and it has been a LONG time since I’ve felt so much disgust and unbridled anger towards a character simply for existing and appearing on page.
While I obviously adore both Lia’s and Jace’s characters, I really think Gage and Avery really stood-out for me and I hope that they continue to develop as the story progresses. Gage provides some much needed comic relief as the storyline gets heavy, and he is the perfect antagonist to the more grumpy and stoic nature of Jace. I’m hoping Gage gets a little more depth and isn’t just the happy-go-lucky jokester the entire series, though. I also really enjoyed Avery’s character; after growing up with Lia and in the Queen’s shadow, she easily could have become a pompous and spoiled princess. However, she is a relatively strong and capable individual—while not as fearless as Lia or as skilled with physical weapons, I have a feeling that Avery is going to be an invaluable asset for Lia as an intelligent and capable courtesan.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and am very much looking forward to the second and third! The tropes used are great and well-done, the banter is exceptional, the action and gore is phenomenal, and the spice was just the right amount. You should definitely add this to your TBR!
The first in a trilogy, The Dagger and the Forbidden Heir follows Captain Elianna (Lia) Solus, the bastard daughter of the King and his soulmate, a healer named Ophelia. The King, wanting to see nothing but the good in people, told his (rather vindictive) wife of not only his affair with the healer, but also of the birth of Lia. Coincidentally, on the same day of Lia’s birth, the Queen received word that both her father and brother were killed by a human colony. In direct response to both the ‘betrayal’ of the King and the death of her family, the Queen declares war on the humans in a bid to eradicate them from the realm. The King, saddened over the distress he’s caused his Queen, allows her to wage her war in exchange for Lia’s life. Lia is allowed to reside within the castle, but her heritage is kept a secret from the kingdom. Instead of becoming a princess, Lia is trained as a soldier and quickly rises through the army to the rank of Captain of the ground forces. While Lia disagrees with the war against the humans, the Queen refuses to see any side but her own, often employing barbaric tactics to get what she wants. With her father gradually succumbing to an unknown illness, Lia must take the Queen’s vitriol in stride and continue to wage war against the humans alongside her Claimed, Captain Kellen of the sea forces. After receiving information regarding a small outpost of humans, Kellen and Lia sail for the coast. However, not everything is as it seems—both in terms of her relationship with Kellen and the information regarding the humans. Jace is the Commander of the human forces, and he’s hiding a few massive secrets. After being captured by the Fae, and in turn capturing Lia, he is forced to cooperate with those he hates most. He and Lia must find a way to work together in order to come out of this war alive, if they can set aside their differences and centuries-long hate, that is.
I absolutely LOVED this book. The writing was easy and flowed really well—the characters used some modern slang and innuendos, which I didn’t find off putting in the slightest. Normally I prefer for language to match that of the modeled time period, but I really enjoyed that the characters had more modern dialogue and actions. The world-building was wonderful, and I particularly enjoyed the fact that it was built as the story progressed. It felt sort of like I was looking at a dark map that would then light-up based on where the characters were or what they were doing. This type of world building feels like the world is never fully built, allowing for more fluidity in geography and movement of characters.
The character development was top-notch and, in my opinion, the best part of the book. There are multiple POVs (including from those of a more dubious nature), and each POV added important elements to the storyline and world that would have otherwise been left out if the story was a dual-POV. The story is completely character driven, which renders a feeling of “being apart” of the action taking place. The emotional reactions and outbursts of each character are well written and feel authentic rather than placed for dramatic effect. Each character’s motives and desires are revealed in detail through actions rather than through the author’s explanation/telling, which I really enjoyed. This ability made each character feel authentic and raw, and it has been a LONG time since I’ve felt so much disgust and unbridled anger towards a character simply for existing and appearing on page.
While I obviously adore both Lia’s and Jace’s characters, I really think Gage and Avery really stood-out for me and I hope that they continue to develop as the story progresses. Gage provides some much needed comic relief as the storyline gets heavy, and he is the perfect antagonist to the more grumpy and stoic nature of Jace. I’m hoping Gage gets a little more depth and isn’t just the happy-go-lucky jokester the entire series, though. I also really enjoyed Avery’s character; after growing up with Lia and in the Queen’s shadow, she easily could have become a pompous and spoiled princess. However, she is a relatively strong and capable individual—while not as fearless as Lia or as skilled with physical weapons, I have a feeling that Avery is going to be an invaluable asset for Lia as an intelligent and capable courtesan.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and am very much looking forward to the second and third! The tropes used are great and well-done, the banter is exceptional, the action and gore is phenomenal, and the spice was just the right amount. You should definitely add this to your TBR!
October 12, 2023
5* and MORE
OH. MY. GOD. It was so freaking GOOD. I was HOOKED, I skipped all adult responsibilities. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I DEVOURED every page. The dagger and the forbidden heir was perfectly paced with lots of actions. I jumped immediately into the world and the story.
Lia our main character, a Fae, is the bastard daughter and first born of the king. Humans and Fae are at war. Her path crossed the commander of the human army.
One of my favorite things about The Dagger and the Forbidden Heir is how easy it was to connect with theses characters and loved them. I feel every one of their emotions. It HURT. It made me cry several times. You will also have a bunch of characters to loathe SO MUCH. While reading I was imaging every possible ways to kill them and make them suffer like HELL.
I loved Lia so much. She is strong, she speaks her mind. Her banter is EVERYTHING, she made me smile several time. She also didn’t have an easy live and still doesn’t give up.
Jace, my love. His protectiveness, he did not-expecting things for her. Both of them gave me butterflies. They were so cute even with everything that happened. The romance was perfectly written. I loved having both their pov.
Gage (he is the sweetest), Lukas, Avery and Finnian had my heart.
The ending?!!!!!!! I need the next book right away !!
Knowing that this book was just an introduction, I am beyond excitement for the rest of the serie. I might have DM Emilia right after finish it to know when the next book will be released.
Ask me for a fantasy romance recommendation I’ll give you this one! It was one of my favorite read ever.
Trope : Banter, enemies to lovers, slow burn, Who did that to you ? Forced proximity, Multi POV
OH. MY. GOD. It was so freaking GOOD. I was HOOKED, I skipped all adult responsibilities. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I DEVOURED every page. The dagger and the forbidden heir was perfectly paced with lots of actions. I jumped immediately into the world and the story.
Lia our main character, a Fae, is the bastard daughter and first born of the king. Humans and Fae are at war. Her path crossed the commander of the human army.
One of my favorite things about The Dagger and the Forbidden Heir is how easy it was to connect with theses characters and loved them. I feel every one of their emotions. It HURT. It made me cry several times. You will also have a bunch of characters to loathe SO MUCH. While reading I was imaging every possible ways to kill them and make them suffer like HELL.
I loved Lia so much. She is strong, she speaks her mind. Her banter is EVERYTHING, she made me smile several time. She also didn’t have an easy live and still doesn’t give up.
Jace, my love. His protectiveness, he did not-expecting things for her. Both of them gave me butterflies. They were so cute even with everything that happened. The romance was perfectly written. I loved having both their pov.
Gage (he is the sweetest), Lukas, Avery and Finnian had my heart.
The ending?!!!!!!! I need the next book right away !!
Knowing that this book was just an introduction, I am beyond excitement for the rest of the serie. I might have DM Emilia right after finish it to know when the next book will be released.
Ask me for a fantasy romance recommendation I’ll give you this one! It was one of my favorite read ever.
Trope : Banter, enemies to lovers, slow burn, Who did that to you ? Forced proximity, Multi POV
November 7, 2023
ARC REVIEW
i wanna start this by saying that this is my first arc ever and i couldn't be more thankful to emilia for the opportunity, specially since it's also her debut novel
did i expect to like this book? yes, did i expect to read the last 60% of it on one sitting? absolutlely not! i'm not exagerating: i'm officially obsessed
this is one of my quickest fantasy reads, if not the quickest, since the world-building is quite easy to follow and the author is pretty straightforward when it comes to the kingdom's politics and twists, and the multiple povs kept me hooked wanting to know more and understad each character a little bit more withevery line!
talking about characters: i loved every single one of them, except for the villians obviously but still those were so well built too!! elianna (fae + fmc) is so sassy, strong, funny, caring... she just ticks all my boxes, she's badass and she won't deal with any man's bullsh*t as much as they try to bring her down. people who are important to her are also now my sons who i wanna hug and protect, avery and finn just own my heart now!
then we have jace (human + mmc) who i couldn't love more and i think he's such a perfect counterpart to elianna, they banter was so funny to read, the way he doesn't understand why he want to protect her but owns it either way... they had me kicking my feet like a teenager!!
i also can't wait to know more about his friends/world since this book was more focused in both elianna and the fae.
tbh this book felt like such a comfort and cozy read despite a literal war going on... the only thing you'll see me complaning about is that i totally didn't sing up for wanting to scream and beg for the rest of this trilogy to be published already!!
so, what will you find in this book?:
💐 strong female characters
🐺 enemies to lovers
🗡️ fated mates
💐 one bed only
🗡️ forced proximity
🐺 lgtbq+ representation
💐 who hurt you?
🗡️ touch her and die
🐺 mythycal creatures
✨ realese date: october 12th 2023
i wanna start this by saying that this is my first arc ever and i couldn't be more thankful to emilia for the opportunity, specially since it's also her debut novel
did i expect to like this book? yes, did i expect to read the last 60% of it on one sitting? absolutlely not! i'm not exagerating: i'm officially obsessed
this is one of my quickest fantasy reads, if not the quickest, since the world-building is quite easy to follow and the author is pretty straightforward when it comes to the kingdom's politics and twists, and the multiple povs kept me hooked wanting to know more and understad each character a little bit more withevery line!
talking about characters: i loved every single one of them, except for the villians obviously but still those were so well built too!! elianna (fae + fmc) is so sassy, strong, funny, caring... she just ticks all my boxes, she's badass and she won't deal with any man's bullsh*t as much as they try to bring her down. people who are important to her are also now my sons who i wanna hug and protect, avery and finn just own my heart now!
then we have jace (human + mmc) who i couldn't love more and i think he's such a perfect counterpart to elianna, they banter was so funny to read, the way he doesn't understand why he want to protect her but owns it either way... they had me kicking my feet like a teenager!!
i also can't wait to know more about his friends/world since this book was more focused in both elianna and the fae.
tbh this book felt like such a comfort and cozy read despite a literal war going on... the only thing you'll see me complaning about is that i totally didn't sing up for wanting to scream and beg for the rest of this trilogy to be published already!!
so, what will you find in this book?:
💐 strong female characters
🐺 enemies to lovers
🗡️ fated mates
💐 one bed only
🗡️ forced proximity
🐺 lgtbq+ representation
💐 who hurt you?
🗡️ touch her and die
🐺 mythycal creatures
✨ realese date: october 12th 2023
September 27, 2023
Received an ARC for exchange of my honest review so let’s dive in!
First I would like to start with I loved this book. I love the dedication at the beginning! “TO ALL THE READERS THAT ALWAYS FELT LIKE A SIDE CHARACTER IN THEIR OWN STORY, & WERE NEVER BRAVE ENOUGH TO STAND UP FOR THEMSELVES, OR BE THE HERO. OUR TIME IS NOW.
THIS IS FOR YOU.”
I enjoy the way it was written I feel like the banter is similar very relatable so with that I feel like that’s what drew me in closer to the characters. I LOVE Lia - Jace - Avery - Gage - Finn - Lukas - (I hope Gage and Avery will meet and be mates that would get definitely make for a real interesting couple! 👀) She did an amazing job at making you aware who to hate and boy did she make the villains despicable. I’m not sure who all I hate the most since there’s a good bit of evil people to despise. I could tell before they got into too far who I was going to hate and I was proved by the end rightfully to feel that way.
The action in the book kept you going through the book there was always a bit more that just kept you going to read and enough detail to be able to visualize what was going on so it was like a movie going on my head as I was reading which is AMAZING! It’s a easy to read book and wouldn’t take long with the way she has the storyline and build up go. I will tell you through the book I was screaming at my kindle for all the feels. She tosses you into the action pretty early on and gives short breaks between but let me tell you to buckle up you’re going to be in for a ride!
Trying not to spoil anything for anyone but the cliffhanger ending will leave you speechless okay. Flabbergasted Honestly I already knew of it being a cliffhanger ending but I was NOT expecting that to be the ending. I’m ready for the next book as of yesterday (even though this one hasn’t yet been released I know 🫠)
All in all I definitely can see this as one of my favorite new releases! I will be excited for Emilia’s work as her series unfolds! I will definitely be buying a physical copy of this book! Can’t recommend enough!
First I would like to start with I loved this book. I love the dedication at the beginning! “TO ALL THE READERS THAT ALWAYS FELT LIKE A SIDE CHARACTER IN THEIR OWN STORY, & WERE NEVER BRAVE ENOUGH TO STAND UP FOR THEMSELVES, OR BE THE HERO. OUR TIME IS NOW.
THIS IS FOR YOU.”
I enjoy the way it was written I feel like the banter is similar very relatable so with that I feel like that’s what drew me in closer to the characters. I LOVE Lia - Jace - Avery - Gage - Finn - Lukas - (I hope Gage and Avery will meet and be mates that would get definitely make for a real interesting couple! 👀) She did an amazing job at making you aware who to hate and boy did she make the villains despicable. I’m not sure who all I hate the most since there’s a good bit of evil people to despise. I could tell before they got into too far who I was going to hate and I was proved by the end rightfully to feel that way.
The action in the book kept you going through the book there was always a bit more that just kept you going to read and enough detail to be able to visualize what was going on so it was like a movie going on my head as I was reading which is AMAZING! It’s a easy to read book and wouldn’t take long with the way she has the storyline and build up go. I will tell you through the book I was screaming at my kindle for all the feels. She tosses you into the action pretty early on and gives short breaks between but let me tell you to buckle up you’re going to be in for a ride!
Trying not to spoil anything for anyone but the cliffhanger ending will leave you speechless okay. Flabbergasted Honestly I already knew of it being a cliffhanger ending but I was NOT expecting that to be the ending. I’m ready for the next book as of yesterday (even though this one hasn’t yet been released I know 🫠)
All in all I definitely can see this as one of my favorite new releases! I will be excited for Emilia’s work as her series unfolds! I will definitely be buying a physical copy of this book! Can’t recommend enough!
September 22, 2023
✨️THE DAGGER & THE FORBIDDEN HEIR✨️
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Spice: 🌶🌶 / 5
@ems.bookish.realm ... you have OUTDONE YOURSELF. This was...oh god. I have no words. I'm stunned. It was that good.
Something in the way Em writes has my eyes glued to the pages in front of my face and my eyes drying out without blinking because I'm devouring every last word of this novel.
For being the first novel in The Velyran Realm series, I am astounded at how much this drew me in the way it did. So many of the elements within the book reminded me of Throne of Glass, yet it was also so different, and it brought me back to how I felt when I first read the ToG series. I would give my soul to read those again, but I don't have to because Em has done this world a service and done it for us.
We follow Captain Elianna Solus, born a princess and raised as an orphan with no one from the outside world knowing that she is the biological daughter of the king and a mother who died after giving birth to her, a tragic and forbidden love story that ended in the queen finding out that her husband sired an heir with another.
Growing up in a kingdom where the queen calls the shots and wants nothing to do with the human race after they killed her father and brother, she is intent on wiping them from existence.
When Elianna is thrust aboard a ship of men and her old flame to find an encampment of humans on a distant shore, things go awry, leaving Elianna washed up with none other than Commander Jace Cadoria...a human. Taken as a captive by Jace, the two enemies slowly begin to melt away their differences, only to find that things are not what they seem in their kingdom.
𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
🗡 Fated mates
🗡 One bed
🗡 Enemies to lovers
🗡 Hidden identity
🗡 "Touch her and die."
Thanks for the ARC, Em! I love you so so much and you have so many big things ahead of you! Proud to be here on this journey with ya. 🥹💖💕
.
.
.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Spice: 🌶🌶 / 5
@ems.bookish.realm ... you have OUTDONE YOURSELF. This was...oh god. I have no words. I'm stunned. It was that good.
Something in the way Em writes has my eyes glued to the pages in front of my face and my eyes drying out without blinking because I'm devouring every last word of this novel.
For being the first novel in The Velyran Realm series, I am astounded at how much this drew me in the way it did. So many of the elements within the book reminded me of Throne of Glass, yet it was also so different, and it brought me back to how I felt when I first read the ToG series. I would give my soul to read those again, but I don't have to because Em has done this world a service and done it for us.
We follow Captain Elianna Solus, born a princess and raised as an orphan with no one from the outside world knowing that she is the biological daughter of the king and a mother who died after giving birth to her, a tragic and forbidden love story that ended in the queen finding out that her husband sired an heir with another.
Growing up in a kingdom where the queen calls the shots and wants nothing to do with the human race after they killed her father and brother, she is intent on wiping them from existence.
When Elianna is thrust aboard a ship of men and her old flame to find an encampment of humans on a distant shore, things go awry, leaving Elianna washed up with none other than Commander Jace Cadoria...a human. Taken as a captive by Jace, the two enemies slowly begin to melt away their differences, only to find that things are not what they seem in their kingdom.
𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
🗡 Fated mates
🗡 One bed
🗡 Enemies to lovers
🗡 Hidden identity
🗡 "Touch her and die."
Thanks for the ARC, Em! I love you so so much and you have so many big things ahead of you! Proud to be here on this journey with ya. 🥹💖💕
.
.
.
December 28, 2024
❝ 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑟.❞
𝑇𝘩𝑒 𝐷𝑎𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑟 | 𝟷𝟶.𝟷𝟸.𝟸𝟹
⚔️🌹🏹✨🐉🐺🏴☠️🧌👑🩸
ꕀ
First things first, let’s give it up for Emilia on her debut novel! Well f*cking done my girl! 👏 This was my very first ARC and it could not have been a more perfect one. Holy hell y’all… I devoured this book and as the kids say, left no crumbs. I’m sure I’m not using that correctly but who cares because I ATE THIS MF UPPPPP. I have not been this consumed by a book in a while. Idk about you but it usually takes me a few chapters to get into a book but the prologue hooked me instantly. If I hadn’t gotten sick the day I started I probably would have blasted through it in a day.
Who else’s loves a strong badass FMC? 🙋🏻♀️ Our main girl Elianna or “Lia” gives us Celaena Sardothien vibes and I just loved her to pieces. She is smart, sassy, resilient, one hell of a warrior, and has a heart of gold. Jace, the commander of the human army, is the perfect counterpart for Lia. As leaders of opposing sides, they make for the perfect enemy banter. We also have a pretty awesome cast of supporting characters. From the good, to the ones you just wanted to reach in and hug, to the ones you wanted to shake the stupid off of, to the downright evil, every single one was memorable.
All in all, this was a fantastic read and so easy to follow. I highly recommend you add this to your tbr immediately if you like anything SJM, Fourth Wing, Game of Thrones, etc.
Ngl.. I am sad though, I simply cannot wait for the next book! That cliffhanger 😭💖
TROPES:
❤️🔥 enemies to lovers
🗡️ touch her & you die
🗝️ lovers to enemies
🌙 forced proximity / one bed
⚔️ fae & human war
🏹 badass, curvy FMC
🐉 mythical creatures
✨ fated mates
🗣️ fun banter
🤍 found family
🩸 revenge
🌈 lgbtq+ rep
𝑇𝘩𝑒 𝐷𝑎𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑟 | 𝟷𝟶.𝟷𝟸.𝟸𝟹
⚔️🌹🏹✨🐉🐺🏴☠️🧌👑🩸
ꕀ
First things first, let’s give it up for Emilia on her debut novel! Well f*cking done my girl! 👏 This was my very first ARC and it could not have been a more perfect one. Holy hell y’all… I devoured this book and as the kids say, left no crumbs. I’m sure I’m not using that correctly but who cares because I ATE THIS MF UPPPPP. I have not been this consumed by a book in a while. Idk about you but it usually takes me a few chapters to get into a book but the prologue hooked me instantly. If I hadn’t gotten sick the day I started I probably would have blasted through it in a day.
Who else’s loves a strong badass FMC? 🙋🏻♀️ Our main girl Elianna or “Lia” gives us Celaena Sardothien vibes and I just loved her to pieces. She is smart, sassy, resilient, one hell of a warrior, and has a heart of gold. Jace, the commander of the human army, is the perfect counterpart for Lia. As leaders of opposing sides, they make for the perfect enemy banter. We also have a pretty awesome cast of supporting characters. From the good, to the ones you just wanted to reach in and hug, to the ones you wanted to shake the stupid off of, to the downright evil, every single one was memorable.
All in all, this was a fantastic read and so easy to follow. I highly recommend you add this to your tbr immediately if you like anything SJM, Fourth Wing, Game of Thrones, etc.
Ngl.. I am sad though, I simply cannot wait for the next book! That cliffhanger 😭💖
TROPES:
❤️🔥 enemies to lovers
🗡️ touch her & you die
🗝️ lovers to enemies
🌙 forced proximity / one bed
⚔️ fae & human war
🏹 badass, curvy FMC
🐉 mythical creatures
✨ fated mates
🗣️ fun banter
🤍 found family
🩸 revenge
🌈 lgbtq+ rep
November 2, 2023
Ahhh I wanted so badly to love this because I really want to support indie authors and I know how hard authors work and how scary it is to put your work out there but there were just certain thing about this book that made it hard for me to get into and minor editing mistakes.
Overall, the story is so good! Its a unique storyline that felt fresh in the fantasy world. It’s exciting and it’s fast paced, but it’s almost too fast paced that I wish there was more description of people and places. This book is very heavy dialogue forward, and the lack of descriptive writing really made it hard to immerse myself into.
I feel 50/50 about the multi-POV. I think it’s so unique and cool, especially getting the villains POV, however I HATE the villains so much I almost DNF’d in the beginning. Which means the author killed it writing a hateable villain… but also I didn’t want to read their POV. I also think the characters “giggled” too much. Almost every other conversation. The author writes about war and torture SO well. Like so well it made me gasp at how evil the villains were, but the witty banter and giggling felt misplaced with how horrid some of the things happening were.
This book has every viral fantasy trope people love: one bed, fated mates, a dragon, etc… but again I really wish the story slowed down and focused on the intimacy and tension in these parts. It felt like they were included just to be included and not to add to the depth of the romance happening.
TLDR: the book was easy to read and fast paced with an exciting enemies to lovers storyline. However, the lack of descriptive writing makes it hard to fully immerse yourself into. I’m looking forward to the next book!!
Overall, the story is so good! Its a unique storyline that felt fresh in the fantasy world. It’s exciting and it’s fast paced, but it’s almost too fast paced that I wish there was more description of people and places. This book is very heavy dialogue forward, and the lack of descriptive writing really made it hard to immerse myself into.
I feel 50/50 about the multi-POV. I think it’s so unique and cool, especially getting the villains POV, however I HATE the villains so much I almost DNF’d in the beginning. Which means the author killed it writing a hateable villain… but also I didn’t want to read their POV. I also think the characters “giggled” too much. Almost every other conversation. The author writes about war and torture SO well. Like so well it made me gasp at how evil the villains were, but the witty banter and giggling felt misplaced with how horrid some of the things happening were.
This book has every viral fantasy trope people love: one bed, fated mates, a dragon, etc… but again I really wish the story slowed down and focused on the intimacy and tension in these parts. It felt like they were included just to be included and not to add to the depth of the romance happening.
TLDR: the book was easy to read and fast paced with an exciting enemies to lovers storyline. However, the lack of descriptive writing makes it hard to fully immerse yourself into. I’m looking forward to the next book!!
January 19, 2024
I did not enjoy this book. Spoilers to come.
This book felt very flat to me. It felt like it kicked off with a grocery list of why Elianna’s upbringing was difficult but despite that, she is an amazing person for all these reasons.
The king? What?? Can a king just be that much of a pushover? Like a war lasting over a hundred years that he didn’t agree with… so that he could “keep” his daughter…. And he never sought an alternative solution… for an entire century.
And obviously, obviously, OBVIOUSLY the Queen killed Ophelia???? Was that the twist? Or was the twist that she was killing the king? Because her new nightly wine ritual should not have fooled anyone?!
& Elianna. The typical badass (but was she really?) FMC who doesn’t believe in or want a mate until she unexpectedly meets said mate. And essentially willingly becomes his prisoner even though she can break through rope binding her wrists? Knowing that she will be led to her death? But wait! Are those…. FEELINGS between the two of them? And then in true enemies to lovers fashion, mate-hood prevails!
This just made no sense to me. There was absolutely no complexity to this storyline and was so disappointingly one dimensional. Oh, and the fae don’t have magic, wtf?
This book felt very flat to me. It felt like it kicked off with a grocery list of why Elianna’s upbringing was difficult but despite that, she is an amazing person for all these reasons.
The king? What?? Can a king just be that much of a pushover? Like a war lasting over a hundred years that he didn’t agree with… so that he could “keep” his daughter…. And he never sought an alternative solution… for an entire century.
And obviously, obviously, OBVIOUSLY the Queen killed Ophelia???? Was that the twist? Or was the twist that she was killing the king? Because her new nightly wine ritual should not have fooled anyone?!
& Elianna. The typical badass (but was she really?) FMC who doesn’t believe in or want a mate until she unexpectedly meets said mate. And essentially willingly becomes his prisoner even though she can break through rope binding her wrists? Knowing that she will be led to her death? But wait! Are those…. FEELINGS between the two of them? And then in true enemies to lovers fashion, mate-hood prevails!
This just made no sense to me. There was absolutely no complexity to this storyline and was so disappointingly one dimensional. Oh, and the fae don’t have magic, wtf?
May 2, 2024
I think its where I didn't connect to the characters and didn't understand why they were the way they were. Also when the author herself described this FMC as an aelin, I felt let down. Aelin was infuriating at times but I could understand her.. this fmc was like a great value aelin 😅
I usually take those comparisons with a grain of salt but with an author using that comparison, it's hard to ignore.
I did like the reverse gender role that we don't normally see in a fantasy. The fmc was 137, the mmc was mortal. However, their relationship lacked chemistry and felt too pushed and quick.
I also saw the plot twists the whole time and I don't overly enjoy that lol
Guess this read really wasn't for me. Sadness.
I usually take those comparisons with a grain of salt but with an author using that comparison, it's hard to ignore.
I did like the reverse gender role that we don't normally see in a fantasy. The fmc was 137, the mmc was mortal. However, their relationship lacked chemistry and felt too pushed and quick.
I also saw the plot twists the whole time and I don't overly enjoy that lol
Guess this read really wasn't for me. Sadness.
October 15, 2023
This very well might be the most stressful book I have ever read in my entire life. I am FUMING about how this author is able to make my skin crawl by writing the most CRUEL AND HEINOUS CHARACTERS IN LITERARY EXISTENCE.
*Ahem* Wow. I am unwell. I am almost positive this book gave me high blood pressure. There are so many scenes in this book that make me want to scream at my kindle like i would scream at stupid characters in horror movie. 😂
I am so stressed.
Did I enjoy it? Oh hell yeah. Do I still want to scream into the void for the next 5 hours? Absolutely. I need a drink. 🥴
10/10
*Ahem* Wow. I am unwell. I am almost positive this book gave me high blood pressure. There are so many scenes in this book that make me want to scream at my kindle like i would scream at stupid characters in horror movie. 😂
I am so stressed.
Did I enjoy it? Oh hell yeah. Do I still want to scream into the void for the next 5 hours? Absolutely. I need a drink. 🥴
10/10
February 28, 2024
The Dagger and the Forbidden Heir is a fast paced romance fantasy book with fae and humans. It’s a true enemies to lovers with some spice and lovable side characters. The villains are truly so evil and evokes a lot of emotion as you’re reading it too. I loved all of the plot twists and mythical creatures you meet along the way. I think this is a great start to a great series!
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