Gold and Gossamer

by Riley S. Quinn

The Mage King of Avonbend is meant to be untouchable. With his throne balanced on the precipice of the human and fairy world, Dante is the sworn protector of the Talamherra he knows from the Talamherra he doesn't. But he cannot help feeling that the formidable Fairy Queen who lurks beyond the ruins and rivers of Avonbend's borderlands is not truly the threat that human legends describe her to be. When he finds himself in need of a favor, he dares to ask for her generosity, in hopes of saving his own people from a mysterious blight. The Fairy Queen questions why the Mage King would not turn to his own allies in such a time of uncertainty, but she is never one to stay in the dark for long, and is eager to lure this ambitious king into the shadows of her dominion. When a rivalry blooms from her refusal to aid him, enflamed by his desperation for victory against her, the Fairy Queen offers up a different one that leads to a truth that Dante is not yet prepared to unveil. The webs of secrets, oaths, and intrigue that await Dante in Fairyland are all at the mysterious queen's fingertips... and now, to his bewilderment, so is he. Dante knows one ruler will have to yield to another eventually, but perhaps it will not be the enemy they expect... and the fates that await them are more intertwined than he ever dared to imagine.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy

405 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 8, 2025

Reviews

[Sugarplum · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I’m on page 123/313 of my book and I was trying to push myself to finish but I’m calling it quits. I was really excited to read this book especially because I seen the author’s animations on their TikTok but there are just too many things I’m not liking about it and I don’t think that it’s going to get better. I’ll list them.

Plot: Honestly the plot of the book is too flimsy for the book length. Usually by page 50 I would be hooked on a book but again I’m on page 123 and for some reason I’m not all that interested in the story. Every chapter so far is about Dante trying to figure out this blight situation or Fighting with the Fairy Queen. Every once in awhile something new will happen( the tournament ) or we’ll learn something new( Dante’s mom, lore about the Fairy Queen ) but it gets brushed over so fast that it doesn’t really leave an impact which is another problem I have. I think things in the book happen too fast. There is absolutely no build up or tension for anything so I feel like I’m getting whiplash every chapter.


Characters: Pretty early on in the story I realized that I didn’t like Dante. He’s supposed to be a king but he doesn’t act all that kingly. For example, he says his actions are for his kingdom but I’m not entirely sure he even likes them lol. I mean he certainly doesn’t like his council and he constantly ignores Elvine’s advice, and most chapters that I read so far he’s not even IN his kingdom. Also he’s always frustrated and annoyed. Seriously in every chapter he’s upset about something like can you smile lol. The Fairy Queen is fine for the most part but I felt like she was softening up to Dante a little too quickly in my opinion. She had this Maleficent feel in the beginning but then she kinda turns into Invisigal from dispatch.


Conclusion: The concept is really interesting but the execution is not so great. I think this would be a nice book to read if you’re looking for quick and easy fantasy book read.

[Amelia Rikstad]

Few books make me want to cry because they aren't out yet. This is one of them. November can't come soon enough :(

[eesha]

guys i’ve been following this story on instagram for so long i can’t believe it’s coming outttttttttt

[Sunny ☀️]

YESSS ITS FINALLY HERE (<- same guy who requested it on instagram)

I'll review it when it comes out nyehehhe >:D

[faith donaldson · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed it, but i feel like bc i’ve seen these characters so much on instagram there’s something fanfic like abt reading the actual story. like i still enjoyed it and had questions, but bc i already knew a bit abt the characters and their dynamics it took some the initial (idk the word lol might edit this) mystery/suspence from the story. overall was good, i had fun. yeah

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt very quick to me! Fav character is by far Taniya. Would love to learn more about the war she had with her parents.

I wish Quinn delved more into Dante and Elvine's friendship as it just felt a little one sided from Elvine at times.

Also, the person who wrote a review previously, stating that for someone who loved his kingdom so much he was barely in it was right about Dante!

I hope there will be more books set in Talamherra, as I feel there's so much more to be told.

[Victoria Vela · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good! It’s very entertaining and I read it all within the day. If I were to give it a critique I would say that at times it felt like events were being told to us rather than shown at time and Lumina’s motivations kinda felt like the Joker at the end. But overall though I think the book set out what was wanting to do, which was to make a fun fantasy story.

[Randy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely agree with Sugarplum on the feeling of lack of buildup, which is strange because the characters do have clear motivations and stuff they work towards. The chapters feel almost episodic, where I wasn’t very motivated to keep reading. This isn’t to say I disliked it! Not at all! I found this book to be very fun and charming, and audibly reacted all throughout. I do think, however, that the best way to read this book is a chapter or two a day. I read a chapter before bed every night and found that worked for me.

The prose itself was neat. I really liked some descriptions (dress fabric “hissing” on the ground, ash fallen like lace), although it sometimes feels a little too flowery. Characters speak in a very fantastical way, with long (LONG!!) monologues and old fashioned wording. Because of this, sometimes the dialogue would take me out of the story a little— a certain backstory monologue from Dante felt like it would’ve been more engaging as a flashback. (I know, I know… most people don’t like flashbacks for some reason… maybe I’m weird…)

A TEEENY tiny petty wee little nitpick would be that dialogue mostly ended with periods before the tag, and while I thought that was a stylistic choice at first, there were some moments where dialogue ended with the conventional comma (noticed most near the end). The tag “said” is also barely used, which once noticed is very distracting. 🙈

But yeah! Altogether it was a fun, fantastical book that I enjoyed reading. Getting to look through the author’s art with the context afterwards is also super rewarding!

[Xavier Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of if not my favorite story of love and war.

A truly beautiful story. I enjoyed every bit and even the ending left me satisfied without aching for more. I enjoyed every moment and emotion I read and felt.

[Maranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read with a delightful (mostly delightful, there's a few rotten apples) cast of characters, wonderful magic and delightful fashion. I had a fun read, though the writing is filled with all kinds of details, important ones and minute ones that do tend to drag on a bit and may be offputting for others. But it didn't ruin the book, though it was often tedious, it just might not be for everyone.

The blooming romance between Dante and the Fairy Queen had me giggling and kicking my feet. If my man don't want me to be his nemesis and have weekly battles, I don't want him!

This is a solid 4.75 for me!

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mimi

BEST BOOK EVER! LOVED EVERYTHING BEGINNING TO END PLEASE READ AND SUPPORT HER PROJECTS🤍🤍🤍🤍. I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH

[iyredism ੈ✩‧₊˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the feels!!!

Okay so, to preface, I followed this author’s IG story about the book (so all the art and animatics, extra bits of info, and the like). I enjoyed what I saw on there. The author., Quinn, mentioned once how this book would’ve been a cartoon, if not for monetary restraints, iirc. I understand why. The writing focused heavily on imagery—which I enjoy, because as a writer I struggle with that myself—and the world and aspects like that. Did the characters have their arcs? Yes. Could more have been done with said arcs? Also yes.

I will be honest. I had a fun time reading, but this novel wasn’t something I felt I could…simply look past all its flaws, yk? I paid money for it, as I couldn’t get it from a library (love indie authors), and while I enjoyed it, I do feel a cartoon would have brought more from this story.

The characters were nice, but—and this is where I fear I get a bit nit picky, but it’s a product I ended up buying, so I’m allowed my opinion—a lot more could have been done with them. Dante, king of Avonbend, I feel like the love for your kingdom was shown more on IG than in the book. His motivations were a bit too quick to come into his own things. That wasn’t worded well. He went from this is for Avonbend to this is for me, quicker than…I would have expected? And yes, the reasons why are valid. But also, I sort of wanted more of an epic fantasy feel to this book. It was more comedic, and I enjoyed that, but…I’ll stop there.

Spoilers below:
I do wish for more of the antagonistic characters, we got more explanations and details. I’m sorry, but Dante’s ex? Woman, what was that motivation at the end?? She herself said to the Fairy Queen that they were alike, just not in the ways that she would have preferred. I wanted to see those parallels more!! And maybe I missed it, because I was excitedly reading, but maybe I didn’t either.

Spoilers end:
There are more things I could say, but I won’t. I enjoyed this book, but I also recognize my expectations for it carried a lot of my thoughts and feelings about it. I would like to see the world explored more in future novels, if that happens.