Trick

Foolish Kingdoms #1

by Natalia Jaster

This is a previously-published edition - ISBN13: 9781517494957

A wicked jester. A willful princess. And a forbidden desire.

Steamy enemies to lovers fantasy romance. **NOTE: This is the previous first edition, which is no longer available. For the revised second edition with spicy 18+ adult content and rebranded cover, GET IT HERE

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, New Adult, Young Adult, Fantasy Romance, High Fantasy, Fiction

310 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2015

About the author

Natalia Jaster is a fantasy romance author who routinely swoons for the villain.

She lives in a dark forest, where she writes steamy New Adult tales about rakish jesters, immortal deities, and vicious fae. Wicked heroes are her weakness, and rebellious heroines are her best friends.

When she’s not writing, you’ll probably find her perched atop a castle tower, guzzling caramel apple tea, and counting the stars.

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Natalia-Jaster...
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Reviews

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

picked this up on a whim and i didnt enjoy it for the reasons i thought i would, so it ended being up a surprising reading experience, but in a positive way.

i was initially drawn to the atmosphere the synopsis promised. i couldnt wait to read a story about a princess and sly, court jester. it sounded devious and exciting. but where i thought poet would be alluring, i found him annoying. goodness, i couldnt stand the way he speaks. yes, its great characterisation, but i just wasnt in the mood for having to decipher tricky words. i also wasnt a fan of briar and i didnt really buy the connection between the two of them (i actually thought poet had more chemistry with a side character). the romance i looked so forward to ended up being quite underwhelming.

that being said, i LOVE the representation in this, especially for disability. its done in a really meaningful way and it makes me wish more stories would bring attention to it. i also adored the father/son relationship presented in this. that, to me, was the most read-worthy relationship in the entire story. its wonderful and so heart-warming.

so while i didnt like this for the reasons i thought i would, there is still much to admire about this story. i dont think i will continue with the series, but i dont regret picking this up.

↠ 3.5 stars

[Laura Thalassa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it. Adored it. Think it's a damn shame more people don't know about Natalia Jaster. She's an insanely good writer!

When Scarlett Dawn recommends a book to you, you listen. (She happens to be my twin when it comes to reading tastes.) This one's been moved to the top of my TBR list!

[Mara YA Mood Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

6/24/2020 I finally found a New Adult Fantasy author that creates what I’ve been looking for everywhere!!! 🙌🏼👏🏼🤩

Trick has been on my kindle for ages and I finally got around to it in my frustration of trying to find a healthy balance between YA and NA! It’s been an exhausting endeavour but I am so happy to have come across this indie author.

This book was incredible! The Jester, Poet was so witty, so bratty, so naughty and entertaining. I loved this different insight at court life.

As well,No War Scenes!!!! When you read a lot of fantasy you’re going to get burnt out on war scenes, after bloody war scenes ugh I cant take another war scene and don’t even get me started and those dull, dull sword training scenes 🤦🏻‍♀️






$ 0.99 on kindle US today 6/12/2020! I’m on a quest to find New Adult fantasy that doesn’t suck!

[Brittney ~ Reverie and Ink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love loved everything about this book! So heartfelt and good. Beautiful representation, especially of disabilities. Review to come!

[booksnpenguins (wingspan matters) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The greatest courage a person can have is to love another, for there are only two outcomes.
Either the love lasts, and our lives are compromised, or it doesn't, and our lives are emptied.
Either way, we suffer more than we celebrate. I've enjoyed suffering with you. We are a tale for campfires.
That is all.
That is everything."

I love it when I blindly go into a book expecting nothing and reach the end with a new favorite story and new amazing favorite characters.
I'll come back to this review in a second moment because I really wanna share with you guys how good this book was and how deep it dug into my soul.
For now, I'll leave you with the promise that this book is a wild (funny, emotional and even steamy) ride and I've enjoyed every bit of it.
I hope you do, too!



ACTUAL RATINGS 4,5/5




PS. I'd also like to point out that it was my son who chose this book by sitting on my Kindle. I'll always trust his little butt from now on.

[Tilly Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I AM IN LOVE. NOT ONLY WITH THIS BOOK, THE CHARACTERS, THE WRITING BUT ALSO WITH NATALIA JASTER. You all need to read her books ASAP.

Not only is Natalia a goddess when it comes to writing but she manages to create a breathtaking world with realistic and relatable characters in such a lyrical way. She keeps the reader on the edge of their seat with the twists that take place in Trick. Her words draw you in from the first page and once you start reading about the wonderful Poet and the feisty Brair.

Throughout the book the characters grow, evolve and have their walls broken down. I especially loved reading about Princess Brair and how Poet helps her to return to the girl she used to be before she suffered tragic loss. You watch her character change in the best ways possible and it gave me chest pains from joy.

ALSO, there's a magnificent twist in this book that bonds Poet and Brair together and i'm not going to spoil anything BUT I LOVE IT AND I WOULD'VE BEEN HAPPY TO RE-READ THAT PART OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

BASICALLY: YOU ALL NEED TO READ THIS BOOK.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a weird one to review because I have two editions and very different feelings about each of them. I had a physical copy of the first edition which is upper YA/NA fantasy romance, but also picked up a digital copy of the new version which is is adult erotic romance. I started out reading the new version, but ultimately decided to read the old one and skim the new one alongside. You'll be shocked to hear I greatly preferred the original. Which is unfortunately no longer available unless you can get your hands on a used copy.

The thing is, Trick (in its original form) is a book with great characters and a lot of heart tackling a pretty serious issue- the treatment of disabled, neurodiverse, and mentally ill people. (Big content warning for depictions of systemic abuse of these groups. And I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with how those things are handled, but I get what the author was trying to do. I think you could argue it's ableist). It's deliciously slow burn with a bisexual hero (Poet) who is mysterious, alluring, and a secret softie. And the ending is perfection for both the romantic and non-romantic plot arcs.
I should start by saying I don't have a problem with erotic romance. I do read some of it. And the original edition of this book was also rather sexy, albeit with fewer scenes that are shorter and less explicitly descriptive.


But then you take that and make EVERYTHING super sexual all the time. The kingdom of Spring is now a place where people are constantly getting it on in public. Poet goes from alluring and smart to this alpha-type who "prowls" and "stalks" people he's coming onto. (this is an ick for me) And while there are a lot more lengthy, high-heat scenes (and way more explicit thoughts about engaging in sex by both characters) they lose some of the emotional work that those scenes should be doing for the romance. Ideally you want sex scenes to be moving forward the relationship or telling us something about the characters. That's when they really hit, not just because x is going into y. And listen, I think there was a way to make this more erotic while staying true to characters and the heart of the book, but I really don't feel like the rewrite did that. And at times, the forced sexy dialogue could be downright cringy, in my opinion, and a lot of added content made it feel overwritten. It's not just a few scenes, it's adding throughout the book. Oh, and the ending was changed! I think to make it more open ended for future books, but I didn't like that change either. It was less emotionally satisfying.

It was weird reading this the way that I did because I felt as if I was having two extremely different experiences, almost simultaneously. I would read several chapters in the original and then skim those chapters in the new version. The original version would have been a 4 star read, the new version a 2 star read. So I'm averaging things for the purposes of Goodreads. It's unfortunate that the changes went in this direction.

[Chelsea ✨Arielle’s Nebular Ally and Team Acrux✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Steadfast sure girl, sweet noble thorn,
how lovely-cruel you are.
My body’s taut, my soul is worn,
from the lovely-cruel you are.
The highborn chose the lowest born,
’tis the lovely-cruel you are.
This trick unseen, this fated scorn,
of the lovely-cruel you are.
So when you leave, I shall us mourn,
the lovely-cruel we are.”


What is there to say, really, when you fall head over heels for a book that you didn’t even realize existed??? I picked this up after my friend told me she was sure I’d love it. Was I skeptical? No, not really. Do I trust this person? Absolutely. Was there any doubt I’d love this? Not in the least.




Yet, here we are, and me telling you that, at the beginning...I really didn’t care for this book at all. I liked the opening chapter-it was loud, alluring...mesmerizing. It grabbed onto me with just the short little bit it was. But, once I poured deeper into the story, long after the wicked words our Jester boasted and hooked me line and sinker with, I grew weary. And, frankly, distant. Not because I didn’t love what was going on-I did, truly. But his manner of speech waxed way too poetic (HAR) for me to really grip my claws into his character and see what he was really about.

Tumble inspected me with beady-eyed criticism.
“What?” I asked. “Does my masterpiece clash too much?”
The ferret squeaked.
“Certainly, but you try making the four kingdoms harmonize into one motif.”
He squeaked again.

It felt like a front. It felt like, even as the readers who got to be inside his head every other/few chapters, were held at an arm’s length-and I didn’t like it. Because, in the rare moments he and the princess got together, I felt like they were wasted with the precious breath being tainted by rhymes and riddles and regal-type talk. And, ultimately, I began to disengage and became disappointed. I mean, it felt like it was all smoke and mirrors. Little did I know-that was the whole point.



Whether all of it was intentional or not, I’ll never know. But, riddle me this (muahaha Poet has stolen my heart!)-why is it that, after a certain point in this book (and, really, despite what I said earlier, it wasn’t that far in) literally everything changed because of one moment?

Yet none of these skills can steel the heart, nor protect it from breaking. Recently, I’ve learned that lesson well. So let me tell you a tale of how I lost a battle of wills.
Not to my King. Not to my Queen.
Nay. I lost to a girl.

Enchanting doesn’t even BEGIN to describe the way I felt after...things...but that’s exactly how I felt: enchanted. Poet ripped off his mask, or his makeup, mind you, and we saw beneath the carefully placed veneer he’d built up so no one would see what was underneath.

“My opinion? A fool is a man who believes glory can be found at the tip of a sword instead of on the tip of his tongue. ’Tis a woman who judges with her eyes closed. ’Tis people who invent aberrations from speculation and rumors. ’Tis bred from ignorance. That is life’s cruel trick.”

I think it worth mentioning that, while I had briefly skimmed the synopsis after Britt told me to read this, I really hadn’t read it thoroughly once I’d finished the book I was on, and purchased the kindle book sight unseen. If you can’t have trust in your closest friends, who can you trust? As I mentioned, though, this might be the reason as to why I was so easily fooled by the, well, Fool.

I’m the finest jest you’ll ever know. If you irritate me, I’ll best you with words, for swords are the toys of knights, whilst I use more creative weapons.

My heart melted at the Poet beneath. I became a puddle of goo and a swarm of butterflies all mixed into one, making for a totally weird concoction I can’t begin to fathom a name for. I kid you not, this was like a totally different book ...because we saw what made Poet tick-and so did the Princess.

“No, of course. But that day when we arrived home, you imitated those jesters for hours, twirling from rock to rock in the grass. And when you fell—”
“I stumbled.”
“—and scraped yourself raw, I never saw the like when I dabbed a wet cloth on your knees. You howled bloody murder.”
My elbow hit the table as I pointed at her. “That part never happened.”

She saw the side to him that had only been hinted at, from the beginning. She saw how kind and wonderful, sweet and brave he was. She saw the loyalty and devotion and determination that ran rivers deep in Poet’s fractured and frantic soul-and so the forbidden tryst began.

I couldn’t say whether Mother was still talking. As we crossed into his line of vision, Poet became aware of me and tensed, his shoulder blades locking.
The crease of his spine. The waist that tapered and then rounded into a solid backside.
Anticipation flared. But he kept advising the girl, sparing me not a glance.
Not until the distance between us grew again.
We craned our heads over our shoulders, our eyes smoldering.

I’ll admit I became a total ninny for everything Poet and Briar henceforth-They were the puppet masters and I their puppet, strung along by the strings of their sordid and heartbreaking affair. I rooted for them with every ounce of my being-even as I wished for the turmoil that was surely to come.

“And don’t think I believe that drivel about you and Poet. You hate each other, you say? Hate is a miserable thing. That’s neither of you. He’s an active lad, born with a voice to spice tarts, but those tarts never made him blush. That isn’t hate, so have a care.”

WHAT. I’m a hot-blooded, fangirling bookish female-fine and dandy just don’t DO IT FOR ME. Anymore, that is. Whatever. I needed some strife, and strife I got. It was wonderful and sordid (yes, repeat repeat wah wah) and hot and wrong-the chemistry set the pages on fire and my heart right along with them.

I nodded to her. Let me do the lying.
She looked away. Good girl.
Bad boy. I still wanted to kiss her.

And when Poet crumbled-my heart and soul did, as well. I just-I truly loved this story and I’m wholly invested in everything to do with it. I’ll admit I’m shocked more people haven’t latched onto this-it really is a remarkable story with a storybook feel (a dirty storybook, I’ll have you:

My damp, thickened breath. A thrust of heavy-lidded lightning. A deep-rooted, thigh-clenching ache in intimate places.

) and a fairytale vibe. The writing was impeccable and the length not too long nor too short, with a gradual build up that makes you beg for more and simultaneously yearn for it to never end, and a climax that tears at your very being.

“The greatest courage a person can have is to love another, for there are only two outcomes. Either the love lasts, and our lives are compromised, or it doesn’t, and our lives are emptied. Either way, we suffer more than we celebrate. I’ve enjoyed suffering with you. We are a tale for campfires. That is all. That is everything.”

Again, I don’t praise many books highly. In fact, there are only 4-6 books out of the 20 or so I’ve read this year that really and truly stand out, and this is, by far, one of them-and one of the best. I have high standards and have read some of my favorite books of all time in the last couple of months-and this one?? This one helped me escape my rabid obsession with two of them-the likes of which have made me a total moron who harasses everyone to read them. This book wouldn’t have had half the heart without Poet’s secret, a secret I normally am not a fan of in books. So… it must have been done well, right? And this story is so much deeper than a romance, which shocked me. It actually had wonderful morals and heart and a depth so intense it stole my breath. Vehemently represented by those with most stake in the matter, this author showed an amazing skill to write about more than just smexy encounters, hidden hallway rendezvous, and stolen looks and touches-though, those were some of my favorite parts ;). Friendship and family and loyalties and learning your place in life-it’s all there. And it’s all wonderfully handled.

A fool is a man who sees his worth in a mirror, in the faces of a crowd, but is blind to it elsewhere. Where it most counts: in the eyes of those he loves and who love him. Don’t insult yourself that way.”

So, give it a try. Really. It’s fun and flirty and romantic and original and tugs on your heartstrings. I don’t think it’ll be for everybody (if only because of random things I care not name), but I think it’s for most. It’s wonderful and addicting and painful to put down-if the purple bags I’m sporting under my eyes today are any indication of my late night reading rampage. Poet and Briar and other characters I dare not to name gripped me in ways I never expected -and I hope they’ll grip you, too.

Oh, and a special shout out to my main ferret, Tumble-a favorite character by far :P.


For more of my reviews, please visit:

[Jessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truth: this is one of the best novels I've read in 2015.

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book. I went in prepared to comb it over with the discerning eye of a critic, not just as a fan of Natalia's work. And though I know her writing talent is unparalleled, I was still unprepared for how quickly I fell into this world that she had created.

It's a universe completely of her own making-- a touch fantastical, very whimsical, but with the hard bite of realism when it matters most, Trick has little pieces of discovery with every turn of the story arc. The world building is phenomenal. The characterization of her two leads, Poet and Briar, are deft and original. The chemistry between them was of the 'fist-biting' variety. Anyone who knows me is aware of my deep and abiding love for enemies-to-lovers. The initial scene when Poet and Briar first meet is practically antagonistic foreplay, and sets the tone for an epic love story which left me thinking long after I was finished.

And the love scenes- they're the perfect amount of spicy, sexy, and sweet. And they will not disappoint you.

There are other characters- one in particular- who are so fully-formed and intensely realized that I felt as if they are old friends, but I won't spoil them for you. It's important for them to be stumbled upon within the pages.

And that's what you should do. Read this book. You won't regret it.

[Simply Sam ツ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to be a pretty heartwarming story. Princess Briar, with her apparent thorny aloofness, and Poet, with his ability to charm anyone and everyone without ever revealing himself, were each others perfect foils. The author even managed to incorporate elements I've not often seen in YA fantasy, though I won't spoil what those are. And the best part? It can be read as a standalone, though it is part of a series. That's a huge win for me as I suck at series. Overall, I definitely recommend to those who enjoy maturish YA fantasy romance.

[Polly Florence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I don't really know where to start, I completely loved this story. I am just floored by the creative genius that is Natalia Jaster. With just under three hundred pages she tells a story that's both whimsical and lyrical but also powerful and keeps you thinking long after you put the book down. There's also SO MUCH representation in this book which means so much to me as a reader.

Natalia's writing is just so beautiful. It's descriptive and immersive, playful and poetical, sensual and sweet. The world that was built is just as amazing. There are so many intricate details of each of the season kingdoms and they sound so beautiful I was left just wanting more from each one. And I especially loved that behind the beautiful writing is a massively important message about society and about how we treat other people, I think this added so much depth to the story.

I loved these characters so much. I loved them separately and I loved them even more together. They are both complex and intensely interesting characters. What I especially think Natalia also has a knack for is creating really wonderfully flawed characters. They make mistakes, they screw up, they're not perfect but that's what makes them so relatable and loveable.

When the story begins Briar is guarded, almost afraid to be herself and as we read on we start to pick up on why she's like this and we start to see glimpses of the girl she used to be. This was one of my favourite things about her character - how we watch her walls come down and how she develops into this powerful, clever, feisty woman, that really she was always going to be. Poet is also such a well written character. He has so many different sides to his personality and you can't help but fall in love with each one. There is also a mystery surrounding both of the characters and these unfold as the story develops and really hooks you in wanting to find out all of the secrets.

I loved how things ended even though it wasn't a stereotypical happily ever after. There was still so much potential for things in this world to be developed and still room for the characters to grow and I thought this was very true of real life.

I will now be shoving this book in the face of everyone I know and telling them to read it. What a wonderful way to complete my 2015 reading challenge.

[Jena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Edition (2022, ~500 pages) Review
3.5 stars
When I heard this was getting a new revamped edition, I was ecstatic. Then I realized that the 200 pages of new content were meant to appeal to the current trends and demand, aka, Booktok's demand for sex. So I went into this nervous. I also thought, perhaps the ending of this book would be changed, since it was the only real issue of the original. The book is now expanding into a trilogy, so there is room to resolve conflict later if the author wanted to change the ending. Surprisingly, this book felt almost identical to the original, as far as I can remember it, just with the edition of more sex scenes. I didn't really care for them, but they weren't poorly written, so for me it's just a preference thing. I loved the book the way I did the original, with the start of it good and the middle 300 or so pages god damn perfect, but reading it two years later I realized how lacking the ending is. This whole book shows Poet learning to be open and kind with his love and Briar to come out of her shell. But then, the end conflict is a fight in which Poet calls Briar something along the lines of a "stupid twit" and mocks her dead father, and she calls Nicu forgetful He receives no punishment, whereas Briar is scorned and slut shamed by everyone in court, loses her authority, and loses her best friend. She then takes action to save Nicu, both physically in the moment, and by trying to change laws for the future, despite the risk to her image and power, and Poet just complains that she should have done more. Then she finally confesses that she loves him and will do anything for him to be hers and he gives her a long rant about how doomed they are as a couple. The book ends with him essentially saying "fine." It's upsetting because I love most of this book and there are some beautifully written scenes, but all the characters punish Briar at the end of the book and in effect ruin their own arcs. I felt like I had to jump into the book myself and defend her. I'm hoping this doesn't continue into the sequels, cause this book has so many incredible moments that I'd much rather see followed up. My last complaint was that throughout the whole of the book, the way Poet talked often sounded dumb. I assume this was part of the rewrites meant to sexify the book, but it didn't work. He'd recite a beautiful, cunning speech as the jester, but then throw around the words "wicked sick fuck" and "cock" as many times as he could for the sake of edginess. It undermined a lot of his smarter moments as a character and took me out of the fantasy setting. So overall, I loved most of this, even with the new additions, but I think this book's conclusion needs some serious revision.

Update: Since I loved this story and there's a sequel coming out, I'm going to read/reread the new edition with 200 pages of new content (also how has it been over a year since I read this). Review to Come

First Edition (2018, 306 pages) Review
4.5 stars
So I'm a mood reader and for some reason felt like I should pick up this book, and wow, I'm so glad I did. Everything was so good for a reason that's so hard to explain. The pacing, the characters, the plot, the moral dilemmas, it all had me hooked. The thing that really got me though is that this book has a fair deal of sad moments, and even in happy moments like the epilogue, is still incredibly bittersweet, yet it's written in such a poetic way that even the sad parts read like a fairytale. It's a weird juxtaposition but I really enjoyed it. I'm hoping that quality has to do with the author's writing style, and not just this story since it was told partially from a jester' POV (whose know to spin grand stories). I'm looking forward to reading more from this author, although I might put off doing so for a while cause I now have really high expectations for her writing. My literal only complaint is that towards the end I felt like Briar put a bit more effort into the relationship than Poet.

[♦♣ queen of faerie ♠♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't exactly know why I didn't enjoy this book, I can see other people reading this and loving it but for me I never really connected with the characters, or enjoyed the plot. It felt quite disconnected for me and the story didn't make me excited.

I think the romance was that reminiscent of a fairytale, with a court jester falling in love with a princess. That much was fine, and it was an okay read, however for some reason I just found myself drifting off and closing my eyes around this book, which probably means you shouldn't value my opinion, or should you, since the feeling of wanting to close my eyes around this book says a lot?



→2 stars

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never made a secret of the fact that I can be swayed to read a book purely on it’s cover alone. I can’t help being drawn to all the pretty. And when I first saw Trick it was that gorgeous cover that had me adding it to my TBR. But after finally getting around to reading it, it’s not the cover, but the beauty that’s inside that has me adding it to my favourite reads of 2017. This book… This book was quite simply WOW!

I love forbidden romance. The jester and the princess. Complete opposites. How is this ever going to work? Poet is renowned for being a lover and a larrikin. Princess Briar is reserved and guarded. She’s suffered through a terrible loss, and so she holds herself back. Poet has a secret which he will guard with everything he has. What will happen when Briar sets out to prove that Poet is the liar that she suspects him to be?

I can’t tell you how much I loved these two characters. Poet is words and heart. Such beautiful words, and such a big, loving, caring heart. And Briar is growth and strength. And together they are perfect. They are flawed and real, and I can’t get enough of characters like that.

From the very first page I was drawn to the beauty of Natalia Jaster’s writing. I just couldn’t stop reading, so while I started out reading the paperback, I ended up buying the kindle book so that I could hunker down in bed, under the covers and read through the night without disturbing hubs. And when I finished, I went right on back and started all over again.

Is it possible to become a lifetime fan of an author after only reading one book? Because I have. I’ll read anything and everything that this author writes. I was engaged. I was enthralled. I was enraptured. This book deserves all the love, and all the accolades. I want everyone to read it because I have no doubt that you’ll all fall completely and giddily in love, just like I did.

All the stars!!

[Nasom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't know what to expect from this but i was pleasantly surprised!

I liked that the focus was on the discrimination against people with mental disabilities. I rarely see this in books. I also liked that the relationship in this wasn't only focused on romance. It also focused on the love between family members and friends! and a huge plus that it's a standalone!

My issue though was that i didn't like how explicit the book was and also, a character speaks in a whimsical/fairy-tale way which made it hard to take him seriously sometimes.

Overall, it's a nice, unique read.

[Candace Robinson]

Spectacular. Spectacular! Loved this one. Poet and Briar were perfect and definitely had some swoon worthy moments! The writing itself was truly beautiful and kept me captivated until the last page.

[Manouk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a shame people don’t know about this book or the author. Grazy good!

The writing was magical, as where the characters. Loved loved loved this book!

Already ordered her other book called Dare, can’t wait the get it in the mail :)

Xxx Manouk

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Broken hearts made faults and fools of us all.”

This was the first book I'd read by Natalia Jaster. It had been on my TBR for a while, having fallen in love with the cover art (because duh, it's amazingly beautiful) but I was also struggling to find a hard copy. Soooo glad I finally found one because Trick was absolutely GORGEOUS. It's the first in a series of 4 books in the Foolish Kingdoms series (see also Dare, Lie and Dream) and they are all fantastic 💔💛🧡💙. If you love the hard copies but also want ease of access, these are all available on Kindle Unlimited 🥰.

Trick is a tale of forbidden love (and so much more) set in the Kingdom of Spring (each book in the series is set within a different kingdom, or focuses on a character specific to one of them - spring, summer, autumn, winter). Poet is a jester of the Spring court, but he's no fool. He's insanely attractive to both men and women (and he plays on it!) but he gets close to no-one. And he has a secret.

Princess Briar is from the Kingdom of Autumn, sassy, opinionated and always ready to stand up for what's right, consequences be damned. When she stumbles upon Trick's secret, things in the Kingdoms will change forever...

I've now read all of Natalia's books, including the Selfish Myths series (more on that in later reviews) and they are TO DIE FOR. The writing is exquisite, as is the world building and the character development is just sublime. If you adore fantasy romance, slow burn leading to steamy scenes, diversity in your MCs and real life relevance to boot, this is the book (and the series!) for you.

Love love love 💗.

ALL THE STARS ✨✨✨✨✨

[Dakota★Magic in Every Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

I don’t often take books for review from indie authors. Which sounds a bit pompous, but it has more to do with the fact that I’m very picky and critical at times, and I don’t want to crush someone’s dream by giving them a negative review, even if I do it tactfully. Despite having read Jaster’s first novel, Touch, and loving it, I was still a bit nervous to read Trick, just in case I didn’t love it. Which turned out to be a ridiculously silly worry, because I LOVE this book. I love it more than her first book, which I really enjoyed. I love this book more than several others I’ve read this year. I want to give this book to a ton of people so that they can share in how brilliant it is.

This book takes a common romance set up, a princess falling in love with someone below her station, and instead makes it into something incredibly deep, thought provoking, emotional, sweet, and wholly satisfying to read. The secret Poet harbors close to his heart touches on important issues that I would love to see in more fiction, and I was immensely pleased by how deftly Jaster wrote this story and touched on these issues. Not only that, but the romance is raw and real and flawed, but still wonderful and addicting to read about in all its well-written glory. The characters are brilliant, full of life, well-rounded, endearing, frustrating, multi-dimensional, and the two main characters growth is wonderful to watch.

Jaster is such an elegant writer, her stories are poetic, emotional, and the writing is something to behold. Poet’s chapters were so fantastically well done, with their wit and speed and his character shining through so well, especially in contrast to Briar’s steadier mind and analytical view of the world. This book is definitely something to get your hands on, preferably as soon as possible!

[Pippa DaCosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trick is a spellbinding and magical fantasy romance. We meet the uptight and restrained Autumn Princess, Briar, as she attends the Spring Court. Cue Poet, the alluring, charming, roguish jester. During the festivities, he singles Briar out as the butt of a joke and thus begins their back and forth battle of wits. But it's not what you think. This isn't some silly bad-boy-meets-stuffy-girl routine. Briar can hold her own. She's a strong character in her own right. And Poet... *sigh* Poet tied a ribbon around my heart and pinned it to a tree. He is not what he appears.

The third main character is the prose. Sweet heavens above, the prose is fantastic. Now normally, I'd read the first few chapters and think "uh oh, purple prose here we come" but Natalia Jaster has a command of her writing like I've rarely seen. Yes, it's flowery, but it's beautiful, stunning in fact, and in this world, that's the point. There are some absolutely cracking lines, mostly from Poet, who wields words like throwing knives. It's fantastic.

Another surprise is how this author sympathetically dealt with LGBT characters and those with disability. It's such a refreshing change and one I adored.

A stunning book.

(Contains adult themes and on-page sex)

[Al *the semi serial series skipper*]

DNF @ 49%.

I read the reviews on Amazon and it seems everyone loves it, it's cleverness and the way it deals with social injustices. I was intrigued unfortunately for me I found it boring.

My first issue was the writing. I hated it. The MMC was a jester so half the things he said was a rhyme which annoyed me. The writing was also dull. I thought I was being forced to read a treatise.

At 49% nothing of note had happened and I had a feeling it will stay that way.

[Brittney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaster blew me away yet again! She created such an interesting world where there are four kingdoms who are connected to one of the four seasons. This concept was very unique to me! The world building was great and there wasn’t any information overload. She sneaked a lot of the world building into dialogue which I really liked.

The writing was amazing! Jaster writes in a way that draws you in right away. The way she describes the people, the lands, the kingdoms, the carnivals, is just breathtaking. The story is told in two points of view, Briar’s and Poet’s, and she did a great job of creating two distinct voices. The way the two characters spoke and thought were true to their characters and were so different that there was never any confusion which point of view I was reading.

The characters were so complex and felt so real. Even the most minor characters were fleshed out. I love all the relationships between the characters. Especially the friendship between Briar and Elliot which was adorable. I think of one of my favorite parts of the book was how Briar learned that everyone in her life, including herself, was a hero, and I think Jaster did a great job of showing how each character was a hero in their own way.

The romance was perfect! I loved the flirting and the banter and how they started off not liking each other but grew to trust and love each other. Their relationship was healthy and realistic. There were fights but later they were talked out and smoothed over. I loved how imperfect their relationship was. There were some mature sex scenes in this book, but not overly so, and they were done in an almost un-graphic way. You knew what was happening but she didn’t really get down to the details of everything. As a person who isn’t all the into sex scenes, I really appreciated it.

Overall, I loved this book and would definitely recommend it!

[Books_and_Crafts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poet and Briar have my heart!

I loved that this story is not your average fantasy romance with recycled content. This is a spicy, romantic slow burn with a fleshed out world and characters that make you feel all the emotions! The female main character is a princess in line to take the throne and the love interest is a court Jester. Minus the silly costume and add Cirque du soleil sexy acrobatic performance! There were so many layers to this story I couldn't put it down!

[Samantha ♡ ( Percy’s Version ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️

“Crimson would pool across the floor. Hearts would be ripped from chests. My daggers would maim and nail bodies to the wall for target practice. That was assuming I showed mercy. No one would be safe from me if they touched her.”
With a quote like that, need I say more?
This book had me raging, giggling, and kicking my feet. The banter in this book is top tier. The enemies-to-lovers was immaculate. Overall this book was pretty good. I loved Briar and her ability to stand by her word and that she didn’t need anybody to protect her.

Now I do have a couple qualms with this book. For one I expected there to be a lot more action than there was, there was maybe 3 or 4 action scenes and those were honestly short. Second, I found this book to be dragging and honestly by the halfway point the only reason I kept reading was for Poet and my inability to dnf a book. Thirdly, for about 30-40% of the book Briar was basically doing nothing, it was just a bunch of world building and Poet and Briar maybe had 3-4 interactions. Maybe it was my fault for going into this book thinking that it was fast-paced but when I think of fantasy books I think of fast-pasted.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual review to come later, but know that I adored this novel and everything it is. If I could hug a book forever, it would be this one.

Edit: Review - -

This is the tale told by Poet, Whimtany’s Court Jester. It’s about the things he loves and hates. What does he love? Count them: One secret. His craft. One girl. What does he hate? The prejudices of the people.

Plot
Set in the beautiful kingdom of Whimtany, Trick follows a young-and-pretty, quick-witted, lyrical and talented jester named Poet. “He kisses like a scoundrel and mocks with a silver tongue.”

Poet, for all his hilarious egotism and bravado, is guarding a dangerous secret. One that could endanger his life and the life of one he loves. It’s a secret he would do anything to protect.

And then there’s Princess Briar, utterly convinced that the jester is lying to everyone, she sets out to expose him. But a jester doesn’t lie.

“His secret is delicate, binding the jester to the princess in an unlikely alliance- and kindling a breathless attraction, as alluring as it is forbidden.”

Writing
Whimsical, lyrical, entirely beautiful- Jaster’s writing is like breathing poetry. A romance this novel may be, but set in a fantastical world of Season courts, with social issues and prejudices, there’s so much to discover in this novel, and so much to fall in love with. The world building is marvelous, and the character building is just a great.

General Comments:
WARNING: Mature YA- targeted at readers 17+ for sexual encounters and curse words.

Moving on: I’M IN LOVE. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK. Jaster has a way of making you really attach yourself to her characters and you don’t see it coming at all. Her novels have a habit of leaving you radiating happiness when they’re over.

I had so much fun reading this book and going on this journey with the characters. Breaking rules and breaking hearts and learning to love in the most unexpected of places.

And the LGBT+ representation in this novel was like the icing on top of the cake *happy sigh*

Favourite Quotes:

“Love is the sun. You have a yellow sun in your tummy too, Girl. Like Papa and Jinny. It’s glowing. Your hair is a red ribbon, and your brown dots-” he tapped the freckles on my nose “-are stains from the rain. If you leave me there will never be colors again. They will die.”
“No,” I said. “You are all the color in this world, not me. You’re Spring and Summer and Autumn and Winter. Your eyes are good luck clovers.”

__

“I would concede: Sometimes the simplest words had the sharpest teeth.”

__

“The tip of something sharp jabbed between my legs. Glancing down, I was treated to the sight of a hoof prick strategically aimed at my groin. I respected a female who could make an otherwise innocent object look deadly.”

[Parvati Patil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it.

[Bon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book.

A book with luscious worldbuilding. The realm seems like it's JUST on the verge of full fantasy and magic? And the jester Poet has this strange connection with his really intelligent ferret... anyways. The world consists of these elemental/seasonally-themed kingdoms, similae to fae realms but NOT composed of Fae. This pleases me immensely as i love elemental-ey stuff but generally dislike fae. In the book, Summer, Winter, and Autumn (to which our lady protagonist is Princess and heir) have come to Spring for annual peace talks.

Lacking magic, the plot moves along fairly like any other medieval kingdom-esque plot. One fascinating tidbit, however, was the emphasis on equal class within royal marriages; for example, Winter has two queens, same-gender marriages are not looked down on at all, as long as partners are of equal standing. Add to this the prominent bisexuality of the male lead Poet, and there's a pleasing acceptance to the world in this regard - though barring the next plot point I'll discuss. In any case, Poet wasn't bi for the sake of checking a box, it felt organic, and his potential feelings for a male friend of Briar's made a plausible plot. Friends who are romantic rivals and different genders - I like this?

I enjoyed the political aspects of this story, as a human rights' element is a large chunk of the plot. The debate is over "fools", or people with mental/developmental disabilities; these people are fodder for entertainment in each seasonal kingdom. Think of the sideshow carnivals of the old days, but existing in perpetuity, in court, at every feast or festival. They're otherwise kept in dungeons. It was a deeply unsettling plot aspect and one which spurs our two leads to some awesome political machinations and I respect the author's plunge into a worthwhile story with wider messages even for our times: people are not property, no matter their faculties.

Briar was a flawed but wholly admirable, noble female lead. I understand the trauma that has her known as an ice queen at the beginning of the book, her reserve and dignified manners an attempt at control in a world where she may have little over her own life. Poet was given so many dimensions in this. At first he's a shallow, seductive court ornament, and then the plot dumps us on our butts with an excellent reveal that rounds his character so well. The two leads compliment each other nicely and I enjoyed how their romance was woven with mutual accomplishments on each other's behalf. Also, the more mature nature of the romance was written very well indeed.

Lastly, the audio narrators were fantastic. Poet's voice was excellent, a lilting sort of court drawl. Loved it.

Solid 5 stars for me.

[The Holy Lyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

So let me tell you a tale of how i lost a battle of wills.
not to my king.
not to my queen.
nay. i lost to a girl.

Poet you darn beautiful bastard! This charming jester will definitely steal your heart while you sit there and watch him tie colorful ribbons around it

So I tried quite a lot of fantasy books this year.Some of them were plain disappointment but some of them made me question why didn't I pick them up any sooner? Trick was definitely one of the latter. "Spellbinding and lyrical" are easily the two words that come to my mind if I have to describe this amazing yet sadly underrated read :( The world-building is simply beautiful,the characters are amazing and the writing is To-Die-For! I LOVED the writing style of Natalia Jaster💖 Not only was it refreshing but also it was downright stunning and whimsical! I just could not get enough of Poet's Narration of the whole tale :')

Also my pace is generally slow even while reading books that I love but I finished this in two days! That's how much this book got me invested so STOP SLEEPING ON THIS BOOK PEOPLE

Now Excuse me while I go and cry in a corner over the beautiful existence of this book ;-;

[mith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehhhh. 3.5
I did like it—definitely something new for me. I found the voices of Poet (whose real name I STILL DO NOT KNOW) and Briar to be very different. Often times when authors try dual POV, the characters sound the same. Briar and Poet both had their quirks, Poet especially, with the way he talks.
In any case, the beginning was a bit iffy for me, but it got better in the middle. Then... It just kinda went down hill from 75-80%. Everything felt too rushed, they became flat, and it was just kinda overwhelming and confusing.
But oh well. For the most part, this was an enjoyable novel.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.