Queen of Sea and Stars

Daughter of Light and Shadows #2

by Anna McKerrow

As a child, Faye Morgan was always an outsider, shunned for the ancient and powerful magic that runs through her veins.

Ever since she was a little girl, growing up in the village of Abercolme on the wild coast of Scotland, Faye Morgan’s life has been steeped in the old ways – witchcraft, herbal lore and a blood connection to the dangerous and unpredictable world of Faerie.

But magic is both a gift and a burden, and Faye has more than paid the price of living between two worlds. Neither accepted by the villagers, nor welcome in the Faerie Kingdom of Murias after rebuffing the fickle and attractive Faerie warrior king, Finn Beatha, Faye runs from Abercolme, hoping to leave that life behind.

However, even in the twisted, cobbled streets of London, Faye finds her blood bond with Faerie won’t be broken. A Faerie War of the Elements is brewing and, though she doesn’t yet know it, Faye is fated to play a terrible part. If she is to survive, she must learn to embrace her own dark power and face Finn Beatha once more… but in doing so Faye will discover secrets in her own past that never should have been disturbed.

A gripping, magical, action-packed novel, perfect for fans of K.F. Breene's Natural Witch, Shannon Mayer and Laini Taylor.

What readers are saying about Anna McKerrow…
‘A sexy and intoxicating novel… The battle between light and dark played out in very magical way for Faye that kept me on the edge of my seat… cast its own spell upon me, leaving me wanting more and more.’ The Luminessence, 5 stars

‘I was hooked… there is so much in this story and before you know it, you too will be sucked into the world of Faerie and all the vivid descriptions and magical elements, that you won't want the story to end.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘The chemistry between the characters is palpable and sparks fly… There is a mystery to the way the story unravels and it takes you for a ride you won’t soon forget. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys some paranormal fun.’ Up All Night with Books

‘A fantasy romance based on Celtic lore. This book is a captivating, well-written dark fairy tale that I devoured in one sitting.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘A warm story of magic and witchcraft… The plot twists and turns and takes a few detours to get to the ending.... A very enjoyable read!!!’ Tonya’s Book Reviews

‘Sexy fairies, witchcraft, elemental magic, folklore, witchy grannies... the driving energy of the tale comes from the main character's journey… a story about a woman stepping into her own power.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘The perfect book to read on a rainy day – a dreamy escape from the mundane world into one darker, sexier, and a lot more dangerous… Laced with magic and sensuality… I can't wait for the second instalment.’ Melinda Salisbury

‘I loved the melding of fae, witch, and magic lore and life. A well-told tale.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘A magical, romantic novel about three friends who work a spell from the family grimoire to find their true loves… Really enjoyed this

Genres: Fantasy

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2019

About the author

Anna McKerrow has written poetry, children’s and adult books. She lives in London and is originally from the West Country, which gave her accent a subtle (yet noticeable) pirate twang as well as a love of cream teas and all things mystical.

She is an eclectic pagan witch and feminist who also loves crocheting blankets while watching episodes of Miss Marple. Anna loves mythology, magic, tarot, punk, grunge, rock and alternative music, fantasy and sci-fi novels, travel, luxury skincare products, chocolate, spas, candlelight and stormy beaches. She owns the requisite witchy black cat.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have often seen reviewers say that they really didn’t want to write certain reviews and this would be one of those for me. Queen of Sea and Stars by Anna McKerrow is a book that I never should have picked up, why you ask? Well, because I wasn’t a fan of the first book of this series.

Advertised as a fantasy series and with beautiful covers I was suckered into picking up the first of the series, Daughter of Light and Shadows, only to find that the fantasy side was a bit cookie cutter and nothing overly original and the romance side was insta-hop into bed-love. There really wasn’t any depth to the characters or anything that would have made me want to come back.

Now having said all of that I’m sure you are curious as to why I ended up with book two, well when picking it up it wasn’t marked as part of a series and I was thinking it was all new, nope. The blurb now mentions that this is book two however it also mentions you don’t need to have read the first and I don’t really agree with that myself. Both are dealing with the same characters and book two takes no time at all hoping right into the erotica so I can’t imagine not having the slim amount of character depth from the first. Regardless though this obviously wasn’t for me but I’m sure if the right readers pick these up they may love them.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Another plea. You humans are full of wants, and yet when your pleas are answered, you do not like the solutions.”

WITCHCRAFT AND FAERIES IN ONE BOOK WAS JUST WHAT I NEEDED.


This book following Faye's journey after she survived the faerie realm and saved his boyfriend, Rav, from the torture of the Faerie King of Murias who is also happened to be her faerie lover, Finn Beatha. Once they came back, Rav and Faye decided to start a new normal life in London. But the horror and trauma from Murias made them unsure of their relationship. Rav wanted to forget but Faye couldn't deny the horrible past because that'd mean she denied her other self, that she's a half-faerie.
When they started to learn to live normal and buried the accident deep into the ground, the faerie realm didn't want to let Faye go just yet. She left a friend in Murias and she was trying to get her back before her friend was lost too deep in the faerie realm's deadly beautiful magic. As she dived into her faerie heritage, she found herself struggling to trust anyone for she suffered from their wickedness.
But a Faerie War of Elements is coming and even though Faye wasn't aware of it, she played the main part in it. Could she come back to Murias and face Finn Beatha once more? Could she resist the charm of faeries to save her friend and herself to escape?


Okay, let's get into the review.


I was surprised. I didn't know that this book is going to be good. The writing was great, I liked it from the start. This book was written from the third person POV but I could easily positioning myself in the MC's shoes, to feel her emotions and to imagining the places she went. The world-building was pretty good. It wasn't a small world so I understand for the flaws here and there but it was still great. OH, and the way the author explained about witches and witchcraft in this book was awesome. I loved how she wrote the spells and rituals in this book. The pace was a little slow at the beginning but it picked up just fine. The ending though, it was a little too rush so there were plot holes. So when I thought that this book was going to have a great ending, that expectation evaporated easily.

“You’re more magical than most people will ever be, Faye. If he can’t stand in your light, then he deserves to live in the dark. And you deserve someone who knows how to walk in the shadows with you.”

The side characters were fun to read. My favorites are Gabriel, he was charismatic and such a loyal friend I NEED GABRIEL BLACK IN MY LIFE; Annie, she was brave and would do anything for her loved ones; Moronoe, Queen to the Queendom of Moronoe, with a smart and manipulative mind of a faerie, she was an interesting character. They had the capability to grow but sadly, the author only focusing on the MC, Faye. Well, in the beginning, I liked her. Because she seems, human even though she was half-fae with her insecurities and her struggle trying to fit in. But as the story goes, I grew tired and annoyed by her. She became stubborn and make things more complicated. I just disappointed by her.

After assessing the reason why this book felt empty, I realized there is one thing that should be there that'd make this book A LOT better: the details and depth into the politics of faeries. Even though most of this book was revolving around faeries, I don't think the author really took her time peeling every layer in the faeries realm, except for the pleasure and beauty. There was a war between kingdoms but it felt like there was no war at all. This book was overly focusing on Rav and Faye's relationship until in the middle of reading I was wondering while rolling my eyes and sighing for the thousandth times: do I read a fantasy book or a romance one? Clearly, there's no problem to put some romance into any genre of books but I wished this book could be better.

“She felt the raw elemental energy coming; earth from the north, air from the east, fire from the south and water from the west, their power rushing into the circle and melding, merging into something new.”

Overall, Queen of Sea and Stars was an okay but enjoyable read. IMO, this book is too long. It could be shortened while also filled in with more faeries intrigues. I originally wanted to give it 2.5 stars but I rounded it to 3 solely for the idea of putting witches and faeries together. If you like angst romance, faeries, witches, you might want to try this one.


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[Silke · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

In October of last year I had the pleasure of reading Daughter of Light and Shadows by Anna McKerrow. I loved how modern witchcraft was portrayed in the story, but overall story couldn’t convince me. I found the characters lacking any dept and the Fae world was completely off balance. So I was very curious to see if the second installment in the series was better.

I am sad to say that Queen of Sea and Stars felt even weaker than Daughter of Light and Shadows. Once again I absolutely adored the modern witchcraft aspect of the story. Especially the fact that this book explores wicca, coven work but also solitary practice. I loved how the group rituals felt real and how once again it was highlighted that witches are just regular people like you and I. It is so clear that Anna Mckerrow has a vast and correct knowledge of modern witchcraft and she knows how to get it across to her readers. Absolutely loved that part of the story.

One of the main issues this book has is the pacing of the story. The whole story is completely wrong in pacing. First of all it takes about 65% of the book for something to actually happen. This is a fantasy novel, but the first better half of the book feels like a badly written contemporary. We follow Faye and Rav while they try to get their lives back on the rails in London. In the first instalment of the book I was really rooting for Faye and Rav. But now I was just mind blown on how Anna McKerrow made a sweet en believable relationship so toxic in just a few pages. From the start it is clear that their relationship isn’t based on respect or even love. I wanted to scream in utter resentment at Faye because she kept on blabbering on about her love for Rav while she was cheating on him in her mind all the time. I really resented the way Rav en Faye interacted with each other. I don’t know if Anna McKerrow was trying to write a convincible PTSD storyline, but let’s just say it didn’t work out. It was horribly done and without a lot of knowledge about PTSD. Such a shame, because it can be such a wonderful storyline when well executed. (Think about the falconer series or even ACOMAF.)

So yes, the first part of the book is a melodramatic romance novel that is only rescued a little bit by the brilliant part of Gabriel Black. Everything is slow and actually quite boring. Then the action picks up, we travel again to the Fae realm and once again the pacing is completely off. Now everything is moving extremely fast and the chapters feel like they are broken off at weird points. It all feels strange and rushed. And that is such a shame, because this part of the story is the reason why people tend to pick up this genre of novels. Not for the endless bickering between two people who shouldn’t be together in the first place, but because of the Fae and the magic in the story.
But let’s end on a good note. In my last review I stated I felt the characters were underdeveloped. I must say that in this instalment everybody got a little more character dept. Especially towards the end of the story I was very intrigued by the motivations and the feelings of Finn.

I was quite disappointed by the story. It would have hugely benefited if the focus would have been on the fae politics and less on the toxic relationship.

[Sam]

Going into this book I was anticipating being welcomed into a wonderful world full of witchcraft and faerie. Unfortunately the book started off on a lacklustre note and never really picked up throughout.

This is definitely not YA and is full of graphic sexual content, including non-consensual sexual content. I felt a bit put off by the immediate sexual nature in the very first chapter.

This book may be for some people, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Chantel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Queen of Sea and Stars is a sequel to Daughter of Light and Shadows . Though some commenters have indicated you can read these separately, I would read them as a series so as to better understand the Faerie realm and Faye's world. I did it this way, and feel like if I'd gone to Queen of Sea and Stars first, I'd have missed some important plot points.

I had mixed feelings about this one, there were some things I really liked, and some things I found more difficult.

I love the lore in this series, and in this book. Faeries can sometimes be depicted as loving, beautiful beings in other books I've read - and for me, the Faeries in this are flawed, at times vicious and malignant, and often after their own goals without a care for others. Having recently finished, I'm still trying to decide if the Faerie King, Finn Beatha is a good guy or a bad guy. I seem to see so many conflicting sides to him, that I'm unsure what's right - I like this conflict though. I like trying to read into his decisions and motivations and not being sure about what his endgame is.

The thing I found hardest was that there were events in the plot that could be quite unreasonable for someone to do in the particular situations they were in. Without giving away spoilers, there were certain decisions Faye made that I felt were more about driving the plot than staying true to who Faye is as a character, and doing what is in her best interests. This is my main issue with the novel as a whole. It felt forced, not a natural sequence of events.

On the whole, I have enjoyed getting to know the characters in this series and will keep my eye out for any new additions to this world.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

To read more reviews, head to my blog

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok, firstly this is not YA. It's NA or Adult but it is definitely not YA. It should also come with trigger warnings, because the story contains some explicit sexual abuse.


I didn't like this book. I just couldn't. The writing was flowery, the dialogue was dull and stilted, there was excessive punctuation (seriously, how many semicolons do you need in a paragraph???) and the plot was either too boring or too abrupt or too unrealistic. Yes, so this is fantasy, but you don't get pregnant and give birth in just a matter of days. Come on.
And then there were the sex scenes. Oh my gosh. Never mind the fact they were explicit, but they were just embarrassing. Absolutely ridiculous. The words the author chose.....oh my goodness. They would have made me laugh if I hadn't been so disgusted.

Speaking of sex scenes, there was also a lot of sexual abuse in this book. Rape, assault, torture.....most of it was graphic, and otherwise it was just mentioned. Still, it was there. It was revolting and offensive and wasn't handled all that well.

The characters were easily forgettable. Faye was bland, beautiful, and "feisty", and the main "love interests" were stereotypes: Rav's the "good human" option, except he's actually a jerk who cheats on his girlfriend and drinks too much; Gabriel's the tall, dark, and handsome friend who's got the personality of a soggy blanket; and Finn was the sexy villain, with whom Faye constantly has this push-and-pull desire. (FYI: Finn is an abusive psychopath. He's one of many male faeries who kidnap human women, force them to bear children (like literally chain them up in the dungeons and torture them) and who's so besotted with the heroine that he tortured her boyfriend out of jealousy. Sure, Faye's terrified of him and tries to outwit him, but by the end it's clear that the author isn't giving up hope on them becoming a couple. Thankfully, I won't be reading Book 3 to see how things turn out.

While we're on problematic content, let me go back to the whole kidnapping women thing. It's horrific the way they're treated, and it's even more horrific that once they're taken to the Faerie kingdom they lose the ability to think clearly or resist their male captors. Basically, they lose their right to choose. They become sleepy dolls under the influence of faerie charms, and have little to no ability to fight back or resist seduction. It's horrendous. While other readers call these Faeries sexy, I call them rapists and abusers.

[Julie Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in this series, which I didn’t realise when I requested it.
Whilst I really enjoyed this book, at times I found myself wondering about the first book especially as Faye’s experience in the Faerie world was so intense.
So whilst it’s not essential to have read ‘Daughter of light and shadows’, I think the reading of the second book would have been enhanced by it.
This is an enchanting book that centres around Faye who is half human and half Fae/Faerie.
Faye has moved to London with her boyfriend Rav following a terrifying experience in the Faerie world.
Tensions are starting to come to the surface as Faye can’t ignore her past or her roots, and Rav wants her to put it behind her.
Faye joins a local coven as she is also a witch, and what appears, comes as a huge shock to them all.
This sends shockwaves through both worlds and Faye has to come to terms with what she has discovered.
This is a magical fantasy novel that had me hooked from the first few pages.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

[The Starry Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the sequel to the sexy and magical world of' Daughter of Light and Shadows', Anna McKerrow once again offers up a seductive story involving a young witch who must grapple with embracing her shadows. Her shadows lie in the faerie kingdom where temptation and lust hide behind its enchanting facade. What I loved about this sequel was that we saw more of how the faerie kingdom began to directly affect Faye and her life. It delved deeper into the exploration of the fight between light and dark and how one cannot survive without the other. It examined the price one must pay to choose one life over another and how doing so, forces us to reject a part of ourselves, a part that will continue to gnaw at us until we lose ourselves in its ecstasy.

After reading two novels by Anna McKerrow, I have decided that I really like McKerrow’s writing style because her pacing is perfect and her characters are alluring. Some stories about Fae get lost in the details of its imaginary world, but the realism McKerrow brings to her readers is ironically, what makes her stories even more fantastical. I suppose the story about a woman trying to find herself in two seemingly different worlds is a great metaphor for the arduous journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. I do hope there will be a sequel because 'Queen of Sea and Stars' totally bewitched me.

[L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was a sequel when I requested it on NetGalley. Luckily the first one was on Kindle Unlimited, so I was able to read it. There are some good parts to this book: Annie and Susie, the atmosphere of the settings, the family history and lore. And there are some not so good parts: like every guy character, the melodrama, the Mary Sue-ness. I do thing this book felt more mature than the first one. The plot and MC reminded me a bit of the Dark Swan series by Richelle Mead. I wanted it to be less predictable, less over-the-top, but it wasn't. I never saw a connection between either Faye and Finn or Faye and Rav, and those connections drive most of the plot, so for me it was just too hard to suspend my disbelief. The whole pregnancy thing and who's the father was just very eye roll inducing for me, and how quickly the romance with Rav devolves? I just wanted the characters to feel more really. It felt like there were no real consequences for anything

A note: this is not a YA book. The MC is in her mid-20s and there are definitely 18+ scenes.
Also, I tend to not rate smaller pub books as harshly, because I don't want to completely ruin the ratings on Amazon and such. This is a book that I'm sure many people will like. I just didn't care for it that much. It was "okay." (Just like the Dark Swan series which has many devoted fans).

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was received as an ARC from Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was jawdropping from beginning to end. The story of Faye and what she has learned of her upbringing and faerie power she accidentally discovered. Then later finding out about Finn, she was loosing her mind and knew she had to escape but she escaped to the real world in London. Then after finding her peace and her way, mayhem strikes and she is now part of the war in her former Kingdom and instead of being frightened by her gift she has to embrace it in order to defeat King Finn and take back what is rightfully hers. This book had action, excitement and nail-biting events that kept the reader on their feet.

We will consider adding this title to our YFantasy collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t realise this was second in a series so was hard to get into and catch up, but even without that I found the pace slow, I couldn’t really connect with it and I didn’t empathise with the characters much. There’s good world building and the fame are well done. But other than that not for me

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[Annarella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm in two mind about this book: on one side I found it quite enjoyable, on the other side I felt like it somehow failed to deliver even if it's full of promises.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.

[Scarlet Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t realise this was a sequel when requested on netgalley and this was in the YA section and is definitely not a YA book. It’s much more NA even adult in content. Sad to say didn’t enjoy at all, but it has a beautiful cover.

[Samantha (Booktiamo) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This looked really promising, but I felt it didn’t live up to my expectations. I found it lacking in depth and the character were not very interesting. I found it disappointing.

[Haley The Caffeinated Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5, but rounded up to 3.

I received a free eARC via netgalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book is NOT YA. And that's okay, but, it is certainly mislabeled when it is clearly an Adult Supernatural/fantasy romance novel. It is heavy on the love scenes, but, I don't mind that, it was just not what I was expecting. Another thing to note, this is actually the second book in the series which I didn't realize when I read the synopsis on NetGalley -and to be fair I don't think it states that but if just looking it up on GoodReads will reveal it as second in a series-.

The book was entertaining and enjoyable, it was something that I also wished I had read the first book because I think that would have made things clearer but that was my own fault. The problems I have with the book have to do more with pacing, and wanting more depth out of Faye. I thought there was enough going between faeries and the real world to keep me interested and Faye's friends are just fantastic. I also had a huge issue with was the fact that though Faye and Annie grew up in the same town, somehow Faye has no Scots to her speech while Annie has it in trifold.

I enjoyed the use of modern-day witchcraft and the shout out to Wiccans, that was nice, and I think that McKerrow did a great job capturing the darkness of the faerie court.

I hated Rav, I don't know if I would have had more sympathy for him if I had read the first book but the things that Faye does for him just make me want to shake her. I think this will be judged harshly under the fact that it's not YA and it will throw many off to see the amount of sex scenes. But I also felt like in the end I still wanted to like Finn, maybe because I felt he had excuses for his behaviour being a being that wasn't human and wasn't tied down to human morals. Either way, it was an enjoyable read once I reconciled what it was in comparison as to how it was labelled, and the 2.5 would have been a full 3 if there hadn't been so much ridiculousness with Rav and Finn, and with the awkward pacing.

Pros:
-Great Friends
-Lovely way of modern-day witchcraft incorporation into the story
-Creepy dark faerie realms
-Set in rural Scotland and London so that was a nice difference in settings
-You could relate to her friends and even Faye herself at times though more with the friends
-Morgana is in it, so I'm already like: yes.
-Impossibly brutal faerie deals

Cons:
- You want to punch Rav in the face, and you want to punch Finn in the face
- Faye seems to have no Scottish accent but her friend does and they're from the same place and grew up in the same place.
- The book itself is in the wrong genre and age range (NA/A Romance, not YA)
- Mallory. Ugh.
- The pacing will go fast and slow which is understandable with the actual timeline when you're switching realms but not when you're reading and it feels like someone's messing with the gas pedal while driving.
-Rav really is a butthead. Finn is a butthead. Lyr is a butthead
-Why is Gabriel the only decent male?

[Sara G · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 out of 5 stars

***ARC received from Bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

I'm going to preface this by saying that when I originally requested this book it was not listed as a sequel. Even though the blurb says that it can be read as a standalone, I would respectfully disagree. The reader is at a significant disadvantage having not first met the characters and the overall plot/world in the previous book. Because of this, I won't address the lack of world building, particularly for Faerie, because it was more than likely covered in the first book. With that, lets be off.

The Good

- I really liked the concept for modern day witchcraft and faeries. Out of all fantasy novels, this it what I learn toward and it hit the right notes. I just wish there had been more of it, Faye makes references to her shop and witchcraft but there is very little seen. The hints that we get gives me the idea that the author knows her stuff and how to write a very interesting modern day setting. We are introduced to a coven and their members and I wanted to spend more time with them. I wanted to spend more time with everything witchcraft.

- Gabriel, I just really like Gabriel. He wanted to help Faye but he had his own reasoning. I understand his reasoning, I may not agree with them, but in the end I understand why did what he did and that is the most important part.

The Not So Good

- Pacing and Priority severely struggle in this book. The book spends a lot of time doing a lot of really mundane things. Faye and Rav shopping and drinking, Faye and her friends seeming to have the same conversation in two separate chapters. A TV show, shopping, parties all stuff that just drags the story along. By the time the book seems to remember it needs to address the overarching plot, the books well over half way over and it can't cram everything in. Which bring me to priorities, aka the things that should get the most time doesn't. Like I said the book prioritizes the mundane everyday over what could have been an interesting story. There is the deal that Faye made in the last book to give her child over to the Faerie Queen but by the time we get to Faye's pregnancy the book just glosses over the whole thing. The book should have followed Faye through her pregnancy so that we as the readers are invested in her fight to keep her child from the Faerie world. It seems to be such a big plot point, its brought up multiple times but then its just there and gone.

- The romance is so questionable to me. Like, am I supposed to be rooting for Faye and Finn? Despite that Faye seems terrified of him and traumatized of the memories of what she suffered it feels like the story is going to make them endgame. Despite the fact that it feels so toxic.

Some good points but with such bad pacing its hard to enjoy the book.

[Amanda Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book and see what happened to Faye and Rav and of course what Finn Beatha would get up to. In this book, we meet Faye and Rav in London where they have gone to escape what happened in Faye’s hometown. In order to rescue Rav from Murias, Faye made a bargain with Glitonea and must give up her firstborn child. In London, Faye gets to meet some new friends as well as catching up with Annie, her friend from home. Visiting Annie on the set of her new TV show, Faye meets Ruby and gets introduced to a London coven of witches where she is invited to one of their rituals and her father Lyr appears and takes her to his home. Faye is desperate to rescue Aisha who was taken by Finn Beatha, but the only way her father will help is if Faye gives him a human to bear a child for him.

There’s quite a lot of build-up to the story while Faye is in London and she becomes friends with Gabriel Black, a fellow shop owner. When Faye attempts to rescue Aisha, Gabriel gets dragged to Murias as well and becomes the lover of Glitonea. It’s a bit similar to the story from book 1.

The action really doesn’t kick off until about 60% into the book and once I reached it, I read the rest of the book in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down. The writing flows well and once the action kicks in, there is so much to love and anyone who enjoyed book 1 will love how the story unfolds.

I did find the start of the book a little slow and there was a lot of repetition especially if you’ve read the first book. Faye made a bargain with Glitonea that she would give her a child in order to get Rav out of Murias and this is repeated over and over again which I have to admit became a little annoying as did the explanations for what I already knew from book 1. On a whole, I enjoyed the book, but I have to say, I did skim some parts that I already knew and some of the descriptions that were too long and broken the action.

The book ends well with lots more scope for a further book which I know I will read as well. I would like to see Faye grow and discover what her faery powers are. She hasn’t done this yet and there is so much more to her story waiting to be told. I've given this book 4 Stars because the writing was fluid and I love the characters and I can't wait to read more in this series.

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting blend of witchcraft and Faerie

My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC via NetGalley of Anna McKerrow’s ‘Queen of Sea and Stars’ in exchange for an honest review. Loving it I purchased my own copy.

Following a series of traumatic events linked to encounters within the Faerie realm, Faye Morgan, who is descended from a line of witches and is also half-Fae herself, relocates to London with her partner, Rav. He also was emotionally scarred by his time in Scotland. However, while Rav tries to forget and dismiss his experiences, Faye finds that the blood bond with Faerie is too strong and she is driven to embrace her own power and face the elemental forces of Faerie.

I admit that I was initially drawn to this novel by its stunning cover art. I was a bit concerned when I started reading to find that it was the second in a series but was quickly able to gain a sense of the background and characters from the information provided. While probably better to read them in order I found that the book worked fine on its own.

The opening chapter certainly hits the ground running (or the mattress bouncing) via a steamy scene between Faye Morgan and boyfriend, Rav, with a guest appearance via memory (or psychic intrusion) by her former Faerie King lover, Finn, who presumably played an important role in the first book.

Anna McKerrow clearly has a solid understanding of both traditional and modern pagan witchcraft, which instantly scored high marks with me. It was also abundantly clear that she has a strong grasp of magic, folklore, myth and legend including that of Faerie. This gave her novel a powerful sense of authenticity and made me very happy.

Faye’s journey of self-discovery and sense of being part of two worlds and yet an outsider in both was very relatable.

I read this in a single sitting and was completely enchanted by it. I plan to read the first book, ‘Daughter of Light and Shadow’, soon and to look at her other novels.

Hopefully there is a future book (or more) planned in this series and I certainly will be on the lookout for this and future projects by this talented author.

[Dayanara Ryelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ordinarily, I would've just marked this DNF and moved on with my life, but I don't want my NetGalley score to go down any further, so here we are.

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First, nothing on NG indicated that this was a sequel. If I'd known, I wouldn't have put out a request for it. I don't think sequels should be allowed on NG, because I don't feel it's my job as a reviewer to track down the first book so I can familiarize myself with the world you're soliciting reviews for. (It also explains why I feel like I'm missing a lot...I am!)

Second, straight into a hot and heavy sex scene in the first chapter? EWW! Partway through the book? Okay, fine. But straight off? And while fantasizing about someone else? Disgusting. I nearly quit right there. (I actually started another book in the middle of the first chapter, because I didn't want to read about sex over lunch.)

Third, the Scots stuff is all over the place. Annie has a thick accent, but Faye doesn't, even though they came from the same hometown. Faye is a witch and knows the sabbats and customs...but uses the Irish "Samhain" instead of the Scottish "Samhuinn". (I don't know any Scots, but I'm familiar with that because I'd rather say "Saveen" instead of "Sowen".) I'm sure there are other examples, but I didn't get beyond twenty-five pages.

Finally, the narrative thread is just not there. Chapters (especially the first one) should make you want to keep reading. I read beyond the prologue because I was curious to figure out Faye would deal with Glintonea's request. I stopped because of the sex scene; and even when I moved on, nothing about the story was enticing.

Despite all I had to say about the book, I'd give it a hard pass.

[Caitlin Janke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had known there was a previous story when I started the queen of sea and stars since the events are connected to this novel. However the author does a great job of filling you in a brisk way and intertwines the events from the first book without bogging down the story with facts and replaying events too much.
I really enjoyed the way Anna McKerrow brought witches and fairies together in a creative way. And the story was hard to put down even through the slower parts. This novel also left a few questions unanswered that keep you wanting more for another book while not just suddenly stopping this story on a direct cliff hanger.
Personally I wish the book wasn't so rushed towards the end. It skips months that could have had some filler and less in the earlier part of the story. But overall this was an interesting story that you could still enjoy without reading the first one. I still plan on reading it but as I said I didn't need it to enjoy this one. If you are intrigued by the synopsis and don't mind adult content I would reccomend giving queen of sea and stars a read.

I received an advanced copy through netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[Shiny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader's copy of Queen of Sea and Stars by Anna McKerrow from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first novel by Anna McKerrow that I have read and, overall, this novel missed the mark for me. I thought the writing was alright and the plot should have been interesting given the summary, but the plot wasn't evenly paced as it meandered. Also, the main characters' chemistry or appeal was not there, in my opinion.

[Anne Oftedahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I applied for this on NetGalley I didn't realise it was a sequel... I still tried to read it, but this is one of those books that are really difficult to get into if you haven't read the first one, so I don't feel that I am really in a position to give a proper review.
What I can say, however, is that it goes right into the issues, and I thought it was very well written.

[Destiny Bridwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I have always loved Scotland and the Faerie. I was excited when I got this book and really wanted to where this journey would take Faye. There was no way for her escape her connection with Faeries and their king Finn. Even when she leaves Scotland for England. She discovers things about herself that puts her right back in the path of Finn once again. It is all depends on if she survives the dark magic. 

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sequel was a magical fantasy romance full of witches and fairies. I felt this book was good but I gave it three stars because it didn't have me on the edge of my seat. I am looking forward to the third installment of the series.

**This ARC was obtained from netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

[Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read!

I really did enjoy this book! Twists and turns in the story kept my enthralled and the modern witchcraft element made for a perfect balance.
I enjoyed the flow of the book and ended up reading it in two days because I didn’t want to put it down!
It’s full of passion and strong female characters that you can really get behind.

[Francesca · Rating 1 out of 5]

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange of an honest review*

Boring, predictable, poorly written. This book was such a drab I felt cheated of the time I spent reading it.

[N.J. Simmonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant sequel, full of passionate magic and charming characters. If you love your fairies with a saucy twist, you'll love this.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

I loved this series. I loved the themes of witches and faeries combined, and I felt transported every time I picked up the books to read. I wish the ending continued… I was looking forward to another book in the series because I felt like it left me hanging!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

In exchange for an honest review, I received a free eARC copy of Queen of Sea and Stars by Anna McKerrow, courtesy of NetGalley.

Book Blurb – Courtesy of NetGalley

As a child, Faye Morgan was always an outsider, shunned for the ancient and powerful magic that runs through her veins. 

Ever since she was a little girl, growing up in the village of Abercolme on the wild coast of Scotland, Faye Morgan’s life has been steeped in the old ways – witchcraft, herbal lore and a blood connection to the dangerous and unpredictable world of Faerie. 

But magic is both a gift and a burden, and Faye has more than paid the price of living between two worlds. Neither accepted by the villagers, nor welcome in the Faerie Kingdom of Murias after rebuffing the fickle and attractive Faerie warrior king, Finn Beatha, Faye runs from Abercolme, hoping to leave that life behind.

However, even in the twisted, cobbled streets of London, Faye finds her blood bond with Faerie won’t be broken. A Faerie War of the Elements is brewing and, though she doesn’t yet know it, Faye is fated to play a terrible part. If she is to survive, she must learn to embrace her own dark power and face Finn Beatha once more… but in doing so Faye will discover secrets in her own past that never should have been disturbed. 

A gripping, magical, action-packed novel, perfect for fans of K.F. Breene’s Natural Witch, Shannon Mayer and Laini Taylor.

Queen of Sea and Stars can be read as a standalone. 

My Thoughts

First, there is a first book called Daughter of Light and Shadows, even though the blurb states Queen of Sea and Stars can be read as a standalone, Most of the time when authors or publishers state this, it’s because the author will usually do a brief summary in the book. I like getting the full story, however, so I went ahead and bought a copy of Daughter just so I can keep my stories straight.

Queen of Sea and Stars should not be read as a stand-alone. If I hadn’t read the first book, all of the references thrown into the first 15 or so chapters, kind of haphazardly, would be enough to get me to go ahead and stop and go read the first book. As someone who has read the first book, the haphazard references seem a little sloppy and annoying. I feel the author could have done away with those references and just encouraged her readers to just read the first book.

I will say that after slugging through the first 16 chapters, the story starts to get a little more interesting and we start to get into a typical fantasy storyline where prophecy and sacrifice takes hold.

What I Liked

1) I honestly loved the support characters in this novel more than those of the first novel. Gabriel and Ruby were a great support system for Faye. I mean, Annie was alright, but she kind of got on my nerves. Why was she the only one with a strong Scottish accent when the entire first novel took place in Scotland?
2) I enjoy reading about the Fae, the dark and the light sides of them.

What I Didn’t Like

1) While I love a good witch or Fae storyline, and I think that mixing them is fantastic, I don’t think it really worked for this story. Faye becoming involved with the Fae as she did just made her appear, to me at least, a weaker character. She continuously makes the same mistakes over and over again when it comes to the Fae and her love life, even if her intentions are pure. She really got on my nerves.

2) I think if this story would have focused more on a witch coming into her half-Fae heritage and purely learning from the Faerie queens instead of focusing on her love life, this would have been an incredible story. I’m not against romance, but I’m tired of love triangles and I honestly thought both Finn and Rav were terrible men and love interests. One was abusive and the other oblivious and negligent to Faye.

In Conclusion

As much as I wanted to like this story, I really didn’t. I always hate saying that when reviewing books, especially when I know how much work, energy, and love goes into a story. But I also want to be honest. I definitely enjoyed the characters Gabriel and Ruby more than any other character in the story, but I really didn’t care for the others. I wanted to smack Faye up against the head for her choices and tell her to just forget about men and just be a strong women.

I rated the first book, Daughter of Light and Shadows 3 stars in Goodreads. Honestly, I don’t feel that Queen of Sea and Stars was any better. I will give this one 3 stars since it did become more interesting after chapter 16 and I loved the London Coven, Gabriel, and Ruby. I don’t think I’ll pick up the next book of this series though if there is one.

[Evelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was really different from what I expected!

Full review: http://evelynreads.com/arc-review-que...