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A Deal with the Elf King
(Married to Magic #1)
by
The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.
Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella's village to be their Human Queen.
To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Lu ...more
Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella's village to be their Human Queen.
To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Lu ...more
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Oh my GOD was this good! Not that I'm surprised--Elise Kova can't write a bad book. This has a Hades and Persephone feel to it, but it's not a retelling--and the world Elise has created! I seriously hope there are more books to explore the rest of it! SO GOOD!!
***
I’m literally only on the second page of this one, and I can already tell you all: you need to read this. I’m getting excited chills. This one is setting up to be a phenomenal story. ...more
***
I’m literally only on the second page of this one, and I can already tell you all: you need to read this. I’m getting excited chills. This one is setting up to be a phenomenal story. ...more
Oct 17, 2020
Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell
marked it as wishlist
Shelves:
faeries-and-elves
We're all thinking it
...more
...more
- Hades & Persephone
- Beauty & the Beast
- elves & faeries
What more could you want??? 😉
This was such a FUN READ. Going into this, I didn’t expect to like it much. At first, the writing style didn’t appeal to me and nothing in particular stood out to me, but I’m so glad that I continued reading because BOY, WAS I WRONG! 😏 I ended up having a GRAND TIME with this!
Luella and Eldas have my heart and definitely snuck up on me. I thought that she’d be some average fiery heroine and he some average da ...more
- Beauty & the Beast
- elves & faeries
What more could you want??? 😉
This was such a FUN READ. Going into this, I didn’t expect to like it much. At first, the writing style didn’t appeal to me and nothing in particular stood out to me, but I’m so glad that I continued reading because BOY, WAS I WRONG! 😏 I ended up having a GRAND TIME with this!
Luella and Eldas have my heart and definitely snuck up on me. I thought that she’d be some average fiery heroine and he some average da ...more
Edit: nvm dropping this to 1 star because i really did hate this :/
----
Nothing hurts more than having one of your most anticipated reads by one your favourite authors be a huge disappointment.
I guess my streak of 4/5 stars had to end eventually.
But wow, why did 338 pages feel like 1000 pages???
I don't know. It might just be me but the whole time I was reading this, I felt absolutely nothing. I was honestly bored out of mind and considered marking this as 'DNF' many times, but I thought "Oh, mayb ...more
----
Nothing hurts more than having one of your most anticipated reads by one your favourite authors be a huge disappointment.
I guess my streak of 4/5 stars had to end eventually.
But wow, why did 338 pages feel like 1000 pages???
I don't know. It might just be me but the whole time I was reading this, I felt absolutely nothing. I was honestly bored out of mind and considered marking this as 'DNF' many times, but I thought "Oh, mayb ...more
There’s a reason why they call Holly Black the Queen of Faerie. I have yet to find something that comes even close to Holly Black’s faeries, especially as in her Folk of the Air series.
A Deal with the Elf King is a light fluffy romance trying to be fantasy, and not even trying hard. The only Elvish characteristics were in the name, The Elf King. It was easy to mistake all the characters for nothing more than human and easy to mistake the entire book for contemporary.
Character features and dress ...more
A Deal with the Elf King is a light fluffy romance trying to be fantasy, and not even trying hard. The only Elvish characteristics were in the name, The Elf King. It was easy to mistake all the characters for nothing more than human and easy to mistake the entire book for contemporary.
Character features and dress ...more
Stealing this review space to add a note or two about the book...
This book was a passion project for me. It was my first book back writing again after being near burn-out. And I started drafting it at the beginning of quarantine in 2020. I wanted to write a world that I could escape into... where everything was wrapped up with a happily ever after at the end. It's my earnest hope that others can find an escape in the pages of Eldas and Luella.
Some housekeeping/Book FAQ...
You can see all retailer ...more
This book was a passion project for me. It was my first book back writing again after being near burn-out. And I started drafting it at the beginning of quarantine in 2020. I wanted to write a world that I could escape into... where everything was wrapped up with a happily ever after at the end. It's my earnest hope that others can find an escape in the pages of Eldas and Luella.
Some housekeeping/Book FAQ...
You can see all retailer ...more
Am I expecting too much from a book these days? Or the books are just dull?
I mean, I expected an angsty, swoon worthy romance. I thought there's gonna be a lot of will they-won't they moment. I also expected a grumpy hero with a mysterious past (Yeah I'm that typical. Judge me)
But there was nothing in this book!
The hero was boring and plain and more boring. There was literally no chemistry between the two MC.
Most of the time they are just talking and arguing over lame stuffs and then he just ...more
I mean, I expected an angsty, swoon worthy romance. I thought there's gonna be a lot of will they-won't they moment. I also expected a grumpy hero with a mysterious past (Yeah I'm that typical. Judge me)
But there was nothing in this book!
The hero was boring and plain and more boring. There was literally no chemistry between the two MC.
Most of the time they are just talking and arguing over lame stuffs and then he just ...more
The way I don't know how to write this review... I haven't written a 2-star review in sO long (not since Shatter Me, which btw I read two years ago). Also, I was going to rate this 3-stars but I realized how unfair that would be to the books I've read and rated 3 stars out of 5. So, what was this book's crime?
It's boring. BOOO-RING.
Book had me like:
And the thing is, the plot isn't even tremendously horrible or anything. It's obviously unoriginal, but so is a lot of the YA fantasy genre, and I st ...more
It's boring. BOOO-RING.
Book had me like:
And the thing is, the plot isn't even tremendously horrible or anything. It's obviously unoriginal, but so is a lot of the YA fantasy genre, and I st ...more
“One thing you will soon learn is that the name of the bride quickly disappears off the tongues of the people. Whoever leaves will be forgotten as ever being a part of this town. She will become the ‘Human Queen’ for stories and nothing more.”
Elise Kova can do no wrong. I read Air Awakens and absolutely loved the series. When I heard about this book, I was nothing short of thrilled. Trust me, it’s worth it. The book is a very quick read and immensely satisfying. The perfect protagonist, the ...more
Elise Kova can do no wrong. I read Air Awakens and absolutely loved the series. When I heard about this book, I was nothing short of thrilled. Trust me, it’s worth it. The book is a very quick read and immensely satisfying. The perfect protagonist, the ...more
3.75 stars
tw: drug use
This is less of a Hades & Persephone retelling and more of an "inspired by" with Beauty & the Beast elements as well. I liked the contrast in magics we had between the two characters, with hers being nature magic and his being implied that it is tied to death (though not quite death magic). She had the spunk that I like to see with Persephone characters, with a mix of stubbornness but also very powerful magic and a desire to rule alongside him. I would say he leans much mo ...more
tw: drug use
This is less of a Hades & Persephone retelling and more of an "inspired by" with Beauty & the Beast elements as well. I liked the contrast in magics we had between the two characters, with hers being nature magic and his being implied that it is tied to death (though not quite death magic). She had the spunk that I like to see with Persephone characters, with a mix of stubbornness but also very powerful magic and a desire to rule alongside him. I would say he leans much mo ...more
3.5/5⭐️ Totally binged this entire book on my 3 hour flight today. Fun story following a Hades/Persephone storyline. Quick read that kept my interest throughout.
Because this is a standalone, it didn't feel as "epic" as most high fantasy novels. There wasn't a "big bad guy" and there wasn't a crazy plot twist/cliffhanger at the end. Instead, it was a very easy and straightforward read with a HEA ending. This isn't necessarily a good or bad thing, I just think it's good to set your expectations before you read.
❌ I JUST COULDN'T CONNECT with Luella as much as I wanted to. It's hard to explain... even though the book was written in the first person, to me, ...more
❌ I JUST COULDN'T CONNECT with Luella as much as I wanted to. It's hard to explain... even though the book was written in the first person, to me, ...more
✅ Gorgeous cover
✅ Hades and Persephone retelling
✅ Arranged marriage
🆗 Characters
🆗 Basic storyline
🆗 Romance
Well… I was expecting more from this book, but at the same time, I was ready to be a little disappointed because of all the 3 stars reviews.
The plot is quite straightforward and predictable. Eldas is the new Elf king and he needs to find his Human Queen because only her magic can keep their lands alive. He is dark ...more
✅ Hades and Persephone retelling
✅ Arranged marriage
🆗 Characters
🆗 Basic storyline
🆗 Romance
Well… I was expecting more from this book, but at the same time, I was ready to be a little disappointed because of all the 3 stars reviews.
“Some people can never be hidden; they are meant to be seen.”
The plot is quite straightforward and predictable. Eldas is the new Elf king and he needs to find his Human Queen because only her magic can keep their lands alive. He is dark ...more
Oct 15, 2020
Lacey (laceybooklovers)
marked it as to-read
Hades & Persephone AND Beauty & the Beast?? Yes please
DNF at 23%
Life's too short to waste on books that bore me to death. ...more
Life's too short to waste on books that bore me to death. ...more
"To this world. To the next. To the people we meet between and the bonds we share."
Rating: ⭐⭐
Spice Meter: 🌶️
❗This review contains minor spoilers.❗
Aaaah, I had such high expectations for this one. I'm not going to lie to you guys, I am pretty disappointed. The synopsis was so promising, but the execution was underwhelming. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it at all, though. It had its moments. Plus, (sort-of)-arranged-marriage is a decent enough trope I often enjoy ( Serpent & Dove really sold m ...more
Rating: ⭐⭐
Spice Meter: 🌶️
❗This review contains minor spoilers.❗
Aaaah, I had such high expectations for this one. I'm not going to lie to you guys, I am pretty disappointed. The synopsis was so promising, but the execution was underwhelming. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it at all, though. It had its moments. Plus, (sort-of)-arranged-marriage is a decent enough trope I often enjoy ( Serpent & Dove really sold m ...more
Juvenile dialogue. Emotional depth of characters is flaky at best. Hero is supposed to be this hard, powerful male who staggers when she expresses sympathy for him? Really? Heroine talks about being duty-bound all the time but thinks it’s okay to take off a few days after going to the otherworld realm simply because she doesn’t like it? Heroine is made out to be the only one to contest her fate because of her herbalist duties because almost 30 Human Queens before her were starry-eyed dumb bitche
...more
First compelted book of 2021😘
A Deal with the Elf King was..okay. Unfortunately, it tends to lean towards info-dumping at random times; which was a bit unnecessary/overcomplicated. Also, The world building wasn't the best..I wanted more Cruel Prince Vibes; but was left wanting more. 🙈
The romance between our two main characters was nice ( the spicy scenes made it worth the read 😳).The story isn't perfect, but I enjoyed reading it. Its definitely flawed in terms of pacing (the book is too long; in ...more
A Deal with the Elf King was..okay. Unfortunately, it tends to lean towards info-dumping at random times; which was a bit unnecessary/overcomplicated. Also, The world building wasn't the best..I wanted more Cruel Prince Vibes; but was left wanting more. 🙈
The romance between our two main characters was nice ( the spicy scenes made it worth the read 😳).The story isn't perfect, but I enjoyed reading it. Its definitely flawed in terms of pacing (the book is too long; in ...more
Rating: 2.5 stars
This most definitely did not live up to my expectations. If you're looking for a relatively simple standalone fantasy novel then this will probably work better for you than it did for me. But I spent majority of this book disappointed over the massive amount of potential it had and failed to deliver. ...more
This most definitely did not live up to my expectations. If you're looking for a relatively simple standalone fantasy novel then this will probably work better for you than it did for me. But I spent majority of this book disappointed over the massive amount of potential it had and failed to deliver. ...more
Thank you so much to the author for sending me an ARC!
This book was just pure fun. It has all of the tropes I love, with Hades & Persephone vibes, and even a hint of Beauty and the Beast.
The world was fascinating, and I'm really excited to see more of it in later books (technically this is a standalone, but we'll be getting other books in this world with different characters!). The world includes almost every major type of magical creature you would want to see, and while we only got to touch o ...more
This book was just pure fun. It has all of the tropes I love, with Hades & Persephone vibes, and even a hint of Beauty and the Beast.
The world was fascinating, and I'm really excited to see more of it in later books (technically this is a standalone, but we'll be getting other books in this world with different characters!). The world includes almost every major type of magical creature you would want to see, and while we only got to touch o ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
i really loved the characters and the world. i found so many quotes that i liked and i thought the magic system was pretty as well. there wasn’t much of a plot though, so naturally i was bored. maybe one day when i reread it i’ll enjoy it more.
Dec 10, 2021
SHOMPA
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
boring,
disappointment
Mehhh....boring! As much as the synopsis seemed interesting, I didn't find any part of it enjoyable in the whole book. Everything was too flat with zero passion.
...more
A Hades-Persephone with a mix of Beauty and the Beast retelling hmm. I'll start with the lack of two stars in the rating. Firstly, the quarter half of the book was boring as hell. Compared to the Air Folk Series, I stated how I find them pointless but the writing was spotless. Contrary to this book, I very much see the exposition to the rise of conflict but somehow, the writings sound too amateur. I'm saying this with the knowledge that this was not a debut book from the author, so I don't know
...more
the magic system gave my head physical pain.
the main couple lacked any semblance of chemistry.
the love felt like an generous helping of lust.
the drama felt like high school angst.
the world made absolutely zero sense.
the characters I couldn't care less about.
the action was nonexistent.
even the cute wolf couldn't save it for me.
one star and i'm not wasting any more brain cells on this. ...more
the main couple lacked any semblance of chemistry.
the love felt like an generous helping of lust.
the drama felt like high school angst.
the world made absolutely zero sense.
the characters I couldn't care less about.
the action was nonexistent.
even the cute wolf couldn't save it for me.
one star and i'm not wasting any more brain cells on this. ...more
3.5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
"You are my antithesis, Luella. You are the queen of life."
"And you are the king of death", I whisper, staring up into his frozen eyes.
A Deal with the Elf King is a standalone fantasy romance and a reminiscent of the tales of Beauty & the Beast and Hades and Persephone.
It's enchanting in the way that truly feels like a fairytale.
To add the cherry on top, it builds around a few favorite tropes: Arranged Marriage, Enemies-to-Lovers, Slow-burn Romance.
Nineteen year old Luella is a herb ...more
"You are my antithesis, Luella. You are the queen of life."
"And you are the king of death", I whisper, staring up into his frozen eyes.
A Deal with the Elf King is a standalone fantasy romance and a reminiscent of the tales of Beauty & the Beast and Hades and Persephone.
It's enchanting in the way that truly feels like a fairytale.
To add the cherry on top, it builds around a few favorite tropes: Arranged Marriage, Enemies-to-Lovers, Slow-burn Romance.
Nineteen year old Luella is a herb ...more
Buddy read with Natalie @bookreadreceipts! This is book one for our fae read-a-thon this week. #faewatchreads
Is it me? Should I stop reading fantasy YA? What is with this insipid trend that may or may not have started with the ACOTAR series? There is this whole stack of books that are playing the Persephone card by using fae folklore.
I would not mind this trend at all if it wouldn`t be so forced. Many authors that do not seem that keen on expanding and exploring such an universe seem to force themselves into writing it.
This book was the same as the others. Maybe that is why I chose it as my next rea ...more
I would not mind this trend at all if it wouldn`t be so forced. Many authors that do not seem that keen on expanding and exploring such an universe seem to force themselves into writing it.
This book was the same as the others. Maybe that is why I chose it as my next rea ...more
Welp. It’s 2am. That should explain the rating.
RTC after my book hangover slumber.
————————————-
Okay, my slumber is over. Time to review.
1. GURL A BUNCH OF MY FAVORITE TROPES ARE IN THIS.
I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers. It gets me every time. There are other popular tropes that appear in here that often show up in enemies to lovers books, but I won’t name them because spoilers. Just know they’re there. (Wow, this was so helpful.)
2. The slow burn. Ohhhhhhh THE. SLOW. BURN.
This is my #1 favorit ...more
RTC after my book hangover slumber.
————————————-
Okay, my slumber is over. Time to review.
1. GURL A BUNCH OF MY FAVORITE TROPES ARE IN THIS.
I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers. It gets me every time. There are other popular tropes that appear in here that often show up in enemies to lovers books, but I won’t name them because spoilers. Just know they’re there. (Wow, this was so helpful.)
2. The slow burn. Ohhhhhhh THE. SLOW. BURN.
This is my #1 favorit ...more
A Deal with the Elf King
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was so fun to read, and I am so sad its over. The world building intrigued me, and the slow-burn romance is everything I wanted! I can't say no to the married trope and the line; "There's only one bed". I wish the other book in this series was out so I could sit and read all day... ...more
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was so fun to read, and I am so sad its over. The world building intrigued me, and the slow-burn romance is everything I wanted! I can't say no to the married trope and the line; "There's only one bed". I wish the other book in this series was out so I could sit and read all day... ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenge Corner: A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova --> Restarting July 15th, 2022 | 29 | 18 | Jun 09, 2022 06:49AM | |
| Fairy Tale Retell...: A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova | 5 | 7 | Dec 29, 2021 11:19PM | |
The Procrastinato...:
A Deal with the Elf King (April 2021) Group Read Discussion
|
16 | 52 | Apr 16, 2021 01:42PM | |
|
The Procrastinato...:
A Deal with the Elf King (February 2021) Buddy Read Discussion - Laura, Gaea, Emily, Laura, Michelle, Milli
|
33 | 31 | Feb 10, 2021 01:59PM | |
| YA Buddy Readers'...: A deal with the elf king (#1 Married to magic) by Elisa Kova - Starting December 5th 2020 | 24 | 26 | Dec 08, 2020 10:35PM |
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ELISE KOVA is a USA Today bestselling author. She enjoys telling stories of fantasy worlds filled with magic and deep emotions. She lives in Florida and, when not writing, can be found playing video games, drawing, chatting with readers on social media, or daydreaming about her next story.
S ...more
ELISE KOVA is a USA Today bestselling author. She enjoys telling stories of fantasy worlds filled with magic and deep emotions. She lives in Florida and, when not writing, can be found playing video games, drawing, chatting with readers on social media, or daydreaming about her next story.
S ...more
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“You will respect me!” Eldas shouts. “Be someone worthy of respecting first!” I slam the door behind me.”
—
25 likes
“To this world. To the next. To the people we meet between and the bonds we share.”
—
24 likes
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