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Bluebeard's Secret #1
Fly with the Arrow
A STOLEN BRIDE. A TERRIFYING BRIDEGROOM. THE GAME THAT WILL DETERMINE THEIR FATES.
No one told her the most important law of the court - the Law of Greeting.
If they had, maybe she wouldn't have greeted Bluebeard when he arrived to claim a mortal wife. And if she hadn't greeted him, she wouldn't have become his sixteenth wife or been swept away to the lands of the Wittenhame.
But if none of that had happened, then she wouldn't have been an integral part of the game that takes place every two hundred years - a game that determines the fates of nations .
For not all is as it seems, not in her homeland of Pensmoore, not in the Wittenhame, and certainly not in her new marriage.
No one told her the most important law of the court - the Law of Greeting.
If they had, maybe she wouldn't have greeted Bluebeard when he arrived to claim a mortal wife. And if she hadn't greeted him, she wouldn't have become his sixteenth wife or been swept away to the lands of the Wittenhame.
But if none of that had happened, then she wouldn't have been an integral part of the game that takes place every two hundred years - a game that determines the fates of nations .
For not all is as it seems, not in her homeland of Pensmoore, not in the Wittenhame, and certainly not in her new marriage.
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2021
763 people are currently reading
13224 people want to read
About the author
Sarah K.L. Wilson
159 books1,038 followersSarah K. L. Wilson is a USA Today Bestselling author who writes fantasy stories featuring practical heroes & heroines in the most impractical circumstances. She loves writing because it is the only way to make a living and give back to the world when your primary skill is an overactive imagination and a tendency toward violent daydreams.
Sarah can be found in the outdoors of Northern Ontario with her young boys and beloved husband, reading a book, or fending off her husband's pet turkeys with a straw broom.
You can find Sarah's books in paperback, hardcover, ebook and audiobook and they have also been translated into Italian, German, and (very soon) Turkish.
Please, do, enjoy the read!
*USA Today bestseller list, November 2, 2017
www.sarahklwilson.com
sarah@sarahklwilson.com
Instagram @sarahklwilson
Facebook @sarahklwilson
TikTok @sarahklwilson
Sarah can be found in the outdoors of Northern Ontario with her young boys and beloved husband, reading a book, or fending off her husband's pet turkeys with a straw broom.
You can find Sarah's books in paperback, hardcover, ebook and audiobook and they have also been translated into Italian, German, and (very soon) Turkish.
Please, do, enjoy the read!
*USA Today bestseller list, November 2, 2017
www.sarahklwilson.com
sarah@sarahklwilson.com
Instagram @sarahklwilson
Facebook @sarahklwilson
TikTok @sarahklwilson
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 553 reviews
August 7, 2022
!!!FOUR STARS!!!
Okay i actually liked this book!!!!!!! I'm surprised, because based on the premise I thought I was going to hate it.
(only bought it for the cover tho)
The thing about me when smut and the generic "bad brooding boy" trope are just the whole plot I will end up hating the book.
Bu this book actually had some depth and plot, and I like read it within a two hour time-span. So unfortunately, I did not know about the Bluebeard fantasy story until I read the book. I do know that one brother grim story (because I'm a horror junkie) where this girl becomes a maid and the owner tells her to take care of this egg and never go in this one room, but she ends up going in there to see a bunch of butchered people and drops the egg and then the dude finds out. So I thought it was going to be like gory and stuff, but it was more on the light side.
I was like expecting blue beard to be the non-love interest and Izolda the girl who slaughters him but um that didn't happen. But I loved Izolda as a character anyway. She wasn't like those MC's in wattpad stories where they stutter and talk in a "cute" way. She was very smart and I really liked her. Firstly because she didn't ttake shit from bluebeard and also because she involved herself with the politics.
there was this game thing where it would decide the fate of her village and Izolda decided to become bluebeards partner. She is so badass I love her so much. She literally used him so many times and I was one hundred percent there for it.
Blue beard was a good character too. We didn't get his full story but he seemed pretty complex. Also, he's sarcastic and flirty, so total green flag. And he didn't try to force himself on Izolda or anything, and he didn't call her a "slut" or other rude disturbing slurs and actually respected her. That's literally the bare minimum but still, female authors love to have the love interests degrade and dehumanize the mc's and then they make it "hot." thank god that didn't happen in this book (the only exception is cardan)
yeah i generally enjoyed this book!
see y'all bitches later.
---------------------------
Holy shit tho, that ending!!!
Review To Come
--------------------
A STOLEN BRIDE. A TERRIFYING BRIDEGROOM. THE GAME THAT WILL DETERMINE THEIR FATES.
All I can think about is how that when I read that, I imagined Jack Sparrow screaming it into my ear.
Okay i actually liked this book!!!!!!! I'm surprised, because based on the premise I thought I was going to hate it.
(only bought it for the cover tho)
The thing about me when smut and the generic "bad brooding boy" trope are just the whole plot I will end up hating the book.
Bu this book actually had some depth and plot, and I like read it within a two hour time-span. So unfortunately, I did not know about the Bluebeard fantasy story until I read the book. I do know that one brother grim story (because I'm a horror junkie) where this girl becomes a maid and the owner tells her to take care of this egg and never go in this one room, but she ends up going in there to see a bunch of butchered people and drops the egg and then the dude finds out. So I thought it was going to be like gory and stuff, but it was more on the light side.
I was like expecting blue beard to be the non-love interest and Izolda the girl who slaughters him but um that didn't happen. But I loved Izolda as a character anyway. She wasn't like those MC's in wattpad stories where they stutter and talk in a "cute" way. She was very smart and I really liked her. Firstly because she didn't ttake shit from bluebeard and also because she involved herself with the politics.
there was this game thing where it would decide the fate of her village and Izolda decided to become bluebeards partner. She is so badass I love her so much. She literally used him so many times and I was one hundred percent there for it.
Blue beard was a good character too. We didn't get his full story but he seemed pretty complex. Also, he's sarcastic and flirty, so total green flag. And he didn't try to force himself on Izolda or anything, and he didn't call her a "slut" or other rude disturbing slurs and actually respected her. That's literally the bare minimum but still, female authors love to have the love interests degrade and dehumanize the mc's and then they make it "hot." thank god that didn't happen in this book (the only exception is cardan)
yeah i generally enjoyed this book!
see y'all bitches later.
---------------------------
Holy shit tho, that ending!!!
Review To Come
--------------------
A STOLEN BRIDE. A TERRIFYING BRIDEGROOM. THE GAME THAT WILL DETERMINE THEIR FATES.
All I can think about is how that when I read that, I imagined Jack Sparrow screaming it into my ear.
May 16, 2021
What an utterly delightful yet puzzling yet enjoyable yet confusing yet addictive read. 💙💙💙
I have a soft spot for the Bluebeard tale: it’s so deliciously dark yet seductive and while I wouldn’t categorise Fly with the Arrow as “dark”it was sinister in a whimsical fashion. The fae here are the ones out of legends...baffling, stunningly beautiful or awful and always cruel and arrogant, and all so crazy. (Update: now that i have read The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, the fae are very similar to this series...which i loooove).
The heroine, Izolda, is a plain looking sensible (lower noble) 19 year old, who while being extremely practical in life also has the secret hidden wishes of every girl (a gorgeous dark and handsome prince to ask her hand and who would treat her as an equal and give her respect) that she buries deep down with her pragmatic and logical introspection. So she is equally if not more surprised when the gorgeous and scary Bluebeard steals her as his bride.
It’s made abundantly clear (several times in the book actually) that although Bluebeard has been married fifteen times before he never had any connection or relationship with the previous wives. So all the slow attraction that builds up between the MCs are new for both of them.
I adored the details and the characters that were in this book. It was like the Mad Hatters Tea Party on steroids. I also have a soft spot for Grosbeak, the talking (snarky) head that is carted around to help Izolda understand the Fae world. I need the next book ASAP.
I have a soft spot for the Bluebeard tale: it’s so deliciously dark yet seductive and while I wouldn’t categorise Fly with the Arrow as “dark”it was sinister in a whimsical fashion. The fae here are the ones out of legends...baffling, stunningly beautiful or awful and always cruel and arrogant, and all so crazy. (Update: now that i have read The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, the fae are very similar to this series...which i loooove).
The heroine, Izolda, is a plain looking sensible (lower noble) 19 year old, who while being extremely practical in life also has the secret hidden wishes of every girl (a gorgeous dark and handsome prince to ask her hand and who would treat her as an equal and give her respect) that she buries deep down with her pragmatic and logical introspection. So she is equally if not more surprised when the gorgeous and scary Bluebeard steals her as his bride.
It’s made abundantly clear (several times in the book actually) that although Bluebeard has been married fifteen times before he never had any connection or relationship with the previous wives. So all the slow attraction that builds up between the MCs are new for both of them.
I adored the details and the characters that were in this book. It was like the Mad Hatters Tea Party on steroids. I also have a soft spot for Grosbeak, the talking (snarky) head that is carted around to help Izolda understand the Fae world. I need the next book ASAP.
September 26, 2021
I don't give out a lot of perfect ratings, much less to Fantasy Romance novels, but this book is really something special. And I found it on Kindle Unlimited!
The back cover blurb says it's a retelling of the Bluebeard fairytale, and it is, but with elements of that old movie Ladyhawke, the topsy-turvy world of Alice's Wonderland, Baba Yaga's chickenfooted house, the legend of The Goblin King and even the Wild Hunt, too. It sounds busy, but it's not.
Izolda is the daughter of one of the poorer lords of the nation of Pensmoore. Princess Chasida is turning 16 and all the titled families are coming to the celebration with their children in hopes of making matches for their daughters or lining up a future knighthood for their sons. Tradition has it that on the night of the ball, one girl must wear a golden bell on her dress to distract the Wittenbrand (a kind of fae) from taking the princess. Izolda is chosen to wear the bell, even though she believes the Wittenbrand are just a legend. Imagine her surprise when 4 of them storm the ball, and the tinkling of the bell draws Bluebeard to her instead of the princess.
There is a contest held every 500 years for succession to the throne of Wittenhame, which just happens to coincide with Izolda's arrival there. We see all 10 or 12 fae lords of the realm, and how they form alliances and betrayals for advantage in the coming war. Once they're in Wittenhame something magical happens on every page: there are the Mists of Time by which the Wittenbrand travel long distances quickly; Bluebeard and Izolda ride a salamander to a Wittenbrand gathering; and the days of Izolda's life slip as garnets through an hourglass. The romance is slow burn and G-rated, but it's there.
I can't say enough good things about Fly with the Arrow. I did notice a few grammatical issues that a proofreader should've caught, but not bad at all for a KU book. I don't know how I can possibly wait until the sequel comes out, Dance with the Sword.
The back cover blurb says it's a retelling of the Bluebeard fairytale, and it is, but with elements of that old movie Ladyhawke, the topsy-turvy world of Alice's Wonderland, Baba Yaga's chickenfooted house, the legend of The Goblin King and even the Wild Hunt, too. It sounds busy, but it's not.
Izolda is the daughter of one of the poorer lords of the nation of Pensmoore. Princess Chasida is turning 16 and all the titled families are coming to the celebration with their children in hopes of making matches for their daughters or lining up a future knighthood for their sons. Tradition has it that on the night of the ball, one girl must wear a golden bell on her dress to distract the Wittenbrand (a kind of fae) from taking the princess. Izolda is chosen to wear the bell, even though she believes the Wittenbrand are just a legend. Imagine her surprise when 4 of them storm the ball, and the tinkling of the bell draws Bluebeard to her instead of the princess.
There is a contest held every 500 years for succession to the throne of Wittenhame, which just happens to coincide with Izolda's arrival there. We see all 10 or 12 fae lords of the realm, and how they form alliances and betrayals for advantage in the coming war. Once they're in Wittenhame something magical happens on every page: there are the Mists of Time by which the Wittenbrand travel long distances quickly; Bluebeard and Izolda ride a salamander to a Wittenbrand gathering; and the days of Izolda's life slip as garnets through an hourglass. The romance is slow burn and G-rated, but it's there.
I can't say enough good things about Fly with the Arrow. I did notice a few grammatical issues that a proofreader should've caught, but not bad at all for a KU book. I don't know how I can possibly wait until the sequel comes out, Dance with the Sword.
August 15, 2022
CC YOU WONDERFUL WOMAN THANK YOU MILLIONS FOR RECOMMENDING ME THIS BOOK ❤️
April 24, 2021
Probably some spoilers for the first quarter or so. So my sister was like "SOMEONE TRIED TO MAKE BLUEBEARD SEXY? LOLOLOL" and I was like "NO, THERE ARE OTHER MYTHS IT DRAWS ON, I THINK IT WILL BE GOOD." Point to my sister, I guess. I just have no patience for this shit, man. Before we met the hero, I was super into it because Izolda seemed kind of--I don't want to diagnose a book character, but definitely neurodivergent. She reminded me of myself as a teen because a lot of her thought patterns seemed weirdly accepting of things that didn't make sense. Like when she's chosen to wear the bell that will distract the Fae groom from the princess (yes, this is an awesome detail which I love), she doesn't tell her dad or try to have it contested; she just quietly goes along with it. Which honestly? I appreciated. It makes sense for a girl raised to "sensible" in a patriarchal, feudal society, with a kind but distant father who is nevertheless marrying her off to the best option for the entire family, not for her. She also has a lot of internalized misogyny and jealousy, which, again, makes sense for someone in her position. "Everyone else can afford to be carefree about marriage and love, not me, I never had a childhood, I have to get married for the benefit of my impoverished family's estate, these girls are stupid because they giggle a lot and don't realize the true cost of marriage, etc, etc." I was fine with it, because the characterization seemed nuanced enough that she would grow beyond those attitudes, and I was holding out a lot of hope for her.
BUT THEN
Hottie McHottie catwalks onto the scene and kills her schlubby fiancé for defending his betrothed (JUSTIFIABLY SO, THIS FAY DUDE IS A FREAK), and then tries to control what she wears. I quote (loosely) "You're the first wife after fifteen who picked another outfit." pffft. Yeah, the internalized misogyny wasn't placed there on purpose, what was I thinking.
Idk, if rando innocent fiance is gonna get murdered, I need a male lead who's more unhinged than what was demonstrated, because otherwise he's just being a dick. He came across like your average paranormal douchenozzle, with a hint of pain his eyes, blah blah blah. I'm sure he has a tragic backstory that will justify it all, but I don't really care.
BUT THEN
Hottie McHottie catwalks onto the scene and kills her schlubby fiancé for defending his betrothed (JUSTIFIABLY SO, THIS FAY DUDE IS A FREAK), and then tries to control what she wears. I quote (loosely) "You're the first wife after fifteen who picked another outfit." pffft. Yeah, the internalized misogyny wasn't placed there on purpose, what was I thinking.
Idk, if rando innocent fiance is gonna get murdered, I need a male lead who's more unhinged than what was demonstrated, because otherwise he's just being a dick. He came across like your average paranormal douchenozzle, with a hint of pain his eyes, blah blah blah. I'm sure he has a tragic backstory that will justify it all, but I don't really care.
June 3, 2021
Eh.
I’m torn... on one hand, I really found the whole Bluebeard story really intriguing. I even googled “the real story” of him and read parts of other texts about him. Some old texts portrayed him as a cruel, obese, older man, while this story shows him as a misunderstood fae prince and I found that twist really interesting.
However, I had to force myself to continue reading the last ten chapters. At about 75% I just couldn’t focus on the story anymore. I got bored but I wanted to know why the previous wives died and if the current one broke the curse so I pushed myself. The ending remained unable to grab my attention and everything just fell flat for me. I hate to admit it because I really wanted to like this story but I just don’t think it was for me. 🤷🏼♀️
I’m torn... on one hand, I really found the whole Bluebeard story really intriguing. I even googled “the real story” of him and read parts of other texts about him. Some old texts portrayed him as a cruel, obese, older man, while this story shows him as a misunderstood fae prince and I found that twist really interesting.
However, I had to force myself to continue reading the last ten chapters. At about 75% I just couldn’t focus on the story anymore. I got bored but I wanted to know why the previous wives died and if the current one broke the curse so I pushed myself. The ending remained unable to grab my attention and everything just fell flat for me. I hate to admit it because I really wanted to like this story but I just don’t think it was for me. 🤷🏼♀️
Read
January 16, 2023reasons you should try this book:
1.) truly fun pov character. at times matter-of-fact, at times ridiculously ignorant, at times snooty, and at times heart-breakingly candid, Isolde is a pov i loved to listen to. i was invested in her story, amused at her antics, and wanted to see how things would turn out for her. i'm not usually a person who is interested in reading multiple books about the same characters, especially if romance is back-and-forthing with the mcs, but i could really see myself gobbling up all four of the books in this series
2.) i could see what i thought was a really fun setup for later with the "death" of a certain character i would very much love to see again, whether on a white charger or not. if that is where the setup was going, i shall be very pleased with both myself, and Sarah for the Very Cool Setup
3.) the world is rich and filled with lore/rules/prohibitions. delightful. real consequences for ignorance, real decisions to be made and sacrifices to either be tricked out of people, or made for your country.
reasons you should listen to this book:
1.) the narrator is exactly right for Isolde. no notes. so easy and fun to listen to!
2.) the pacing is great, and the prose works really well with spoken word
reasons i have DNF'd this book despite the above very excellent and true points:
1.) (seriously, just one; the book has otherwise made me very happy)
the hero chokes the heroine on the night of their marriage, which made me feel ill, because i could see him being set up as the hero. not wanting to read abusive males in relationships was one thing that stopped me reading romantic fantasy for the last four years after escaping an abusive marriage myself. having got past that, i was stopped at the point of the sexual abuse attempt/assassination attempt where a male character forces up the heroine's skirt so he can cut her with his knife. it happened to be playing while i was driving, so i was forced to listen to it without being able to turn it off. the heroine-being-subjected-to-sexual-abuse-attempt-so-the-hero-can-rescue-her trope is one of my least favourites, but i should probably have expected it in romantic fantasy, so that's on me. i do wish there could have been a warning about it, tho.
i want to stress that both scenes are very short, and i don't think people with a less triggering background will find them hard to read. you should absolutely give this book a try if twisty, creepy, well-fleshed out fairytale retellings are your bag, or if you want a voicey, loveable mc who is by no means perfect, but who is trying her hardest.
i've apparently not yet got to the point where i can read the above-mentioned tropes without feeling sick, trapped, and panicked all over again. so, for the time being, this book and probably most other romantic fantasy is off my plate.
1.) truly fun pov character. at times matter-of-fact, at times ridiculously ignorant, at times snooty, and at times heart-breakingly candid, Isolde is a pov i loved to listen to. i was invested in her story, amused at her antics, and wanted to see how things would turn out for her. i'm not usually a person who is interested in reading multiple books about the same characters, especially if romance is back-and-forthing with the mcs, but i could really see myself gobbling up all four of the books in this series
2.) i could see what i thought was a really fun setup for later with the "death" of a certain character i would very much love to see again, whether on a white charger or not. if that is where the setup was going, i shall be very pleased with both myself, and Sarah for the Very Cool Setup
3.) the world is rich and filled with lore/rules/prohibitions. delightful. real consequences for ignorance, real decisions to be made and sacrifices to either be tricked out of people, or made for your country.
reasons you should listen to this book:
1.) the narrator is exactly right for Isolde. no notes. so easy and fun to listen to!
2.) the pacing is great, and the prose works really well with spoken word
reasons i have DNF'd this book despite the above very excellent and true points:
1.) (seriously, just one; the book has otherwise made me very happy)
the hero chokes the heroine on the night of their marriage, which made me feel ill, because i could see him being set up as the hero. not wanting to read abusive males in relationships was one thing that stopped me reading romantic fantasy for the last four years after escaping an abusive marriage myself. having got past that, i was stopped at the point of the sexual abuse attempt/assassination attempt where a male character forces up the heroine's skirt so he can cut her with his knife. it happened to be playing while i was driving, so i was forced to listen to it without being able to turn it off. the heroine-being-subjected-to-sexual-abuse-attempt-so-the-hero-can-rescue-her trope is one of my least favourites, but i should probably have expected it in romantic fantasy, so that's on me. i do wish there could have been a warning about it, tho.
i want to stress that both scenes are very short, and i don't think people with a less triggering background will find them hard to read. you should absolutely give this book a try if twisty, creepy, well-fleshed out fairytale retellings are your bag, or if you want a voicey, loveable mc who is by no means perfect, but who is trying her hardest.
i've apparently not yet got to the point where i can read the above-mentioned tropes without feeling sick, trapped, and panicked all over again. so, for the time being, this book and probably most other romantic fantasy is off my plate.
Want to read
February 3, 2021So excited for this book!! Already pre-ordered my copy. <3 Was such a good deal!😱 Only .99 cents if anyone wants to get it!🥰🤗
May 16, 2025
part one: who tf did i marry
January 16, 2022
Who gave this book—one about Bluebeard no less—permission to be this good!?! I need to know because I want to thank them. 🤣
February 16, 2022
City Between meets fairytales and romance in this twisty, wild, creepy story that steals your sleep as cleverly as the Wittenbrand wisk away a wife.
March 2, 2021
Receieved an ARC copy from the author herself for an honest review, and this does not affect my review or rating of the book, thank you!
I have never read the original Bluebeard story, but I really loved this retelling.
A deal with the Wittenbrand was a deal with death
Izolda is a young girl of nineteen, for her society she is old for the marriage market so this new season is her season to shine and attract a good marriage match that her father will choose for her. However, Izolda is not excited to see the city because of finding a man, she wants to see it for its practical use. Izolda is very intelligent and practical girl, she is not like the other women in town and prefers to help out with tending the horses then be at home learning to sew. However, her adventure to the celebration of the Princess' ball is the first step where she learns that her lack of knowledge leads her to trouble and chaos, where she meets Bluebeard, Lord Riverbarrow Wittenbrand.
Izolda knows the stories of him marrying fifteen wives and none of them surviving, but there are more details she does not know about his past and of who he is.
In a new land, she will discover many different secrets and mysteries and it will take all her sharp mind and intelligence to find out what is at stake and it might not only be her life that is in danger.
Did he think he was writing my story? If he did, he should think again. I would not let it be written by anyone else but me
Intense, full of powerful creatures, secrets and betrayal, suspense at every page. This book will keep you hooked from start to finish. Definitely a story that will leave you breathless for more.
I have never read the original Bluebeard story, but I really loved this retelling.
A deal with the Wittenbrand was a deal with death
Izolda is a young girl of nineteen, for her society she is old for the marriage market so this new season is her season to shine and attract a good marriage match that her father will choose for her. However, Izolda is not excited to see the city because of finding a man, she wants to see it for its practical use. Izolda is very intelligent and practical girl, she is not like the other women in town and prefers to help out with tending the horses then be at home learning to sew. However, her adventure to the celebration of the Princess' ball is the first step where she learns that her lack of knowledge leads her to trouble and chaos, where she meets Bluebeard, Lord Riverbarrow Wittenbrand.
Izolda knows the stories of him marrying fifteen wives and none of them surviving, but there are more details she does not know about his past and of who he is.
In a new land, she will discover many different secrets and mysteries and it will take all her sharp mind and intelligence to find out what is at stake and it might not only be her life that is in danger.
Did he think he was writing my story? If he did, he should think again. I would not let it be written by anyone else but me
Intense, full of powerful creatures, secrets and betrayal, suspense at every page. This book will keep you hooked from start to finish. Definitely a story that will leave you breathless for more.
January 3, 2025
4.5 Stars ✨
A Stolen Bride. Terrifying Bridegroom. The Game that will
determine their Fates.
Audio 🎧 Reread 1.2.25
4.5 ✨ Stars
This was just as good the second time around. I’m so excited to start book 2… that cliffhanger is brutal!
This was an exciting start to a new series. Fly with the Arrow is a whimsical fantasy tale with so many fun tropes! Full of action, intriguing mystery, riddles, and an enemies to lovers slow burn romance.
Imagine if you will, The Cruel Prince or Alice in Wonderland and Caraval had a book baby… this would be it.
I thought the author did a Fantastic job on world building and writing. The beginning was a little hard to get through just bc I didn’t like Blackbeard at all but he ended up growing on me by the end of the book. My favorite would have to be “The Fire” , it made me laugh every time it growled out “thank you” 😂 after eating a book. Izolda was also fantastic, she was always so logical and thought everything through.
That ending though…. Ahhh!!
Super fun book to read, I’m excited to read the next book in the series soon.
A Stolen Bride. Terrifying Bridegroom. The Game that will
determine their Fates.
Audio 🎧 Reread 1.2.25
4.5 ✨ Stars
This was just as good the second time around. I’m so excited to start book 2… that cliffhanger is brutal!
This was an exciting start to a new series. Fly with the Arrow is a whimsical fantasy tale with so many fun tropes! Full of action, intriguing mystery, riddles, and an enemies to lovers slow burn romance.
Imagine if you will, The Cruel Prince or Alice in Wonderland and Caraval had a book baby… this would be it.
I thought the author did a Fantastic job on world building and writing. The beginning was a little hard to get through just bc I didn’t like Blackbeard at all but he ended up growing on me by the end of the book. My favorite would have to be “The Fire” , it made me laugh every time it growled out “thank you” 😂 after eating a book. Izolda was also fantastic, she was always so logical and thought everything through.
That ending though…. Ahhh!!
Super fun book to read, I’m excited to read the next book in the series soon.
January 13, 2023
A whole ton of fun, and Sarah handles the original fairytale impressively.
October 30, 2021
If I read about how h is "practical" one more time, I'm going eat my hand.
Purple prose and dreamy settings do not cover bad writing.
World-building was non-existent, Grosbeak was class, but other characters were flat, a lot of tell writing (the heroine keeps hammering on about omg I'm actually so practical you guys just wait imma do something practical you're gonna be so convinced about my practicality mmhmm--please shoot me).
tell writing
Also, also, dear god, also:
This was when she was with a group of girls who were, dear heavens the horror, tittering and giggling about all the bachelors they were going to meet. There were many other instances throughout the book like this. If there was an opportunity to put down women for being, well, women, the heroine took it.
Here's the thing: women titter, women seduce, women like to look pretty. There is nothing wrong with that. If you had to put others down just to show how great and practical heroine is, there is something seriously wrong with that heroine. There is literally no point to it. Those girls never even come out later anymore. Why the salt?
I really really wanted to like this. The writing is visually stunning, and the concepts introduced were fascinating. But honestly with no substance, pretty writing can only get you so far.
Purple prose and dreamy settings do not cover bad writing.
World-building was non-existent, Grosbeak was class, but other characters were flat, a lot of tell writing (the heroine keeps hammering on about omg I'm actually so practical you guys just wait imma do something practical you're gonna be so convinced about my practicality mmhmm--please shoot me).
"I cared about facts and logic, not superstition and legends."
"I was the kind of person who took calculated risks because it was the only way to get ahead."
tell writing
Also, also, dear god, also:
"All I saw was a very spoiled and pretty girl who would be traded by her father for power and influence and a bunch of fools who wished the same for themselves."
This was when she was with a group of girls who were, dear heavens the horror, tittering and giggling about all the bachelors they were going to meet. There were many other instances throughout the book like this. If there was an opportunity to put down women for being, well, women, the heroine took it.
Here's the thing: women titter, women seduce, women like to look pretty. There is nothing wrong with that. If you had to put others down just to show how great and practical heroine is, there is something seriously wrong with that heroine. There is literally no point to it. Those girls never even come out later anymore. Why the salt?
I really really wanted to like this. The writing is visually stunning, and the concepts introduced were fascinating. But honestly with no substance, pretty writing can only get you so far.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 6, 2021This book is so stunning, gorgeous, and twisty! This author manages to write fae worlds that are so dark and twisting that they feel like something taken straight out of an ancient tale of murder and mayhem!
This time, the author takes on the Bluebeard fairy tale, which is gory and gruesome in its own right. Yet, that fairy tale is just made to be paired with a fae world, and this author takes full advantage of that! I've been waiting years for a great Bluebeard retelling, and this one does that and so much more!
If you like fae romances, fae fantasy, YA fantasy, or just plain adore a good read, you'll want to pick up this book!
I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator's voice was perfectly paired with this story!
This book is clean, but it does have a fair bit of violence and fae world related gruesomeness.
This time, the author takes on the Bluebeard fairy tale, which is gory and gruesome in its own right. Yet, that fairy tale is just made to be paired with a fae world, and this author takes full advantage of that! I've been waiting years for a great Bluebeard retelling, and this one does that and so much more!
If you like fae romances, fae fantasy, YA fantasy, or just plain adore a good read, you'll want to pick up this book!
I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator's voice was perfectly paired with this story!
This book is clean, but it does have a fair bit of violence and fae world related gruesomeness.
October 13, 2022
Gorgeous cover, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy the story that much 🥲
⤏ What to expect:
∘ New Adult Fantasy
∘ Romance
∘ Fae
∘ Bluebeard fairytale retelling
∘ Villain
∘ Enemies to Lovers
∘ Forced Marriage
∘ Forced Proximity
∘ Age gap
⤏ What to expect:
∘ New Adult Fantasy
∘ Romance
∘ Fae
∘ Bluebeard fairytale retelling
∘ Villain
∘ Enemies to Lovers
∘ Forced Marriage
∘ Forced Proximity
∘ Age gap
August 16, 2022
I read this for SPFBO. To find out more about the SPFBO contest and to see the participating bloggers/authors and reviews follow the links below
I enjoyed this story. This retelling really sits on the darker side of things. I didn’t know the first thing about Bluebeard so I looked up a few tales, which were quite dark and bloody (as expected). But as dark as they were, I still hadn’t anticipated that our hero would be quite so ruthless (especially with the horse breeder) in a fantasy romance.
Usually, the dark misunderstood hero (that might be a strong word for this character) has a soft-spot under there, somewhere, to ease the blow of the despicable things his reputation says he has done. That’s not to say Bluebeard doesn’t have a soft-spot because he does seem to have one for Izolda, and this is the first book, so we may find a few more surprises along the way.
*
To add to the trials of being whisked-off in an arranged marriage. Bluebeard and Izolda have restrictions on their relationship, and are not allowed to speak directly to one another, at certain times of the day. But there are always third-parties around to make that stumbling block, not so much of an issue a all.
One of those work-arounds is through Grosbeak, who has to be the funniest side-kick character ever (let’s just say he’s heads above some of the others- wink wink) I liked him a lot, and he presented the opportunity for some darkly hilarious moments for me. (My humour does tend to lean a little to the sly-side and/or the so-wrong-it’s-funny-side.)
*
It’s a very interesting world. It’s fantastical and imaginative- filled with creatures and plants that spark curiosity. It feels like it took some inspirations from the Fae, or maybe the Bluebeard legends are this way? I don’t know. All I read were the ones about opening the locked room, she is forbidden to open (the same one that is also in the epigraphs).
Anyway, the story is chaotic at times. Completely understandable, as we are seeing things through Izolda pov. The story falls into a rhythm of things happening, as she is thrown into each new situation without any forewarning, and us holding-tight, waiting for her to work-out what’s going on.
She is very out of her depth but her down-to-earth attitude, keeps her head on her shoulders (unlike others…hee hee) as she learns about her new surroundings, and what’s expected of her and her new husband.
I liked Izolda a lot. She is the calm that is needed in this pandemonium of events.
I enjoyed the atmosphere of the story - especially the creepy vibes in the beginning, with the men in the snow that she thought she saw. The birds, the bell, the build to the arrival of Bluebeard in that first part, up until she is taken to his home- all of it, was so good. Then everything changes and it is chaos, and you’re just on a ride trying to figure out how it all fits together.
This ended without much resolution- more of a giant tipping point, guaranteeing you’ll want to return and see how it plays-out. I prefer to have a few more threads tied-up but that’s me. It’s definitely a story that I enjoyed enough to add the second to my enormous TBR though.
A very fun, cool and inventive retelling.
7.2 or 4 stars (6.5-8/10)
Learn more about the contest here-
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Phase one is here-
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
I enjoyed this story. This retelling really sits on the darker side of things. I didn’t know the first thing about Bluebeard so I looked up a few tales, which were quite dark and bloody (as expected). But as dark as they were, I still hadn’t anticipated that our hero would be quite so ruthless (especially with the horse breeder) in a fantasy romance.
Usually, the dark misunderstood hero (that might be a strong word for this character) has a soft-spot under there, somewhere, to ease the blow of the despicable things his reputation says he has done. That’s not to say Bluebeard doesn’t have a soft-spot because he does seem to have one for Izolda, and this is the first book, so we may find a few more surprises along the way.
*
To add to the trials of being whisked-off in an arranged marriage. Bluebeard and Izolda have restrictions on their relationship, and are not allowed to speak directly to one another, at certain times of the day. But there are always third-parties around to make that stumbling block, not so much of an issue a all.
One of those work-arounds is through Grosbeak, who has to be the funniest side-kick character ever (let’s just say he’s heads above some of the others- wink wink) I liked him a lot, and he presented the opportunity for some darkly hilarious moments for me. (My humour does tend to lean a little to the sly-side and/or the so-wrong-it’s-funny-side.)
*
It’s a very interesting world. It’s fantastical and imaginative- filled with creatures and plants that spark curiosity. It feels like it took some inspirations from the Fae, or maybe the Bluebeard legends are this way? I don’t know. All I read were the ones about opening the locked room, she is forbidden to open (the same one that is also in the epigraphs).
Anyway, the story is chaotic at times. Completely understandable, as we are seeing things through Izolda pov. The story falls into a rhythm of things happening, as she is thrown into each new situation without any forewarning, and us holding-tight, waiting for her to work-out what’s going on.
She is very out of her depth but her down-to-earth attitude, keeps her head on her shoulders (unlike others…hee hee) as she learns about her new surroundings, and what’s expected of her and her new husband.
I liked Izolda a lot. She is the calm that is needed in this pandemonium of events.
I enjoyed the atmosphere of the story - especially the creepy vibes in the beginning, with the men in the snow that she thought she saw. The birds, the bell, the build to the arrival of Bluebeard in that first part, up until she is taken to his home- all of it, was so good. Then everything changes and it is chaos, and you’re just on a ride trying to figure out how it all fits together.
This ended without much resolution- more of a giant tipping point, guaranteeing you’ll want to return and see how it plays-out. I prefer to have a few more threads tied-up but that’s me. It’s definitely a story that I enjoyed enough to add the second to my enormous TBR though.
A very fun, cool and inventive retelling.
7.2 or 4 stars (6.5-8/10)
Learn more about the contest here-
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Phase one is here-
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
July 2, 2023
How dare this book end that way!?
Fly with the Arrow is a clever retelling with a fantasy twist. Wilson's world building reminds me of Holly Black's Folk of the Air series where cruelty, trickery and riddles are on tap, wild fae creatures are a plenty, and plotting and scheming are their favorite pastimes. Please be aware this book can be described as violent for some so check tw before entering.
This is based on "Bluebeard" - the French folktale. When I think back on my reading, I think this may be my first retelling of Bluebeard. Major bonus points there for a retelling that is a little more under the radar. I immediately went down the rabbit hole - aka google - to look into the folktale. Wilson adds a clever fantasy twist to this retelling that is both engaging and mysterious. I'm really not sure how this series will end and I'm excited for the ride.
"We are stories. There’s nothing more to us."
Izolda is a nineteen year old young woman who finds herself in a prospective marriage that her father has arranged. Within moments, her fiance is killed before her eyes and she marries the murderer to save the lives of her family and others. Izolda is whisked away by the Wittenbrand to a mysterious land of wild folk, and shadows and mist.
The consequence of curiosity drives the plot forward. Staying somewhat faithful to the folktale, the key that Bluebeard (Arrow) gives to Izolda almost seems like a test that he _has_ to complete. Could it be due to just a test of obedience? I feel that it's a little more complex than that. He is clearly misunderstood and there is a lot more depth to his backstory.
“You’re as wild-looking as this land and as lovely as the night and yet you feel as real as a stone in a world of shimmering shadow. You are cold iron to my Wittenbrand magic, hard bronze to my wafting vapor, heavy lead to my tumbling feathers. Anchor me, you obelisk. Keep me tethered to what is real.”
The writing was overall very consistent and reads easily. I had fifteen chapters finished the first night that I sat down to begin reading. I think the pacing was a wee bit too fast for me because I would've liked to spend a little longer rounding out the characters further during key moments. I look forward to learning more about the magic system as there were some reveals near the end that I'm curious to learn more of the hows and whys. I prefer reading stories with more dynamic secondary characters and although they are more static, the plot is a strength and keeping me actively engaged.
I am not the best with judging spice level of romances because I tend to like it super spicy and I worry that what I consider milder may be too steamy for folks. If I had to assign a rating, I would personally consider it clean using the rating scale provided by IFA. There were (iirc) two instances of a kiss on the mouth and some kisses to the hand.
Rating: 3.5/5
Fly with the Arrow is a clever retelling with a fantasy twist. Wilson's world building reminds me of Holly Black's Folk of the Air series where cruelty, trickery and riddles are on tap, wild fae creatures are a plenty, and plotting and scheming are their favorite pastimes. Please be aware this book can be described as violent for some so check tw before entering.
This is based on "Bluebeard" - the French folktale. When I think back on my reading, I think this may be my first retelling of Bluebeard. Major bonus points there for a retelling that is a little more under the radar. I immediately went down the rabbit hole - aka google - to look into the folktale. Wilson adds a clever fantasy twist to this retelling that is both engaging and mysterious. I'm really not sure how this series will end and I'm excited for the ride.
"We are stories. There’s nothing more to us."
Izolda is a nineteen year old young woman who finds herself in a prospective marriage that her father has arranged. Within moments, her fiance is killed before her eyes and she marries the murderer to save the lives of her family and others. Izolda is whisked away by the Wittenbrand to a mysterious land of wild folk, and shadows and mist.
The consequence of curiosity drives the plot forward. Staying somewhat faithful to the folktale, the key that Bluebeard (Arrow) gives to Izolda almost seems like a test that he _has_ to complete. Could it be due to just a test of obedience? I feel that it's a little more complex than that. He is clearly misunderstood and there is a lot more depth to his backstory.
“You’re as wild-looking as this land and as lovely as the night and yet you feel as real as a stone in a world of shimmering shadow. You are cold iron to my Wittenbrand magic, hard bronze to my wafting vapor, heavy lead to my tumbling feathers. Anchor me, you obelisk. Keep me tethered to what is real.”
The writing was overall very consistent and reads easily. I had fifteen chapters finished the first night that I sat down to begin reading. I think the pacing was a wee bit too fast for me because I would've liked to spend a little longer rounding out the characters further during key moments. I look forward to learning more about the magic system as there were some reveals near the end that I'm curious to learn more of the hows and whys. I prefer reading stories with more dynamic secondary characters and although they are more static, the plot is a strength and keeping me actively engaged.
I am not the best with judging spice level of romances because I tend to like it super spicy and I worry that what I consider milder may be too steamy for folks. If I had to assign a rating, I would personally consider it clean using the rating scale provided by IFA. There were (iirc) two instances of a kiss on the mouth and some kisses to the hand.
Rating: 3.5/5
December 20, 2021
Couldn't get past the first few chapters, the main character was very "not like other girls", it was too much. She wanted to go riding with the men and hunt but the other GIRLS only thought about BOYS.
June 26, 2022
Surprisingly entertaining. Plus, quick to read. Worth a shot if you like clever retellings, YA vibe (and characters), and fast pace.
April 6, 2022
Celkem fajn, ale jízda na mlokovi mezi houbičkami byla dost cringe 😬
February 18, 2023
[TL;DR: Cool twists, but also featuring Me, a Rather Annoyed Reader. Would personally go for An Enchantment of Ravens or City Between instead.]
I...do not know what to think. It gets three stars after all because I like how it ends (perfect twists to all the relationships and foreshadowing on the final page). It's a really cool Bluebeard retelling, imo. I am very into how it used the original tale. Mostly. Aside from making Bluebeard the love interest, I guess, lol. But even how that was twisted was fun, I think, if...if...well, okay, let me explain what I didn't like. (Indiscriminate peppering of spoilers from here on out.)
Bluebeard as Ye Olde Cliche YA Bad Fae Boy
I think, actually, I have a slight weakness for this trope. I mean, I've started many books which I knew were going to utilize it heavily because I was In the Mood (*Glenn Miller starts playing*)--and then never finished them because they all make him so boring. (*Glenn Miller fizzles out, sadly, with a departing shout of "Pennsylvania-6-5000!"*) It's so! Boring! When your fae-bad-boy is just a puzzlingly erratic grouch who frowns at you when you touch things, ask questions, or exist! And has no other personality traits!
This Bluebeard does have other personality traits. He smirks.
He smirks a lot.
[momentary pause while I recover my dignity after nearly throwing something across the room following Bluebeard's fourth smirk in as many pages]
Okay, this Bluebeard does have character traits besides erratic violence and excessive smirking. But they're...kind of...I don't know. It's like the author wanted him to both be the smirking bad boy AND the strong, silent man of another, more violent time and tradition who does have some reason for his actions and adores his wife. But she isn't successful at making him both. Some of his lines are modern and snarky; some are old-fashioned and poetically violent and shockingly egotistical (think heroes in medieval war epics being all, "Yea, verily, I swam for three days in full armor and bit the sea-serpent's tail off with my teeth! For three days I chewed ere he died!"), and it just does not mesh.
(I can't help thinking of Zero from City Between. Zero is a large, uncommunicative, concerningly violent-and-amoral fae boy, and you really don't quite understand what's up with him for several books. But it doesn't bother you because his behavior isn't self-contradictory. Maybe City Between makes it work so well because the bad boy is split into mysterious-emotionally-constipated Zero and murdery-poison-tongued Athelas instead of smushing them into one character.)
(Also, though, the way Bluebeard is described is so weird. I love Rook from An Enchantment of Ravens, and I guess I'm just more okay with a tree-boyfriend than an animal-boyfriend, because Rook does kind of feel part tree, part person, but somehow it's so much less weird to me than Bluebeard being part catboy?, part person.)
Which brings me to:
Inconsistent writing style
Don't get me wrong, the writing is kinda good. The descriptions are unique and thoughtful (though occasionally repetitive). Izolda's practical yet naive and somewhat wry voice comes through very nicely. But...
I don't know if "modern" and "classical" are exactly the right words to describe the dichotomy here, but they're the closest I'm getting tonight. Like Bluebeard's lines, the narrative switches between classical-feeling (in phrasing and word choice) and modern-feeling. And not in a good way. It threw me off every time Izolda would be narrating events in this streamlined, timeless style and then suddenly throw in a one-liner that sounded distinctly modern. I don't even know what sounded so modern about it. Just...the cadence of it.
But speaking of Izolda:
Izolda is sometimes really dumb.
Like she's really not. But how many reiterations of "his marriage with you is different and the first one he made according to his own laws" does a reasonably intelligent woman need to hear before she realizes that her marriage is different than the others? How many reiterations of "Bluebeard CLEARLY never Did Marriage Things with any of his other wives"? Etc, etc.
Also picking out your own clothes and figuring out a riddle under duress, granted opportunities others never were, does not make you as Not Like Other Girls as you think it does.
And last...
Setting
I had two issues with the setting. One, I couldn't ever picture it clearly once they got out of the mortal lands. Part of this may have been a failure in description, but the author's descriptive powers are clearly considerable, so I think it had much more to do with the airy unreality of the place being described.
That's my second problem with the setting. Its airy unreality.
I really like the-place-where-fae-live as a setting--what Tolkien would call, and I shall henceforth call for short, Faerie. It can be so very, very other, and there's something painfully desirable about it. A place where seas can be crystal, where trees speak and the wind sheds tears. Where the fair folk wield magic and it's perilous for mortals. You read a good depiction of Faerie, and you want.. You don't necessarily want it (maybe you do), but you want something, and the awareness of that desire is wakened in you by this land.
The land of Faerie is not less real than our world; if anything it is more real, more solid, more uncompromisingly physical (unfamiliar though the physical laws may be)...and if it is not so, then the depiction has (in my view) failed. Faerie is not the small, gossamer world of the fairy in the cowslip nor yet the half-mist world of dreams and fancies.
And somehow the world of the fae in this novel feels insubstantial to me. Paler than reality. The feeling that Izolda had left the real world and gone into some beautiful, half-waking nightmare never left me; somehow all the magic and different physical laws of the Wittenhame didn't feel grounded in anything; and it really quite Bothered me.
(I don't think the almost-allegorical-feeling element of them playing games with the fates of mortal nations helped. Because--how?)
(Not to mention An Enchantment of Ravens again, but the connection of the mortals' home with the Fairy Courts made so much sense there, and the different courts felt so real--like autumn and then spring and then summer in pure, concentrated form. Same for the more briefly explored Behind of City Between.)
~~~
Anyway. It's really not a bad book. I think some people would like it a lot better than I did and the things that bothered me certainly won't bother everyone. Like I said, Izolda was a fun character: snooty, practical, and naive. Some of the ideas and twists are very cool, and also (apart from the abruptness) THE ENDING IS AMAZING.
I will say I don't much want to read any further in the series. I like how the story structure sticks to the Bluebeard story structure. I like Bluebeard to be Izolda's doomed whirlwind romance that could never have worked out but was strangely delightful and expanded one's mind while it lasted (he's absolutely still a villain in my mind, just a morally complex villain that Izolda's kind of falling for nonetheless--which is fun!), which comes to an end when her brother finally manages to get through to her and pay out her husband for his crimes. It's taken him over ten years in the mortal world outside, while seemingly only days have passed for her. And on that somewhat chilling note, it ends.
So maybe I sort of like the abruptness of the end. Mortal-goes-into-Faerie-for-what-she-thinks-is-a-brief-time-meanwhile-her-friends-and-family-age-decades is one of my FAVORITE fairy things that people DO NOT USE ENOUGH. And this book did that and just left it there and I love it. Took it from two stars to three just for that, I'm not even kidding.
I...do not know what to think. It gets three stars after all because I like how it ends (perfect twists to all the relationships and foreshadowing on the final page). It's a really cool Bluebeard retelling, imo. I am very into how it used the original tale. Mostly. Aside from making Bluebeard the love interest, I guess, lol. But even how that was twisted was fun, I think, if...if...well, okay, let me explain what I didn't like. (Indiscriminate peppering of spoilers from here on out.)
Bluebeard as Ye Olde Cliche YA Bad Fae Boy
I think, actually, I have a slight weakness for this trope. I mean, I've started many books which I knew were going to utilize it heavily because I was In the Mood (*Glenn Miller starts playing*)--and then never finished them because they all make him so boring. (*Glenn Miller fizzles out, sadly, with a departing shout of "Pennsylvania-6-5000!"*) It's so! Boring! When your fae-bad-boy is just a puzzlingly erratic grouch who frowns at you when you touch things, ask questions, or exist! And has no other personality traits!
This Bluebeard does have other personality traits. He smirks.
He smirks a lot.
[momentary pause while I recover my dignity after nearly throwing something across the room following Bluebeard's fourth smirk in as many pages]
Okay, this Bluebeard does have character traits besides erratic violence and excessive smirking. But they're...kind of...I don't know. It's like the author wanted him to both be the smirking bad boy AND the strong, silent man of another, more violent time and tradition who does have some reason for his actions and adores his wife. But she isn't successful at making him both. Some of his lines are modern and snarky; some are old-fashioned and poetically violent and shockingly egotistical (think heroes in medieval war epics being all, "Yea, verily, I swam for three days in full armor and bit the sea-serpent's tail off with my teeth! For three days I chewed ere he died!"), and it just does not mesh.
(I can't help thinking of Zero from City Between. Zero is a large, uncommunicative, concerningly violent-and-amoral fae boy, and you really don't quite understand what's up with him for several books. But it doesn't bother you because his behavior isn't self-contradictory. Maybe City Between makes it work so well because the bad boy is split into mysterious-emotionally-constipated Zero and murdery-poison-tongued Athelas instead of smushing them into one character.)
(Also, though, the way Bluebeard is described is so weird. I love Rook from An Enchantment of Ravens, and I guess I'm just more okay with a tree-boyfriend than an animal-boyfriend, because Rook does kind of feel part tree, part person, but somehow it's so much less weird to me than Bluebeard being part catboy?, part person.)
Which brings me to:
Inconsistent writing style
Don't get me wrong, the writing is kinda good. The descriptions are unique and thoughtful (though occasionally repetitive). Izolda's practical yet naive and somewhat wry voice comes through very nicely. But...
I don't know if "modern" and "classical" are exactly the right words to describe the dichotomy here, but they're the closest I'm getting tonight. Like Bluebeard's lines, the narrative switches between classical-feeling (in phrasing and word choice) and modern-feeling. And not in a good way. It threw me off every time Izolda would be narrating events in this streamlined, timeless style and then suddenly throw in a one-liner that sounded distinctly modern. I don't even know what sounded so modern about it. Just...the cadence of it.
But speaking of Izolda:
Izolda is sometimes really dumb.
Like she's really not. But how many reiterations of "his marriage with you is different and the first one he made according to his own laws" does a reasonably intelligent woman need to hear before she realizes that her marriage is different than the others? How many reiterations of "Bluebeard CLEARLY never Did Marriage Things with any of his other wives"? Etc, etc.
Also picking out your own clothes and figuring out a riddle under duress, granted opportunities others never were, does not make you as Not Like Other Girls as you think it does.
And last...
Setting
I had two issues with the setting. One, I couldn't ever picture it clearly once they got out of the mortal lands. Part of this may have been a failure in description, but the author's descriptive powers are clearly considerable, so I think it had much more to do with the airy unreality of the place being described.
That's my second problem with the setting. Its airy unreality.
I really like the-place-where-fae-live as a setting--what Tolkien would call, and I shall henceforth call for short, Faerie. It can be so very, very other, and there's something painfully desirable about it. A place where seas can be crystal, where trees speak and the wind sheds tears. Where the fair folk wield magic and it's perilous for mortals. You read a good depiction of Faerie, and you want.. You don't necessarily want it (maybe you do), but you want something, and the awareness of that desire is wakened in you by this land.
The land of Faerie is not less real than our world; if anything it is more real, more solid, more uncompromisingly physical (unfamiliar though the physical laws may be)...and if it is not so, then the depiction has (in my view) failed. Faerie is not the small, gossamer world of the fairy in the cowslip nor yet the half-mist world of dreams and fancies.
And somehow the world of the fae in this novel feels insubstantial to me. Paler than reality. The feeling that Izolda had left the real world and gone into some beautiful, half-waking nightmare never left me; somehow all the magic and different physical laws of the Wittenhame didn't feel grounded in anything; and it really quite Bothered me.
(I don't think the almost-allegorical-feeling element of them playing games with the fates of mortal nations helped. Because--how?)
(Not to mention An Enchantment of Ravens again, but the connection of the mortals' home with the Fairy Courts made so much sense there, and the different courts felt so real--like autumn and then spring and then summer in pure, concentrated form. Same for the more briefly explored Behind of City Between.)
~~~
Anyway. It's really not a bad book. I think some people would like it a lot better than I did and the things that bothered me certainly won't bother everyone. Like I said, Izolda was a fun character: snooty, practical, and naive. Some of the ideas and twists are very cool, and also (apart from the abruptness) THE ENDING IS AMAZING.
I will say I don't much want to read any further in the series. I like how the story structure sticks to the Bluebeard story structure. I like Bluebeard to be Izolda's doomed whirlwind romance that could never have worked out but was strangely delightful and expanded one's mind while it lasted (he's absolutely still a villain in my mind, just a morally complex villain that Izolda's kind of falling for nonetheless--which is fun!), which comes to an end when her brother finally manages to get through to her and pay out her husband for his crimes. It's taken him over ten years in the mortal world outside, while seemingly only days have passed for her. And on that somewhat chilling note, it ends.
So maybe I sort of like the abruptness of the end. Mortal-goes-into-Faerie-for-what-she-thinks-is-a-brief-time-meanwhile-her-friends-and-family-age-decades is one of my FAVORITE fairy things that people DO NOT USE ENOUGH. And this book did that and just left it there and I love it. Took it from two stars to three just for that, I'm not even kidding.
January 2, 2022
The premise is what drew me in. I really think this could be an amazing story. It’s pretty cool. However, there just isn’t much happening in this book. The first part is actually pretty good. But the moment she goes off with Bluebeard it becomes tedious. It takes too long to travel to their destination, it’s confusing because there is a lot of mysterious talk. Like it supposed to keep you on the edge of your seat but honestly it’s just annoying. You don’t need every sentence to be a riddle. By the end of the book you sorta understand what’s going on, but not really. They are trying to save her kingdom? His kingdom? From what? What exactly the fuck is going on? Izolda is “falling” in love with Bluebeard and wants to help his people. But there isn’t a connection to his people. You hear of them for about 2 sentences. There just isn’t enough emotional connection between the two love interests or whatever it is they are trying to accomplish.
April 8, 2021
This is hands-down my favorite impulse buy of the year. I lost sleep over this one trying to finish it! It kept me guessing - I literally had no idea what was happening or where things were going, but the ride was thrilling! I'm also currently obsessed with the first-person, present tense writing style and so was delighted that this was written that way.
There are snippets of the original fairytale in the book before each chapter, and every time I read them, I was like, "Oh NOOOO!!!" and then dove into the chapter to find out why the characters would do such a thing. Hahaha.
If you're into stolen brides, witty humor, and fae intrigue, you'll love Fly With the Arrow.
Overall rating: 4.5 stars
Content heads up: Sexual content, though it's more innuendo and kisses than much else. No inappropriate touching, which I appreciated.
There are snippets of the original fairytale in the book before each chapter, and every time I read them, I was like, "Oh NOOOO!!!" and then dove into the chapter to find out why the characters would do such a thing. Hahaha.
If you're into stolen brides, witty humor, and fae intrigue, you'll love Fly With the Arrow.
Overall rating: 4.5 stars
Content heads up: Sexual content, though it's more innuendo and kisses than much else. No inappropriate touching, which I appreciated.
October 9, 2021
Alright, okay, I can see where this wanted to go. It just didn’t quite get there.
Imreallytryingtobenicehere,Illfeelawfulotherwise
*smile for the camera*
Maybe full review when I’m not having certain thoughts about violence happening to a certain someone or someones or literally everybody.
🥲✌🏼
Imreallytryingtobenicehere,Illfeelawfulotherwise
*smile for the camera*
Maybe full review when I’m not having certain thoughts about violence happening to a certain someone or someones or literally everybody.
🥲✌🏼
March 19, 2025
Absolutely enthralling!
This is a new to me author but I will definitely be continuing this series. The narrator did a wonderful job keeping me on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. Highly recommend!
This is a new to me author but I will definitely be continuing this series. The narrator did a wonderful job keeping me on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. Highly recommend!
April 3, 2022
CONSIDER ME INVESTED.
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
This is my first book by Wilson and it will not be my last! What an enjoyable fantasy romance that holds a lot of potential for future books.
I was here for this slow burn romance. And it is verrrrry slow. But I think that really led to Izolda and Bluebeard connecting past the initial differences between them. Throw in a curse that is an occasional nuisance to work around added to the fun. I thought they had great banter and some of those quiet moments I am always begging for. I can’t wait for to see the intensity ramp up between them.
The plot is really interesting! I don’t know much about the story of Bluebeard (though BRB going to go look it up). Each plot line kept me reading, and even at a short fantasy the world building and magic system lined up well. It wasn’t trying to do too much and was easy to envision and enjoy. I could have used something intense. That was the only thing missing. I never felt amped by the romance or the story itself until the last 20 pages. I wanted a little more from that vibe throughout. The ending is great though and I will definitely have to get to book two ASAP.
Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance
- Language: very little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: low/mild
- Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapping, physical and magical altercations, creature attacks
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
This is my first book by Wilson and it will not be my last! What an enjoyable fantasy romance that holds a lot of potential for future books.
I was here for this slow burn romance. And it is verrrrry slow. But I think that really led to Izolda and Bluebeard connecting past the initial differences between them. Throw in a curse that is an occasional nuisance to work around added to the fun. I thought they had great banter and some of those quiet moments I am always begging for. I can’t wait for to see the intensity ramp up between them.
The plot is really interesting! I don’t know much about the story of Bluebeard (though BRB going to go look it up). Each plot line kept me reading, and even at a short fantasy the world building and magic system lined up well. It wasn’t trying to do too much and was easy to envision and enjoy. I could have used something intense. That was the only thing missing. I never felt amped by the romance or the story itself until the last 20 pages. I wanted a little more from that vibe throughout. The ending is great though and I will definitely have to get to book two ASAP.
Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance
- Language: very little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: low/mild
- Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapping, physical and magical altercations, creature attacks
July 13, 2021
Even being a retelling story, this book contains some of the most original elements i’ve ever seen.
First to be noted, i like Izolda more than i will ever admit. That’s because she looks very much like me. She doesn’t trust people easily and is not a bad or good person at all. She’s a mortal girl trying to gain her life in a land of completely strange and letal both people and things.
Bluebeard is my typical favorite dream male. Their enemies to lovers was slow burn and perfectly developed. He already have had fifteen wives and yet the sixteenth one surprised him. Since their first night when she refused to use the nightgown he suggested.
He playing with her hair is one of my favorite things ever. <333
Please, their marriage vows memory still send shivers down my spine!
I absolutely loved the world-building. It was the thing I liked the most because it was brilliant and original at the same time. There were few elements i recognize as too-used-in-the-current-fantasy-books. Most of the elements i’ve never seen putted together (i could say the flying house and it’s living both fire and mirror). The love story about the fox and the raven - and possibly the reason why they couldn’t speak to each other at the same time in the same day to secure their magical marriage - was also magnificent detail to the story.
Talking about originality, there were some scenes the reader may think they knew what would happen (because it was what would happen in another famous fantasy books) but then this one said “maybe in another fantasy book but not in this one” and then found the natural process of its own story.
Another exemple of this independence of classic fantasy is that, in Fly with the Arrow, the main characters openly talk to each other about what bothers them. One at day. Another at night. But they do it anyway. And it’s beautiful how it prevent bad things from happening. But as every good fantasy book, things go bad anyway.
When the world ends, Bluebeard will be writing poetry. I’m sure of this fact.
First to be noted, i like Izolda more than i will ever admit. That’s because she looks very much like me. She doesn’t trust people easily and is not a bad or good person at all. She’s a mortal girl trying to gain her life in a land of completely strange and letal both people and things.
Bluebeard is my typical favorite dream male. Their enemies to lovers was slow burn and perfectly developed. He already have had fifteen wives and yet the sixteenth one surprised him. Since their first night when she refused to use the nightgown he suggested.
He playing with her hair is one of my favorite things ever. <333
Please, their marriage vows memory still send shivers down my spine!
I absolutely loved the world-building. It was the thing I liked the most because it was brilliant and original at the same time. There were few elements i recognize as too-used-in-the-current-fantasy-books. Most of the elements i’ve never seen putted together (i could say the flying house and it’s living both fire and mirror). The love story about the fox and the raven - and possibly the reason why they couldn’t speak to each other at the same time in the same day to secure their magical marriage - was also magnificent detail to the story.
Talking about originality, there were some scenes the reader may think they knew what would happen (because it was what would happen in another famous fantasy books) but then this one said “maybe in another fantasy book but not in this one” and then found the natural process of its own story.
Another exemple of this independence of classic fantasy is that, in Fly with the Arrow, the main characters openly talk to each other about what bothers them. One at day. Another at night. But they do it anyway. And it’s beautiful how it prevent bad things from happening. But as every good fantasy book, things go bad anyway.
When the world ends, Bluebeard will be writing poetry. I’m sure of this fact.
May 24, 2021
С одной стороны, книга мне понравилась. Было интересно, и ретеллингов «Синей Бороды» я еще не встречала.
С другой, для меня в этой истории много чего не хватало. Для подобного фэнтези она слишком короткая. Иногда авторы чересчур затягивают свои истории (их стоит поделить на несколько книг), а иногда вот – наоборот… первая книга оказывается с минимумом сюжета. Лучше бы сразу автор объединил ее со второй.
По сути, здесь почти ничего не происходило (во всяком случае – выходящего за пределы аннотации). «Мужчина забрал из одного королевства в другое 16-ю невесту, которая не знает, как спасти его королевство, но изо всех сил старается это сделать, понимая, что иначе умрет». Вот и весь сюжет. Больше, собственно, в книге ничего и не происходило.
Читалось легко, но все время казалось, что этого мало. Постоянно в голове был вопрос: «Э… и это все?»
Для «прочитать и забыть» история подойдет отлично. А вот как увлекательное фэнтези с максимумом интересного сюжета и необычного мира эта книга точно не котируется. Слишком простенько, коротенько и «малосюжетно».
Возможно, вторая книга будет понасыщеннее: будет больше событий, интриг (в том числе и раскрытых), интересных поворотов сюжета и романтики. А вот первая часть, на мой взгляд, явно пустовата. Да и не очень оригинальна (похоже на большинство историй про фейри).
Все же потенциал у истории и персонажей есть. И я бы даже была не против прочитать продолжение (очень хочется верить, что автор во второй книге распишется).
В общем, пока это довольно простенькая, но все же интересная история. Конечно, она не станет настоящим бестселлером и не запомнится читателям на всю жизнь, но удовольствие от ее прочтения все же получить можно.
Итоговая оценка: 7/10
С другой, для меня в этой истории много чего не хватало. Для подобного фэнтези она слишком короткая. Иногда авторы чересчур затягивают свои истории (их стоит поделить на несколько книг), а иногда вот – наоборот… первая книга оказывается с минимумом сюжета. Лучше бы сразу автор объединил ее со второй.
По сути, здесь почти ничего не происходило (во всяком случае – выходящего за пределы аннотации). «Мужчина забрал из одного королевства в другое 16-ю невесту, которая не знает, как спасти его королевство, но изо всех сил старается это сделать, понимая, что иначе умрет». Вот и весь сюжет. Больше, собственно, в книге ничего и не происходило.
Читалось легко, но все время казалось, что этого мало. Постоянно в голове был вопрос: «Э… и это все?»
Для «прочитать и забыть» история подойдет отлично. А вот как увлекательное фэнтези с максимумом интересного сюжета и необычного мира эта книга точно не котируется. Слишком простенько, коротенько и «малосюжетно».
Возможно, вторая книга будет понасыщеннее: будет больше событий, интриг (в том числе и раскрытых), интересных поворотов сюжета и романтики. А вот первая часть, на мой взгляд, явно пустовата. Да и не очень оригинальна (похоже на большинство историй про фейри).
Все же потенциал у истории и персонажей есть. И я бы даже была не против прочитать продолжение (очень хочется верить, что автор во второй книге распишется).
В общем, пока это довольно простенькая, но все же интересная история. Конечно, она не станет настоящим бестселлером и не запомнится читателям на всю жизнь, но удовольствие от ее прочтения все же получить можно.
Итоговая оценка: 7/10
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