Kiss the Fae (Dark Fables: Vicious Faeries Book 1)

I LOVED this book. You can blame it on Jareth the Goblin King, and years of watching the Labyrinth over and over...or you can blame it on the extremely talented writer, Natalia Jaster, who totally blew me away with this ferocious frolic through my favorite daydreams. I'm an earthy, woodsy, nature and animal loving girl so this really was the stuff my dreamscapes are made of...Where to start? Obviously I'm a huge fan of the premise: Lark, a saucy, fiery, vibrant human girl must escape the clutches of her bad lay (yes you read that right) by crossing the threshold into Faerie - a scary and dark place where humans never return from, (or if they do they return without their minds). Along with her two sisters who followed her in, they must now face the consequences of their intrusion. Each must face a trial in one of the three Solitary Fae wildnerness areas, Lark landing on the Solitary Mountain where she must combat its ruler, the mysterious flute playing, javelin wielding Cerulean. Her challenge: to scale its labyrinthine peaks and valleys, and all its magical pockets in-between and make her way to the highest summit within 13 days. Of course nothing is as it seems in Faerie and its a much harder task than it might at first appear. A sort of mountainous maze with enchanted groves and deceiving vistas and all sorts of tricky fae and fauna? Yes Please!I'm going to word geek out for a moment now: Jaster really created a wonderful cadence to her story with her use of sentence structure and word choice. There's almost a manic brilliance to some of it that FEELS just like being in that world would feel like: beautiful and terrifying, something your not sure you if want to run TO or run FROM, its carnal and cathartic, its a tangle and a finely honed tip, its all and nothing. Yes descriptions are meant to "show" us, but in this case - the juxtaposition of word choice, the dreamy AND the visceral, the sheer shapes of the words - really BROUGHT me there. Her descriptions could range from beautiful and ethereal to crass or destructive in one scope - just like the sharp edge of those fae teeth hiding behind their otherworldly beauty. Its all one here: "It's a hopeless, grisly display, shimmering at the edges with sparks of magic. So many faces and souls - gorgeous to the point of hellish, frightful to the point of ethereal."So yes I loved the plot, yes I loved the words, and yes I most definitely loved the dance between Lark and Cerulean. She does a great job of building the tension but also the confusion and conflicting emotions of both characters, and though in a sense it is a slow burn, when the heat does come its packed on ferociously in the best way possible: no holds barred. My oh my I loved it!And now I will leave you with possibly my favorite description of a redhead ever (and describing one of the characters the next book will focus on, definitely excited for Puck and Junipers story): "The reddest hair I've ever seen tumbles in waves from his head and sweeps his shoulders. I can't describe the vivid, inflammatory color, except that its warmer than rust, livelier than titan, and more provocative than scarlet. It's the erotic shade of carmine, or, if you're feeling morbid, the shit that pours from a fresh wound."

Oh..... Oh my my. Guys. Gals. Gentle people.THIS IS IT!!!!!!!!!!If you’re a recurring fan of Natalia Jaster’s outright-PHENOMENAL AND OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD books, or if this is your first time coming across any of her previous gems, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!!Natalia Jaster has a deliciously unique way of making her books pop out from the pages, rendering the readers immobile and glued to the story for its entirety. It just may be her best work to date which I thought was impossible. If fantasy romance is your favorite genre, do us both the favor and PLEASE read this!!!To keep this spoiler free I will just say this book DELIVERED. The mythical faes, the no-nonsense spitfire of the heroine, the decadent, steamy romance that had me SALIVATING, which I am not ashamed of admitting ..... I honestly cannot wait for the next installment of this series. Just, 100/10. Wow!

Oh. My. Goodness! This book!I like a little steam between characters in my books - but the heat between Lark and Cerulean could melt the pages! 🔥 Not to mention, I loved the slow burn romance in this book - the teasing and taunting of Lark and Cerulean as enemies, and the heat and passion of them as lovers.Kiss the Fae definitely left me breathless - not just the romance, but the lush description of Faerie and of Reverie Hollow, the characters the smells, the sights, everything.I absolutely loved Lark. She is incredibly sassy - one of my favorite traits of a leading lady. She's strong willed and willing to take on the unknown to protect those she loves.I also really enjoyed the growth of Lark’s relationship with Moth. This relationship grows and changes, as Lark’s time in Faerie grows and changes. I hope to see Moth in future Vicious Faeries books!I definitely did not expect to laugh, to cry, and to have my heart broken by an NA Romantic Fantasy. But Kiss of the Fae did all of that, and in left me with one wicked book hangover.Thank you to Book of Matches Media and Natalia Jaster for the gifted copy!⁠

This book! I’ve said it before, I have ZERO doubt I’ll say it again, Natalia Jaster is a master. I can never get enough of her gorgeous prose. Seriously. She can spin words into pictures and emotions that leave me swoony.When I heard Natalia Jaster was writing a book about Fae I immediately started singing. Singing, “these are a few of my favorite things.” I promise.This is a wonderful enemies to lovers story. But be aware, it’s NA and Not YA.When Lark crosses into forbidden territory she is immediately noticed by the viscous Cerulean. It’s not long before a deal is struck for her freedom. But the more time she spends in the company of the attractive ruler the more things become clearer and so much more confusing.All the stars and intense anticipation for the next book in this series.

I am always anxious when I start a new series by an author I love. I worry about whether I will enjoy it as much as their other works, whether or not it will speak to me and capture my imagination. Going into Kiss the Fae I had a certain amount of trepidation. I have read many books about Fae (or Faeries) and have loved some and positively loathed others. So this, the first book in a new series Vicious Faeries, would either leave me cold or with warm squishy feelings.I shouldn’t have worried. I loved this book!Full disclosure: I am part of the author’s ARC team but this in no way influences my rating. This book was everything I wanted it to be and more besides. First, a little bit of background. Yes this book is about faeries (vicious faeries if we are being technical) but it is set in a different world to our own so doesn’t fall under the urban fantasy label.One of the main themes in this book is the notion of found family. Lark (our main character) was taken in as a youngster by a kindly man Papa Thorne after she runs away from the toil and danger of her life as a child chimney sweep. Not long after, two other girls, Juniper and Cove, become additions to the family and Lark is raised with and thinks of them as her sisters.Lark, Juniper and Cove live a mostly peaceful life with their adoptive father, except for the odd bit of animal rescuing from hunters and poachers. The only pall over their village is its proximity to the Faerie lands.A terrible uprising occurred about a decade prior where the humans, fed up with being subjected to the whims of the denizens of the Faerie lands, mounted an uprising which saw many young Fae and their fauna kidnapped, captured and killed.Lark is a spitfire of a young woman, who craves excitement and often finds it in young men who come visiting their little village. However, when she accidently takes to her bed a poacher (and thief), she gets more than she bargained for when it turns out he was using her for his own nefarious means and plans to rob the family of their prized possessions and the animals they have cared for in their own private animal sanctuary.Forced to flee when the poacher’s fellows show up, Lark has no choice but to take cover over the Faerie border. Her sisters, always ready to back her up, follow her there. This sets of a chain reaction of events that could have catastrophic repercussions for each sister.After giving the poachers the slip, the three sisters return home but they are soon compelled to answer a summons and upon their arrival into the Faeries lands are immediately split up, much to their horror. Lark is summoned by the ruler of the sky named Cerulean – a solitary fae who is both wickedly handsome, and treacherously devious.Lark is given a task – she must summit their mountain lands within thirteen days, all the while dodging dangers such as disappearing staircases where one wrong foot could mean certain death, and a twisted labyrinth full of wild and untamed creatures. However, the biggest threat is Cerulean himself, the elegant trickster who is watching her every step. Not to mention the strange bond that seems to thrum between them, dismaying them both in equal measures.Nothing is as it seems in Faerie – and Lark will have her work cut out for her…Wow. Wow. Wow. Seriously, this book packed a wallop of a punch. I think Lark might just be my favourite heroine that Natalia has conjured up. She is strong-willed and stubborn but also kind and loving at the same time. Her bond with her sisters is lovely, despite the fact that they have little in the way of page-time together. You can feel the love and deep appreciation they have for each other jumping off the pages.Lark also has a deep affinity for the suffering of animals. She favours all creatures that fly but cares deeply about a myriad of animals under her care. She also develops bonds with some unlikely fauna in the Faerie lands.What an amazing journey she has.Cerulean is everything that a love interest should be. Like all of the Fae, he has a deep mistrust of humans, yet Lark is able to slither her way into his heart anyway. He is sexy and mysterious and more than a match for headstrong Lark! I loved them both separately and together.I also really liked Moth, a young Faerie who helps Lark, despite her many protestations. Also I would be remiss not the mention the fauna, that is, the animals that play a huge role in this story. They are amazing and fully-realized characters in their own right, from the wise owl who raised Cerulean to the menagerie of animals that have been provided a sanctuary by this supposed fierce Faerie leader (after they were captured and tortured by the humans from Lark’s village).Lark soon begins to fall in love with these animals, and soon thereafter Cerulean himself. However, the task that she has been given cannot be forgotten, and threatens not only her life but her newfound bond with Cerulean too.Torn between the love for her family, her duty to them, and her feelings for Cerulean and those he holds dear, Lark has a no choice but to continue on her set path even if she breaks her own heart and Cerulean’s in the process. Will she succeed? Well, you’ll have to read to find out!!Honestly, I cannot say enough good things about this book. The setting and world-building are top-notch (as is usual from this author). The characters are equal part intriguing and endearing and the story is fantastic. Books about the Fae can go either way for me as mentioned before, and I’m happy to report this book did not disappoint. I absolutely cannot wait for Juniper’s story next (and then Cove’s thereafter). This world has hooked me in its claws (see what I did there?) and it will not let go.I have a very strong feeling that this is going to the top of my best books read this year pile! I would even go as far to say as it might just be my favourite Natalia Jaster book yet (and that’s saying something because I adored her Foolish Kingdoms and Selfish Myths series so much).The romance is written so well but it never overshadows the plot. I read for the characters (I have always been a character-driven reader) and this book certainly delivers on that front. Cerulean is right up their with Poet (from the Foolish Kingdoms series) and Malice (from the Selfish Myths series) as my kind of swoony romance lead. He is sexy and mysterious but with a hidden vulnerability that is like catnip to me. A new ‘book boyfriend’ for sure!Lark, I love just as much. She is an awesome badass female character who makes things happen and isn’t in the least bit passive which makes it a joy to be in her head. She is just the right mix of mouthy and wild, but with hidden depths that really round out her character.This book is really everything you want in a book about Faeries. It’s fabulous – so what are you waiting for? Read it already! I cannot recommend this enough, especially if you are anything like me and need to fill the hole left by the Folk of the Air series. A well-deserved 5/5 stars.

𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒂𝒏 𝑶𝒘𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝑳𝒂𝒓𝒌...Natalia has long been a favourite of mine, so when I heard she was writing a book about Fae, it felt like a dream come true 🖤 then I found out I was lucky enough to receive and ARC in exchange for an honest review, excited is an understatement!𝗞𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗲 is an absolute gem of a book. I 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 the lush descriptions of the Fae, the fauna and the mountains. It's an enchanting explosion of white and teal starlight, sparkling mists and ivy covered cliffsides. If I were an artist, I would spend hours trying to recreate the visions this book brought to mind.With Natalias talent for lyrical prose, this story will grip you from the first page. The characters compliment eachother beautifully. Lark is witty, sharp tongued, feisty and flirtatious. Cerulean matches these traits and then some, but adds his own dark edge, his own mystery. And can we talk about the heat?! The steamy scenes were so well written. I mean damn, this book was 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘺.As the story unfolds and the characters develop, we see them face conflicting emotions as they struggle to put aside the history of their people. Loss, longing, and love play a big part in this tale. All the while we're exploring the mysterious and dangerous landscape as Lark races through the labyrinth to save her sisters, making this an exciting, magical read you'll struggle to put down.

Another Natalia classic. Beautifully written with a great, fast-paced storyline, it's a sweet story with a feel-good happy ending. I loved the element of childhood connection and that added depth, while also maintaining the excitement of the enemies-to-lovers trope. It was a fun read with plenty of banter and wit and of course, and very loveable characters. Would absolutely recommend and read again!

Another Natalia classic, this was really well written with a great storyline, it's a sweet story with a happy ending. I loved the storyline and the girls home with their father, brought together through grief or pain i think this added depth, this is 100% ENEMIES TO LOVERS!. It was an easy read withlots of snarky sarcasm lol, and lots of loveable characters. Would definitely recommend.

Se, come me, avete amato Labyrinth e siete quel tipo di persona che si chiede spesso "cosa succederebbe se", questo libro potrebbe seriamente piacervi. Devo ammettere che la sua lettura non è adatta a chi non mastica bene l'inglese e il fantasy, perché il registro linguistico dell'autrice è tendente agli arcaismi e molti termini sono desueti, oltre a descrivere minuziosamente l'ambientazione e i personaggi.Ma se vi piacciono le favole che non sono per bambini e con un scene da bollino rosso, questo libro fa per voi.