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Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized among them. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes – a weakness that could cost him his life.

Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love, violating the fair folks’ ruthless Good Law. There's only one way to save both their lives, Isobel must drink from the Green Well, whose water will transform her into a fair one—at the cost of her Craft, for immortality is as stagnant as it is timeless.

Isobel has a choice: she can sacrifice her art for a future, or arm herself with paint and canvas against the ancient power of the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.

What an absolutely fun book this was! I keep wanting to read it again and again because it was just so enjoyable and hilarious!

I don't read many faerie books, which is a shame, because I love faerie lore. Of the ones I have read, they all have something different, something unique about them. With Enchantment, it was Craft—things humans can do, such as cook or paint or whatever else, really—and it really interests the fae, since they can't do such things for themselves.

Isobel was a great main character. Her voice was both funny and a bit sassy, you know, in the way you only can be when dealing with creatures that could kill you? Yeah, so like, formal but lowkey snark (my favourite kind). In any case, Isobel was a fun main character. She was endearing and strong and I just adored her! Not to mention, being in a painter's head? Well, it definitely painted some vivid scenes and characters.

Which brings me to my next point: the writing! Oh, it was absolutely beautiful. Rogerson's prose was absolutely perfect and the way she described the courts, the forest, it was just remarkable. It's the type of writing that isn't too flowery, but just enough to paint a gorgeous image in your head.

The way she described other characters was also extremely well done. (If I wasn't lazy, I might post some quotes, but I don't normally highlight those, lmao.) It was poetic without being obnoxious, and I loved every bit of it.

One of my favourite parts of this novel was definitely how... clueless the fae could be. Because they're so... not human, basic human things—like eating, making jokes—it just goes over their head (and in a Drax voice: Nothing goes over my head... my reflexes are too fast). So an adventure with a sassy human and a clueless-about-human Autumn Prince? It creates for a lot of hilarious scenes.

Speaking of the Autumn Prince... I love Rook! So much. He's just a precious little angel, if you overlook his glamour and sharp teeth and ability to kill you!! Okay, no but seriously, Rook is really amazing. He's respectful, and kind even though he doesn't want to be sometimes. He's such a gentleman, and he'd so absolutely anything to protect Isobel, but not without her consent! (There's actually a great bit about consent and it makes me love him all the more.) It was so adorable how clueless he was about certain things in the human world. He's definitely one of the best love interests I've had the pleasure of reading about!

This book is a little heavy on the romance, or rather, a build up to it. It's also a journey book, getting from this place to that kind of thing. It kept my attention throughout, but there were small bits where I was wondering what the exact point of everything was. But, like I said, small bits. And, frankly? I was enamoured with the romance, which ended up playing a lot more into the plot than I was expecting, so it was a nice surprise.

Beautiful writing, two amazing characters, an healthy, budding relationship, loads of funny lines and witty banter, and of course, dangerous faeries, An Enchantment of Ravens is a debut that many readers of fantasy and faeries will adore! I highly recommend this one! 4 stars.

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{ about the author }

Margaret writes fantasy for young adult readers. Her books draw inspiration from old fairy tales, because she loves stories in which the beautiful and the unsettling are sometimes indistinguishable. She lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, and when she's not reading or writing she enjoys drawing, watching documentaries, making pudding, gaming, and exploring the outdoors in search of toads and mushrooms.

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When Dee Moreno makes a deal with a demon—her heart in exchange for an escape from a disastrous home life—she finds the trade may have been more than she bargained for. And becoming “heartless” is only the beginning. What lies ahead is a nightmare far bigger, far more monstrous than anything she could have ever imagined.

With reality turned on its head, Dee has only a group of other deal-making teens to keep her grounded, including the charming but secretive James Lancer. And as something grows between them amid an otherworldy ordeal, Dee begins to wonder: Can she give someone her heart when it’s no longer hers to give?

I don't want to write this review because every time I think about this book, I feel this?? strange pain?? in my heart? Which shouldn't be there, much like the characters in this book? AND YET. THERE IT IS.

Okay, look. Look, this book is just so good. If you, like, manage to get past the first 6 or 7 chapters, then it is goooood. Yes, it's a slow start, but that's only the first 50-ish pages and after that, oh hell, does it pick the hell up. I was overwhelmed but I was so damn ready for everything about to happen.

I loved Dee. Oh my god, Dee was awesome. Her character arc was so, so good, and it makes me SO, SO EMOTIONAL. I love her strength, her bravery. She's the kind of girl that always wants to be in the background, the quiet one, but the more you read this, the more you want to root for her. She's just such an amazing character and I loved being in her head.

And the more I think about it, the more I relate to her. Dee doesn't live at home (she's at a boarding school) but when she does visit, it's... not good. Not good at all. It's a horrible place, and paired with Dee's anxiety and inability to let people in or trust them, it's something I can relate to pretty easily. I loved that Jones didn't just make it a plot device or anything—it was taken seriously and dealt with seriously and it made me love this book all the more.

Another aspect of the novel I liked was the demons! Yes, DEMONS. Actual demons who you can sell your soul to—okay, fine, not a soul but a body part for sure. And the one Dee sells in exchange for help? Her heart. 

This whole demon thing was wickedly cool. Demons are well known in her world and there are plenty of people who have prosthetic arms or legs because of their deals. Dee actually makes hers with a demon that's a little different, so she has a bit of... an adventure, I guess you could say. There's definitely more to it than you originally think.

Oh god. I don't want to do this to myself because I'll be a stupid mess, but I HAVE TO MENTION HIM, OKAY? Okay, there's the most precious, weirdly dressing boy ever and his name is James Lancer, which is such a cliché bad boy name, and he isn't even a bad boy, HE'S JUST A GIANT PAINTING DORK. (God, that sentence was uber long.)

James gives me a lot of feelings.

I loved him. I loved him and Dee. I loved their slow relationship and how it grew. How they were friends first and how Dee was continuously hesitant of him and his homeless chic attire. (It was funny.) They have such sweet moments together! And some that were swoony. And some that were heartwarming and heartbreaking (which is ironic because neither have hearts. Hah!) and it was so easy to ship them together!

Emily Lloyd-Jones knows how to write a romance. I'm just sayin'.

The Hearts We Sold is definitely the type of book you want to keep reading once you pick it up. I had the pleasure of reading this book with my good friend, Danielle and freaking out with her over on twitter, and I think both of us had a hard time stopping where we had to. It was just so good. 

With a great main character, an adorable and messy love interest, an interesting cast of secondary characters, and a hint of magical realism, this book is definitely worth picking up. 4 stars!

And before I go, you can read a swoon here!

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{ about the author }

Emily Lloyd-Jones grew up on a vineyard in rural Oregon, where she played in evergreen forests and learned to fear sheep. After graduating from Western Oregon University with an English degree, she enrolled in the publishing program at Rosemont College just outside of Philadelphia. She currently resides in Northern California, working in a bookstore by day and writing by night. Illusive is her debut novel.

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A simple but forgotten truth: Where harbingers of death appear, the morgues will soon be full.

Angie Dovage can tell there’s more to Reece Fernandez than just the tall, brooding athlete who has her classmates swooning, but she can’t imagine his presence signals a tragedy that will devastate her small town. When something supernatural tries to attack her, Angie is thrown into a battle between good and evil she never saw coming. Right in the center of it is Reece—and he’s not human.

What's more, she knows something most don't. That the secrets her town holds could kill them all. But that’s only half as dangerous as falling in love with a harbinger of death.

Black Bird of the Gallows was such a pleasant surprise! This was one of those books that you just know—the moment you pick it up, you're going to like it!

I will admit... parts of this book reminded me of Twilight, which is sort of funny, because I've never actually read it—I'd watched it haltingly on TV about 6 years ago. But there were a few scenes that were sort of parallel to Twilight's, which I found sort of amusing. It wasn't a bad thing, but it was sort of funny.

Anyway, I loved Angie! She had such a fun voice and being in her head, having her narrate, was an absolute blast. She was a rational, relatable girl and she felt so real—I felt like I could be friends with her, have fun hanging out.

Angie's interest in Reece was well done. I loved the way Kassel handled it, actually—she didn't fall head first or anything, but was understandably curious. More so because of the strange birds and bees hanging around. Even when things turned romantic, Angie was still more eager for answers than anything else.

Which brings me to her tenacity! That girl did not give up and it was really enjoyable to read! The situations she found herself in... well, I was constantly surprised how it ended because it didn't go the way I expected. In fact, a lot of this book didn't go the way I thought it would and it made it all the more better.

Reece himself was a great love interest! He was sweet and understandably shady (I guess I would be too if I was some supernatural being, lmao). He stood up for Angie and he didn't just leave her after he was sitting with the cool kids. He was funny, sweet, and definitely had some swoony scenes! I really liked Reece and his overall character.

The whole harbinger of death thing was a cool aspect of the book. It was eerie and totally creepy and I liked the lore behind it! I won't say much about it because it's just easier to read it, but it definitely added more to the book!

I loved Angie's best friends! I loved that they were present instead of being sidelined, even in light of the supernatural stuff. They were there for Angie, supportive throughout, and Kassel did a great job at truly showing readers how close the three of them are!

With a fun, expressive voice, a great cast of characters, and lots of supernatural aspects sprinkled in, Black Bird of the Gallows is definitely a debut worth checking out! 4 stars.

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{ about the author }

Meg Kassel is an author of fantasy and speculative books for young adults. A graduate of Parson’s School of Design, she’s always been creating stories, whether with visuals or words. She worked as a graphic designer before realizing the thing she did for pleasure (writing) was something she should do for real. Meg is a New Jersey native who lives in a log house in the Maine woods with her husband and daughter. A fan of ’80s cartoons, Netflix series, and ancient mythology, Meg has always been fascinated and inspired by the fantastic, the creepy, and the futuristic. When she’s not writing, Meg is reading, hanging out with her family, hoarding peanut butter cups, or playing video games. She is a two-time finalist and the 2016 winner of the RWA Golden Heart© contest in YA.

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