Bria Tremaine has been hiding her entire life. She just never knew it.
When a fae from the Wild Hunt injures Bria’s mother, causing a fever that won’t ease, she decides to travel to the Unseelie court’s masquerade ball disguised as a fae to find a cure.
Royal fae. I loved the human/fae dynamic. It’s more of a predator/prey relationship, with the fae as the dominant race. But the Unseelie at least do not kill humans upon sight like the Seelie court—a refreshing twist, as the Unseelie court is typically the “evil” one. Humans are disgusted by the fae—and afraid of them, as those who went to Faery never returned and were rumored to have become slaves. Plus, the fae outlawed music in the human lands.
Yet Bria is not afraid to fight them, which is something I instantly loved about her.
Bria as a character is very relatable for her strength, willingness to fight, and thinking of all others before herself. She is a healer, and willing to take rudeness if it meant easing another’s pain. She is self-conscious about her deformed ears and grapples with that throughout the book.
The Wild Hunt is first brought to the village because she broke a law: she was singing. Or so she thinks. And they take newborns as well as adults—also really interesting, as the typical changeling concept involves leaving one of their own in place of the human.
Enter Prince Fergus of the Unseelie court. The enemies-to-lovers romance between Bria and Prince Fergus is more of a slow burn. He has so many layers, and Bria (bless her caring soul) spends a long time trying to peel back those layers. They explore the limits of their magic together, which is one of my favorite parts of the book. It’s fascinating.
Shocking twists. So many twists and turns—involving what Bria knows about herself and Prince Fergus, what they both know about the fae courts to begin with, and the epic ending.
Just when you think one thing, something else is revealed. But, of course, you will have to read for yourself, as no one likes spoilers!
Official blurb:
The Wild Hunt killed her father. The Unseelie King locked up her mother.
And a mask-clad fae as cruel as he is beautiful, dragged Bria out of the human realm and into the depths of Faery, a place where humans can trust nothing, especially their instincts.
It never occurred to Bria to question why the fae have taken such a macabre interest in her family, not until the masked fae suggests she’s hiding something. If she is, she doesn’t know what it could be.
What she does know is that she must help her mother get away from the king. And that means escaping the masked fae.
But evading him is so easy, she’s not sure she was ever really his prisoner. When his mask—spelled so no one can remove it—slips off at her slightest touch during her escape, it’s just another in a long list of questions she can’t answer.
He can, though. The masked fae knows more about her than she knows about herself.
And he’ll share. For a price.
Bria’s instincts tell her not to trust him, that he works for the same man who stole her parents and who wants her locked up. But they also tell her there’s no safer place than in the masked fae’s arms. Either way, he's the only one in Faery who might help her, so she must return to him and decide which instinct to trust. Rescuing her mother and saving herself will depend on it.
Kingdom of Yesterday’s Lies is book one of the Royals of Faery series.
This article was written by Allison Rose.
Allison Rose writes YA fantasy featuring magic and otherworldly beings. Her current series feature a truly unique world of Faerie. Click the covers below to check them out.
