I really enjoyed the magic system and the human work, or Craft, being such a large part of Isobel's life and a fascination to the Fae. Both worlds are intrigued by each other; however, the humans live continuously in fear of the Fae. On a whim the Fae may cast a terrible curse, or gift a crafter with payment that turns out to be rotten or goes wrong along the way, the Fae also kill humans for slights so small they seem silly. Most of all, all humans go by false names, because real names give Faeries absolute control over a human. The book was dark, twisted, and completely sucked me in to the story from the moment Isobel picked up her paintbrush on the first page. The setting is memorable, frightening, and beautiful. The description of the Faerie world was scary, but left me wanting to meander the pathways and experience the enchantment of fall. The Fae are beautiful, but only because they use illusion to hide their actual grotesquely inhuman nature, but there is always a flaw in their illusion (which Isobel is able to spot with her artists eye). This causes trouble for Isobel, but also allows her to see the truth behind the illusion, to protect herself from the powerful sway of the fair folk. I had heard this book involved insta-love (my least favourite trope), but I think it was more insta-infatuation. Isobel was fascinated by Rook, interested in knowing what it was about him that had her flustered and out of sorts, but she realized it was not love. It took weeks and a hard journey together for love to really blossom, otherwise the book would have been over before it had even begun. I really actually enjoyed the banter between the two leads, how Rook was so oblivious to human kind and their fragility and what most emotions really were, and how Isobel was so willing to see Rook as she saw all other Fae (powerful, without feelings or remorse, deadly). There were moments of anger, hate, resentment, but they played off well with Rook's growing attachment and Isobel's need of his protection. They are opposites, but they make each other stronger, kinder, and better. Rook is brooding, mysterious, angry at having human emotion. Isobel is defiant, smart, determined to build a good life for her family. I loved these characters and feared for them at every turn. Their growth throughout the novel added to the wonder of the story, and the world itself became a character. Breathing, pulsing, deadly, yet waiting for change and harmony. Where it may have fallen short was in the side characters, with little information about their motivations or their back story. The story was so focused on Rook and Isobel (which I loved), but there were other characters that could have used more fluffing. A great read for fans of fairy stories, Autumn, and romance (with an edge of darkness and mystery). I much preferred this relationship to the toxic relationship from The Cruel Prince series. Mini rant: I was so impressed that this book did not have the lead female fawning all over the lead male the entire book, that she mentioned that his illusion was unnaturally beautiful, but also did not shy away from his true Fae form (which was frightening). She was more interested in the depths in his eyes, the emotions he tried unsuccessfully to hide, his magical abilities, his presence, his protectiveness, his charm and ability to control a room. She genuinely liked the faerie behind the illusion. I am quite sick of books with females swooning over males (and falling for them solely based on looks and nothing more), then wondering how someone so gorgeous could ever be in to them. Anyone else over this?
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