Book Review: A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova (Married to Magic)

Synopsis:

She knew her hand in marriage would be sold. She had no idea a fae prince was the buyer.

Katria swore she’d never fall in love. She’s seen what “love” means through the cruelty of her family. So when she’s married off to the mysterious Lord Fenwood for a handsome price, all Katria wants is a better life than the one she’s leaving. Feelings are off the table.

But her new husband makes not falling in love difficult.

As their attraction begins to grow, so too do the oddities within her new life: strange rules, screams in the night, and attacks by fae that Katria never thought were real. When she witnesses a ritual not meant for human eyes, Katria finds herself spirited away to the land of Midscape.

Surviving the fae wilds as a human is hard enough. Katria must survive as a human who accidently pilfered the magic of ancient kings – magic a bloodthirsty king is ready to kill her for in order to keep his stolen throne – and her new husband is the rightful heir in hiding.

The power to save the fae is in her hands. But who will save her from a love she vowed never to feel?

---

My thoughts:

I loved this!! I was absolutely obsessed with A Deal with the Elf King when I read it last year, I have been highly anticipating this ever since. Like it’s predecessor, it’s a retelling, this time around it’s a Cinderella retelling! Which is very evident throughout. It’s draws inspiration from Psyche and Eros, which I’m not super familiar with.

I devoured this in one sitting. It’s such an easy, binge-able read!
If you’re looking for a feel good, quick romance-fantasy, definitely pick this (and the previous one) up!

The romance is force marriage and a bit slow burn. There’s a bit of tension since the love interest, Lord Fenwood, is very mysterious and reclusive. Katria tries her hardest to get to know her husband but he is reluctant. I love that kind of angsty/reluctant romance!

This one gave more worldbuilding than the last, which I was extremely happy about. I live for good worldbuilding. I am so invested in this world and learning more about it! Fae are one of my favourite fantasy creatures(?) – so I was ecstatic about the Fae of this world and seeing the differences between them and the Elves of previous novel.

The only issue I had was the pacing. It was a bit off for me, it was super quick for the most part, but toward the middle it slowed down a bit too much. It got a little repetitive at times. That being said, I still managed to read it in one sitting, so it’s not painfully slow or anything like that.

There was less romance in this one, compared to ADWTEK, this had more fantasy-quest vibes. Overall, The plot is pretty predictable but a very fun read nonetheless. Not a mind-blowing, complicated read, just simple and familiar. It’s a comforting read rather than tense and high stakes. I really enjoyed reading it, I would absolutely read this again. I can’t wait for the next instalment in the Married to Magic series!

Rating: 4 Stars