A Deal with the Elf King
By Elise Kova
Format: Graphic Audio
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
**My review below may contain minor spoilers.**
Good Reads Summary
The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.
Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella’s village to be their Human Queen.
To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Luella is grateful to have escaped as a girl. Instead, she’s dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town’s only healer.
That is, until the Elf King unexpectedly arrives… for her.
Everything Luella had thought she’d known about her life, and herself, was a lie. Taken to a land filled with wild magic, Luella is forced to be the new queen to a cold yet blisteringly handsome Elf King. Once there, she learns about a dying world that only she can save.
The magical land of Midscape pulls on one corner of her heart, her home and people tug on another… but what will truly break her is a passion she never wanted.
A Deal with the Elf King is a complete, stand-alone novel, inspired by the tales of Hades and Persephone, as well as Beauty and the Beast, with a “happily ever after” ending. It’s perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon-worthy couple.
Positives:
Negatives:
- Beauty and the Beast Retelling: As a Disney lover i was a big fan of the loose Beauty and the Beast theme. There was a Gaston-esque character, sleepy town, captive/captor romance dynamic, rescue, slow-burn, a “curse” of sorts, intelligent FMC and a loveable staff.
- Adorable, Furry Sidekick: Hook was one of my favorite parts of the book. he’s a wolf that attaches himself to Luella (our main heroine) and serves as her protector and companion.
- Happy Ending: When I spend hours invested in a book, I can’t stand when an author rips my heart out at the end and doesn’t give a happy ending. I know many find happy endings to be predictable, but I love when characters get a happily ever after.
- Can Stand Alone: It’s hard to find a stand alone fantasy or romantasy book. This one is part of a series, but can be read alone, as each book follows different characters and is not a continuation of the story from the previous book.
- Graphic Audio Cast: I thought the voice actors did a great job. They portrayed the emotions well and I think their efforts made me enjoy the book more than if I had been reading it as a physical copy.
- World Building: I found myself confused at multiple times during the book. Granted, when I listen to audiobooks I am often multitasking, but I am usually more easily able to follow with the details. After finishing the book I still find myself unsure about how the magic works, the different “realms” they discussed, and many of the other innerworkings of the world Elise describes.
- Surface Level Main Characters: I did not find myself emotionally connected to any of the characters (except Hook of course 🥰). I thought Luella to be a bit whiny and shallow, and Eldas just didn’t do it for me. In his defense, when there’s Rhys, Cassian and Xaden Riorson to compete with, the odds are stacked against him. I didn’t understand their romance, it went from disconnected and unfeeling to all of a sudden they love each other.
Review Synopsis
Overall, this was a pretty decent read. I think much of the disconnect I feel with the characters and world building is that it is all crammed into one, relatively short book. This book is the first in a series, but the other books focus on different characters and different aspects of the world, so this is the only book that focuses on Luella and Eldas. I may have felt more of a connection to the characters and their love story had it been drawn out over another book, giving time to really develop the characters. I did enjoy this as an audiobook, since I could read it while also completing other tasks.
If you have not tried Graphic Audio, I highly recommend giving it a go. There are apps where you can connect your library card to get free audiobooks, and many times you can find the Graphic Audios too! I use Hoopla and Libby through my local library, and I can almost always find the books I want to read. I’ll listen to graphic audios while I’m driving, cleaning, and while conducting other monotonous tasks throughout my day.
Below is an affiliate link to Amazon if you are interested in reading A Deal with the Elf King leave a comment to let me know what you think if you give it a try!
Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3JjYx3I