I received this book for free from The Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Defy the Fae by Natalia Jaster Series: Vicious Faeries #4
Published by CreateSpace on July 29th, 2022
Genres: Fae, Fantasy & Magic, Love & Romance, Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 442
Format: eARC
Source: The Author
Goodreads
Mortals call us monsters. But we’re far worse than that.
For centuries, we’ve ruled over this world. But one night, three human sisters broke our rules. So we punished them, forced them into our dark, dangerous, and decadent realm. In the land of Faerie, we made these rebellious women play three deadly games.
We didn’t expect them to defy us. We didn’t expect them to win, much less to consume us with a forbidden desire, to seduce our black, sinful hearts.
Now they’re our fated mates, our equals, our everything. With the slightest touch, these women stoke a passionate fire that burns eternally.
Indeed, we’ve become even more vicious than before. Because now we have something to protect. Something more valuable than power, magic, and dominance.
A fatal battle looms between humans and Fae. And we’ll do whatever it takes to keep our mates safe. Even if it means tearing apart our world—and risking our immortal souls.
Defy the Fae was one of my most hotly anticipated books due in 2022 so I was super-excited when the link for the ARC was emailed to me ahead of its release date! One of the perks of being on Natalia Jaster’s ARC Team is being able to read her amazing books before they make their way out into the wild and it’s a huge privilege to be one of the lucky ones who get a chance at being an early reader.
Before I go any further I just want to state all opinions are my own and the fact I was granted an ARC in no way influenced those opinions or had any bearing on the content of my review.
my review
This book in particular was one I was dying to get my hands on. The last in the Vicious Faeries series (at least for now – who knows what the fates have in store?) this book is the culmination of all the previous (love) stories: feisty Lark and elegant Cerulean in Kiss the Fae, studious Juniper and roguish Puck in Hunt the Fae, and gentle Cove and venomous Elixir in Curse the Fae. Now, in Defy the Fae, we get to live in each individual hero’s head and I was so here for it!
This book follows a slightly different format to the previous books; each of the aforementioned titles followed a singular heroine. Now we get to spend some time with each of these boys (Cerulean, Puck, and Elixir) and it was just the change of pace that made this book both intoxicating and luxuriously enticing at the same time. I feel like the story really came full circle and tied all the loose threads together.
Don’t get me wrong – I adored each of the three heroines voices (especially Juniper’s) – but there were times when I really wanted those fae males perspectives. Although this story doesn’t re-tread over earlier parts of the books, it does give a great deal of insight into Cerulean, Puck, and Elixir and it was a boon to get an unexpected fourth book (the series was originally conceived as a trilogy, I believe?) which handily provided their POV’s.
This is the culmination of the events that occurred over books one to three. Now that all three sisters have completed their trials, the Faerie lands are diminishing and allegiances have splintered. War is on the horizon, not just with the humans but between the fae themselves.
Desperately trying to find a way to save their realm, their people, and their precious fauna; each pairing is trying their hardest to find way to end the turmoil as peacefully as possible. However, they are facing a battle on several fronts: subjects are turning against their former rulers and their fauna are also being used against them. Not to mention the strife with the humans has been festering for such a long time.
Each hero will need to gather all of their allies, and pool all of their resources in order to return their lands to their former glory. Each of the women they have fallen in love with will play a vital role – but will it be enough to save them all?
I love how the narrative of this story was structured (with each character POV getting about a third of the book); each perspective was vital to the overarching story and although I have my favourite (Puck, naturally – he wouldn’t have it any other way!) I thoroughly enjoyed all three voices. It was fun being in their heads and made it an entirely different experience. I think it was a wise choice to end the series through their viewpoints.
The story was deeply layered and the prose evocatively beautiful, par for the course with Natalia’s amazing writing. The story flowed nicely and though there were a few twists and turns I didn’t see coming, thinking back, it was the only logical way things could have gone (and the clues were there if you just happened to look closely enough). I really love being surprised – I enjoy when an author can be unpredictable in a way that fully serves the story without just being for shock value and Natalia certainly delivers that with bells on. I actually think a re-read of the whole series is on the cards for me – I probably missed things first go around and I really want to get the full experience now all of the books are in my possession.
Another thing this book has going for it is the lovely relationship between each romantic pairing. I’m not the biggest fan of smut for the most part but it works for me in this series because I could feel the palpable connections between each couple. The steamy scenes added to the story rather than detracting from it. There are not many authors that can accomplish that for me and I’m so happy that I could enjoy these scenes without feeling the need to squeeze my eyes shut (second-hand cringe is normally such a thing with me!!). It was interesting reading sexy times from a male perspective; it’s somehow much more visceral and present in the moment – if that makes sense…? Less descriptive but also really sensual and commanding. 🥵
to sum up
This book was an amazing conclusion to a series that has had more than a few laughs (my boy Puck is a cheeky one!), angst aplenty, some raunchy couplings (and then some!), and most of all a huge amount of heart. Each couple stole a piece from me and ran away with it. I’m not mad though… I have loved every minute I have spent in this world.
I honestly cannot say enough good things about this book and series as a whole. I have had so much fun reading these books and with these amazingly well-rounded characters. I’m sad to see the series ending but I am excited to see what Natalia comes up with next. I already know I’m going to be a huge fan! 5/5 stars
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