Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: Lord of Hearth, Lord of Hollow
AUTHOR: Sera Kane
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 52 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 20, 2016
BLURB:
Culinary school is hard enough for Aimes Cully without mixing in an utterly underwhelming physical appearance—too small, too delicate, too red-haired, too freckled, too human—added with the inability to magically improve the food—still too human—and facing the too beautiful, too fae-looking Aleksi’s teases and taunts. When rumors surface that Aimes’s older brother’s success is a lie, Aimes is determined to prove them wrong and show that pure-blooded humans are the equal of anyone with mixed blood.
But things get worse after Aimes is caught in a faerie ring and transported to the fae hollow of Lord Keanewyeth Ordioral. As the attraction heats up, it becomes obvious that there’s something wrong in the magical home. A cursed creature appears, and everything becomes jumbled as the secrets of their lives collide into a painful concoction of Aimes’s past and Keanewyeth’s present. But if they can meld their talents, they might be able to save each other.
REVIEW:
While I’d normally recap a bit of the story before beginning my review, in this case the blurb gives a better overview than anything I could come up with…it says a great deal more than I would’ve, as well. With short stories it’s a fine line between giving just enough information and too much so I’d rather refrain from giving anything away. I loved the beginning of the story; it was a great set up for the everything else that happened to Aimes as a result of it and it gave just enough information about his character without overwhelming me with unnecessary extras. From there the author took the book in a direction I wasn’t expecting at all; honestly I though there’s be much more about Aimes in the cooking school or just seeing him cook in general but that was a minor part of the overall story.
Keane is one half what I expected from a typical arrogant Fae and one half complete surprise making for an interesting character. While you don’t actually get his story until near the very end of the book, there’s enough in the way of hints to understand some of what his life has been like. I did figure out a few things on my own before the they were revealed in the reading but that in no way detracted from the story itself. I liked how the story I got was so completely different than the one I’d been prepared to read though there were a few things I would’ve really liked to have seen. For one, I wish I’d been able to get more information on the world and fae in general as you only really get a glimpse at the overall structure. Also, some kind of…closure, I guess is the word, on the life Aimes left behind would’ve been nice, as well. Aside from those points, however, I found the world building interesting and I had no problem immersing myself into the story.
The ending can be looked at either a happy ever after or a happy for now depending on how you see things and I was content with where things left off with Aimes and Keane. There was also a nice sense of closure, especially since Aimes cooking was tied back in at the end. I liked the story and will probably read it again but it won’t be high on my list of books to revisit due to the lingering questions and the unfulfilled desire for more.
RATING:
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