Lava Red Feather Blue by Molly Ringle is a fantasy novel that was published at the start of this month. It centres around two characters: Prince Larkin, a human royal who has been recently awoken after being put under a sleeping spell under duress for over two hundred years, and Merrick, a half-fae perfumer, descendant of the witch who put Larkin under the sleeping spell, and the man who wakes him entirely by accident. Waking Prince Larkin also wakes the fae Ula Kana, who is intent on destroying all humans on the island that they live on. Merrick and Larkin have to team up to defeat Ula Kana once and for all, venturing into the dangerous fae realm without any guarantee of their safe return.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The story was interesting and gripping, with some interesting world building and a great cast of characters, including many openly queer characters which made my little queer heart happy. The exploration of the concept of love given the differences in the perception of time between fae and humans was also really interesting, as was the contrast between the life Larkin had known and life for the rest of the human or part human characters of the book.
Merrick and Larkin had some cute moments as a couple. I love the trope of one character facing or overcoming a fear they hold for another, and Ringle executed it beautifully. The only thing I would say is that as someone who is used to slow burn romances, their relationship seemed to progress a little fast to me. I would have liked some more time to really get to know them and understand why they love each other, but I still think that they compliment each other well as characters.
I would recommend Lava Red Feather Blue by Molly Ringle for fantasy fans looking for a high stakes story with a side of queer romance.
I was given a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Living My Dreams Through Fiction 