A Feather So Black

By: Lyra Selene

Narrated by: Heather O’Sullivan

Set in a world of perilous magic and moonlit forests, this seductive romantic fantasy tells the story of a defiant changeling, her cursed sister, and the dangerous fae lord she must defeat to save her family.

In a kingdom where magic has been lost, Fia is a rare changeling, left behind by the wicked Fair Folk when they stole the High Queen's daughter and retreated behind the locked gates of Tír na nÓg.

Most despise Fia's fae blood. But the queen raises her as a daughter and trains her to be a spy. Meanwhile, the real princess Eala is bound to Tír na nÓg, cursed to become a swan by day and only returning to her true form at night.

When a hidden gate to the realm is discovered, Fia is tasked by the queen to retrieve the princess and break her curse. But she doesn’t go alone: with her is prince Rogan, Fia's dearest childhood friend—and Eala’s betrothed.

As they journey through the forests of the Folk, where magic winds through the roots of the trees and beauty can be a deadly illusion, Fia’s mission is complicated by her feelings for the prince…and her unexpected attraction to the dark-hearted fae lord holding Eala captive. Irian might be more monster than man, but he seems to understand Fia in a way no one ever has.

Soon, Fia begins to question the truth of her mission. But time is running out to break her sister's curse. And unraveling the secrets of the past might destroy everything she has come to love.

©2024 Lyra Selene (P)2024 Orbit

Critic reviews

"Dark and dangerous and teeming with romance, A Feather So Black is an exhilarating adventure that walks the edge of a blade. Truly enchanting."—Rachel Gillig, New York Times bestselling author of Two Twisted Crowns

"Opulent and scorching, A Feather So Black transcends the genres of romance and fantasy into a tale that is timeless, blood-spattered, and rich with longing and magic. Selene lured me to the dangers of her fairy world and I never want to leave."—Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

"Darkly enchanting and beautifully written, A Feather So Black is the perfect mix of atmospheric fantasy, heart-stopping action, and delicious romance."—Thea Guanzon, New York Times bestselling author of The Hurricane Wars

Irish folktale

The best part of this audiobook is the narration. The story has some interesting parts, but it is too long in that it seemed repetitive. There is a lot of thinking about sex that seems out of place in this quantity. The main character, a changling, grows up under a ruthless queen and is sent to find her daughter with her daughter's betrothed. She has grown up with this Prince who is in love her her. The princess is being held in a folk land that can only be entered on a full-moon. There our main character also finds a creature with a sword that the queen desires who falls in love with her as well. The story has some twists and turns as truth is hard to discern. I listened to the story because the narrator had a pleasing voice, but the story seemed to drag.

Weak character

For a woman who had been trained in the arts of fighting and spying the main character is so easily led and changes her loyalties every time she is told a story or “fact”. She doesn’t show any intelligence at weeding out the bad guy even though that person makes it pretty obvious from the start. She never really fight or shows any skills in the regard.

Amazing narrator but lackluster main character.

Beautiful story and narration

The story is is beautiful in and of itself, but the narration takes it to the next level. Definitely one I will listen to again and again.

Excellent!!

A fantastic read. Well written and well researched. The author makes excellent illusions to Irish mythology. I absolutely loved it.
The narrator was a particularly great choice. Enthralling performance and I have to admit, I loved her voice!

Well written Celtic mythology

Narrator was great. World build was very well done. Storyline was engaging although more and more predictable as it neared the end, but, for me, this did not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment of this book

Original and Satisfying

This is an original fantasy story based on Irish mythology/folklore narrated in first person by the female main character, who is interesting and likeable. There is a love triangle, yes, but the story is much more than that. I felt there were minor issues with the pacing and some repetitive phrases, but overall think this is a great original novel and would recommend it to friends.

Outstanding!

I thoroughly enjoyed this as an audiobook between the pronunciation of all the Celtic words/names and the accent of the narrator!

Story wise, this was probably a 4.5 for me. I had appreciated the world she created and enjoyed the FMC struggling with her identity and layers of betrayal from those around her. I’d absolutely read another book in this series or any other by this author.

Best narrator

Loved this book and narrator, I hope the narrator reads more books- her characters were spot on and her voice was soothing to listen to.

The perfect amount of magic, romance, mystery, and suspense!

This book had me hooked immediately. I only picked it up as a recommendation, and wasn’t sure if I’d really like it.. however, I LOVED IT.

Sooo many cliche analogies

This was a moderately good short story lengthened into a novel by incessantly flowery prose and plot events that never really seemed to advance the story far enough or quickly enough. Every other line was a trite analogy. Too many sentences ended with “it was blah and blah” where each blah was a contradictory noun. My orbital muscles ache from eye rolling. After all that the ending was less than rewarding.