Autumn's Tithe

The Severed Realms Trilogy, Book 1

By: Hannah Parker

Narrated by: Gail Shalan

Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Every girl in Ballamor dreams of being chosen by the fey.

For some, because the fey promise to deliver them to the beautiful faery realm. For Larken, because her closest friend was chosen the previous year.

She tries to accept her fate - until she discovers that her friend is in danger and the promise of eternal joy amongst the fey could be a lie.

Larken breaks the sacred covenant between humans and fey and enters the faery realm to find her friend. Her only ally is Finder, a faery prince of the Autumn Court who now owes her a debt after she unwittingly saves his life. Their bond is both the key to her survival . . . and possibly her downfall.

Underneath the glittering façade of the faery realm seethes a shadowy pact writ in blood, betrayal, and lust for power at any cost. A tithe must be paid by each of the Courts of Airodion. Both Finder and Larken's people face retribution if the tithe goes unpaid, and their bond could destroy the foundation of the courts - and the human world - forever.

©2021 Hannah Parker (P)2022 Tantor

Good ideas but not executed well.

These kinds of reviews are the hardest for me to write. The ones that land smack dab in the middle of the star scale. I would preface this review by saying that a three-star from me means that I enjoyed the story and think that it is good even if some things prevented it from being a higher star rating from me.

The ideas in this book are very clever and interesting but the execution wasn't my favorite. The second quarter of the book felt a bit lacking. The bonding between the characters on their journey definitely needed to happen but it was done boringly. Perhaps there wasn't enough conflict or the conflict was too minor to keep things interesting. It felt like there was a lot of telling instead of showing going on. Aside from that, the rest of the world-building was great. The descriptions were detailed and the different aspects of this world were clear to the reader. I felt that the twist at the end of the book was a little too obvious. I had suspected it from way too early in the story for it to feel gratifying. The foreshadowing felt a little too heavy-handed.

There were things about the characters that I liked and disliked. I loved the plus-size female main character representation. She disparaged herself a bit in her thoughts but she didn't let it stop her from being brave when she needed to be or from accomplishing the things that she set out to do. Larken was a bit tame for my liking. I like my female lead characters with a little more ferocity. Every time she saved someone's life or made a contribution it felt like it was by mere happenstance or accident that it even happened. I would have preferred if she had a more hands-on approach in these instances. You can take that opinion with a grain of salt because I know that not every female lead will have those kinds of strengths. I guess it's just my preference. The male fae characters were a little more mysterious. The reader learns a bit about them but I didn't even feel a strong connection to them. I enjoyed the dynamics between them and Larken even if something felt like it was missing.

There really wasn't any romance in this story at all. I was a little surprised by this. I expected at least a little something but nope. Larken and Finder grow close but not so close that anything romantic is even hinted at. If there is a romance to be had then it is an agonizing slow-burn situation. So slow that there isn't even really a hint of it by the end of the first book.

Overall, this is not a bad story by any means but I think that there could have been some changes made to the structure of the story to make it shine more. The ideas and creativity are spot on but the execution of the ideas could have used some work. This book did spark enough interest that I want to continue the series to see what happens to these characters. This review sounds like a lot of ranting but I did enjoy this story. Yes, there are things that I would have changed but the core of the story is worth reading.

Incredible narration

Such a joy to listen to! Loved the narration and this story will always be close to my heart.

book review

I really enjoyed this book. It was unique and fun. I kind of seen the plot twist at the need but still was shook by it! well done Hannah Parker. Can't wait for book 2!

It’s ok

Very tell don’t show. And everything is explained to the point you as the listener don’t have to think. Loads of talking, brief action, and a bunch of miserable characters. Interesting concepts that haven’t been really fleshed out (I guess will be in the next book). I wasn’t really into the narration. The MC sounded whiny. I did like the MC was said not to be conventionally pretty but aside from general descriptions of her being soft or big in areas, she wasn’t treated any differently from those who were beautiful so I’m not sure why it mattered if it didn’t present a problem. I do not have enough interest to get the next book but it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve read.