Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is such a good first book in a new fantasy trilogy. The Elf kingdom of Ittora is suffering from a years-long famine they believe was caused by a Fey curse. Ayse is the daughter of an apothecary that stumbles upon a magical birch tree in the woods that regenerates itself that she believes may be the key to breaking the famine. It’s outside a log cabin where Aiden, a grumpy mysterious stranger has taken up residence. They are both haunted by their past and desperate to figure out a way to stop the famine. Prince Seok pushes his mother the Queen to declare war on the Fey hoping to force them to stop the famine. He uncovers something amiss with the rations and works to figure out if there is a conspiracy to hoard rations.

Ayse is a strong woman that feels a strange kinship with the tree. She’s drawn to Aiden and he seems attracted to her, but holds himself back. There is definitely chemistry between the couple, but it’s a slow burn that threatens to boil over. You can tell Aiden is keeping secrets, but it’s shocking when some of them surface. The worldbuilding is well done and the author does a great job slowing crafting the main characters. Despite the slow pace of the book, the story is so compelling that I kept reading late into the night. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Tales and Teacups PR. All opinions are my own.