I have the next book on my TBR but I don’t know if I will get to it right at release. The next one is a Mansfield Park retelling (if I remember correctly) and so already not one of my favorite JA books. For this one, if you’re a fan of Pride & Prejudice and just want to read all the retelling and adaptations and fandom, then it is worth it.

Elle and her family are subject to a deal with the Fae Queen after her father dies. A long time ago, her parents had agreed to allow their eldest daughter, Grace, to marry the Fae crown Prince, Fitz. Over the years, Elle and her father studied magic in secret, trying to uncover a way for them to help Grace escape her fate, to no avail. After the sudden death of her Father, a messenger from the Fae Queen arrives, informing the family that they must attend the Ashwood castle, home of the Fae, for the remainder of their human lives. The second part of the Fae of Brytwilde book series are Fortress of Blood and Power that will be released on December 15, 2023. Until Elle's father died, forcing Elle's sister to marry Prince Fitz, heir of Ashwood. But Elle has a plan to change their fate. She knows that ghosts wander Ashwood Forest until the royal family sends them into the afterlife. Ghosts that can be returned to life, and she's determined to save her father from his premature death. All she needs is powerful magic—magic Prince Fitz possesses. This was a nice, easy read. I enjoyed the Victorian/fae aspect and I thought that had been really well done, however I wasn't the greatest fan of Elle, the main character. She wasn't the worst FMC I've read about, but she definitely wasn't the greatest. I thought her dedication to her family and uncovering the truth was very well done, and were good characteristics for her. I also enjoyed her quirkiness about the contrast of the Victorian-styled human realm and the "impropriety" of the Fae realm. The comment about her not even showing anyone her ankle before had me giggling. Otherwise, she was just.... meh to me. I also wasn't a fan of how Fitz was portrayed as instantly falling in love with her.... I am more of the slow-burn type girl so when Fitz was the first to declare his feelings for Elle it had thrown me for a bit. (10/2023) But Elle has a plan to change their fate. For she knows that ghosts wander Ashwood Forest until the royal family sends them into the afterlife. Ghosts that can be returned to life. And she’s determined to save her father from his premature death.Overall, the writing is good enough. There is a lot of Elle’s internal angst that isn’t very poignant and so comes across repetitive and dull. This FMC is a truly distasteful person, in both her behavior and character, and combined with the single-sided POV, the writing was hard to stay focused on. I found myself reading chunks of this, making myself get to the next 10% mark so I could get through it on schedule. It was not a sit-down-and-binge-read book. If you know me, you know I'm all about the "Pride and Prejudice" vibes. I am slowly making my way through the book (I say slowly just because I'm a somewhat distracted reader these days), and of course the 1995 movie is sometimes the only thing I need to watch. I've begun to suspect that retellings are something I like the idea of more than the actual execution - I think what I really want is what the kids call "fan fiction" - so I was pleased to find that I thoroughly enjoyed this. The romance is very slow burn (which Rachel excels at 😆) and there is plenty of tension and glances when they don’t think the other is looking 😂 I’ll include a list of tropes below but Fitz is the kind of fae to maim and ask questions later.. especially when it comes to his bride!! In ‘Castle of Dusk and Shadows,’ you’ll immerse yourself in a world of bloodthirsty fae and vengeful ghosts as Elle navigates a kingdom of monsters and tragic secrets. Along the way, you’ll learn: This was marketed as a clean romance, and it was definitely that, but I wish it had been...a little less...clean...

Taking her sister's place, Elle marries Prince Fitz to steal his power. But in a world of bloodthirsty fae and vengeful ghosts, being a mortal comes with constant risks. As Elle navigates a kingdom of monsters and tragic secrets, she realizes she might not survive to save her family. When I tell you I devoured this book, I devoured it! Castle of Dusk and Shadows is not my normal fae fantasy read where all the "dark and dangerous" fae are actually...dark and dangerous. This book, however, was different. Although we definitely do have some very good fae, there are others that want nothing more than to kill. I knew going into this book that it was a loose Pride and Prejudice retelling but I forgot until I was halfway through the book which caused me to get a little impatient with the pace of Elle's thinking...that was until I realized that this followed the storyline of P&P very loosely. Silly me, totally my fault...

Taking her sister’s place, Elle marries Prince Fitz to steal his power. But in a world of bloodthirsty fae and vengeful ghosts, being a mortal comes with constant risks. As Elle navigates a kingdom of monsters and tragic secrets, she realizes she might not survive to save her family. How Elle’s parents made a desperate deal with the fae kingdom of Ashwood, leading to Elle’s sister marrying Prince Fitz, heir of Ashwood This retelling of Pride & Prejudice with a dash of mystery, is an interesting approach to “retelling” a classic. The plot, aside from the murders, was more of a direct retelling than an “inspired-by” story. I was hoping for more original content, more like Pride & Prejudice & Zombies or To Travel the Stars, but this mostly just dresses the original characters in new clothes and slightly different names/circumstances, and then literally retells the original plot… (well, the movie adaptation plot at least). I loved this book! For one, it was fun having a broody, sort-of-grumpy fae who WASN'T really morally grey but was actually more of a "do-gooder," cinnamon roll type. It was also nice seeing a first love interest who (mild spoiler) isn't someone you end the book completely despising. You just accept that the main character moved on and found a love more suitable. Refreshing changes, for sure!