I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Betrayal of Storms by Ben Alderson Series: Realm of Fey #1
Published by Angry Robot on 2024 October 24
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 542
Format: E-Arc
Source: Netgalley
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Perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and From Blood and Ash, this new, fantasy romance about a half-fey boy and his personal guard preventing a war between the realms.
Wychwood, the realm of the fey prepare for war against the humans who hate, hunt and kill them for coin. Aided by the unclaimed, destructive power of the murdered, forgotten Winter Court, they ready their numbers for complete domination of the human realm.
All until Robin Vale reveals himself to be the last Icethorn heir. A hope for the humans he has grown up amongst, but to the detriment of many who would see him dead before ruining their years of preparation.
Robin finds allies during his discovery of a realm he has long since feared. Gideon, a fey warrior who aids as a distraction during the long nights. Althea, a stern princess hellbent on stopping the human hunters from killing her kind.
Thrust into a world of betrayal, murder and lies he must survive long enough to have the choice; listen to fate and claim his families power, or let it wreak havoc on a realm that turned its back on him for becoming who he was truly meant to be.
But a dark evil is brewing, monsters have returned and the scales of power are being forced by a hand who longs for revenge.
The title of this book couldn’t have been more apt after reading it. I just felt betrayed because I deeply believed that A Betrayal of Storms was in the same vein as A Court of Roses and Thorns only to find out that I was misled by the blurb. Using ACOTAR as the standard, A Betrayal of Storms would really fall short since it doesn’t have the charisma, the heart, and the whimsy the former has. While I was reading A Betrayal of Storms, I felt like I was running a daily errand that I just want to finish as fast as possible.
A Betrayal of Storms is not a bad book but it’s just so hard to develop a relationship with it. The characters are underdeveloped and unrelatable. I just couldn’t connect with them despite my efforts. I find Robin bland as a character and his relationship with Gideon didn’t elicit any fluttery feelings in me. Althea is also character that seemed superficial and her “feminine strength” felt forced and unconvincing. The other characters were also so-so; some even made me question their value to the story.
Speaking of the plot, it suffered the same fate as the character development of the story. Kind of boring. Kind of recycled. Predictable. The usual boy of destiny theme. Nothing new to the table. I love fae stories so I am always on the hunt for the next best one. You can say that ACOTAR has been my standard for fae stories because it’s been the main reasons that made me love fae stories. So when something comes out in the market, being promoted as ACOTAR, I have no choice but to read it. 😀 Unfortunately, A Betrayal of Storms is nothing like ACOTAR. The execution was not impressive. It was okay but nothing remarkable or nothing that made my heart beat or made me bite my nails.
When it comes to world building and magical system, A Betrayal of Storms also fell short because it is just so simple and nothing unique. Look, I get that with all the fae books out there, it’s inevitable that there will be some similarities with magical systems but what I’m looking for is there’s an effort to spin something new in the familiar. That did not happen in this book.
To cut this review short, all I can say is read this if you have time to spare. This is not necessarily a bad book but my reading experience felt like a chore. I just could not wait to be done and move on to the next book. Right now, it’s hard for me to believe that this is published by Angry Robot because per experience, the publishing company really knows how to choose well.