Back of Book: 

A standalone fae fantasy with one-sided enemies-to-lovers. Imagine the no-spice romance of Pride and Prejudice in a fae world like The Cruel Prince with the found family vibes in FRIENDS.

Brynn never believed in fairytales—until one stole her mother.

Everyone says she ran off, but Brynn saw the truth. Her mother was taken by something not quite human.

When her father and sisters vanish next, dragged into the winter woods by the same strange creatures, Brynn follows and falls head over heels into the Hollow Court: an underground fae kingdom rife with dangerous bargains.

In a realm where fae can’t lie, Brynn’s human ability to do just that becomes her greatest weapon. It gives her leverage when dealing with Soren—a handsome, unreadable fae who offers help in exchange for the power of her words. But there’s always a cost. The more she bargains, the more tangled everything becomes.

When a mysterious fae prince provides Brynn with a shortcut to the truth, she must decide who to trust as the veil between worlds begins to close.

Book Number: One 

Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Romance 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

A sweet YA portal fantasy that follows an eighteen year old girl who ventures into the underground fae realm to rescue her family.

Brynn always seems to have her nose in a fantasy book with high stakes and dashing heroes. She knows they aren’t real, but feels drawn to such stories anyway. When her mother is kidnapped by a real life fae, Brynn begins to question everything she’s ever known. Unfortunately, a contract her mother signed keeps Brynn from disclosing what she knows. Despite this, Brynn is determined to find her mother. Soon after her mother’s disappearance, another group of fae come and kidnap her father and sisters. Now, it’s up to Brynn to save her entire family from the clutches of the fae before it is too late. 

I’ve followed Bethany Atazadeh on Instagram for a while now because it isn’t often I stumble across Minnesota authors. When I say her start talking about this Kickstarter for a YA fae romantasy, I knew I had to check it out. This book sounded exactly like something I’d read, so I decided to back the campaign and buy an early copy. 

The beginning of this one starts out a little slow, because this one is a portal fantasy. Brynn spends the first bit of this book in the human world trying to figure out what in the world happened to her mother. When the rest of her family is taken and Brynn ventures into the underground fae court, things begin to get a bit more interesting. 

I really like how the fae world is constructed in this one. Rather than being a whole separate universe, the fae live in underground tunnels beneath the human world. Fae often kidnap humans from the surface and utilize them as slaves by binding them into often unbreakable contracts. Fae contracts are quite slippery, and I feel this isn’t an angle that most fantasy writers decide to take when constructing the fae. It’s more common that they can’t tell lies, which is the case in this series too, but I think it’s neat when writers do things outside the box. The unique fae critters that Atazadeh crafted such as the toddywobbles, strange creatures that can sense lies, are also super neat. Long story short, I really like what Atazadeh did with the fae in this series starter. 

My favorite part about this one is Soren’s friend group. They all have such vibrant personalities, and it makes me happy that Atazadeh is writing more books in this series that follow each of them in turn. I think Lore is my favorite; I mean, she’s a fox-esque girl with an upbeat personality and an incredible fashion sense. Peregrin is a close second, as he’s a kindhearted satyr who loves to bake. Gwen and Julian’s personalities are both a bit sharper, which had me less drawn to them right off the bat, but I’m sure I’ll come to love them more as the series progresses. Soren is their quiet leader, and it makes me really happy that he has so many friends who will love him unconditionally and always have his back. 

Brynn isn’t the most likable girl from the start, though I did find her relatable. She’s a bookish girl with no friends who tends to put her foot in her mouth. When she enters the fae realm, she isn’t willing to trust anyone, even though Lore, Soren, and the rest of the gang did nothing to her personally. I get where her fear is coming from as fae contracts are a messy business and fae took her entire family from her. I feel that Brynn goes through some solid growth throughout the course of this book and I look forward to seeing her appear as a background character in future installments. 

I must say, I feel I don’t know all that much about Soren. He is incredibly loyal to his friends, he cares deeply about making the world a better place, and he is a bit of a gentle guy. I really like his vibes, but when I read the bonus scene from his PoV, it really made me realize that I know very little about him when it doesn’t involve Brynn. As it is, it is clear that he loves Brynn and I found their blossoming relationship to be sweet, though I wish that it would have been explored just a tad more. I think the backstory revealed at the very end of this one really added some depth to his character, which was nice. His family issues are stinky, but I’m glad he has friends to act in his family’s place. 

The ending to this one is interesting. We have a really sweet scene between Brynn and Soren, but unfortunately, we don’t get to hear them actually talk about much. It alludes to the fact that they stayed up all night talking, but for some reason it doesn’t let us hear any of it. I would have loved to hear them talk about how a future together could possibly work between them. She’s a human and he’s a fae, and there are so many details for them to think about. The epilogue then transitions into Gwen’s PoV, the FMC of book two. It leaves off on quite a cliffhanger, which seems odd for a book that is marketed so heavily as a standalone. Personally, I thought the ending was a little lacking, but I think book two’s existence will help it out a bit, because we’ll have the chance to see what happens to Gwen as well as how Brynn and Soren’s relationship develops. 

Overall, I can’t say that “Liar in the Hollow Court” was a perfect book, but it is a cozy YA fantasy that I had a grand time with. The blossoming romance between Brynn and Soren is so sweet, but the friends that they share is really what got me invested in this world. I’m so excited to see more of Lore, Peregrin, Gwen, and Julian in future installments! I thought what Atazadeh did with the fae mythos in this one is really cool and all her unique additions had me loving her worldbuilding. The ending is a tad weaker than the rest of the story, but I think additional books in this series will help that. I’m looking forward to reading “Prince of the Drowned Court” when it releases; I’m always a huge fan of water magic, so that one should be a blast! 

Audiobook Note: Talon David did a splendid job narrating this one. I think my favorite part about their performance is the voices they did for the tiny fae and the strange creatures, such as the toddys and the amphibian-like fae. I could tell that they really had fun crafting character voices, which is always a boon. I’d definitely listening to more of their work as I feel they did a great job of imbuing this story with life and personality.

Back of Book: 

A standalone fae romantasy perfect for readers who love enemies-to-lovers tension, sea magic, sharp banter, courtly intrigue, and a heroine who would rather fight fate than bow to it. Imagine Atlantis meets the Salvatore Brothers but make them kelpie royalty…

Gwen spent five years outrunning her past and the bloodthirsty fae who want her back.

Born to one of the most powerful redcap families in the courts beneath, Gwen was promised to a monster long before she learned how to fight one. And now, shackled to the deck of a ship, bound for a marriage she would rather die than accept, she leans over the edge and begs the sea to take her.

Instead, a kelpie answers. Granting her the ability to breathe beneath the waves, he whisks her away to the Drowned Court: an ancient fae kingdom hidden far below the surface for over a century.

There, Gwen discovers her rescuer is more than just a sea-bound savior—he’s one of two rival princes caught in a power struggle that could shape the future of their court. And when their calculating queen learns Gwen’s true identity, she issues a dangerous ultimatum: marry one of her sons within twelve tides… or drown trying to leave.

Gwen plays along, but she has no intention of staying, or falling for the brothers with secretive smiles. Pretending starts to feel a little too real, though, as the tides—and her heart—begin to shift.

The Courts Beneath stories are all interconnectedstandalone novels set in a shared universe series. Despite taking place in the same world, their stories have no overarching plot and each story occurs in a completely different location. As such, these novels can be read in any order.

Book Number: Two 

Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Romance 

Review: ?