Hello all, and happy release day to The Erlking's Daughters by Claire Trella Hill! This epic romantic fae fantasy was the last of my Highly Anticipated spring reads for this year and the last of the four books by four of my favorite authors released in the last not-quite-a-month. And what a high note to end on! I loved Claire's debut, Black and Deep Desires, and The Erlking's Daughters is every bit as good (and, in some ways, better). I think y'all will love it too, and I have five good reasons why!

 

Reasons You'll Love The Erlking's Daughters

1. It's all about family, with sibling relationships center stage. Y'all know how much I love a story that focuses on family bonds just as much or more than it focuses on romance, and The Erlking's Daughters absolutely delivers on that front. Morwë, Enzella, Arken, and Micah are all motivated first and foremost by family, for good or for bad, and that's particularly true of Morwë and Arken, both of whom are driven by their need to protect their younger siblings. The family relationships here run the gamut from abusive (I was rooting for Morwë's father and brother to get stabbed from early on in the book) to oh-so-sweet and loving, but all of them are drawn with care. And, really, if you give me a book that's primarily about a pair of older siblings ready to move heaven and earth (possibly literally, if necessary) to protect their younger siblings, there is no way I'm not going to love it.
   
2. It's a dark story with a bright ending. This is true both literally and metaphorically, ha! The story chronicles the main characters' escape from the darkness of the Unseelie fae's cavernous home to the light of the human world. In the process, it also takes us from a beginning that has a lot in common with grimdark fantasy to a brilliant, hope-filled ending — and while that might sound like a jarring tone shift, it's not. It's a beautiful, gradual change that mirrors what's going on in the characters' hearts. Speaking of which . . .
3. It's a lovely, lovely redemption story. The Erlking's Daughter isn't an allegory, but it is a magnificent picture of spiritual redemption. As I said, this story has a grimdark beginning due to the culture of the Unseelie fae, and at the start, Morwë is very immersed in that way of life. She's better than many of those around her, thanks to the influence of her sister and mother and her love towards them, but she's still cold and vengeful and caught in darkness. It takes someone from outside that culture to push her to choose a different path, to leave the darkness and begin to change. And the ending completes the picture . . . but, of course, I can't say much about that because that would be a spoiler.
4. It has a slowburn romance that never overwhelms the rest of the plot. Better still, it's slowburn enemies-to-lovers romance. Or, antagonists-to-lovers, at least — Morwë and Arken might start out on different sides, and their first interactions are far from friendly, but they're both trapped by the Erlking, just in different ways. Seeing them come to understand each other, then come to love each other, is wonderful — and the tension inherent in both of them trying to figure out their feelings and Morwë worrying about hurting Arken (and others, but especially Arken) is absolutely delicious. However, at no point does the romance overwhelm the rest of the plot, and both characters are restrained enough (and sensible enough of the seriousness of their situation) that they're not letting their feelings overwhelm their view of what needs to be done.
5. It's set in a rich, lore-filled world. While this is a fairly localized story, taking place mostly in three locations and the wilderness between them, you can tell that there's a larger world outside the immediate narrative. Additionally, we get snatches of lore here and there: tales of the Unseelie history, legends of monsters and forest cats, whispers of magic and other magical beings. It's all fascinating, and I look forward to future books where we'll hopefully get to explore more of it.

How are you ready to pick up The Erlking's Daughters? What do you think you'll love most about it? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!