[ARC Review] A Curse of Malice and Mercy by Miranda Joy
Alessia is a dreamer. To protect her heart from growing hard, she chooses to see the best in others. After a life of enslavement and losing her only friend, she flees to the fae realm of Avylon, desperate for freedom. There, she meets Rainer, an enigmatic fae prince who is as enticing as he is unpredictable. He claims to detest humans, yet he teaches her how to fight, protects her, and empowers her. She can’t help but fall for him, even when his moods become increasingly volatile and it’s clear he’s hiding something dangerous.
She’s his little rose with buds so beautiful and thorns so fatal…
The only thing Rainer hates more than humans is the curse he was born with. The one that flows through his veins and leaks into the surrounding forest. He’s dangerous, undeserving, and wears his reputation like armor. But when he meets Alessia, his perception shifts. If he’s malice, she’s his mercy. He needs to stay away, but it’s impossible to fight the temptation between them.
As their fates intertwine, can Alessia overlook Rainer’s dark past and overcome their differences? Or will Rainer crush his little rose in his fist?
My thoughts: The best feeling is finding a new book or series that just hits all the right notes, and A Curse of Malice and Mercy was that book for me. With a plot that kept me engaged with the story and a cast of characters that made me only want to read more, ACOMAM was a fantastic dark fae fantasy romance that was hard to put down.
Right from the very first chapter, I was caught up in Alessia's story. Between her plight in the human world and her journey into fae lands through the Gleam, Alessia's life-changing adventure put her innate bravery on display while she constantly tackled new knowledge and her new world. Likewise, Rainer was so dark and broody that I couldn't help but love him. Rainer has a lot of secrets and even more riding on his shoulders, and he so cleanly fits the morally gray mold. I loved watching these two main characters spar from practically their very first meeting.
Of course, as much as I loved Alessia and Rainer, their story would be less vivid without the support of such amazing, fully-developed secondary characters. By far one of my favorite supporting characters in recent memory, Kenisius truly deserves his own book. He's fun, he's reliable, and he treads the line between being loyal to Rainer and friendly to Alessia so well. He was the standout character for me, and with so many wonderful characters, that is quite the accomplishment.
While the plot was primarily focused on Alessia and her journey, Miranda still managed to weave in drama and fae conflict and kept the plot quite interesting. With Alessia coming into her own, I know any other books in this series will only continue to build on Alessia's skills and the hidden truths of faerie courts.
With descriptive environments and thoroughly-realized characters, A Curse of Malice and Mercy was an enthralling and engrossing romantasy story that will leave readers clamoring for what happens next for Rainer and Alessia.
[A huge thank you to Miranda Joy for providing an advanced copy of ACOMAM!]
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Release date: 6/16/23
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: the author
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