the never heir – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fantasy
Length: 372 pages
Author: Courtney Millecam
Publisher: Laurel Ink Press
Release Date: February 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Win the game, change your fate. Lose the game, lose your life.

When Alice Liddell runs away on the night of her engagement party and stumbles into a shadowy pub on a forgotten street, she thinks her life is ruined. Her parents are furious, her reputation is destroyed, and her fall from society will be printed in all of London’s gossip columns. Then a mysterious stranger gives her an unexpected solution to all of her problems: A yearly game inviting mortals into the land of Faerie to play the queen’s infamous Game of Hearts. To win is to gain a wish of your heart but to lose means sacrificing your freedom.

Alice quickly realizes the game is far more intricate and deadly than she was led to believe and teams up with the rebellious and irreverent cat-shifter Ches. Together they must outwit the other players by solving the obscure riddles given as clues and get out of the queen’s enchanted hedge maze unscathed. It also means staying far away from Maddox, the queen’s champion player and Alice’s fiercest competition. He’s determined to win at all costs, but Alice suspects his motives may not be his own.

The deeper Alice goes inside the world of cunning fae, bloodthirsty beasts, and vengeful queens, the more she fears that winning means betraying those closest to her. And in this Game of Hearts, Alice needs to guard hers.

This 1920’s Alice in Wonderland reimagining is the second book in the Otherworlds Trilogy and is perfect for fans of fairytale retellings with dark twists, atmospheric settings, and slow burn romance that’s swoony, not spicy.

Thank you Courtney Millecam and Book of Matches Media for the gifted copy & eARC.

WHERE IS BOOK THREE.

This was incredible! There is absolutely no second book syndrome here. I thought everything was taken to the next level. The writing, the characters, the story, all of it.

I adored seeing all of the subtle allusions to Alice in Wonderland. It was so cleverly accomplished and had all of the elements I love in a retelling while still being a completely different story. I loved Alice and seeing her character growth throughout the book. She found her voice and deep dived into how strong she can be in the face of multiple trials.

And the side characters!! I’m especially partial to Ches. I loved his friendship with Alice. I feel like often with competition style plots the story can get bogged down in all of the different games, and this was not the case here. I loved how the sub-plots and the larger story kept moving forward. I loved the nods to where this series is going next.

Seriously an incredible read. I love so many things about this series!

Overall audience notes:

YA Historical Fantasy
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Violence: moderate

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fantasy
Length: 340 pages
Author: Courtney Millecam
Publisher: Laurel Ink Press
Release Date: May 16th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Charlie ‘Tootles’ Tulane risked everything to break the spell binding the lost boys to Pan and escape Neverland. Now seventeen and living in 1923 London, Charlie’s freedom from the land of Faerie has never felt better. But even the noblest of actions have consequences. Neverland demands a leader, and without one, chaos spills into the mortal world.

Spending his nights as an amateur boxer, Charlie meets the ‘Bright Young Things’ of London’s upper class. Part of that group is Evie, a girl whose ravings about mermaids abducting her sister got her sent to an asylum. Now that she’s back among polite society, Evie’s under strict orders from her mother to avoid any further scandal and to attract a suitable match. But that proves difficult when Evie’s friend and confidant from Faerie turns demanding and sinister, forcing her into a deal she can’t refuse: In exchange for locating Pan’s lost relics of power, the Fae will return the one thing Evie wants most.

When Charlie learns his past betrayals set off a chain reaction resulting in the abduction of Evie’s sister, the two must return to the place of Charlie’s nightmares in an attempt to set things right. But this time, the price for rectitude might prove too steep for either one of them to pay.

Thank you to Book of Matches Media and Courtney Millecam for the eARC.

A FANTASTIC RETELLING.

I’m pretty sure this is my first Peter Pan retelling and it did not disappoint!! I had a great time reading this and absolutely loved the combination of fae and 1920’s London. Historical fantasies are a new favorite sub-genre of mine and this is one that must be read by all!

I really liked the main characters Evie and Charlie. Both out there doing their best and also making some mistakes. I enjoy seeing flawed characters and the ups and downs of progression throughout. Romantically, I loved the slow burn between them and thought it was all very sweet and I am rooting for them come book two!

There were many interesting plot twists and turns and I would be curious to see more of the fae lands in the next book. I didn’t always love the frenemies group that Charlie and Evie ran around with though. They just weren’t my favorite.

It’s a fantastic debut and series starter book. I liked the pacing and that I felt engaged to the story the entire time. The little historical tidbits like boxing, speakeasy’s, and more rounded out this book incredibly well.

I’m so curious what will happen next!!

Overall audience notes:

YA Historical Fantasy
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Violence: mild
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, physical altercations, light blood depiction