I really wanted to love this book, it has all of the potential elements to make a gripping romantasy but sadly it didn’t quite gel for me.

I enjoyed the premise of what would happen if a faerie world crashed into modern earth but the world building and timeline didn’t quite add up for me, I was a bit lost on when the worlds had crashed together. However I thought the AFF side of things and the whole political aspect on earth felt very realistic and well done. I would have liked more focus on the world building and on the magic system, no spoilers but I suspect we’ll get more of this in the next book next book.

I really enjoyed how we did a complete 180 from the usual 18 year old girl falling in love with a 800 year old fae! So refreshing to have the man be the younger inexperienced human and the woman be a badass, strong fae. I would have liked Sav and Jacks relationship to be more fleshed out, I’m not a fan of instalove and I think it’s a bit of a lazy way to write a love story (although I can possibly see where this storyline is going after a few heavy hints throughout).

One element I didn’t love was the frequent perspective changes, it felt very hard to keep track of all of the different characters that were in each perspective. Possibly a character list or glossary would help with this.

Overall, an interesting read that sadly didn’t quite land for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

This definitely had potential, but parts of it fell a bit flat unfortunately.

So the summary of the book makes it sound like the book is about Sav infiltrating the enemy and seducing Jack. No. That’s over so quickly, and the rest of the book is faerie courts and politics and the human/faerie relations, and jt wasn’t what I was anticipating at all. As such, I spent a decent chunk confused about what was happening and where it was going.

The pacing was off - the beginning felt really fast, the middle dragged in places, and then about 5 different things happened in the last 3% of the book. It didn’t really work tbh.

I did like the modern setting, but some bits feel wrong - like a man is literally murdered on stage in front of a crowd and no one cares? Some more back story about the laws of the human world would be good, because it’s clearly not just New York.

I’ve gotta say, while I did enjoy the book to an extent, I actually would have much preferred a book about infiltrating the enemies, over another faerie courts book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

3.5/5, rounded down to 3

Review – 3.5/5 stars
As someone who enjoyed ACOTAR and Fourth Wing, I was intrigued by the mix of fae politics and modern NYC. The premise is cool—fae and humans now live side by side, and tensions are rising fast.
Sav is a strong fae heroine with a dark past, and Jack, a human trying to defy his villainous father, brings a softer energy. I liked the dynamic, but the romance felt a bit rushed for me—I usually prefer a slow burn with more tension.
The world had potential (seasonal courts, magic, rebellion), but some parts felt underdeveloped or confusing. Still, I loved the side characters—Kaspar especially—and the story kept me curious.
If you’re into enemies-to-lovers with fae, politics, and a touch of forbidden romance, it’s worth checking out.

This one just didn't work for me. I felt the story had potential but it felt underdeveloped and at parts didn't make sense. The progression either jumped ahead at times with a statement of, it's been hours, or was dragged out a bit. Most of the scenes had timing issues or didn't feel like the aligned with what had just happened, especially when we swapped characters.

This book didn’t fully connect with me, but that’s likely due to my personal writing taste. I usually enjoy slower pacing and more detailed world-building. This one moved quickly and skipped over parts I wanted more depth in. The premise had a lot of potential, and I can see it appealing to readers who enjoy fast-paced fantasy with lighter detail. I’m still curious about what happens next and hope book two brings more clarity and resolution.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️4⭐️

Fans of urban fantasy, welcome to your next read. Whispers Among Thorns is a gripping, high stakes adventure set in moody New York City, where tensions are high as anti-Fae factions hunt the powerless Fae residing in the city.

When Sav, a feisty and cleverly disguised Fae, gets caught in an attack by the anti-Fae faction in Central Park, her life is upended. With the lives of her fellow Fae at stake, she realises her best chance at saving them is to risk returning to the Faerie realm - the same realm which had stripped her of power and cast her into the human world years ago. Now, however, she might just have a bargaining chip - Jack, son of the anti-Fae faction leader. But as Sav and Jack get further embroiled in the dark political games of both human and Fae, the unearthing of tumultuous secrets make the two question the intentions of the other - and themselves.

Sublime world building and well developed characters makes Whispers Among Thorns a strong introduction to the Deadly Fae Duology. On occasion, however, the pacing felt a bit off and the emotional depth of the characters could have been more fully explored.

With elements of political intrigue, morally grey main characters, and a slow burn forbidden romance, Whispers Among Thorns will captivate romantasy readers long after the last page.

You can’t go back. Sav hates being on earth she misses home but she knows that she can’t go back. Everything changes when her friends are attacked and she is captured. Sav has to pretend to be human so that she can find a way to rescue her friends.
Jack hates what his father does to the fae folk he knows that he can’t save them all but he hopes that Sav will help him. But he never expected to be taken to Faerie and he has no idea if he will ever make it back home.
Will Sav give up her freedom to save her kind back on earth? Even if that means marrying her dear friend Kaspar? She knows that she has promised Kaspar that she will return to him but will she be able to keep that promise now that they are married? Will she be able to find Jack now that he has been taken? She cares for him but duty might win in the end.
A good read interesting characters. The story jumps between realms which makes it abit confusing at times. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the copy. This is my voluntary review.

Whispers among Throns by Cassandra Aston

Whispers Among Thorns by Cassandra Aston is the first book in the Deadly Fae Duology, set to release on June 24, 2025 so I'd totally get set to pre order this book!

This book is an urban fantasy novel which weaves a tale of forbidden romance and political intrigue in a world where fae and humans are at odds.

A quick summary of the book - The story follows Sav, a centuries-old fae living covertly in New York City. Her life is upended when an anti-fae faction attacks her community, forcing her to infiltrate the enemy's ranks by seducing the son of the faction's leader. As their relationship deepens, both characters grapple with loyalty, identity, and the consequences of their choices.
I found that the theme and tone of the book is immersed in a rich gothic atmosphere which weaves in themes of emotional complexity, such as love, betrayal and of course my favourite the grey areas of morality 😘

One of my favourite tropes In this arc is of course the slow burn Romance between our main character and the son of the fractions leader.

Basically overall my final thoughts on this arc is that if you loved Throne of Glass and quicksilver (i know i do!) Then I can say confidently you'd love this book!

I really struggled with this one. While I felt the story had a lot of potential, it just wasn't well flushed out or had enough world building to be truly enjoyable. It was often confusing or the progression of the story didn't quite make sense. There would be one line about how hours had passed and then boom, they are at their next desination. It just didn't quite work.

3.75 Stars rounded up to 4.

Whispers Among Thorns is a well written book. The beginning of the story is very hard to get into. We drop directly into action and negativity. It was so much so that I wanted to DNF the book. I decided to stick with it and I'm glad I did.

The writing and story was so well done while inside of Faerie. The slowburn between Jack and Sav was great. Ms. Aston created an amazing world. If you are familiar with Fae novels, you know the world is filled with bargains and trickery. That was well done in this book. I liked the POV from different characters within the book as well. Mystery about the characters was done at a good pace. A lot of those mysteries are still going to be revealed in future books.

Whispers Among Thorns is a good start to a new series. The writing is good. The characters are well developed. I'm interested to see where the next book takes the reader.

Thank you to Cassandra Aston and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

3.5 Stars (Rounded up to 4 Stars)

The premise of Whisper Among Thorns immediately caught my attention, and I had high hopes for where the story could go. At its core, the book focuses on the forbidden romance between Sav and Jack, two characters from opposing sides. However, I found that this conflict didn’t quite deliver as strongly as I had hoped. Their relationship felt rushed and surface-level, and I didn’t feel the emotional tension that should come with a forbidden love story. I think the pacing played a big role in this — there’s a lot going on specially with so many different POVs. As a result, I wasn’t able to fully invest in their relationship, which ultimately made their relationship feel less impactful.

On the other hand, the worldbuilding was a standout. The transition between the modern urban setting and the more fantastical world was a unique and exciting approach, and I really enjoyed how the political dynamics between the two realms were woven into the plot. This added a layer of complexity to the story that kept me hooked, and I found the shift between these worlds to be one of the book's strongest elements.

That said, the pacing was a bit of a mixed bag for me. While the multiple POVs allowed for a broad exploration of the world, the constant shifts made the narrative feel rushed at times. This left me feeling that the book could have benefitted from a slower, more focused exploration of the characters' emotional journeys.

Overall, Whisper Among Thorns was an enjoyable read, with a fascinating world and a lot of political intrigue. Though I enjoyed the idea of Sav and Jack's romance, I didn't quite feel the emotional connection I hoping for. That said, the larger story kept me engaged and I’m excited to see where the story goes next!

Goodness me, this was such a good book. Highly entertaining. Would definitely recommend to others, that's for sure!

4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for honest review.

Wow, oh wow! This book was absolutely fabulous! I found myself immersed in the fantasy realm from page 1.

We're introduced to Sav in the the beginning of the book, a high Fae living in NYC interspersed with humans. Earth and Faerie (home of the Fae) collided 3 years ago when parts of Faerie began to disappear. Sav has been banished from her home in Faerie to NYC by her sister and her magic has been mostly bound.

Next, we meet Jack. He's the son of the leader of the faction of humans who despise the Fae and are trying to rid Earth of the Fae. But Jack has a heart and has been trying to take down his father and free the Fae his father has imprisoned.

Sav is captured by the anti-fae faction but does manage to escape and ends up taking Jack to Faerie with her to beg for an army to help free the imprisoned Fae.

Along the way, we get to see most of the Fae courts and learn all about their customs and court members.

We also get to see sparks fly between Sav and Jack. Oh, did I forget to mention that romance between Fae and humans are strictly forbidden? The yearning is top notch, the descriptions had me feeling like I was in the story and I couldn't put this one down! And that cliffhanger?!? Gah! I need book 2 like I need oxygen!! Cannot wait for everyone to read this one!

This story follows Sav, a high fae, living in secret in New York City, where the fae have been allowed to integrate into human lives.

After the AFF, Anti Fae Faction, who believe her kind to be criminals and a threat to their society, capture her and tons of others after an attack on one of the fae associated buildings, she must escape back to her world for help. With the help of one her sworn enemies, Jack, human son to the leader of the AFF, they travel within the courts to conjure up a plan

This book ended with a plot twist I didn’t see coming. I’m personally not a big fan of urban fantasy, so the first 25% of the book I didn’t. But I did end up loving their time in the other realm. I think the sense of adventure and purpose of “saving the fae” solidified the fantasy aspect for me.
I felt like the world building was kept to kind of minimal which I would have loved to see more of. As well as the background to the powers of the main fae in this story.

There is romance in this, but I don’t believe it to be the main focus, as it’s a SLOW burn and things don’t occur until about 75% in. I personally felt like their chemistry wasn’t really that strong, as we didn’t get to see the emotional build up overtime.

While I understand that Sav needed to prove this sense of duty and do the “right” thing to help those captured, there was a lot of internal conflict and going back and forth about her true feelings. Overall, this was a fun read. This is definitely something I would have picked up at a bookstore, after reading the synopsis so I’m thankful to NetGalley/Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the chance to read this early in exchange for an honest review!

Enemies to lovers, he falls first, court intrigue, age gap, slow-burn romance, hidden identities. Plot twists and cliffhangers. Multi POV. Story line is intriguing which made it a great page turner!

I'd like to start this review by stating that it is a DNF for me. The concept of this book was very interesting but from the first 10% of the book, I found the writing style to be too fast-paced.
The opening felt overwhelming to read as we tried to balance world-building of an urban fantasy, character introductions, politics and the overall tone of the book. It is possible that as mainly a romance reader I struggled with this fantastical exposition, but I do believe that it would be more beneficial for the readers to spend more time with our character before the action takes place as it takes the focus from Sav, the protagonist.
I did enjoy the chapters that I read in Jack's perspective and if I were to continue the book it would be for following the connection between Sav and her fellow fae, particularly Juniper.
I will not be reviewing this book on my Instagram or Goodreads so as to not skew the avg rating with a DNF'd opinion.

Y’all—Cassandra Ashton has done it again. If you love a morally gray FMC who walks the razor’s edge between heroine and villain, prepare to be obsessed. You know there’s a big reveal brewing just beneath the surface, and Ashton makes you savor every breadcrumb until it hits. And the MMC? Total golden retriever energy wrapped in a character who’s more than capable of protecting himself—but still manages to make you melt.

Set in a world where fae and humans are forced to coexist, this book delivers Romeo and Juliet tension with forbidden attraction, star-crossed stakes, and a romance that feels inevitable. Add in layers of political intrigue, complex world-building, and the reminder that differences don’t have to divide us, and you’ve got a fantasy romance that grips you from the first page and doesn’t let go.

If you like your romantasy with high stakes, slow-burn secrets, and characters who challenge everything they’ve been told to believe—Whispers of the Dark is your next obsession.

Thank you Netgalley letting me read it this ARC for an honest review.

I fell in love with this story-its characters, its twists, and the way it constantly reminded me that not everything is as it seems. There were moments that genuinely made me pause and reread, especially the parts that tied into mythology. The nods to Nymphs added an extra layer of intrigue, making the world feel both familiar and mystically new.

The world-building was breathtaking. Every location we explored was rich with detail, making it easy to feel immersed in each scene. I could practically see and feel the places as if I were there myself.

And now, the wait for December 2025 feels impossibly long-I need more!

The following review was posted to Goodreads on May 6, 2025:

"4 ⭐️
Okay I’m already on the edge of my seat for book #2, meanwhile book #1 hasn’t even officially hit shelves yet.

I really enjoyed this one. It’s set in a world in which modern day NYC overlaps with a faerie realm, and there is rising tension as faerie creatures are trying to assimilate into our modern society. There’s a mysterious FMC and a golden retriever MMC, both of which have so many secrets, and many of which still aren't fully explained at the end of this book.

The world building is excellent, there’s a delicious yearning-filled slow burn romance and is written in a way that evoked a lot of emotion and attachment to the characters. There’s also a side character that I became majorly emotionally invested in, so I’m holding out hope for more development of his character in book #2. Honestly, I also just love the author’s writing style — it was easy to read and follow, I laughed out loud multiple times and she had me eating up every breadcrumb of insight into the mysteries that were the main character’s back stories. There is also very little spice in this book so I would only give it a 🌶️ on the spice scale.

The only thing I didn’t love was that, for about a third of the book, the MMC seemed irrationally whiny and possessive and that kind of felt out of place. There was a reveal later in the book that could be used to explain that behavior but, still, I was very thrown off by the MMC’s behavior in the first third of the book. Regardless of that detail, I am heavily invested in this story now and can’t wait to read book #2 that is coming in December.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of Whispers Among Thorns!"

The review can also be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7515694894

I really enjoyed this book and truly have very little negative feedback. As referenced above, the only criticism I have really comes down to a personal preference. The main male character's behavior toward the female main character in the first third (or half) of the book seemed unjustifiably clingy and jealous, when he really had no right to act that way. It just felt very odd. I understand that there are still unanswered questions about what he is exactly and the answer could justify that behavior but, as a reader who is new to these characters and world, I found his behavior a bit annoying for the first half of the book. That aside, I really do love the storyline and I'm very emotionally invested in the characters. Can't wait to read book #2 in December!

I really enjoyed Whispers Among Thorns! The writing style pulled me in right away. It was immersive, engaging, and easy to get lost in. What stood out most to me were the characters.

So many fantasy books feature a male main character who is brooding, emotionally closed off, and only starts to open up after a long time with the female lead. Jack was a refreshing change from that trope. He felt real from the beginning. He was emotionally open, grounded, and had a soft side that was clear from the start. That vulnerability added depth to his character and made him immediately compelling.

I also really enjoyed Sav as the female main character. She wasn't easily distracted by Jack and didn’t fall at his feet, figuratively or otherwise, when they first met. She held her own and brought strength and clarity to every scene she was in. Their dynamic felt balanced and believable.

Another highlight was the portrayal of the fae. They reminded me of the fae in The Cruel Prince series, with their ability to separate emotion from logic. That kind of duality—where they are clever, tricksy, and sometimes ruthless, yet still operate within a distinct code—feels like the most realistic interpretation of fae I’ve seen in a long time. It made their presence in the story feel authentic and unpredictable in the best way.

Kaspar was another standout. His role throughout the story kept me intrigued, and I am definitely curious to see how his arc develops in the next book.

Would I read the sequel? Absolutely. If you're looking for a fantasy with heart, strong characters, and a smart take on fae lore, I highly recommend picking this one up when it releases in 2025.