I have mixed feelings on this one—I liked the story and the premise but it was 0-100 with no in between at all. And the insta love is really not for me. I liked the story, just didn’t love the execution sadly.

Rivals of Sea and Sky
* Genre: Adult Romantasy
* Core Plot: Forbidden enemies-to-lovers romance between Fae heirs
* Setting: Rich, politically-charged Fae courts
* Key Strengths: Strong world-building and undeniable character chemistry
Final Evaluation: If you're looking for a book where the main characters' love is as complicated as a Fae tax code, but way more entertaining, this is it. It's a great excuse to cancel all your plans and pretend you're royalty with way too much drama.
I'm grateful to Netgalley for the book and the opportunity to review it... Definitely I got a great time

3.5 stars rounded up for good reads.

I was really excited to read this based off the summary of the book. I thought it was going to be 2 rival courts with a story similar to Romeo and Juliet. I really enjoyed the first 60% of this book. Its Merlin coded with different realms and 2 nations who are too busy focusing on their hate for one another to realize the changes happening around them in their realm. The story was interesting and I feel it has real promise.

The reason I didnt rate it higher, this book is advertised as adult. I would consider this more new adult. The writing felt young adult but there is adult content. I also felt the last 40% of the book was just shifting the story in place for the setup for a plot that was vaguely mentioned in yhe beginning but ended up being the whole ordeal of the ending, not really about the MC's.

these thoughts are my own and are not influenced by anything else. thank you Netgally for the advanced reading copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author & the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read & review this book as an ARC!

I honestly truly enjoyed this book - I loved the rivals/forbidden love aspect of the storyline, the characters were well-developed and genuinely adorable!

I would classify this as a YA fantasy with some mild spice - I really enjoyed the mythological aspect of the story as well. I did find the romance to be a little cliché throughout the book, and I did think the characters fell in love a bit fast, but overall it was a very enjoyable read!

I wanted to like this book but could not get into it - could be too much lore for me to wrap my head around. I never felt truly invested in the story.

I loved Rivals of Sea and Sky! Marianne Morea’s writing feels eloquent and transports you into the world she has created. I jumped on Amazon and purchased a physical copy of the book by Chapter Four!

There is a really interesting magic system, I really enjoyed the inclusion of wizardry, especially with the new take on that particular characters origin. And I loved the FMC and MMC’s interest in human realm movies and pop culture - as a movie nerd myself that felt like an awesome way to connect with the characters.

There is political intrigue and betrayals, although it’s not delved into too deeply yet - more an introduction of the players, but I found myself trying to puzzle out their intentions and how they would play into the future storyline. Even the FMC’s mother - the way she is portrayed is different to any maternal character I’ve read before and I keep wondering if there’s going to be a twist with her, or if what you see is truth.

There were quite a few “supporting character” relationships that I enjoyed more than our main characters. With the distance and lack of communication between our FMC and MMC, their love felt a little shallow and immaterial. One minute it’s a fleeting secret meet up and the next they’re fated mates who are genuinely deeply in love, but it didn’t feel like the connect between those stages had enough burn in them. I understand though that this book is setting everything up for the next part of the story. And the banter between our FMC and other characters makes up for the seeming lack of depth thus far.

I finished this book second guessing a few of my theories - is what I think will happen too much of an obvious choice because I feel like there could be some twists coming? Either way I’m looking forward to continuing the story in the next book!

Thank you to City Owl Press, NetGalley and Marianne Morea for the advanced read in exchange for my honest and uninfluenced review.

Unfortunately I did not finish this book. I really struggled with the combination of different classic fairytales themes mixed into one (ex. Merlin, Unseelie Fae, Cinderella). It felt like a hodgepodge of themes that didn't quite mix together as well as they could have.

I haven't read anything written by the author before so her writing style was new to me. I am unsure if it was just the kindle version I received but the first few words being capitalized at the beginning of every chapter bothered me. There were times when I was reading that I had to pause and reread because the wording threw me off or it just seemed like a word was missing. A pronunciation guide would be helpful with some of the names and words. The story itself was good and kept me mostly entertained. I would rate the story as a 3.5. The King Arthur/Guenevere/Merlin aspect is what drew me in initially. There was a bit of character growth that came from the FMC and the sacrifice made by both the FMC and MMC was beautiful. I am interested in reading the next book to see how they progress as individuals and a couple.

Reviews are also done on my Goodreads page.

Really huge thank you to NetGalley and Marianne Morea for the ARC and opportunity to give feedback on this book.

I had really hoped to like this but unfortunately I DNFed this book at 45%.

It started off really good, the writing flowed nicely and I was interested in the people and the world building. There was an interesting language and there were cool creatures/ species. However, the world kept growing without much supporting plot. I stopped at about 50% and at this point, the FMC has gone to a ball where she meets a prince and then returns for a date with him. She has barely started her "quest" (which I think is set up for in the beginning) and for royalty, she somehow trusts a rival prince she met once with her family secrets? I had a difficult time finding the motivation to continue reading as it was a little slow. For a romantasy, I'm expected higher stakes, more action and more plot.

There is a lot of Merlin lore and that's another thing that was making it difficult for me to understand, as someone who knows close to nothing about it/ the times/ mythology. I was quite lost and hence I kept putting off picking up the book again.

I think there is definitely some readers who will thoroughly enjoy this, especially if you like more in-depth world building, light political intrigue and YA fantasy.

Thia was such a fun one. Knowing that their connection is dangerous, the heir of summer and winter must be careful with their interactions. They soon realize that not all want peace, yet they're striving for it anyway.

I gave this book my best effort and typically I’m fine with YA books. The writing in this book was just way too YA for me. Unfortunately I did have to DNF this book at about 20%.

I was so intrigued by the blurb, but this did not hit the mark for me.

This is a contemporary fantasy, so the modern human world exists with the fantasy world. This was not listed in the ARC information so I did not expect it, and I find it very hard to enjoy these books unless something absolutely pulls me in as I do not like the juxtaposition.

It was jarring to me for a Seelie in a fantasy world of Authurian legends to be paraphrasing Notting Hill, wearing maxi dresses, referencing chic haircuts and basketballs.

Right, first thing is, first, that blurb needs to be changed. This book has one of the best, most cheeky geriatric legends there ever was, and he isn't mentioned once... Come on, if my faerie godfather was none other than Merlin, I would be shouting that from the roof tops.

So this is book one in the Avalon courts, but I feel like maybe it's more a lengthy prologue. Don't get me wrong, I loved the story, but by the end i just felt like Eden and Daire were no longer the main characters, so it felt like a novella telling the story that leads to the real one. I think book 2 is definitely where it's going to be at.

This book, however, follows Eden and Daire, the heir apparents of their fae courts, winter and summer. Always know as their rival courts they were never supposed to meet, until Eden decided to gatecrash a party held by the winter court, where she meets and instantly falls in love with Daire. But the party is brought to a brutal end when a rival attempting to rise his own court attacks the festivities. From then on out mysterious plots come to light that proves none of the current court leaders can be trusted. And with great faerie godfather Merlins help Eden and Daire escape the court politics and betrayal to ensure the possibility that the prophecy of old may come to light.

I will definitely be on the lookout for the next in this series, i feel like there is so much more greatness to add. If you like Faerie court politics, run away princesses following her heart, defiant daughters with a meddling wizard father figure who is her number one supporter. This book is for you. Over 18 years of age, though, as it contains scenes of an adult nature, while it was tastefully written, its contents are still for adults.

***Thank you to netgalley, City Owl Press, and Marianne Morea for the ARC, This was such a delightful read, and I appreciate the honour of being amongst the first to enjoy it. The above review is my honest opinion and has not been influenced in any way.

I felt confused by this storyline and how mismatched it felt - as a huge fan of two royal lovers tales ; this fell short for me. I wasn’t sure if it was YA at times. I wanted to push some of the topics that would make you engage more as a reader instead of playing it safe. Safe read for newer to the genre readers or those who don’t enjoy intensifying political intrigue or addressing difficult tropes head on.

I went into Rivals of Sea and Sky really excited—the premise and description promised forbidden romance, political intrigue, and a fae world rooted in Arthurian legend. Unfortunately, the story itself fell short of those expectations.

The world building felt underdeveloped, relying more on familiar tropes than unique details that could have made the Avalon Courts stand out. The romance between Eden and Daire moved at ridiculously fast speed, which made it difficult to feel invested in their connection. While the characters were supposed to be in their twenties, their voices often read much younger, making this feel more like a YA story than the adult romantasy it was marketed as.

That said, it wasn’t all bad. The pacing was quick, the forbidden love angle had potential, and I can see newer or younger romantasy readers enjoying this far more than I did. For me, though, the execution just didn’t match the promise of the premise.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

This is a story that has many of your typical fantasy elements with political intrigue, fighting tradition and of course romantic elements.

Personally, this really wasn’t for me however I can see a younger market really enjoying this!
I was initially drawn in from the synopsis but it was a little lacking, i think i needs a touch more world building to really flesh it out and feel connected in the story - however this is likely just my preference when reading, some people prefer characters over that!

The characters were lovely however, but as I said before.. if i was maybe about 10 years younger I would have probably been way more into this book and story.

Overall i’d probably rate this 3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

Thankyou for the e-arc to Netgalley and City Owl Press!

Marianne Morea does a fantastic job in writing fantasy book, I really enjoyed the way the characters and world were presented and developed. It was everything that I wanted in a opening chapter to the Avalon Courts series and was glad it was everything that I was looking for and am excited for more in this world. It uses the fantasy element perfectly and had that feel that I was looking for and was glad it was so well done. It uses the betrayal element perfectly and thought the use of forbidden romance was so well done.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with this ARC.

The story follows Eden who is the heir apparent for the Summer Court Throne. By chance, she meets Daire, the heir apparent of the opposing Winter Court. We follow them from Eden's POV as they navigate political power plays and plots, as well as supernatural creatures, in their effort to be together.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and the connections to Arthurian legend, Avalon and Merlin. However, the sprinkling of modern day mentions (such as films, books and life in the human world) did somewhat detract from the immersion to the fantasy world. I typically love fated mates, but the insta-love nature did reduce my enjoyment of this trope.

That was wild but not like a great way but more like I couldn't stop reading because I was trying to figure out what this book is. I understand the plot and everything of course but what was that choice near the end! They've barely known each other how long, five weeks to be exact, and that happens! I also was not meshing with the writing style. It erred on being needlessly descriptive so the flow suffered and it told you everything. I just can't with this. It felt younger than advertised and made me cringe so many times. Not bad but not for me.
Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the arc!

Eden, the trapped heir to the Summer Court, takes a daring risk when she sneaks into the rival Winter Court—and there she meets Daire, the brooding heir. From the moment they lock eyes, there’s an undeniable spark that sets the story ablaze.

I fell completely for Eden and Daire. Their chemistry is intense, layered, and utterly compelling, making every interaction crackle with tension and emotion. Beyond the romance, the magical world is beautifully crafted, full of rich details and intrigue, and the complex politics of the courts add depth and stakes that kept me completely invested.

This book is a brilliant blend of romance and fantasy an engaging romantasy with well-developed characters, heart-stopping moments, and a plot that flows perfectly. It’s the kind of story that pulls you in and refuses to let go.