Rating:♾️/5 ⭐️

Wow, what a book, what a debut: The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire has made me cry. I’ve never read a book that conveyed the emotion and familiarity of the bittersweet moment in our lives that is growing up (and it is in itself an ever changing process throughout our lives). Of leaving home and that yearning, wishful missing of it and knowing that if when you do comeback, it’ll be a slightly different home because you too have changed.

Sabrina is stubborn, charming and utter a sense of familiarity and nostalgia that we can all identify with. She is as complex and organic as we can be, and her loyalty, duty and love towards her family and sister is beautiful. She runs straight after her sister into the woods and into the fairy world because for once, she cannot stay put and watch herself lose someone else. In fact, this book is also a love letter to sisterhood.

I particularly adored the fairytale vibes in this book. In fact,t he whole story is told based on fairytales and welsh folklore which I initially thought I was very i the dark about but as I go, I kept finding out that I do know those creatures and it was honestly such a delightful experience! I went into this book expecting a fun and thrilling read with scheming heroines and wicked fairies and folks, to come out of it feeling like this book too, has changed me a little bit. Anna’s call to weave fairytales as a way of self discovery is truly magical.

There was also this very particular aspect to Anna’s storytelling that I want to mention: during the story and as the plot goes along, we have Sabrina directly talking to us, readers, and I felt that the moments Anna picked for it were just perfect. I felt even more connected to Sabrina and the story and a sense of being part of it. The moments were so familiar, hopeful and honestly everyone needs to pick up this book now!

This book is so Welsh and it's utter perfection.

I practically drank the ink Anna used because this was incredible. I had to take a break half way through because I didn't want this to end, four hours with these characters really wasn't enough.

Sabrina is an incredible protagonist. She's so inperfect and has the weight of her family on her shoulders. She is strong and resilient and I adored her. She made this story so easy to read and to root for her, because yes, she's headstrong and prone to anger but she's also achingly human with an unending love for her sister - to the extent she follows her to the land of the tylwyth teg.

Now, I am no stranger to Welsh mythology. I have done my own research over the years and loved seeing them come to life in Anna's writing. And the writing! Maybe it's because I know exactly the Wales she is describing but I could imagine everything so clearly it was like I was staring at a painting rather than words. Descriptions ranged from sparkling to horrorifying to making me laugh.

I wasn't expecting the 1800s Wales but it worked so well to show the strangeness of time in the land of the teg. I had so much fun with this and am so lucky to have been gifted an early copy.

There were minor issues with the text that I'm sure will be picked up with publication, though the double the made me laugh. E. G. The y ceffyl dwr (since y also means the). To be honest my Welsh is very limited but I loved how Anna embedded it into the story and made it accessible to everyone.

Also if you told me on Saturday I would enjoy 4th wall breaks in a book, I'd have laughed. But this was so good

You know the book is going to be good when it has a long title and beautiful cover art, and this one was no exception!
Honestly I think I would have dived into this one just because of those two things, but the rest of the details just made this irresistible. Cruel prince vibes 👌🏻 rescuing family 👌🏻 adventuring through the fairy realm 👌🏻 meeting snarky characters 👌🏻

You should definitely pick this one up if you enjoyed The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, because it was so similar but focused more on the story telling and the mythology and the ‘fairytale’ itself! But add it a little twist of the Brothers Grimm because there were so many dark and twisted bits thrown in too!

It was just so lyrical and magical to read, and through every moment I was just filled with this childlike sense of longing and wonder, and it was so clear that the author had filled this book with attention to detail and love, and I think that they should be so incredibly proud of what they’ve created within this book!

There was so much more to this than our main character Sabrina going on an adventure through the fairy realm in order to rescue her sister. Obviously this is what makes it a fun read and a really interesting place to visit, but it does really feel like the author was trying to highlight the weird passage of time between being a child and an adult, and how hard it can be to navigate the loss of something.
All of this is lightly covered over by the rich storytelling and a huge host of weird and wacky characters from mythology and folklore.

“𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚.”

What an enchanting read! I am awestruck.

Remember the scene at the end of Bridge to Terabithia, where the young girl finally steps into the fairytale world she has longed to visit? That was me while reading this book. I felt giddy, charmed, emotional, and completely carried away to a place I didn’t even know I have been pining for.

This story is deeply rooted in Welsh folklore and is filled with whimsical creatures and characters drawn from old beliefs—some are frightening, which I hope to never encounter, while others I’ll be dreaming about for weeks. (I’m looking at you, Neirin.) I couldn't get enough of it, and the author's writing style made the experience delightful.

I really connected with our main character, Habren (Sabrina, if the Teg aren’t listening). She reminded me a lot of myself when I was her age, and learning about her challenges and strengths really moved me. While I loved her, Neirin truly captured my heart. He has that lovable, playful energy while also being a bit of a scoundrel! The slow-building romance in the story was beautifully written, but that ending... bittersweet and perfectly concluded.

The world and the story were both remarkably well-crafted, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who misses the feeling of dark, emotional, and wonderfully strange fairy tales about love, loss and family.

Thank you Anna Fiteni, Electric Monkey and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Some books are just 5-star reads, and there are books like this one that alter a part of your brain for the better.

When I tell you this book was perfection, I truly mean it. I have no notes on this book, and I could cry from how much I love it. Well, I tell a lie (how very Sabrina of me), I've cried twice already and have no regrets. I don't think I can describe what a joy and at times a heartbreak it was to read this; words are simply leaving my mind as I write this review.

If you loved the sharp wit and banter dynamic between Jude and Cardan from The Cruel Prince and Emily and Wendell from Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia. In that case, you are going to love Sabrina and Neirin's dynamic very much.

For the book lovers who enjoy the tropes below, this book is also for you!
- Faeiries
- Sisterhood
- Welsh folklore
- Morally grey characters
- Sharp and witty banter
- Betrayal
- The realities faced by Welsh Miners

Anna Fiteni, your writing truly moved me, and I genuinely can't wait to see what books you create in the future.

Thank you, Electric Monkey and Netgalley, for an E-Arc of this book. You are absolute babes for giving me early access to reading this masterpiece!

This is for all my The Cruel Prince fans.

I binged this.
It was addictive, funny, spiky, and filled with Welsh history.

In 1842, Habren follows her sister into the Land of the Fair Ones seeking to rescue her by entering into a partnership with a trickster Fae, Nerin, to become the King’s champion.

<b>Imagine what magic smells like to you (we can't all love wisteria and cooking bread) then picture wonders to rival the ocean. Imagine the place where the fairy tales of your childhood took place, when your mother lay beside you in bed and whispered stories in your ear.
You're halfway there.</b>

This is I-hate-you-so-much-I-will-cut-your-finger-off.
Habren is spiky, constantly compared to her soft, beautiful sister. She is the shadow.
Spiteful, jealous, but loyal.

<b>How strange. How lovely.
How awful.
"You used me, I say. "I hate you.”
“I missed you too,” he replies.
</b>
Great familiar relationships.
Morally grey epitomised.
History about the sordid Welsh mining past and the English incursion.
Great snappy back and forth.
LGBTQ representation.
Disability representation.
A very satisfying standalone that could expand into a sequel.

Physical arc gifted by Electric Monkey.

Fantastic and such an important read, we need more books with Cymru in them, I really enjoyed reading Welsh myths and getting to know the characters- i wish I could know more about Gran and her sister rekindling and what Sabrina does with her life - we must never forget the sacrifices so many families made to mining without wanting to and how Britain took so much from Wales
Here are some of my favourite quotes:
She’s always watching me in moments like this – when I become little more than Ceridwen’s shadow.

“Dwi’n gwybod sut mae’n teimlo i gael dy anwybyddu,” says Gran. “Paid â’i gymryd at dy galon.” I know how it is to be overlooked. Don’t take it to heart.

‘All neb fy anwybyddu. Mae fy llais yn rhy uchel.’ No one can overlook me. I’m far too loud.

‘that people don’t try to cage you. You’re born in the cage , and no matter how hard you fight, you aren’t fighting for freedom, not really. You’re fighting for a better view between the bars.’

The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire is the type of book that reminds me just why I love fantasy and in particular YA fantasy, it was rich in Welsh folklore and is filled from start to finish with whimsical creatures and dark characters and the one thing I loved the most was it had the traditional faerie lore - the lore where the creatures are cruel and wicked and frightening, once I started I completely devoured it.

The writing is so beautiful and it just captures your attention from the very first line, the growing up that the characters go through is amazing.The slow burn romance was perfection and so beautifully written and as for the ending it was bittersweet and the perfect conclusion especially for a book under 400 pages it was fast paced and so very well developed where the plot and characters were concerned.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fast paced fantasy rich in the more traditional faerie lore and who is looking for those fantasies of dark and dangerous fairytales and most of all the emotional stories about family, love and loss.

Thank you so much to Publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book before publication, these are my honest thoughts and opinions.