How happy this book makes me! It’s a book I didn’t know I was missing and am the happier for it to come along unexpectedly. It’s a quick read that draws you in from the first page. I read the whole series before this came along and it was such a great return to Faery and Bitter Thorn. Glad to have Blaz, Brannick, Elora and Kaya back for a short return. I love books with strong and brazen female leads like Elora that forge their own path. The book has all the usual magical elements and goes smashingly good with the rest of the series, giving us those missing pieces the other books left us wanting.

Thank you, Kay L. Moody!

I received an advance reader copy and am leaving this review of my own accord.

Elora dreams of taking part in tournaments, but is only allowed to train with her sword against her father. She dreams of adventures yet at seventeen is now expected to marry a chosen stranger in order to keep her family out of poverty. She dares herself to climb the highest tree during the night calling it her last adventure before accepting her fate, but she is lured into a much bigger adventure than she bargained for. A dryad comes out of a tree, and forces her to make a bargain with her, obviously Elora has no clue that making a bargain with a creature from the faerie realm comes with it's own consequences. She is tasked by Kaia the dryad, to enter into Fairfrost the realm of Queen Alessandra who had kidnapped Prince Brannick of Bitter Thorn. She was then to administer a vial of memory loss to the queen then help the prince escape before dawn broke. All this she was expected to do on her own as the dryad could not leave her tree. But if Elora was anything she was no coward, so she ventured forth to save a prince whilst the clock was ticking and knowing she could not afford to fail, no pressure, right!! I really enjoyed this magical escapade into the realm of faerie, the encounters with the trolls, the lovely wolf and Elora's courage but was sad that she had to forget her biggest adventure at the end! I would love to read further into the series as I am sure Elora's encounter with Brannick does not end here!

This short prequel is a good introduction to the series. I did not read it before books 1 & 2, but hints about Elora having previous contact with the fae in those books made me want to read it. Good short story that filled in some blank spots, but the series works well enough on it's own if you don't read this before the other books.

Good story with a main character who will do what she must to save her family, but is determined to have one last adventure before tying herself down. The main character is wonderful and the storyline draws you in.

This book is a quick read that draws you in from the first page and leaves you wanting more. This had all the usual fae elements and felt right in line with stories like those by Holly Black. As much as I love books like Quicksilver (and I do *love* those books), there's just something about the more traditional takes on the fae that pulls me in and leaves me feeling enchanted in a way the others don't. They just have a specific tone and feel to them that I never tire of, and Heir of Bitter Thorn fits right in.

"How would you like to fight with your sword instead of just train with it?"
We start with a human girl who excels at the sword but lives in a society that frowns on women having such pastimes - and that's all it could ever be. As a girl, she could never hope to compete or do more with her swords than practice for herself. Even finding a husband who would allow her to keep this hobby isn't a given. However, her father promises to do his best to find her such a man as he considers the suitors who have offered money for her hand - it turns out he needs her to marry, as he can no longer support the family on his own. Feeling her time as an independent woman coming to an end, when she is offered the chance to go on an adventure to save a fae prince, she takes it, not realizing that once she entered into the bargain to do so, there was no going home again until she had completed her mission. Because, as always with the fae, nothing is as simple as it seems.

I loved this story and the characters. Elora is cunning and strong, and Prince Brannick seems devoted to his Court and completely aware of the effect he has on the opposite sex. And I always love an animal companion, so Blaz was certainly enjoyable. It was also nice to have a strong, stubborn girl save the guy, to be the one to do the fighting and the reassuring/encouraging.

I will admit I read this before any of the rest of the series, so I don't know as much as other readers seem to, but I can't wait to catch up and read the rest!

I received a digital copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a fair and honest review.