Acquired Book By: Earlier this Spring, I participated in an event uniting book bloggers and Indie Authors called #ReviewPit. One of the authors I discovered during this event was H.L. Burke – her s/o about the novel on Twitter was most enticing (see also tweet) but it was the premise which captured me the most – how a fairy queen, a cat-elf and a knight all interconnect to each other in this fairy tale Fantasy! It felt different than most of the fantastical stories I come across within the same niche of interest and being that I am constantly trying to root out either a) new fairytale fiction or b) stories of the fey – I felt this one was a good choice to take a chance on reading!
I was seeking stories during #ReviewPit which caught my eye for their uniqueness but also what was quite lovely is how most of the stories which intrigued me to read were actually within the realms of Fantasy! I found this wicked interesting and it is why I was thankful during #WyrdAndWonder Year 2 I could continue to celebrate my love of Indie Authors & Indie Publishers and Press!
I received a complimentary copy of “To Court A Queen” direct from the author H.L. Burke in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
And, the fey came to call during #ReviewPit:
When I first learnt of the #bookishTwitter event #ReviewPit, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect – I keep a watchful eye on twitterverse events where writers are seeking betareaders or where authors are seeking publication (ie. #PitchWars, etc) as I generally find #newtomeauthors this way and I do like to champion the writers who are on their path towards becoming published as this is something I can personally relate to as I’m a writer whose currently moonlighting as a book blogger and joyful tweeter! It is lovely to reach out into the Indie community on Twitter and continue to seek out the stories I desire to be reading. Ever since I first started blogging here at Jorie Loves A Story, I’ve had an eye out for Indie Press, Publishers and the writers who are seeking alternative publication – either through the Indie side of publishing directly through established publishers and press; or through Small Trade publishers or taking the full-Indie route into Self-Publishing or Hybrid publishing options.
This is what made #ReviewPit such a keen event for me – I decided to just jump into it and see what I would find. It is run similar to other events where you get a pitch about a story and you are given a clue of a nod towards its genre of interest. I quite literally had such a wicked joy just scrolling through all the lovelies being offered, I wasn’t entirely sure how many would be available to receive as print editions for review but I decided to give myself the chance to just seek out the authors first and request which ones were available lateron.
To Court A Queen felt like it would be ideally quirky with just enough fantastical realism to draw me into its folds – plus, what I liked about it most is that it felt dearly comical with a healthy dash of comedic joy to make this potentially another entry in my feast of Fantasy satire satisfying the affinity I have for humour in fiction!
Notation on Cover Art Design:
Can be pause this review for a moment to take stock of the lovely cover art featured on this beautifully love Fantasy Romance novel!? The dress alone is delightful but it is her ears and the length of her hair which I really felt took the image home for me to feel like I had crossed the threshold into this world being built for me to explore! It is truly beautiful enough to frame on your wall where your bookshelves remind you of all the lovely stories you’ve travelled through – I normally love original illustrations for Fantasy novels but this realistic photography art felt wicked brilliant all on its own!
To Court A Queen
Subtitle: A Fairy Tale Romance
by H.L. Burke
Source: #ReviewPit Author, Direct from Author
He doesn't want to get married, but he wants to be a frog even less.
Knight errant, Devin, takes a shortcut through the woods, only to be captured by fairy forces. The fairy queen has run out of breathing males to fight for her hand, and Devin, while not ideal fairy stock, is breathing--for now.
Telling a vain fairy queen you'd rather not be her one true love is a ticket to life on a lilypad, so the knight agrees to face three challenges to win Queen Agalea's hand. When a clever servant girl offers to help him navigate the trials in order to stop the constant bloodshed of the courtship ritual, Devin jumps at the chance. However, as he balances "flirting" with his "beloved" and overcoming tasks specifically designed to kill him, he finds his heart drawn to his new partner in survival.
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 9781794579644
Also by this author: Ashen
Published by Self Published
on 18th February, 2019
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 163
This is a self-published novel.
Discover MORE #FantasyRomance by H.L. Burke!
Formats Available: Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook
a short extract from “To Court A Queen:
About H.L. Burke
Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.
An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.
Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.
ahead of accepting my #reviewpit selections I enquired about the stories:
Whenever I am about to read a #newtomeauthor, I like to get a feel for their writing style and how they are approaching their genre of interest. It is part of my due diligence as a reader and as a book blogger – however, I do not always have the pleasure nor luxury of interacting with an author directly ahead of accepting a novel for review consideration. This is why the event #ReviewPit is such a wicked lovely idea – as it encourages direct communication between the novelist and the book blogger and/or reviewer.
I have the same general questions about all the STORIES I am keenly interested in reading – this was the series of questions I asked on behalf of H.L. Burke who happily gave me a lovely response in return: Is there anything explicit in your novel? Language, violence or erotica? I prefer to read relationship-based romance (which your story sounds where it falls – even a Sweet Romance from what I was gathering of it) and cleaner reads. I don’t mind a few strong words but honestly for me, less is definitely ‘more’ in that regard. I don’t like descriptive violence either.
No sexual content beyond kissing and a bit of cuddling/flirting. A handful of mild swear words (h*ll, d**n). I think four? Violence is pretty mild. One mythical beast bites the dust after a battle and Devin gets beat up pretty bad in one of the trials to the point of passing out and needing magical healing. I don’t think it’s “graphic” mention of the smell of his own blood and how much pain he’s in before he blacks out.
I wanted to share with you my dear heart readers the information I was given per book during my #ReviewPit queries in case one of the lovelies I’ve been reading this #WyrdAndWonder is catching your own eye of curiosity! This way, you’ll see the process I went through to accept the stories and what I was most concerned about prior to reading them. As you can see – the author’s response on behalf of To Court A Queen fell within my personal preferences and layers of acceptance.
my review of to court a queen:
When I first started to read this novel, there was a hint of a suggestion of a previous story I had once read which also involved a path taken in the forest – one which had more than a few consequences for the character the story focused upon – even though most of the stories involving the fey I’ve read due at some junction involve traipsing through a forest – this one story in particular felt similar to a story I’ve read either within a) Shifty: an anthology of Fantasy stories within Marian Allen’s world b) Frozen Fairy Tales or c) Gifts of the Magi: an anthology of Fantasy stories. Although, it could also have been another anthology I read by World Weaver Press or perhaps the 2015 Nebula Awards Showcase – the tricky bit is all I remember is someone entered a forest and had to have their wits about them as the forest took more lives than it gave back to the community from whence the person was from originally.
You can only shake your head at his impulsive sense of logic! Even knowing full well he could be met by the fey guarding said forest, he chooses to circumvent a longer route to a village by cutting through the thickest part of the fey forest despite the consequences he is readily aware of being his lot in life to be dealt if he were to become caught. And, caught he had! Not just by the guardians who represented the fey themselves but by a female squad of guards who had the most audacious reason for wanting to take him back to their Queen: she was in wont of a male! (just wait til you find out why!)
What makes you laugh at Devin’s expense is his sense of honour – for he is a bit of a renegade in this world – dare as he may, doing as he pleases and come the morrow; he’s prepared to tuck tail and head back home to admit his defeat! He doesn’t quite see past the impulsive reactions of the moment – where he makes choices based on his immediate needs or his lack therein, choosing to ride on the edge of danger rather than to be mindful of a clearer path which would have the most security and financially sound yield. Even as he relates the litany of his past misdeeds – you gathered quite immediately he was not wont for wear!
Then, of course comes this audience with the Queen – Agalea is quite an interesting character – as she’s not one to mince words nor is she one to broker a fool. If anything she’s crafty – cleverly so – to where she’s devised what she perceives as a lock-solid plan to overcome this minor hiccup of not having anyone suitable to wed in her society! This is where the humour begins – how a Queen of the fey is actually contemplating wedding a human just to fix the problem she has with not having any suitable male amongst her own kind who can withstand her ‘tests’. You can well imagine what those must entertain!
Right in the middle of this ordeal which is slowly worsening for Devin, is a rather charmingly beautiful elf beginning to make her rounds as a server in this one-sided discussion! For Devin you can tell is growing impatient with her insistence to hold all the cards against him. Off to the side, the elf makes a marked impression for she’s slightly withdrawn from the main course of conversation but she’s close enough to notice, observe and interact in small gestures with Devin directly. I readily knew she was the elf featured on the cover of To Court A Queen and if first impressions were true enough – I had a feeling she might be Devin’s ticket to a sane exit stragedy from this blundered walk he attempted through the forest of the Queen!
I was smirking when Devin tried his luck getting past the Queen’s winged guardsmen (the hounds!) who might take after Fluffy (Hagrid’s three headed dog) more so than anyone else – except not in stature or presence of heads, but in how serious they were about their duties! Why Devin continues to think one-sidedly is a wonderment to me! You’d think he’d table the idea to simply ‘walk out of this Queen’s court’ for a bit of time if only to get her to trust him more and thereby finding her weaknesses or at least a small fraction of a weakness in her defence operations?
Here he is bathing in perfumed bathwater and the only thing striking his mind is the fact his life was dearly ordinary only moments earlier! Such would be the logic a bloke would be thinking to himself at such a dire moment! Rather than seeing the truth in front of him and the situation he’s entrenched himself, he’d rather talk over spilt milk which can’t be righted by a few cleverly placed remarks or with a fortitude for tempting fate to escape the Queen’s ire!
Sevaine’s plan to help Devin sounds like the best option he’s been given but there is something which made me a bit suspicious of her offer; even Devin himself felt a tug of conscience as why would she do this without sharing a reason for it? As you get into the particulars of the tests you can see how their skewed towards having the Queen herself in a position of admiration. If anything, the tests as they start to become revealled are a method for the Queen to find only the most devout bloke to be in contention of her hand. I suppose it makes sense as the Queen is more vain than Figaro but the whole run-round felt like the Queen wanted to ensure whomever she married knew his distinct limitations when it came to who ruled the roost!
It was clever how Sevaine was able to crochet whilst they awaited his release from the chamber of captivity – otherwise, to be known where he awaited the tests to begin. It was here they were able to speak openly and converse about the particulars of what was yet to come but also about the unique situation Devin was about to find himself – as it wasn’t just a question of doing what the Queen requested of him – it was more than that. He had to choose between what he felt was ethically right for himself and what was morally right as well. It wasn’t just a choice between marriage to a fairy Queen and death (or a less optimal outcome as being transformed into another species) – it was how he viewed his own mortality as much as his sense of humanity which was truly on the line if he were to fail.
Despite the theatrics of his plight and his unease in being involved in the plot against him – Devin takes relief in the form of humour. This is why he likes to give Sevaine wrinkles of grief – it is his way to defuse his own anxieties but also to take the focus off what might happen to him as he moves through the pending tests the Queen is conscripting for him. He’s out of his depth in their world but he isn’t going to blunder the chance to fight to survive either. You really appreciate how Burke keeps the drama well stitched inside the plot even if the two of them (Devin and Sevaine) are walking the tightrope between saving each other and keeping time til one of them perishes through the actions of the Queen.
I felt this was a story well lit by the world-building but also layered with the drama of choice as much as a walk in conscience as Sevaine broaches with Devin – how she was motivated to help him due to what she had previously observed in the past by the men who came before Devin. It speaks to how you can set your attitude through adversity – foreshadowed or unexpected, everyone has to face something in their lives they do not feel ready to endure. It also parlays to ask the question – do you see yourself as a victim or a survivor? How would you set your attitude to work through what develops on your path to inflict uncertainty and a compulsion for freedom you never knew you’d need to fight to reattain?
Even when the Queen threw the worst at him – which involved a crow with a persistent affinity for inflicting pain – Devin kept resolute in his quest. He didn’t know what it would take to win this battle against the Queen but one thing was certain – he was questioning if she truly wanted him to win this series of tests as whenever he found himself unsettling her plans, there was malice in her reactions. It struck me as much as Devin that perhaps the Queen was doing this for another purpose altogether – to what end it was not yet known but she had a twisted sense of what she felt was the meted worth of a champion.
One thing a fairy Queen might not have considered is how determined a human can become when faced with a choice of conscience such as what came to happen in regards to Devin. Before this occurred there was a rather brutal fight scene but blessedly it wasn’t descriptively gritty to read – in fact, in many regards because of Burke’s love of sadistic humour in this story – it became a bit more laughable than serious! In fact, she defused the fierceness of the scene for me in such a way as I found myself amongst the fey rallying behind Devin to be their new champion!
There is so much heart within To Court A Queen – as this is very much a story of finding love in unexpected places and having the strength of hope carry you forward out of a sea of adversity. The backdrop might be the fairy kingdom but at the heart of this novel is a turning tide towards finding someone to love and understanding better the truer meaning behind life itself.
I truly found this #IndieAuthor to be #unputdownable because Burke understands what I personally *love!* to seek out of a Fantasy Romance! Not just that – it is how she layered you into the world-building, gave you two characters who despite being individually quirky worked well together as a team – whilst having this set in an unsuspecting place which was wondrously created by Burke’s eye for fantastical detail.
I will be looking forward to collecting more of her stories & taking new journeys into where her imagination leads me to follow!
In regards to the world being built within this world of the fey:
Uniquely, there is a running shortage of approachable and available men who are willing to do the Queen’s bidding – by taking a stake of claim towards her consort position and find a way not to get killed in the process! Whilst she’s holding court, you can see the different kinds of fey who are represented – by their style of dress, their hair colour and the ways in which they dress, braid their hair and otherwise present themselves.
Winged hounds were a new creature for me to experience! I love when that happens – as it is such a special treat to come across a new fantastical species or creature you haven’t yet had the joy in becoming acquainted previously!
The background texture of the story is lush and vibrant; from the way the rooms are outfitted to the design of the aesthetic for the Queen’s residence hall(s). There is a lot of attention to the finer details here and I loved tucking close to the descriptive details.
on the fantastical musings of speculative novelist h.l. burke:
In the author’s own words she’s declared the following about “To Court A Queen”: Enjoy a Fairy Tale Romance that’s like “The Princess Bride” combined with “Ella Enchanted” plus a LOT of snark, a cat-elf, & a knight who is way too Han Solo for his own good!
And, here are my thoughts about how to best describe her fantastically humourous writing style which brokers on the edge of satire and envelopes itself into a bit of snark round the edges!
One of the descriptive attributes Burke wrote into her story is where Devin compares himself to a moth to the distaste of the Queen as she sees his humanness to be a detriment but not to the extent she will remove him from her Court or from testing him as potential consort to her throne! There are a lot of tongue-in-check exchanges with a pulse of satire threading through the dialogue – something I was looking forward to each step of the way because Burke’s characters have a light-heartedness about them. They believe strongly in their lives and the causes they wish to champion but at the same time there is a threading of nonchalance and full-on sarcasm which isn’t lost on me.
I had a feeling the comedic timing to the discussions is partially to cover over the fact the Queen has a decidedly different end game for those who fail her miserably! I know the evil side of the fey as you don’t have to look too hard to uncover that side of their nature – whilst there are a few who walk in the Light, most of the fey side with the Dark. Even if it is under the benign covering of seeking a mate who’d be in equal status of the Queen, you had to think there was something quite nefarious happening at the same time. Why would a Queen simply agree to ‘any odd male’? That you had to wonder about the most whilst you continued to watch Devin grow deeper into this quagmire he caused for himself!
I even liked how she created this species of elves (ie. thus known as ‘cat-elves’ by Devin who likes to get a rile of ire out of them!) who are less than gracious about being referred to as ‘cat-elves’ as I suppose from their perspective that might not be a very endearing name to be called? It was still clever though because it added another layer to this world wherein she’s built a whole society of fey and fairy – where Sevaine represents another part of this kingdom and where the Queen represents the other half. Uniquely there are also loop holes of how those who are ingenious enough can outwit the Queen – though, I had suspected that might be a false-safety on their part as after awhile wouldn’t she wise up to their plottings?
Want to know something keenly ironic? I didn’t really feel this was a snarky story! In fact, I saw it more laden with satire and wicked brilliant humour than I did the snark? There are just some Speculative Fiction novelists out there who are writing stories which work well with my own sense of humour apparently – I now consider H.L. Burke, Leanne Leeds (from #ReviewPit alum) joining the ranks of Ms Chris (E. Chris Garrison), AshleyRose Sullivan, RJ Sullivan and Jennifer Silverwood in my admiration society for comedic and dramatic Fantasy which happily makes me blissfully happy to reside inside!
Fantastical Elements:
→ Everyday Magic & enchantments only the fey could produce!
→ The fey themselves are not always adorned by ‘wings’ – as it requires a lot out of them to produce them; evenso, Burke has crafted them in such a luminescent way in her story, they are awe-striking to observe!
→ Winged hounds – not your average canine guard!
→ Elves – whose personalities and attributes are rather cat-like even if they won’t admit it!
I felt like this wasn’t my first visit inside this world built by Burke – you find yourself readily drawn into this forest community of fairies ruled by a Queen who has her druthers set on being married sooner than later! It is a unique situation for the human caught in her cross-hairs (Devin) but it is also a catalyst moment for him to meet Sevaine. I loved how Burke drew us into this world – from the point of abduction by the fairy guards to the reasoning Devin went through with himself to stay and due as the Queen requested as it was proving to be a more worthwhile choice compared to the alternative.
This of course was a great lead-in towards seeing this world from the inside out – seeing how the Queen ruled and also, seeing into the hierarchy of how the fey were controlled. They had their differences – from intolerance for species they felt were inferior to their own and the inter-politics of where the fey were not ones to cross the Queen’s choices.
The elves within this story were at a higher level of purpose from the fairies – wherein the fairies were in the midst of a needing an insurrection in regards to their issues with their Queen. The magic is cleverly organic in nature to the pacing of the story giving you a reason to believe that all fey magic is similar to the kind found within To Court A Queen. On the level that it is what it is to the fey – they use what the need and they don’t worry about the future. They have an honour code and they have certain perimeters they must function inside – yet how this is classified and revealled by Burke is what made discovering this world quite enjoyable.
Notations on chapter sampler from the audiobook:
→ Articulation of the character by the narrator: She definitely enabled you to ‘hear’ the humour within the opening paragraphs – as Burke reveals the texture of her satire and the delivery of the insanity of this proposition being carried out by the fairy guards very early-on. It also strikes to showcase how this situation Devin is finding himself is not as simple to overcome nor is it an event in his life to take lightly.
→ Where in the novel is the chapter sampler taken from: It is happily the very first chapter of “To Court A Queen” – so if you wanted to get your feet wet and see how Devin first meets the lady warriors of the fey, this is your chance to hear how the story begins!
→ Where you can find the audiobook: I was hoping this might be available via Scribd for when I can re-subscribe to the service as I was planning to seek this out for the Summer if it had been inclusive on the site. I did however find this available on Audible.com and that is where I listened to the chapter sampler. I checked Libro.fm, audiobooks.com and Downpour – finding this wasn’t listed with them either – though generally speaking, most Audible audiobooks are cross-released to Scribd.
This book review is courtesy of: H.L. Burke
reading this novel counted towards
my 2019 reading challenges:
whilst being read during my participation of:
→ I should mention I was listening to a playlist of Indie singer-songwriters and bands via #Spotify whilst I was reading To Court A Queen. Most of whom I have previously listened to and favourited as my favourite discoveries throughout my wanderings on Spotify. They all had a gentleness about their tone and their musicality to where it became a lovely back-light of joy to listen to as I read this story.
To continue reading my #wyrdandwonder posts:
Be sure to visit my TBR for Wyrd & Wonder as I’m updating the post frequently throughout the last week & a half of the event with new links to the posts & reviews I am sharing with everyone following my showcases!
{SOURCES: Cover art of “To Court A Queen” (for both the print and audiobook copies) as well as the author photograph for H.L. Burke, author biography, book synopsis as well as the promotional banners for “To Court A Queen” were all provided by the author H.L. Burke and are used with permission of the author H.L. Burke. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. 2019 New Release Challenge created by mylimabeandesigns.com for unconventionalbookworms.com and is used with permission. Wyrd And Wonder banner created by @Imyril. Image Credit: Magical book by Jakub Gojda from 123RF.com. Beat the Backlist banner provided by Novel Knight. Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Wyrd And Wonder Book Review badge and the comment box banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2019.
Comments via Twitter:
#JorieReads | stories of the fey🧚♀️
To Court A Queen by @hlburkewriterTruly found this #IndieAuthor to be #unputdownable as Burke understands what I personally *love!* to seek out of a #Fantasy Rom!
📖💚https://t.co/3WM03YsY6Z
👉Championing #ReviewPit during #wyrdandwonder👍 pic.twitter.com/L0Sze0Z9Oo— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) May 24, 2019
Find out why this #IndieAuthor charmed Jorie as she delved into the secreted world of the fey: a Queen wants a husband, a knight wants true love & a keenly intuitive elf wants peace – @hlburkewriter has written a compelling comedic drama w/in this #Fantasy https://t.co/ArCnojkIJ2 pic.twitter.com/L3nnqyrjJM
— Wyrd and Wonder (@wyrdandwonder) May 24, 2019
You're quite welcome, Ms Burke!😊I truly could not put it down – I didn't want to exit this cosy niche of a world you had created!! I really was touched by the gentle romance budding between Sevaine & Devin; I could travel back into their story again & again; or even their world!
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) May 24, 2019
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- #2019NewReleaseChallenge
- #WyrdAndWonder
Thanks so much for the wonderfully in depth review! I’ve shared it on my social media for my followers as well.
Hallo, Hallo Ms Burke,
I was wicked delighted to read “To Court A Queen” this #WyrdAndWonder!! It has made me a ready appreciator of your worlds and the kinds of stories you’re telling! I can’t wait to seek out more and to see where your muse take sme next! Thank you for giving me the chance to experience this world and if you ever decide to re-visit the characters or see what evolved after we left them, I would be keenly interested in reading that sequel! Maybe a duology rather than a series? Hmm. I appreciate your help in spreading the world of this review and I am thankful the followers of #WyrdAndWonder were finding it, too! #sohappy to champion the Indie Authors I am loving to seek out to read!