Book Review: The Ever Queen

Title: The Ever Queen
Author: L.J. Andrews
Genre: Romantasy, Fantasy, Romance

What It’s About: Livia finds herself on a strange land, and encounters a woman who turns out to be an elf—Skadinia is her name. Skadinia explains to Livia where she is, an elven isle that can disappear at will across the world, and that Livia can’t really be taken out of the island, without true pain finding her. Skadinia also shows her the island a little bit, telling her how to trust the light flies that will show the way to freedom and safety. Livia survives abuse at the hands of Larsson, who reveals the whole truth about his father and mother, and that he is indeed Erik’s older brother, who had been forbidden from stepping foot into the Fae land by some magic that their father had placed on the world against him. Larsson tells her that he needs one last thing from her—the heart bond that she has with Erik—which will break the spell for them, and Livia goes through excruciating pain for that to be taken away from here. Gavyn shows up while she is imprisoned and they fight their way out, only to find out that Livia indeed cannot leave the island, so she tells Gavyn to go to Erik and get help.

Erik in the meantime sneaks into the Earth Fae realm with Aleksi, Tait and a couple of trusted men to go speak with the kings to get help to save Livia. He gets captured by the Rave, and is brought in front of the king, who refuses to listen to him, until Aleksi speaks up and tells them that they are all here together to get help to save Livia. The Kings and Queens of the Realm do not want to do anything to help Erik, so Aleksi, Mira, Jonas and Sander sneak Erik and Tait out of the cells, and they head back to the Sea Fae Realm. Eventually, Livia’s father makes his way there after Erik’s grandmother goes to talk to the Earth Fae, and makes a deal where she stays in the Earth Fae realm for their help to get Livia.

The group fights against a couple of Lords who are against all of the changes that Erik brings in, and they instate a new woman to be the Lady of one of the Houses, in exchange for her help as she wants the freedom that her father hadn’t granted her. Eventually, they go to battle against the Elvish Isle, as Gavyn had reported back to Erik with the truth about where Livia is. Livia in the meantime, gets away from Larsson and his counterpart—a man from the Light Elves who seems to want to use Skadinia’s powers for malicious purposes, which hurts her and puts her into a no-feeling state. Livia creates a wall of earth on the island, and eventually Jonas, Sander, Mira and Aleksi find her, while Livia’s father makes the earth shake with his powers. Erik kills Larsson aboard his ship, finds his way to Livia, and together they go to the elves, where they find Sander hurt while Jonas is fighting Skadinia, who is attempting to protect a man. This man turns out to be her grandfather, and when he awakens, they all make an agreement to work together tentatively. Skadinia is taken with the group as a way to keep the man in line, and they all go back to the Earth Fae realm where there is a reunion. Livia knows that her place is by Erik in the Ever Realm, but is sad that she will rarely get to see her mom, who is a human. Skadinia offers and then takes away the chaotic energy of the Chasm to make it easier for humans to cross. They head back to the Ever, and Erik and Livia re-instate their heart bond, with the help of his grandmother, who is now back in the Ever Realm, this time under the House Ferus name. There are now Sea Fae living in the Earth Fae realm to help them cross the chasm into the land of the Ever.

My Thoughts: The trials and tribulations that both Erik and Livia went through together to get back to each other shows that they are true mates of the heart, and are meant to be together. It all had me sitting on the edge of my seat and wondering what the next page in the book will bring. That said, I’m so happy that the two of them managed to bring together the two different realms and live happily ever after. Such a wonderful story and I hope we get to keep seeing them more often in the series!