House of Beating Wings by Olivia Wildenstein
Series: The Kingdom of Crows #1
on 29 September 2022
Genres: Fantasy Romance
Pages: 568
Format: eBook
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Also in this series: House of Pounding Hearts
Free the crows, Fallon, and they will make you queen.
Until an oracle predicted my regal future, I’d never imagined myself rising above the curve of my round ears. After all, I was the magicless halfling loved by beasts but loathed by every pure-blooded faerie at court. Well... by all but one.
Dante Regio, prince of Luce, had owned my heart since he gave me my first kiss. If gathering a slew of iron relics could help me overthrow the current monarch and crown his brother to rule at my side, then treasure hunting I’d go.
If only the oracle had warned me what winged demon I was releasing into the world.
And that I’d become this demon’s obsession.
House of Beating Wings is the start to a new high fantasy series that is equal parts political intrigue, thrilling adventure, mystery, and steamy romance.
POV – First Person – Fallon (FMC) with an Epilogue in MMC’s POV
Ending – Cliffhanger
Scroll to end for tl;dr summary
Lately, I’ve hit the jackpot with fantasy romance reads (just banger after banger) so when I picked up House of Beating Wings by Olivia Wildenstein, I was cautious that my luck would finally run out. Thankfully, my lucky streak can continue because this was an imaginative fantasy escape that held it’s own against my recent great high fantasy reads – A Light in the Flame, The Unmarked Witch, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night. (If you enjoyed any of these reads, give House of Beating Wings a spot on your TBR!)
Pace
Set in a sumptuous Venice-inspired realm detailed by nuanced world-building, Olivia cleverly constructed a solid plot decorated with A Game of Thrones-esque political scheming and vibrant characters. I started out a bit slow, as it took me a little while to wrap my head around the many places, people, and magics, but the layers of mystery and conflict really helped to kick up the pace and I became completely engrossed by the end. As with most high fantasies novels, especially the beginning of a series, there will always need to be an introduction to a new world but Olivia takes her time to expose these intricacies piece by piece, woven into the dialogue and action, which makes for an overall excellent experience.
Characters
One element of House of Beating Wings that was the most satisfying for me was the character development, Fallon’s (FMC) in particular. This is because her character’s naïveté really irked me and I wasn’t sure if it was something that I could have overlooked if it lasted longer than it did. Thankfully, she learned from her experiences, outgrew her starry-eyed tendencies, and matured into a truly bad-ass woman in her own right. She’s witty, adventurous, caring, and vulnerable all at once and Olivia really makes it work for Fallon!
There isn’t much I can say about the MMC without too many spoilers but let me just say, I was never more excited for an Epilogue in my life because the MMC is just scrumptious; the chemistry, the banter, the mystery – I am positively buzzing for more of these two in the next book, House of Pounding Hearts!
Tropes
Hidden/Secret Identity
Royalty/Court Intrigue & Warring Kingdoms
Curse/Prophecy
Dark Secrets & Mystery
Multiple Potential Love Interests
Slow Burn
Is House of Beating Wings spicy?
While House of Beating Wings definitely contains adult content including explicit scenes/references of a sexual nature and a fair bit of tension, there is little spice in this book. BUT, I suspect that the huge reveals has set up House of Pounding Hearts to more than make up for the low spice factor of House of Beating Wings. Do not let the low spice rating deter you! Fingers crossed, book one was just the warm up, book two will deliver the goods.
My Thoughts
Thanks to House of Beating Wings, The Kingdom of the Crows series has earned a spot on my ‘New Series to Watch’ list. Olivia Wildenstein crafted a beautiful fantasy world that offered an easy escape, one where I forged deep connections to her vibrant characters, delighted in piecing the political puzzle together, and cackled at Fallon’s wit and banter. After the massive cliffhanger ending, I expect book two, House of Pounding Hearts, to be even better.
tl;dr review summary
epic, high fantasy romance
multiple potential love interests (not a RH!)
mystery & political intrigue
Fae, Humans, & Shifters
Cliffhanger Ending
