Under the Earth, Over the Sky

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It sort of feels like a boat ride down a gentle river. Very little happens but the view is beautiful. Long-rooted magic attached to Iohmar’s spirit will break. Their land will be invaded by monsters made of mirrors and unknown shadows. As Iohmar strives to properly rule his fair people and preserve the delicate human son he never should have saved in the first place, memories from thousands of years in the past will resurface. About Emily McCosh Author Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide. The prose is intoxicating. As I read, it felt like floating into the magic of the woods. The movement and magic in Latwill are vivid and surreal. I appreciated the unique and delicate descriptions, and the original twists on the classic fae legends and lore.

I have been struggling with reading and finishing books lately and could feel the reading slump coming but I could not put this book down. The characters from Lor, his adopted son to the tiny branches of the forest that are always reaching for him (at times smothering him with their needs) become a beloved story of duty, love, guilt, grievance, fear and how difficult it is manage so many things that effect all of us so significantly. By far the most interesting scenes were between Iohmar and the humans where the otherworldliness of Iohmar comes out deliciously in contrast to both how humans perceive time, and their inherent wariness of the fae. I really wish we could have spent more time with this contradiction.The cast of the story is small (always my preference), but I was a little disappointed that we never really get the depth of relationship that a small cast allows. We hear very similar things about the relationships (how there is love and respect and care), but instead of deepening, growing more complex, we get a repetition of feelings throughout the story – something that made me think this would have worked better as a short story. This could very easily be attributed to these relationships simply being too mature for any genuine conflict, but without tension in the world, or the plot, it leaves a very flat (albeit beautifully described) story. Honestly, this is the perfect book to curl up outside or by a fire. When you want to be engaged in the act of reading and soaking in words, but also soaking in the environment around you. But even if these questions are never answered, this book was a wonderful read. I bought it on the Kindle app, but I’m planning of obtaining a physical copy myself. I’d love to have this sitting pretty on my shelf.

As I said before, the wording of this book is just absolutely stellar. Everything is described so beautifully and if you close your eyes, you can picture yourself in the magical forest, you can almost smell the earth in the underground scenes, or feel the heat of the sand in the desert. I’ve never read Tolkien (yes, I know, I'm the worst), but from what I’ve heard, this story and his writings share lengthy nature descriptions. So if you are in the mood for that, then this would be a great read for you. The living forest aspect of it also reminded me somewhat of Narnia. UteOts immediately sets the tone and atmosphere with stellar prose and description, perfectly pacing the reader's way.This reminded me of warm afternoons spent in my uncle's study and rummaging through his things and finding an ordinary silly thing that turns to be a hidden treasure 🤗 The story begins with the fae king, Iohmar, discovering a human infant in his forest. The baby’s mother has just died, and the virtually immortal fae is at a loss as to what to do with the child. He is forbidden by his own laws from taking the baby, yet he also feels compelled to do so. As a result of learning that the baby’s father is a nasty person, Iohmar chooses to temporarily house the infant at his Fair Halls. The way time passes and the seasons change add to atmosphere. The way mysteries unfold kept me intrigued and wanting more. And the payoff for those mysteries was top tier storytelling. This book was whimsical and ethereal— mysterious yet inviting. It pulls you in like a siren song but instead of drowning, you come out feeling inspired and perhaps a little bit more alive than before. I cannot stress enough how much I love this book that made me want to devour it but also not bc I knew that the more I read the closer to the end I got.

Just as there was no smut there was no cursing! This book was very clean, especially compared to some others I won’t name, particularly for a fae centered book which are honestly disgusting and toxic for the most part now days. But I just really appreciated that. There were a few very subtle mentions of ‘making love’ mostly in past tense, but honestly I barely noticed and they were just very brief unimportant mentions. Which again is much appreciated!The storyline itself was amazing too considering it was slow but still held my attention till the end. There was a clear goal in mind but then it didn't solely revolve around that goal, there were other smaller things and day to day life weaves in instead of one driven purpose. The whole ending and reason for the shadows was a bit predictable but I don't think I would have been able to guess correctly if I didn't write myself and so look at books with the analytic view of a writer. It was very nicely foreshadowed and didn't have any gaps or plot holes though which is impressive.

The other way the author got me was with the stunning illustration work, done by none other than herself! I really appreciate that extra step of effort! More so by how he is defined through his relationships that told us so much about his character and made me love him even more.

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Until a human family can be found for the child, Iohmar will look after him. The winds of Látwill sweep fairies through the starry sky, the forests capture the feeble-minded with their dark song, and even Iohmar, King Beneath the Earth, is subject to the will of the immortal mountains, so even the best-laid schemes can go awry. Though there was a mystery element to the story, the stakes did not feel very high. This really contributed to its fairy tale-ness, because when you read a fairy tale or fable, you usually know that good people have a good ending. So, it was kind of relaxing in that way. You don’t have to constantly be worrying about the whole world crashing and burning around them really and I liked that.