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The Changeling Queen
A sensually romantic, feminist retelling of the Scottish “Ballad of Tam Lin,” combining folklore, desire, and sacrifice in a tale perfect for fans of Natalie Hayes, Genevieve Gornichec, Holly Black, Quicksilver by Callie Hart, and Outlander.
“I am Faery and Faery is me.”
On Samhain in medieval Scotland, pregnant Janet rescues her lover Tam Lin from being sacrificed by the Wild Hunt—but the callous Faery Queen is not finished with them yet. Over the span of a single night, the Queen and Janet spar over Tam Lin’s fate. The Queen aims to win, knowing how fickle mortals can be. Long before she was royalty, she was simply Bess, the changeling daughter of a midwife.
Born with magical and mortal blood, Bess feared there was no true place for her on either side of the veil. She found refuge in the arms of the charming Thomas Shepherd, the bastard son of a local noble. While villagers viewed her as a scandal, Bess’s cunning knowledge and secret dark gifts attracted the attention of the elf lord Adaman. Wily and silver-tongued, Adaman led Bess into Faery’s realm of decadence, where her heart warred against her destiny. She fought to keep both—but at what cost?
Inspired by Scotland’s famous “Ballad of Tam Lin” and weaving together mystical folklore and tragic romance, The Changeling Queen’s journey into memory, betrayal, and redemption will enchant you.
“I am Faery and Faery is me.”
On Samhain in medieval Scotland, pregnant Janet rescues her lover Tam Lin from being sacrificed by the Wild Hunt—but the callous Faery Queen is not finished with them yet. Over the span of a single night, the Queen and Janet spar over Tam Lin’s fate. The Queen aims to win, knowing how fickle mortals can be. Long before she was royalty, she was simply Bess, the changeling daughter of a midwife.
Born with magical and mortal blood, Bess feared there was no true place for her on either side of the veil. She found refuge in the arms of the charming Thomas Shepherd, the bastard son of a local noble. While villagers viewed her as a scandal, Bess’s cunning knowledge and secret dark gifts attracted the attention of the elf lord Adaman. Wily and silver-tongued, Adaman led Bess into Faery’s realm of decadence, where her heart warred against her destiny. She fought to keep both—but at what cost?
Inspired by Scotland’s famous “Ballad of Tam Lin” and weaving together mystical folklore and tragic romance, The Changeling Queen’s journey into memory, betrayal, and redemption will enchant you.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published October 28, 2025
60 people are currently reading
26417 people want to read
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September 14, 2025Goodness, my ancestors must've stoned Jesus or something, because my karma is finding the worst Beauty & Beast derivative retellings when I don't wanna.
After the disillusionment that was the latest Tam Lin retelling by Craig, so bad I lost my will to write a review, I get an email from the 'Galley kindly letting me know it's time to pay my dues to Hell and that they've granted me an ARC of The Changeling Queen, also a Tam Lin retelling.
The kicker? Marketing sez it's Outlander cum Quicksilver.
OUTLANDER.
Yeah, the book I hate the most of 'em all.
Just bring me whiskey for the pain and a priest specialised in exorcisms already...
After the disillusionment that was the latest Tam Lin retelling by Craig, so bad I lost my will to write a review, I get an email from the 'Galley kindly letting me know it's time to pay my dues to Hell and that they've granted me an ARC of The Changeling Queen, also a Tam Lin retelling.
The kicker? Marketing sez it's Outlander cum Quicksilver.
OUTLANDER.
Yeah, the book I hate the most of 'em all.
Just bring me whiskey for the pain and a priest specialised in exorcisms already...
October 26, 2025
⭐️ 4.25 ⭐️ She’s a changeling who was swapped at birth. Half fae & half mortal, Bess-she-seems is stuck between two lifelines—a child of two worlds, always longing to belong but never able to set roots in either place. The story of her life begins in the mortal realm and ends with the embrace of her monstrous, ruthless self—the arc of becoming the fae Queen.
While loosely following the Ballad of Tam Lin, a tale about a mortal knight captured by the Queen of the Faeries. In this folktale, Tam Lin (who was once mortal) falls in love with a mortal woman named Janet, but when he gets captured by the Fae Queen, he is turned into a powerful fairy knight. Every seven years he is to be sacrificed to Hell (as a punishment for loving a mortal) but when Janet falls pregnant, she decides to rescue him. The Faery Queen uses her magic to transform him into many creatures, but Janet breaks the spell, freeing him from the Queens control. The ballad is a reflection and testament of the power of love, courage and strong will.
If only all folktale debuts can be written like this—gracefully and immersively, then perhaps more readers would be interested in historical fantasy and folklore retellings. The atmospheric retelling of the Ballad of Tam Lin was a first for me. While at times slow, the author did an amazing job setting the right medieval tones, accurately portraying the medieval village life and medical practices of medieval Europe and weaving them into the retelling.
While growing up in the mortal realm, Bess is a midwife/healer just like her mortal mother Mairi Grieve. She falls in love with a mortal man who later betrays her. This incites an internal spiral down into darkness and eventually her rise to power in the fae world. Not often do we see a character go from good to bad. Bess-turned-villain was so justifiable considering all the events that have happened to her. This was such a refreshing take on the morally gray character development. I loved it and I loved how deep the development went. It showed all aspects of Bess’s life, her struggles, her moral compass, her switch. So if you’re into complex protagonists, you’re going to enjoy this book down to the core.
The language can take some time getting used to but even this aspect gave it wonderful Scottish vibes and aesthetic. Some might say it’s in the likes of Outlander. Yes (the feels) and no (completely different form of sci-fi/fantasy). Nevertheless, highly recommend and an excellent debut!
Big thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing group and the author, Kimberly Bea for sending me the eARC!!
The deluxe edition is gorgeous!
Publishing date: October 28, 2025
While loosely following the Ballad of Tam Lin, a tale about a mortal knight captured by the Queen of the Faeries. In this folktale, Tam Lin (who was once mortal) falls in love with a mortal woman named Janet, but when he gets captured by the Fae Queen, he is turned into a powerful fairy knight. Every seven years he is to be sacrificed to Hell (as a punishment for loving a mortal) but when Janet falls pregnant, she decides to rescue him. The Faery Queen uses her magic to transform him into many creatures, but Janet breaks the spell, freeing him from the Queens control. The ballad is a reflection and testament of the power of love, courage and strong will.
If only all folktale debuts can be written like this—gracefully and immersively, then perhaps more readers would be interested in historical fantasy and folklore retellings. The atmospheric retelling of the Ballad of Tam Lin was a first for me. While at times slow, the author did an amazing job setting the right medieval tones, accurately portraying the medieval village life and medical practices of medieval Europe and weaving them into the retelling.
While growing up in the mortal realm, Bess is a midwife/healer just like her mortal mother Mairi Grieve. She falls in love with a mortal man who later betrays her. This incites an internal spiral down into darkness and eventually her rise to power in the fae world. Not often do we see a character go from good to bad. Bess-turned-villain was so justifiable considering all the events that have happened to her. This was such a refreshing take on the morally gray character development. I loved it and I loved how deep the development went. It showed all aspects of Bess’s life, her struggles, her moral compass, her switch. So if you’re into complex protagonists, you’re going to enjoy this book down to the core.
The language can take some time getting used to but even this aspect gave it wonderful Scottish vibes and aesthetic. Some might say it’s in the likes of Outlander. Yes (the feels) and no (completely different form of sci-fi/fantasy). Nevertheless, highly recommend and an excellent debut!
Big thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing group and the author, Kimberly Bea for sending me the eARC!!
The deluxe edition is gorgeous!
Publishing date: October 28, 2025
November 5, 2025
4.3⭐️ 1🌶️ (if that)
🖤Scottish Folklore Retelling
🖤Forbidden Love
🖤Tragedy and loss
🖤Fae Politics
🖤Female Rage
🖤Dual Timelines
I loved this so very much. For me it was reminiscent of Holly Black and her writing, in regards to the rules of the fae and the gritty disconnect between the human world and the fae world. However this is written in a Celtic fantasy fae world, and that is reflected in the writing and language used in the book.
A powerful and beautiful story, I loved this. This isn’t a story you go into expecting some crazy romantic fantasy love story- be prepared to get used to the writing style for the first handful of chapters. It’s a retelling of classic Scottish folklore - love is more of an overarching theme in this story.
Thank you so much to Kensington Publishing and Erewhon Books for the gifted e-arc.
🖤Scottish Folklore Retelling
🖤Forbidden Love
🖤Tragedy and loss
🖤Fae Politics
🖤Female Rage
🖤Dual Timelines
I loved this so very much. For me it was reminiscent of Holly Black and her writing, in regards to the rules of the fae and the gritty disconnect between the human world and the fae world. However this is written in a Celtic fantasy fae world, and that is reflected in the writing and language used in the book.
A powerful and beautiful story, I loved this. This isn’t a story you go into expecting some crazy romantic fantasy love story- be prepared to get used to the writing style for the first handful of chapters. It’s a retelling of classic Scottish folklore - love is more of an overarching theme in this story.
Thank you so much to Kensington Publishing and Erewhon Books for the gifted e-arc.
August 10, 2025
I received an arc from the Goodreads giveaway!
I was so so excited to receive this as an arc - I am a huge fan of outlander, holly black, and faery tale and folklore retellings, so this had all the makings of a good read for me. However, this novel really missed the mark. I take early reviews very seriously, so it was genuinely heartbreaking for me to dislike this book. I rarely DNF books, and I almost never rate books I’ve DNF’d (even those I make substantial progress towards finishing), but I could not finish this book, and I wanted to share my thoughts after 100 pages because the issues I have are not ones that will be resolved with further reading.
THE PROSE: There are quite a few reviews commenting on the poetic writing of this novel, but I have to respectfully disagree. The prose attempts to emulate dialect structures and colloquialisms of Scottish accents while speaking English. I’ve loved when this feature has been successfully attempted in books like Outlander, as it helps to achieve a more genuine characterization and immersive experience. But, in this instance, it makes the book difficult to parse, and applications of this dialect are extremely inconsistent. The same character can be found using “ye” and “you” (which is incorrect if used linguistically as a time period reference since “ye” historically means “you” pl., but even if this is just an effort to accent the speech, it does not make sense that a character would slide in and out of their accent). Similarly, the use of “ken” in place of “know” was wildly inconsistent, and draws attention away from the story because of its seemingly random use. Sentence structure is also a major problem here. I think the inverted word order was intended to reflect historical speech, but it make parts nearly unreadable. I don’t think these changes add anything to the setting, particularly when they appear in dialogue but not in our FMC’s inner voice. Ultimately, I had to re-read sentences multiple times to even understand what was going on, which hurt my reading experience significantly.
THE PACING: I cannot speak to the overarching plot, because I did not finish the book. However, my issue is chapter pacing and scene structures. The writing style falls into rambles that lead us away from the purpose of the chapter. Without revealing specific instances of this, I can only say that, from what I read, we encountered a flashback inside a flashback, where our FMC is walking into the forest at the start of a chapter, but remembers a time she went walking in the forest with another character, where they talked about another memory, and then we received a description of that memory... By the end, I forgot why she was walking into the forest in the first place. And this phenomenon is a frequent occurrence in this book.
THE ROMANCE: I think that the prose really impeded the romance that was starting to develop from what I read. Because of how stilted the character interactions felt, the romance felt forced, cringey, and at times, creepy. The banter didn’t hit right, equipped with all the goofy cliches, even a spin on the “is it hot in here or is it just you” line. The synopsis described this book as “sensual” but I simply didn’t connect with the characters enough to buy into the spice.
Overall, I realize this is an arc, and I don’t know how much will change between now and publication, but many of the fundamental writing components felt juvenile and poorly executed. The novel would need a huge re-write for me read this when it comes out.
HOWEVER, maybe others can overlook the prose, the pacing, and the romance elements to see something I missed. This was clearly a labor of love, and the attention to detail with respecting the mythology came through. I just wanted to share my honest thoughts as someone who likes to read both a high and low rating before picking a book, to offer insight into some of the issues I encountered and why they didn’t work for me.
I was so so excited to receive this as an arc - I am a huge fan of outlander, holly black, and faery tale and folklore retellings, so this had all the makings of a good read for me. However, this novel really missed the mark. I take early reviews very seriously, so it was genuinely heartbreaking for me to dislike this book. I rarely DNF books, and I almost never rate books I’ve DNF’d (even those I make substantial progress towards finishing), but I could not finish this book, and I wanted to share my thoughts after 100 pages because the issues I have are not ones that will be resolved with further reading.
THE PROSE: There are quite a few reviews commenting on the poetic writing of this novel, but I have to respectfully disagree. The prose attempts to emulate dialect structures and colloquialisms of Scottish accents while speaking English. I’ve loved when this feature has been successfully attempted in books like Outlander, as it helps to achieve a more genuine characterization and immersive experience. But, in this instance, it makes the book difficult to parse, and applications of this dialect are extremely inconsistent. The same character can be found using “ye” and “you” (which is incorrect if used linguistically as a time period reference since “ye” historically means “you” pl., but even if this is just an effort to accent the speech, it does not make sense that a character would slide in and out of their accent). Similarly, the use of “ken” in place of “know” was wildly inconsistent, and draws attention away from the story because of its seemingly random use. Sentence structure is also a major problem here. I think the inverted word order was intended to reflect historical speech, but it make parts nearly unreadable. I don’t think these changes add anything to the setting, particularly when they appear in dialogue but not in our FMC’s inner voice. Ultimately, I had to re-read sentences multiple times to even understand what was going on, which hurt my reading experience significantly.
THE PACING: I cannot speak to the overarching plot, because I did not finish the book. However, my issue is chapter pacing and scene structures. The writing style falls into rambles that lead us away from the purpose of the chapter. Without revealing specific instances of this, I can only say that, from what I read, we encountered a flashback inside a flashback, where our FMC is walking into the forest at the start of a chapter, but remembers a time she went walking in the forest with another character, where they talked about another memory, and then we received a description of that memory... By the end, I forgot why she was walking into the forest in the first place. And this phenomenon is a frequent occurrence in this book.
THE ROMANCE: I think that the prose really impeded the romance that was starting to develop from what I read. Because of how stilted the character interactions felt, the romance felt forced, cringey, and at times, creepy. The banter didn’t hit right, equipped with all the goofy cliches, even a spin on the “is it hot in here or is it just you” line. The synopsis described this book as “sensual” but I simply didn’t connect with the characters enough to buy into the spice.
Overall, I realize this is an arc, and I don’t know how much will change between now and publication, but many of the fundamental writing components felt juvenile and poorly executed. The novel would need a huge re-write for me read this when it comes out.
HOWEVER, maybe others can overlook the prose, the pacing, and the romance elements to see something I missed. This was clearly a labor of love, and the attention to detail with respecting the mythology came through. I just wanted to share my honest thoughts as someone who likes to read both a high and low rating before picking a book, to offer insight into some of the issues I encountered and why they didn’t work for me.
July 27, 2025
For me, this book is really hard to review because I went into it thinking that it was gonna be one thing and in my opinion it was far different than the blurb made it sound.
I went into it, thinking it was going to be a romantasy, with a feminist main character, heavy on the romance
The first half of the book is far more closely to a Salem witch trials type situation, but with Fae, instead of witches, and the female main character is half Fae so the people who hate her are technically correct…???
The first half definitely reads kind of like a historical romance, but without a happy ending
Then the second part reads more like a fantasy, but very little romance, some spice, but no romance. It’s kind of awkward, a scratch the itch thing.
It’s very dark, lots of depressing situations. You do not finish this book feeling good you finish it really down in the dumps.
On top of all that you’re jumping to, and from between the past (historical romance portion of the book), and current (the fantasy portion).
There’s also three characters with very similar names and that part is annoying to try to keep it all straight on top of the time jumps.
I didn’t go into it having read the lore that this is based off of, I went into it thinking I was about to get a romantasy book with a feisty feminist character, and she was not feisty.
Don’t get me wrong, the book was very well written and obviously extremely well researched but I just was not in the mood to read something so sad. This is not a book I would’ve ordinarily picked out to read.
I went into it, thinking it was going to be a romantasy, with a feminist main character, heavy on the romance
The first half of the book is far more closely to a Salem witch trials type situation, but with Fae, instead of witches, and the female main character is half Fae so the people who hate her are technically correct…???
The first half definitely reads kind of like a historical romance, but without a happy ending
Then the second part reads more like a fantasy, but very little romance, some spice, but no romance. It’s kind of awkward, a scratch the itch thing.
It’s very dark, lots of depressing situations. You do not finish this book feeling good you finish it really down in the dumps.
On top of all that you’re jumping to, and from between the past (historical romance portion of the book), and current (the fantasy portion).
There’s also three characters with very similar names and that part is annoying to try to keep it all straight on top of the time jumps.
I didn’t go into it having read the lore that this is based off of, I went into it thinking I was about to get a romantasy book with a feisty feminist character, and she was not feisty.
Don’t get me wrong, the book was very well written and obviously extremely well researched but I just was not in the mood to read something so sad. This is not a book I would’ve ordinarily picked out to read.
August 29, 2025
Well-researched with lovely prose - but I wouldn't describe it as "sensual and feminist" like the blurb.
We spend a lot of time with Bess-the-not-quite-human. Almost exactly 50% - which, given Bess' half-human half-fae shtick, makes me think it was intentional?
Bess and her life is... fine to read about, if you're a fan of historical fiction. She certainly dabbles with the fae, including tussling with the Dark Fool and a sweet friendship with a house Brownie. The Dark Fool hints at Bess' true heritage - but maddeningly all Bess seemingly cares about is her relationship with a human shepherd. Like, girl, he ain't worth it.
I won't spoil what leads her to becoming the Faerie Queen, but we finally get there. There are gorgeous descriptions of Faery - both the land and its inhabitants - but it all felt disjointed. Things kind of just happened and I couldn't keep the timeline right in my head. The Wild Hunt makes several appearances, and the Unseelie Court, which was very cool!
All this story takes place as a "flashback" that the queen is narrating to Janet and Tam Lin, and we get chapters throughout where they argue about sacrifice. This was my least favourite part of the book - like, can't you just stab him and be done with this shit?
I didn't like the ending... but it must follow the OG Tam Lin folklore, so whatever. Maybe I need to be more familiar with that to appreciate it more.
Look, overall, if you're a fan of fae folklore, it's worth reading. And the cover is gorgeous.
Still wondering where the sensual and feminist part come in, though!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
We spend a lot of time with Bess-the-not-quite-human. Almost exactly 50% - which, given Bess' half-human half-fae shtick, makes me think it was intentional?
Bess and her life is... fine to read about, if you're a fan of historical fiction. She certainly dabbles with the fae, including tussling with the Dark Fool and a sweet friendship with a house Brownie. The Dark Fool hints at Bess' true heritage - but maddeningly all Bess seemingly cares about is her relationship with a human shepherd. Like, girl, he ain't worth it.
I won't spoil what leads her to becoming the Faerie Queen, but we finally get there. There are gorgeous descriptions of Faery - both the land and its inhabitants - but it all felt disjointed. Things kind of just happened and I couldn't keep the timeline right in my head. The Wild Hunt makes several appearances, and the Unseelie Court, which was very cool!
All this story takes place as a "flashback" that the queen is narrating to Janet and Tam Lin, and we get chapters throughout where they argue about sacrifice. This was my least favourite part of the book - like, can't you just stab him and be done with this shit?
I didn't like the ending... but it must follow the OG Tam Lin folklore, so whatever. Maybe I need to be more familiar with that to appreciate it more.
Look, overall, if you're a fan of fae folklore, it's worth reading. And the cover is gorgeous.
Still wondering where the sensual and feminist part come in, though!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
October 30, 2025
Thank you to Kensington Publishing and Penguin Random House for the gifted ARC!
What to Expect:
The Changeling Queen is a standalone adult fantasy set in both medieval Scotland and the faery realm. The story is “a feminist fantasy retelling of the Scottish folklore ballad of Tam Lin”, and explores the origins of the Faerie Queen. The narrative shifts between past and present timelines, and is written in the limited third person perspective of the protagonist, Bess, a Changeling. Romance is not the primary focus of this book, but love is an overarching theme, and there are open door spicy scenes.
Tropes and Themes:
❥ Folklore Retelling
❥ Forbidden Love
❥ Tragic Love
❥ “Chosen One”
❥ Destiny vs. Free Will
❥ Fae Politics
❥ Duel Timelines
My Thoughts:
I love a good villain origin story, and this definitely delivered. I enjoyed the lush and atmospheric settings, and felt that the author did a great job making me feel like I was part of the story. The story itself is tragic and dark, centering largely on sacrifice and betrayal; this isn’t a villain redemption story by any means. My heart ached for the decisions Bess made throughout the book as she simply sought a sense of belonging. The alternating timelines was a great storytelling element, but I felt that the pacing was affected by this and I kept having to reread paragraphs. Overall, this was a great, emotional story and I enjoyed it!
I recommend for:
Readers who enjoy dark, tragic fantasy with complex characters.
What to Expect:
The Changeling Queen is a standalone adult fantasy set in both medieval Scotland and the faery realm. The story is “a feminist fantasy retelling of the Scottish folklore ballad of Tam Lin”, and explores the origins of the Faerie Queen. The narrative shifts between past and present timelines, and is written in the limited third person perspective of the protagonist, Bess, a Changeling. Romance is not the primary focus of this book, but love is an overarching theme, and there are open door spicy scenes.
Tropes and Themes:
❥ Folklore Retelling
❥ Forbidden Love
❥ Tragic Love
❥ “Chosen One”
❥ Destiny vs. Free Will
❥ Fae Politics
❥ Duel Timelines
My Thoughts:
I love a good villain origin story, and this definitely delivered. I enjoyed the lush and atmospheric settings, and felt that the author did a great job making me feel like I was part of the story. The story itself is tragic and dark, centering largely on sacrifice and betrayal; this isn’t a villain redemption story by any means. My heart ached for the decisions Bess made throughout the book as she simply sought a sense of belonging. The alternating timelines was a great storytelling element, but I felt that the pacing was affected by this and I kept having to reread paragraphs. Overall, this was a great, emotional story and I enjoyed it!
I recommend for:
Readers who enjoy dark, tragic fantasy with complex characters.
September 13, 2025
What a haunting, lush retelling! The Changeling Queen reimagines the Tam Lin ballad with heart, darkness, and fierce beauty. I came for the folklore, stayed for the tragedy and moral complexity.
Trope:
✅ Folklore / ballad retelling
✅ Dark fantasy
✅️fae court intrigue
✅ Feminist themes & bodily autonomy
✅ Tragic romance
✅️ forbidden love
✅ Dual timelines
🔥Slow
📖 Storyline
Bess, born of mortal and fae blood, grows up an outcast, torn between two worlds. Her path winds from scandal and forbidden love in the human village to temptation and power in Faery’s decadent court. On Samhain, years later, she stands as the Faery Queen, bargaining with Janet over Tam Lin’s fate. The story weaves between past and present, revealing how Bess became the ruthless yet heartbreakingly human queen at the centre of the famous ballad.
🎭 Characters
Bess is layered, fierce, and achingly flawed, I couldn’t stop rooting for her even when she made terrible choices. Janet is brave and determined, a perfect counterbalance. Tam Lin felt more like a prize than a full character, but that fit the myth. Thomas brought charm and heartbreak to Bess’s mortal years.
✒️ Writing/Pacing
The prose is gorgeous and steeped in atmosphere, perfect for this kind of folklore. But the pacing wobbled at times: some middle chapters lingered too long on backstory, slowing the tension just when I wanted to move forward. The timeline jumps were occasionally abrupt, and the final act dragged slightly before rushing to a resolution. Still, the emotional beats and rich setting helped pull me through.
🌏 Worldbuilding
Both mortal Scotland and the Faery court feel vivid and alive. The author captured the eerie magic, the dangerous bargains, and the heavy cost of straddling two worlds.
💭 Final Thoughts
If you go in expecting a light romantasy, this is not that, this is darker, more tragic, more reflective. For me, the emotional weight and folklore pulled me in strongly. Some parts dragged, some shifts between time were jarring, and the romance wasn’t always as strong or satisfying as the setup promised. But as a debut novel, it’s impressive, elegant, bold, and unafraid of its shadows. I kept turning pages because I wanted to see how Bess would face what she’s become, even as I feared the outcome.
🖤 Who Would Love This Book:
✨️Fans of folklore / myth-inspired fantasy
✨️Readers who like morally complex main characters
✨️Lovers of atmospheric, immersive writing
✨️People who don’t mind tragedy, emotional heaviness, and morally ambiguous romance
✨️Anyone interested in themes of bodily autonomy, identity, and power
Trope:
✅ Folklore / ballad retelling
✅ Dark fantasy
✅️fae court intrigue
✅ Feminist themes & bodily autonomy
✅ Tragic romance
✅️ forbidden love
✅ Dual timelines
🔥Slow
📖 Storyline
Bess, born of mortal and fae blood, grows up an outcast, torn between two worlds. Her path winds from scandal and forbidden love in the human village to temptation and power in Faery’s decadent court. On Samhain, years later, she stands as the Faery Queen, bargaining with Janet over Tam Lin’s fate. The story weaves between past and present, revealing how Bess became the ruthless yet heartbreakingly human queen at the centre of the famous ballad.
🎭 Characters
Bess is layered, fierce, and achingly flawed, I couldn’t stop rooting for her even when she made terrible choices. Janet is brave and determined, a perfect counterbalance. Tam Lin felt more like a prize than a full character, but that fit the myth. Thomas brought charm and heartbreak to Bess’s mortal years.
✒️ Writing/Pacing
The prose is gorgeous and steeped in atmosphere, perfect for this kind of folklore. But the pacing wobbled at times: some middle chapters lingered too long on backstory, slowing the tension just when I wanted to move forward. The timeline jumps were occasionally abrupt, and the final act dragged slightly before rushing to a resolution. Still, the emotional beats and rich setting helped pull me through.
🌏 Worldbuilding
Both mortal Scotland and the Faery court feel vivid and alive. The author captured the eerie magic, the dangerous bargains, and the heavy cost of straddling two worlds.
💭 Final Thoughts
If you go in expecting a light romantasy, this is not that, this is darker, more tragic, more reflective. For me, the emotional weight and folklore pulled me in strongly. Some parts dragged, some shifts between time were jarring, and the romance wasn’t always as strong or satisfying as the setup promised. But as a debut novel, it’s impressive, elegant, bold, and unafraid of its shadows. I kept turning pages because I wanted to see how Bess would face what she’s become, even as I feared the outcome.
🖤 Who Would Love This Book:
✨️Fans of folklore / myth-inspired fantasy
✨️Readers who like morally complex main characters
✨️Lovers of atmospheric, immersive writing
✨️People who don’t mind tragedy, emotional heaviness, and morally ambiguous romance
✨️Anyone interested in themes of bodily autonomy, identity, and power
November 14, 2025
Well, this was MIND-NUMBINGLY boring. I made it to 41% and couldn’t take it any more.
Lyrical? Sensual? No, not really. The prose isn’t bad, but it’s not what I’d call lovely, either. Feminist? Eh, I guess, in that very, very overdone, healer/witch-in-Medieval-setting way. I saw a few other reviews describe this book as a villain origin story, claiming that Bess was going to go all interesting and dark, but I’m not willing to keep reading in the hopes of that (and the hopes of it being done well and interestingly, at that).
We start in the middle of the Tam Lin ballad: Tam Lin has just been pulled from his horse, and the Seelie Queen, our first-person narrator, insists on telling Janet her (the queen’s) life story in order to make Janet give up Tam Lin. How that’s supposed to work, I don’t know; why the queen doesn’t just kill Janet or steal Tam Lin back (after the whole pulling-him-from-the-horse, holding-him-while-he-shapeshifts challenge) I don’t know. No mention is made of any reasons for the queen not to do either of those things.
The majority of the novel is the queen’s life story. She used to be Bess, a changeling who learned traditional healing from her human mother; not long after said mother dies, her human father kicked her out. Bess ended up living with the shepherd who’s expressed sexual/romantic interest in her, and they’re very happy together for a while. Throughout this, Bess is given reason to suspect that she might not be ‘just’ some changeling, but the changeling daughter of the previous Seelie queen herself – who apparently died in childbirth not very long ago. (Do I hate that childbirth can take out a Seelie queen? Yes. Do we know who has been leading the Seelie court during Bess’ human life? No, no we do not. At least not as of 41% through the book; maybe it’s revealed later.)
This is all broken up occasionally by moments returning us to the Tam Lin story, with Janet asking the queen to just let them go, and the queen (Bess) insisting on telling the story. It feels extremely forced.
Bess’ story just isn’t that interesting. It should be: she should be giving us a faerie perspective on the humanity that surrounds her, but that’s pretty minimal (possibly in part because she doesn’t know much of Faerie herself, having no memories of it). There’s themes of female independence, but I didn’t think it was executed terribly well, and I think the author was trying to go for sensual sex-positivity, but that wasn’t terribly successful either. Bess is mad at the patriarchy, including as it manifests in rich noblewomen, but her temper is all kept on the inside; she very rarely pushes back or makes any waves. Out of nowhere she starts developing magical powers she wasn’t aware of before, and this felt very choppy and hand-wavey to me; she doesn’t question why she has them or why they only appeared now, doesn’t practice with them, and we kept time-skipping over their development – we jumped months and she has new powers she didn’t have in the previous chapter, that kind of thing. She’s possessive of Thomas, her shepherd, and it’s implied that this is something to do with her fae nature and a bargain she and Thomas accidentally struck, but that wasn’t super interesting either. Bess intends to pass through the Veil and go to Faerie, but she keeps waffling on it and finding reasons not to go on the festival days when the Veil is permeable.
You know what would have been interesting? Faerie. Bess politicking and scheming and making allies in order to claim the throne, establish herself as queen. But her practicing as a ‘cunning woman’ in our world was dull as ditchwater, not least because we already know how this is going to go! From what she-as-queen told Janet, we already know that Thomas is going to betray her and leave her. We obviously already know that she does manage to become queen of the Seelie. Why the HELLS does it need to be so drawn out before we get to anything interesting???
So – it’s very likely that the second half is a lot better than the first. You know, once she actually gets to Faerie. But even if that’s so, the set-up of this being a story she’s telling Janet was incredibly clunky and forced, and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. The prose is nowhere near what I’d call lyrical or sensual. Bess as an individual wasn’t very interesting to me; her human life certainly wasn’t. Maybe the second half of the book is better, but I’ll never know, because I’m not forcing my way through any more of the deeply meh first half.
Lyrical? Sensual? No, not really. The prose isn’t bad, but it’s not what I’d call lovely, either. Feminist? Eh, I guess, in that very, very overdone, healer/witch-in-Medieval-setting way. I saw a few other reviews describe this book as a villain origin story, claiming that Bess was going to go all interesting and dark, but I’m not willing to keep reading in the hopes of that (and the hopes of it being done well and interestingly, at that).
We start in the middle of the Tam Lin ballad: Tam Lin has just been pulled from his horse, and the Seelie Queen, our first-person narrator, insists on telling Janet her (the queen’s) life story in order to make Janet give up Tam Lin. How that’s supposed to work, I don’t know; why the queen doesn’t just kill Janet or steal Tam Lin back (after the whole pulling-him-from-the-horse, holding-him-while-he-shapeshifts challenge) I don’t know. No mention is made of any reasons for the queen not to do either of those things.
The majority of the novel is the queen’s life story. She used to be Bess, a changeling who learned traditional healing from her human mother; not long after said mother dies, her human father kicked her out. Bess ended up living with the shepherd who’s expressed sexual/romantic interest in her, and they’re very happy together for a while. Throughout this, Bess is given reason to suspect that she might not be ‘just’ some changeling, but the changeling daughter of the previous Seelie queen herself – who apparently died in childbirth not very long ago. (Do I hate that childbirth can take out a Seelie queen? Yes. Do we know who has been leading the Seelie court during Bess’ human life? No, no we do not. At least not as of 41% through the book; maybe it’s revealed later.)
This is all broken up occasionally by moments returning us to the Tam Lin story, with Janet asking the queen to just let them go, and the queen (Bess) insisting on telling the story. It feels extremely forced.
Bess’ story just isn’t that interesting. It should be: she should be giving us a faerie perspective on the humanity that surrounds her, but that’s pretty minimal (possibly in part because she doesn’t know much of Faerie herself, having no memories of it). There’s themes of female independence, but I didn’t think it was executed terribly well, and I think the author was trying to go for sensual sex-positivity, but that wasn’t terribly successful either. Bess is mad at the patriarchy, including as it manifests in rich noblewomen, but her temper is all kept on the inside; she very rarely pushes back or makes any waves. Out of nowhere she starts developing magical powers she wasn’t aware of before, and this felt very choppy and hand-wavey to me; she doesn’t question why she has them or why they only appeared now, doesn’t practice with them, and we kept time-skipping over their development – we jumped months and she has new powers she didn’t have in the previous chapter, that kind of thing. She’s possessive of Thomas, her shepherd, and it’s implied that this is something to do with her fae nature and a bargain she and Thomas accidentally struck, but that wasn’t super interesting either. Bess intends to pass through the Veil and go to Faerie, but she keeps waffling on it and finding reasons not to go on the festival days when the Veil is permeable.
You know what would have been interesting? Faerie. Bess politicking and scheming and making allies in order to claim the throne, establish herself as queen. But her practicing as a ‘cunning woman’ in our world was dull as ditchwater, not least because we already know how this is going to go! From what she-as-queen told Janet, we already know that Thomas is going to betray her and leave her. We obviously already know that she does manage to become queen of the Seelie. Why the HELLS does it need to be so drawn out before we get to anything interesting???
So – it’s very likely that the second half is a lot better than the first. You know, once she actually gets to Faerie. But even if that’s so, the set-up of this being a story she’s telling Janet was incredibly clunky and forced, and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. The prose is nowhere near what I’d call lyrical or sensual. Bess as an individual wasn’t very interesting to me; her human life certainly wasn’t. Maybe the second half of the book is better, but I’ll never know, because I’m not forcing my way through any more of the deeply meh first half.
October 31, 2025
The Changeling Queen by Kimberly Bea
This was such a beautifully written, atmospheric story, more folklore than romantasy, and definitely one that leans into its mythic roots. The prose is lush and immersive, and I loved how the fae were portrayed as strange, eerie, and bound by rules older than time. It felt like reading an old legend retold with modern emotional depth.
That said, the pacing dragged a bit for me. There were moments where I wanted things to move faster, and I didn’t always feel as connected to the romance thread, it’s there, but it’s subtle and secondary to the folklore and transformation themes. Still, I appreciated how layered Bess’s journey was, from her human ties to her darker rise as Faerie Queen.
If you love rich writing, historical atmosphere, and stories rooted in traditional fae mythology rather than courtly drama, this is one to pick up. It’s thoughtful, haunting, and lingers with you after the final page.
Huge thank-you to Hambright PR for the gifted copy!
This was such a beautifully written, atmospheric story, more folklore than romantasy, and definitely one that leans into its mythic roots. The prose is lush and immersive, and I loved how the fae were portrayed as strange, eerie, and bound by rules older than time. It felt like reading an old legend retold with modern emotional depth.
That said, the pacing dragged a bit for me. There were moments where I wanted things to move faster, and I didn’t always feel as connected to the romance thread, it’s there, but it’s subtle and secondary to the folklore and transformation themes. Still, I appreciated how layered Bess’s journey was, from her human ties to her darker rise as Faerie Queen.
If you love rich writing, historical atmosphere, and stories rooted in traditional fae mythology rather than courtly drama, this is one to pick up. It’s thoughtful, haunting, and lingers with you after the final page.
Huge thank-you to Hambright PR for the gifted copy!
October 6, 2025
A dark and lyrical retelling of the Scottish Ballad of Tam Lin told not from the point of view of the pregnant Janet and Tam Lin but the Faery Queen herself. Over the span of a single night, the Faery Queen tells the story of how she went from a healer's half mortal changeling daughter Bess to a ruthless Queen.
I think if I were less familiar with the original tale that I'd have found this slightly disjointed and confusing and I do think comparing it to Outlander and Quicksilver is a stretch and would appeal more to fans of folklore than fans of modern romantasy. Lucky for me I love both! I thought this was well written and researched and found the setting and the characters captivating.
e-arc provided by NetGalley ❤️
I think if I were less familiar with the original tale that I'd have found this slightly disjointed and confusing and I do think comparing it to Outlander and Quicksilver is a stretch and would appeal more to fans of folklore than fans of modern romantasy. Lucky for me I love both! I thought this was well written and researched and found the setting and the characters captivating.
e-arc provided by NetGalley ❤️
September 30, 2025
I very much enjoyed this story. The folklore and historical aspects are something I am very much into and the way this was written highlighted that so much for me. The world building was about perfect, I could really put myself there and with the imagery created I could envision it all pretty clearly in my mind and I truly enjoy stories that can do that. The character story/development/trauma/heartache/downfall of many of the characters was an experience I know I will hold onto for quite a long time. I did very much enjoy getting to know how the Queen came to be and why she believed as she did, felt as she did, and her actions. Though my only kind of negative critic is... I feel like some of the story could of been shortened up, a lot of the repetitive wording removed, and pacing could of been sped up and the story would have still contained everything it had and been just as great and not needing to be almost 500 pages. Though I overall I would still read all the pages over again as I did really enjoy the story as a whole and very much recommend this story ESPECIALLY if you like stories that try to stay true to Fae Mythology and folklore as a whole.
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April 10, 2025"A sensually romantic, feminist retelling of the Scottish Ballad of Tam Lin, combining folklore, desire, and sacrifice in a tale perfect for fans of Natalie Hayes, Genevieve Gornichec, Holly Black, Callie Hart, and Outlander."
July 7, 2025
The Changeling Queen offers a unique take on the Tam Lin folklore, centering on Bess, a half-mortal, half-fae queen torn between past betrayals and present desperation. The twist is that Bess attempting to convince her lover’s lover to let her kill Tam Lin. The book definitely has undeniable intrigue, and there’s real potential in the emotional complexity layered into that triangle.
However, the novel leans too heavily in its verbosity, often over-explaining what the atmosphere and subtext could have carried more elegantly. The structure of jumping between Bess’s memories and the present, becomes more frustrating than enriching. Instead of deepening the narrative, the back-and-forth in my opinion stalls the momentum and makes it difficult to emotionally invest in either timeline.
While the writing is lyrical (which given the lore of the retelling is fitting) and the folklore foundation is compelling, the overall impact is muddied by the back and forth timeline choices and excessive (yet at times beautiful) descriptions. A more streamlined approach might have made Bess’s journey hit harder.
However, the novel leans too heavily in its verbosity, often over-explaining what the atmosphere and subtext could have carried more elegantly. The structure of jumping between Bess’s memories and the present, becomes more frustrating than enriching. Instead of deepening the narrative, the back-and-forth in my opinion stalls the momentum and makes it difficult to emotionally invest in either timeline.
While the writing is lyrical (which given the lore of the retelling is fitting) and the folklore foundation is compelling, the overall impact is muddied by the back and forth timeline choices and excessive (yet at times beautiful) descriptions. A more streamlined approach might have made Bess’s journey hit harder.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2025
*** This is an ARC REVIEW ***
I really wanted to love this one—it seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately, I never felt fully drawn into the story. The beginning was confusing, and I often found myself backtracking rather than being swept along. I struggled to connect with the FMC, and the language sometimes slipped in and out of heavy Scottish phrasing, which pulled me out of the flow. Sadly, this one just didn’t land for me.
I really wanted to love this one—it seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately, I never felt fully drawn into the story. The beginning was confusing, and I often found myself backtracking rather than being swept along. I struggled to connect with the FMC, and the language sometimes slipped in and out of heavy Scottish phrasing, which pulled me out of the flow. Sadly, this one just didn’t land for me.
September 14, 2025
The Changeling Queen promises fantasy and romance but delivers a slow, 450+ page slog. The protagonist’s endless inner conflict is repetitive, the tone bleak, and the story laced with anti-Christian sentiment. If you’re hoping for romance, spice, or a happy ending, you won’t find it here—only melancholy and regret. It's kind of got awkward, slow, Disney's live action Maleficent vibes, but more depressing and no happy endings. The whole "Oulander meets Quicksilver" was incredibly misleading and insulting to those two other phenomenal authors. The only redeeming quality is the author’s strong grasp of fae folklore.
October 28, 2025
“I have embraced the monstruos inside me, the wicked, the cold. No longer do I retain the mortal senses of good and evil ; Faery has never had any use for them, after all.”
💕Thanks @kensingtonbooks for the #gifted ARC.
🖤Most of the time we see book villains or morally grey characters go from evil to good or at least grow a conscience of some kind for their acts most of the time they redeem themselves by the end of the story. But this is a totally different story think along the lines of “Hearthless” from Meyer. In this book we see the making of a villain.
This was a character driven story, I was never sure where the story was going and that made it more interesting. The story telling is enthralling, full of faery magic.
Fia as a changeling in the human world she tried to resist the pull of faery hanging to her love for Thomas but all this was vain. She had a duty to faery to maintain it alive and thriving and this required sacrifice. The cost was high and it drove Fia to do things that she never imagined doing.
This was a dark, tragic story with no happy ending. Where at the end all that is left is a queen with a cold heart and no humanity left. I will be thinking of this story for a while.
💕Thanks @kensingtonbooks for the #gifted ARC.
🖤Most of the time we see book villains or morally grey characters go from evil to good or at least grow a conscience of some kind for their acts most of the time they redeem themselves by the end of the story. But this is a totally different story think along the lines of “Hearthless” from Meyer. In this book we see the making of a villain.
This was a character driven story, I was never sure where the story was going and that made it more interesting. The story telling is enthralling, full of faery magic.
Fia as a changeling in the human world she tried to resist the pull of faery hanging to her love for Thomas but all this was vain. She had a duty to faery to maintain it alive and thriving and this required sacrifice. The cost was high and it drove Fia to do things that she never imagined doing.
This was a dark, tragic story with no happy ending. Where at the end all that is left is a queen with a cold heart and no humanity left. I will be thinking of this story for a while.
July 7, 2025
3,5 ✨ So I went into The Changeling Queen really hoping I would love it. It’s a fae fantasy based on folklore history. Based on the description, it seemed like it would be right up my alley. However, this ended up being a dull read for me.
The beginning dragged quite a bit. I started it twice, and I had to give myself grace as I almost DNF’d in the first few chapters because it felt like nothing was making sense. It was so densely written that I had to reread certain parts to understand them. You just read without moving on, if that makes sense.
Bess, I didn't understand frankly because she was in a constant state of indecision plus I couldn't understand her judgment! First of all, this was supposedly a feminist character, but for half of the book, she was following around a man, and then for the other half, she was chasing around 2 more men.
And then there was Thomas, the shepherd king. The illegitimate son that was brushed aside by his father and yet, the moment his dad called him back, he left his life (that we establish he worked super hard to build with no one's help) like nothing else ever mattered. Again these all might be a part of the original folklore story, but I just found too many inconsistencies that honestly frustrated me.
To give the book its flowers I enjoyed 2 things: Firstly, the world and the fairies that were described in a way that’s so lush and vivid that it makes you feel like you are a part of the world initially. Secondly, I appreciated that the author didn’t shy away from the darker side of fairy tales like the discrimination against Bess the changeling and a lot of pain and loss. It’s not a perfect world in any part of the book and I did appreciate that we were shown that.
Still, I wish the story had felt more cohesive. The timeline jumps, the "story-within-a-story" narration with Tam Lin and Janet, and the uneven pacing made things harder to follow, more than they needed to be imo. And honestly, if you’re like me, not familiar with the original Ballad of Tam Lin, a lot of it just felt confusing.
So in the end, I just tried to finish it for the sake of it. There’s a beautiful folklore story in here, but it’s lost under slow pacing, and a confusing structure to me. If you’re really into faerie lore and don’t mind a slower, more introspective kind of fantasy, you might enjoy it. Just don’t go in expecting a fast-paced, fairytale romance because that’s not really what this is.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!
The beginning dragged quite a bit. I started it twice, and I had to give myself grace as I almost DNF’d in the first few chapters because it felt like nothing was making sense. It was so densely written that I had to reread certain parts to understand them. You just read without moving on, if that makes sense.
Bess, I didn't understand frankly because she was in a constant state of indecision plus I couldn't understand her judgment! First of all, this was supposedly a feminist character, but for half of the book, she was following around a man, and then for the other half, she was chasing around 2 more men.
And then there was Thomas, the shepherd king. The illegitimate son that was brushed aside by his father and yet, the moment his dad called him back, he left his life (that we establish he worked super hard to build with no one's help) like nothing else ever mattered. Again these all might be a part of the original folklore story, but I just found too many inconsistencies that honestly frustrated me.
To give the book its flowers I enjoyed 2 things: Firstly, the world and the fairies that were described in a way that’s so lush and vivid that it makes you feel like you are a part of the world initially. Secondly, I appreciated that the author didn’t shy away from the darker side of fairy tales like the discrimination against Bess the changeling and a lot of pain and loss. It’s not a perfect world in any part of the book and I did appreciate that we were shown that.
Still, I wish the story had felt more cohesive. The timeline jumps, the "story-within-a-story" narration with Tam Lin and Janet, and the uneven pacing made things harder to follow, more than they needed to be imo. And honestly, if you’re like me, not familiar with the original Ballad of Tam Lin, a lot of it just felt confusing.
So in the end, I just tried to finish it for the sake of it. There’s a beautiful folklore story in here, but it’s lost under slow pacing, and a confusing structure to me. If you’re really into faerie lore and don’t mind a slower, more introspective kind of fantasy, you might enjoy it. Just don’t go in expecting a fast-paced, fairytale romance because that’s not really what this is.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!
July 28, 2025
The Changeling Queen is a mystical faerie tale of the faerie queen’s life and how she came to be. The first half of the book follows her as a changeling in the mortal realm and the second half follows her as she returns to faerie after realizing and accepting who she is. It follows her choices and how she loses her mortal self and embraces becoming the true queen of faerie.
The story is beautiful, the writing is descriptive and snares you up and brings you into its world. I loved the Scottish accents coming through the pages in the first half of the story. I found myself connecting with the queen and also questioning her choices and distancing myself from her. Is she a villain or is she doing what anyone would do in her shoes?
It was a lovely book, but it was very slow. I struggled to really get excited about the book or have that drive to dive in and find out what happens next. I think it needed more of a story arc and connection with the characters. Overall it was still a lovely story. Would love to watch this as a movie.
Thank you to the Author Kimberly Bea, Kensington Publishing | Erewhon Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Opinions are my own.
The story is beautiful, the writing is descriptive and snares you up and brings you into its world. I loved the Scottish accents coming through the pages in the first half of the story. I found myself connecting with the queen and also questioning her choices and distancing myself from her. Is she a villain or is she doing what anyone would do in her shoes?
It was a lovely book, but it was very slow. I struggled to really get excited about the book or have that drive to dive in and find out what happens next. I think it needed more of a story arc and connection with the characters. Overall it was still a lovely story. Would love to watch this as a movie.
Thank you to the Author Kimberly Bea, Kensington Publishing | Erewhon Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Opinions are my own.
November 9, 2025
The feelings and vibes of this book were what I enjoyed most about the story. Kimberly Bea does a beautiful job in depicting a very particular world that coexisted, unbeknownst, with the existence of magic and Faerie.
I loved that it was like reading an old tale; the characters weren't good or bad, but a mix of their circumstances. Bess is a difficult FMC, always battling with who she really is. She becomes such a powerful character, but in many situations, I couldn't help but feel for her.
This is clearly not a romance story, but a beautiful and dark journey of a young woman who becomes a Queen. If you love Scottish folklore and eerie atmospheric settings, then this book is definitely for you.
Thank you, NetGalley and Kimberly Bea, for the e-ARC and the opportunity to read this beautiful story.
I loved that it was like reading an old tale; the characters weren't good or bad, but a mix of their circumstances. Bess is a difficult FMC, always battling with who she really is. She becomes such a powerful character, but in many situations, I couldn't help but feel for her.
This is clearly not a romance story, but a beautiful and dark journey of a young woman who becomes a Queen. If you love Scottish folklore and eerie atmospheric settings, then this book is definitely for you.
Thank you, NetGalley and Kimberly Bea, for the e-ARC and the opportunity to read this beautiful story.
October 25, 2025
I was so looking forward to reading The Changeling Queen. It's a retelling about a famous Scottish Ballad combined with folklore, fairies etc. After reading the blurb, I really thought this is my cup of tea! Sadly, I was wrong.
The plot, the story sounded so intriguing. I love retellings and I love Scotland, so I had high hopes. To be honest, the writing was a bit difficult for me to understand. Luckily, I knew some Scottish words, thanks to Outlander. My first language is not English, but I never had this problem. I always read in English, I always understand the words. But not this time and it makes me sad.
Don't let this stop you from reading the book. You might love the story!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
This book releases on October 28th.
The plot, the story sounded so intriguing. I love retellings and I love Scotland, so I had high hopes. To be honest, the writing was a bit difficult for me to understand. Luckily, I knew some Scottish words, thanks to Outlander. My first language is not English, but I never had this problem. I always read in English, I always understand the words. But not this time and it makes me sad.
Don't let this stop you from reading the book. You might love the story!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
This book releases on October 28th.
November 14, 2025
This deluxe limited edition is genuinely stunning — the kind of book you want displayed, touched, admired. And as a retelling of Tam Lin, it does something fresh while honouring the roots of Scottish folklore, reflected beautifully through the language and tone.
I really enjoyed Bess’s perspective and watching the path that leads her to become the Faerie Queen — there’s something compelling and mythic about her arc. But at times the writing felt a little repetitive, and the narrative occasionally wandered away from itself, so the pacing didn’t always hold me.
Still, not a bad read at all — atmospheric, folklore-rich, and a lovely addition to a fairy-tale-inspired shelf.
Thank you to Hambright PR, Net Galley and Kimberly Bea, for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review.
I really enjoyed Bess’s perspective and watching the path that leads her to become the Faerie Queen — there’s something compelling and mythic about her arc. But at times the writing felt a little repetitive, and the narrative occasionally wandered away from itself, so the pacing didn’t always hold me.
Still, not a bad read at all — atmospheric, folklore-rich, and a lovely addition to a fairy-tale-inspired shelf.
Thank you to Hambright PR, Net Galley and Kimberly Bea, for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review.
June 21, 2025
Prior to reading this, I am sad to say I knew nothing about the original folklore of the “Ballad of Tam Lin” so I got a great introduction to the story. My best friend growing up was obsessed with faeries and the Fae, but this was far more enjoyable than I could have imagined. This was all parts romantic, tragic (dare I say?), and immersive.
The story from the perspective of the Changeling Queen herself was so interesting as we usually do not get the side from those who are not the narrator (usually mortals).
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! 👏
The story from the perspective of the Changeling Queen herself was so interesting as we usually do not get the side from those who are not the narrator (usually mortals).
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! 👏
October 29, 2025
3 Stars
This is a retelling of the Scottish Ballad of Tam Lin told from the POV of the Faery Queen. A solid book but not my favorite. The writing is great and very poetic. It takes a little bit to get into the style but once you do, it fits the vibes of the Scottish folklore it’s retelling. This would be a great read for people who like very lyrical written folklore with lots of darkness and heavy emotions.
The timeline threw me off a bit because we spent so much time in the POV of Bess. I also felt certain parts dragged while others were rushed. Sometimes with the dual timeline, I was a little lost. But that is just the style of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This is a retelling of the Scottish Ballad of Tam Lin told from the POV of the Faery Queen. A solid book but not my favorite. The writing is great and very poetic. It takes a little bit to get into the style but once you do, it fits the vibes of the Scottish folklore it’s retelling. This would be a great read for people who like very lyrical written folklore with lots of darkness and heavy emotions.
The timeline threw me off a bit because we spent so much time in the POV of Bess. I also felt certain parts dragged while others were rushed. Sometimes with the dual timeline, I was a little lost. But that is just the style of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
October 22, 2025
Let’s start with a disclaimer that this is not for everyone. For me, it was everything I love: historical fiction blended with dark fantasy.
This is a retelling of the Scottish Ballad of Tam Lin. I loved that it included women’s rights, rage, and feminism, but these were part of the plot and not the only things in the book. There is also romance, history, and fae in a plot that really is about what makes us human.
Recommended to historical fiction & fantasy readers.
Thank you Kensington books for providing this book for review consideration via @netgalley. All opinions are my own.
This is a retelling of the Scottish Ballad of Tam Lin. I loved that it included women’s rights, rage, and feminism, but these were part of the plot and not the only things in the book. There is also romance, history, and fae in a plot that really is about what makes us human.
Recommended to historical fiction & fantasy readers.
Thank you Kensington books for providing this book for review consideration via @netgalley. All opinions are my own.
October 29, 2025
This book was not for me. I did not vibe with the writing style. It was slow I do like the build up from mortal to faerie but I found everything lacking. It was slow, the charact ran were hard to connect to and I just couldn't get into the story. I very much wanted you to live th story line. It had great world building and character set up but again couldn't get into it.
Thank you netgalley and Erewhon Books for the opportunity to read this book
Thank you netgalley and Erewhon Books for the opportunity to read this book
August 23, 2025
Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for this ARC
Overall, this book was fine for me. It does have the love triangle trope which i can be a bit on the fence about, and honestly wasnt the biggest fan of it in this book. It was quick to read. The timeline jumps were slightly jarring to me. The writing was good.
Overall a 2.25 ⭐️
Overall, this book was fine for me. It does have the love triangle trope which i can be a bit on the fence about, and honestly wasnt the biggest fan of it in this book. It was quick to read. The timeline jumps were slightly jarring to me. The writing was good.
Overall a 2.25 ⭐️
Want to read
June 1, 2025welllll I know acotar was a retelling (in a way) of the ballad of tam lin, and this looks like it'll be sort of better? Although the words sensual and feminist being used together can't be good. This'll probably be a psuedo feminist watery mess but I'm here for it
dnf
July 3, 2025Warning for folks going into this thinking it is a romantasy, IT IS NOT. Very much NOT. No romance here.
I am not giving this book a rating as I essentially DNF'ed it (read the beginning, got suspicious, read the end) and can't rate the actual quality of the book. I started reading and the vibes were *immediately* off for a romantasy. Poked around some reviews and made the decision to just jump to the end to confirm. Along with being full fantasy, no romance, I think the method of storytelling is one I wouldn't have jived with.
I have a feeling the writing is actually good, the book just is very much not for me. I think this is a story that would appeal to more traditional fantasy readers, especially if you like a darker/more tragic story that plays with folklore.
I am not giving this book a rating as I essentially DNF'ed it (read the beginning, got suspicious, read the end) and can't rate the actual quality of the book. I started reading and the vibes were *immediately* off for a romantasy. Poked around some reviews and made the decision to just jump to the end to confirm. Along with being full fantasy, no romance, I think the method of storytelling is one I wouldn't have jived with.
I have a feeling the writing is actually good, the book just is very much not for me. I think this is a story that would appeal to more traditional fantasy readers, especially if you like a darker/more tragic story that plays with folklore.
June 16, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC read. This was such an interesting take on the “Ballad of Tam Lin” and the Scottish folklore included.
There was so much descriptive info in this one that you could visualise exactly what was happening, as well as having the story told from the Queen herself’s POV.
And how the “Bess Who Seemed” born as a changeling with the help of a midwife develops into her role over time, as well as the difficulties she faces in feeling as though she belongs nowhere on either side of the veil. And the heartbreak that follows, alongside the struggles of a dual heritage identity.
If you’re interested in the following tropes then this one is for you:
Morally grey FMC
Dark and atmospheric retelling
Forbidden love/chemistry
There was so much descriptive info in this one that you could visualise exactly what was happening, as well as having the story told from the Queen herself’s POV.
And how the “Bess Who Seemed” born as a changeling with the help of a midwife develops into her role over time, as well as the difficulties she faces in feeling as though she belongs nowhere on either side of the veil. And the heartbreak that follows, alongside the struggles of a dual heritage identity.
If you’re interested in the following tropes then this one is for you:
Morally grey FMC
Dark and atmospheric retelling
Forbidden love/chemistry
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