The Night Market: A Standalone Fae Fantasy Forbidden Romance (A Bound By Ravens Novel) | Review
- dessimalakov
- Feb 15, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 3, 2024
THE NIGHT MARKET is a new adult fae romantasy by Jesikah Sundin set in the Bound by Ravens
Author: Jesikah Sundin
Release Date: January, 15th 2024
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 1.5
Official Description:
A mortal seer enslaved by a traveling faerie market.
A Raven shifter forced into marriage to save his Caravan tribe.
And a future not even the cards could predict . . .
Some children dream of running away to join the Night Market. I did so to escape a nightmare. Still, being forced into an overheated tent to read fortunes until sunrise has its trials—naturally. But when he visits me, I suffer for entirely different reasons. Stars above, Rhylen Lonan is the most beautiful faerie I’ve ever known. A Raven shifter with long black hair, dark purple eyes, and magic that stirs my own. Each Night Market, in exchange for a generous slice of cake and a delicious morsel of gossip, I read him three cards. And before the gates open, he breaks my heart with the same question.
“Does my mate love me back?” Every time, I'm taunted with visions of Rhylen in love . . . with her. His mate. Until tonight’s reading, that is, when Fate takes a sudden dark turn. I see a devastating fire. He will be forced to marry to save his tribe or face banishment. She will be hunted by other fae in a wedding game. I do not see her face. I never have. Nor do I know her name. But as Rhylen’s destiny continues to grip my Sight, I start to suspect it's me. That I have always been his forbidden future. And I don’t know what terrifies me most—that I might be his downfall or that he might be mine.
Warning : This article might contain spoilers !! The Night Market review
#1: First thoughts the night market review Jesikah Sundin
Today, I will be sharing my thoughts on "The Night Market", a standalone fae fantasy romance by Jesikah Sundin. Let’s delve into a world of seers, forbidden love, and a dash of romance.
"The Night Market" unfolds in the Bound by Ravens world, offering a fusion of fantasy, romance, and mystique. The story intricately weaves the destinies of Filena, a mortal seer fleeing an abusive past with her brother Cian, and Rhlyan Lonan, a Raven Shifter whose family has taken them in as "slaves." Filena now works as a fortune teller at the traveling faerie market, and despite their unconventional relationship dynamics, Filena and Cian are considered extended family by the Lonans.
While I enjoyed the beginning of the book, I was struggling to power through for some reason. Usually I am avid and quick reader and once I am intrigued by the plot, I won't put it down even if it means that I will be up until 4 am. With this book it was different. Once I have reached 50% of the book I was easily distracted by other things and kept pushing it back. In hindsight I believe that it was the pace, the typos and the cheesy dialogue between Filena and Rylan that was putting me off for a bit.
What ultimately kept me going was the intricate world-building and the mystique around Filena's background and her powers as a seer. Even though the story revolves around Filena and Rhlyan, I became more interested in their siblings (Cian & Glenna) relationship.
#2: The Good, The Bad and The Cheesy
Let's start off with the good. The introduced plot is quite intriguing and unlike anything I have read so far. I like the concept of a faerie market with magical booths, card reading and fortune telling. I can immediately imagine myself in this world and truth to be told it's always been a secret desire of mine to go and visit a fortune teller myself, its just that I would be too scared by the outcome.
I love the friendship between Filena, her brother Cian, Rhylan and his sister Glenna. Even though they are like family, you can immediately feel the subtle longing Filena & Rhylan feel towards each other. Both are so oblivious of their respective feelings and at times I wanted to scream at them as it was so obvious. Their interaction is tender, funny and filled with "inside jokes". One of them being that Rhylan visits Filena in her booth pretending to be a traveler and seeking truth about his unknown, future True Mate. What she doesn't realise is that these questions were always meant for her and the future the she foresees for him includes her as his True Mate. Their hesitance in admitting their true feelings isn't just a sign of insecurity but can also be explained by the fact that their laws forbid them to bond as she is mortal and he is fae.
One personal highlight was Rhylan's seductive dance as part of the ritual mating. Now that is hot. It is so refreshing to see a break from the traditional and outdated gender norms.
I admired the portrayal of Filena as a calm yet fierce character, rather than the typical moody, attention-seeking female lead. While you can tell that she has lived through a difficult past, she sees the beauty in the world. Some of her dialogue was incredibly funny, I wish I was that quick-witted.
My favourite characters though were Cian and Glenna. I loved their banter and their mischievous smiles and I became fully invested in their potential relationship. I was also surprised how openly they discussed their sexuality. What really stood out to me though was the gender-fluid presentation of Cian. It wasn't followed by an explicit commentary or judgment which I really appreciated. I can't wait to see how their relationships unfolds further as it's clear that they are just made for each other.
The book unfortunately is not without its flaws as I hinted above. Some of the language was so cheesy that I struggled to continue on. This is supposed to be an adult-themed book, but Filena continues to call her breasts "girls", her familiar fox "Muffin Moo" and basically everyone else "pet". That to me if just unacceptable. I also feel that the romance between Filena & Rhlyan evolved from forbidden love to a soap opera. Once they admitted their feelings and the romance peeked their love admissions bordored on madness.
This unfortunately impacted also the overall spice. The depictions of their steamy moments felt too perfect, too unrealistic. Especially Filena's first intimate experience lacks the expected elements of pain, awkwardness, or tightness. In total there were two spicy scenes so I will give it a 1.5 rating on my spice level but I must also admit that none of it felt steamy or spicy, it fell completely flat.
#3: Final Thoughts
In the end, "The Night Market" is a book with both highs and lows. While it doesn't fully deliver on all fronts, it still manages to captivate with its unique characters and an intriguing world. If you're a fan of fantasy romance with a hint of mystery, it's worth giving it a shot, if only to uncover the fate of the characters you've come to care about.
And even though I was hoping to see Cian and Glenna's relationship unfold, I am happy to wait for the promised sequel (it's also marked as a standalone book) called "The Lady of Man and Gent of Fem Heartbreak Show," that will revolve around their storyline.
If you liked this review of the Night Market or have any questions or comments, let me know !
Disclaimer: I have added an affiliate link for your convenience so you can directly purchase the book if you are intrigued. This also means that I will receive small commission. This does not affect inclusion in my reviews or the overall rating of the book.
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