Review: Falling for the Crystal Fae

Falling for the Crystal Fae by Anabelle Raven is the most recent ARC I read from To Win a Dark Heart, placing me about halfway through this multi-author series. So far, every book has been a completely different experience, even though they all follow the same format of combining villains from two different fairy tales. This book combines the villains from "Aladdin" and "The Snow Queen" in an original fae fantasy realm. It takes place after their classic tales have completed, making it an original story about two villains on a quest for revenge against the heroes who took away their happy endings.


The story begins similarly to Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, in which the female lead, Khiona, finds a lamp with a handsome genie inside, who offers her anything her heart desires. She agrees to free Andar, the genie, in exchange for a chance at revenge against the people who overthrew her. Andar has experience with overthrowing those in power since he once tried to do the same and got trapped in a lamp as a result. He sees something in Khiona that she refuses to see in herself and makes it his mission to help her become a better person.

Some of the books in this series follow the original fairy tales more than others. This one contains only a brief mention of "The Snow Queen" and "Aladdin" when Khiona and Andar reveal their backstories to each other. Most of the story focuses on their journey to Khiona's kingdom, where she is forced to hide her identity to avoid being revealed as a dangerous tyrant. Along the way, she grows closer to Andar and learns about how he overcame his own lust for power. Although the book does not contain graphic violence, there are references to both characters committing murder before they met.

I struggled with the pacing in this story, as much of it seemed to repeat the same things about Khiona wanting revenge and Andar wanting to change her, with little else happening. It's a great concept to bring together two villains who want to change each other, but the changes happened slowly over the course of repetitive dialogue instead of through actions and consequences. I would have loved to see an appearance from Gerda, Kai, or Aladdin to learn how their lives were affected by these characters' actions from their own perspectives.

Falling for the Crystal Fae is a character-driven exploration of two complex villains navigating their pasts and desires. Anabelle Raven's original take on the villains from "Aladdin" and "The Snow Queen" offers a fresh perspective on redemption and growth, even if the pacing falters at times. Fans of slow-burn romance and morally gray characters will find much to appreciate in Khiona and Andar's journey. I'll be taking a short break from my reviews of this series over the next couple of weeks to spotlight Displaced Fairytales, another multi-author series of combined retellings that brings together heroes from two different stories instead of villains.
I have always dreamed of being a writer and creating the next great fairy tale princess heroine. Princesses inspire us to be our best selves. While you're here, feel free to follow my page on Facebook, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and check out my books. I'm also on Instagram and Twitter.

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